ANECDOTE OF A SERTANEJO. 



233 



vouduct. On the day of his departure, he rode 

 to the house of the man whom he had deter- 

 mined to destroy, and dismounted, whilst one 

 of his two companions held his horse ; he saw 

 the owner of the house, and as he gave him 

 the usual parting embrace, ran his long knife 

 into his side ; he then quickly leapt on to his 

 horse, and the three persons rode off. None 

 dared to molest them, for they were well armed, 

 and although this occurred in a large town, 

 they soon joined a considerable number of their 

 countrymen who waited for them in the out- 

 skirts, and proceeded to their own country, 

 without any attempt being made to apprehend 

 them. These circumstances took place several 

 years ago ; but the relatives of the man who 

 was killed still bear in mind his death, and a 

 determination of revenging it upon him who 

 committed it, if he was again to place himself 

 within their reach. Many persons can vouch 

 for the truth of the story. 



The colour of the Sertanejos varies from 

 white, of which there are necessarily few, to a 

 dark brown ; the shades of which are almost as 

 various as there are persons : two of exactly the 

 same tint are scarcely to be met with. Children 

 of the same parents rarely if ever are of the 

 same shade ; some difference is almost always 

 perceivable, and this is, in many instances, so 

 glaring, as to lead at first to doubts of the au- 



