CHAPTER VII.
"Didst thou observe, brother henchman," said Lazaro, as, after havingcompleted his meal, and taken good note of the tethers of the horses, hethrew himself on the ground by the side of Baltasar, as if to imitatethe other members of the party, who were making what preparations theycould for the indulgence of the siesta,--"Didst thou observe, I say, oldsinner, that, this moment, we were like to have made experience of thevirtue of cotton corslets? By my faith, this gentle master mine will notsuffer our hands to be idle, so long as there be savages to curse thefaith, or hidalgos to cross his humours. I am ever bound to themagnanimous senor commander, that he thought fit to swallow his wrath,and send me those black-browed vagabonds back to their dinner: forotherwise, I assure thee, there was much fear of our supping inpurgatory."
"For my part," said Baltasar, raising his head from the saddle, whichserved him for a pillow, and looking curiously round on the variousgroups, "I am of opinion, there was more discretion than dignity aboutthat same captain, when he became so moderate of a sudden; for so sureas he was very foolish to get into a quarrel with the boy Amador, who, Iam free to say, is no way unworthy to be a kinsman and esquire of mymaster the knight, so surely would the boy have dinged the feathers offhis gilt casque with the first blow; and how much of his head might havefollowed the feathers, is more than I will take upon me to determine."
"Thou art so hungry after war," said Lazaro, "thou canst not perceivethe valour of foregoing an opportunity of battle now and then. Hast thounever seen a man turn pale from anger, as well as cowardice?"
"Of a truth, I have," said the veteran; "and, provided there be a steadycountenance along with it, this sickly hue is ever a sight to be dreadedmore than the woman's blush, which some men fall into in their anger.But a coward's mouth is always playing him dog's tricks: I havesometimes seen the nether lip shake in a brave man; but when thetrembling is all up in the corners, as I have learned to know, afterdivers lessons, it is a sign the heart is in a flutter. There aredoubtless certain strings, whereby the heart is fastened to the mouth;and it is when the corners are writhing about in this cowardly snakymanner, that the heart is drawn up further than is comfortable; a thing,as I have no doubt, may have sometimes happened to yourself."
"If it have, may I become a Turk's slave!" said Lazaro, with greatindignation; "and if it do, I hope it may be transformed, at thatmoment, from my own mouth to a dog's, to be made a dinner of!"
"Thou art an ass to be in a passion, at any rate," said Baltasar,coolly, "and a very improbable idiot, to deny, in thy vain-glory, whathas happened to braver men than thyself; and, which I am free toconfess, has sometimes chanced to myself, especially in my youth, when Ifirst went to fight the Moors; and, I very well remember, that besidesperceiving there was a sort of emptiness under my ribs, on suchoccasions, I could feel my heart beating at the back of my throat asplainly as I ever felt the arrow-heads tapping about my buckler. But italways went to its place again, when we were come to close quarters."
"May I die of the bastinado, if I ever felt any such thing!" saidLazaro, proudly. "I was born without any such gaingiving; and the onlyuncomfortable feeling I have had, under such circumstances, was a sortof cold creeping about the stomach, as if it were raining inside of me."
"Or as if there was a cold air brewing in your gizzard!" said Baltasar,triumphantly. "That is the very same thing,--the emptiness, I wastalking about; and if you never felt the beating in your throat, it wasbecause your heart was in such a fit of fright as to have no power ofbeating left."
"Ay! that may be," said Lazaro, with a grin: "that beating is a businessI keep for my arm, and when that is in service, my heart is ever wiseenough to be quiet. But concerning the captain,--Dost thou really esteemhim a coward?"
"Who knows?" said the veteran. "A man may be once in fear, andstrong-hearted ever after. Yet was there such a working about thatcavalier's mouth, as made me think he longed to strike Don Amador, if hedurst, and which still persuades he has some bitter thoughts about thematter of the insult: for, as you may remember, Don Amador said he wasmore of a hind than a hidalgo, with other such loving remarks as mightstir a man's choler. For this reason, I am of opinion it will be goodservice of thee to thy master, to keep thine eyes open while he istaking his siesta, lest, mayhap, some mischief might come to himsleeping."
