"
"I saw him leave the house," added an old woman. "He was waving his
blood-stained knife in the air; my husband tried to stop him; but he
backed like a bull, lunged for him and came near killing him."
"And where are my uncle and aunt?" asked Manuel.
"Over at the Emergency Hospital. They followed the stretcher."
Manuel went down into the patio.
"Where are you going?" asked Ariston.
"To the Emergency Hospital."
"I'll go along with you."
The two boys were joined by a machine shop apprentice who lived in the
Corrala.
"I saw him kill himself," said the apprentice. "We were all running
after him, hollering, 'Catch him! Stop him!' when two guards appeared
on Amparo Street, drew their swords and blocked his way. Then Leandro
bounded back, made his way through the people and landed here again;
he was going to escape through the Paseo de las Acacias when he
stumbled against La Muerte, who began to call him names. Leandro
stopped, looked in every direction; nobody dared to get near him; his
eyes were blazing. Suddenly he jabbed the knife into his left side I
don't know how many times. When one of the guards seized him by the
arm he collapsed like an empty sack."
The commentary of Ariston and the apprentice proved endless; the boys
arrived at the Emergency Hospital and were told that the corpses,
those of Milagros and Leandro, had been taken to the Morgue.
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