Page:The Incas of Peru.djvu/454

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
414
STATUES OF THE LOVERS

Chuqui-llantu embraced him, and put her finely worked lipi mantles on him, and they slept together. When they wanted to get up in the morning, the shepherd again became the cloak. As soon as the sun rose, the princess left the palace of her father with the cloak, and when she reached a ravine in the mountains, she found herself again with her beloved shepherd, who had been changed into himself. But one of the guards had followed them, and when he saw what had happened he gave the alarm with loud shouts. The lovers fled into the mountains which are near the town of Calca. Being tired after a long journey, they climbed to the top of a rock and went to sleep. They heard a great noise in their sleep, so they arose. The princess took one shoe in her hand and kept the other on her foot. Then looking towards the town of Calca both were turned into stone. To this day the two statues may be seen between Calca and Huayllapampa. [I have seen them many times.[1] Those mountains were called Pitu-siray, and that is their name to this day.]

  1. Here Morua is speaking of his own experience. I too have ridden between Calca and Huayllapampa several times, but I did not know the story, so failed to look out for the statues.