"I don't know any more about it than you do. The General told me,
'Quail, saddle your horse and my black mare and follow Cervantes; he's
going on an errand for me.' Well, that's what happened. We left here at
noon, and reached the ranch early that evening. One-eyed Maria Antonia
took us in.... She asked after you, Pancracio. Next morning Luis
Cervantes wakes me up. 'Quail, Quail, saddle the horses. Leave me mine
but take the General's mare back to Moyahua. I'll catch up after a
bit.' The sun was high when he arrived with Camilla. She got off and we
stuck her on the General's mare."
"Well, and her? What sort of a face did she make coming back?" one of
the men inquired.
"Hum! She was so damned happy she was gabbing all the way."
"And the tenderfoot?"
"Just as quiet as he always is, you know him."
"I think," Venancio expressed his opinion with great seriousness, "that
if Camilla woke up in the General's bed, it was just a mistake. We
drank a lot, remember! That alcohol went to our heads; we must have
lost our senses."
"What the hell do you mean: alcohol! It was all cooked up between
Cervantes and the General."
"Certainly! That city dude's nothing but a ..."
"I don't like to talk about friends behind their backs," said Blondie,
"but I can tell you this: one of the two sweethearts he had, one was
mine, and the other was for the General."
They burst into guffaws of laughter.
When War Paint realized what had happened, she sought out Camilla and
spoke with great affection:
"Poor little child! Tell me how all this happened."
Camilla's eyes were red from weeping.
"He lied to me! He lied! He came to the ranch and he told me, 'Camilla,
I came just to get you. Do you want to go away with me?' You can be
sure I wanted to go with him; when it comes to loving, I adore him.
Yes, I adore him. Look how thin I've grown just pining away for him.
Mornings I used to loathe to grind corn, Mamma would call me to eat,
and anything I put in my mouth had no taste at all."
Once more she burst into tears, stuffing the corner of her apron into
her mouth to drown her sobs.
"Look here, I'll help you out of this mess. Don't be silly, child,
don't cry. Don't think about the dude any more! Honest to God, he's not
worth it. You surely know his game, dear? ... That's the only reason
why the General stands for him. What a goose! ... All right, you want
to go back home?"
"The Holy Virgin protect me. My mother would beat me to death!"
"She'll do nothing of the sort. You and I can fix things. Listen! The
soldiers are leaving any moment now. When Demetrio tells you to get
ready, you tell him you feel pains all over your body as though someone
had hit you; then you lie down and start yawning and shivering. Then
put your hand on your forehead and say, 'I'm burning up with fever.'
I'll tell Demetrio to leave us both here, that I'll stay to take care
of you, that as soon as you're feeling all right again, we'll catch up
with them. But instead of that, I'll see that you get home safe and
sound."