trange proposition, so the three who had been pacing
about gathered around.

"But, Senor Simoun," asked the high official, "what good will you
get out of winning promises of virtues, or lives and deportations
and summary executions?"

"A great deal! I'm tired of hearing virtues talked about and would
like to have the whole of them, all there are in the world, tied up
in a sack, in order to throw them into the sea, even though I had to
use my diamonds for sinkers."

"What an idea!" exclaimed Padre Irene with another smile. "And the
deportations and executions, what of them?"

"Well, to clean the country and destroy every evil seed."

"Get out! You're still sore at the tulisanes. But you were lucky
that they didn't demand a larger ransom or keep all your jewels. Man,
don't be ungrateful!"

Simoun proceeded to relate how he had been intercepted by a band of
tulisanes, who, after entertaining him for a day, had let him go on
his way without exacting other ransom than his two fine revolvers and
the two boxes of cartridges he carried with him. He added that the
tulisanes had charged him with many kind regards for his Excellency,
the Captain-General.

As a result of this, and as Simoun reported that the tulisanes were
well provided with shotguns, rifles, and revolvers, and against such
persons one man alone, no matter how well armed, could not defend
himself, his Excellency, to prevent the tulisanes from getting
weapons in the future, was about to dictate a new decree forbidding
the introduction of sporting arms.

"On the contrary, on the contrary!" protested Simoun, "for me the
tulisanes are the most respectable men in the country, they're the
only ones who earn their living honestly. Suppose I had fallen into
the hands--well, of you yourselves, for example, would you have let
me escape without taking half of my jewels, at least?"

Don Custodio was on the point of protesting; that Simoun was really
a rude American mulatto taking advantage of his friendship with the
Captain-General to insult Padre Irene, although it may be true also
that Padre Irene would hardly have set him free for so little.

"The evil is not," went on Simoun, "in that there are tulisanes in
the mountains and uninhabited parts--the evil lies in the tulisanes
in the towns and cities."

"Like yourself," put in the Canon with a smile.

"Yes, like myself, like all of us! Let's be frank, for no Indian
is listening to us here," continued the jewel