ail the seas. It would be a fine thing if there were to be no soldiers,
because war consumes men and horses. Besides, a whipping by the hand of
justice is for us a badge of honour, which becomes us better worn on the
shoulders than on the breast. The main point is to avoid having to dance
upon nothing in our young days and for our first offences; but as for
having our shoulders dusted, or thrashing the water in a galley, we
don't mind that a nutshell. For the present, Andrew, my son, keep snug
in the nest under the shelter of our wings; in duo time, we will take
you out to fly, and that where you will not return without a prey; and
the short and the long of it is, that by and by you will lick your
fingers after every theft."

"Meanwhile," said Andrew, "as a compensation for what I might bring in
by thieving during the vacation allowed me, I will divide two hundred
gold crowns among all the members of the rancho."

The words were no sooner out of his mouth, than several gitanos caught
him up in their arms, hoisted him upon their shoulders, and bore him
along, shouting, "Long life to the great Andrew, and long life to
Preciosa his beloved!" The gitanas did the same with Preciosa, not
without exciting the envy of Christina, and the other gitanillas
present; for envy dwells alike in the tents of barbarians, the huts of
shepherds, and the palaces of princes; and to see another thrive who
seems no better than oneself is a great weariness to the spirit.

This done, they ate a hearty dinner, made an equitable division of the
gift money, repeated their praises of Andrew, and exalted Preciosa's
beauty to the skies. When night fell, they broke the mule's neck, and
buried it, so as to relieve Andrew of all fear of its leading to his
discovery; they likewise buried with it the trappings, saddle, bridle,
girths and all, after the manner of the Indians, whose chief ornaments
are laid in the grave with them.

Andrew was in no small astonishment at all he had seen and heard, and
resolved to pursue his enterprise without meddling at all with the
customs of his new companions, so far as that might be possible.
Especially he hoped to exempt himself, at the cost of his purse, from
participating with them in any acts of injustice. On the following day,
Andrew requested the gipsies to break up the camp, and remove to a
distance from Madrid; for he feared that he should be recognised if he
remained there. They told him they had already made