The repast finished, the Holy Brethren, rising from the table together,
forsook the Refectory. Some disappeared into cloisters on the sides of
the great hallway, others strolled out in front, and seating themselves
on benches that were about, commenced rolling and smoking cigarittos.
The Abbot, excusing himself to his stranger guests, on plea of pressing
business, was invisible for a time. So they were permitted to betake
themselves apart. Good manners secured them this. The others naturally
supposed they might want a word in private, so no one offered to intrude
upon them.
Just what they did want, and had been anxiously longing for. They had
mutually to communicate; questions to be asked, and counsel taken
together. Each was burning to know what the other thought of the
company they had fallen into; the character of which was alike
perplexing to both.
After getting hold of their hats they sauntered out by the great door,
through which they had entered on the night before. The sun was now at
meridian height, and his beams fell down upon the patch of open ground
in front of the monastery, for a monastery they supposed it must be. A
glance backward as they walked out from its walls showed its
architecture purely of the conventual style; windows with pointed
arches, the larger ones heavy mullioned, and a campanile upon the roof.
This, however, without bells, and partially broken down, as was much of
the outer mason work everywhere. Here and there were walls crumbling to
decay, others half-hidden under masses of creeping plants and
cryptogams; in short, the whole structure seemed more or less
dilapidated.
Soon they entered under the shadow of the trees; long-leaved evergreen
pines loaded with parasites and epiphytes, among these several species
of orchids--rare phenomenon in the vegetable world, that would have
delighted the eye of a botanist. As they wished to get beyond earshot
of those left lounging by the porch, they continued on along a walk
which had once been gravelled, but was now overgrown with weeds and
grass. It formed a cool arcade, the thick foliage meeting overhead, and
screening it from the rays of the sun. Following it for about a hundred
yards or so, they again had the clear sky before them, and saw they were
on the brow of a steep slope--almost a precipice--which, after trending
a short distance right and left, took a turn back toward the mass of the
mountain. It was the boundary of the platform on which the building
stood, with a still higher cliff behind.
The point they had arrived at was a prominent one, affording view of the
whole valley of Mexico, that lay spread out like a picture at their
feet. And such a picture! Nothing in all the panoramic world to
excel--if equal it.
But as scenery was not in their thoughts, they gave it but a glance,
sitting down with faces turned towards one another. For there were
seats here also--several rustic chairs under shady trees--it being
evidently a favourite loitering place of the friars.
"Well, Cris, old comrade," said Kearney, first to speak, "we've gone
through a good deal this day or two in the way of change. What do you
think of these new acquaintances of ours?"
"Thar, Cap, ye put a puzzler."
"Are they monks?"
"Wal, them is a sort o' anymals I hain't had much dealin's wi'; niver
seed any till we kim inter Mexiko, 'ceptin' one or two as still hangs
round San Antone in Texas. But this chile knows little u' thar ways,
only from what he's heerin'; an' judgin' be that he'd say thar ain't
nerry monk among 'em."
"What then? Robbers?"
"Thar, agin, Cap, I'm clean confuscated. From what we war told o' Mr
Reevus in the gaol, they oughter be that. They sayed he war a captain
o' _saltadores_, which means highwaymen. An' yet it do 'pear kewrous
should be sich."
"From what I know of him," rejoined Kearney, "what I learned yesterday,
it would be curious indeed--remarkably so. I've reason to believe him a
gentleman born, and that his title of captain comes from his having been
an officer in the army."
"That mou't be, an' still wouldn't contrary his havin' turned to
t'other. Down by the Rio Grande, thar are scores o' Mexikin officers
who've did the same, from lootenants up to kurnels--ay, ginrals. Thar's
Canales, who commanded the whole cavalry brigade--the `Chaperal fox' as
we Texans call him--an' thar ain't a wuss thief or cut-throat from
Mantamoras up to the mountains. An' what air ole Santy hisself but a
robber o' the meanest an' most dastardly sort? So, 'tain't any sign o'
honesty their bearing military titles. When they've a war on in thar
revolushionary way, they turn sogers, atween times takin' to the road."
"Well, Cris, supposing these to be on the road now, what ought we to do,
think you?"
"Neery use thinkin', Cap, since thar's no choice left us. 'Tain't die
dog, or eet the hatchet; and this chile goes for chawin' the steel.
