"My friend, I think," said the young man; "though thou dost now afflict me more than those who seem my enemies."
"Afflict!--enemies!--_I_ afflict!" cried Gaspar, fiercely; "I quarrel with your enemies!--ay, _à outrance_, as the Frenchmen, say. I have fought them in Italy. Fuego! enemies!--call this knave by the name, and if I do not smite him to the chine, townsman though he be--"
"Peace, Gaspar, if thou art my friend, as, I trust this good Bernal is,--"
"Go to," said Bernal Diaz, in high dudgeon, addressing himself to Gaspar, "thou art turned heathen, or thou wouldst not so abuse me. I care for you not; I have nothing to do with you, nor with any of your companions. By and by you will repent. God be with you, and make you wiser."
With these words, the historian followed the example of the others, and was straightway stalking, with impetuous strides, towards Tezcuco.
"Now art you not ashamed, Gaspar, to have given way to this boy's wrath? Wilt thou be womanish, too?"
"Ay," said Gaspar, shaking his head with the fury of a mastiff, rending some meaner animal, and thus dashing away certain tears of rage or mortification, that were starting in his eyes: "it doth make a woman of me, to think we have escaped from dangers such as were never dreamed of by these false traitors,--from infidel prisons and heathen maws, and come, at last, among Christian men, whom I could have hugged, every ill loon of them all; and not one to stretch forth his hand, and say God bless me! You were right, señor; it were better to have remained slaves with the King of the Humming-bird Valley, than to have left him for such hangdog welcome."
"Thou wouldst have had nothing to complain of, hadst thou bridled thy impatient temper. These men meant not to provoke _thee_."
"Bad friends, bad rascals!" said the Ottomi, who, during these several passages, had been staring from one Christian to another in unconcealed amazement: "bad friends! no good rascals!" he muttered in Spanish; then instantly changing to Mexican, which though not his native tongue, was more familiar to him, and was besides well understood by Juan, he continued,
"Itzquauhtzin, the Great Eagle," (for thus he chose to designate the youth,) "has settled upon the hill of kites. Where are his wings? Malintzin is angry; he sends his young men to frown. Here is another: he laughs with his eyes.--Ocelotzin is an old tiger,--Techeechee is a dog without voice; but the _itzli_[6] is sharp in his hand. Shall he strike?"