Ryan Marah Ellis - The Flute of the Gods стр 15.

Ah!I suspected your eminence had been a gallant in your time, remarked Don Ruy, amicablyIt is not easy to get out of the habit of noticing alluring things:that is why I refused to do penance for my birth by turning monk, and shrouding myself in the gown! Now cometell me! You seem a good fellowtell me of the Doña Bradamante of the silks and the spices.

The destiny of that person is probably already decided, stated the priest of the wild tribes, she is, if I mistake not, too close to the charge of the Viceroy himself for that destiny to be questioned. The mother, it is said, died insane, and the time has come when the daughter also is watched with all care lest she harm herselfor her attendants. So I hearthe maid I do not know, but the scarf I can trace. Brieflythe evident place for such a wanton spitfire is the convent. You can easily see the turmoil a woman like that can make as each ship brings adventurersand she seeks a lover out of every group.

Jesus!and hell to come! Then I was only one of a sortall is fish to the net of the love lorn lady! Maestro Diego would have had the romance and the lily if he had walked ahead instead of behind me!and he could have had the broken head as well! Then he sniffed again at the bit of silk, and regarded the monk quizzically.

You have a good story, and you tell it well, holy father, he said at last,and I am troubled in my mind to know how little of it may be truth, and how much a godly lie. But the gold at least is true gold, and whatever the trick of the lady may be, you say it will serve to win for me the privilege to seek the mines without blare of trumpets. Hum!it is a great favor for an unknown adventurer.

Unknown you may be to the people of the streets, and to your ship mates, agreed the Padre. But be sure the Viceroy has more than a hint that you are not of the rabble. The broils you may draw to yourself may serve to disquiet him muchyet he would scarce send you to the stocks, or the service of the roads. Be sure he would rather than all else bid you god speed on a hunting journey.

But that you are so given to frankness I should look also for a knife in the back to be included in his excellencys favors, commented Don Ruy. Name of the Devil!what have I done since I entered the town, but hold hands with one woman in the darkand be made to look as if I had been laid across a butcher block on a busy day! Hell take such a city to itself! Ive no fancy for halting over long in a pit where a gentlemans amusements are so little understood. If the Doña of the scarf were aught but an amiable maniac the thing would be different. I would stayand I would find her and together we would weave a new romance for a new world poet! But as it is, gather your cut throats and name the day, and well go scouring the land for heathen souls and yellow clinkers.

Padre Vicente de Bernaldez was known by his wonderful mission-work to be an ecclesiastic of most adventurous disposition. Into wild lands and beyond the Sea of Cortez had he gone alone to the wild tribesso far had he gone that silence closed over his trail like a grave at timesbut out of the Unknown had he come in safety!

His fame had reached beyond his orderand Ruy Sandoval knew that it was no common man who spoke to him of the Indian gold.

Francisco de Coronado, stated this padre of the wilderness, came back empty handed from the north land of the civilized Indians for the reason that he knew not where to search. The gold is there. This is witness. It came to me from a man whois dead! It was given him by a woman of a certain tribe of sun worshippers. To her it was merely some symbol of their pagan faithsome priestly circle dedicated to the sun.

It sounds well, agreed Don Ruybut the trail? Who makes the way? And what force is needed?

For a guide the Padre Vicente had a slave of that land, a man of Te-hua baptized José, for five years the padre had studied the words and the plans. The man would gladly go to his own land,he and his wife. All that was required was a general with wealth for the conquest. There were pagan souls to be saved, and there was wealth for the more worldly minds. The padre asked only a tenth for godly reasons.

Thus between church and state was the expedition of his Excellency Don Ruy Sandoval ignored except as a hunting journey to the North coast of the Cortez Seaif he ranged farther afield, his own be the peril, for no troops of state were sent as companions. The good father had selected the menmost of them he had confessed at odd times and knew their metal. All engaged as under special duty to the cross:it was to be akin to a holy pilgrimage, and absolution for strange things was granted to the men who would bear arms and hold the quest as secret.

Most of them thought the patron was to be Mother Church, and regarded it as a certain entrance to Paradise. Don Ruy himself meekly accepted a role of the least significance:a mere seeker of pleasure adventures in the provinces! It would not be well that word of risk or danger be sent across seasand the Viceroy could of course only say god speed you to a gentleman going for a ride with his servants and his major domo.

And thus:between a hair brained adventurer and a most extolled priest, began the third attempt to reach the people called by New Spain, the Pueblos:the strangely learned barbarians who dwelt in walled townscultivating field by irrigation, and worshipping their gods of the sun, or the moon, or the stars through rituals strange as those of Pagan Egypt.

Word had reached Mexico of the martyrdom of Fray Juan Padilla at Ci-bo-la, but in the far valley of the Rio Grande del Nortecalled by the tribes the river P[=o] s[=o]n-gé,Fray Luis de Escalona might be yet alive carrying on the work of salvation of souls.

The young Spanish adventurer listened with special interest as the devotion and sacrifices of Fray Luis were extolled in the recitals.

If he lives we will find that man, he determined. He was nobly born, and of the province of my mother. Ive heard the romance for which he cloaked himself in the gray robe. He should be a prince of the church instead of a wandering lay brotherwe will have a human thing to search for in the world beyond the desertours will be a crusade to rescue him from the infidel lands.

CHAPTER VIII

THE STORY BY THE DESERT WELL

Don Diego marvelled much at the briskness of the plans for a season of hunting ere his troublesome charge was well able to see out of both eyes. But on being told that the range might be wide, he laid in a goodly stock of quills and parchment, for every league of the land would bring new things to his knowledge.

These records were to be entitled Relaciones of the New and Wondrous Land of the Indians Island and in those Relaciones the accounts of Padre Vicente were to loom large. Among the pagan people his war against the false gods had been ruthless. Maestro Diego was destined to hear more of the padres method than he dared hope in the earlier days.

José, the Indian of the North whose Te-hua name was Khen-zah, went with themalso his wifethe only woman, for without her the man would not go in willingness. Two only were the members added by Don Ruy to the cavalcadeone a stalwart fellow of many scars named Juan Gonzalvo who had known service with Pizarro in the land of goldhad lost all his coin in an unlucky game, and challenged the young stranger from Seville for the loan of a stake to gamble with and win back his losses. He looked good for three men in a fight. Instead of helping him in a game, Don Ruy invited him on the hunting trip!