s he looked young; at others his features contracted with an
appearance of old age. Those of his race seem to be ageless. He recalled
his far-off land of the sun, with the melancholy voice of an exile; his
great sacred river, the flower-crowned Hindu virgins, slender and
gracefully curved, showing from between the thick jewelled jacket and
their linen folds a bronze stomach as beautiful as that of a marble
figure. Ah!... When he would accumulate the price of his return thither,
he would certainly join his lot to that of a maiden with large eyes and
a breath of roses, scarcely out of childhood. Meanwhile he lived like an
ascetic fakir amongst the Westerners, unclean folks with whom he was
willing to transact business but with whom he avoided all unnecessary
contact. Ah, to return yonder! Not to die far from the sacred river!...
And as he expressed his intimate wishes to the inquisitive Spaniard who
questioned him concerning the distant lands of light and mystery, the
Hindu coughed painfully, his face becoming darker than ever, as if the
blood that was circulating beneath the bronze of his skin had turned
green.

At times Aguirre, as if waking from a dream, would ask himself what he
was doing there in Gibraltar. Since he had arrived with the intention of
sailing at once, three large vessels had passed the strait bound for the
Oceanic lands. And he had allowed them to sail on, pretending not to
know of their presence, never being able to learn the exact conditions
of his voyage, writing to Madrid, to his influential uncle, letters in
which he spoke of vague ailments that for the moment delayed his
departure. Why?... Why?...

Upon arising, the day following his arrival at Gibraltar, Aguirre looked
through the window curtains of his room with all the curiosity of a
newcomer. The heavens were clouded; it was an October sky; but it was
warm,--a muggy, humid warmth that betrayed the proximity of the African
coast.

Upon the flat roof of a neighboring house he noticed a strange
construction,--a large arbor made of woven reeds and thatched with green
branches. Within this fragile abode, he was able to make out through its
bright curtains a long table, chairs, and an old-fashioned lamp hanging
from the top... What a queer whim of these people who, having a house,
chose to live upon the roof!

A hotel attendant, while he put Aguirre's room in order, answered all
his inquiries. The Jews of Gibraltar were celebrating a holiday, t