to prepare your soul," suggested Don Ruy. "Then--if the gold is
found, and all goes well, you two can have open fight before we take
the road to the south. But until that lucky hour, the first and the
last word for you is--silence!"

Gonzalvo stood, staring in baffled rage. It was to the padre he should
have gone first. He had played the wrong card in the game. Was Don Ruy
bewitched as well as his horse?

"At least I shall have a double debt to pay when my time does come,
Excellency"--he said at last. "His pagan discourse warrants him a
Christian knife, and will insure him a corner of hell when I send him
there!"

At a respectful distance the secretary had seated himself, and rested
with brow on fists.

"How now?"--asked Don Ruy. "You seem little heartened by all this
brave talk of righteousness. Think you the monk's life of cloister and
garden looks fair after all?"

"In truth, Senor, if you have the desire to despatch a lackey to your
lady love across the sands, you may choose me if you like!" agreed the
lad. "I have neither heart nor stomach for this contest of souls or no
souls--the pagan blood for my far away grandmother unfits me for
judgement--this heretic of the white robe is fighting the same fight
of my own people--but he fights it like one inspired by the nahual of
a god. Yet--there is only one finish to it! Bulls-hide shields and
arrows stand not long before steel coats and leaden bullets--I would
be elsewhere when the finish comes, Senor."

"The nahual of a god!" repeated Don Ruy, "now what may that mean in
Christian speech?"

"In Christian speech it does not exist--the church has spilled much
blood that it be washed from the pagan mind," said the lad. "But the
nahual is the guardian angel or guardian devil born to earth with each
man--it is like his shadow, yet unseen, it is part of the Great
Mystery from the other side of the dawn and the other side of the
dark. Once open worship was given to the Nahual, and their priests
were strong. Now if the worshippers do meet, it is in secret. This man
has truly drawn to himself a strong nahual and it should give him much
of the magic which the good padre tells us is accursed."

"For a boy you have a fund of strange lore!" commented Don Ruy,--"too
much for good company in the night time,--small wonder that you range
abroad and dream under the stars! The monks never taught you all of
it. Come:--tell me truly of your escapade--what sent you to our
ranks?"