The Corporal's Tale 



animals for nothing but a mere carajo of an old song. If it 

 was his case, he would do as an officer in his regiment had 

 done at Valencia. 



"This officer had a splendid horse, and when his regiment 

 was suddenly ordered away to Tarifa, carajo ! nobody would 

 make him a bid for the horse, though he was worth at 

 least three hundred dollars, carajo ! thinking, no doubt, 

 that by hanging back they would get him for almost a 

 carajo. 



" But when he was going to embark, he had the horse led 

 down to the shore, and some thought he would take the 

 horse aboard with him ; but that was impossible, for it was 

 a foot regiment, and he had no permission. So when he had 

 to go aboard himself, in the presence of those scoundrelly 

 dealers who had come to beat him down to the lowest he 

 would take, he said, < Carajo! you shall not cheat me, carajo! 

 You would not give me a fair price, and, carajo ! you shall 

 have him for nothing — but, at the same time, I will make it 

 a fair price, for he shall not be worth a carajo.' Whereupon 

 he unclasped his navaja and cut the horse's throat, and 

 gashed the hide all over, so that the skin should be worth 

 nothing either, carajo ! and I saw it done, carajo ! and, 

 carajo ! I would advise you to do the same, carajo ! ! ! " 



Soon after returning to our hotel, the customer appeared. 

 He is the administrador of the government lottery-office 

 here, and has a bad, hellite, hang-dog cast of countenance. 



He beat us down from thirty dollars, at which we had 

 resolutely stood for some time, to twenty-five ; and finally 

 we closed the bargain at twenty-three — about five guineas. 

 The ponies originally cost us sixteen. So that we have 

 practically paid about five guineas and a half each for a 

 thousand miles of locomotion, which is not very dear. 



Being now restored to a state of solvency, we have taken 



