At a respectful distance the secretary had seated himself, and rested with brow on fists.
“How now?”––asked Don Ruy. “You seem little heartened by all this brave talk of righteousness. Think you the monk’s life of cloister and garden looks fair after all?”
“In truth, Señor, if you have the desire to despatch a lackey to your lady love across the sands, you may choose me if you like!” agreed the lad. “I have neither heart nor stomach for this contest of souls or no souls––the pagan blood for my far away grandmother unfits me for judgement––this heretic of the white robe is fighting the same fight of my own people––but he fights it like one inspired by the 195 nahual of a god. Yet––there is only one finish to it! Bulls-hide shields and arrows stand not long before steel coats and leaden bullets––I would be elsewhere when the finish comes, Señor.”
“The nahual of a god!” repeated Don Ruy, “now what may that mean in Christian speech?”
“In Christian speech it does not exist––the church has spilled much blood that it be washed from the pagan mind,” said the lad. “But the nahual is the guardian angel or guardian devil born to earth with each man––it is like his shadow, yet unseen, it is part of the Great Mystery from the other side of the dawn and the other side of the dark. Once open worship was given to the Nahual, and their priests were strong. Now if the worshippers do meet, it is in secret. This man has truly drawn to himself a strong nahual and it should give him much of the magic which the good padre tells us is accursed.”
“For a boy you have a fund of strange lore!” commented Don Ruy,––“too much for good company in the night time,––small wonder that you range abroad and dream under the stars! The monks never taught you all of it. Come:––tell me truly of your escapade––what sent you to our ranks?”
The lad flushed, then shrugged his shoulders and regarded the toes of his sandals.
“Excellency––if you require that I tell you––I am most certain never to get the commission to carry message to lady of yours!” he said so whimsically that the excellency laughed and promised him constant employment on such embassies if fortune found him ladies.
“Then:––I must speak myself a failure! A damsel did trust me with some such message to her cavalier and seeing that the love was all on one side––and that side her own––I dared not go back and face her––not even her guerdon could I by any means steal from him; brief:––I saved my neck by following you and leaving the land!”