Whativer they be, we're bound to stick to 'em, an' oughter be glad o'
the chance, seein' we haint the shadder o' another. If tuk agin' we'd
be strung up or shot sure. Highwaymen or lowwaymen, they're the only
ones about these diggin's that kin gie us purtekshun, an' I reck'n we
may rely on them for that--so far's they're able."
For a time Kearney was silent, though not thinking over what the Texan
had said, much of which had passed through his mind before. The train
of his reflections was carried further back, to the point where he was
first brought into contact with Rivas, by their legs getting linked
together. Then forward throughout the hours and incidents that came
after, recalling everything that had occurred, in act as in
conversation--mentally reviewing all, in an endeavour to solve the
problem that was puzzling them.
Seeing him so occupied, and with a suspicion of how his thoughts were
working, the Texan forebore further speech, and awaited the result.
"If we've fallen among banditti," Kearney at length said, "it will be
awkward to get away from them. They'll want us to take a hand at their
trade, and that wouldn't be nice."
"Sartinly not, Cap; anything but agreeable to eyther o' us. It goes
agin the grit o' a honest man to think o' belongin' to a band o'
robbers. But forced to jine 'em, that 'ud be different. Besides, the
thing ain't the same in Mexico as 'twud be in Texas and the States.
Hyar 'tisn't looked on as beein' so much o' a disgrace, s'long's they
don't practice cruelty. An' I've heern Mexikins say 'tain't wuss, nor
yet so bad, as the way some our own poltishuns an' lawyers plunder the
people. I guess it be 'bout the same, when one gits used to it."
To this quaint rigmarole of reasoning--not without reason in it,
however,--Kearney only replied with a smile, allowing the Texan to
continue; which he did, saying--
"After all, I don't think they're robbers any more than monks; if they
be, they're wonderfully well-behaved. A perliter set o' fellers or
better kump'ny this chile niver war in durin' the hull coorse of his
experience in Texas, or otherwhars. They ain't like to lead us into
anythin' very bad, in the way o' cruelty or killin'. So I say, let's
freeze to 'em, till we find they ain't worthy of being froze to; then we
must gie 'em the slip somehow."
"Ah! if we can," said his fellow-filibuster doubtingly. "But that is
the thing for the far hereafter. The question is, what are we to do
now?"
"No guess'n at all, Cap, as thar's no choosin' atween. We're boun' to
be robbers for a time, or whatsomever else these new 'quaintances o'
ours be themselves. Thet's sure as shootin'."
"True," returned the other musingly. "There seems no help for it. It's
our fate, old comrade, though one, _I_ trust, we shall be able to
control without turning highwaymen. I don't think they are that. I
can't believe it."
"Nor me neyther. One thing, howsomever, thet I hev obsarved air a
leetle queery, an' sort o' in thar favour."
"What thing?"
"Thar not hevin' any weemen among 'em. I war in the kitchen this
mornin' 'fore ye war up, and kedn't see sign o' a petticoat about, the
cookin' bein' all done by men sarvents. Thet, I've heern say, air the
way wi' monks; but not wi' the other sort. What do you make o't, Cap?"
"I hardly know, Cris. Possibly the Mexican brigands, unlike those of
Italy, don't care to encumber themselves with a following of the fair
sex."
"On t'other hand," pursued the Texan, "it seems to contrary their bein'
o' the religious sort, puttin' out sentries as they do. Thar wor that
one we passed last night, and this mornin' I seed two go out wi' guns,
one takin' each side, and soon arter two others comin' in as if they'd
been jest relieved from thar posts. Thar's a path as leads down from
both sides o' the building."
"All very strange, indeed," said Kearney. "But no doubt we shall soon
get explanation of it. By the way," he added, changing tone with the
subject, "where is the dwarf? What have they done with him?"
"That I can't tell eyther, Cap. I haven't seen stime o' the critter
since he war tuk away from us by that head man o' the sarvents, and I
don't wish ever to set eyes on the skunk again. Cris Rock niver was so
tired o' a connexshun as wi' thet same. Wagh!"
"I suppose they've got him shut up somewhere, and intend so keeping
him--no doubt for good reasons. Ah! now we're likely to hear something
about the disposal of ourselves. Yonder comes the man who can tell us!"
This, as the _soi-disant_ Abbot was seen approaching along the path.