During the interim of letter writing in readiness for the anticipated opening of courier communication with St. Lucia and Anelcoy, Captain Greenwood had advised Correliana of his wish that the padre and sailors Jack and Bill should meet the steamer at the latter place. His despatch urged haste, as he was about to leave the gold spit, which they were then working; its deposits had become nearly exhausted. When she made the wishes of the captain known, Abdul Nycaster, the son of the mayorong, volunteered to act as courier under the conduct of a party of lower river Indians. These Indians, called by the Mestizoes, Vermojotes, ranked next to those of the upper valleys in trustworthy intelligence, so that no fears were entertained for the safety of those intrusted to their care.

A few mornings after the despatch of the courier and his party, the Dosch resumed the historical thread of his narration.

You can well imagine, the chronicler exclaims, the enthusiastic admiration of the Pr?tor Indegatus’s children for the Manatitlans, when they saw the anxious expression of their parents’ faces give place to an unspeakable joy, which imparted its radiance alike to his former adherents and foes. In evidence of their grateful sincerity they were unremitting in their endeavors to perfect themselves for the duties of censors and teachers, as well as in the more direct returns of material aid to their benefactors’ affections, from their success 183in raising and training falcons, which promised the means for the speedy accomplishment of a reunion with colonistic correlatives. A year and a half had scarcely passed before the volantaphs were able to extend their flights a day and a third’s distance in stretch over the ocean, for their own instruction in the management of the birds free from exhausting irritation, as well as to accustom them to devour their food while sustained with parachute and outstretched wings. The volantaphs, while disengaged from the active duties of their profession, kept the democratic instincts of the Heracleans in mindful dread of harboring thoughts of disaffection, held in legacy from hypocrisy, the progenitorial mother of hatred and misrule, as they had been taught, with lessons of chagrin, that their thoughts were no longer their own. The result of this knowledge enforced sincerity, which begat cheerful confidence in association, an effect that soon became manifest to the besiegers. Elasticity of thought, unprejudiced by suspicion, soon imparted its health-giving impression to the movements of the body, and action of the senses, directing them to the cultivation of useful occupations devoted to the common welfare. This freedom, in surcease from the treacherous enactments of suspicion, produced symptoms of reviving alacrity in the unanimity of action, which the savages detected from their perch on the brink of the falls’ precipice, with puzzled surprise, evinced by the changing increase of numbers, and curious gaze of the watchers. The first practical use made of the falcons had been devoted to watching the Indians to learn their projected intentions, with the purpose of defeating them by anticipation without loss to the Heracleans. The unaccountable improvement in the condition and cordiality of the citizens made the savages more wary and watchful. The river savages, suspicious of the valley Indians, kept a large body of their number constantly before the gates to prevent 184treachery. From couriers, which had been sent to the most distant of the river tribes, it was evident that some new and more energetic scheme was in progress to bring the siege to a close. While the valley harvesting was in progress, the volantaphs had observed long trains of loaded llamas proceeding up the Lepula and Vermejo valleys, and their destination was traced to a cave in the basaltic continuation of the falls’ precipice, about a mile to the north of the city. Giganteo explored the cave, and found that it contained extensive stores of dried fish, squillated meats, (hardened by the combined action of heat, pressure, and smoke), corn and maize parched, ready for grinding, in preparation for their favorite murmiel, also dried fruits in abundance. As the extent of the hoard foreboded large auxiliary accessions he was alarmed, and only thought of adding to the defenses of the city. While in flight around the city to examine if there was in the walls an accessible foothold for the savages, an accidental discovery suggested the idea of appropriating the stores of the cave for the benefit of the Heracleans. Satisfied that the moats and walls were free from adventitious aids of encouragement for savage emprise, his attention was attracted by a jetty of basaltic rock that projected into the northern basin of the falls from the outward shore. Measuring its distance from the terminus of the wall and base of the precipice, he found that the space would admit of the circuit swing of a bridge sufficiently long for secure lodgment against the jetty. His brother, an engineer of ability, had a model of a bridge with the required measurements prepared for the pr?tor with a descriptive statement of its object. Great was the joy of the pr?tor’s family when this projected source of relief was explained with the assurance of its working practicability, which promised to render nugatory the designs of the leaguers, by depriving them of their ready means of subsistence, 185thereby provoking suspicion of treachery, with the probable result of disruption and dispersion. The pr?tor immediately paid a visit to this loophole of promised good fortune, accompanied by the most skillful Heraclean artisans, who declared, after consulting the measurements, that with the floating material the plan was not only feasible, but the bridge could be quickly constructed. The Dosch recommended that the northern crematorial temple should be dismantled, as its timbers were well suited in length and seasoned lightness for the purpose. But this proposed act of desecration created a momentary impression of dismay in the mind of Indegatus, to which was added his fears of reviving the citizens’ superstitious prejudices, as it would be held as an open defiance of the avenging gods. The Dosch appeased his misgivings, with the promise of anticipating religious objections. This was accomplished, but it required skillful substitution of thought, notwithstanding the prospect of plenty offered in the event of success. The labor imposed, in the quick execution of the work, aided in subduing the conjurations of danger, while the veil of mist rising from the spray of the waterfall effectually screened from the eyes of the Indian sentinels the work in progress.

