62 THE WOODLANDS ORCHIDS 



walked as humbly as could be till he set eyes on the Captain. 

 Then his courage returned. They were old acquaintances, 

 evidently, and the Padre claimed satisfaction. He did not 

 get it ; but the Captain set him free, with apologies. The 

 boy proved to be his servant, and he also was released. 

 Roezl asserted a claim to equal consideration as defender 

 of that youth, and at length it was ungraciously allowed. 

 Remembering, however, that his precious orchids would soon 

 arrive and fall into the brigands' hands, to be smashed in 

 spite probably, he ransomed them by a bill drawn on himself 

 at the capital. Then he rode on to overtake the priest, who 

 was Cura of the village which he sought. 



Not prepossessing at all was that ecclesiastic. None of 

 the bandits had a more stupid expression or one less amiable. 

 But Roezl found presently that he had some reason for ill- 

 humour. Six cocks had he taken to a grand match at 

 Tetonicapan the day before — three his own, three belonging 

 to parishioners ; and every one was killed ! The boy had 

 been sent in advance to break the news. 



Cock-fighting is the single amusement of that population, 

 besides drink, of course, and the single interest of its 

 ministers — most of them, at least. This padre could talk of 

 nothing else. It was not a subject that amused Roezl, but 

 he knew something of that as of all else that pertains to life 

 in those countries. The dullest of mortals could not help 

 gathering information about cocks and their ways in a life- 

 time of travel up and down Spanish America ; the most 

 observant, such as this, must needs collect a vast deal of 

 experience. But Roezl was not interested in his companion. 



Not, that is, until he reached the village. The Cura had 

 invited him to his house — so to call an adobe building of two 

 rooms, without upper floor. It stood beside the church, 

 hardly less primitive. Roezl glanced at the roof of this 

 structure in passing. It has been mentioned that the Indians 



