Very interesting stories are told of his adventures in this period of
peril. The high rewards offered did not suffice to wean from him the
attachment of the people, and more than once he owed his safety to their
loyalty. Some of them submitted to torture, and even to loss of life,
rather than betray his place of retreat to his enemies. Even many of the
soldiers were his friends, and once, when hotly pursued, he took refuge
among a small party of these, who were dancing around a large drum. To
conceal him from his enemies they placed him in the drum and continued
their dance around it.
At another time the pursuers were so close to him that he just succeeded
in turning the crest of a hill when they began to climb it on the other
side. Here he fortunately found a girl who was reaping _chia_, a plant
whose seeds were used in making palatable drinks. Telling her who he was
and of his great danger, he got her to cover him up with a heap of the
plants she had cut, and when the pursuers came up and asked if she had
seen him, the faithful girl coolly replied that she had, and pointed out a
path which she said he had taken.
Pages:
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66