Chapter 29: - Page 2 of 3
Exit Capitan Tiago
(English version of “El Filibusterismo”)
Because no one can lose,
he stated with great authority. To lose would cause hard feelings and in heaven there can’t be any hard feelings.
But some one has to win,
rejoined the gambler Aristorenas. The fun lies in winning!
Well, both win, that’s easy!
This idea of both winning could not be admitted by Aristorenas, for he had passed his life in the cockpit and had always seen one cock lose and the other win—at best, there was a tie. Vainly Don Primitivo argued in Latin. Aristorenas shook his head, and that too when Don Primitivo’s Latin was easy to understand, for he talked of an gallus talisainus, acuto tari armatus, an gallus beati Petri bulikus sasabung~us sit,[1] and so on, until at length he decided to resort to the argument which many use to convince and silence their opponents.
You’re going to be damned, friend Martin, you’re falling into heresy! Cave ne cadas! I’m not going to play monte with you any more, and we’ll not set up a bank together. You deny the omnipotence of God, peccatum mortale! You deny the existence of the Holy Trinity— three are one and one is three! Take care! You indirectly deny that two natures, two understandings, and two wills can have only one memory! Be careful! Quicumque non crederit anathema sit!
Martin Aristorenas shrank away pale and trembling, while Quiroga, who had listened with great attention to the argument, with marked deference offered the philosopher a magnificent cigar, at the same time asking in his caressing voice: Surely, one can make a contract for a cockpit with Kilisto, [2] ha? When I die, I’ll be the contractor, ha?
[1]Whether there would be a talisain cock, armed with a sharp gaff, whether the blessed Peter’s fighting-cock would be a bulik—
Talisain and bulik are distinguishing terms in the vernacular for fighting-cocks, tari and sasabung?in the Tagalog terms for gaff
and game-cock
, respectively.
The Tagalog terminology of the cockpit and monkish Latin certainly make a fearful and wonderful mixture—nor did the author have to resort to his imagination to get samples of it.—Tr.
[2] This is Quiroga’s pronunciation of Christo.—Tr.