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A Ladino came along. "Will you sell that?"
[Peter] was asked.
"Ah, I won't sell this, because I get .... Every
day, every day it gives ... its flowers open, but just
money, just money comes out," he said.
"Sell it to me!" said [the Ladino].
"I won't sell it. This is my treasure," said [Peter].
"I'll give you several thousand," [Peter] was told.
"Well, if you get as many thousand as I say, never
mind, I'll sell it," said [Peter]. Sonofabitch, the dumb
Ladino bought it. Lord, who knows how many
thousands the deal was. [Peter] received the money
for that one little flowering plant, as we say. When it
fruited it was just pesos, just fifty centavo pieces, as
we say. That Ladino bought it. "Go and plant it!" he
was told. "That won't die. Water it and it will take
root!" he was told by that Peter.
That Ladino watered it. He watched over it.
Finally when the sun set, Lord, it was lying dried up.
"Hell, he tricked me!" said [the Ladino]. "Sonofabitch!"
he said. But where, where would he find
[Peter] now? He had left. He'd gone to another town
already.
He reached another town, too. He made a deal
with a giant. A giant, as we say. Probably a devil, as
we say. "Peter!" he said.
"What?" said [Peter].
"Do you want to make a bet to see who can make
a hole in the tree with his fist?" Just with their fists
they were going to try out on the tree.
"Okay, but not today, tomorrow," said [Peter].
"Let's test you!" said [the giant]. I don't know
how many thousand pesos they were going to give
each other, too. It was probably at least three or four
thousand, as we say. They were just going to hit the
tree, but that giant's hands would go way in, as we
say.
But that fucking Peter, the sonofabitch was probably
clever. He went to hollow it out. He went to
hollow out that tree, first, as we say. First he went to
hollow out the inside, as we say. Then he stuck the
bark back on, so that it wouldn't look hollowed out.
Then that giant gave the first blow. He smashed
the bark of that tree.
Then that Peter came along. [The tree] was supposedly
solid, but it was already hollowed out. It
was just thin there where the bark was. His hand
went way in. So he won again. That Peter won
again. [The giant] lost.
After that they went on again. The fuckers went
along together again.
But now it was known that that joker, Peter, kept
telling lie after lie. Then he met up with the muleteers.
"Now, Peter, the time has come!" said those
muleteers. They were sleeping on the riverbank.
REY KOMIS 383
Va7i 7un, tal la jun jkaxlan 7un. "Mi chachon
Ie7e?" x7utat la.
"7A H7e mu jchon porke taj ta, 7a Ii7e sil k'ak'al sil
k'ak'al ta xak' ta xtuk i xniche pero naka tak'in naka
tak'in chlok'," xi la 7un.
"Chonbon!" xi la 7un.
"Mu jchon jportuna h'7e," xi la 7un.
"Chakak'be jay-miluk," x7utat la 7un.
"Pwes, mi xata ti jay-mil chkale pasensya ta jchon
komel," xi la 7un. Puta, sman la ti puta jkaxlane,
kere, na7tik jay-mil 7ispas trate yich'be stojol taj
j-petz 7unin nichim xkaltik taj, naka ta pexutik naka
ta rostontik ta xak' i ssat xkaltik 7une, 7isman taj
jkaxlan taj 7une. "Ba tz'uno 7un!" x7utat la. "Le7e
mu xcham 7ak'bo ya71el ta stzak lum," x7utat la
yu7un taj Pegro 7une.
Bweno, 7iyak'be la ya71el 7isk'el taj jkaxlane
lajeltza chmal k'ak'al, kere, taki-bitzan la. "Kavron,
Iixcho7!" xi la 7un. "Jijo la chingada!" xi la. Pero bu
bu xa tzta yu7n xa bat, bat noxtok ta yan 7o jtek-lum
xa.
Va7i 7un, k'ot ta yan 7o jtek-lum noxtok la 7un,
7ispas la trate xchi7uk jigante la 7un, jigante xkaltik
pukuj nan xkaltik 7un. 7A li "Pegro!" xi la 7un.
"K'usi?" xi la 7un.
"Mi xak'an jpastik 7apostar 7aver buch'u xch'oj
yu7un i te7 ta k'obole?" Ta k'obol nox tzpasik preva
ta te7 7un.
"Bweno, pero lavie mo7oj 7ok'ob to 7un," xi la
7un.
"Jpastik preva avil!" xi la. Mu jna7 jay-mil li tak'in
ta xak'be sbaik noxtok 7une, ta 7ox-mil chan-mil
7onox nan xkaltik 7un, pero naka nox 7ay sbajik i te7
7une pero yu7n toj 7ochel li sk'obik xchi7uk taj
jigante xkaltik 7une.
Buy, taj jkobel Pegro 7une 7i vivo 7o no nan i puta
noxtok 7une, bat la xch'oj primero 7ay xch'oj taj te7
xkaltik 7une, pimero 7a xch'ojbe li yut xkaltik 7une,
7ispak'be komel li spat xa 7une yo7 ti muk' bu
ch'ojbil 7o yilel 7une.
7Ora, taj jigante 7une ba7i la yak'be j-moj 7un toj
la totzel spat taj te7 7une.
7Ora, tal taj Pegro 7une spak'oj ta 7alel 7une pero
ch'ojbil xa joy xa nox tey ta pat te7 une7 toj la 7ochel
li sk'ob ta 7alel 7une, ja7 la spas kanal noxtok 7un, taj
Pegro 7une ja7 spas kanal noxtok 7un ja7 7ich'ay.
Bweno, laj taj 7une 7ibatik la noxtok 7un, bat i
jkobeletik te nox xchi7uk sbaik ech'el noxtok 7un.
Bu, komo 7a7yibil xa ti labal nop-k'op xa tzpas taj
J7a7yel Pegro 7une te la snup 7a li 7ariero 7un.
"7Ora, Pegro, lek 7ora lavie!" xi la taj 7arieroetik
7une ti7 nab la vayemik 7un.