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THE ALHAMBRA

MACMILLAX AND CO., Limited

LONDON . BOMBAY . CALCUTTA
MELBOURNE

THE MACMILLAX COMPANY

NEW YORK . BOSTON . CHICAGO
ATLANTA . SAN FRANCISCO

THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd.

TORONTO

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Washington hvhtg's rooms, overlooking the Garden of Lindaraxa.

THE ALHAMBRA

WASHINGTON IRVING
WITH AN INTRODUCTION

ELIZABETH ROBINS PENNELL

ILLUSTRATED WITH DRAWINGS OF THE
PLACES MENTIONED

PA-
JOSEPH PENNELL

MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED

ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON

1908

Richard Ci.ay and Sons, Limited

kread street hill, e.c., and

bungay, suffolk.

First Edition {Cran/ord Series), 1896. Reprinted 1906.
Pocket Classics, 1908.

INTRODUCTION

It is not possible to forget Washington Irving in the
Alhambra. With a single volume, the simple, gentle, kindly
American man of letters became no less a figure in the IMoor's
Red Palace than Boabdil and Lindaraxa of whom he wrote.
And yet, never perhaps did a book make so unconscious a bid
for popularity. Irving visited Granada in 1828. He returned
the following year, when the Governor's apartments in the
Alhambra were lent to him as lodgings. There he spent
several weeks, his love for the place growing with every day
and hour. It was this affection, and no more complex
motive, that prompted him to describe its courts and gardens
and to record its legends. The work was the amusement of
his leisure moments, filling the interval between the completion
of one serious, and now all but unknown, history and the
beginning of the next.

Not many other men just then could write about Spain or
anything Spanish so naturally. For, in 1829, while, within the

viii INTRODUCTION

walls of Alhamar and Yusef, he was listening to the prattle of
Mateo and Dolores, in Paris, Alfred de Musset was writing
his Contes d'Espagne^ and Victor Hugo was publishing a new
edition of his Orientaks. A year later and the battle of
Hernani was to be fought at the Comedie Francaise ; a few
more, and The'ophile Gautier would be on his w^ay across the
Pyrenees. Time had passed since Chateaubriand, the pioneer
of romance, could dismiss the Alhambra with a word. Hugo,
in turning all eyes to the East, had declared that Spain also
was Oriental, and to his disciples the journey, dreamed or
made, through the land where Irving travelled in single-minded
enjoyment, was an excuse for the profession of their literary
faith. Irving, whatever his accompjishments, was unen-
cumbered with a mission and innocent of pose. There is no
reason to believe that he had ever heard of the Romanticists,
or the part Spain was playing in the revolution ; though he had
been in Paris when the storm was brewing ; though he returned
after the famous red waistcoat had been sported in the public's
face. At any rate, like the original genius of to-day, he kept
his knowledge to himself.

Literary work took Irving to Spain. Several years before, in
1818, he had watched the total wreck of his brother's business.
This was the second event of importance in his hitherto mild
and colourless existence. The first had been the death of the
girl he was to marry, a loss which left him without interest or am-
bition. There was then no need for him to work, and his health
was delicate. He travelled a little : an intelligent, sympathetic
and observant tourist. He wrote a little, discovering that he
was an author with Knickerbocker. But his writing was of the
desultory sort until, when he was thirty-five years old, his
brother's failure forced him to make literature his profession.

INTRODUCTION ix

It was after he had published his Sketch-Book and Bracebridge
Hall and Old Christmas, after their reception had been of the
kind to satisfy even the present generation of writers who
measure the excellence of work by the price paid for it, that
some one suggested he should translate the journeys of
Columbus, which Navarrete, a Spanish author, had in hand.
Murrav, it was thought, would give a handsome sum down for
the translation. ^Murray himself, however, was not so sure :
wanted, wise man, first to see a portion of the manuscript.
This was just what could not be until Irving had begun his
task. But already in Madrid, and assured of nothing, he found
the role of translator less congenial than that of historian, and
the Spanish work eventually resolved itself into his Life of
Columbus. " Delving in the rich ore "' of the old chronicles
in the Jesuits' Library of St. Isidoro, there was one side issue
in the history he was studying that enchanted him above all
else. This was the Conquest of Granada, the brilliant episode
which had fascinated him ever since, as a boy at play on the
banks of the Hudson, his allegiance had been divided between
the Spanish cavalier, in gold and silver armour, prancing over
the A^ega, and the Red Indian brandishing his tomahawk on
the war-path. Now, occasionally, Columbus was forgotten
that he might collect the materials for a new story of the
Conquest to be told by himself. To consult further documents
he started one spring (1828), when the almond trees were
blossoming, for Andalusia ; and Granada, of course, came into
his journey. Thus chance brought him to the Alhambra,
while (1829) the courtesy of the Governor and the kindness of
old Tia Antonia put him in possession of the rooms of the
beautiful Elizabeth of Parma, overlooking the oranges and
fountains of the Garden of Lindaraxa.

X INTRODUCTION

The Alhambra reveals but half its charm to the casual
visitor. I know, of my own experience, how far custom is
from staling its infinite variety, how its beauty increases as
day by day one watches the play of light and shadow on its
walls, as day by day one yields to the indolent dreams for
which it was built. There was one summer when, all
through July and August, its halls and courts gave me
shelter from the burning, blinding sunshine of Andalusia, and
the weeks in passing strengthened the spell that held me there.
For Gautier, the place borrowed new loveliness from the one
night he slept in the Court of Lions. But by day and night
alike, it belonged to Irving : he saw it before it had de-
generated into a disgracefully managed museum and annex
to a bric-a-brac shop for the tourist : and he had heard all its
stories, or had had time to invent them, before he was called
away by his appointment to some useless and unnecessary
diplomatic post at the American Legation in London.

The book was not published until more than two years
later (1832). Irving, though a hack in a manner, had too
much self-respect to rush into print on the slightest provocation.
Colburn and Bentley were his English publishers, their edition
preceding by a few months the American, brought out by Lea
and Carey of Philadelphia. The same year saw two further
issues in Paris, one by Galignani, and the other in Baudry's
Foreign Library, as well as a French translation from the house
of Fournier. The success of The Alhamb7-a was immediate.
De Musset and Victor Hugo had left the great public in France
as indifferent as ever to the land beyond the Pyrenees. Irving
raised a storm of popular applause in England and America,
where, of a sudden, he made Spain, which the Romanticists
would have snatched as their spoils, the prey of the " bourgeois'^

IXTRODLXTIOX xi

they despised. Nor was it the general pubhc only that ap-
plauded. There were few literary men in England who did
not welcome the book with delight.

I think to-day, without suspicion of disloyalty, one may
wonder a little at this success. Certainly, in its first edition,
The Alhanibra is crude and stilted, though, to compare it with
the pompous trash which Roscoe published three years after-
ward, as text for the drawings of David Roberts, is to see in it
a masterpiece. Irving, more critical than his readers, knew
it needed revision. " It is generally labour lost,'' he said once in
a letter to Alexander Everett, " to attempt to improve a book that
has already made its impression on the public.'"' Nevertheless,
The Alhambra was all but re- written in 1857, when he was
preparing a complete edition of his works for Putnam, the New-
York publisher, and it gained enormously in the process.
It was not so much by the addition of new chapters, or
the re-arrangement of the old : but rather by the changes
made in the actual text — the light touch of local colour
here, and there the rounding of a period, the developing
of an incident. For example "The Journey," so gay and
vivacious in the final version, was, at first, but a bare
statement of facts, with no space for the little adventures
by the way : the rest at the old mill near Seville ; the glimpses
of Archidona, Antiquero, Osuna, nam.es that lend picturesque
value to the ride ; the talk and story-telling in the inn at Loxa.
Another change, less commendable, is the omission from the
late editions of the dedication to \\'ilkie. It was a pleasant
tribute to the British painter, who, with several of his fellows —
Lewis and Roberts — was carried away by that wave of Orien-
talism which sent the French Marilhat and Decam.ps,
Fromentin and Delacroix to the East, and had not vet

xii INTRODUCTION

Spent its force in the time of Regnault. The dedication was
well-written, kindly, appreciative : an amiable reminder of the
rambles the two men had taken together in Toledo and Seville,
and the interest they had shared in the beauty left by the
Moor to mark his passage through the land both were learning
to love. As a memorial to the friendship between author and
artist, it could less well have been spared than any one of
the historical chapters that go to swell the volume.

Even in the revised edition it would be easy to belittle
Irving's achievement, now that it is the fashion to disparage him
as author. Certainly, The Alhambra has none of the splendid
melodrama of Sorrow's Bible ifi Spain, none of the picturesque-
ness of Gautier's record. It is very far from being that
" something in the Haroun Ahaschid style," with dash of
Arabian spice, which Wilkie had urged him to make it.
Nor are its faults wholly negative. It has its moments
of dulness. It abounds in repetitions. Certain adjec-
tives recur with a pertinacity that irritates. The Vega
is blooming, the battle is bloody, the Moorish maiden is
beauteous far more than once too often. Worse still, descrip-
tions are duplicated, practically the same passage reappearing
again and again, as if for the sake of padding, or else as the
mere babble of the easy writer. Indeed, many of the purely
historical chapters have been crowded in so obviously because
they happened to be at hand, and he without better means to
dispose of them, and then scattered discreetly, that there is
less hesitation in omitting them altogether from the present
edition. An edited To^ji Jones, a bowdlerized Shakespeare
may be an absurdity. But to drop certain chapters from The
AlhiWibra is simply to anticipate the reader in the act of skip-
ping. There is no loss, since all important facts and descrip-

INTRODUCTION xiii

tions are given more graphically and entertainingly elsewhere in
the book.

Perhaps it may seem injudicious to introduce a new edition
of so popular a work by pointing out its defects. But one can
afford to be honest about Irving. T/ie Alha7nbra might have
more serious blemishes, and its charm would still survive
triumphantly the test of the harshest criticism. For, whatever
subtlety, whatever elegance Irving's style may lack, it is always
distinguished by that something which, for want of a better
name, is called charm — a quality always as difficult to define
as Lowell thought when he found it in verse or in perfume.
But there it is in all Washington Irving wrote : a clue to the
lavish praise of his contemporaries— of Coleridge, who pro-
nounced The Cofiquest of Gra?iada a ckef (fceuvre, and Camp-
bell, who believed he had added clarity to the English tongue ;
of Byron and Scott and Southey ; of Dickens, w;hose pockets
were at one time filled with Irving's books worn to tatters ; of
Thackeray, who likened the American to Goldsmith, describing
him as " one of the most charming masters of our lighter lan-
guage."

Much of this power to please is due, no doubt, to the sim-
plicity and sincerity of Irving's style at its best. Despite a
tendency to diffuseness, despite a fancy for the ornate, when
there is a story to be told, he can be as simple and straightfor-
ward as the child's " Once upon a time,'' with which he begins
many a tale : appropriately, since the legends of the Alhambra
are but stories for grown-up children. And there is no question
of the sincerity of his love for everything savouring of romance.
For that matter, it is seldom that he does not mean what he
says and does not say it so truly with his whole heart, that you
are convinced, where you distrust the emotion of De Amicis,

xiv INTRODUCTION

pumping up tears of admiration before the wrong thing, or of
Maurice Barres seeing all Spain through a haze of blood, volup-
tuousness, and death. It was the strength of his feeling for the
Alhambra that led Irving to write in its praise, not the desire to
write that manufactured the feeling. Humour and sentiment
some of his critics have thought the predominant traits of his
writing, as of his character. It is a fortunate combination : his
sentiment, though it often threatens, seldom overflows into
gush, kept within bounds as it is by the sense of humour that
so rarely fails him. His power of observation was of still
greater service. He could use his eyes. He could see things
for himself. And he was quick to detect character. Occasion-
ally one finds him slipping. In his landscape, the purple
mountains of Alhama rise wherever he considers them most
effective in the picture : and the snow considerately never
melts from the slopes of the Sierra Nevada, which I have seen
all brown at midsummer. He could look only through the
magnifying glass of tradition at the hand and key on the Gate
of Justice : symbols so gigantic in fiction, so insignificant in
fact that one might miss them altogether, did not every book,
paper, and paragraph, every cadging, swindling tout — I mean
guide — in Granada bid one look for them. But these are
minor discrepancies. In essentials, his observation never
played him false. There may not be a single passage to equal
in force and brilliance Gautier's wonderful description of the
bull-fight at Malaga ; but his impressions were so clear, his
record of them so faithful, that the effect of his book remains,
while the accomplishment of a finer artist in words may be
remembered but vaguely. It is Irving who prepares one best
for the stern grandeur and rugged solemnity of the country
between Seville and Granada. The journey can now be made

INTRODUCTION xv

by rail. But to travel by road as he did — as we have done —
is to know that his arid mountains and savage passes are no
more exaggerated than the pleasant valleys and plains that lie
between. For Spain is not all gaiety as most travellers would
like to imagine it, as most painters have painted it, save
Daumier in his pictures of Don Quixote among the barren hills
of La Mancha. And if nothing in Granada and the Alhambra
can be quite unexpected, it is because one has seen it all
beforehand with Irving, from the high Tower of Comares and
the windows of the Hall of Ambassadors, or else, following him
through the baths and mosque and courts of the silent Palace,
crossing the ravine to the cooler gardens of the Generalife,
and climbing the Albaycin to the white church upon its
summit.

