The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-24
CHAPTER VII.


back on deck when Tomas Cas-
tro had started out of his doze.
wanted to see. We went round vio-
lently~ as I emerged, and, clinging to
the side, I saw, in a whirl, tall baked
brown hills, dropping sheer down to
strip of fiat land and belt of dark
green scrub at the waters edge; little
pink squares of house walls dropped
here and there, mounting the hillside
among the palms, like men standing
In tall grass, running back, hiding in
steep valley; silver gray huts with
ragged dun roofs, like disheVeled
shocks Of hair; a great pink church
race, very tall and narrow, pyramidal
towards the top, and pierced for seven
bells, but having only three. 1t look
ed as if it had been hidden for CEN
turtles in the folds of an ancient land,
as it lay there asleep in the blighting
sunlight.
When we anchored, Tomas, beside
me in saturnine silence, grunted and
spat in the water.
Look here" I said. What Is the
meaning of it all? What is it? What
is at the bottom? %
He shrugged his shoulders, gloomily.
IF your worship does not know, who
should?" he said. 1T is not for me to
say why people should wish to come
here"
Then take me to Carlos" said.
al must get this settled
Castro looked at me suspiciously.
You will not excite him?" he said. IT
have known people die right out when
they were like that"
"Oh, I won't excite him." 1 said.
AS we were rowed ashore he began
to point out the houses of the notabIes.
Rio Medic had been one Of the princi-
pal ports of the Antilles in the seven
teenth century, but 1t had failed be-
fore the rivalry Of Havana because
its harbor would not take the large
vessels of modern draft. Now it had
no trade, no life, no anything except
bishop and great monastery, a few
retired officials from Havana. A large
settlement of ragged, matched huts
and clay novels lay to the west of the
cathedral. The Casa Riego was an
enormous palace, with windows like
loopholes, facing the shore. Don Bal
thasar practically owned the whole
town and all the surrounding country,
and, except for his age and feebIeness,
might have been an absolute monarch.
He had lived in Havana with great
splendor, but now, in his failing years,
had retired to his palace, from which
he had since only twice set foot. This
had only been when official ceremo-
MES of extreme Importance. such as
the international execution of pirates
that / had witnessed, demanded the
presence Of someone Of his eminence
nfhnrvry{<.1
shut up in his palace. There was no
where in Rio Medic for him to go to.
He was said to regard his intende
OBrfen as the apple of his eye, and
had used his influence to get him
made one Of the judges of the Marine
Court. The old Don himself probably
knew nothing about the pirates. The
inlet had been used by buccaneers
ever since the days of Columbus, but
they were below his serious considera-
ton, even If he had ever seen them,
which Tomas Castro doubted.
There was no doubling the sincerity
Of his tone.
"oh, you thought I was a piratel"
he muttered. For day-yes-to
Oblige a Riego, my friend-yes!
Moreover, I hate that soft-spoken Juez,
tntendente, intriguer-that O'Brien.
am the trusted, humble friend Of the
Riegos. But, perhaps, you think Don
Balthasar is himself pirateI He who
has in his veins the blood Of the Cid
CampeadOr; whose ancestors have
owned half this island since the days
Of Christopher himself
Has he nothing whatever to do
with it?" I asked. after all, 1t goes
on in his own town"
"Oh, you English" he muttered you
are all mad! Would one Of your grea-
Ecbles be a pirate? Perhaps they would
- oIo ~ L., ! i.
broke off, when I think that my
Carlos shall leave his bones in this
ungodly place. ="
I gave up questioning Tomas Castro:
he was too much for me.
We entered the grim palace by the
shore through an imposing archway,
and mounted a broad staircase. In a
lofty room. giving off the upper gal
lery round the central court of the Casa
Riego, Carlos lay in a great bed.
stood before him, having pushed aside
Tomas Castro, who had been cautious
~ scratching the great brilliant ma
hogany panels with a dirty finger
nail.
Domination, CarIos!" 1 said. "This is
the third of your treacheries. What do
you want with me?"
You might well have imagined he
was descendant of the Cid Campea-
dor, only to look at him lying there
without culver of a feature, his face
stainlessly white, a little blush in ex-
IRENE lack of blood, with all the no.
biltty of death upon it, like an alabas-
ter ef1gy Of an old knight in a cathe-
draL On the red-velvet hangings Of
the bed was an immense coat-of-arms,
worked in silk and surrounded by a
collar, with the golden sheep hanging
from the ring. The shield was patched
in with an immense number Of quarter
ings-liOns rampant, leopards courant,
feurs de lis, castles, eagles, hands and
arms. His eyes opened slowly, and his
face assumed an easy, languorous smile
Of immense pleasure.
"Ah, JUAN he said, "se bienvienido.
be welcome, be welcome"
His air was so gay, so uncomplain-
ing, that 1t was hard to believe 1t came
from him.
you could not have acted worse if
you owed me a grudge, Carlos" said.
81 want an explanation But I don't
want to kill you. - ="
"Oh, no; oh, no." he said; "in a min
ute 1 will tell"
He dropped a gold. ball into q silver
basin that was by the bedside, and It
sounded like a great bell. nun In
q sort of Golf that took the lines of q
buffalo's horns glided to him with
gold cup, from which he drank, rails
ing himself little. Then she went out
with Tomas Castro, who gave me last
1erocious glover from his yellow eyes.
Carlos smiled.
fdTheV fry fo mako my oroiv1, ooc,v -