st in the cause of
Philip. There have been several skirmishes already between bands of our
Miquelets and those of Castile, and the whole country along the border
is greatly disturbed."

"It is a pity that Spaniards cannot agree among themselves as to who
shall be king."

"Ah, my son, but it will be very long yet before. Spaniards agree upon
any point. It is a mistake to think of us as one nation. We are half
a dozen nations under one king. If you are asked your nationality,
you reply an Englishman. If you ask a Spaniard, he will reply, I am
a Castilian or a Catalan, an Arragonese or Biscayan--never I am a
Spaniard. We hate each other as you Scotchmen and Englishmen hated each
other a hundred years back, and even now regard yourselves as different
peoples. What connection is there between the hardy mountaineer of the
northern provinces and the easygoing peasant of Valencia or Andalusia?
Nothing. Consequently, if one part of Spain declares for one man as a
king, you may be sure that the other will declare against him.

"As long as we had great men, Spaniards, for our kings--and the descent
went in the regular way from father to son--things went smoothly,
because no pretender could have a shadow of claim. As between two
foreign princes, each man has a right to choose for himself. Were there
any Spaniard with a shadow of claim, all parties would rally round him;
but, unfortunately, this is not so; and I foresee an epoch of war and
trouble before the matter is settled. For myself, I tell you I would not
give that flask of wine were I able to put the crown upon the head of
one or other of these foreigners. Let whoever gets the crown govern well
and strongly, tax my villagers lightly, and interfere in no way with our
privileges, and I shall be well content, and such you will find is the
opinion of most men in Spain. And now, tell me if there is aught that I
can do for you. You say you must be on your way by daybreak. Tell me
in which direction you journey, and it will be hard if I cannot find
a friend there with whom my introduction will insure you a hearty
welcome."

"If you can tell me where are the largest gatherings of Miquelets, I
can tell you which way I shall ride," Jack replied. "My mission is to
ascertain what aid the king can rely upon in this province."

"Three days ago there were many thousands of men under arms," the priest
replied; "by tonight there will be less than as many hundreds. The day
Tesse crossed