There have been many changes in the Alhambra since Irving's
day. The Court of Lions lost in loveliness when the roses
with which he saw it filled were uprooted. The desertion he
found had more picturesqueness than the present restoration
and pretence of orderliness. Irving was struck with the
efforts which the then Commander, Don Francisco de Serna,
was making to keep the Palace in a state of repair and to arrest
its too certain decay. Had the predecessors of De Serna, he
thought, discharged the duties of their station with equal
fidelity, the Alhambra might have been still almost as the Moor,
or at least Spanish royalty had left it. A\'hat would he say, one
wonders, to the Alhambra under its present management ? Frank
neglect is often less an evil than sham zeal. The student,
watched, badgered, oppressed by red-tapeism, has not gained
by official vigilance ; nor is the Palace the more secure because
responsibility has been transferred from a pleasant gossiping old
woman to half a dozen indolent guides. The burnt roof in

xvi INTRODUCTION

the ante-chamber to the Hall of Ambassadors shows the
carelessness of which the new officers can be guilty ; the
matches and cigarette ends with which courts and halls are
strewn explain that so eloquent a warning has been in vain.
And if the restorer has been let loose in the Alhambra, at
the Generalife there is an Italian proprietor, eager, it would
seem, to initiate the somnolent Spaniard into the brisker ways
of Young Italy. Cypresses, old as Zoraide, have already been
cut down ruthlessly along that once unrivalled avenue, and their
destruction, one fears, is but the beginning of the end.

But whatever changes the past sixty }ears have brought
about in Granada, the popularity of Irving's book has not
weakened with time. Not Ford, nor ^Murray, nor Hare has
been able to replace it. The tourist reads it within the walls it
commemorates as conscientiously as the devout read Ruskin in
Florence. It serves as text book in the Court of Lions and
the Garden of Lindaraxa. It is the student's manual in the
high mirador of the Sultanas and the court of the mosque
where Fortuny painted. In a Spanish translation it is pressed
upon you almost as you cross the threshold. Irving's rooms
in the Palace are always locked, that the guide may get
an extra fee for opening — as a special favour — an apartment
which half the people ask to see. As the steamers " Rip
Van Winkle"' and "Knickerbocker" ply up and down the
Hudson, so the Hotel Washington Irving rises under
the shadow of the Alhambra. Even the spirits and spooks
that haunt every grove and garden are all of his creation, as
Spaniards themselves will be quick to tell you ; though who
Irving — or, in their familiar speech, "Vashington" — was, but
very few of them could explain. And thus his name has
become so closely associated with the place that, just as Died-

INTRODUCTION xvii

rich Knickerbocker will be remembered while New York stands,
so Washington Irving cannot be forgotten so long as the Red
Palace looks down upon the Vega and the tradition of the
Moor lingers in Granada.

Elizabeth Robins Pennell.

1 ..,,".

\l .>

'"'W^'^-^ ""

CONTENTS

The Journey

Palace of the Alhambra

Important Negotiations. — The Author Succeeds to

the Throne of Boabdil

Inhabitants of the Alhambra ....

The Hall of Ambassadors

The Mysterious Chambers

Panorama View from the To\ver of Comares

The Balcony

The Adventure of the Mason

The Court of Lions

Mementoes of Boabdil

The House of the Weathercock

Legend of the Arabian Astrologer

Visitors to the Alhambra

The Generalife

Legend of Prince Ahmed al Kamel, or, the Pilc

OF Love

A Ramble Among the Hills

Legend of the Moor's Legacy ....

rim

I
46

79
90
96
106
122
134
144
151
163
172
176
199
207

217
259
270

CONTENTS

The Tower of Las Infantas

Legend of the Three Beautiful Princesses
Legend of the Rose of the Alhambra .

The \^eteran

The Governor and the Notary

Governor Manco and the Soldier ....

A Fete in the Alhambra

Legend of the Two Discreet Statues

The Crusade of the Grand Master of Alcantara

An Expedition in Quest of a Diplo.ma .

The Legend of the Enchanted Soldier

The Author's Farewell to CjRanada

293
297
326
346
350
359
377
383
401

413

417
432

Seville

THE ALHAMBRA

THE JOURNEY

In the spring of 1829, the author of this work, whom
curiosity had brought into Spain, made a rambUng expedition
from Seville to Granada in company with a friend, a member
of the Russian Embassy at Madrid. Accident had thrown us
together from distant regions of the globe and a similarity of
taste led us to wander together among the romantic mountains
of Andalusia.

And here, before setting forth, let me indulge in a few
previous remarks on Spanish scenery and Spanish travelling.
Many are apt to picture Spain to their imaginations as a soft
southern region, decked out with the luxuriant charms of
voluptuous Italy. On the contrary, though there are ex-
ceptions in some of the maritime provinces, yet, for the
greater part, it is a stern, melancholy country, with rugged
mountains, and long sweeping plains, destitute of trees, and
indescribably silent and lonesome, partaking of the savage and
solitary character of Africa. What adds to this silence and
loneliness, is the absence of singing-birds, a natural conse-
quence of the want of groves and hedges. The vulture and
E B

THE ALHAMBRA

the eagle are seen wheeling about the mountain-cliffs, and
soaring over the plains, and groups of shy bustards stalk about

A stern uielaticholy country.

the heaths ; but the myriads of smaller birds, which animate
the whole face of other countries, are met with in but few

THE JOURNEV 3

provinces in Spain, and in those chiefly among the orchards
and gardens which surround the habitations of man.

In the interior provinces the traveller occasionally traverses
great tracts cultivated with grain as far as the eye can reach,
waving at times with verdure, at other times naked and sun-
burnt, but he looks round in vain for the hand that has tilled

■v^^"*::

the soil. At length he perceives some village on a steep hill,
or rugged crag, with mouldering battlements and ruined watch-
tower : a stronghold, in old times, against civil war, or
Moorish inroad : for the custom among the peasantry of con-
gregating together for mutual protection is still kept up in most
parts of Spain, in consequence of the maraudings of roving
freebooters.

i: 2

THE ALHAMBRA

But though a great part of Spain is deficient in the garniture
of groves and forests, and the softer charms of ornamental culti-
vation, yet its scenery is

^.-^l .. rS^""^^^'^' noble in its severity and

^ ^^j. -^^^ ^^^ ^< . . ....

m unison with the attri-
butes of its people ; and

I think that I better
understand the proud,
hardy, frugal, and ab-
stemious Spaniard, his
manly defiance of hard-
ships, and contempt of

effeminate indulgences, since I have seen the country he

inhabits.

There is something, too, in the sternly simple features of the

^'SS^t^'V'h'?

.i^^.x

'^>^tjUv»i<.V > AK --^--u^>-— --^

-v;^>-.v,i^.._^

Spanish landscape, that impresses on the soul a feeling of
sublimity. The immense plains of the Castiles and of La

6 THE ALU AM BRA

Mancha. extending as for as the eye can reach, derive an
interest from their very nakedness and immensity, and possess,
in some degree, the solemn grandeur of the ocean. In ranging
over these boundless wastes, the eye catches sight here and
there of a straggling herd of cattle attended by a lonely
herdsman, motionless as a statue, with his long slender

pike tapering up like a

fiance into the air ; or
beholds a long train of
"m^ -^^ mules slowly moving

along the waste like a

ag^ train of camels in the

^■", ■ desert ; or a single

horseman, armed with
blunderbuss and sti-
letto, and prowling over
the plain. Thus the
country, the habits, the
very looks of the people,
have something of the
Arabian character. The
general insecurity of the
country is evinced in
^^■^^^^ the universal use of

-^ .^(^^^_ weapons. The herds-

^'^', ^\ '^^ ^'^^**". man in the field, the

shepherd in the plain,
has his musket and his knife. The wealthy villager rarely ventures
to the market-town without his frabuco, and, perhaps, a servant
on foot with a blunderbuss on his shoulder ; and the most
petty journey is undertaken with the preparation of a warlike
enterprise.

The dangers of the road produce also a mode of travelling
resembling, on a diminutive scale, the caravans of the East.
The arrieros, or carriers, congregate in convoys, and set off in

Roman Bridg^e, Rop.aa.

S TIIK ALIIAM15RA

large and well-armed trains on appointed days; while additional
travellers swell their number, and contribute to their strength.
In this primitive way is the commerce of the country carried
on. The muleteer is the general medium of traffic, and the
legitimate traverser of the land, crossing the peninsula from the
Pyrenees and the Asturias to the Alpuxarras, the Serrania de

^^^^

^*ij.

Ronda, and even to the gates of Gibraltar. He lives frugally
and hardily : his alforjas of coarse cloth hold his scanty stock
of provisions ; a leathern bottle, hanging at his saddle-bow,
contains wine or water, for a supply across barren mountains
and thirsty plains ; a mule-cloth spread upon the ground is his
bed at night, and his pack-saddle his pillow. His low, but
clean-limbed and sinewy form betokens strength; his com-
plexion is dark and sunburnt ; his eye resolute, but quiet in
its expression, except when kindled by sudden emotion ; his

THE JOURNEY 9

demeanour is frank, manly, and courteous, and he never passes
you without a grave salutation: '■'• Dios guarde a listed!'"
" Va listed con Dios, Caballero ! " " God guard you ! " " God
be with you, Cavalier ! "

As these men have often their whole fortune at stake upon
the burden of their mules, they have their weapons at hand,
slung to their saddles, and ready to be snatched out for
desperate defence ; but their united numbers render them

Serrania dc Ronda.

secure against petty bands of marauders, and the solitary
baudolei'o^ armed to the teeth, and mounted on his iVndalusian
steed, hovers about them, like a pirate about a merchant
convoy, without daring to assault.

The Spanish muleteer has an inexhaustible stock of songs
and ballads, with which to beguile his incessant wayfaring.
The airs are rude and simple, consisting of but few inflections.
These he chants forth with a loud voice, and long, drawling
cadence, seated sidewavs on his mule, who seems to listen

TlIK ALIIA^IBRA

with infinite gravity, and to keep time, with liis paces, to the
tune. The couplets thus chanted are often old traditional
romances about the Moors, or some legend of a saint, or some
love-ditty ; or, what is still more frecjuent, some ballad about
a bold 'contraba?idista^ or hardy bandolero^ for the smuggler
and the robber are poetical heroes among the common people
of Spain. Often, the song of the muleteer is composed at the
instant, and relates to some local scene, or some incident of
the journe)'. This talent of singing and improvising is frequent in
Spain, and is said to have been inherited from the Moors. There

is something
I " , - wildly pleas-

ing in listen-
ing to these
ditties among
llie rude and
lonely scenes
they illustrate;
accompanied,
as they are, by
:iie occasional
! ingle of the
mule-bell.
It has a
most picturesque effect also to meet a train of muleteers
in some mountain-pass. First you hear the bells of
the leading mules, breaking with their simple melody the
stillness of the airy height ; or, perhaps, the voice of the
muleteer admonishing some tardy or wandering animal, or
chanting, at the full stretch of his lungs, some traditionary
l:»allad. At length you see the mules slowly winding along the
cragged defile, sometimes descending precipitous cliffs, so as
to present themselves in full relief against the sky, sometimes
toiling up the deep arid chasms below you. As they approach,
you descry their gay decorations of worsted stuffs, tassels, and

THE JOURNEV ii

saddle-cloths, while, as they pass by, the ever ready tnibuco,
slung behind the packs and saddles, gives a hint of the
insecurity of the road.

The ancient kingdom of Granada, into which we were
about to penetrate, is one of the most mountainous regions of
Spain. Vast sierras^ or chains of mountains, destitute of shrub

Approach to Gyanada. FroJti near Elvin

or tree, and mottled with variegated marbles and granites,
elevate their sunburnt summits against a deep-blue sky ; vet in
their rugged bosoms lie ingulfed verdant and fertile valleys,
where the desert and the garden strive for mastery, and the
very rock is, as it were, compelled to yield the fig, the orange,
and the citron, and to blossom with the myrtle and the rose.

THE ALIIAMHKA

In the wild passes of these mountains the sight of walled
towns and villages, built like eagles' nests among the cliffs,
and surrounded by Moorish battlements, or of ruined watch-
towers perched on lofty peaks, carries the mind back to the
chivalric days of Christian and Moslem warfare, and to the
romantic struggle for the conquest of Granada. In traversing
these lofty sierras the traveller is often obliged to alight, and
lead his horse up and down the steep and jagged ascents and
descents, resembling the broken steps of a staircase. Some-
times the road winds along dizzy precipices, without parapet to
guard him from the gulfs below, and then will plunge down

steep and dark and
dangerous declivities.
Sometimes it strug-
gles through rugged
barrancas^ or ravines,
worn by winter tor-
rents, the obscure
path of the contra-
handista : while, ever
and anon, the omin-
ous cross, the monu-
ment of robbery and
murder, erected on a mound of stones at some lonely part of
the road, admonishes the traveller that he is among the haunts
of banditti, perhaps at that very moment under the eye of
some lurking bandolero. Sometimes, in winding through the
narrow valleys, he is startled by a hoarse bellowing, and
beholds above him on some green fold of the mountain a herd
of fierce Andalusian bulls, destined for the combat of the
arena. I have felt, if I may so express it, an agreeable horror
in thus contemplating, near at hand, these terrific animals,
clothed with tremendous strength, and ranging their native
pastures in untamed wildness, strangers almost to the face of
man : they know no one but the solitary herdsman who attends

THE JOURNEY 13

upon them, and even he at times dares not venture to approach
them. The low bellowing of these bulls, and their menacing
aspect as they look down from their rocky height, give ad-
ditional wildness to the savage scenery.

I have been betrayed unconsciously into a longer disquisition
than I intended on the general features of Spanish travelling :
but there is a romance about all the recollections of the
Peninsula dear to the imagination.

