This was the Methuselah of the religious iconography of the Philippines; his colleague and perhaps contemporary is called in Europe Santa Claus, and is still more smiling and agreeable.
"In the time of the saints," thought the cochero, "surely there were no civil-guards, because one can't live long on blows from rifle-butts." Behind the great old man came the three Magian Kings on ponies that were capering about, especially that of the negro Melchior, which seemed to be about to trample its companions.
"No, there couldn't have been any civil-guards," decided the cochero, secretly envying those fortunate times, "because if there had been, that negro who is cutting up such capers beside those two Spaniards"-- Gaspar and Bathazar--"would have gone to jail." Then, observing that the negro wore a crown and was a king, like the other two, the Spaniards, his thoughts naturally turned to the king of the Indians, and he sighed.

"Do you know, sir," he asked Basilio respectfully, "if his right foot is loose yet ?" Basilio had him repeat the question.

"Whose right foot ?" "The King's!" whispered the cochero mysteriously.
"What King's ?" "Our King's, the King of the Indians." Basilio smiled and shrugged his shoulders, while the cochero again sighed.

The Indians in the country places preserve the legend that their king, imprisoned and chained in the cave of San Mateo, will come some day to free them.

Every hundredth year he breaks one of his chains, so that he now has his hands and his left foot loose--only the right foot remains bound.