CHAPTER XXXVI
WHAT PEOPLE SAY AND THINK.
Day dawned at last for the terrorized people. The streets in which
the cuartel and the tribunal were situated were still deserted and
solitary. The houses showed no signs of life. However, a shutter was
opened with a creaking noise and an infant head stuck out and looked
in all directions.... Slap!... A sound announces hard contact between
a strip of leather and a human body. The child made a grimace, closed
its eyes and disappeared. The shutter was closed again.
The example had been set. Without any doubt the opening and closing of
the shutter has been heard, for another window was opened very slowly
and cautiously and a wrinkled and toothless old woman thrust out her
head. She was called Sister Ruté. She looked about, knit her brows,
spit noisily and then crossed herself. In the house opposite, a little
window was timidly opened and her friend, Sister Rufa appeared. They
looked at each other for a moment, smiled, made some signals, and
again crossed themselves.
"Jesús! It was like a thanksgiving mass," said Sister Rufa.
"Since the time that Bálat sacked the town I have never seen a night
like it," replied Sister Puté.
"What a lot of shots! They say that it was old Pablo's gang."
"Tulisanes? It couldn't be. They say that it was the cuaderilleros
against the Civil Guards. For this reason, they have arrested Don
Filipo."
"Sanctus Deus! They say that there are no less than fourteen killed."
Other windows were opened and different faces appeared, exchanging
salutations and commenting on the affair.
In the light of the day--which promised to be a splendid one--could
be seen in the distance, like ash-colored shadows, soldiers hurrying
about in confusion.
"There goes another corpse!" said some one from one of the windows.
"One? I see two."
"And so do I. But do you know what it was?" asked a man with a
crafty face.
"Certainly. The cuaderilleros."
"No, Señor. An uprising at the cuartel."
"What uprising? The curate against the alferez?"
"No, nothing of the sort," said he who had asked the question. "The
Chinese have risen in revolt."
And he closed his window again.
"The Chinese!" repeated all, with the greatest astonishment.
In a quarter of an hour other versions of the affair were in
circulation. Ibarra, with his servants, it was said, had tried to