As our proposed route to Granada lay through mountainous
regions, where the roads are little better than mule-paths, and
said to be frequently beset by robbers, we took due travelling
precautions. Forwarding the most valuable part of our
luggage a day or two in advance by the arrieros, we retained
merely clothing and necessaries for the journey and money for
the expenses of the road ; with a little surplus of hard dollars
by way of robber purse, to satisfy the gentlemen of the road
should we be assailed. Unlucky is the too wary traveller who,
having grudged this precaution, falls into their clutches empty-
handed ; they are apt to give him a sound rib-roasting for
cheating them out of their dues. " Cabalkros like them
cannot afford to scour the roads and risk the gallows for
nothing."

A couple of stout steeds were provided for our own
mounting, and a third for our scanty luggage and the con-
veyance of a sturdy Biscayan lad, about twenty years of age,
who was to be our guide, our groom, our valet, and at all
times our guard. For the latter office he was provided with a
formidable trabiico or carbine, with which he promised to
defend us against rateros or solitary foot-pads ; but as to
powerful bands, like that of the " Sons of Ecija," he confessed
they were quite beyond his prowess. He made much vain-
glorious boast about his weapon at the outset of the journey :
though, to the discredit of his generalship, it was suffered to
hang unloaded behind his saddle.

According to our stipulations, the man from whom we hired

14 THE ALIIAMBRA

the horses was to be at the expense of their feed and stabling
on the journey, as well as of the maintenance of our
Biscayan squire, who of course was provided with funds for
the purpose ; we took care, however, to give the latter a private
hint, that, though we made a close bargain with his master, it
was all in his favour, as, if he proved a good man and true,
both he and the horses should live at our cost, and the money
provided for their maintenance remain in his pocket. This
unexpected largess, with the occasional present of a cigar, won
his heart completely. He was, in truth, a faithful, cheery,
kind-hearted creature, as full of saws and proverbs as that
miracle of squires, the renowned Sancho himself, whose name,
by the by, we bestowed upon him, and, like a true Spaniard,
though treated by us with companionable familiarity, he never
for a moment, in his utmost hilarity, overstepped the bounds
of respectful decorum.

Such were our minor preparations for the journey, but above
all we laid in an ample stock of good-humour, and a genuine
disposition to be pleased ; determining to travel in true contra-
bandista style ; taking things as we found them, rough or
smooth, and mingling with all classes and conditions in a kind
of vagabond companionship. It is the true way to travel in
Spain. With such disposition and determination, what a
countr\' is it for a traveller, where the most miserable inn is as
full of adventure as an enchanted castle, and every meal is in
itself an achievement ! Let others repine at the lack of turn-
pike roads and sumptuous hotels, and all the elaborate comforts
of a country cultivated and civilised into tameness and common-
place ; but give me the rude mountain scramble ; the roving,
hap-hazard, wayfaring ; the half wild, yet frank and hospitable
manners, which impart such a true game-flavour to dear old
romantic Spain I

Thus equipped and attended, we cantered out of " Fair
Seville city " at half-past six in the morning of a bright May
day, in company with a lady and gentleman of our acquaintance,

THE JOURNEY 15

who rode a few miles with us, in the Spanish mode of taking
leave. Our route lay through old Alcala de Guadaira (Alcala

'-X*

^-.-,^K^"i^^"':0?

' m

f ^-.

on the river Aira), the benefactress of Seville, that supplies it
with bread and wattr. Here live the bakers who furnish Seville

THE ALIIAMHRA

with that delicious bread for which it is renowned ; here are fabri-
cated those roscas well known by the well-merited appellation of
pan de Bios (bread of God) ; with which, by the way, we
ordered our man, Sancho, to stock his alforjas for the journey.

Well has this beneficent little city been denominated the
" Oven of Seville " ; well has it been called Alcala de los
Panaderos (Alcala of the bakers), for a great part of its in
habitants are of that handicraft, and the highway hence to

Seville is constantly tra-
versed by lines of mules
and donkeys laden with
great panniers of loaves
and 7'oscas.

I have said Alcala sup-
plies Seville with water.
Here are great tanks or
reservoirs, of Roman and
Moorish construction,
whence water is conveyed
to Seville by noble aque-
ducts. The springs of Alcala are almost as much vaunted as
its ovens ; and to the lightness, sweetness, and purity of its
water is attributed in some measure the delicacy of its bread.
Here we halted for a time, at the ruins of the old Moorish

~^;f^^^^'

THE TOURNEY

castle, a favourite resort for picnic parties from Seville, where
we had passed many a pleasant hour. The walls are of great
extent, pierced with loopholes ; enclosing a huge square tower or
keep, with the remains of niasmoras, or subterranean granaries.
The Guadaira winds its stream ,, ,

^3»-.'

round the hill, at the foot of these

ruins, whimpering among reeds,

rushes, and pond-lilies, and

overhung with rhododendron, .-

eglantine, yellow myrtle, and a

profusion of wild flowers and

aromatic shrubs ; while along

its banks are groves of oranges, citrons, and pomegranates,

among which we heard the early note of the nightingale.

A picturesque bridge was thrown across the little river, at
one end of which was the ancient Moorish mill of the castle,
defended by a tower of yellow stone ; a fisherman's net hung
against the wall to dry, and hard by in the river was his
boat : a group of peasant women in bright-coloured dresses,

crossing the arched bridge,
were reflected in the placid
stream. Altogether it was
^•^ an admirable scene for a
landscape-painter.

The old Moorish mills,
so often found on secluded
streams, are characteristic
objects in Spanish land-
scape, and suggestive of the
perilous times of old. They
are of stone, and often in the form of towers with loopholes and
battlements, capable of defence in those warlike days when the
country on both sides of the border was subject to sudden
inroad and hasty ravage, and when men had to labour with their
weapons at hand, and some place of temporary refuge.

i8 THE ALHAMBRA

Our next halting-place was at Gandul, where were the remains
of another Moorish castle, with its ruined tower, a nestling-
place for storks, and commanding a view over a vast campiha
or fertile plain, with the mountains of Ronda in the distance.
These castles were strongholds to protect the plains from the
talas or forays to which they were subject, when the fields of
corn would be laid waste, the flocks and herds swept from the
vast pastures, and, together with captive peasantry, hurried off
in long cava/gadas across the borders.

At Gandul we found a tolerable posada ; the good folks
could not tell us what time of day it was, the clock only struck

once in the day, two hours

X '-^H^'^ ^,\,\^^ - ^fter noon ) until that time

^■>i»' "'^pfi ' >";r-^>^ — "v -^^ ^t ^^ ^'^^ guess-work. We

-^.^"^ 4:f 1 ' ' ; |r^^-^ guessed it was full time to

'*'ii/ '^^\}.Af£^-<'^ % ^^^^ so, alighting, we ordered

- -y^^f^M^-^.^ ^^ -'i^^,y^>^~. a repast, ^^1lile that was

•*^^ ''^^'ird^^^^STV^^i ■'-":: in preparation, we visited
"'.*^ ^ "'^ '.,"'r- ^^./ the palace once the resi-

-f^'^'J^^^^^ ^"' ^^"''^ °^ ^^^ Marquis of
'W:^?^ #rv^^'-^^ Gandul. All was gone to

decay ; there were but two
or three rooms habitable, and very poorly furnished. Yet here
were the remains of grandeur : a terrace, where fair dames and
gentle cavaliers may once have walked ; a fish-pond and ruined
garden, with grape-vines and date-bearing palm-trees. Here
we were joined by a fat curate, who gathered a bouquet of
roses, and presented it, very gallantly, to the lady who
accompanied us.

Below the palace was the mill, with orange-trees and aloes
in front, and a pretty stream of pure water. We took a seat in
the shade ; and the millers, all leaving their work, sat down
and smoked with us ; for the Andalusians are always ready for
a gossip. They were waiting for the regular visit of the barber,
who came once a week to put all their chins in order. He

THE JOURNEY 19

arrived shortly afterwards : a lad of seventeen, mounted on a
donkey, eager to display his new alforjas or saddle-bags, just
bought at a fair ; price one dollar, to be paid on St. John's day
(in June), by which time he trusted to have mown beards
enough to put him in funds.

By the time the laconic clock of the castle had struck two
we had finished our dinner. So, taking leave of our Seville
friends, and leaving the millers still under the hands of the
barber, we set off on our ride across the campifia. It was one of
those vast plains, common in Spain, where for miles and miles
there is neither house nor tree. Unlucky the traveller who has to
traverse it, exposed as we were to heavy and repeated showers
of rain. There is no escape nor shelter. Our only protection
was our Spanish cloaks, which nearly covered man and horse,
but grew heavier every mile. By the time we had lived
through one shower we would see another slowly but inevitably
approaching ; fortunately in the interval there would be an out-
break of bright, warm, Andalusian sunshine, which would make
our cloaks send up wreaths of steam, but which partially dried
them before the next drenching.

Shortly after sunset we arrived at i\.rahal, a little town among
the hills. We found it in a bustle with a party of iniquekfs,
who were patrolling the country to ferret out robbers. The
appearance of foreigners like ourselves was an unusual circum-
stance in an interior country town ; and little Spanish towns
of the kind are easily put in a state of gossip and wonderment
by such an occurrence. ~ Mine host, with two or three old wise-
acre comrades in brown cloaks, studied our passports in a
corner of the posada, while an Alguazil took notes by the dim
light of a lamp. The passports were in foreign languages and
perplexed them, but our Squire Sancho assisted them in their
studies, and magnified our importance with the grandiloquence
of a Spaniard. In the meantime the magnificent distribution
of a few cigars had won the hearts of all around us ; in a little
while the whole community seemed put in agitation to make us

c 2

20 THE ALHAMBRa

welcome. The Corregidor himself waited upon us, and a great
rush-bottomed arm-chair was ostentatiously bolstered into our
room by our landlady, for the accommodation of that important
personage. The commander of the patrol took supper with
us : a lively, talking, laughing Andaluz, who had made a cam-
paign in South America, and recounted his exploits in love and
war with much pomp of phrase, vehemence of gesticulation,
and mysterious rolling of the eye. He told us that he had a
list of all the robbers in the country, and meant to ferret out
every mother's son of them ; he offered us at the same time
some of his soldiers as an escort. " One is enough to protect

vou, se/lors ; the robbers

'^fci^^^^^ -^^^.^^.t^.K^^^^v^. ^^"^^^^' "^^' ^^"'^ know^ my

men ; the sight of one is
enough to spread terror

through a whole sierra.'^
We thanked him for his
offer, but assured him,
in his own strain, that
with the protection of
.C^S^%& ti^/V^S """.*' C-- '• our redoubtable squire,

Sancho, we were not
afraid of all the ladrones of Andalusia.

^^'hile we were supping with our drawcansir friend, we heard
the notes of a guitar, and the click of castanets, and presently
a chorus of voices singing a popular air. In fact, mine host had
gathered together the amateur singers and musicians, and the
rustic belles of the neighbourhood, and, on going forth, the
court-yard or patio of the inn presented a scene of true Spanish
festivity, ^^'e took our seats with mine host and hostess and
the commander of the patrol, under an archway opening into
uhe court ; the guitar passed from hand to hand, but a jovial
shoemaker was the Orpheus of the place. He was a pleasant-
looking fellow, with huge black whiskers ; his sleeves were
rolled up to his elbows. He touched the guitar with masterly

THE JOURNEY 21

skill, and sang a little amorous ditty with an expressive leer at
the women, with whom he was evidently a favourite. He
afterwards danced d, fandango with a buxom Andalusian damsel,
to the great delight of the spectators. But none of the females
present could compare with mine host's pretty daughter, Pepita,
who had slipped away and made her toilette for the occasion
and had covered her head with roses ; and who distinguished
herself in a bolero with a handsome young dragoon. We
ordered our host to let wine and refreshment circulate freely
among the company, yet, though there was a motley assembly
of soldiers, muleteers, and villagers, no one exceeded the
bounds of sober enjoyment. The scene was a study for a
painter : the picturesque group of dancers, the troopers in their
half military dresses, the peasantry wrapped in their brown
cloaks ; nor must I omit to mention the old meagre Algttazil,
in a short black cloak, who took no notice of anything going
on, but sat in a corner diligently writing by the dim light of a
huge copper lamp, that might have figured in the days of Don
Quixote.

The following morning was bright and balmy, as a May
morning ought to be, according to the poets. Leaving Arahal
at seven o'clock, with all the posada at the door to cheer us
off, we pursued our way through a fertile country, covered with
grain and beautifully verdant ; but which in summer, when the
harvest is over and the fields parched and brown, must be
monotonous and lonely ; for, as in our ride of yesterday, there
were neither houses nor people to be seen. The latter all
congregate in villages and strongholds among the hills, as if
these fertile plains were still subject to the ravages of the
Moor.

