"He is a swindler," one of the soldiers retorted.
"If he is, then we can put our trust in no man," Don Diego observed.
"All this is quite irregular, caballero," the magistrado insisted, stepping forward. "The charges have been preferred, and the man is here to be tried."
Then Don Diego sat down and court was convened.
The man who made the complaint was an evil-looking fellow who explained that he was a dealer in tallow and hides, and had a warehouse in San Gabriel.
"I went to the hacienda this fray manages and purchased ten hides of him," he testified. "After giving him the coins in payment and taking them to my storehouse, I found that the hides had not been cured properly. In fact they were ruined. I returned to the hacienda and told the fray as much, demanding that he return the money, which he refused to do."
"The hides were good," Fray Felipe put in. "I told him I would return the money when he returned the hides."
"They were spoiled," the dealer declared. "My assistant here will testify as much. They caused a stench, and I had them burned immediately."
The assistant testified as much.
"Have you anything to say, fray?" the magistrado asked.