son tired of them. My merchants had only eyes for the safety of their
persons and their bales, plunged the third day into mountainous wild
country echoing and ghastly with long-lasting war. Their servants and
muleteers walked and rode, lamented or were gay, raised faction,
swore, laughed, traveled grimly or in a dull melancholy or mirthfully;
quarreled and made peace, turn by turn, day by day, much alike. One who
was a bully fixed a quarrel upon me and another took my part. All leaped
to sides. I was forgotten in the midst of them; they could hardly have
told now what was the cause of battle. A young merchant rode back to
chide and settle matters. At last some one remembered that Diego had
struck Juan Lepe who had flung him off. Then Tomaso had sprung in and
struck Diego. Then Miguel--"Let Juan Lepe alone!" said my merchant.
"Fie! a poor Palos seafaring child, and you great Huelva men!" They
laughed at that, and the storm vanished as it had come.

I liked the young man.

How wild and without law, save "Hold if you can!" were these mountains!
"Hold if you can to life--hold if you can to knowledge--hold if you can
to joy!" Black cliff overhung black glen and we knew there were dens of
robbers. Far and near violence falls like black snow. This merchant
band gathered to sleep under oaks with a great rock at our back. We had
journeyers' supper and fire, for it was cold, cold in these heights. A
little wine was given and men fell to sleep by the heaped bales; horses,
asses and mules being fastened close under the crag. Three men watched,
to be relieved in middle night by other three who now slept. A muleteer
named Rodrigo and Juan Lepe and the young merchant took the first turn.
The first two sat on one side of the fire and the young merchant on the
other.

The muleteer remained sunken in a great cloak, his chin on his arms
folded upon his knees, and what he saw in the land within I cannot tell.
But the young merchant was of a quick disposition and presently must
talk. For some distance around us spread bare earth set only with shrubs
and stones. Also the rising moon gave light, and with that and our own
strength we did not truly look for any attack. We sat and talked at
ease, though with lowered voices, Rodrigo somewhere away and the rest of
the picture sleeping. The merchant asked what had been my last voyage.

I answered, after a moment, to England.

"You do not seem to me," he said, "a seaman. But I suppose there are