220 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



March 2. Early in the morning we were again 

 preparing to move, but, when on the eve of setting 

 out, we learned that Bernaldo wanted to vary the 

 monotony of travelling by getting married. He had 

 met at the well an Indian girl of thirteen, he him- 

 self being sixteen. While assisting her to draw wa- 

 ter, some tender passages had taken place between 

 them, and he had disclosed to Albino his passion and 

 his wishes ; but he was trammelled by that impedi- 

 ment which all over the world keeps asunder those 

 who are born for each other, viz., want of fortune. 

 The girl made no objections on this score, nor did 

 her father. On the contrary, the latter, being a pru- 

 dent man, who looked to the future well- establishing 

 of his daughter, considered Bernaldo, though not in 

 the actual possession of fortune, a young man of 

 good expectations, by reason of the wages that 

 would be due to him from us ; but the great dif- 

 ficulty was to get ready money to pay the padre. 

 Bernaldo was afraid to ask for it, and the matter 

 was not communicated to us until at the moment of 

 setting out. It was entirely against hacienda law to 

 marry off the estate ; Don Simon would not like it ; 

 and, in the hurry and confusion of setting out, we 

 had no time to deliberate ; we therefore sent him on 

 before us, and I am sorry to be obliged to say that 

 this violence to his affections never made it necessa- 

 ry to change the appellation which we had given 

 him very early after he came into our possession, 

 namely, the fat boy. 



