The Purple Land

razilian frontier. I rode over its narrowest part, however, where it is only about twenty-five miles wide; then, crossing two very curiously named rivers, Rios Salsipuedes Ch

Vagabonds' Rest, was a good-sized, square brick house built on very high

he Mayordomo, or manager, Don Policarpo Santierra de Pe?alosa, which, roughly done into English, means Polycarp of the Holy Land abounding in Slippery Rocks, proved to be a very pleasant, affable person. He welcomed me with that quiet Oriental politeness which is never cold and never effusive, and then perused the letter from Do?a Isidora. Finally he said, "I am willing, my f

in a mist as to my prospects, he mounted his horse and rode off, probabl

ks; everyone carried his own knife, and at meal-time the boiled meat was emptied into a great tin dish, whilst the roast was eaten from the spit, each one laying hold with his fingers and cutting his slice. The seats were logs of wood and horse-skulls. The household was composed of one woman, an ancient, hideously ugly, grey-headed negress, about seventy years old, and eighteen or nineteen men of all ages and sizes, and of all colours from parchment-white to very old oak. There was a capatas, or overseer, and seven or eight paid peones, the others being all agregados-that is, supernumeraries without pay, or, to put it plainly, vagabonds who attach themselves like vagrant dogs to establishments of this

t this would only be for a time, I was quite willing to make the best of things, and very soon became

ome of the men approved of the suggestion, remarking that they had never thought of it themselves; but the old negress, who, being the only representative of the fair sex present, was always listened to with all the deference due to her position, threw herself with immense zeal into the opposition. She affirmed that no cow had been milked at that establishment since its owner had paid it a visit with his young wife twelve years before. A milch-c

, sallow face. His cheeks were innocent of whiskers, and his lank, black hair, parted in the middle, fell to his shoulders, enclosing his narrow face between a pair of raven's wings. He had very large, light-coloured, sheepish-looking eyes, and his eyebrows bent up like a couple of Gothic arches, leaving a narrow strip above them that formed the merest apology for a forehead. This facial peculiarity had won for him the nickname of Cejas (Eyebrows), by which he was known to his intimates. He spent most of his time strumming on a wretched old cracked

my sense

a-tap fro

in me an

never ha

t through

been just

when I r

all be as

n tells me

day the self

. Of course it is not to be supposed that Epifanio Claro, an illiterate person, took in the whole philosophy of these lines; s

the matter, we went out to the grazing grounds in quest of a promising-looking cow. Very soon we found one to our liking. She was followed by a small calf, no

em by and by,"

ccasion, first dealing her a smart blow on the nose, which made her recoil for a moment; he then severed the lasso with his knife, and, shouting to me to drop the calf, made his escape. We pulled up as soon as we had reached a safe distance, Claro drily remarking that the lasso had been borrowed, and that the horse belonged to the estancia, so that we had lost nothing. He alighted, and stitched up the great gash in the poor brute's belly, using for a

live?"

only know that now he will be able to carry me h

us, just how it would be. One would have imagined, to hear this old black creature talk, that she looked on milk-drinking as one of the greatest mora

ok it all v

e lasso was not ours, the horse was not

face covered with an immense shaggy black beard. I had taken him for a good-humoured specimen of the giant kind before, but I now chan

e me wrapped in skins," he observed; "but let me tell

dressing me, "but for the cow that carried away his

for the fool that lassoed the cow. And I promise you, Epifanio, that if it is not res

f seats; and when you leave us, the one you now encumber with

do, raising his voice to a shout; "but you are not going to plunder me; and if my lass

r the purpose, the better, for I will never return the lasso to you; f

budo replie

an equality with men. Evidently he was weaned too soon; but if the starveling hungers for infant's food, let him in

r my rashness. The instant I rose Barbudo was on me, knife in hand. He aimed a furious blow, which luckily missed me, and at the same moment I struck him, and he reeled back with a dreadful gash on his face. It was all done in a second of time, and before the others could interpose; in another moment they disarmed us, and set about

onception of Blas the barbarian. There must have been

en rightly punished, for had he not, in spite of her timely warnings, lent his lasso to enable these two heretics (for that is what she called us) to capt

leave the estancia, as it would not be safe for me to remain. I replied that I was not to blame, having struck the man in self-defence; al

ed his shoulders a

d nothing. In the evening I reminded him of the subject of the letter I had brought from Mo

y this time the authorities will have information of your fight with Blas. In the course of a few days you may expect

d you advise me

deer what he would advise him to do when the hun

did not think the authorities would trouble themselv

ich was, however, dashed with an air of deference when we were alone together, but in company he was fond of parading his familiarity with m

ow established in this department, and there is nothing men envy more. It is the same as in our old game of pato, where the man that carries the duck away is pursued by all the others, and before they give up chasing him he must prove that he can keep what he has taken. There are several fighters you do not know, who have resolved to pick quarrels with you in order to try your strength. In your next fight you must not wound, but kill, or you will have no peace." I was greatly disturbed at this result of my accidental victory over Bias the Bearded, and did not at all appreciate the kind of greatness my officious friend Claro seemed so determined to thrust upon m