At noon we came to where there was a group of trees, beside
a brook in a rich meadow. Here we alighted to make our
mid-day meal. It was really a luxurious spot, among \\ild
flowers and aromatic herbs, with birds singing around us.
Knowing the scanty larders of Spanish inns, and the house-

22 THE ALIIAMBRA

iuss tracts we might have to traverse, we had taken care to
have the alforjas of our squire well stocked with cold provi-
sions, and his bota^ or leathern bottle, which might hold a
gallon, filled to the neck with choice Valdepenas wine.^ As
we depended more upon these for our well-being than even
his trabua\ we exhorted him to be more attentive in keeping
them well charged ; and I must do him the justice to say that
his namesake, the trencher-loving Sancho Panza, was never
a more provident purveyor. Though the alforjas and the bota
were frequently and vigorously assailed throughout the journey,
they had a wonderful power of repletion, our vigilant squire
sacking everything that remained from our repasts at the inns

to supplying these jun-
ketings by the road-side,
hich were his delight.
On the present occa-
sion he spread quite a
sumptuous variety of
remnants on the green-
>ward before us, graced
with an excellent ham
brought from Seville ;
then, taking his seat at a little distance, he solaced himself
with what remained in the alforjas. A visit or two to the
bota made him as merry and chirruping as a grasshopper filled
with dew. On my comparing his contents of the alforjas to
Sancho's skimming of the flesh-pots at the wedding of Cam-
macho, I found he was well versed in the history of Don Quixote,

1 It may be as well to note here, that the alforjas are square pockets at
each end of a long cloth about a foot and a half wide, formed by turning up
its extremities. The cloth is then thrown over the saddle, and the pockets
hang on each side like saddle-bags. It is an Arab invention. The bota is
a leathern bag or bottle, of portly dimensions, with a narrow neck. It is
also Oriental. Hence the scriptural caution which perplexed me in my
boyhood, not to put new wine into old bottles.

THE JOURNEY 23

but, like many of the common people of Spain, firmly believed
it to be a true history.

" All that happened a long time ago, Sefior^'^ said he, with
an inquiring look.

" A very long time," I replied.

" I dare say more than a thousand years," — still looking
dubiously.

" I dare say not less."

The squire was satisfied. Nothing pleased the simple-hearted
valet more than my comparing him to the renowned Sancho
for devotion to the trencher : and he called himself by no
other name throughout the journey.

Our repast being finished, we spread our cloaks on the green-
sward under the tree, and

took a luxurious siesta, in .-"'^'■r""*'^-:^-~.\,.;<--r^^^ -.'"v. '

the Spanish fashion. The _ -. ""*'- '•-'^^^"^'^^- -.- -

clouding up of the w^eather, _ . . .J-

however, warned us to
depart, and a harsh wind
sprang up from the south-
east. Towards five o'clock
we arrived at Osuna, a

town of fifteen thousand inhabitants, situated on the side of a
hill, with a church and a ruined castle. The posada was outside
of the walls ; it had a cheerless look. The evening being cold,
the inhabitants were crowded round a brasero in a chimney-
comer ; and the hostess was a dry old w-oman, who looked like
a mummy. Every one eyed us askance as we entered, as
Spaniards are apt to regard strangers ; a cheery, respectful
salutation on our part, caballeroing them and touching our
sombreros, set Spanish pride at ease ; and when we took our
seat among them, lit our cigars, and passed the cigar-box
round among them, our victory was complete. I have never
known a Spaniard, whatever his rank or condition, who would
suffer himself to be outdone in courtesy ; and to the common

THE ALII AM BRA

Spaniard the present of a cigar /)//r() is irresistible. Care,
however, must be taken never to offer him a present with an

air of superiority and
condescension : he is
too much of a cahallero
to receive favours at the
cost of his dignity.

Leaving Osuna at an
early hour the next morn-
ing, we entered the sierra
or range of mountains.
The road wound through picturesque scenery, but lonely ; and
a cross here and there by the roadside, the sign of a murder,
showed that we were now coming among the "robber haunts."
This wild and intricate country, with its silent plains and
valleys intersected by mountains, has ever been famous for
banditti. It was here that Omar Ibn Hassan, a robber-chief
among the Moslems, held ruthless sway in the nintli century.
disputing dominion
even with the califs
of Cordova. This too
was a part of the re-
gions so often ravaged
during the reign of
Ferdinand and Isa-
bella by Ali Atar, the
old Moorish akayde
of Loxa, father-in-law
of BoaV^dil so that it
was called Ali Atar's
garden, and here
"Jose Maria," famous in Spanish brigand stor)^, had his
favourite lurking-places.

In the course of the day we passed through Fuente la Piedra,
near a little salt lake of the same name, a beautiful sheet of

THE JOURNEY

Crossing a gentle

water, reflecting like a mirror the distant mountains. We now
came in sight of Antiquera, that old city of warlike reputation,
lying in the lap of the great sierra which runs through Anda-
lusia. A noble vega spread out before it, a picture of mild
fertility set in a frame of rocky mountains,
river we approached the
city between hedges and
gardens, in which nightin-
gales were pouring forth
their evening song. About
nightfall we arrived at the
gates. Everything in this
venerable city has a de-
cidedly Spanish stamp. It

lies too much out of the frequented track of foreign travel to
have its old usages trampled out. Here I observed old men still
wearing the montero, or ancient hunting-cap, once common
throughout Spain ; while the young men wore the little round-
crowned hat, with brim turned up all round, like a cup turned
down in its saucer ; while the brim was set off with little
black tufts like cockades. The women, too, were all in

mcnitillas and basqiii?ias.
The fashions of Paris had
not reached Antiquera.

Pursuing our course
through a spacious street,
we put up at the posada
of San Fernando. As Anti-
quera, though a consider-
able city, is, as I observed, somewhat out of the track of
travel, I had anticipated bad quarters and poor fare at the
inn. I was agreeably disappointed, therefore, by a supper-
table amply supplied, and what were still more acceptable,
good clean rooms and comfortable beds. Our man Sancho
felt himself as well off as his namesake when he had the run

THE ALHAMBRA

Uft-.' > ^^ i"^. (ik '*-^' ■-- "« 0

of tile duke's kitchen, and let me know, as I retired for the
night, that it had' been a proud time for the alforjas.

Earl}- in the morning (May 4th) I strolled to the ruins

of the old Moorish
castle, which itself had
been reared on the
ruins of a Roman for-
tress. Here, taking
my seat on the re-
mains of a crumbling
tower, I enjoyed a
grand and varied land-
scape, beautiful in it-
'" ^.f " ■ " %->^v- 'gA' " '^^ self; and full of storied

and romantic associ-
ations ; for I was now in the very heart of the country
famous for the chivalrous contests between Moor and Christian.
Below me, in its lap of hills, lay the old warrior city so often
mentioned in chronicle and ballad. Out of yon gate and down
yon hill paraded the

2x7

band of Spanish ca-
valiers, of highest rank
and bravest bearing,
to make that foray
during the war and
conquest of Granada,
which ended in the
lamentable massacre
among the mountains
of Malaga, and laid all
Andalusia in mourn-
ing. Beyond spread out the vega, covered with gardens
and orchards and fields of grain and enamelled meadows,
inferior only to the famous vega of Granada. To the right the
Rock of the T.overs stretched like a cragged promontory into

THE JOURNEY

the plain, whence the daughter of the ^Moorish alcayde and her
lover, when closely pursued, threw themselves in despair.

The matin peal from church and convent below me rang
sweetly in the morning air, as I descended. The market-place
was beginning to throng with the populace, who traffic in the
abundant produce of the vega ; for this is the mart of an

) ^r ^

^TffllHW

'1^

^ — ^ — -

\ ^

agricultural region. In the market-place were abundance of
freshly plucked roses for sale ; for not a dame or damsel of
Andalusia thinks her gala dress complete without a rose shining
like a gem among her raven tresses.

On returning to the inn I found our man Sancho in high
gossip with the landlord and two or three of his hangers-on.
He had just been telling some marvellous story about Seville,
which mine host seemed piqued to match with one equally

28 THE ALIIAMBRA

marvellous about Antiquera. There was once a fountain, he
said, in one of the public squares called II fuente del toro (the
fountain of the bull), because the water gushed from the mouth
of the bull's head, carved of stone. Underneath the head was
inscribed, —

En frente del toro
Se hallen tcsoro.

In front of the bull there is treasure. Many digged in front
of the fountain, but lost their labour and found no money. At
last one knowing fellow construed the motto a different way. It
is in the forehead fretite of the bull that the treasure is to

be found, said he to him-

^ i; ^fj^ .1 self, and I am the man

^^ ? ; JT ^l; to find it. Accordingly

■■^\.*^ v9 i' ^ '^^^ he came, late at night, with

. J|;' -"-^ _| ' ;:%-^^J a mallet, and knocked the

rg)^4 -'%■*■ "^" head to pieces : and what

'ft ' ^'-'"^^ '^ f diamonds ! " cried Sancho,
^ eagerly.

"He found nothing,"
rejoined mine host, dryly, " and he ruined the fountain."

Here a great laugh was set up by the landlord's hangers-on ;
who considered Sancho completely taken in by what I presume
was one of mine host's standing jokes.

Leaving Antiquera at eight o'clock, we had a delightful ride
along the little river, and by gardens and orchards fragrant with
the odours of spring and vocal with the nightingale. Our road
passed round the Rock of the Lovers {el pefion de los enamo-
rados), which rose in a precipice above us. In the course of
the morning we passed through Archidona, situated in the
breast of a high hill, with a three-pointed mountain towering
above it, and the ruins of a Moorish fortress. It was a great
toil to ascend a steep stony street leading up into the city,

THE JOURNEY

although it bore the encouraging name of" Calk Real del Llano

(the royal street of the plain), but it was a still greater toil to

descend from this mountain city on the other side.

At noon we halted in sight of Archidona, in a pleasant little

meadow among hills

covered with olive-trees.

Our cloaks were spread

on the grass, under an

elm by the side of a

bubbling rivulet ; our

horses were tethered

where they might crop

the herbage, and Sancho

was told to produce his alforjas. He had been unusually

silent this morning ever since the laugh raised at his expense,

but now his countenance brightened, and he produced his

alforjas with an air
of triumph. They
contained the contri-
butions of four days'
journeying, but had
been signally en-
riched by the foraging
r the previous even-
ing in the plenteous
inn at Antiquera;

and this seemed to furnish Inin with a set-off to the banter

of mine host.

En /rente del toro
Se hallen tesoro

would he exclaim, with a chuckling laugh, as he drew forth the
heterogeneous contents one by one, in a series which seemed to
have no end. First came forth a shoulder of roasted kid, very
little the worse for wear ; then an entire partridge ; then a great
morsel of salted codfish wrapped in paper ; then the residue of

30 THE ALHAMBRA

a ham : tlien the half of a pullet, together with several rolls of
bread, and a rabble rout of oranges, figs, raisins, and walnuts.
His bota also had been recruited with some excellent wine of
Malaga. At every fresh apparition from his larder, he would
enjoy our ludicrous surprise, throwing himself back on the
grass, shouting with laughter, and exclaiming, ^^ F?'€nte del
toro ! — -f rente del toro ! Ah, sefio?'s, they thought Sancho a
simpleton at Antiquera ; but Sancho knew where to find the
tesoro.'^

While we were diverting ourselves with his simple drollery,
a solitary beggar approached, who had almost the look of a
pilgrim. He had a venerable gray beard, and was evidently
very old, supporting himself on a staff, yet age had not bowed
him down ; he was tall and erect, and had the wreck of a fine
form. He wore a round Andalusian hat, a sheep-skin jacket,
and leathern breeches, gaiters, and sandals. His dress, though
old and patched, was decent, his demeanour manly, and he
addressed us with the grave courtesy that is to be remarked in
the lowest Spaniard. We were in a favourable mood for such
a visitor ; and in a freak of capricious charity gave him some
silver, a loaf of fine wheaten bread, and a goblet of our choice
wine of Malaga. He received them thankfully, but without
any grovelling tribute of gratitude. Tasting the wine, he held
it up to the light, with a slight beam of surprise in his eye ;
then quaffing it off at a draught, "It is many years," said he,
" since I have tasted such wine. It is a cordial to an old
man's heart." Then, looking at the beautiful wheaten loaf,
" bendito sea tal pa?i ! " " blessed be such bread ! " So saying,
he put it in his wallet. \<q urged him to eat it on the spot.
" No, sefiors^^'' replied he, " the wine I had either to drink or
leave ; but the bread I may take home to share with my family."

Our man Sancho sought our eye, and reading permission
there, gave the old man some of the ample fragments of our
repast, on condition, however, that he should sit down and
make a meal.

THE JOURNEY 31

He accordingly took his seat at some little distance from us,
and began to eat slowly, and with a sobriety and decorum that
would have become a hidalgo. There was- altogether a
measured manner and a quiet self-possession about the old
man, that made me think that he had seen better days : his
language, too, though simple, had occasionally something
picturesque and almost poetical in the phraseology. I sec him
down for some broken-down cavalier. I was mistaken ; it was
nothing but the innate courtesy of a Spaniard, and the poetical
turn of thought and language often "to be found in the lowest
classes of this clear-witted people. For fifty years, he told us,
he had been a shepherd, but now he was out of employ and
destitute. " When I was a young man," said he, " nothing
could harm or trouble me ; I was always well, always gay ; but
now I am seventy-nine years of age, and a beggar, and my heart
begins to fail me."

Still he was not a regular mendicant : it was not until recently
that want had driven him to this degradation ; and he gave a
touching picture of the struggle between hunger and pride, when
abject destitution first came upon him. He was returning from
Malaga without money ; he had not tasted food for some time,
and was crossing one of the great plains of Spain, where there
were but few habitations. "\Mien almost dead with hunger, he
applied at the door of a venta or country inn, " Ferdo?i listed
por Dios herniano I " (Excuse us, brother, for God's sake !)
was the reply — the usual mode in Spain of refusing a beggar.
" I turned away," said he, " with shame greater than my
hunger, for my heart was yet too proud. I came to a river
with high banks, and deep, rapid current, and felt tempted to
throw myself in : ' What should such an old, worthless,
wretched man as I live for ? ' But when I was on the brink of
the current, I thought on the blessed Virgin, and turned away.
I travelled on until I saw a country-seat at a little distance
from the road, and entered the outer gate of the court-yard.
The door was shut, but there were two young sefioras at a

32 THE ALilAMBRA

window. I approached and begged ; — ' Perdon usted por Dios
her /nan 0 ! ' — and the window closed. I crept out of the court-
yard, but hunger overcame me, and my heart gave way : I
thought my hour at hand, so I laid myself down at the gate,
commended myself to the Holy Virgin, and covered my head
to die. In a little while afterwards the master of the house
came home : seeing me lying at his gate, he uncovered my
head, had pity on my gray hairs, took me into his house, and
gave me food. So, sejlors, you see that one should always put
confidence in the protection of the Virgin."

