lly on the part of your friend."

"I thank you, Senor Baraja, for you good opinion," returned Cuchillo, at
the same time taking from the cinders a piece of the meat, half burnt,
half raw, and munching it down with the most perfect indifference; "I
thank you sincerely, and when I tell you the circumstances you may judge
for yourself."

"I shall be glad to hear them," said the other, easing himself down into
a horizontal position; "after a good repast, there is nothing I so much
enjoy as a good story."

After saying this, and lighting his cigarette, Baraja turned upon the
broad of his back, and with his eyes fixed upon the blue sky, appeared
to enjoy a perfect beatitude.

"The story is neither long nor interesting," responded Cuchillo; "what
happened to me might happen to all the world. I was engaged with this
friend in a quiet game of cards, when he pretended that I had _tricked_
him. The affair came to words--"

Here the narrator paused for an instant, to take a drink from his
leathern bottle, and then continued--

"My friend had the indelicacy to permit himself to drop down dead in my
presence."

"What at your words?"

"No, with the stab of a knife which I gave him," coolly replied the
outlaw.

"Ah! no doubt your friend was in the wrong, and you received great
provocation?"

"The alcalde did not think so. He pestered me in the most absurd
manner. I could have forgiven the bitterness of his persecution of me,
had it not been that I was myself bitterly roused at the ill-behaviour
of my friend, whom up to that time I had highly esteemed."

"Ah! one has always to suffer from one's friends," rejoined Baraja,
sending up a puff of smoke from his corn-husk cigarette.

"Well--one thing," said Cuchillo, "the result of it all is that I have
made a vow never to play another card; for the cards, as you see, were
the original cause of this ugly affair."

"A good resolution," said Baraja, "and just such as I have come to
myself. I have promised never to touch another card; they have cost me
a fortune--in fact, altogether ruined me."

"Ruined you? you have been rich then?"

"Alas! I had a splendid estate--a _hacienda de ganados_ (cattle farm)
with a numerous flock upon it. I had a lawyer for my _intendant_, who
took care of the estate while I spent my time in town. But when I came
to settle accounts with this fellow I found I had let them run too long.
I discovered that half my estate belonged to him!"

"