“But what about the Church?” asked Brace hesitatingly, remembering Banks’ theory.

“The Church—­caramba! the priests were ever with the Escossas, the aristocrats, and against the Yorkenos, the men of the Republic—­the people,” interrupted Martinez vehemently; “they will not accept, they will not proclaim the Republic to the people.  They shut their eyes, so—.  They fold their hands, so—.  They say, ’Sicut era principio et nunc et semper in secula seculorum!’ Look you, Senor, I am not of the Church—­no, caramba!  I snap my fingers at the priests.  Ah! what they give one is food for the bull’s horns, believe me—­I have read ‘Tompano,’ the American ‘Tompano.’”

“Who’s he?” asked Brace.

“He means Tom Paine!  ’The Age of Reason’—­you know,” said Winslow, gazing with a mixture of delight and patronizing pride at the Radicals of Todos Santos.  “Oh! he’s no fool—­is Martinez, nor Ruiz either!  And while you’ve been flirting with Dona Isabel, and Banks has been trying to log-roll the Padre, and Crosby going in for siestas, I’ve found them out.  And there are a few more—­aren’t there, Ruiz?”

Ruiz darted a mysterious glance at Brace, and apparently not trusting himself to speak, checked off his ten fingers dramatically in the air thrice.

“As many of a surety!  God and liberty!”

“But, if this is so, why haven’t they done something?”

Senor Martinez glanced at Senor Ruiz.

“Hasta manana!” he said slowly.

“Oh, this is a case of ‘Hasta manana!’” said Brace, somewhat relieved.

“They can wait,” returned Winslow hurriedly.  “It’s too big a thing to rush into without looking round.  You know what it means?  Either Todos Santos is in rebellion against the present Government of Mexico, or she is independent of any.  Her present Government, in any event, don’t represent either the Republic of Mexico or the people of Todos Santos—­don’t you see?  And in that case we’ve got as good a right here as any one.”

“He speaks the truth,” said Ruiz, grasping a hand of Brace and Winslow each; “in this we are—­as brothers.”

“God and liberty!” ejaculated Martinez, in turn seizing the other disengaged hands of the Americans, and completing the mystic circle.

“God and liberty!” echoed a thin chorus from their host and a few loungers who had entered unperceived.

Brace felt uneasy.  He was not wanting in the courage or daring of youth, but it struck him that his attitude was by no means consistent with his attentions to Dona Isabel.  He managed to get Winslow aside.

“This is all very well as a ‘free lunch’ conspiracy; but you’re forgetting your parole,” he said, in a low voice.

“We gave our parole to the present Government.  When it no longer exists, there will be no parole—­don’t you see?”

“Then these fellows prefer waiting”—­

“Until we can get outside help, you understand.  The first American ship that comes in here—­eh?”