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He was the accomplice of the murderers of the soldiers of the escort; he is the man who escaped from execution; he is Joam Garral, whose true name is Joam Dacosta." "And so, Torres," said Joam Garral, "I shall have nothing to fear from you if I give the answer you require?" "Nothing, for neither you nor I will have any interest in talking about the matter."
Unfortunately for the fazender, such formalities were no longer necessary; Joam Dacosta had been arrested, convicted, and sentenced twenty-three years ago for the crime at Tijuco; no limitation had yet affected his sentence. No demand in commutation of the penalty could be introduced, and no appeal for mercy could be received.
Judge Jarriquez sat down on a stone seat, and then, while Minha, Benito, Manoel, and Fragoso stood round him, while Joam Dacosta clasped Yaquita to his heart, he first unraveled the last paragraph of the document by means of the number, and as the words appeared by the institution of the true letters for the cryptological ones, he divided and punctuated them, and then read it out in a loud voice.
The latter, leaning slightly forward and maintaining a becoming attitude, neither careless nor humble, waited with dignity for the questions to which he was expected to reply. "Your name?" said Judge Jarriquez. "Joam Dacosta." "Your age?" "Fifty-two." "Where do you live?" "In Peru, at the village of Iquitos." "Under what name?" "Under that of Garral, which is that of my mother."
It will be seen that he was an original, and it will be seen also how much Joam Dacosta had lost by the death of Judge Ribeiro, inasmuch as his case would come before this not very agreeable judge. Moreover, the task of Jarriquez was in a way very simple.
Could he be certain that such a document was in the rascal's possession? Whatever might be the reason, the family now knew everything, and that from the lips of Joam Dacosta himself.
Joam Dacosta had accordingly been prudent. He had promised to be so. But in all his trials it was an immense consolation for him to find his old advocate, though now a chief justice, so firmly convinced that he was not guilty. Yes! Joam Dacosta, in spite of his condemnation, was a victim, a martyr, an honest man to whom society owed a signal reparation!
"One more question," continued Benito. "What was the proposition that Torres made to my father during the short interview which preceded his expulsion?" "He threatened to denounce Joam Garral as being Joam Dacosta, if he declined to purchase his silence." "And at what price?" "At the price of his daughter's hand!" answered Manoel unhesitatingly, but pale with anger.
Joam Dacosta, who did not disregard the magistrate's far from encouraging attitude, could not but see this, and he told the history of his whole life. He spoke quietly without departing from the calm he had imposed upon himself, without omitting any circumstances which had preceded or succeeded his condemnation.
"There is no mistake here, my son," replied Joam Garral; "Joam Dacosta and Joam Garral are one. I am in truth Joam Dacosta! I am the honest man whom a legal error unjustly doomed to death twenty-five years ago in the place of the true culprit! That I am quite innocent I swear before Heaven, once for all, on your heads, my children, and on the head of your mother!"
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