` Well , perhaps you are right , ' answered the farmer , ` but the sooner that fellow has his deserts , the better I shall be pleased , ' and without more words he went to the stables and brought out a horse for himself and also the black Andalusian mare ridden by the rich man , while the poor brother , fearing more ill-treatment , started at once on foot . Now all that night it had rained heavily , and did not seem likely to stop , and in some places the road was so thick with mud that it was almost impossible to get across it . In one spot it was so very bad that a mule laden with baggage had got stuck in it , and tug as he might , his master was quite unable to pull him out . The muleteer in despair appealed to the two horseman , who were carefully skirting the swamp at some distance off , but they paid no heed to his cries , and he began to talk cheerfully to his mule , hoping to keep up his spirits , declaring that if the poor beast would only have a little patience help was sure to come . And so it did , for very soon the poor brother reached the place , bespattered with mud from head to foot , but ready to do all he could to help with the mule and his master . First they set about finding some stout logs of wood to lay down on the marsh so that they could reach the mule , for by this time his frantic struggles had broken his bridle , and he was deeper in than ever . Stepping cautiously along the wood , the poor man contrived to lay hold of the animal 's tale , and with a desperate effort the mule managed to regain his footing on dry ground , but at the cost of leaving his tail in the poor man 's hand . When he saw this the muleteer 's anger knew no bounds , and forgetting that without the help given him he would have lost his mule altogether , he began to abuse the poor man , declaring that he had ruined his beast , and the law would make him pay for it . Then , jumping on the back of the mule , which was so glad to be out of the choking mud that he did not seem to mind the loss of his tail , the ungrateful wretch rode on , and that evening reached the inn at Evora , where the rich man and the farmer had already arrived for the night . Meanwhile the poor brother walked wearily along , wondering what other dreadful adventures were in store for him . ' I shall certainly be condemned for one or other of them , ' thought he sadly ; ` and after all , if I have to die , I would rather choose my own death than leave it to my enemies , ' and as soon as he entered Evora he looked about for a place suitable for carrying out the plan he had made . At length he found what he sought , but as it was too late and too dark for him to make sure of success , he curled himself up under a doorway , and slept till morning . Although it was winter , the sun rose in a clear sky , and its rays felt almost warm when the poor man got up and shook himself . He intended it to be the day of his death , but in spite of that , and of the fact that he was leaving his wife and children behind him , he felt almost cheerful . He had struggled so long , and was so very , very tired ; but he would not have minded that if he could have proved his innocence , and triumphed over his enemies . However , they had all been too clever for him , and he had no strength to fight any more . So he mounted the stone steps that led to the battlements of the city , and stopped for a moment to gaze about him . It happened that an old sick man who lived near by had begged to be carried out and to be laid at the foot of the wall so that the beams of the rising sun might fall upon him , and he would be able to talk with his friends as they passed by to their work . Little did he guess that on top of the battlements , exactly over his head , stood a man who was taking his last look at the same sun , before going to his death that awaited him . But so it was ; and as the steeple opposite was touched by the golden light , the poor man shut his eyes and sprang forward .
The wall was high , and he flew rapidly through the air , but it was not the ground he touched , only the body XXXXX the sick man , who rolled over and died without a groan .
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