TLACOLULA. 



57 



ed of such a wild, unshaven, and uncouth being? As to 

 Juliano, with his smooth face, and smoother language ; 

 arrogance of superior breeding, and superior authority, 

 we had long known that his honesty was very suspicious, 

 that his valour w 7 as more than doubtful and that his gen- 

 eral morals were as worn and discoloured, as the faded, 

 green leather breeches in which he delighted to swagger 

 among the Indians. 



We found that like other fashionable servants he had 

 his private gleanings whenever employed by us. One 

 * thing I must say for him, that if he was lavish of our 

 credit and dollars, he was no less so of his own ; for 

 what with one thing or another, he had contrived to 

 draw from us, by the time we reached Tlacolula, nearly 

 the whole of his pay, for the entire tour and the return. 



Here, having more leisure to look about us, we were 

 not slow in discovering other dusky shades in his char- 

 acter. Having taken into his head that his valour was 

 hired as our body guard, and being moreover jealous of 

 the respect and confidence which we bestowed upon 

 Don Juan Espindola, he thought proper, all of a sudden, 

 to relinquish all care of our baggage. After leading for- 

 ward our horses of a morning, ready caparisoned for de- 

 parture, without further ado, he girded on his trusty — no, 

 rusty blade ; grasped his mighty carbine, clambered on 

 his own steed, and awaited the signal of marching. This 

 conduct was the more disagreeable, as our skill in the 

 Spanish tongue as yet hardly comprised terms of objur- 

 gation and menace ; and this the rogue knew. Never- 

 theless we gave him a regular " blowing up," which I 

 flatter myself was comprehensible enough, in spite of 

 bad grammar, Gallicisms, and Anglicisms ; though indeed 

 I must in fairness state, that, whether in anger or deep- 

 seated grief no one could say, he forthwith departed from 

 our presence, bought himself a bottle of agua ardiente, 

 and got tipsy. Miguel was too good a comrade not to 

 bear him company ; so that on the morning of our depar- 

 ture from Tlacolula, they were both found to be so 

 far gone, that it was with trouble they could sit in tho 

 saddle. 



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