Padre Balcázar employed the fictive plural which the great reserve for themselves.

“But what happened to the things?”

“They were put away. Though Don Alfonso believes they were sold. He thinks they could be sold, that they were his own property and not the Palacio’s. He believes that the money from the sale is being used to attend to the needy.”

“And why is he being deceived?”

It was the direct, brutal voice of the governor. Padre Balcázar smiled smoothly.

“You will understand, Excelencia, when you see Don Alfonso.”

The Coletos exchanged knowing glances and made signs of approval.

“But before that we want to take advantage of this occasion, which may not arise again, to thank you for having honored us at last with your visit. At last, after we had entreated you to come so many times and with such urgency.”

Padre Balcázar had placed such an obvious dose of reproach in his welcome that the governor felt the dignity of his position to be wounded and it was impossible for him to feign an apology.

“I don’t know what you needed me for. Everything is as it should be.”

“Now it is, Excelencia, now it is. But we have been sorely tried. We have been on the verge of. . . .”

“Of what?”

It was one of the civil servants from Tuxtla. With his boss’s bad manners, but without his rank.

“Of perishing at the hands of the Indians.”

“In the tour I have been making of the state, on which your town is neither the only nor the principal stop, I am particularly concerned with finding out what state of mind the Indians are in, whether they are calm or agitated. With my own eyes, therefore, I have been witness that the Chamulas are obeying the laws and are not resorting to violence to stand up to those who are riding roughshod over their belongings and their persons.”

Another civil servant, who must not have been as insignificant if he allowed himself to make such a comment, said, “Everywhere we hear the same complaint: the Ladinos of Ciudad Real are stealing from them and killing them.”

“There are towns, even towns of some prominence, abandoned as if a plague had struck them.”

“They were decimated by epidemics, señor Gobernador. But we’re not the ones who should be accused of that—it’s the filth they wallow in.”

“Yes, it’s true; they are dirty. We saw dried blood in the empty huts.”

“How revolting!”

“And the bones of women, children, even men were scattered across the countryside, picked clean by animals.”

“That shows you, señor Gobernador, the seriousness of the situation we found ourselves endangered by. Vigorous measures had to be taken. First to defend ourselves, then to teach our enemies a lesson.”

“We were without defenses, Excelencia. Our garrison is manned for times of peace.”

“And the volunteers from Guatemala and Comitán?”