ft, with those damned Government people who've declared war to the
death on us, on all the poor. They come and steal our pigs, our
chickens and corn, they burn our homes and carry our women off, and if
they ever get hold of us they'll kill us like mad dogs, and we die
right there on the spot and that's the end of the story!"

At sunset, amid the flames dyeing the sky with vivid, variegated
colors, they descried a group of houses up in the heart of the blue
mountains. Demetrio ordered them to carry him there.

These proved to be a few wretched straw huts, dispersed all over the
river slopes, between rows of young sprouting corn and beans. They
lowered the stretcher and Demetrio, in a weak voice, asked for a glass
of water.

Groups of squalid Indians sat in the dark pits of the huts, men with
bony chests, disheveled, matted hair, and ruddy cheeks; behind them,
eyes shone up from floors of fresh reeds.

A child with a large belly and glossy dark skin came close to the
stretcher to inspect the wounded man. An old woman followed, and soon
all of them drew about Demetrio in a circle.

A girl sympathizing with him in his plight brought a jicara of bluish
water. With hands shaking, Demetrio took it up and drank greedily.

"Will you have some more?"

He raised his eyes and glanced at the girl, whose features were common
but whose voice had a note of kindness in it. Wiping his sweating brow
with the back of his palm and turning on one side, he gasped: "May God
reward you."

Then his whole body shook, making the leaves of the stretcher rustle.
Fever possessed him; he fainted.

"It's a damp night and that's terrible for the fever," said Remigia, an
old wrinkled barefooted woman, wearing a cloth rag for a blouse.

She invited them to move Demetrio into her hut.

Pancracio, Anastasio Montanez, and Quail lay down beside the stretcher
like faithful dogs, watchful of their master's wishes. The rest
scattered about in search of food.

Remigia offered them all she had, chili and tortillas.

"Imagine! I had eggs, chickens, even a goat and her kid, but those damn
soldiers wiped me out clean."

Then, making a trumpet of her hands, she drew near Anastasio and
murmured in his ear:

"Imagine, they even carried away Senora Nieves' little girl!"

V

Suddenly awakening, Quail opened his eyes and stood up.

"Montanez, did you hear? A shot, Montanez! Hey, Montanez, get up!"

He shook him vigorously until Montanez ceased s