“You have prudently taken care to have ready the Spanish translation of the French,” I observed.—“And so you were yourself in the melée, then?”
“Je le crois bien! Sacrebleu!” said the boaster, regardless of the signs of his corporal to be less communicative, “I believe you! Sacrebleu! I, myself, spitted half a score of the sacré gueux, and I think I should know the rest of the canaille by their backs, if ever my eyes lighted upon them again; for I pressed them hard enough; but my horse was too tired to overtake them all.”
“A quien tanto ve, con un ojo le basta,”[195] said I, adding, lest the laugh my sarcasm had caused amongst my countrymen should excite the corporal’s suspicions, “however, I am glad you have given so good an account of the scoundrels, and hope any other factious bands that may attempt to disturb the tranquillity of our province may be similarly dealt with. You must, however, I fear, be ill provided with cavalry, since you have been so soon sent again on duty after such sharp service?”
“Why, we are rather short of cavalry, no doubt,” continued the loquacious gascon; “but, I rather think, our despatches contain an order for such as can be spared from Malaga to be sent to join us at Granada; and then we shall serve them out in good style.”
“Why, I thought you had dispersed them altogether?” said I.
“Allons, allons!” cried the corporal to his companion, “à cheval!” adding, in the same language, which, doubtless, he conceived none of us understood—“I like not that inquisitive embossé—what the d—l makes you so communicative?”
“Communicative!” exclaimed the young dragoon; “why you know I have not told them a word of truth, excepting about the order for the cavalry to come and join us; and the sooner that piece of news is spread through the country the better.”
My attendant had not been an idle listener to the conversation I have just narrated; but, having glided unobserved amongst the horses, had quietly occupied himself in taking a fore shoe off the foot of one of the dragoons’ chargers. He now joined the circle, making me a sign that all was right, and whispering a few words in the ear of the landlord, whilst, despatching our gazpacho fresco, we mounted our horses and rode off toward Alhama.
Before we had proceeded a mile, the two Frenchmen overtook us, and were about to pass on at a brisk trot, when I called out that one of their horses had thrown a shoe. It was that of the corporal. He dismounted, and, after sundry sacrés, proposed to his companion that they should return to the venta for a smith. I said, if they had a spare shoe, I could furnish them with a hammer and nails, which would, possibly, save time. My offer was thankfully accepted, and the dragoon, dismounting and placing himself between the two horses, so as to hold both their heads, the corporal forthwith proceeded to work.
I waited, of course, to receive back my hammer, and, to pass the time, struck a light and commenced smoking. “Gasta usted tabaco?”[196] asked I, addressing myself to the young dragoon, presenting him at the same time with a Frenchified looking cigar with a straw inserted at one end.