"I am ever bound to your good-natured discretion," said Lazaro, with alaugh. "I have no doubt it would be more profitable to sit for an houror two, watching the sunbeams stealing through the wood, than, for thesame time, to slumber and snore, without any other amusement than anoccasional buffeting of one's nose, to keep the flies off. I willtherefore surrender this agreeable privilege to thyself, as being mysenior and better; while I nap a little, and that so lightly, that if anemmet do but creep near my master, I shall hear the rustling of hisfootsteps. But hark'ee, Baltasar: there is much wit about thee, for anold man that has endured so many hard knocks; and ever, about once in anhundred times, I have found thy conjectures to be very reasonable. Whatis thy opinion concerning those infidel Moors under the bush yonder? andby what sort of magic dost thou suppose they have so wrought upon ourcommander, that he will neither suffer lance-shaft nor cane-twig to belaid upon them?"
"Ay, there they are!" said Baltasar, looking towards the father and son."The boy lies with his head on Abdalla's knee, and Abdalla covers himwith his skin mantle; and the mantle shakes, as if the boy were sobbingunder it.--It is my opinion, the lad has been used to milder treatmentthan he seems likely to meet in these parts, unless Don Amador shouldsee fit to take him into his own keeping; and it is also my opinion, ifhe be so much affected at the sight of a green twig, he will go nigh todie of terror at the flash of a savage's sword."
"That is an opinion I have, in part, formed for myself," said the juniorcoolly: "and one that I think is shared in common with every otherperson in this quilted company, that has looked in the manikin's face."
"It is as white," said Baltasar, "as that mountain top we saw from thecaravel; whereas the children of common Moriscos are much the hue of myown weather-beaten boots."
"The boy was in a most pestilent fright," said Lazaro, "and thereforesomewhat more snowy than was natural; nevertheless, I have seen darkerskins among the damsels of La Mancha."
"And he is, in a manner, well figured and comely," said the veteran.
"If thou hadst said he was such a Ganymede as might hold the wine-cupand trencher to a princess, I should have thought better of thineeye-sight. By cross and spear! he has such eyes as I shall be glad tofind in any wench I may be predestined to marry."
"And his hand," said Baltasar, "is as small as a hidalgo's son's. Hehath an amiable countenance, and such gravity in it, when not disturbed,as belongs to older years; and he ever keeps it bent to the earth, as ifto shun observation."
"Ay; I see what thou art driving at," said Lazaro, significantly. "Thouthinkest Sidi Abdalla is some infidel prince of Granada--a Zegri orAbencerrage--"
"I think no such thing," said Baltasar, gruffly. "I have fought, myself,hand to hand, with a Zegri, while my young lord Gabriel was cleaving thehead of another; to which knightly and majestic infidels the wretch Sidibears such resemblance as, in comparison, doth the hedge-hog to aleopard."
"Thou art of opinion then, doubtless," said Lazaro, "that the boyJacinto is some Christian nobleman's son, stolen in his infancy by Sidi,to be made a sacrifice to the devil?"
"I am no such ass," said Baltasar, "to entertain any such notion."
"A bird's flight by his feather, a beast's rage by his claw, and a man'sthoughts by his tongue," said Lazaro; "but how I am to judge thee, ismore than I know. What a-God's name, dost thou think then of theseChristian heathens?"
"I think nothing at all," said Baltasar, dryly: "I only wonder by whatchance a Morisco boor came to have so tender and so handsome a boy."
"Well, heaven be with thee, old oracle," said Lazaro, laying his head onhis saddle: "If I should resolve thy wonder in my dreams, I willenlighten thee when
I wake."
The veteran gave a look to the horses,--to his master, who, by theattentions of the captain Salvatierra, had been enabled to enjoy theluxury of a hammock, slung between two trees,--to the Moor, who satwatching over his child,--to the Tlameme, who slumbered by theirpacks,--to the Spaniards, who slept, as they had eaten, in groups,--tothe few sentinels who stood nodding under the trees,--and then,dismissing all care, as if satisfied with the security of the motleyencampment, he was not slow to follow the example of his companion.
Calavar; or, The Knight of The Conquest, A Romance of Mexico Page 9