[Illustration: BATH OF THE INCA.] Near the palace they were shown "the Bath of the Inca," at the base of a hill which was evidently terraced at great expense. The walls of the terraces were made of cut stone, and the whole work was laid out with the skill of a surveyor. Here the Incas had their gardens, but the ground is not now cultivated, and little more than the terraces remain to show what it once was. The bath is a tank or basin of stone about five feet deep, and measuring twenty feet by forty on its surface. Vines and other plants grow over the walls, and at one end of the tank there are three streams of water each about two inches in diameter. The sources of these streams is unknown; they come through subterranean channels, and are flowing to-day exactly as they flowed during the time of the Incas and their imperial splendor. [Illustration: ROOM IN THE INCA'S PALACE.] At the farther end of the island is the sacred rock of Manco Capac, but there is little to be seen there except a high wall surrounding a natural dome of sandstone. The Doctor did not think the sight would compensate for the time and fatigue of the journey, and the stone was left to take care of itself. The youths consoled themselves by studying the engraving in Mr. Squier's work and reading the tradition concerning the rock. [Illustration; THE SACRED ROCK OF MANCO CAPAC.] It was here that Manco Capac is said to have descended to earth, and down to this day the natives approach the place with great reverence. It was formerly believed that no bird would alight upon it, and no animal would dare to set his foot there. The presence of mortal man was forbidden. It was here that the sun rose to dispel the mists around the mountains and over the land, and for many years none but the priests could even come within sight of the rock. At one time it was plated with gold and silver and covered with a veil, which was never removed except on the occasion of religious festivals. The sloping sides of the hill crowned by the rock are terraced and walled off into platforms; these platforms contain the remains of small buildings, which are supposed to have been the residences of the priests and attendants upon the worship of the founder of the line of Incas. There was formerly a garden on the terraces, and the earth for its construction was said to have been brought on the backs of men a distance of four hundred miles! Doubtless the work of the Incas was performed under the same oppression as that of the rulers of ancient Egypt. The latter built the Pyramids by the unpaid labor of their subjects; the former terraced the rugged sides of Titicaca Island, and erected their temples and palaces with little thought of the lives that were lost in the toil. The history of the Old World is repeated in the New. [Illustration: GROUND-PLAN OF "PALACE OF THE INCA," TITICACA ISLAND.] CHAPTER XII.