'Come out, you ass! Take your hat off too--let 'em see your straw
thatching.'
I went and stood beside him, and it was the proudest thing that ever
happened to me; it was nothing but a sea of brown heads and white hats,
rifles and bayonets, and then they yelled and waved their hats--even
those of the wounded who could stand, stood up and shouted, '_Viva los
Hermanos!_'[#]
[#] Hermanos = brothers.
When the noises stopped a bit, I sang out, '_Gracias! Gracias! Muchas
Gracias!_'--about the only Spanish words I knew. They cheered more than
ever.
'Quite effective show, that,' Gerald smiled cynically, as he went back
to dress, 'you and I standing there by the side of the insurgent flag.
They love anything like that.'