Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-12-04
INCA WITCHCRAFT.

matadore, and his early associations
were not Of kind to develop stable
and law abiding character. Bal drank
because he saw everybody else drink
and red wine brought into action III Bal
that courage which the matadore dis
played in the arena with sagacity and
prudence. Red wine does not mature
wisdom, theoretical or applied, and
without these, which are indeed sagac-
ity and prudence, courage becomes but
pugnacity that amuses or offends. Bal
soon became offensive, and in brawl
in an indecent quarter OF his native
town he had the misfortune to knife Il
young grandee of tastes and weaknesses
similar to his own, but Of influential
connections. The wounded youth recov-
cred, but political influence was suffi-
cient to cause his assailant's removal to
a penal settlement for 20 years.
Bal obtained no more red wine, but
the more he weighed the otfense Of the
knife attack, its provoeation, and its
punishment, the clearer it seemed that
he was suffering out of all proportion
to his transgression. The sense of foul
wrong, done because it could be done,
burned i'll upon him as it a brand iron
were held against him, ever glowing
and never lifted For months after he
discerned the immense range OF this i'll
Justice, he lived in a rage impedimental
to speech-he became inarticulate.
Slowly his good sense came to the
rescue, and he became calm that he
might live, grow strong of body and
powerful through accumulation and
meet Don Pico as master There were
men of different nationalities in the set
tlement, and Bal found that he absorbed
words as sponge absorbs water, and
he learned Portuguese, more than one
patois Of his own land, and the dialect
of Peruvian Indian sent from his own
province year before, whom he hao
saved from imminent atrocity at the
hands of vicious fellow convict.
This Indian had virtue little known
to civilization-he was capable OF graft
tude-and the two formed a mutual at
tachment that the friendships of civili-
zation may scarcely parallel and which
was equaled but by their common hatred
of all rulers, their own in particular.
This Indian Bal knew to be snake
charmer Of extraordinary accomplish
ments. His gift was not transferable to
the younger man, nor did the latter soon
discover it's singularity, but in time he
found that Juan's power over certain
reptiles might be expressed as hypnotic.
He seemed to impress his own master
fulness upon the serpents and to exert
his power upon them at distance Or to
send them to perform some definite mis-
sion at distance and return within a
given time, after the habit of human
subjects.
Once Bal saw Juan with his pets at
recreation. No word was spoken, but
Juan looked meaningly at Bal and then
at the top of the wall. Bal looked and
saw lizard there with its head a-tilt
and the sun shining pink through his
palpitant throat. Then something slip
ned away from Juan, who watched the
top Of the wall as did Bal, By and by
bit Of the wall moved-it seemed a
bit of the wall--it moved and coiled
and leaped, and the little foray was
over Then the devourer slipped back,
and Juan snapped his fingers and whis-
pered to it,
"Was the lizard hypnotized, too?"
Ra1 Chico asked himself.
| This branch of his accomplishment
Juan never showed the prison officials
when they sent for him to exhibit fol
| their amusement
| The weary years rolled by "We will
| live; we must live. We will get even
you and me-" Juan whispered to him.
| self over and over, and he whispered il
| to Bal when he could, with the same
imperious suggestiyeness that he whis
| pered something to his snakes.
At last Juan 20 weary years were
done, but the man witch had got
much power. Some he amused wher
tired Of the commonplace, but the many
feared him, and when he chose to wan
4 der around the settlement clad in
breeches, poncho, and viper aftel
he was free to 60 far away none OBJ
| jected, and few wondered at the whims
Of SO fantastic being.
4 When Bal, young man white haired
j now, went out, old Juan awaited hin
at the prison gates, carrying clos'
woven wicker crate, or basket, but nei
, ther extra clothing nor the usual snake
were visible, and from that day neither
! appeared in all that country.
1 Among the stupendous mountains 9
Peru gold may be had for the seeking
but death is for the white man VIII
seeks it. When old Juan went back t
his mountains and some old acquaint
anoes, with another swarthy man VIII
!, spoke only as he did and was his friend
their right Of occupancy Of hut AM
: lands was unquestioned, as were thei
bartering expeditions to the nearest sea
port. But Juan and Bal Chico did no
always exchange their nuggets for com
!. modities; oftener, with wisdom learn
!, ed abroad, did they demand coin. Jual
had come home with his old name Q
Casma, and Bal Chico had assumed
!. new name for his new habitation, an
: the singular fact became known at tn
: town bank that Caslna and Chira wer
thrifty Indian depositors and checks
!. against their account. Casma explaine
that abroad he had been called Jua