Having thanked him for the initiative and courage he had
displayed, Adam said, `I am worried, though, Father, about you and your people. When the authorities learn what happened it is certain that the police will return to your village and make things most unpleasant for all concerned. It might lead to you and a number of your parishioners being thrown into prison.'
The bulky priest shook his head and displayed his broken teeth in a grin as he replied, `I thank the Exalted One for his concern, but it is needless. While the scrimmage was taking place, your servant kept under cover so cannot be connected with the ambush. As for my people, everything took place so quickly, and in semidarkness. I feel sure that none of the police would be able to swear to the identity of any of the men who attacked them. They cannot even prove that it was the men of this village who laid the ambush. It might have been others summoned from their huts in the jungle by the mystic powers that many of our people still possess. At worst, too, the police have only been made fools of; and that they will keep to themselves. No harm was done to them. They have been taken by lorry and laid out on the roadside about fifteen miles away; when they get free of their bonds they will find their cars parked on the edge of the jungle quite near them.'
By this time Father Suarez had filed through one of the links that held the handcuffs together, so Adam was able to separate his hands; but the file was not strong enough to cut through the wristlets and he had to reconcile himself to continuing to wear them until a hacksaw could be procured.
About ten minutes later there came a knock on the door of the little house. The priest opened it to disclose an Indian. Behind him were Chela, Father Lopez and two other Indians, carrying suitcases. Entering the room, they all went down on their knees before Adam, and Father Lopez said a prayer of thanksgiving in Latin for the Man God's restoration to them. When he had finished Chela looked up, her dark eyes swimming with tears of joy. As Adam stretched out his hands and raised her to her feet, he could sense that she was longing to throw her arms round his neck; but in the presence of others it would not have been seemly for her to do so.
When she and Father Lopez had thanked Father Suarez for the great service he had rendered their cause, the Indians retired and the two suitcases were opened. The smaller belonged to Adam and contained a set of his own clothes; the larger was empty and had been brought to hold his robes. Chela retired while the two priests reverently divested him of them and assisted him to change into his well tailored suit.
While they were doing so he learned that a second group of
police had appeared in the rear of the pyramid. It was seeing hem that had caused Father Lopez to shout a warning to Adam. The small, plump priest had then made his escape by sliding perilously down the side of the pyramid, and had reached the bottom with nothing worse than some painful bruises. He had not since seen Don Alberuque or any of his confederates but, as no sounds if strife had come from the Court of the Nuns in which they were then disrobing, it was as good as certain that they had got safely away.
Adam then asked somewhat testily why, since there were comparatively few police and such a large congregation, no attempt lad been made either to prevent his arrest or rescue him. Somewhat shamefacedly, Father Lopez excused the congregation on the plea that they had been taken by surprise and could not know that many more police were not about to arrive on the scene. Moreover, they had been given strict orders that, in the event of police intervening in any secret gathering, they were to offer no resistance and at once disperse, so as to avoid a clash and bloodshed.
When Adam had changed, the bull necked Father Suarez led them back along the cart track to the road. A car with an Indian driver was waiting there. Having said good bye to Father Suarez they got into it. As the engine started up, Adam asked: `Where are you taking me?'
`Why, back to the Hacienda, of course,' Chela replied.
`But, surely, that would be dangerous?' he protested. 'The police are certain to have made enquiries there. If anyone has given them a description of me they will have tumbled to it that I am Quetzalcoatl. The odds are they wouldn't expect me to be daft enough to go back there; but, all the same, it's a good bet that they will have left a couple of men on the lookout to arrest me in case was so rash as to attempt to collect my belongings.' Chela shook her head. `If the police had meant to pay the Hacienda a visit they would have done so before Father Lopez and I left it. But they didn't, because they wouldn't expect the sort of people who stay there to have any connection with ancient secret rites. That also applies to you. It would never enter their leads that Quetzalcoatl was a British visitor.'
`The Senorita is right,' Father Lopez said. `Among the police we have a number of secret adherents from whom we receive information. Through them we know that the authorities believe that the Man God who appeared at San Luis Caliente was a tall, pale skinned Mestizo wearing a fair wig and false beard.' That did not square with the fact that Adam had told Ramon about his having had to save his life at San Luis by announcing that he was Quetzalcoatl; but it was possible that, for the present, Ramon had kept that to himself in order to ensure that no overzealous Police Chief interfered with Adam's movements and that among the force the belief just stated by Father Lopez had become current.
Adam was still far from happy at the idea of returning to the hacienda, but as no other plan had been thought of, there seemed no alternative; so he reluctantly allowed himself to be persuaded to agree.
Twenty minutes later the car set them down within a few hundred yards of the hotel. They walked down a slope that brought them to the bottom of the garden, then came up through it towards the hotel. It was then getting on for three o'clock in the morning and, except for a single light over the swimming pool, the hotel was in darkness. Chela went ahead to make certain that no one was about and a few minutes later returned to report that the coast was clear. Tiptoeing past the pool, they exchanged whispered good nights and went to their rooms.
Tired out from the strain he had been through, Adam threw his empty suitcase on the floor, pulled off his jacket and sat down heavily on the edge of his bed. He had hardly done so when Chela came in from the adjoining room, ran to him, flung herself into his arms, smothered his face with kisses and, between them, gasped
`Oh, my darling! My beloved! My treasure! What a ghastly night it has been. When Father Lopez got back here and told me that you had been arrested I thought I'd die. I've never spent such a terrible hour in my life as I did from then until Father Suarez's messenger arrived to let us know that you had been rescued. I spent the whole of the time on my knees, beseeching the Blessed Virgin to restore you to me.'
Adam returned her kisses only half heartedly and gave a rueful grin. `Well, maybe your prayers helped, my sweet. Anyhow, my luck was in again. I had some pretty nasty moments, though, and I'm feeling dead beat.'
`Of course, my precious. You must be,' she soothed him. `Let me help you get your clothes off, then you can flop into bed and get right off to sleep.'
Wearily he stood up and began to unbutton his trousers while she knelt down and untied his shoe laces. With a sigh he said, `Well, thank God this awful business is finished now, and in future we'll be able to lead a normal life.'