excerpt
“Merciful heaven! I told her we could pray but not that we should
go anywhere. That is absurd.”
“It seemed to me that she enjoyed getting him all worked up.”
“And he believed her?”
“You would have to ask him, padrecito. After that, he was all over
her, but she was letting him have it. She pushed him off and left. He
stayed there puffing like a mad bull.”
“And what happened then?”
“He consoled himself with an Indian girl, what else?”
“You mean he forced himself upon an Indian girl?”
“I do not think those breasts I saw belonged to a man, no.”
“And you watched?”
He shrugged.
“Why not?”
Benjamin put his shoes back on and rolled onto all fours to stand
up. I was agitated. I didn’t know what to say or do. So I reverted to
my priestly ways.
“I expect your confession, you hear?”
“Ha, padrecito. You would do better to ask that of some others. The
men are talking. Some of them do not like Losada’s peaceful
manners. There is trouble brewing. They think we should teach the
Indians to fear us first and then talk about friendship. They say
Losada is too old for this, that he should never have been chosen for
the expedition to start with.”
“But we have come farther than the three previous expeditions.”
“I know. It would be like criticizing Bartolomé after he got us
through the storm. I am just telling you what is going on. Do you
think we should inform the captain about this?”
“How serious is it? Was it just a casual conversation, or was it
more like a conspiracy? Who was talking?”
“Infante, Giral y Coscorrillo.”
“So, the only man of any importance was Infante?”
“This time, yes.”
I was disturbed by both these revelations from Benjamin, and I
didn’t know what I must do about either.
Manolis Aligizakis 