Juan looked at the boat, which was now near the vessel, and threw down his bucket.
“I am ready now.”
Diego laughed provokingly and went on bailing.
“You count on the crew seeing us and coming to stop the beating I should give you,” he said.
“And you are a coward and don’t dare fight,” said Juan, in a furious temper.
“Will you wait,” said Diego, all of a tremble from anger, but wishing to seem greatly at ease, “until these casks are full? Then we can safely go into the wood yonder and have it out.”
“You hope they will come back before we have the casks filled,” sneered Juan, though he did not believe a word of it.
“I’ll show you if I’m a coward,” said Diego. “At any rate, I would not let another suffer for a thing I had done.”
That was the last word, for Juan was too proud to tell Diego, now, that he had tried to save him from the flogging. It is quite likely that no two boys ever filled casks with such expedition as those two did. Each was anxious to finish first in order to taunt the other with cowardice. It was Diego’s luck to be first, but Juan robbed him of the joy of a fling at him by tossing his last bucketful into the last cask before even ready-tongued Diego could say anything. He led the way to the woods, however, and that was something.