from you; he knows how far you will go for a medio, and will believe me; and I will swear it, too, on the largest cross upon the Bible."

"Not," says Guts, "upon the holy cross?" his eyes dilating with horror at Ike's heresy and the fear of the governor.

"Yes," says Ike, "I'll be ---- if I don't, Guts; and, what is more, the governor will give you ---- for selling me the aguardiente."

Ike's rhetoric was convincing, and this experimentum crucis, though bold, was entirely successful. Guts swelled with anger, then thought of the governor, then paused, and then opened the door of the calaboose, and said to Ike, "Go out of here! [320] I'll not have anything to do with such a heretic." What tale Guts concocted for the governor we know not.

Ike was no less a gal'lant than a gall'ant man. He was tall - women, in general, like tall men best - and wore an air of confident nonchalance, which bespoke his boldness - and women like bold men best. It was not strange, therefore, that Ike should have been a favourite with the ladies, for with them he had more credit than any man in the ranks. The luxurious Niña would always credit Ike, and any sergeant's wife in the castle would trust him for the washing of his camisa. On these washing days, Ike, having but one shirt, would fold his blanket close about him à la Mexican; on the other days his Republicanism made him wear it à la Texas.

On one occasion Ike went into the dormitory of his washerwoman for his clean shirt. She had boiled it so well - boiling was necessary to prevent the incubation of the piojos' eggs - and she had ironed it so smooth, that a man of less gallantry than Ike could hardly fail expressing his profoundest gratitude therefor. So, after sundry bows, he commenced, "Concédame, Señora, esta gracia" - Madam, grant me this favour; and, suiting the action to the words, impressed a tender kiss upon the cheek of the cabo's wife. She, thankful for the condescension, commenced replying, "Lumbre de mis ojos" - Light of my eyes, when in popped the corporal, her husband, with a shoemaker's awl in his hand, [321] and, not waiting for an explanation, ran furiously at Ike, and "socked" it in the thick of his back "smack up to the handle."

Ike, never so little dismayed as in the heat of battle, seized this petit officer by the collar, and dragged him forth in front of our prison rooms, calling at the top of his voice for Lieutenant Gomez, the officer of the guard. Gomez came quickly up, and all of the Texian prisoners gathered around Ike to know the difficulty. He was in a tremendous passion, and soon explained that the corporal had stabbed him in the back.

"What for?" exclaimed twenty of his indignant countrymen.

"Nothing under heaven," says Ike, "but my returning thanks to his wife for the washing of my camisa."

"How returning thanks?" repeated a dozen of his comrades.