Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-08
THE IkcAS DAUGarIR-A PERUVIAN
Legend.

LkGkNu.
Huasea, 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
Improvement of his capital, proclaimed
that whoever would find means of convey
ing water with facility to his place and to
Cuzco, should receive in marriage his
youngest daughter, then beautiful girl in
the tirst bloom of womanhood. This offer
was no sooner made than young man APP
peared, called Hassan, who declared him.
self 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 COM
menced.
While the work, however, was in prog.
ress, an incident occurred which damped
the ardor of the youth for the accomplish.
ment of what he had undertaken, and
seemed to overthrow all expectations of its
ever being completed. Among the numer-
GUS attendants upon the workmen for the
preparation of their food, and the care of
the camp in which they dwelt, there ap.
peared girl of great beauty, who, while
attending upon her father, was observed by
the youthful engineer, who became SO vio-
lent enamored that his attention was dis.
tracted and turned from the object upon
which his mind had been hitherto bent.
He saw that the accomplishment 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 he valued more
than life, and tie him to bride whom he
had never seen, and had now ceased to de.
sire to know.
Owing to this state of Hassan's mind,
neglect, languor and disorder reigned in
the encsmpment OF the workmen, which at
first seemed to every one to arise from a
conviction on the part of the engineer that
the accomplishment of the work was be.
You'd his power. Some time passed with.
out any change, during which Hsssan had
frequent opportunities 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 no more to the camp-distracting
still more the mind of the engineer, who
was unable to obtain any further informa-
ton 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 default, and determined to take
his revenge by putting to death the subject
who had so grossly and so openly insulted
his sovereign. The character, however, of
the cff9nse was such that Hassan was sent
for before his execution, and appeared,
guarded, in the presence of the Iuca, who
sat upon his throne, surrounded by his no.
bles. Huasca, happening to be a man of
moderate passions, asked the culprit, in
the presence of his mobiles, whether he had
any thing 10 say before his execution in ex-
tenuation 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 he had received, aad 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 commit him to the tender mercies of the
executioners, 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 cen.
ter of the hall, exclaimed
"Stay, Inca Arrest the hand of Justice
for moment, while put one question to
the unfortunate culprit. 1t shall be such
as the inca will not disapprove.
From the momens 81 this strange appari-
tion, until the demand of the girl there
was not sound heard. The whole of the
mobiles present remained motionless and
silent. But, had no embarrassment: over
whelmed them, the presence of their SOW
ereign would have restrained equally their
words and 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 little ON one side,
that his countenance might be seen by the
Inca, said:
"Young man of the hills where the Inca
is ever known subject of Huasca hast
thou chosen the child of the wales in pref.
erence to the daughter of thy sovereign ."
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 60 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"
at had been DONE" said the youth,
chad the labor been accomplished with the
hope of possessing thee.
At this reply the young girl, suddenly
throwing off her upper garments, which
had hidden those which would have be,
trayed her true character, and taking the
entranced youth By the hand, advanced uE
to the foot of the throne of the Inca, and
exclaimed
"Great Father of the Children of the
Sun, l, whom thou lowest as myself, de.
msnd the remission of the sentence against
the youth, now bowed down before thee,
until it be known whether the great work
he has undertaken can be accomplished OF
not.
Inca Huasca, whose affection for his
daughter was beyond all other feelings,
electrified by the occurrence, .signifed his
assent to the proposal. A few months af.
ter the great aqueduct was completed,
and the engineer and the Princess became
man and wife.