Page:The Incas of Peru.djvu/433

To spare and not to shed their blood—
Not anger but pity is my rule.
The Chasqui. O Lord, we have not shed their blood;
They were all captured in the night,
Unable to resist our force.
Tupac Yupanqui. Recount to me in full detail
The circumstances of the war.

 The Chasqui. For a signal thy warriors wait,
  The nights passed at Tinquiqueru,^[1]
  Concealed in the cavern below,
  Yanahuara^[2] men joining us late.

  We waited within the large cave,
  Thy men always ready to fight,
  Behind foliage well out of sight,
  Thy warriors patient and brave.

  But for three long days and dark nights,
  No food for the zealous and bold;
  Feeling hungry, thirsty, and cold,
  We waited and watched for the lights.^[3]

  Rumi-ñaui sent orders at length,
  When the Raymi^[4] they carelessly keep,
  And all of them drunk or asleep,
  We were then to rush on with our strength.

  Word came to surprise our foes,
  Rumi-ñaui had opened the gate,
  As cautious and silent as fate—
  We were masters with none to oppose.

1. See note, p. 371.
2. Yanahuara, a ravine near Urubamba, where some of the troops of Rumi-ñaui had been posted.
3. Signal lights.
4. Ccapac Raymi, the great festival of the Sun. December 22.