Year: 1860

Huasca, the Inca of Peru, who reigned
at the beginning of the sixteenth CEN
tury, and who was remarkable for his
love of the arts, especially those con-
nected with the improvement of his capi-
tai, proclaimed, that whosoever would
find means of conveying water with
facility to his palace and to Cuzco,
should receive in marriage his youngest
daughter, then beautiful girl in the
first bloom of womanhood. This offer
was no sooner made, than young man
appeared, called 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 pro-
gress, an accident occurred which damped
the ardor of the youth for the accom-
plishment Of what he had undertaken,
and seemed to overthrow all expectations
of its ever being completed, Among
the numerous attendants upon the work
men for the preparation Of their food,
and the care of the camp in which they
dwelt, there appeared a girl of great
beauty, who, while attending upon her
father, was observed by the youthful
engineer, who became 80 violently
enamoted of her that his attentions were
distracted and turned from the object
on which his mind had hitherto bent
He saw that the accomplishment of the
work he had undertaken would result in
his marriage with the daughter of the
Inca, and this, though accompanied by
all the honors the sovereign could be-
stow, 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 desire to know.


Owing to the state of Hassan's mind,
neglect, languor and disorder reigned in
the encampment of the work kmen, 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 beyond his power. Some time
passed without any change, during which
Hassan had frequent opportunities of
meeting the young attendant to whom
he had become attached. This, how
ever, was by and by remarked by the
people in such manner as to induce
the young girl to retire and return no
more to camp-distracting still more the
mind of the engineer, who was unable to
obtain any further information concern
ing her.


The confusion into which everything
was thrown became know to the Inca,
who soon learned also the real cause of
the engineers default, and determined
TO ia lie his revenge by putting to death
the subject who had so grossly and so
openly insulted his sovereign. The
character, however, of the offense was
such that Hassan was sent for before his
execution, and appeared, guarded in the
presence of Inca, who sat upon his
throne surrounded by his nobles.-
Huasca, happening to be man Of mod
crate passions, asked the culprit, in the
presence of the mobiles, whether he had
anything to say before his execution
inextenuation of the crime he had com
mitted 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, and more
especially for that he was about to re-
ceive, which would place him beyond
the reach of such suffering as he had en-
dured since he had become acquainted
with the innocent cause of his misfor-
tune.


At the moment that Inca was about
to commit him to the tender mercies of
the executioners, the girl we have men
toned suddenly appeared among the
crowd of mobiles, dressed as she had been
in the camp of the workmen, and rush
ing into the centre of the hall, exclaimed.


':Stay, Incal Arrest the hand of JUS
tice for moment, while [ put one
question to the unfortunate cul prit. 1t
shall be such as the Inca will not disap-
prove"


From the moment of this strange ap-
paration, until the demand of the girl,
there was not a sound heard. The whole
Of the mobiles remained silent and mo-
tionless. But, had no embarrassment
overwhelmed them, the presence of their
sovereign would have restrained equally
their words and their acts. Huasca
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 stand
ing little one side, that his countenance
might be seen by the Inca, said:
"Young man of the hills where is ever
known subject of Huasca! Hast thou
chosen the child of the wales in prefer
ence to the daughter of thy sovereign?'


To which the youth, after steadfastly
regarding the Inca, replied:


1.-The will of the Great Source of
Light be done. The sentence of the
Inca is just.


Then turning to the girl, he added:


"I 60 now with JOY to dwell where [
shall await thy coming, to possess thee
forever


"But wherefore couldst thou not, y
then said the girl, accomplish the work
which thou hast .undertaken?'


at had been done," said the youth,
chad that 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
up to the foot of the throne Of the Inca,
and exclaimed:


"Great father of the children Of the
son, I whom thou lowest as thyself de-
mand the remission of the sentence
against the youth, now bowed down be-
fore thee, until it be known whether the
great work he has undertaken can be ac-
complished or not"


Inca Huasca, whose affection for his
daughter was beyond all other feelings,
electrified by the occurrence, signifed
-. ,ceon+ +o tho nroposo1 feu.