“Thanks! But I will let you help. Now, first, here is the crater. From all we can see of it it does not possess much value as an agricultural proposition. There are scores of queer animals in there that probably do not exist anywhere else on the face of the earth. If we let the people go in there the animals will be exterminated in short order. We do not want that. They are a last remnant of a prehistoric age, just as the people in the valley are the last pitiful reminder of a once powerful nation, possessing a wonderful civilization. Both survived because they were isolated from the outer world—and would still be so but for us.”
“How can we save them?” Ted asked. “I am in favor of it if it can be done.”
“That great wall between Uti and the main valley was built to keep the tigers from destroying the people years ago,” Stanley said, pointing to the massive structure, the end of which had been undermined and destroyed by the explosion. “If that was not too much work for them, it will not be too much to fill up this little gap.”
“That’s a bully idea. We can watch up here while the men place the stones in position, and protect them if need be. Then life can go on in the crater just the same as if we had never found it.”
“Exactly. I am glad you are in favor of that, too. Now for the two dead tigers. We must take them out, of course, and carry them back home with us. I am glad we have them, and we have a clear conscience also. We did not destroy them wantonly. And we did not exterminate the species.”
“I should say we do want to take them home with us. They will be the biggest treasure we shall get.”
“Then we must have them dragged out and skinned. The skins and skeletons will weigh a lot. Remember, the same weight in gold would be worth a fortune.”
“I would rather have the animals. Some museum will be glad to have them, and they will create no end of discussions. Now we ought to make a solemn pledge—never to tell any one of this place, or how to get to it. We shall have the proof that we were in some prehistoric spot, and that will have to be enough.”
“It’s a go. Shake! Now that is settled. Soncco wants to have the coronation at once. I want him to hold off a while. We must have time to learn more of our respective jobs before undertaking the responsibility of them. How does that strike you?”
“Very sensible, I should say. Let’s call together all the amautas in the valley and ask them questions. They can tell us all we ought to know.”