“The great king will be pained to receive such a message, for in addition to being terrible he is also generous and kind. He would welcome the visitors from the sky in his palace.”
“Will you kindly convey our requests to him?”
“With pleasure. And in the meantime tents and food will be provided without delay.” Then, after a moment’s silence: “The king will be sad and disappointed because you will not accept the hospitality of his villa. Will you not go, later perhaps, when you are rested?”
“Later, perhaps.”
“Possibly the king may consent to come here as a special favor to——”
“No! It is not necessary. Urge him not to expose his sacred person to the hardships of the trail. Plead with him. We could fly to the palace later, so why subject the great Inca to any inconvenience.”
Without a word the priest returned to his followers and immediately departed in the direction from which the column had come.
“He is a shrewd old fellow,” Ted said when they were gone.
“But he did not find out much. You don’t think he recognized our voices?”
“I hope not. You should be an actor. You played your part very impressively. I almost forgot who was talking.”