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One day old Grandfather Bartolo took the child with him down to the coast: she was always wild to go to the beach, where she could gather shells and sea-beans, and chase the little ocean-birds that ran along close to the waves with that swift gliding motion of theirs, and where she could listen to the roar of the breakers.
"If he is, we'll never find it out," I remarked, "for he can only speak one word of English." I beckoned to Crowded Owl, and he immediately ran up to the wall, and said "How?" in an uncertain tone, as if he was not sure how we should take it. However, Corny offered him her hand, and Rectus and I followed suit. After this, he put his hand into his pocket, and pulled out three sea-beans.
They had been here for some years, and a few of them could speak a little English. He then took us all over the fort, up an inclined plane to the top of the ramparts, and into the Indian barracks on one of the wide walls, where we saw a lot of Cheyennes and Kiowas, and Indians from other tribes, sitting around and making bows and arrows, and polishing sea-beans to sell to visitors.
She learned where the sea-birds, with white bosoms and brown wings, made their hidden nests of sand, and where the cranes waded for their prey, and where the beautiful wild-ducks, plumaged in satiny lilac and silken green, found their food, and where the best reeds grew to furnish stems for Feliu's red-clay pipe, and where the ruddy sea-beans were most often tossed upon the shore, and how the gray pelicans fished all together, like men moving in far-extending semicircles, beating the flood with their wings to drive the fish before them.
"I didn't know that we were hollerin'," said I, "but they were bothering us to buy their sea-beans." "That's curious," he said. "They aint much given to that sort of thing. But there's no tellin' nothin' about an Injun. If I had my way, I'd hang every one of 'em." "Rather a blood-thirsty sentiment," said I. "Perhaps some of them don't deserve hanging."
"In an insurrection, a conspiracy," said I. "I can't go into that business." "You must!" cried Corny and Rectus, almost in a breath. "You've made a promise," said Corny. "And are bound to stick to it," said Rectus, looking at Corny. Then, both together, as if they had settled it all beforehand, they held up their gray sea-beans, and said, in vigorous tones: "Obey the bean!"
We didn't settle this question, nor the more important one of our reason for this visit; for, at this moment, Maiden's Heart came back, carrying the lamp. He looked at us in a curious way, and then he said: "What you want?" I couldn't think of any good answer to this question, but Rectus whispered to me: "Got any money with you?" "Yes," said I. "Let's buy some sea-beans," said Rectus.
If he had had any wish to "make up" with us, he had shown it by giving us a chance at a choice lot of goods. "Now," said I, reaching out my hand to Corny, "here's one for each of us. Take your choice." "For me?" said Corny. "No, I oughtn't to. Yes, I will, too. I am ever so much obliged. We have lots of sea-beans, but none like this. I'll have a ring fastened to it, and wear it, somehow."
But Rectus did not talk long about this. "I think," said he, "that we have had about enough of St. Augustine. There are too many Indians and girls here." "And sea-beans, too, perhaps," said I. "But I don't think there's any reason for going so soon. I'm going to settle those Indians, and you've only seen one girl, and perhaps we'll never see her again."
The cabin was full of shells. Across one end of the little room ran a glazed counter, where lay heaped together various objects of jewelry, shell necklaces, alligator teeth and sea-beans set in various ways, tortoise-shell combs, bracelets and hairpins, a dazzling array.
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