How long he remained in this state of unconsciousness--for it was that rather than sleep--he did not know. It might have been years, it might have been a mere moment of time. When the spell was finally broken by Raoul the scene that met his awakened senses puzzled him. He was in Sajipona's palace, in the room where Raoul had confronted and subdued him. But it was all unfamiliar. His mind was filled with his mission to Bogota. His parting with Una in the sunny courtyard of the inn came back to him, irradiating a dreamy happiness. He had been through some strange experiences since then, he knew. The sight of the bed hangings under which he was reclining, the great spaces of the room, the softened light of the cave, kept alive the memory of many a novel, fantastic adventure. Shaking off his drowsiness, he sprang to his feet. Sajipona and Raoul advanced to meet him. Sajipona! Yes, he remembered her. She was the beautiful Indian queen he was to marry in his dream--it must have been a dream, because Una was not there; except that, at the very last, he remembered, Una had stepped in for just a moment--and he had not known her! How amazed, angry, she must have been! And then--what else could have been expected?--she had gone away. He was anxious now for her safety, although how she could possibly be in this cave, how she could have found her way here, was a hopeless puzzle. The first word he uttered was a cry to Sajipona: "Where is Una?" Raoul would have answered, but Sajipona checked him. She realized the full significance of David's question, although outwardly she showed nothing of her emotion. "You are yourself again--I am glad," she said. "But Una----?" "She is safe. She reached Bogota after you left Honda." David's relief was evident, although his eyes showed the perplexity arising from his strange awakening. "I thought she had found her way here," he said. Then he turned again to Sajipona, this time with an impulsive gesture of gratitude. "I remember everything now. You saved my life. Every moment with you has been filled with happiness. How can I ever be grateful enough for the kindness you have shown me?" He knelt before her, kissing her hand. She smiled; her other hand rested upon his shoulder. "Grateful!" she exclaimed playfully. "Have we not a lifetime together before us? You have forgotten the festival that awaits us on the top of the mountain." "No, I have not forgotten." "Do you want it to take place?" He arose to his feet, clasping his hands over his eyes as if to fix an uncertain impression. When he bared his face before her again, there was quiet determination in his glance. Again he took her hand in his, pressing it to his lips. Then, with eyes fixed full upon hers, he answered her question: "Yes." XXII A PEOPLE'S DESTINY