ugijar is distant from aldeire some four leagues, and the road between the two towns is a very bad one. before nine o'clock on the following morning, however, uncle juan gomez, wearing his blue stockinet knee-breeches and his embroidered white sunday boots, was in the office of don matias de quesada, a vigorous old man, a doctor in civil and criminal jurisprudence, the most noted criminal lawyer in that part of the country. he had always been a promoter of lawsuits, and was very wealthy, and had a large circle of influential acquaintances in granada and madrid.
when he had heard his worthy gossip's story and had carefully examined the paper, he gave it as his opinion that the document had nothing whatever to do with the treasure; that the hole in which the tube had been found was a sort of closet, and the writing one of the prayers which the moors read every friday morning. but notwithstanding this, as he was not thoroughly versed in the arabic language, he added that he would send the document to a college companion of his who was employed in the commission of the holy places, in madrid, in order that he might send it to jerusalem, where it could be translated into spanish, for which purpose it would be well to inclose to his friend in madrid a draft for a couple of ounces in gold, for a cup of chocolate.
uncle juan gomez considered seriously before he made up his mind to pay so high a price for a cup of chocolate (which would be paying for the article at the rate of 10,240 reals a pound), but he was so certain in regard to the treasure (and in truth he was not mistaken, as we shall see later on), that he took from his belt eight gold pieces of four dollars each and delivered them to don matias, who weighed them one by one before putting them into his purse, after which hormiga took the road back to aldeire, resolving in his own mind to continue his excavations under the moor's tower while the document went to the holy land and came back translated; proceedings which, according to the lawyer, would occupy something like a year and a half.
