were clustered, drawing water in
great earthen pots, and chattering together softly in half-drowsy talk.
At the pier, however, we found some people who really were wide-awake:
fishermen just returned with a boat-load of fish that they had caught in
the lake. And these, when I questioned them, in a moment resolved all of
our troubled doubts into a sad certainty. Only an hour before, as they
lay out on the lake, a canoe had passed them paddled by a single
Indian, and in the canoe they had plainly recognized Fray Antonio. It
was impossible that they should be mistaken, they declared, for the
habit which the monk wore made him very plainly recognizable; and they
had observed him with a particular care, for they had been greatly
surprised by perceiving that the canoe was heading directly for "the
great city"--by which name all save the priests were accustomed to speak
of Culhuacan.

Neither Rayburn nor I spoke, as we walked back together through the town
to the Citadel. Our hearts were altogether too full for words. Even I,
who had been in part prepared for Fray Antonio's departure by the tenor
of his speech with us the night before, had not anticipated his going
from us so suddenly to what surely must be his death; and to Rayburn his
departure came with the startling force of a heavy and unexpected blow.
Young was awake when we returned, and was in much anxiety concerning us;
for our custom at all times was to hold closely together, and he knew
that something out of the common must have happened to make us break
through this very necessary rule; and his fears were further aroused
when he perceived the sad gravity of our faces, and that Fray Antonio
was not in our company. Yet, though thus prepared to learn that evil of
some sort had overtaken us, he was not at all prepared to learn how
great that evil was. When, therefore, we told him of what we had
discovered, which gave absolute assurance that Fray Antonio had carried
out his purpose of surrendering himself into the Priest Captain's hands,
Young stared at us for a moment in a dazed sort of way, as though by no
means grasping the meaning which our words conveyed. And then the whole
meaning of them seemed to come to him suddenly, and he burst forth into
such a raving volley of curses that it seemed as though he were fairly
maddened by his ungoverned rage.

I envied Young, as I am sure Rayburn did also, the relief that must come
to him with this rough but frank and natural