“Who is that odd character?”

“Who should it be?  Caballuco.”

“And who is Caballuco?”

“What!  Have you never heard of Caballuco?” said the countryman, amazed at the crass ignorance of Dona Perfecta’s nephew.  “He is a very brave man, a fine rider, and the best connoisseur of horses in all the surrounding country.  We think a great deal of him in Orbajosa; and he is well worthy of it.  Just as you see him, he is a power in the place, and the governor of the province takes off his hat to him.”

“When there is an election!”

“And the Governor of Madrid writes official letters to him with a great many titles in the superscription.  He throws the bar like a St. Christopher, and he can manage every kind of weapon as easily as we manage our fingers.  When there was market inspection here, they could never get the best of him, and shots were to be heard every night at the city gates.  He has a following that is worth any money, for they are ready for anything.  He is good to the poor, and any stranger who should come here and attempt to touch so much as a hair of the head of any native of Orbajosa would have him to settle with.  It is very seldom that soldiers come here from Madrid, but whenever they do come, not a day passes without blood being shed, for Caballuco would pick a quarrel with them, if not for one thing for another.  At present it seems that he is fallen into poverty and he is employed to carry the mail.  But he is trying hard to persuade the Town Council to have a market-inspector’s office here again and to put him in charge of it.  I don’t know how it is that you have never heard him mentioned in Madrid, for he is the son of a famous Caballuco who was in the last rebellion, and who was himself the son of another Caballuco, who was also in the rebellion of that day.  And as there is a rumor now that there is going to be another insurrection—­for the whole country is in a ferment—­we are afraid that Caballuco will join that also, following in the illustrious footsteps of his father and his grandfather, who, to our glory be it said, were born in our city.”

Our traveller was surprised to see the species of knight-errantry that still existed in the regions which he had come to visit, but he had no opportunity to put further questions, for the man who was the object of them now joined them, saying with an expression of ill-humor: 

“The Civil Guard despatched three.  I have already told the commander to be careful what he is about.  To-morrow we will speak to the governor of the province, and I——­”

“Are you going to X.?”

“No; but the governor is coming here, Senor Licurgo; do you know that they are going to send us a couple of regiments to Orbajosa?”

“Yes,” said the traveller quickly, with a smile.  “I heard it said in Madrid that there was some fear of a rising in this place.  It is well to be prepared for what may happen.”