delicate suspension bridge which commences at a tunnel in the face
of a precipitous cliff and hangs in mid-air at great height above the
swirling waters of the "great speaker." In the distance, towering above
a mass of stupendous mountains, is a magnificent snow-capped peak. The
desire to see the Apurimac and experience the thrill of crossing that
bridge decided me in favor of an overland journey to Lima.

As a result I went to Cuzco, the ancient capital of the mighty empire
of the Incas, and was there urged by the Peruvian authorities to
visit some newly re-discovered Inca ruins. As readers of "Across
South America" will remember, these ruins were at Choqquequirau, an
interesting place on top of a jungle-covered ridge several thousand
feet above the roaring rapids of the great Apurimac. There was some
doubt as to who had originally lived here. The prefect insisted that
the ruins represented the residence of the Inca Manco and his sons,
who had sought refuge from Pizarro and the Spanish conquerors of Peru
in the Andes between the Apurimac and Urubamba rivers.

While Mr. Clarence L. Hay and I were on the slopes of Choqquequirau the
clouds would occasionally break away and give us tantalizing glimpses
of snow-covered mountains. There seemed to be an unknown region,
"behind the Ranges," which might contain great possibilities. Our
guides could tell us nothing about it. Little was to be found in
books. Perhaps Manco's capital was hidden there. For months afterwards
the fascination of the unknown drew my thoughts to Choqquequirau and
beyond. In the words of Kipling's "Explorer":


"... a voice, as bad as Conscience, rang interminable changes
On one everlasting Whisper day and night repeated--so: