Chidutswa cha bukuli ndi Ignacio Manuel Altamirano pomwe amafotokoza za achifwamba omwe amapatsa dzina lantchito yake.
Anali mnyamata wazaka makumi atatu, wamtali, wolingana bwino, wammbuyo wa Herculean, komanso wokutidwa ndi siliva. Hatchi yomwe adakwera inali sing'anga wapamwamba kwambiri, wamtali, waminyewa, wolimba, wokhala ndi ziboda zazing'ono, zowoneka mwamphamvu ngati akavalo onse akumapiri, wokhala ndi khosi labwino komanso wamutu komanso wanzeru. Zinali zomwe oweta amatcha "kavalo womenyera nkhondo."
Wokwerayo anali atavala ngati achifwamba a nthawi imeneyo, ndipo monga ma charros athu, amisala ambiri lero. Ankavala jekete lansalu lakuda lokhala ndi nsalu zasiliva, ma breeches okhala ndi mizere iwiri ya siliva "escutcheons", yolumikizidwa ndi maunyolo ndi zingwe zazitsulo zomwezo; adadziphimba ndi chipewa cha ubweya wakuda, wokhala ndi milomo yayikulu ndikufalikira, ndipo yomwe inali pamwambapa ndi pansi pake nthambo yayikulu komanso yayikulu yasiliva ya chevron yovekedwa ndi nyenyezi zagolide; Chikho chozungulira komanso chofewa chinali chozunguliridwa ndi shawl iwiri ya siliva, pomwe zidutswa ziwiri zasiliva zidagwera mbali iliyonse, mawonekedwe amphongo, kuthera mphete zagolide.
Ankavala, kuphatikiza mpango womwe unaphimba kumaso kwawo, malaya aubweya pansi pa malaya ake, komanso pa lamba wake mfuti zogwira minyanga ya njovu, zikopa zawo zachikopa zovomerezeka zokongoletsedwa ndi siliva. Pa lamba anali atamangidwa "canana", lamba wachikopa wapawiri wopangidwa ndi lamba wa cartridge ndipo wodzazidwa ndi zipolopolo za mfuti, ndipo pachishalo chikwanje chokhala ndi chogwirira chasiliva cholowetsedwa m'chimake chake, cholukidwa ndi chinthu chomwecho.
Chishalo chomwe adakwera chinali chokongoletsedwa kwambiri ndi siliva, mutu wake waukulu unali siliva wambiri, monganso matailosi ndi mafunde, ndipo zingwe za kavalo zinali zodzaza ndi ma chapetas, nyenyezi, ndi ziwonetsero zokongola. Pamwamba pa bwenzi la ng'ombe lakuda, ubweya wokongola wa mbuzi, ndikulendewera pachishalo, anapachika musket, mchimake chake chovekedwa, ndipo kuseli kwa tileyo titha kuwona kuti wamangidwa. Ndipo paliponse, siliva: nsalu zokhala ndi chishalo, chimbudzi, zikuto, zikopa za akambuku zomwe zimapachikidwa pamutu wachishalo, pa spurs, chilichonse. Imeneyi inali ndalama zasiliva zambiri, ndipo kuyesetsa kuti akweze kulikonse kunali koonekeratu. Anali chiwonetsero chodzitukumula, chokayikira, chopanda tanthauzo. Kuwala kwa mwezi kunapangitsa kuwala konseku kukhala kowala ndikupatsa wokwerayo mawonekedwe a mzimu wachilendo mu zida zina zasiliva; china chake ngati mphete yamphongo picador kapena motley Sabata Lopatulika centurion. ...
Mwezi unali utafika pachimake ndipo unali khumi ndi limodzi usiku. "Siliva" ija idachoka atayang'anitsitsa mwachangu, kupindika komwe kumayang'ana pakama kamtsinje pafupi ndi m'mphepete modzaza ndi mitengo, ndipo apo, atabisala mumthunzi, komanso pagombe louma komanso lamchenga, adapita kumtunda. Anamasula chingwecho, natulutsa zingwe kuchokera pa kavalo wake ndipo, atachigwira ndi lasso, anachisiya chapatali pang'ono kuti amwe madzi. Chosowa cha nyamacho chitakwaniritsidwa, adachiyankhananso ndipo adakwera mwachangu, kuwoloka mtsinje ndikulowa m'modzi mwamipata yopapatiza yomwe idalowera ku banki yomwe idapangidwa ndi mipanda ya mitengo minda ya zipatso.
Anayenda pang'onopang'ono komanso modzichepetsa kwa mphindi zochepa, kufikira atafika pamakoma amiyala yayikulu kwambiri. Pamenepo adayimilira patsinde la sapote wamkulu yemwe nthambi zake zamasamba zimaphimba kakhwalala kosewerera ngati chipinda, ndikuyesera kulowa m'maso mwake mumdima wandiweyani womwe unaphimba mpandawo, adadzikhutitsa kawiri motsatira kutulutsa mawu osangalatsa :
-Psst ... psst ...! Yemwe wina wamtundu womwewo adayankha, kuchokera kumpanda, pomwe pamayera munthu wachizungu posachedwa.
-Manuelita! -ananena ndi mawu otsika "siliva"
-Zarco wanga, ndili pano! Anayankha mawu okoma amkazi.
Munthu ameneyu anali Zarco, wachifwamba wotchuka yemwe dzina lake linadzaza dera lonselo ndi mantha.
