eir own strength."

"Elias, your words hurt me, and make me, too, have doubts. I have not
grown up with the people, and cannot know their needs. I only know
what books have taught me. If I take your words with caution, it is
because I fear you may be prejudiced by your personal wrongs. If
I could know something of your story, perhaps it would alter my
judgment. I am mistrustful of theories, am guided rather by facts."

Elias thought a moment, then he said:

"If this is so, senor, I will briefly tell you my history."

XLII.

THE FAMILY OF ELIAS.

"It is about sixty years since my grandfather was employed as
accountant by a Spanish merchant. Although still young, he was married,
and had a son. One night the warehouse took fire, and was burned
with the surrounding property. The loss was great, incendiarism was
suspected, and my grandfather was accused. He had no money to pay
for his defence, and he was convicted and condemned to be publicly
flogged in the streets of his pueblo. Attached to a horse, he was
beaten as he passed each street corner by men, his brothers. The
curates, you know, advocate nothing but blows for the discipline
of the Indian. When the unhappy man, marked forever with infamy,
was liberated, his poor young wife went about seeking work to keep
alive her disabled husband and their little child. Failing in this,
she was forced to see them suffer, or to live herself a life of shame."

Ibarra rose to his feet.

"Oh, don't be disturbed! There was no longer honor or dishonor for
her or hers. When the husband's wounds were healed, they went to hide
themselves in the mountains, where they lived for a time, shunned
and feared. But my grandfather, less courageous than his wife, could
not endure this existence and hung himself. When his body was found,
by chance, my grandmother was accused for not reporting his death, and
was in turn condemned to be flogged; but in consideration of her state
her punishment was deferred. She gave birth to another son, unhappily
sound and strong; two months later her sentence was carried out. Then
she took her two children and fled into a neighboring province.

"The elder of the sons remembered that he had once been happy. As soon
as he was old enough he became a tulisan to avenge his wrongs, and
the name of Balat spread terror in many provinces. The younger son,
endowed by nature with a gentle disposition, stayed with his mother,
both living on the fruits of the