“Tell me, gallant gentlemen,” said he, “are you admitted to the Mala Entrada,[17] or not?”

[17] Mala Entrada, the evil way.

“We do not understand your meaning, noble Sir,” replied Rincon.

“How! not entered, brave Murcians?” replied the other.

“We are neither of Murcia[18] nor of Thebes,” replied Cortado.  “If you have anything else to say to us, speak; if not, go your ways, and God be with you.”

[18] In the slang dialect of Spain, Murcian and Murcia, mean thief, and the land of thieves.

“Oh, your worships do not understand, don’t you?” said the porter; “but I will soon make you understand, and even sup up my meaning with a silver spoon.  I mean to ask you, gentlemen, are your worships thieves?  But why put the question, since I see well that you are thieves; and it is rather for you to tell me how it is that you have not presented yourselves at the custom-house of the Senor Monipodio.”

“Do they then pay duty on the right of thieving in this country, gallant Sir?” exclaimed Rincon.

“If they do not pay duty, at least they make them register themselves with the Senor Monipodio, who is the father, master, and protector of thieves; and I recommend you to come with me and pay your respects to him forthwith, or, if you refuse to do that, make no attempt to exercise your trade without his mark and pass-word, or it will cost you dearly.”

“I thought, for my part,” remarked Cortado, “that the profession of thieving was a free one, exempt from all taxes and port dues; or, at least, that if we must pay, it is something to be levied in the lump, for which we give a mortgage upon our shoulders and our necks; but since it is as you say, and every land has its customs, let us pay due respect to this of yours; we are now in the first country of the world, and without doubt the customs of the place must be in the highest degree judicious.  Wherefore your worship may be pleased to conduct us to the place where this gentleman of whom you have spoken is to be found.  I cannot but suppose, from what you say, that he is much honoured, of great power and influence, of very generous nature, and, above all, highly accomplished in the profession.”

“Honoured, generous, and accomplished! do you say?” replied the boy:  “aye, that he is; so much so, that during the four years that he has held the seat of our chief and father, only four of us have suffered at Finibusterry;[19] some thirty or so, and not more, have lost leather; and but sixty-two have been lagged.”

[19] In finibus terrae, that is to say, at the gallows, or garotte, which to the thief is the end of the earth and all things.

“Truly, Sir,” rejoined Rincon, “all this is Hebrew to us; we know no more about it than we do of flying.”

“Let us be jogging, then,” replied the new-comer, “and on the way I will explain to you these and other things, which it is requisite you should know as pat as bread to mouth;” and, accordingly, he explained to them a whole vocabulary of that thieves’ Latin which they call Germanesco, or Gerigonza, and which their guide used in the course of his lecture,—­by no means a short one, for the distance they had to traverse was of considerable length.