FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   777   778   779   780   781   782   783   784   785   786   787   788   789   790   791   792   793   794   795   796   797   798   799   800   801  
802   803   804   805   806   807   808   809   810   811   812   813   814   815   816   817   818   819   820   821   822   823   824   825   826   >>   >|  
antillana,' and if they drive me to it they'll see something that will astonish them. Nay! make yourself honey and the flies eat you." "Of a truth, senor governor," said the carver, "your worship is in the right of it in everything you have said; and I promise you in the name of all the inhabitants of this island that they will serve your worship with all zeal, affection, and good-will, for the mild kind of government you have given a sample of to begin with, leaves them no ground for doing or thinking anything to your worship's disadvantage." "That I believe," said Sancho; "and they would be great fools if they did or thought otherwise; once more I say, see to my feeding and my Dapple's for that is the great point and what is most to the purpose; and when the hour comes let us go the rounds, for it is my intention to purge this island of all manner of uncleanness and of all idle good-for-nothing vagabonds; for I would have you know that lazy idlers are the same thing in a State as the drones in a hive, that eat up the honey the industrious bees make. I mean to protect the husbandman, to preserve to the gentleman his privileges, to reward the virtuous, and above all to respect religion and honour its ministers. What say you to that, my friends? Is there anything in what I say, or am I talking to no purpose?" "There is so much in what your worship says, senor governor," said the majordomo, "that I am filled with wonder when I see a man like your worship, entirely without learning (for I believe you have none at all), say such things, and so full of sound maxims and sage remarks, very different from what was expected of your worship's intelligence by those who sent us or by us who came here. Every day we see something new in this world; jokes become realities, and the jokers find the tables turned upon them." Night came, and with the permission of Doctor Pedro Recio, the governor had supper. They then got ready to go the rounds, and he started with the majordomo, the secretary, the head-carver, the chronicler charged with recording his deeds, and alguacils and notaries enough to form a fair-sized squadron. In the midst marched Sancho with his staff, as fine a sight as one could wish to see, and but a few streets of the town had been traversed when they heard a noise as of a clashing of swords. They hastened to the spot, and found that the combatants were but two, who seeing the authorities approaching stood still,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   777   778   779   780   781   782   783   784   785   786   787   788   789   790   791   792   793   794   795   796   797   798   799   800   801  
802   803   804   805   806   807   808   809   810   811   812   813   814   815   816   817   818   819   820   821   822   823   824   825   826   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

worship

 

governor

 
majordomo
 

Sancho

 

carver

 

purpose

 

rounds

 
island
 

jokers

 

realities


turned

 

permission

 

supper

 

tables

 
Doctor
 

remarks

 

things

 

maxims

 

expected

 

intelligence


squadron

 

traversed

 
clashing
 
streets
 
swords
 

hastened

 
authorities
 

approaching

 
combatants
 
chronicler

charged
 

recording

 
secretary
 
started
 

alguacils

 

notaries

 
marched
 
learning
 

preserve

 
disadvantage

thinking

 

leaves

 

ground

 

thought

 

Dapple

 

feeding

 
sample
 

astonish

 
antillana
 

affection