't
guess--they are rare enough in Cadiz, where I heard one say that he
came from."

"We don't know that he came from there, Juan. He may have come from
the mountains of Biscaya, where fair skins are commoner than they
are in the south. It is only that he described to us a port, which
must have been Cadiz, as the last thing he recollected in Spain."

"Ah, well, his skin matters nothing!" the soldier said. "His face
is an honest one, and as to height and strength one could wish no
better comrade. He is young yet, not more than nineteen or twenty,
I should guess; but I will warrant that there is not a man in the
expedition he could not put on his back, if it came to a tussle. At
any rate, we will try him.

"What do you say, Pedro?"

"I like his looks," the young fellow said. "At any rate, we are not
like to quarrel with him. As to more than that, we can say better
when we know more of each other."

Father Aquilar, who had listened attentively to all that had been
said, explained to Roger the purport of the conversation between
Cortez and the men. When he had finished, Roger held out his hand
to the two soldiers, and gave them a hearty grasp, expressive of
his willingness to join in the arrangement that had been made.

"He will do, General," Juan said. "We will look after him, never
fear."

Cortez gave orders that the three men were to be allowed to leave
the quarters and go into the town at all times, without further
question; and they at once started for a turn through the streets.

"How are we to begin to teach this young chap to talk, Pedro? It is
out of the regular line of duty, altogether."

Pedro shook his head.

"I don't know, comrade. I have heard women teaching their babies to
talk, but I should hardly think that would be the way with him."

"No, no, that is quite different, Pedro. You see the little ones
have not got their tongues twisted rightly, and they can't talk
plain, do as much as they will; but this young fellow could say,
plain enough, what we told him. The question is, what are we to
tell him?

"Suppose I say to him, 'They are a curiously dressed lot of people
here.'

"Well, he might say it after me, but as he would not have an idea
what we meant, I don't see that we should be getting any
forwarder."

Roger, however, had already gone through the work of learning the
two native languages, and knew how to begin. He touched Juan's
sword, and gave the Mexican word for it.

"What does