“To the stable,” answered the guide.

“What for?  The horses have been fed!  You can sleep here.  The senor will give you leave.”

“I’m afraid the senor’s horse is sick.  I’d like the senor to see it.  Perhaps he’d know what should be done for it.”

It was quite clear to me that Antonio wanted to speak to me apart.

But I did not care to rouse Don Jose’s suspicions, and being as we were, I thought far the wisest course for me was to appear absolutely confident.

I therefore told Antonio that I knew nothing on earth about horses, and that I was desperately sleepy.  Don Jose followed him to the stable, and soon returned alone.  He told me there was nothing the matter with the horse, but that my guide considered the animal such a treasure that he was scrubbing it with his jacket to make it sweat, and expected to spend the night in that pleasing occupation.  Meanwhile I had stretched myself out on the mule rugs, having carefully wrapped myself up in my own cloak, so as to avoid touching them.  Don Jose, having begged me to excuse the liberty he took in placing himself so near me, lay down across the door, but not until he had primed his blunderbuss afresh and carefully laid it under the wallet, which served him as a pillow.

I had thought I was so tired that I should be able to sleep even in such a lodging.  But within an hour a most unpleasant itching sensation roused me from my first nap.  As soon as I realized its nature, I rose to my feet, feeling convinced I should do far better to spend the rest of the night in the open air than beneath that inhospitable roof.  Walking tiptoe I reached the door, stepped over Don Jose, who was sleeping the sleep of the just, and managed so well that I got outside the building without waking him.  Just beside the door there was a wide wooden bench.  I lay down upon it, and settled myself, as best I could, for the remainder of the night.  I was just closing my eyes for a second time when I fancied I saw the shadow of a man and then the shadow of a horse moving absolutely noiselessly, one behind the other.  I sat upright, and then I thought I recognised Antonio.  Surprised to see him outside the stable at such an hour, I got up and went toward him.  He had seen me first, and had stopped to wait for me.

“Where is he?” Antonio inquired in a low tone.

“In the venta.  He’s asleep.  The bugs don’t trouble him.  But what are you going to do with that horse?” I then noticed that, to stifle all noise as he moved out of the shed, Antonio had carefully muffled the horse’s feet in the rags of an old blanket.

“Speak lower, for God’s sake,” said Antonio.  “You don’t know who that man is.  He’s Jose Navarro, the most noted bandit in Andalusia.  I’ve been making signs to you all day long, and you wouldn’t understand.”

“What do I care whether he’s a brigand or not,” I replied.  “He hasn’t robbed us, and I’ll wager he doesn’t want to.”