shindig. They make the dance, the howl, the
snap of the finger, the oath, the 'Helen blazes,' the 'Wot the devil,'
the 'That be d--d,' the bad language; they themselves finger the
revolver, advance the bowie-knife, throw off the coat, square off, and
say 'Come on.' I remain as you see me now, little brother--tranquil."
He lighted another cigarette, made his position more comfortable in the
hammock, and resumed: "The Professor Dobbs, who is the geologian of the
company, made a report for which he got two thousand dollar. But thees
report--look you, friend Pancho--he is not good for the mine. For in the
hole in the ground the Professor Dobbs have found a 'hoss.'"

"A what?" I asked.

"A hoss," repeated Enriquez, with infinite gravity. "But not, leetle
Pancho, the hoss that run, the hoss that buck-jump, but what the miner
call a 'hoss,' a something that rear up in the vein and stop him. You
pick around the hoss; you pick under him; sometimes you find the vein,
sometimes you do not. The hoss rear up, and remain! Eet ees not good for
the mine. The board say, 'D--- the hoss!' 'Get rid of the hoss.' 'Chuck
out the hoss.' Then they talk together, and one say to the Professor
Dobbs: 'Eef you cannot thees hoss remove from the mine, you can take
him out of the report.' He look to me, thees professor. I see nothing; I
remain tranquil. Then the board say: 'Thees report with the hoss in
him is worth two thousand dollar, but WITHOUT the hoss he is worth five
thousand dollar. For the stockholder is frighted of the rearing hoss. It
is of a necessity that the stockholder should remain tranquil. Without
the hoss the report is good; the stock shall errise; the director
shall sell out, and leave the stockholder the hoss to play with.' The
professor he say, 'Al-right;' he scratch out the hoss, sign his name,
and get a check for three thousand dollar."

"Then I errise--so!" He got up from the hammock, suiting the action
to the word, and during the rest of his narrative, I honestly believe,
assumed the same attitude and deliberate intonation he had exhibited at
the board. I could even fancy I saw the reckless, cynical faces of
his brother directors turned upon his grim, impassive features. "I am
tranquil. I smoke my cigarette. I say that for three hundred year my
family have held the land of thees mine; that it pass from father to
son, and from son to son; it pass by gift, it pass by grant, but that
NEVARRE THERE PASS A LIE WITH IT! I say it