rades for you; men of discretion, and courageous
without being quarrelsome. With them, too, you will, ere long,
begin to recover your mother tongue; which you will never do, so
long as you only talk these heathen languages with Marina and
Father Aquilar."

Cortez struck the table with his hand, and an attendant entered.

"Summon Juan Algones and Pedro de Gasconda."

In a minute two men entered. Juan was a weatherbeaten soldier,
whose face bore the marks of several deep scars, and who had fought
for Spain on most of the battlefields of Europe. Pedro was young
enough to be his son. Juan had saved his life in a fight with the
natives of Cuba, and since then they had been inseparable.

"Juan, I have sent for you to ask you and Pedro to take our new
comrade into your party. I know you are always together, and that
you are quiet and peaceable, and not given either to quarrel in
your cups or to spend your evenings in gambling and dicing. He has,
as you know, almost forgotten his own language; and it will be for
our advantage, as well as his own, that he should learn it as soon
as possible; for as he knows the country and people, it is well
that he should be able to communicate with the rest of us, without
having to hunt up an interpreter.

"But that is not the principal thing, just at the present moment.
We know not whether the people of this city mean treacherously
towards us, or not. They will not speak in the presence of Donna
Marina or of the good Father here, knowing that they are acquainted
with the language; but as they will not imagine that this tall
Spanish soldier can know aught of what they say, they will not mind
speaking out their thoughts before him. Therefore, while he is here
it will be his duty to wander about the streets, and learn what the
people are saying, and what they think of us. But here, as
elsewhere, I have ordered that not less than three men shall go out
together.

"I have chosen you to accompany him. You will be free from all
other duty."

"That we will do, right willingly," Juan said. "It is pleasanter to
walk about the streets, and look at these strange peoples, than it
is to be cooped up here. As to the other part of the business, we
will do what we can towards teaching him Spanish; but as to being
our comrade, that must depend upon himself. I like the young
fellow's looks much. He looks honest and straightforward, though
where he got that light wavy hair and that fair skin from I can