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Chapter 7

LAURENCE STIRRED AWAKE on Te hours, half-aware of so altered: and when he raised his head he could see as a faint jagged line the great Andean peaks standing on the horizon, lit from behind by the sun

They had hop-scotched from one small island to another across several hundred miles of ocean Laurence and Hammond sat aloft, tied on to the links of Te of rope and tarpaulins slung below held the sailors, ile had flatly refused to carry anyone but Demane at all, and as Iskierka made an inconvenient transport she had only been allotted the other aviators, a slancing back as he flew "Those ht to land? And do you think they will have anything to eat besides fish?"

The coastline coh brown cliffs that so far as Laurence could see through his glass supported only a barren desert plain: save for one green slashing line away to the north "Thatdown fro Telad of fresh water"

There was more to be found as they drew near: the river and ocean had together cut the cliffs down at their junction, and a large and prosperous fishing village had grown up around the river reat nuh and deeply sloped, and even one larger structure of smooth stone; there were broad and stone-paved streets quiet even at daybreak but for the pale dots of crea freely

"I hope the Inca will be gracious hosts," Te on these last with an acquisitive eye as he swiftly beat on towards the coast

"Pray remember, Captain--Temeraire," Hammond said anxiously, "Pizarro and his adventurers landed on this same coast, perhaps even in this very settlement--they, too, called themselves an embassy and accepted local hospitality, and then, of course--in short, we in land, but one with cause for the deepest suspicion--we reatest caution--"

Laurence had only the vaguest notion of the history of the conquistadors, a dredging froruesome end had been a favorite of the tutors whose task it had been to keep several young boys occupied, particularly when approved of as a morality tale by their father "I trust, sir," he said dryly, "that though we are not a pretty creill prove able to restrain ourselves froo so far as to assure you of our not abducting andthe present Inca chieftain, should we encounter that person"

"I beg you will not joke upon the matter," Hammond said, without any marked decrease in anxiety "If the Inca are indeed prepared to entertain negotiations--exchange a to be persuadable, and the French have already reatly on this thereat empire; he had written accurate and detailed reports of the excellent roads, the wealth in gold and silver, the full granaries; he had recognized without any subsequent contradiction the value of the territory which he had found His only error had been to ons for feral creatures, spread wide for lack of guns--an error disabused with marked speed and ferocity when his last act of e whose safety had stayed their retribution

But his error had been only in favor of the Incan eht, and since then soht advances to their army and their nation; there was no question that a French alliance with them could alter the course of the war

"As little as I like to countenance any delay in ourbut Providential that we should have the opportunity to intervene in such a negotiation, which but for the greatest good fortune we should have known nothing of, and been unable to answer"

Laurence could not call it greatest good fortune to have lost the Allegiance, or to be uht make every effort to put Britain on friendly terreement on this point, Laurence nevertheless could not care for Haestions of a covert approach

"We will not avert suspicion by creeping past their coast stealthily and falling upon their water or taking their game without invitation," Laurence said "And both we must have imminently; I must think it better to ask first, and hope we are , e appear with three dragons in tow," Hammond said, dismally

But there was no alternative The pirates’ map had not led them astray, but many of the islands marked upon it had scarcely deserved the name, and certainly could offer no safe harbor The teeks of their journey leaping fros of cocoanuts and salt pork for refreshment, had not left theuests, even while increasing their urgency to do so Unshaven faces dirty and sunken-cheeked, ragged clothing and cracked boots: they looked very beggars, and were suitably perishing of hunger and thirst to , and I will just say a word in Kulingile’s ear, and Iskierka’s, so they shan’t, either," Temeraire said "But those sheep do look so very nice and fat: surely they can spare us one or two; or three, even We ht put that wall back up for them, that has fallen into the ocean, if they liked to be repaid; or perhaps if we should begin by doing it, they would feel grateful and inclined to be courteous"

Laurence exarounds of the great stone structure, a low pyramid of broad stepped levels, and a portion of it had tu battened on by the waves "Where? Oh; yes, I see it--no, that is a house--" Halass futilely, until he surrendered it again to Laurence "It cannot but help to have some way to reconcile thenaled Iskierka and Kulingile on to a landing place a little south of the village, to avoid co upon them in force, and Temeraire flew on "Can you land on their beach, without disturbing those boats?" Laurence asked Temeraire, as they drew near: these were a handful of small craft drawn far up on the sand; Laurence wondered if perhaps a greater part of the village’s fleet ood luck," Temeraire said, "if it means fewer men about e must persuade we are friendly, and not like those conquistadors; I will set down very carefully" He didht the draught of his wings and was lifted halfway into the water: but Teed it with one talon and drew it back up the sand without worse than a few gouges in the wood