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 top right: 4 1/2

and advanced a few paces into the track.

In a few seconds I saw him bound like a hot pea, into sight, from the wall of falling snow which at the distance of a few yards hid everything from our sight. With a face white as the snow itself heaping ? from the collar of his zamarra, he began to creep back stealthily, as one would retreat when in momentary expectation of a double thong application to his rear. When he had placed the mule between himself and the danger, whatever it was, he gasped out in faltering accents, the following disjointed explanation:

Jesus Maria: Jesus Maria, viene la hora ultima, perdoneme, Santa Veirgen. The last hour is approaching, pardon me, Holy Virgin — Ya ha venido el demonio, alante el qui quiere verlo. The devil has already come for us, let. Him who wishes, go forward and see him, grande y negro, grande y negro, y con zamarra como Christiano, ay de mi, ay de mi. Big and black, Big and black, and dressed in a zamarra like a Christian, lack-ady, lack aday, that I should see this. Por dios, Caballero, habla con el, word, for God sake sir, speak to him, somos Christianos todos, we are all Christians tell him.

The ridiculous fright of Miguel was so exquisitely absurd that I thought I should have rolled off my mule with laughter. He was beating the snow with his feet in short jerks, turning round and round, bemoaning his hard fate, and uttering a sentence every now and then of an ave Maria, or pater noster. His companions, were speechless with fright, or frozen into dumbness bby the unexpected announcement of the arrival of the old gentleman..

As however I saw that something must have caused the sudden fright of the mule as well as Miguel, I dismounted from my mule, and wading through the snow crept under the belly of the leading mule, for I was unable to pass, and advance a few yards before him.

The track here was gradually