breakfast is
not so far off."

The morning was beautiful. The water began to gleam with the light
reflected from the sky with such clearness that every object stood
revealed without producing a shadow, a bright, fresh clearness
permeated with color, such as we get a hint of in some marine
paintings. All were now merry as they breathed in the light breeze that
began to arise. Even the mothers, so full of cautions and warnings,
now laughed and joked among themselves.

"Do you remember," one old woman was saying to Capitana Tika,
"do you remember the time we went to bathe in the river, before we
were married? In little boats made from banana-stalks there drifted
down with the current fruits of many kinds and fragrant flowers. The
little boats had banners on them and each of us could see her name
on one of them."

"And when we were on our way back home?" added another, without
letting her go on. "We found the bamboo bridges destroyed and so we
had to wade the brooks. The rascals!"

"Yes, I know that I chose rather to let the borders of my skirt get
wet than to uncover my feet," said Capitana Tika, "for I knew that
in the thickets on the bank there were eyes watching us."

Some of the girls who heard these reminiscences winked and smiled,
while the others were so occupied with their own conversations that
they took no notice.

One man alone, he who performed the duty of pilot, remained silent and
removed from all the merriment. He was a youth of athletic build and
striking features, with large, sad eyes and compressed lips. His black
hair, long and unkempt, fell over a stout neck. A dark striped shirt
afforded a suggestion through its folds of the powerful muscles that
enabled the vigorous arms to handle as if it were a pen the wide and
unwieldy paddle which' served as a rudder for steering the two bankas.

Maria Clara had more than once caught him looking at her, but on such
occasions he had quickly turned his gaze toward the distant mountain
or the shore. The young woman was moved with pity at his loneliness
and offered him some crackers. The pilot gave her a surprised stare,
which, however, lasted for only a second. He took a cracker and
thanked her briefly in a scarcely audible voice. After this no one
paid any more attention to him. The sallies and merry laughter of the
young folks caused not the slightest movement in the muscles of his
face. Even the merry Sinang did not make him smile when she received
pinc