PART TWO

Demetrio, nonplussed, scratched his head: "Look
here, don't ask me any more questions. . . . You gave me
the eagle I wear on my hat, didn't you? All right then;
you just tell me: 'Demetrio, do this or do that,' and that's
all there is to it."


To champagne, that sparkles and foams as the beaded
bubbles burst at the brim of the glass, Demetrio pre-
ferred the native tequila, limpid and fiery.

The soldiers sat in groups about the tables in the res-
taurant, ragged men, filthy with sweat, dirt and smoke,
their hair matted, wild, disheveled.

"I killed two colonels," one man clamored in a guttural
harsh voice. He was a small fat fellow, with embroidered
hat and chamois coat, wearing a light purple handker-
chief about his neck.

"They were so Goddamned fat they couldn't even run.
By God, I wish you could have seen them, tripping and
stumbling at every step they took, climbing up the hill,
red as tomatoes, their tongues hanging out like hounds.
'Don't run so fast, you lousy beggars!' I called after them.
'I'm not so fond of frightened geese--stop, You bald-