The old man was on his way to his native place, Archidona,
which was in full view on its steep and rugged mountain. He
pointed to the ruins of its castle. " That castle," he said,

" was inhabited by a
Moorish king at the time
of the wars of Granada.
Queen Isabella invaded
it with a great army ; but
the king looked down
from his castle among the
clouds, and laughed her
to scorn ! Upon this the
Mrgin appeared to the queen, and guided her and her army
up a mysterious path in the mountains, which had never before
been known, ^^'hen the Moor saw her coming, he was astonished,
and springing u'ith his horse from a precipice, was dashed to
pieces ! The marks of his horse's hoofs," said the old man,
" are to be seen in the margin of the rock to this day. And
see, seiiors, yonder is the road by which the queen and her
army mounted : you see it like a ribbon up the mountain's side;
but the miracle is, that, though it can be seen at a distance,
when you come near it disappears ! "

The ideal road to which he pointed was undoubtedly a sandy
ravine of the mountain, which looked narrow and defined at a
distance, but became broad and indistinct on an approach.

THE TOURXEV

As the old man's heart warmed with wine and wassail, he
went on to tell us a story of the buried treasure left under the
castle by the Moorish king. His own house was next to me
foundations of the
castle. The curate
and notary dreamed
three times of the
treasure, and went to
work at the place
pointed out in their
dreams. His own
son-in-law heard the
sound of their pick-
axes and spades at night. What they found, nobody knows ;
they became suddenly rich, but kept their own secret. Thus
the old man had once been next door to fortune, but was
doomed never to get under the same roof.

I have remarked that the stories of treasure buried by the
Moors, so popular throughout Spain, are most current among
the poorest people. Kind nature consoles with shadows for
the lack of substantial. The thirsty man dreams of fountains
and running streams ; the hungry man of banquets ; and the
poor man of heaps of hidden gold : nothing certainly is more
opulent than the imagination of a beggar.

Our afternoon's ride took us through a steep and rugged
defile of the mountains, called Fiierte del Re\\, the Pass of the
King ; being one of the great passes into the territories of
Granada, and the one by which King Ferdinand conducted his
army. Towards sunset the road, winding round a hill, brought
us in sight of the famous little frontier city of Loxa, which
repulsed P'erdinand from its walls. Its Arabic name implies
guardian, and such it was to the vega of Granada, being one of
its advanced guards. It was the stronghold of that fiery
veteran, old AH Atar, father in-law of Boabdil ; and here it was
that the latter collected his troops, and sallied forth on that

THE ALII AM BRA

disastrous foray which ended in the death of the old alcaxde
and his own captivity. From its commanding position at the
gate, as it were, of this mountain-pass, Loxa has not unaptly
been termed the key of Granada. It is wildly picturesque ;
built along the face of an arid mountain. The ruins of a
Moorish alcazar or citadel crown a rocky mound which rises
out of the centre of the town. The river Xenil washes its base,
winding among rocks, and groves, and gardens, and meadows,
and crossed by a Moorish bridge. Above the city all is savage

and sterile, below is the richest vegetation and the freshest
verdure. A similar contrast is presented by the river : above
the bridge it is placid and grassy, reflecting groves and gardens ;
below it is rapid, noisy, and tumultuous. The Sierra Nevada,
the royal mountains of Granada, crowned with perpetual snow,
form the distant boundary to this varied landscape, one of the
most characteristic of romantic Spain.

Alighting at the entrance of the city, we gave our horses to
Sancho to lead them to the inn, while we strolled about to
enjoy the singular beauty of the environs. As we crossed the
bridge to a fine alanu\ia, or public walk, the bells tolled the

THE JOURNEY 35

hour of orison. At the sound the wayfarers, whether on
business or pleasure, paused, took off their hats, crossed them-
selves, and repeated their evening prayer : a pious custom still
rigidly observed in retired parts of Spain. Altogether it was a
solemn and beautiful evening scene, and we wandered on as the
evening gradually closed, and the new moon began to glitter
between the high elms of the alameda. We were roused from
this quiet state of enjoyment by the voice of our trusty squire
hailing us from a distance. He came up to us, out of breath.
" Ah, sefiores,''' cried he, " el pobre Saucho no es nada sin Don
QuixoteT (/Vh, senors, poor Sancho is nothing without Don
Quixote.) He had been alarmed at our not coming to the
inn ; Loxa was such a wild mountain i)]ace, full of confra-

(nindistas^ enchanters, and infiernos ; he did not well know what
might have happened, and set out to seek us, inquiring after us
of every person he met, until he traced us across the bridge,
and, to his great joy, caught sight of us strolling in the
(i/anieda.

The inn to which he conducted us was called the Corona, or
Crown, and we found it quite in keeping with the character of
the place, the inhabitants of which seem still to retain the
bold, fiery spirit of the olden time. The hostess was a young
and handsome Andalusian widow, whose trim basquifia of
black silk, fringed with bugles, set off the play of a graceful
form and round pliant liml)s. Her step was firm and elastic ;
her dark eye was full of fire and the coquetry of her air,

D 2

36 THE ALllAMHkA

and varied ornaments of her |)erson, showed tliat she was
accustomed to be admired.

She was well matched l)y a brother, nearly about her own
age ; they were perfect models of the Andalusian Majo and
Maja. He was tall, vigorous, and well-formed, with a clear
olive complexion, a dark beaming eye, and curling chestnut
whiskers that met under his chin. He was gallantly dressed in
a short green velvet jacket, fitted to his shape, profusely
decorated with silver buttons, with a white handkerchief in
each pocket. He had breeches of the same, with rows of
buttons from the hips to the knees ; a pink silk handkerchief
round his neck, gathered through a ring, on the bosom of a
neatly ])laited shirt : a sash round the waist to match ; bottinas^
or spatterdashes, of the finest russet leather, elegantly worked,
and open at the calf to show his stocking : and russet shoes,
setting off a well-shaped foot.

As he was standing at the door, a horseman rode up and
entered into low and earnest conversation with him. He was
dressed in a similar style, and almost w^ith equal finery ; a man
about thirty, square-built, vrith strong Roman features, hand-
some, though slightly pitted with the small-pox; with a free,
bold, and somewhat daring air. His powerful black horse was
decorated with tassels and fanciful trappings, and a couple of
broad-mouthed blunderbusses hung behind the saddle. He
had the air of one of those co?it7'aha7idistas I have seen in the
mountains of Ronda, and evidently had a good understanding
with the brother of mine hostess ; nay, if I mistake not, he was
a favoured admirer of the widow. In fact, the whole inn and its
inmates had something of a io?ifraba?idisfa aspect, and a
blunderbuss stood in a corner beside the guitar. The horseman
I have mentioned passed his evening in the fosada, and sang
several bold mountain romances with great spirit. As we were
at supper, two poor Asturians put in, in distress, begging food
and a night's lodging. They had been waylaid b>y robbers as
they came from a fair among the mountains, robbed of a liorse

THE TOURXKV

2,7

which carried all their stock in trade, stripped of their money,
and most of their apparel, beaten for having offered resistance,
and left almost naked in the road. My companion, with a prompt

Moorisk Gate, Ronda.

generosity natural to him, ordered them a sLip|)fr and a bed,
and gave them a sum of nnjney to heli) them forward towards
their home.

38 THK ALIIAMHRA

As the evening advanced, the dra/natis pcrsoni? thickened.
A large man, about sixty years of age, of powerful frame, came
strolling in, to gossip with mine hostess. He was dressed in
the ordinary Andalusian costume, but had a huge sabre tucked
under his arm ; wore large moustaches, and had something of
a lofty swaggering air. Every one seemed to regard him with
great deference.

Our man Sancho whispered to us tliat he was Don A^ntura
Rodriguez, the hero and champion of Loxa, famous for his
prowess and the strength of his arm. In the time of the
French invasion he surprised six troopers who were asleep ; he
first secured their horses, then attacked them with his sabre,
killed some, and took the rest prisoners. For this exploit the
king allows him a peseta (the fifth of a duro, or dollar) per day,
and has dignified him with the title of Don.

I was amused to behold his swelling language and demeanour.
He was evidently a thorough Andalusian, boastful as brave.
His sabre was always in his hand or under his arm. He
carries it always about with him as a child does its doll, calls it
his Santa Teresa, and says, '' \Mien I draw it, the earth
trembles " {tiemhla la tierra).

I sat until a late hour listening to the varied themes of this
motley group, who mingled together with the unreserve of a
Spanish posada. AVe had contraba?idista songs, stories of
robbers, guerrilla exploits, and Moorish legends. The last were
from our handsome landlady, who gave a poetical account of
the infieriios^ or infernal regions of Loxa, — dark caverns, in
which subterranean streams and waterfalls make a mysterious
sound. The common people say that there are money-coiners
shut up there from the time of the Moors : and that the
Moorish kings kept their treasures in those caverns.

I retired to bed with my imagination excited h\ all that I
had seen and heard in this old warrior city. Scarce had I
fallen asleep when I was aroused by a horrid din and uproar,
that might have confounded the hero of La ^lancha himself,

THE JOURNEY 39

whose experience of Spanish inns was a continual uproar. It
seemed for a moment as if the Moors were once more breaking
into the town ; or the infiernos of which mine hostess talked
had broken loose. I sallied forth, half dressed, to reconnoitre.
It was nothing more nor less than a charivari to celebrate the
nuptials of an old man with a buxom damsel. Wishing him
joy of his bride and his serenade, I returned to my more quiet
bed, and slept soundly until morning.

While dressing, I amused myself in reconnoitring the popu-
lace from my window. There were groups of fine-looking
young men in the trim fanciful Andalusian costume, with
brown cloaks, thrown about them in true Spanish style, which
cannot be imitated, and little round majo hats stuck on with a
peculiar knowing air. They had the same galliard look which
I have remarked among the dandy mountaineers of Ronda.
Indeed, all this part of Andalusia abounds with such game-
looking characters. They loiter about the towns and villages ;
seem to have plenty of time and plenty of money ; " horse to
ride and weapon to wear." (ireat gossips, great smokers, apt
at touching the guitar, singing couplets to their maja belles, and
famous dancers of the bolero. Throughout all Spain the men,
however poor, have a gentlemanlike abundance of leisure ;
seeming to consider it the attribute of a true cavaliero never to
be in a hurry ; but the Andalusians are gay as well as leisurely,
and have none of the squalid accompaniments of idleness.
The adventurous contraband trade which prevails throughout
these mountain regions, and along the maritime borders of
Andalusia, is doubtless at the bottoni of this galliard
character.

In contrast to the costume of these groups was that of two
long-legged Valencians conducting a donkey, laden with articles
of merchandise ; their muskets slung crosswise over his back,
read}' for action. They wore round jackets (Ja/ecos), wide
linen brai^as or drawers scarce reaching to the knees and look-
ing like kilts, red fajas or sashes swathed tightly round their

40 THE ALIIAMl'.RA

waists, sandals of espartal or bass weed, coloured kerchiefs
round their heads somewhat in the style of turbans, but leaving
the top of the head uncovered ; in short, their whole appearance
having much of the traditional Moorish stamp.

On leaving Loxa we were joined by a cavalier, well mounted
and well armed, and followed on foot by an escopeterv or
musketeer. He saluted us courteously, and soon let us into
his quality. He was chief of the customs, or rather, I should
suppose, chief of an armed company whose business it is to
patrol the roads and look out for cojitrabandistas. The
escopetero was one of his guards. In the course of our morn-
ing's ride I drew from him some particulars concerning the
smugglers, who have risen to be a kind of mongrel chivalry in
Spain. They come into Andalusia, he said, from various parts,
but especially from La Mancha ; sometimes to receive goods,
to be smuggled on an appointed night across the line at the
plaza or strand of Gibraltar ; sometimes to meet a vessel, which
is to hover on a given night off a certain part of the coast.
I'hey keep together and travel in the night. In the daytime
they lie quiet in barrancas, gullies of the mountains, or lonely
farmhouses : where they are generally well received, as they
make the family liberal presents of their smuggled wares.
Indeed, much of the finery and trinkets worn by the wives and
daughters of the mountain hamlets and farm-houses are presents
from the gay and open-handed contrabaudistas.

Arrived at the part of the coast where a vessel is to meet
them, they look out at night from some rocky point or head-
land. If they descry a sail near the shore they make a con-
certed signal ; sometimes it consists in suddenly displaying a
lantern three times from beneath the folds of the cloak. If
the signal is answered, they descend to the shore and prepare
for quick work. The vessel runs close in ; all her boats are
busy landing the smuggled goods, made up into snug packages
for transportation on horseback. These are hastily thrown on
the beach, as hastily gathered up and packed on the horses,

THE JOURNEY 41

and then the coiityahajidistas clatter off to the mountains.
They travel by the roughest, wildest, and most solitary roads,
where it is almost fruitless to pursue them. The custom-hous3
guards do not attempt it : they take a different course. When
they hear of one of these bands returning full freighted through
the mountains, they go out in force, sometimes twelve infantry
and eight horsemen, and take their station where the mountain
defile opens into the plain. The infantry, who lie in ambush
some distance within the defile, suffer the band to pass, then
rise and fire upon them. The cotitrabandistas dash forward,
but are met in front by the horsemen. A wild skirmish ensues.
The cofitrabandistas, if hard pressed, become desperate. Some
dismount, use their horses
as breastworks, and fire
over their backs ; others
cut the cords, let the
packs fall off to delay the
enemy, and endeavour
to escape with their
steeds. Some get off in
this way with the loss of

their packages ; some are taken, horses, packages, and all ;
others abandon everything, and make their escape by scrambling
up the mountains. " And then," cried Sancho, who had been
listening with a greedy ear, ^' se hacen ladroues legitimos^' —
and then they become legitimate robbers.

