The Valiant Runaways [32]
his
bare shanks no more sacred than an Indian's. He did not look like a
priest at all, and I forgot to kneel to him, but stared with my mouth
open. And what do you think he did, my friends? He turned white like the
hand of a dona in her teens and--and--dropped his cassock. And--"
"Well? well?"
"What do you think rolled to the ground, my friends? Chunks of yellow
stuff that glittered, and a shower of sparkling yellow sand--beautiful
as sunshine on the floor. I gave a cry and ran to pick it up. I had
never seen anything so beautiful, I never had wanted anything so much. I
felt that I would die for it in that moment, my friends. But that
priest, what do you think he did? He gave a yell of rage, as if he could
tear me in pieces, and flung himself all over that sunshine of earth.
'My gold!' he cried. 'Mine! mine! You shall not take it from me.' 'If it
is yours it is not mine, my father,' I said, feeling ashamed,--though I
still wanted it; 'I will help you to pick it up.' He got up then, his
face very red again, and I could see that he was trying to put on his
dignity as fast as he had put down his cassock--he looked better with
both in place. 'My son,' he said,'the day is warm and I am very tired,
and, I fear, a little ill. These rocks are nothing. They please my eye,
and I pick them up sometimes as I walk among the hills. Leave them
there. I do not want them. We will return to the Mission.' 'If you do
not want them, then may I have them?' I asked--the blood flew all over
my body, my friends. He scowled as if I had asked him for the candles on
the altar. 'No,' he said, 'you cannot.' Then he put his big hand on my
shoulder--he could twist your neck in a minute with those hands--
'Listen to me, my son,' he said, very soft, and looking so kind now, you
can't think. 'There is poison in those stones, pretty as they are,
deadly poison. It has murdered millions of souls and hundreds of bodies.
Therefore I will not let you touch it--only a priest can touch it
without ruining his soul. Therefore I forbid you---forbid you--' he
shouted this over me, 'to tell any one of what you have seen to-day.
Neither your father nor your mother--no one. Do you understand?' I said
'Yes,' but I did not promise, and he was excited and did not notice.
Then he dragged me away, and I looked about for other rocks that
glittered. But there were none--not anywhere. And then I knew that they
had come out of the hill; but I said nothing, and when we got back to
the Mission and had had dinner and he was himself again and would have
spoken alone with me, I ran and got on my horse, and all the brothers
stood on the corridor to see me go. He came up to me and blessed me, and
whispered: 'Tell no one, my son. If you do'--and he gave me a look that
made my hair crackle at the roots. And to this day I have told no one.
Did I tell my parents the priest would know in six hours. No boy has
stayed here that I like. But now--"
"We will go to the hill and see for ourselves," said Roldan, promptly,
and Adan gasped with horror and delight.
"Ay, I knew you would. I am brave, but I dared not go myself--that padre
is too big. I wake up in the night and see his hands pawing in the air.
But three of us--we need fear no one."
"We will go as soon as the guests are gone. I have heard of this 'gold.'
ln Europe--I have an uncle who has travelled and has told me many
things--bueno, in Europe, they make it into money and give it for
things in big houses they call shops. Even here, in Monterey, and
perhaps the other towns, they have a little--it comes from Mexico. My
uncle said that one reason we were so happy was because we had so little
money--none at all, we might say. That we got what we wanted out of the
earth, or by trading with one another or with the skippers from Boston,
who are glad to give us what we need from other lands in return for our
hides and tallow. So, if we find this 'gold' perhaps we had better say
nothing about it; but to find it--that will be a great, a grand
adventure."
"We'll tell if we find
bare shanks no more sacred than an Indian's. He did not look like a
priest at all, and I forgot to kneel to him, but stared with my mouth
open. And what do you think he did, my friends? He turned white like the
hand of a dona in her teens and--and--dropped his cassock. And--"
"Well? well?"
"What do you think rolled to the ground, my friends? Chunks of yellow
stuff that glittered, and a shower of sparkling yellow sand--beautiful
as sunshine on the floor. I gave a cry and ran to pick it up. I had
never seen anything so beautiful, I never had wanted anything so much. I
felt that I would die for it in that moment, my friends. But that
priest, what do you think he did? He gave a yell of rage, as if he could
tear me in pieces, and flung himself all over that sunshine of earth.
'My gold!' he cried. 'Mine! mine! You shall not take it from me.' 'If it
is yours it is not mine, my father,' I said, feeling ashamed,--though I
still wanted it; 'I will help you to pick it up.' He got up then, his
face very red again, and I could see that he was trying to put on his
dignity as fast as he had put down his cassock--he looked better with
both in place. 'My son,' he said,'the day is warm and I am very tired,
and, I fear, a little ill. These rocks are nothing. They please my eye,
and I pick them up sometimes as I walk among the hills. Leave them
there. I do not want them. We will return to the Mission.' 'If you do
not want them, then may I have them?' I asked--the blood flew all over
my body, my friends. He scowled as if I had asked him for the candles on
the altar. 'No,' he said, 'you cannot.' Then he put his big hand on my
shoulder--he could twist your neck in a minute with those hands--
'Listen to me, my son,' he said, very soft, and looking so kind now, you
can't think. 'There is poison in those stones, pretty as they are,
deadly poison. It has murdered millions of souls and hundreds of bodies.
Therefore I will not let you touch it--only a priest can touch it
without ruining his soul. Therefore I forbid you---forbid you--' he
shouted this over me, 'to tell any one of what you have seen to-day.
Neither your father nor your mother--no one. Do you understand?' I said
'Yes,' but I did not promise, and he was excited and did not notice.
Then he dragged me away, and I looked about for other rocks that
glittered. But there were none--not anywhere. And then I knew that they
had come out of the hill; but I said nothing, and when we got back to
the Mission and had had dinner and he was himself again and would have
spoken alone with me, I ran and got on my horse, and all the brothers
stood on the corridor to see me go. He came up to me and blessed me, and
whispered: 'Tell no one, my son. If you do'--and he gave me a look that
made my hair crackle at the roots. And to this day I have told no one.
Did I tell my parents the priest would know in six hours. No boy has
stayed here that I like. But now--"
"We will go to the hill and see for ourselves," said Roldan, promptly,
and Adan gasped with horror and delight.
"Ay, I knew you would. I am brave, but I dared not go myself--that padre
is too big. I wake up in the night and see his hands pawing in the air.
But three of us--we need fear no one."
"We will go as soon as the guests are gone. I have heard of this 'gold.'
ln Europe--I have an uncle who has travelled and has told me many
things--bueno, in Europe, they make it into money and give it for
things in big houses they call shops. Even here, in Monterey, and
perhaps the other towns, they have a little--it comes from Mexico. My
uncle said that one reason we were so happy was because we had so little
money--none at all, we might say. That we got what we wanted out of the
earth, or by trading with one another or with the skippers from Boston,
who are glad to give us what we need from other lands in return for our
hides and tallow. So, if we find this 'gold' perhaps we had better say
nothing about it; but to find it--that will be a great, a grand
adventure."
"We'll tell if we find