her, and he can manage every kind of weapon as easily as we
manage our fingers. When there was market inspection here, they could
never get the best of him, and shots were to be heard every night at
the city gates. He has a following that is worth any money, for they are
ready for anything. He is good to the poor, and any stranger who should
come here and attempt to touch so much as a hair of the head of any
native of Orbajosa would have him to settle with. It is very seldom that
soldiers come here from Madrid, but whenever they do come, not a day
passes without blood being shed, for Caballuco would pick a quarrel with
them, if not for one thing for another. At present it seems that he
is fallen into poverty and he is employed to carry the mail. But he is
trying hard to persuade the Town Council to have a market-inspector's
office here again and to put him in charge of it. I don't know how it is
that you have never heard him mentioned in Madrid, for he is the son of
a famous Caballuco who was in the last rebellion, and who was himself
the son of another Caballuco, who was also in the rebellion of that
day. And as there is a rumor now that there is going to be another
insurrection--for the whole country is in a ferment--we are afraid that
Caballuco will join that also, following in the illustrious footsteps of
his father and his grandfather, who, to our glory be it said, were born
in our city."

Our traveller was surprised to see the species of knight-errantry that
still existed in the regions which he had come to visit, but he had no
opportunity to put further questions, for the man who was the object of
them now joined them, saying with an expression of ill-humor:

"The Civil Guard despatched three. I have already told the commander to
be careful what he is about. To-morrow we will speak to the governor of
the province, and I----"

"Are you going to X.?"

"No; but the governor is coming here, Senor Licurgo; do you know that
they are going to send us a couple of regiments to Orbajosa?"

"Yes," said the traveller quickly, with a smile. "I heard it said in
Madrid that there was some fear of a rising in this place. It is well to
be prepared for what may happen."

"They talk nothing but nonsense in Madrid," exclaimed the
Centaur violently, accompanying his affirmation with a string of
tongue-blistering vocables. "In Madrid there is nothing but rascality.
What do they send us soldiers for? To squeeze more contributions