Royal Sun

On the last day of Peru's Carnival (literally "Farewell to Flesh") last week, in the delighted presence of Edward of Wales and Prince George, an Indian in a painted wooden mask raised high his arms and cried: "Thou shalt not rob! Thou shalt not kill!" Drums throbbed, rattles whirred, flat-footed dancers in brilliant soft woolen blankets and wooden animal masks thumped their way round and round the stage of the New Municipal Theatre of one of the world's oldest cities, Cuzco, "two miles high."

Here ruled the bygone Inca kings, here yowling little Incas went ink, ink, ink; and here the dance of the Adoration of the Sun was performed, 400 years ago, much as it was last week. Gold was the Inca metal. Iron they had not. To make them give up their gold, Spaniards tortured them upon the very square where Peruvians made merry last week. By long torture, slow strangulation Spaniards wormed all they could out of the last independent Inca King, Atahualpa. But he died without revealing where the Incas mined their gold, a mystery to this day.

Last week immediately after the Royal Sun Dance, the orchestra broke into a wheezy tango, the people of Cuzco relaxed, cheered, laughed, filled the air with sizzling paper streamers and fistfuls of confetti. Sloe-eyed, olivaster Senorita Juana Ugarte, Queen of the Carnival, approached the Royal box. Edward of Wales jumped to his feet.

"Not in many years have we been so diverted!" cried he.

The Princes joined in the confetti battle, but out of respect to Royalty Cuzco folk threw no "carnival eggs" (filled with perfumes or other liquid). Next day, having explored Cuzco, T. R. H. took boat and train to La Paz, Bolivia. After landing, the altitude then being 12,000 ft., Edward of Wales freely admitted to Acting President Blanco Galindo that he felt dizzy.

As the Royal Party hurried on to Chile, partly by train, partly by plane, English correspondents marveled at how T. R. H. "stood the strain of only four hours' sleep in 24," told with what fortitude they had risen to the demands of a party lasting until 3 a. m. in a dining car and given by the manager of the railway.

In Santiago, Chilean capital, after dancing until 5 a. m. at the British Embassy, Edward of Wales appeared worn out, sulky, bored. He had vexed local British society by dancing exclusively with Chilean ladies. He must now review British War veterans in darting daylight that hurt his eyes.

At first no special veteran engaged Royal attention. But finally H. R. H. stopped to talk with a genial oldster. They got on famously. Everyone within range beamed. The oldster, brimming with emotion, laid a hand at last affectionately upon the Royal arm. Instantly Edward of Wales' temper snapped. He whirled half round, disengaging his arm, then went on with the review. Later both Princes talked by radiophone to George V and Queen Mary 7,000 miles away. The words of the long distance operator were alone made public: "Hello, Victoria 4832? Buckingham Palace? Here is a personal call for His Majesty from Santiago."

In Manhattan, Miss Mary Jane Kane, model, told of sailing from Bermuda to Havana on the same ship with Britain's Royal salesmen. "I was playing backgammon with Prince George," said she. "We had $8 on the game and naturally I didn't want to lose because I consider myself one of the best backgammon players in New York. "The Prince of Wales came up from behind and frightened me. He apologized. Then he sat in the game. He talked so much I couldn't concentrate. This went on for 30 minutes. "Then I became a little angry, I suppose. So I said he was interfering with the game -- and that was all there was to it. "I merely told him he was a novice at the pastime. 'You'll understand it when you grow up,' I said. "I liked Prince George. But the Prince of Wales is very talkative. Both he and his brother have high voices. When he threw dice he called the number six, 'klix.' "The Prince to whom I am engaged [Model Kane said she was engaged to one 'Prince Lobkowicz of Austria'] is working to make a real man of himself. He is employed abroad by the Paramount Picture Corporation."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.