“I should think that she would soon be convinced of that,” I observed, looking up at Juan, of whom I thought a great deal; he was a man, I fancied, to whom any girl would willingly give her heart.
“I have determined to visit her to-day, after paying my respects to Don Ricardo and Dona Maria, and to learn my fate. Will you accompany me, Duncan? I dare say that, if I give you a sign, you will find an excuse for leaving us together while I plead my cause.”
I, of course, said that I was perfectly ready to do as Juan wished, although I did not think my presence would be necessary.
We had got more than half-way to Egido, when we overtook a large party of Indians returning from Popayan to their own village. At their head marched one of their number playing the tabor and pipes, to which they kept admirable time. The men were a remarkably fine-looking set of fellows; and the women were handsome, with good figures. The former, who carried long lances, wore kilts, and on their heads blue cloth caps trimmed with scarlet, ornamented with gold lace somewhat the worse for wear. Their bearing, also, was bold and independent. They saluted Don Juan in a familiar way, and he laughed and joked with them as we passed by.
“These men would make good soldiers, if they could be got to join the Liberal cause,” observed Mr Laffan.
“But you’ll not get them while they live under the influence of their priests,” answered Juan. “The friars try to persuade the people that the Liberals are in league with Satan, and that if they join them they will do so at the peril of their souls. They eyed you three very suspiciously,” he continued; “for the friars tell them that all Englishmen have tails, like monkeys, and horns on their heads, and that they are addicted to eating babies when they can get a supply.”
“You should try and disabuse them of such notions, Don Juan,” said Mr Laffan.
“I!—it is no business of mine. I let the people think as they like—it does no harm.”
“It always does harm to allow people to believe a falsehood, and we should oppose it with truth,” observed Mr Laffan.
Don Juan laughed, and commenced trolling forth a jovial song as we rode along, as if he did not like to be lectured by our tutor.