“When you want the cane to stop, all you need to say is—
“ ‘Stop, stop,
For that is enough!’ ”
The boy then said, “Is that all?”
“After you have recovered your money,” said the old woman, “you must turn back here; but you had better hurry up now.”
Cecilio then bade the old woman good-by, and at once ran away to overtake the man who had robbed him. When he saw the man, he said, “Give me back my money, or else you now shall die, and not I!”
The man laughed at him, and said, “Of course I shall not give you back your money.”
When he heard these words, the boy said, “Is that so?” and, letting go of his cane, he uttered the formula that the old woman had told him to pronounce. The cane at once began to rain blows on the stranger’s head and body. When he could no longer endure the blows, and saw that he could not catch the stick, the man said, “If you will call off your cane, I will return your purse.”
“Very well, I will pardon you,” said Cecilio; “but if you had treated me as you should have treated me and others, you would not have been harmed.” Then he said to the cane,—