"First," said the Alguazil, with a laugh, "to give thee my congratulations touching thy sudden rise from the abyss, and thy meditated flight heaven-ward. And, secondly," he continued, when Juan had nodded his thanks, "to ask, in the way of friendship, from how high a cliff thou canst tumble headlong, without danger of breaking thy neck?" "This is but a silly question, friendly though it may be," replied Juan. "Oh, senor," said Villafana, "you must remember, the first night we slept with the army, at the base of El Volcan, the mighty Popocatepetl, how much we admired the great stones, that the devils therein flung up against the stars! You nod again: good luck to your recollections! Did you observe any one of those ignited masses stick against the vault, and there hang among the luminaries?" "Surely not," said Juan; "those that fell not immediately back into the crater, rolled down among the snows on the mountain-side, and were there extinguished." "Very well, senor--When you are mounted, you can remember the fire-stones, and make your choice whether to tumble back into the fire of wrath, that now sends you upward, or to quench yourself for ever in the frozen bed of degradation.--You go to Tochtepec?" "I do," said Juan, somewhat angrily; "and I warn thee, thy malicious metaphors will not make me less grateful for the kindness that sends me." "God rest you--it were better you had accepted the embassy to Guatimozin." "Hah!" said Juan, "how knowest thou of this? It was spoken only in secret council?" "Oh," said Villafana, with a second laugh, "if thou wilt but scratch on one end of a long log, be sure I will hear it at the other. There is something more in the world than magic." He spoke with marked exultation; indeed Juan had already observed that his carriage was freer and bolder than common, and that he bore himself like a man who cares not wholly to conceal a triumph of spirit, which he thinks it not needful altogether to divulge. "Harkee, senor Don Juan," he went on, abruptly and inquisitively, "thou art good friends with Xicotencal?" "So far as a Christian man can be with one, who, though a very noble being, is yet a misbeliever." "And thou wert sworn friends, at Mexico, with the young prince, Guatimozin?" "Not so," said Juan: "the young man kept aloof from us all, being of the hostile party; and there was scarce one of us who had ever seen his face. I must confess, however, if I can believe Techeechee, that my preservation in the expedition was owing to his good act; for Techeechee avers, that it was through Guatimozin's good will that he was sent with me, to secure me from the death which was designed for all the rest of the party." "Designed? dost thou allow it then?" cried the Alguazil, quickly. "Ay," replied Juan, dryly; "designed by the Mexican lords, but not by Christian leaders." "And art thou not sorry thou wert not despatched to him as envoy?"