tered the imperial city surrounded by the trophies of conquest, amid the joyous acclamations of myriads of grateful people. But it was imposing enough and gorgeous enough to strike with awe even those of the conquistadores who were familiar with the wealth and the splendor of the noblest capitals of Europe.

I do not for a moment credit the story, so long accepted as true, that the population of Cuzco in the time of the Incas amounted to two hundred thousand or more. It was undoubtedly much less than this-probably much less than one-half this number. Still less credible is the statement of Salcamayhua that Huascar had three million men in his army, and that the forces of his enemy counted half that number.1 In area the Inca empire was greater than that of Charlemagne, and as extensive as that of Cæsar Augustus, but it is doubtful, notwithstanding what is usually asserted to the contrary, whether the population of this territory was ever as great before the conquest as it is to-day. The extravagant statements so often made, regarding the teeming millions within the dominions of the Children of the Sun before the arrival of the Spaniards -millions that, we are asked to believe, were almost exterminated by the cruelty of their conquerors-will not bear serious investigation. For, outside of Cuzco, Quito, Chimu and Cajamarca there were no great centers of population, and even in these places the number of inhabitants has been greatly exaggerated. In a country like the empire of the Incas, where there was so much arid and unproductive land, in spite of the extensive tracts under irrigation, and where none of our domestic animals existed, the means of subsistence were not only necessarily limited, but they were also totally inadequate to meet the demands of the dense population - ten millions and more about which certain writers have waxed so eloquent.

And no more worthy of credence are certain stories of Inca prowess and conquest with which some of the early 1 Op. cit.,

P. 115.

writers delight to regale their readers-stories that are more worthy of the pages of Orlando Furioso than of sober history. Yet there are certain well-attested facts in the campaigns of Huayna Capac and Tupac Yupanqui, while crossing the lofty crests of the Andes in Quito and Chile, which fairly rival any similar achievements by Hannibal or Napoleon, and show that these two Incas had military genius of the highest order.

When one contemplates the splendid location of Cuzco, and considers what the Incas were able to achieve from this city as a base, one marvels why the Spaniards did not retain it as the capital of the viceroyalty instead of transferring it to Lima. The location is far more beautiful than that of either Quito or Bogotá-although both of these cities are remarkable for the beauty of their sites-while it is more readily accessible than either of these capitals, and nearer to the great highways of the world's com

merce.

Among the descendants of the Children of the Sun there is an instinctive feeling, born probably of agelong desire, that the capital of their Incas is one day to regain its pristine ascendency. This may seem like a hope based on the stuff that dreams are made of, but is it?

The greatest drawback to the development of Cuzco, the chief reason why the seat of the viceroyalty was transferred from it to Lima, was the lack of means of communication with the rest of the world. With the recent completion of the railroad to the city, this drawback has been removed. When now it shall be put into direct communication with the capital and the cities on the plateau to the north, by means of the railroad now rapidly approaching completion; when, furthermore, it shall be connected by projected branches with the Ucayali and the Madre de Dios, as it will be soon; then will Cuzco be on the highroad of progress, and then will she once more regain partly, if not entirely, that supremacy which was

hers from the time of Manco Capac to that of Francisco Pizarro.1

The reason is manifest. She is to-day, as she was in the time of the Incas, in the most densely populated section of Peru. She is in the center of a territory of vast riches and untold possibilities. The eastern slope of the Andesthe Montaña-has scarcely been touched, and yet it is the most fertile and the most promising part of the republic. In a few years more she will be in a position to develop and control an extensive trade in the upper Amazon basin. She will also be on the great pan-American railway that is to connect Buenos Ayres with New York.

When that day comes, and it is not far distant, the dream of the long-expectant, long-suffering Quichua Indians will be realized, and the old Inca capital will again be the happy home of tens of thousands, who are still as loyal to the memory of their departed rulers as they were in the trying days of the viceroy, Don Francisco Toledo, who ordered the execution of their revered Inca Tupac Amaru.2 Then, too, will the noble old city of the Sun be animated by a new life, and enter upon a new era of prosperity, even as did the languishing city of the Popes after the return of Gregory XI from Avignon.

1 The present population of Cuzco is less than twenty thousand, although it has been, even in recent times, much greater.

2 When Toledo appeared before Philip II, after his return to Spain, it is reported that the monarch said to him: "Go hence to your own house. You were not sent to Peru to kill kings, but to serve them." Idos a vuestra casa, que yo os enviè a servir reyes; y vos fuiste a matar reyes.

CHAPTER XIV

THE CITY OF THE KINGS

Our original plan, after leaving Cuzco, was to return to Lima by way of Abancay, Ayacucho and Oroya. This would have meant a journey of several hundred miles on horseback, but it would have enabled us to see many places on the plateau that are celebrated in the annals of Peru, many places of great archæological interest and many places, too, that were rendered famous by the exploits of the conquistadores on their way from Cajamarca to the capital of the Incas.

Preeminently noteworthy among the towns along this route is Ayacucho, near which was fought the decisive battle that secured Peruvian independence. There is also Jauja, which, for a short time before the foundation of Lima, was the provisional capital of Peru. Both Jauja and Ayacucho, not to mention many other towns of greater or lesser importance, are on the line of the projected panAmerican railroad. Work on the section between Oroya and Cuzco is being pushed forward as rapidly as possible and when completed, the traveler will be able to make the journey between Lima and the old Inca capital in a small fraction of the time now required.

Much, however, as we desired to follow our original itinerary, we were prevented from doing so by pressing engagements in Lima. Our only alternative, therefore, was to return by the way we came.

We saw little of interest on the return trip, that we had not seen before, but we had everywhere renewed experiences of that charming hospitality which had so impressed us on our way from the Pacific to Cuzco. At San

Jeronimo, where we bade adieu to our scholarly cicerone, Sr. P―; at Checacupe, where Mr. Mc-entertained us a second time in his usual cordial manner; at Arequipa, where Sr. T— and his friends gave us what was almost tantamount to the freedom of the city, we were made to forget entirely that we were strangers in a strange land. Our every wish was anticipated and our every want divined in a way that amazed us beyond expression. It really seemed as if our good friends had nothing to engage their attention but our comfort and pleasure. What particularly impressed us was the quiet, gracious manner in which everything was done. We were treated as life-long friends, or as members of the family, rather than as guests, and it was, consequently, most natural for us at once to feel at home and at our ease. How could it be otherwise among a people to whom hospitality is a traditional characteristic and entertainment a cherished art as well as a positive virtue?

Much as we regretted leaving the capital of the Incas, we were delighted to be again in the capital of the viceroys. It is in many respects the most attractive city in South America, and has a fascination about it that is entirely absent from larger cities like Buenos Aires or Rio Janeiro. True, it cannot boast of the picturesque location of Caracas or Bogotá, Quito or Cuzco, but there is a glamour about it that renders it quite unique among the capitals of the southern continent. No sooner is the visitor within its gates than he feels himself under the spell of its storied past and enchanting environment.

And well he may. For a while Lima was the capital of nearly all of South America, except Brazil, and the viceroy of Peru was the ruler of a more extensive territory than any monarch in Europe. It is true that he was subservient to the kings of Spain, to whom he owed his appointment, but owing to the distance of Lima from the mother country and the difficulty of communication when steam navigation and the telegraph were unknown, the