de on, the evanescent ardour of Don Cornelio's
roadster insensibly cooled down; while the student himself, fatigued by
the incessant application of whip and spur, gradually allowed to
languish a conversation, that had enabled them to kill a long hour of
their monotonous journey.

The sun was now declining towards the western horizon, and the shadows
of the two horsemen were beaming elongated upon the dusty road, while
from the tops of the palm-trees the red cardinals and parroquets had
commenced to chaunt their evening song.

Thirst--from which both the travellers suffered even more than from
hunger--was still increasing upon them; and at intervals the dragoon
captain cast a look of impatience toward the horse of his companion. He
could not help observing that the poor brute, for the want of water, was
every moment slackening his pace.

On his side, Don Cornelio perceived, that, from a generous motive, his
travelling companion was resisting the temptation to ride forward. By
putting his fine horse into a gallop, the latter could in a short time
reach the hacienda--now less than three leagues distant. Under the
apprehension of losing his company, therefore, the student redoubled his
efforts to keep his old circus hack abreast with the bay-brown of the
dragoon.

The journey thus continued for half an hour longer; when it became
evident to both travellers that the _escapado_ of the bull-ring was
every moment growing more unable to proceed.

"Senor student," said the dragoon, after a long spell of silence, "have
you ever read of those shipwrecks, where the poor devils, to avoid
starvation, cast lots to see which shall be eaten by the others?"

"Alas! yes, I have," answered Lantejas, with a slight trembling in his
speech; "but I hope with us it will not come to that deplorable
extremity."

"_Carrambo_!" rejoined the dragoon with a grave air, "I feel at this
moment hungry enough to eat a relative--even if he were rich and I his
heir, as you of your uncle, the _haciendado_ of San Salvador!"

"But we are not at sea, Senor captain, and in a boat from which there is
no chance of escape?"

The dragoon fancied that he might amuse himself a little at the expense
of the young student of divinity--of whose excessive credulity he had
already had proofs. Perhaps he meant also to revenge himself on this
foolish credulity, upon which the fulmination of the Bishop Bergosa--
already celebrated throughout Mexico--had made such