“If you are spirits or demons, you must know that; for I am Villac Umu, one of the obedient servants of the great Inca, and High Priest of the Temple of the Sun. And you?”
“We have come from the sky. That is all you shall know until it pleases us to tell you more.”
“Yes, yes; even the king saw the great bird swoop into the valley. It filled him with amazement and joy, for might it not be a messenger from heaven with tidings to the greatest of the Incas? If you are brothers of the moon or children of the sun, you may confide in me; the king demands to be told, so that he may prepare to receive you according to your rank.”
“Why did not the king come in person?” Stanley abruptly changed the subject.
“The king is far away.”
“Villac Umu, you dare say that? For all you know we may be able to read your most secret thoughts and to separate the truth from the untruth.”
“Then you must know that I speak truly. The king is not here. If he were, you should feel his very presence, though you could not see him. He is great and powerful and so terrible that he is called the Tiger.”
“Go back to your people,” Stanley commanded, “and return when I wave my hand like this.”
The man bowed and turned without a word.
“What do you make of it?” Ted asked when he was out of hearing. “It looks like a plot of some kind.”