To that cold, relentless insistence the Captain–General saw himself under the necessity of submitting. He swallowed his annoyance, steadied himself, and provided himself with a scapegoat who would not dare, on his life, to deny him.
'In brief, Eminence, these transactions were permitted without my knowledge by my Alcalde.' The audible gasp from Don Hieronimo, who stood behind him, did not deter his Excellency. He went steadily on. 'When I learned of them, I had no choice but to cancel them, since it is my duty to insist upon the law which forbids all foreigners to trade in His Catholic Majesty's dominions.'
'With that there could be no quarrel. But I understand that this English seaman had already paid for the merchandise.'
'He had traded slaves for them, Eminence.'
'No matter what he had traded. Were his slaves restored to him when the transaction was cancelled by you?'
'The laws which he defied when he traded them decreed their confiscation likewise.'
'Ordinarily that might be so. But this, if I am rightly informed, is no ordinary case. I am told that he was urged to trade his slaves by your Alcalde.'
'Just as I,' Blood interposed, 'was urged by him this morning to trade mine.' And the sweep of his hand indicated the Cardinal–Archbishop and his attendant monks.
'He does not learn by his errors, then, this Alcalde of yours. Perhaps you do not desire that he shall.'
Ostentatiously Don Ruiz turned his shoulder upon Blood, ignoring him. 'Your Eminence cannot account me bound by the illegality of a subordinate.' Then permitting himself a little smile, he added the sophism which he had already used with Captain Walker. 'If a man commit murder it cannot exculpate him to say that he had the sanction of another.'