, 1897-11-16
INCA WITCHCR.AFT.

matadore. and his early associations
were not Of ii kind to develop IL stable
and law abiding character Bal drank
because he saw everybody else drink.
and red wine brought into action in Bal
that courage which the matadore dis
played in the arena with sagacity and
prudence. Red wine does not mature
wisdom, theoretical or applied, and
without these, which are indeed sagac-
ity and prudence. courage becomes hut
p%ugnacity that amuscs or offends. Bal
soon became offensive, and i'll II brawl
i'll an indecent quarter OF his native
town he had the misfortune to knife a
young grandce of tastes and weaknesses
similar to his own. but of influential
connections. The wounded youth recov-
cred, but political influence was sutti-
cient to cause his assailant's removal to
a penal settlement for 20 years.
Bal obtained no more red wine. but
the more he weighed the otIense of the
knife attack, its provGcation, and its
punishment, the clearer it seemed that
he was suffering out of all proportion
to his trausgression The sense of foul
wrong, done because it could be done,
burned in upon him rs if a brand iron
were held against him. even glowing
and never lifted. For months after he
discerned the immense range of this in.
justice, he lived i'll Il rage impcdimcntal
to speech-he became inarticulate.
Slowly his good sense came to the
~ ,,l Ia, bn,,,,, ,,l,, ,l,,t 10
might live, grow strong of body and
powerful through accumulation and
meet Don Plco as master. There were
men of different natioualities in the set.
Element, and Bal found that he absorbed
words as Il sponge absorbs water. and
he learned Portuguese, more thar one
patois of his own land. and the dialect
of u Peruvian Indian sen. from his own
province a year before, whom he hao
saved from imminent atrocity at the
hands of Il vicious fellow convict.
This Indian had Il virtue little known
to civiliZatiou--he was capable of graft
tude-and t e two formed II mutual at
tachment that the friendships of civil.
cation may scarcely parallel and which
was equaled Tut by their commo hatred
of all rulers. their own i'll particular.
This Indian Bal knew to be IA snake
charmer of extraordinary accomplish
ments His gift was not Transferable to
the younger man. nor did the latter soon
discover its siugularity, but i'll time he
found that Juan's power over certain
reptiles might be expressed rs hypnotic
He seemed to impress his W master
fulness upon the serpents and to exert
his power urn them at Il distance or to
send them to perform some definite mis-
sion at a distance and return within n
given time, after the habit of human
subjects
Once Bal saw Juan with his pets at
recreation No word wac spoken. but
Juan looked me.mingly at Bal and then
ut the top of the wall Bal looked and
saw n lizard there with its head a-tilt
and the sun shining pink through his
palpitant throat. Then something slip
ped away from Juan. who watched the
top of the wall. as did Bal By and by
n bit of the wall moved-it seemed a
bit of the wall-it moved and coiled
and leaped. and the little foray was
over, Then the devourer slipped back,
and Juan snapped his fingers and whis-
pered to it.
"Was the lizard hypnotized, too:"
Bal Chico asked himself.
This branch of his accomplishment
Juan never showed the prison officials
when they sent for him to exhibit for
their amusement.
The weary years rolled by. 1--WE will
live; we must live, We will get veil
you and me, Juan whispered to him
self over and over, and he whispered it
to Bal when he could. with the same
imperious sugsestivoness that he whis-
pered something to his snakes.
At last Junn's 20 weary years were
done, but the ''man witch had got
much power. Some he amused when
tired of the commonplace. but the many
feared him, and when he chose to wan
der around the settlement clad in
breeches, II poncho. and Il viper after
he was free to go far away none OBJ
~jectel. and few wondered ut the whims
of so fantastic IL being.
When Bal. Il young man white haired
now, went out. old Juan awaited him
ut the prison gates. carrying Il close
woven wicker crate, or basket, but nei-
ther extra clothing nor the usual snakes
were visible. and from that day neither
appeared in all that country
Among the %stupendous mountains OF
Peru gold may be had for h seeking,
but death is for the white man who
seeks it When old Juan went back to
his mountains aud some old acquaint-
nnces. with another swarthy mar who
spoke only as he did and was his friend,
their right of occupancy OF hut and
lands was unquestioned, as were their
bartering expeditions to the nearest sea-
port. But Juan and Bal Chico did not
always exchange their nuggets for COM
nodities; oftener. with u wisdom learn
ed abroad, did they demand coin Juan
had come home with his old name Of
Uasma. and Bal Chico had assumed .
new name for his new hubitation, and
the singular fact became known ut the
town bank that Casma and Chira were
thrifty Indian depositors and checked
lcainst their account. Caslna explained
Rat abroad he had been called Juan
Sanchez and ChiFa had been known as
Diego Bias, and that they had made
debts which demanded the checks drawn
upon them by the Mexican bank OF La
uamidad.
Tine passed, and Casnia and C.lira
prosporcd and eventually disappeared
r., 49, I)nr;,,, ,,.,,,fn;p,s aud cp0.
port. Their remaining deposits had BEEN