The hydraulic press., 1860-10-06
THE INCA,s DAUGHTER.

Huasca, the Inca of Peru, who reigned at
the beginning of the sixteenth century, and
who was remarkable for his love of the arts,
especially those connected with the improve
ment of his capital, proclaimed that whose
ever would find means of conveying water
with facility to his palace and to Cuzco,
should receive in marriage his youngest
daughter, a beautiful girl in the first bloom
of womanhocd.
This offer was no sooner made than a
young man appeared named Hassan, who
declared himself capable of performing the
great work. He was Immediately furnished
with as many men and all the materials which
he thought proper to demand, and the work
was commenced.
While the work however, was in progress,
an incident occurred which damped the ar
dor of the youth for TIRE accomplishment of
what he had undertaken, and seemed to
overthrow all expectations of its ever being
completed. among the numerous attend
ants upon the workmen in the preparation of
their food, ana the care Of the camp in which
they dwelt, there appeared girl of great
beauty, who, while attending upon her ia
ther, was observed by the young engineer
who became so violently enamored that hi
attention was distracted and turned from tie
object upon which his mind had hitherto
been bent. He saw that the accomplishment
ofthe work he had undertaken would result
in the marriage with the daughter of the
inca, and this, though accompanied by all the
honors the sovereign could bestow, would
deprive him of that which he valued more
than Life, and tie him to bride he had never
seen and hadn ceased to desire to know.
| Owing 10 this state ofHassan's mind, neg
lect, langourand disorder reigned in the camp
OF the workmen, which at first seemed to
every one to arise from a conviction Oh the
part Of the engineer, that the accomplish
ment of the WORK was beyond his power.
Some time passed without any change, du-
ring which fIassan had frequent opportunities
of meeting the young attendant to whom he
haze become attached. This, however, was
by-and by remarked BY the people in such a
manner as to indece her to retire and not
retnrn to the carp-distracting still more
the mind of The engineer, who was unableto
obtain any further information concerning
iTeT.
The confusion into which everything was
thrown, became kne 0nE 70 the Inca, who soon
learned, also, the real cause of the engineers
default, and determined to take his revenge
by putting to death the subject who hal so
grossly insnlted his sovereign. The charac-
tel of the offence, however, was such that
Hassan was sent for before his execution, and
appeared, guarded, fn the presence of the
inca, who sat upon his throne surrounded
by his mobiles. Huasca happening to be a
man of moderate passions, asked the culprit
tIo L. +le IL
had anything te say before execution, IN
extenuation of the crime he had committed
by treating his sovereign with contempt.
| To this the young man replied that he had
only to thank his sovereign for all the favors
be had received, and more especially for that
which be was about to receive, which would
place him beyond the reach of such suffering
as he had endured since he had become ac-
quainted with the ianocent cause of his
misfortune.
| At the saaDment that the Inca was about to
commit him to the tender merccs o tie
executoners, the girl we have mentioned
suddenly appeared among the crowd OF nc
bles, dressed as she had been in the camp of
the wcrkmer, and. rushing into the centre
of the hall, exclaimed:
"Stay Inca! Arrest the hand fjustice for
!
unfortunate culprit 1t shall be such as the
Inca will not tisapprove."
! From the moment of this strange appari-
ton ustil the demand of the girl, there was
rot sound heard. The whole of the mobiles
present remained motionless and sient.-
But, had nc embarrassment overwhelmed
them, the presence of their sovereign would
have restrained their words and their acts.
Huasca, who alone seemed unmoved, nodded
assent to the demand of the girl, who now
walked up to the youth, and laying her right
hand upon his left shoulder, and standing a
little on one sde that his countenance might
be well seen by the Inca, said:
"Young man Of the hills, where the Inca
is ever known, subject to Huasca, hast thou
chosen the child of the vale in preference 20
tue daughter of thy sovereign 2"
To which the youth, after steadfastly re-
garding the Inca, replied:
'The will of the great Source of Light be
done! The sentence of the Inca is just"
Then turning to the girl, he added;
81 go now with joy to dwell where shall
await thy coming to possess thee forever"
"But wherefore couldst thou not" then
said the girl, accomplish the work which
thou hast undertaken"
sit had been done," said the youth, chad
/ the labor been accompanied with the hope
of possessing thee"
At this reply, the young GIRL suddenly
throwing off her upper garments, which had
hidden those that would have betrayed her
true character, and taking the entr,,nced
youth by the hand, advanced up to the foot
of the throne, and exclaimed:
nGreat father of the children of the sun, |,
| who IL thou lowest as thySelf demand the
remission of the sentence against the youth
now bowed down before thee, until it be
known whether the great work he had un-
dertaken can be done or not"
Inca Huasca, whose affection for his