New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-06-04
The Inca,s Daughter.
4 PERUVIAN LEGEND.


From Hilis Travels in Perm and Mexico.J
Huasca, the Inca of Peru, who reigned at the
4 beginning of the sixteenth century and who was
remarkable for his love of tie arts especially those
connected with the improvement of his capital
4 proclaimed that whatsoever would find means Of
conveying water with facility to his palace and to
4 Cuzco, should receive in marriage his youngest
daughter then beautiful girl in the first bloom of
/ womanhood. This offer was no sooner made, than
q young man appeared, named Hassan, who de-
clared himself capable of performing the great
| work. He was Immediately furnished with as
many men, and all the materials which he thought
4 proper to demand, and the work was commenced.
| While the work, however, was In progress, an
incident occurred which damped the ardor of the
| youth for the accomplishment Of what ne had
undertaken, and seemed to overthrow all expecta-
tons of its ever being completed. Among the
numerous attendants upon the workmen for the
preparation Of their food, ahdkhe care of the camp
in which they dwelt, there aMeared girl Of great
beauty, who, while attending upon her father was
observed by the youthful engineer who became so
violently enamored that his attention distract
ed and turned from the object upon which his mind
had hitherto been bent He saw that the ac-
cOmplishment of the work he had undertaken
would result in bis 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 lie valued more than life, and tie
him to a bride whom he had never seen and had
now ceased to desire to know.
Owing to this state of Hassan's mind, neglect,
Of the workmen, which at first seemed to every
one to arise from conviction on the part of the
engineer, that the accomplishment of the work was
beyond bis power Some time passed without any
change, during which Hassan had frequent oppor-
tunites Of meeting the young attendant to whom
he had become attached. This, however, was by
and by remarked by the people in such manner
as to induce the young girl to retire and return
more to the camp-d istracting still more the mind
Of the engineer, who was unable to obtain any
further information concerning her.
The confusion into which everything was now
thrown became known to the Inca, who soon
learned also the real cause of the engineers de-
fault, and determined to take his revenge BY put
ting to death the subject who had SO grossly and
openly insulted his sovereign. The character,
however, of the ohense was such that Hassan Was6
sent for before his execution, and appeared guard
ed, in the presence Of Inca, who sat upon his
throne, surrounded by his mobiles. Huasca hap
pening to be a man OF moderate passions, asked
the cufprt, in the presence Of his mobiles, whether
he had anything to say before his execution in ex-
tenuation Of the crime he had committed by treat
ing his sovereign with contempt.
To this the young man replied, that he had only
to thank his sovereign for all the fayors he had
ceived, and more especially for that he was about
to receive, which would place him beyond the
reach of such suffering as he had endured since he
had become acquainted with the innocent cause Of
his misfortune.
AT the moment that the Inca was about to COM
init him to the tender mercies of the exeeutioners
the girl we have mentioned suddenly appeared
among the crowd of mobiles, dressed as she had
been in the camp Of the workmen, and rushing into
the center of the hall, exclaimed
'tStay, Inca Arrest the hand of justice for
moment, while Iput one question to the unfortu-
nate eulprit. 1t shall be such as the Inca will not
disapprove.h
the demand of the girl, there was not a sound
heard. The whole of the mobiles present remained
motionless and silent But, had no embarrassment
overwhelmed them, the presence Of their sovereign
hnva Sft+nf, hair
their acts. Huasca, who alone seemed unmoyed,
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 little on one
side, that his countenanee might be well seen by
the Inca, said
Z. Young man of the hills, where the Inca is ever
known Subject to Hnaska, hast thou chosen the
child Of the wales in preference to the daughter Of
10 which the youth, after steadfastly regarding
! the Inca, replied
I. 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 Ss@
But wherefore couldst thou not, then said the
girl, q accomplish the work which thou hast under
taken2i'
1T had been donesf said the youth, had the
labor been accompanied with the hope Of possess
Ing thee
At this reply the young girl suddenly throwing
OH her upper garments, Wficn mad hidden those
which would have betrayed her true character,
and taking the entraneed youth By the hand, ad-
vaneed up to the foot of the throne of the Inca and
exclaimed
Great father Of the children of the sun, whom
thou lowest as myself demand the remission of the
sentence against the youth, now bound down be-
fore thee, until it be known whether the great
work he. has undertaken can be accomplished or
NOT,
Inca Huasca, whose affection for his daughter
was beyond all other feelings, electrified by the
occurrence, signified his assent to this proposal
A few months after this the great aqueduct was
completed, and the engineer and the princess be-
came man and wife.