I could not help laughing at Sancho's idea of a legitimate
calling of the kind ; but the chief of customs told me it was
really the case that the smugglers, when thus reduced to ex-
tremity, thought they had a kind of right to take to the road,
and lay travellers under contribution, until they had collected
funds enough to mount and equip themselves in couirabaiidista
style.

Towards noon our wayfaring companion took leave of us and
turned up a steep defile, followed by his escopctcro ; and

THE ALII AM BRA

shortly afterwards wc emerged from the mountains, and entered
upon the far-famed ri\i^a of (iranada.

Our last mid-day's repast was taken under a grove of olive-
trees on the border of a rivulet. \\'e were in a classical neigh-
bourhood ; for not far off were the groves and orchards of the
Soto de Roma. This, according to fabulous tradition, was a
retreat founded by Count Julian to console his daughter
Florinda. It was a rural resort of the Moorish kings of
Granada ; and has in modern times been granted to the Duke
of Wellington.

Our worthy squire made a half melancholy face as he drew
forth, for the last time, the contents of his a/forjas, lamenting

that our expedition was draw-
ing to a close, for, with such
cavaliers, he said, he could
travel to the world's end. Our
repast, however, was a gay one;
made under such delightful
auspices. The day was with-
out a cloud. The heat of the
sun was tempered by cool breezes from the mountains. Before
us extended the glorious z'ega. In the distance was romantic
Granada surmounted by the ruddy towers of the Alhambra,
while far above it the snowy summits of the Sierra Nevada
shone like silver.

Our repast finished, we sjjread our cloaks and took our last
siesta a/ fresco^ lulled by the humming of bees among the
flowers and the notes of doves among the olive-trees. A\'hen
the sultry hours were passed we resumed our journey. After a
time we overtook a pursy little man, shaped not unlike a toad
and mounted on a mule. He fell into conversation with
Sancho, and finding we were strangers, undertook to guide us
to a good posada. He was an cscrilmno (notary), he said, and
knew the city as thoroughly as his own pocket. " Ah £>ios,
Scnores I what a city you are going to see. Such streets ! such

THE IOUr<XFV

S'luares ! such palaces 1 and then the women— ah, Sivita Maria
///m/;//rz— what women ! "' — " But \.\\<:: posada you talk of," said
I, " are you sure it is a good one ? "

" Good : Santa Maria ! the best in Granada. Saloms

mdes — catiias de liuxo --colthones de pluina (grand saloons
-luxurious sleeping-rooms — beds of down). Ah, Seiiores, vou
will fare like King Chico in the Alhambra."'

" And how will my horses fare ? '' cried Sancho.

" Like King Chico's horses. Chocolate con leche y bollos para

ALII AM BRA

alniuerza " (cliocolate and milk with sugar cakes for breakfast),
giving the squire a knowing wink and a leer.

After such satisfactory accounts, nothing more was to be
desired on that liead. So we rode ([uietly on, the squab little
notary taking the lead, and turning to us every moment with
some fresh exclamation about the grandeurs of Granada and
the famous times we were to have at the posada.

Thus escorted, we passed between hedges of aloes and

,^<'fV^-

-—-^ "«-.-*:,

:^^n!S^^J^^

'^W'"' '

f--i.k

Indian figs, and through that wilderness of gardens with which
the vega is embroidered, and arrived about sunset at the gates
of the city. Our officious little conductor conveyed us up one
street and down another, until he rode into the court-yard of
an inn where he appeared to be perfectly at home. Summon-
ing the landlord by his Christian name, he committed us to his
care as two cavaUeros de mucho valor, worthy of his best apart-
ments and most sumptuous fare, ^^'e were instantly reminded
of the patronising stranger who introduced Gil Bias with such

THE JOURNEY 45

a flourish of trumpets to the host and hostess of the inn at
Pennaflor, ordering trouts for his supper, and eating voraciously
at his expense. " You know not what you possess," cried he
to the innkeeper and his wife. " You have a treasure in your
house. Behold in this young gentleman the eighth wonder of
the world — nothing in this house is too good for Seiior Gil
Bias of Santillane, who deserves to be entertained like a
prince."

Determined that the little notary should not eat trouts at
our expense, like his prototype of Pennaflor, we forbore to ask
him to supper ; nor had we reason to reproach ourselves with
ingratitude, for we found before morning the little varlet, who
was no doubt a good friend of the landlord, had decoyed us
into one of the shabbiest /(^i-^z^^i; 5- in Granada.

•---1
k

■ ^ -•-■ 1 -V . -C"°^

i^:i':^-,-:--Y^?T7^r

Piedralga Cassia.

PALACE OF THE ALHAMBRA

To the traveller imbued with a feeling for the historical and
poetical, so inseparately interwined in the annals of romantic
Sj)ain, the Alhambra is as much an object of devotion as is the

'•^#J^Uf Li^^^A ' > ' III wi

Caaba to all true Moslems. How many legends and traditions,
true and fabulous, — how many songs and ballads, Arabian and
Spanish, of love and war and chivalry, are associated with this
Oriental pile ! It was the royal abode of the Moorish kings,

PALACE OF THE ALIIAMBRA

where, surrounded with the splendours and refinements of
Asiatic luxury, they held dominion over what they vaunted as
a terrestrial paradise, and made their last stand for empire in
Spain. The royal palace forms but a part of a fortress, the
walls of which, studded with towers, stretch irregularly round
the whole crest of a hill, a spur of the Sierra Nevada or Snowy
Mountains, and overlook the city ; externally it is a rude con-
gregation of towers and battlements, with no regularity of plan

^ <;

nor grace of architecture, and giving little promise of the grace
and beauty which prevail within. •

In the time of the Moors the fortress was capable of contain-
ing within its outward precincts an army of forty thousand men,
and served occasionally as a stronghold of the sovereigns
against their rebellious subjects. After the kingdom had
passed into the hands of the Christians, the Alhambra con-
tinued to be a royal demesne, and was occasionally inhabited
by the Castilian monarchs. The emperor Charles V. com-
menced a sumptuous palace within its walls, but was deterred

THE ALU AM BRA

-ill c^.- '

•< ••' .-■■J-"; -"• ?»-_.r:.S;^^'-"'*^ -.-> ■^'r^^^'^ ^ .. -^ . \

:^f^

from completing it by repeated shocks of earthquakes. The
last royal residents were Philip V. and his beautiful queen,

i'^^- H 4- j'*''^s- i^.'ftij^i Rrr*> jS t? >* "■■>; ■' i-^. • ^ --

^pi^iii^

Elizabetta of Parma, early in the eighteenth century. Great
preparations were made for their reception. The palace and

PALACE OF THE ALHAMBRA

gardens were placed in a state of repair, and a new suite of
apartments erected, and decorated by artists brought from Italy.
The sojourn of the sovereigns was transient, and after their
departure the palace once more became desolate. Still the
place was maintained with some military state. The governor
held it immediately from the crown, its jurisdiction extended
down into the suburbs of the city, and was independent of the

% ^ 4 §i # ^>.il-W'

captain-general of Granada. A considerable garrison was kept
up ; the governor had his apartments in the front of the old
Moorish palace, and never descended into Granada without
some military parade. The fortress, in fact, was a little town
of 'itself, having several streets of houses within its walls,
together with a Franciscan convent and a parochial church.

The desertion of the court, however, was a fatal blow to the
Alhambra, Its beautiful halls became desolate, and some of
them fell to ruin ; the gardens were destroyed, and the

THE ALIIAMRRA

fountains ceased to play. l>y degrees the dwellings became
filled with a loose and lawless population : contrabandistas.
who availed themselves of its independent jurisdiction to carry
on a wide and daring course of smuggling, and thieves and
rogues (3f all sorts, who made this their place of refuge whence
they might depredate upon Granada and its vicinity. The strong
arm of government at length interfered ; the whole community
\vas thoroughly sifted ; none were suffered to remain but such
as were of honest character, and had
legitimate right to a residence ; the
greater part of the houses were de-

^i^^^^mM^

molished and a mere hamlet
left, with the parochial church
and the Franciscan convent.
During the recent troubles in Spain, when Granada was in
the hands of the French, the Alhambra was garrisoned
by their troops, and the palace w^as occasionally inhabited
by the French commander. With that enlightened taste
which has ever distinguished the French nation in their con-
quests, this monument of Moorish elegance and grandeur
w^as rescued from the absolute ruin and desolation that were
overwhelming it. The roofs were repaired, the saloons and
galleries protected from the w^eather, the gardens cultivated,

PALACE OF THE ALHAMBRA

the watercourses restored, the fountains once more made to
throw up their sparkHng showers ; and Spain may thank her
invaders for having preserved to her the most beautiful and
interesting of her historical monuments.

On the departure of the French they blew up several towers
of the outer wall, and left the fortifications scarcely tenable.
Since that time the military importance of the post is at an
end. The garrison is a handful of invalid soldiers, whose

y^^^

\ ^

^^ N

''^f.fvrv

principal duty is to guard some of the outer towers, which
serve occasionally as a prison of state ; and the governor,
abandoning the lofty hill of the Alhambra, resides in the centre
of Granada, for the more convenient despatch of his official
duties.

Our first object of course, on the morning after our arrival,
was a visit to this time-honoured edifice ; it has been so often,
however, and so minutely described by travellers, that I shall
not undertake to give a comprehensive and elaborate account

E 2

TIIK ALII AM BRA

of it, but merely occasional sketches of parts, witli the incidents
and associations connected with them.

Leaving our /^osndu, and traversing the renowned square of
the \'ivarrambla, once the scene of IMoorish jousts and tourna-
ments, now a crowded market-i)lace, we proceeded along the
Zacatin, the main street of what, in the time of the Moors, was
the (ireat Bazaar, and where small shops and narrow alleys still
retain the Oriental character. Crossing an open place in front
of the palace of the captain-general, we ascended a confined
and winding street, the name of which reminded us of the

4JU*'t*i

chivalric days of Granada. It is called the Calle, or
street of the Gomeres, from a Moorish family famous in
chronicle and song. This street led up to the Puerta de
las Granadas, a massive gateway of Grecian architecture, built
by Charles A"., forming the entrance to the domains of the
Alhambra.

At the gate wer-e two or three ragged superannuated soldiers,
dozing on a stone bench, the successors of the Zegris and the
Abencerrages ; while a tall meagre varlet, whose rusty-brown
cloak v\-as evidently intended to conceal the ragged state of his

PxVLACE OF THE ALHAMBRA 53

nether garments, was lounging in the sunshine and gossiping
with an ancient sentinel on duty. He joined us as we entered
the gate, and offered his services to show us the fortress.

4 {sm^mm- ill' «

I have a traveller's dislike to officious ciceroni, and did not
altogether like the garb of the applicant.

" You are well acquainted with the place, I presume ? "
*■'- Ninguno mas ; piics scno?', soy hijo de la Alhaiiibra.''

54 THK ALIIAMBRA

(Nobody better ; in fact, sir, I am a son of the Alhambra I)
The common Spaniards have certainly a most poetical way
of expressing themselves. " A son of the Alhambra I " the ap-
pellation caught me at once ; the very tattered garb of my new
acquaintance assumed a dignity in my eyes. It was emble-
matic of the fortunes of the place, and befitted the progeny of
a ruin.

I put some further questions to him, and found that his title

' .^t .a^ a.'*

<? "?■

!'V -:..^=:_- ^J^"-

".vir?;' V, \ I .^^^Jv,; ^-X^-i-:

^ * " ~- .- /ill ■ ' ■<'•

was legitimate. His family had lived in the fortress from gene-
ration to generation ever since the time of the Conquest. His
name was Mateo Ximenes. " Then, perhaps," said I, " you
may be a descendant from the great Cardinal Ximenes ? "—
" Dws sabe I Cxod knows, Senor ! It may be so. A\'e are the
oldest family in the Alhambra, — Christianas viejos, old Chris-
tians, without any taint of Moor or Jew. I know we belong to
some great family or other, but I forgot whom. My father

PALACE OF THE ALHAMKKA

knows all about it : he has the coat of arms hanging up in his
cottage, up in the fortress." There is not any Spaniard, how-
ever poor, but has some claim to high pedigree. The first
title of this ragged worthy, however, had completely captivated

'"'^^mu^'i.

> 'J':r::^^^:z^i

.v^^5r^,.^,

T- :'v-:3.^j^-v -'J-^

'«^-^-->f^^y^,

me : so I gladly accepted the services of the " son of the
Alhambra."

We now found ourselves in a deep narrov; ravine, filled with
beautiful groves, with a steep avenue, and various footpaths

56 THE ALT I AM BRA

winding through it, bordered with stone seats, and ornamented
with fountains. To our left we beheld the towers of the Al-
hambra beetling above us ; to our right, on the opposite side

^t ^r.i^

. 1 i. mki

'""1 ^i^^# i -| ;■•'■! ,v*: ■> ^f^

m 0^i f^ «5sjii f^' J^ t:'

*Tir .-.-4. • ^ .-■■'»C»T." -n ...W' ■ ?? :?:^'iL:,J 3 ■' i"

»■ r^' ?