By the time the valley Indians had gathered and garnered their crops, adding their quota to the stores of the cave, the bridge was launched for trial, and from the buoyancy of the timber was found to be portably light and strong, so that in reversed movement against the current it could be easily managed. Gnipho was its sole occupant in trial essay, guiding with a rope the safe lodgment of its distal extremity against the jetty. When well tested in all of its working movements it was drawn back with comparative ease; but not before the adventurous Gnipho had reached and reconnoitered the entrance 186of the cave. For the pr?tor’s reassurance of the favorable acception of the enterprise by the citizens, the leaders of those who were formerly disaffected made a public acknowledgment of their transgressions, at the same time tendering their full submission to his direction. Although greatly shocked with the atrocity of their meditated treachery he forgave them without reproach.

The river savages, feeling secure against surprise from the watchful care of the guards before the cinctus gates, and sentinels upon the brink of the precipice overlooking the city, left but few of their number to guard the cave. When sufficiently dark to screen their movements, on the night set for the fruition of their enterprise, the men, women, and children of Heraclea were astir, and ready to use the utmost of their strength for the success of their foraging expedition. When the Indian camp before the gates had become quiet the party selected to surprise the keepers of the cave started and without difficulty effected their purpose. The pr?tor leading the surprise party had ordered that the Indian guards should be secured without the loss of life, if it could be effected without endangering the success of the undertaking. But their savage desperation in using their teeth rendered the destruction of life necessary. This was effected by suffocation, advised by the Dosch that marks of violence might be avoided, hoping thereby to involve with mysterious dread the cause of death; as the river savages were known to hold as strong a belief in the agency of evil spirits, as the Heracleans in the vengeful ire of their gods. While the bodies of the savage guards were being placed in imposing attitudes to excite the awe of their companions when discovered, the work of transporting the stores of the cave had already commenced, great care being taken that no vestige should be dropped by the way to indicate the course, or from whence, in identification, the despoilers 187came. The llamas, after the transportation of the stores was accomplished, were stabled in the southern crematorial temple, under the screen of the cloud mist of the falls, which had formerly subserved, under the ritualistic ceremonies of priestcraft, to mystify the superstitious of the Heracleans.

With the first gleam of the sun on the dial brink of the falls, on the succeeding morning, the Heracleans offered their first p?an song of thanksgiving, before the open portals of their houses, in gratitude for the inauguration of an era of plenty; the first in the provisionary record of centuries. After their morning meal they engaged in their usual avocations with wonted compos............