“Yes:––it is the Cacique. The woman for some cause is bitter with hate against him.––Juan Gonzalvo is eager to listen––he is restless as quicksilver already with suspicion of strange things. In the far 192 south he and his comrades made little odds of riding rough shod over the natives––here he would do the same at a word from the padre.”
“And that word we can ill afford when we are but a handful!” decided Don Ruy,––“Hum!––for instant annihilation of the proud pagan we can depend on Gonzalvo, the padre, and Maestro Diego, if it came to a showing of hands. There must be no showing:––Capitan Gonzalvo!”
“Yes, Excellency.”
Gonzalvo crossed quickly to him, while Yahn stood sulkily watching the three with lazy, half closed eyes.
“You forget none of the pagan Cacique’s words––or his defiance of Holy Church?”
“His defiance of Holy God!––Excellency,” answered Gonzalvo hotly,––“and that is not all––I have heard things––I am putting them together––You saw his eyes––scarcely Indian eyes! You heard his accursed logic of heresy––not all Indian––that! Indians may think like that in their accursed hearts, but they do not find the quick words to argue with their superiors as does this insolent dog! Listen, Don Ruy, for I have found the clue––and he belongs to me––that man!”
“To you––Capitan?”
“To me! You have listened to mad things of his birth and of his clan––the girl of the twilight and the seed bearer––well, what I tell you seems even more mad, but it will be true if ever we get to the end of it––that story of the thrice accursed Teo the Greek––you recall it?––he did without doubt cross this river and saw the Pueblos,––this sorcerer is of his spawn––he and his medicine mother come back in good time with their Star God story, and the seeds––the identical seeds of the padre’s story! See you not 193 what it all leads to? He has the blood of the Greek in him:––in any Christian land he has enough of it to be broken on the wheel for his damnable heresies!”
“But––since we are not in a Christian land, and doubtless shall never see him in a Christian land?”
“That narrows it down to man and man, Excellency! His father made a slave of mine––my earliest oath on the Cross and on the Faith, was vengeance against the Greek and all his blood! God of Heaven!––to think that of all the priests of Mexico you chose the one who knew that story!––and that of all the Indian tribes, we have come to the one where the half Greek sorcerer rules like a Turk! Don Ruy––you have led me north to vengeance––my sword and my arm are forever to your cause.”