'^^ft|B#>,pg#r

of the ravine, we were equally dominated by rival towers on
a rocky eminence. These, we were told, were the Torres Ver-
mejos, or vermilion towers, so called from their ruddy hue.

TALACE OF THE ALHAMBRA

No one knows their origin. They are of a date much anterior
to the Alhambra : some suppose them to have been built by
the Romans ; others, by some wandering colony of Phoeni-
cians. Ascending the steep and shady avenue, we arrived
at the foot of a huge square Moorish tower, forming a kind
of barbican, through which passed the main entrance to the

fortress. Within the barbican was another group of veteran
invalids, one mounting guard at the portal, while the rest,
wrapped in their tattered cloaks, slept on the stone benches.
This portal is called the Gate of Justice, from the tribunal held
within its porch during the Moslem domination, for the imme-
diate trial of petty causes : a custom common to the Oriental

Till-: Al.IIAMBRA

*s*

nations, and occasionally alluded ^.

to in the sacred Scriptures. ^^,^'
" Judges and officers shalt thou ' '
make thee m all thy gales, and
they shall judge the people with
just judgment."

The great vestibule, or porch of the gate, is formed by an
immense Arabian arch, of the horseshoe form, which springs
to half the height of the tower. On the keystone of this arch

PALACE OF THE ALHAMBRA

is engraven a gigantic hand, ^^'ithin the vestibule, on the key-
stone of the portal, is sculptured, in like manner, a gigantic
key. Those who pretend to some knowledge of Mohammedan
symbols, affirm that the hand is the emblem of doctrine ; the
five fingers designating the five principal commandments of
the creed of Islam, fasting, pilgrimage, alms-giving, ablution,
and war against infidels. The key, say they, is the emblem of
the faith or of power ; the key of Daoud, or David, transmitted

»M-- * -«i

to the prophet. " And the key of the house of David will I
lay upon his shoulder ; so he shall open, and none shall shut,
and he shall shut, and none shall open." (Isaiah xxii. 22.)
The key we are told was emblazoned on the standard of the
Moslems in opposition to the Christian emblem of the cross,
when they subdued Spain or Andalusia. It betokened the
conquering power invested in the prophet. " He that hath
the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth : and
shutteth, and no man openeth.'' (Rev. iii. 7.)

THE ALIIAMBRA

A (lilTcrcnt c\j)lanation of these emblems, liowever, was
given by the legitimate son of the Alhambra, and one more
in unison with the notions of the common people, who attach
something of mystery and magic to everything Moorish, and
have all kinds of superstitions connected with this old Moslem
fortress. According to Mateo, it was a tradition handed down
from the oldest inhabitants, and which he had from his father
and grandfather, that the hand and key were magical devices

on which the fate of the Alhambra depended. The Moorish
king who built it was a great magician, or, as some beHeved,
had sold himself to the devil, and had laid the whole fortress
under a magic spell. By this means it had remained standing,
for several years, in defiance of storms and earthquakes, while
almost all other buildings of the Moors had fallen to ruin and
disappeared. This spell, the tradition went on to say, would
last until the hand on the outer arch should reach down and
grasp the key, when the whole pile would tumble to pieces,
and all the treasures buried beneath it by the Moors would
be revealed.

Notwithstanding this ominous prediction, we ventured to

PALACE OF THE ALHAMBRA

pass through the spell-bound gateway, feeling some little as-
surance against magic art in the protection of the Virgin, a
statue of whom we observed above the portal.

After passing through the barbican, we ascended a narrow
lane, winding between walls,
and came on an open es-
planade within the fortress,
called the Plaza de los
Algibes, or Place of the
Cisterns, from great reser-
voirs which undermine it,
cut in the living rock by
the Moors to receive the
water brought by conduits
from the Darro, for the supply
of the fortress. Here, also,
is a well of immense depth,
furnishing the purest and
coldest of water, — another
monument of the delicate
taste of the ]Moors, who were
indefatigable in their exer- ^ -^^- - ""^'"''

tions to obtain that element " ^

in its crystal purity.

In front of this esplanade is the splendid pile commenced
by Charles \ ., and intended, it is said, to eclipse the residence
of the Moorish kings. Much of the Oriental edifice in-
tended for the winter season was demolished to make way
for this massive pile. The grand entrance was blocked up :
so that the present entrance to the Moorish palace is through
a simple and almost humble portal in a corner. With all the
massive grandeur and architectural merit of the palace of
Charles \'., we regarded it as an arrogant intruder, and passing
by it with a feeling almost of scorn, rang at the Moslem
portal.

THE ALIIAMBKA

'>«^

While wailinLi; for admittance, our self-imposed cicerone,
Mateo Ximenes, informed us that the royal palace was intrusted
to the care of a worthy old maiden dame called Dona Antonia-

Molina, but who, according
to Spanish custom, went by
the more neighbourly appel-
lation of Tia Antonia (Aunt
Antonia), who maintained
the Moorish halls and gar
dens in order and showed
them to strangers. While
we were talking, the door
was opened by a plump
little black-eyed Andalu-
sian damsel, whom Mateo
addressed as Dolores, but
who from her bright looks
and cheerful disposition
evidently merited a merrier
name. Mateo informed
me in a whisper that she
was the niece of Tia An-
tonia, and I found she

.__^,-. ^. - . . _. '^^'^s the good fairy who

was tc conduct us through
the enchanted palace. Under her guidance we crossed
the threshold, and were at once transported, as if by
magic wand, into other times and an oriental realm, and
were treading the scenes of Arabian story. Nothing could
be in greater contrast than the unpromising exterior of the
pile with the scene now before us. We found ourselves in
a vast patio or court, one hundred and fifty feet in length, and
upwards of eighty feet in breadth, paved with white marble,
and decorated at each end with light Moorish peristyles, one
ot which supported an elegant gallery of fretted architecture.

TALACE OF THE ALHAMBRA

Along the mouldings of the cornices and on various parts
of the walls were escutcheons and ciphers, and cufic and

sf"*

:i>)i!-'>c

"V.

t +

Arabic characters in high relief, repeating the pious mottoes
of the Moslem monarchs, the builders of the Alhambra, or
extolling their grandeur and munificence. Along the centre

Tin: ALIIAMHKA

of tlie court extended an immense basin or tank {estanque)^
a hundred and twenty-four feet in length, twenty-seven in
breadth, and five in depth, receiving its water from two
marble vases. Hence it is called the Court of the Alberca
(from al becrkah, the Arabic for a pond or tank). Great
numbers of gold-fish were to be seen gleaming through the

m^MM^29mmy.

waters of the basin, and it was bordered by hedges of
roses.

Passing from the court of the Alberca under a Moorish
archway, we entered the renowned court of Lions. No part
of the edifice gives a more complete idea of its original beauty
than this, for none has suffered so little from the ravages of
time. In the centre stands the fountain famous in song and
story. The alabaster basins still shed their diamond drops ;
the twelve lions which support them, and give the court its
name, still cast forth crystal streams as in the days of Boabdil.
The lions, however, are unworthy of their fame, being of miser-

'-r^%ll'- CT'" T- """ 'f'

THE ALIIAMBRA

able sculpture, the work probably of some Christian captive.
The court is laid out in flower-beds, instead of its ancient and

•!>^ , SPA I.,

FhJiponds of the Alhavthra,

appropriate pavement of tiles or marble ; the alteration, an
instance of bad taste was made by the French when in posses-

PALACE OF THE ALHAMBRA

sion of Granada. Round the four sides of the court are light
Arabian arcades of open filigree work, supported by slender

(.1

Court 0/ the Tank.

pillars of white marble, which it is supposed were originally
gilded. The architecture, like that in most parts of the interior
of the palace, is characterised by elegance rather than grandeur.

F 2

Till-: ALIIAMIJRA

bespeaking a delicate and graceful taste, and a disposition to
indolent enjoyment. When one looks upon the fairy traces

^4 ''\

.*3^^|2^^^

T<nver of Co7nares.

of the peristyles, and the apparently fragile fretwork of the
walls, it is difficult to believe that so much has survived the

PALACE OF THE ALHAMBRA

wear and tear of centuries, the shocks of earthquakes, the
violence of war. and the quiet, though no less baneful, pilferings

1 iW^W iir .. ..-^'H'--,

r/z^f Couri of Myrtles.

of the tasteful traveller : it is almost sufficient to excuse the

popular tradition, that the whole is protected by a magic charm.

On one side of the court a rich portal opens into the Hall of

THE ALIIAMHRA

■^sb

?4T?*ii^

■*^^^*#\

Alhatnbra ffoni Mountaift of the Sun.

the Abencerrages : so called from the gallant cavaliers of that

illustrious line who were here
perfidiously massacred. There
are some who doubt the whole
story, but our humble cicerone
Mateo pointed out the very
wicket of the portal through
which they were introduced
one by one into the court of
Lions, and the white marble
fountain in the centre of the
hall beside which they were
beheaded. He showed us also
certain broad ruddy stains on
the pavement, traces of their
~^~' blood, which, according to

popular belief, can never be effaced.

Finding we listened to him apparently with easy faith, he

PALACE OF THE ALHA^IBRA

added, that there was often heard at night, in the court of
Lions, a low confused sound, resembUng the murmuring of a
multitude, and now and then a faint tinkling, like the distant
clank of chains. These sounds were made by the spirits
of the murdered Abencerrages, who nightly haunt the scene

f ,• '■■vi»««!&.,*<.:;.-

of their suffering and invoke the vengeance of Heaven on
thei-r destroyer.

The sounds in question had no doubt been produced, as I
had afterwards an opportunity of ascertaining, by the bubbling
currents and tinkUng falls of water conducted under the

THE ALHAMBRA

pavement through pipes and channels to supply the fountains ;
but I was too considerate to intimate such an idea to the
humble chronicler of the Alhambra.

Encouraged by my easy credulity, Mateo gave me the follow-
ing as an undoubted fact, which he had from his grandfather : —

There was once an invalid soldier, who had charge of the
Alhambra to show it to strangers ; as he was one evening,

Entrafue to Hall cf Abenccrrages.

about twilight, passing through the court of Lions, he heard
footsteps on the hall of the Abencerrages ; supposing some
strangers to be lingering there, he advanced to attend upon
them, when to his astonishment he beheld four Moors richly
dressed, with gilded cuirasses and cimeters, and poniards
glittering with precious stones. They were walking to and
fro, with solemn pace ; but paused and beckoned to him. The
old soldier, however, took to flight, and could never afterwards

PALACE OF THE ALHAMBRA

be prevailed upon to enter the Alhambra. Thus it is that
men sometimes turn their backs upon fortune ; for it is the
firm opinion of Mateo, that the ]\Ioors intended to reveal
the place where their treasures lay buried. A successor
to the invalid soldier was more knowing ; he came to the

'/^0M -"''''

Court of Lions.

Alhambra poor ; but at the end of a year went off to Malaga,
bought houses, set up a carriage, and still lives there, one
of the richest as well as oldest men of the place ; all which,
Mateo sagely surmised, was in consequence of his finding out
the golden secret of these phantom Moors.

THE ALHAMBRA

I now perceived 1 had made an invaluable acquaintance in
this son of the Alhambra, one who knew all the apocryphal
history of the place and firmly believed in it, and whose
memory was stuffed with a kind of knowledge for which I
have a lurking fancy, but which is too apt to be considered
rubbish by less indulgent philosophers. I determined to
cultivate the acquaintance of this learned Theban.

Immediately opposite the hall of the Abencerrages, a

Fountain of A bcncerragcs.

portal, richly adorned, leads into a hall of less tragical asso-
ciations. It is light and lofty, exquisitely graceful in its archi-
tecture, paved with white marble, and bears the suggestive name
of the Hall of the Two Sisters. Some destroy the romance
of the name by attributing it to two enormous slabs of ala-
baster which lie side by side, and form a great part of the
pavement : an opinion strongly supported by Mateo Ximenes.
Others are disposed to give the name a more poetical

PALACE OF THE ALHAMBRA

significance, as the vague
memorial of Moorish beauties
who once graced this hall,
which was evidently a part of
the royal harem. This opinion
I was happy to find enter-
tained by our little bright-
eyed guide, Dolores, who
pointed to a balcony over an
inner porch, which gallery,
she had been told, belonged
to the women's apartment.
"You see, se/ior,'' said she, — -~ ^^"^^-^ ^ ij^*- *^

"it is all grated and latticed, ^^^^~~~~~'^ ^.-^ "^-^j^- -

like the gallery in a convent

chapel where the nuns hear mass ; for the Moorish kings,"
added she, indignantly, " shut up their wives just like nuns."

The latticedy^z^z/j-zVi-.
in fact, still remain,
whence the dark-eyed
beauties of the harem
might gaze unseen upon
the zambras and other
dances and entertain-
ments of the hall below.
On each side of this
hall are recesses or
alcoves for ottomans
and couches, on which
the voluptuous lords
of the Alhambra in-
dulged in that dreamy
repose so dear to the
Orientalists. A cupola or lantern admits a tempered light
from above and a free circulation of air ; while on one side

THE ALHAMBRA

is heard the refreshing sound of waters from the fountain of
the Hons, and on the other side the soft plash from the basin
in the garden of Lindaraxa.

It is impossible to contemplate this scene, so perfectly
Oriental, without feeling the early associations of Arabian
romance, and almost expecting to see the w^hite arm of some

Alcoz'c, Hall o/ Tico Sisters.

mysterious princess beckoning from the gallery, or some dark
eye sparkling through the lattice. The abode of beauty is
here as if it had been inhabited but yesterday : but where are
the two sisters, where the Zoraydas and Lindaraxas !

