"I know that, Hosay."
Of course, we were talking in Spanish, and in our language my name is spelled José, lest the English should guess the pronunciation.
"And you can say," I added lavishly, "that this gun," I was taking sights, "was stolen from you by Indians. Also the cow."
"But it's not true!"
"It is."
"Oh, but it's not fair!"
"Child," said I, "our ancestors were not caught by mere pony soldiers with such trifles as a gun and a cow."
"Pony-soldiers?"
"Yes."
"You don't mean the mounted police?"