An abundant supply of water, brought from the mountains
by old Moorish aqueducts, circulates throughout the palace,
supplying its baths and fish-pools, sparkling in jets within its

PALACE OF THE ALHAMBRA

halls or murmuring in channels along the marble pavements.
When it has paid its tribute to the royal pile, and visited its
gardens and parterres, it flows down the long avenue leading
to the city, tinkling in rills, gushing in fountains, and main-
taining a perpetual verdure in those groves that embower and
beautify the whole hill of the Alhambra.

7'hose only who have sojourned in the ardent climates

.^dis

m^A

B^"''

^^1

%/ \

Mb^ ^

of the South can appreciate the delights of an abode combining
the breezy coolness of the mountain with the freshness and
verdure of the valley. \\'hile the city below pants with the
noontide heat, and the parched A'ega trembles to the eye, the
delicate airs from the Sierra Nevada play through these lofty
halls, bringing with them the sweetness of the surrounding
gardens. Everything invites to that indolent repose, the bliss
of southern climes ; and while the half-shut eye looks out from
shaded balconies upon the glittering landscape, the ear is

THE ALIIAMBRA

lulled by the rustling of groves and the murmur of running
streams.

I forbear for the present, however, to describe the other
delightful apartments of the palace. My object is merely
to give the reader a general introduction into an abode where,
if so disposed, he may linger and loiter with me day by day
until we gradually become familiar with all its localities.

Bi^

7'-r:::

Cabra,

IxMPORTAXT NEGOTIATIONS.— THE

AUTHOR SUCCEEDS TO THE THRONE

OF BOABDIL

The day was nearly spent before we could tear ourselves from
this region of poetry and romance to descend to the city and
return to the forlorn realities of a Spanish posada. In a visit
of ceremony to the Governor of the Alhambra, to whom we
had brought letters, we dwelt with enthusiasm on the scenes
we had witnessed, and could not but express surprise that he
should reside in the city when he had such a paradise at his
command. He pleaded the inconvenience of a residence in
the palace from its situation on the crest of a hill, distant from
the seat of business and the resorts of social intercourse. It
did very well for monarchs, who often had need of castle walls
to defend them from their own subjects. " But, seilors^' added
he, smiling, "if you think a residence there so desirable, my
apartments in the Alhambra are at your service."

It is a common and almost indispensable point of politeness
in a Spaniard, to tell you his house is yours. — " Esta casa es
siempre a la disposiciofi de Vm.'' — "This house is always at
the command of your Grace." In fact, anything of his which
you admire, is immediately offered to you. It is equally a
mark of good breeding in you not to accept it ; so we merely
bowed our acknowledgments of the courtesy of the Governor

TIIK ALHAMHRA

in offering us a royal palace. We were mistaken, however.
The Ciovernor was in earnest. "You will find a rambling set
of empty, unfurnished rooms," said he ; " but Tia Antonia,
who has charge of the palace, may be able to put them in
some kind of order, and to take care of you while you are

there. It you can
make any arrangement
with her for your ac-
commodation, and are
content with scanty
fare in a royal abode,
the palace of King
Chico is at your ser-
vice."'

^y e took the
Governor at his word,
and hastened up the
steep Calle de los
Gomeres, and through
the Great Gate of
Justice, to negotiate
with Dame Antonia, — -
doubting at times if
this v.'ere not a dream,
and fearing at times
that the sage Duena
of the fortress might
be slow to capitulate.
^^*e knew we had one
friend at least in the garrison, who would be in our favour,
the bright-eyed little Dolores, whose good graces we had
propitiated on our first visit ; and who hailed our return to the
palace with her brightest looks.

All, however, went smoothly. The good Tia Antonia had
a little furniture to put in the rooms, but it was of the com-

IMPORTANT NEGOTIATIONS 81

monest kind. We assured her we could bivouac on the floor.
She could supply our table, but only in her own simple way :
— we wanted nothing better. Her niece, Dolores, would wait
upon us : and at the word we threw up our hats and the bargain
was complete.

The very next day we took up our abode in the palace, and
never did sovereigns share a divided throne with more perfect
harmony. Several days passed by like a dream, when my

worthy associate, being summoned to Madrid on diplomatic
duties, was compelled to abdicate, leaving me sole monarch of
this shadowy realm. For myself, being in a manner a hap-
hazard loiterer about the world, and prone to linger in its
pleasant places, here have I been suffering day by day to steal
away unheeded, spell-bound, for aught I know, in this old en-
chanted pile. Having always a companionable feeling for my
reader, and being prone to live with him on confidential terms,
I shall make it a point to communicate to him my reveries and
researches during this state of delicious thraldom. If they have

THE ALHAMBRA

the power of imparting to his imagination any of the witching
charms of the place, he will not repine at lingering with me for
a season in the legendary halls of the Alhambra.

And first it is proper to give him some idea of my domestic

liJ-

Gate of the A Ihambra

1-^

arrangements : they are rather

of a simple kind for the occu- Ijj; i '

pant of a regal palace ; but

I trust they will be less liable j

to disastrous reverses than

those of my royal predecessors.

My quarters are at one end of the Governor's apartment, a
suite of empty chambers, in front of the palace, looking out upon
the great esplanade called /a plaza de los algibes (the place of

(; ii

IMPORTANT NEGOTIATIONS 83

the cisterns) ; the apartment is modern, but the end opposite
to my sleeping-room communicates with a cluster of Httle
chambers, partly Moorish, partly Spanish, allotted to the
chatelaine Dona Antonia and her family. In consideration of
keeping the palace in order, the good dame is allowed all the
perquisites received from visitors, and all the produce of the
gardens ; excepting that she is expected to pay an occasional
tribute of fruits and flowers to the Governor. Her family con-
sists of a nephew and niece, the children of two different
brothers. The nephew, ]\Ianuel Molina, is a young man of
sterling worth and Spanish gravity. He had served in the
army, both in Spain and the West Indies, but is now studying

medicine in the hope of one day or other becoming physician
to the fortress, a post worth at least one hundred and forty
dollars a year. The niece is the plump little black-eyed
Dolores already mentioned ; and who, it is said, will one day
inherit all her aunt's possessions, consisting of certain petty
tenements in the fortress, in a somewhat ruinous condition it
is true, but which, I am privately assured by Mateo Ximenes,
yield a revenue of nearly one hundred and fifty dollars ; so that
she is quite an heiress in the eyes of the ragged son of the
Alhambra. I am also informed by the same observant and
authentic personage, that a quiet courtship is going on be-
tween the discreet Manuel and his bright-eyed cousin, and that

G 2

THE ALHAMBRA

nothing is wanting to enable them to join their hands and ex-
pectations but his doctor's diploma, and a dispensation from
the Pope on account of their consanguinity.

The, good dame Antonia fulfils faithfully her contract in
regard to my board and lodging ; and as I am easily pleased, I
find my fare excellent ; while the merry-hearted little Dolores
keeps my apartment in order, and officiates as handmaid at
meal-times. I have also at my command a tall, stuttering,
yellow-haired lad, named Pe'pe, who works in the gardens, and

,#■•

would fain have acted as valet ; but in this he was forestalled
by Mateo Ximenes, the " son of the Alhambra." This alert
and officious wight has managed, somehow or other, to stick
by me ever since I first encountered him at the outer gate of
the fortress, and to weave himself into all my plans, until he
has fairly appointed and installed himself my valet, cicerone,
guide, guard, and historiographic squire ; and I have been
obliged to improve the state of his wardrobe, that he may not
disgrace his various functions ; so that he has cast his old brown
mantle, as a snake does his skin, and now appears about the

IMPORTANT NEGOTIATIONS

-y

fortress with a smart Andalusian hat and jacket, to his infinite
satisfaction, and the great astonishment of his comrades. The
chief fault of honest Mateo is an over-anxiety to be useful.
Conscious of having foisted himself into my employ, and that
my simple and quiet habits render his situation a sinecure, he
is at his wits' ends to devise modes of making himself import-
ant to my welfare. I am in a manner the victim of his offici-
ousness ; I cannot put my foot over the threshold of the palace
to stroll about the fortress, but he

is at my elbow, to explain every- /\^ ^ , ,^

thing I see ; and if I venture to
ramble among the surrounding hills,
he insists upon attending me as a
guard, though I vehemently suspect
he would be more apt to trust to
the length of his legs than the
strength of his arms, in case of
attack. After all, however, the
poor fellow is at times an amusing
companion ; he is simple-minded
and of infinite good humour, with
the loquacity and gossip of a village
barber, and knows all the small-
talk of the place and its environs ;
but what he chiefly values himself

on, is his stock of local information, having the most marvellous
stories to relate of every tower, and vault, and gateway of the
fortress, in all of which he places the most implicit faith.

;Most of these he has derived, according to his own account,
from his grandfather, a little legendary tailor, who lived to the
age of nearly a hundred years, during which he made but two
migrations beyond the precincts of the fortress. His shop, for
the greater part of a century, was the resort of a knot of
venerable gossips, where they would pass half the night talking
about old times, and the wonderful events and hidden secrets

THE ALHAMBRA

of the place. The whole living, moving, thinking, and acting
of this historical little tailor had thus been bounded by the
walls of the Alhambra ; within them he had been born, within
them he lived, breathed, and had his being ; within them he
died and was buried. Fortunately for posterity his traditionary
lore died not with him. The authentic Mateo, when an urchin,
used to be an attentive listener to the narratives of his grand-
father, and of the gossiping group assembled round the shop-
board, and is thus possessed of a stock of valuable knowledge

The Surrounding Hills.

concerning the Alhambra, not to be found in books, and well
worthy the attention of every curious traveller.

Such are the personages that constitute my regal household ;
and I question whether any of the potentates, Moslem or
Christian, who have preceded me in the palace, have been
Avaited upon with greater fidelity, or enjoyed a serener sw^ay.

When I rise in the morning, Pe'pe, the stuttering lad from
the gardens, brings me a tribute of fresh-culled flowers, which
are afterwards arranged in vases by the skilful hand of Dolores,
who takes a feminine pride in the decoration of my chambers.

IMPORTANT NEGOTIATIONS

t^^te^25i:'^:^gSi?i

My meals are made wherever caprice dictates ; sometimes
in one of the Moorish halls, sometimes under the arcades of
the court of Lions, surrounded by flowers and fountains : and
when I walk out, I
am conducted by the
assiduous Mateo to
the most romantic re-
treats of the moun-
tains, and delicious
haunts of the adjacent
valleys, not one of
which but is the scene
of some wonderful tale.
Though fond of pass-
ing the greater part of
my day alone, yet I
occasionally repair in
the evenings to the
little domestic circle
of Dona Antonia. This
is generally held in an
old Moorish chamber,
which serves the good
dame for parlour, kit-
chen, and hall of au-
dience, and which must
have boasted of some
splendour in the time
of the Moors, if we
may judge from the
traces yet remaining ;
but a rude fireplace
one corner, the smoke from
walls, and almost obliterated

^iiil

li.i.V.^w.v.Vu"' ■

-r'i

"^^^

'■-<>-*.

^-.r-f--c-^'-

has been made in modern times in
which has discoloured the
the ancient arabesques. A

window, with a balcony overhanging the valley of the Darro,

THE ALHAMBRA

lets in the cool evening breeze ; and here I take my frugal
supper of fruit and milk, and mingle with the conversation of
the family. There is a natural talent or mother-wit, as it is
called, about the Spaniards, which renders them intellectual
and agreeable companions, whatever may be their condition in
life, or however imperfect may have been their education : add
to this, they are never vulgar : nature has endowed them with
an inherent dignity of spirit. The good Tia Antonia is a
woman of strong and intelligent, though uncultivated mind :

and the bright-eyed
"^^ Dolores, though she has

read but three or four
books in the whole
course of her life, has
an engaging mixture of
naivete' and good sense,
and often surprises me
by the pungency of her
artless sallies. Some-
timies the nephew en-
tertains us by reading
some old comedy of
Calderon or Lope de
Vega, to which he is
evidently prompted by
a desire to improve as well as amuse his cousin Dolores;
though, to his great mortification, the little damsel generally
falls asleep before the first act is completed. Sometimes Tia
Antonia has a little levee of humble friends and dependants,
the inhabitants of the adjacent hamlet, or the wives of the
invalid soldiers. These look up to her with great deference,
as the custodian of the palace, and pay their court to her by
bringing the news of the place, or the rumours that may
have straggled up from Granada. In listening to these evening
gossipings I have pic4ced up many curious facts illustrative

t:'^

IMPORTANT NEGOTIATIONS 89

of the manners of the people and the pecuHarities of the
neighbourhood.

These are simple details of simple pleasures ; it is the nature
of the place alone that gives them interest and importance. I
tread haunted ground, and am surrounded by romantic associa-
tions. From earliest boyhood, when, on the banks of the
Hudson, I first pored over the pages of old Gines Perez de
Hytas's apocryphal but chivalresque history of the civil wars of
Granada, and the feuds of its gallant cavaliers, Zegries and
Abencerrages, that city has ever been a subject of my waking
dreams ; and often have I trod in fancy the romantic halls of the
Alhambra. Behold for once a day-dream realised ; yet I can
scarce credit my senses, or believe that I do indeed inhabit the
palace of Boabdil, and look down from its balconies upon
chivalric Granada. As I loiter through these Oriental chambers,
and hear the murmur of fountains and the song of the nightin-
gale : as I inhale the odour of the rose, and feel the influence
of the balmy climate, I am almost tempted to fancy myself in
the paradise of Mahomet, and that the plump little Dolores is
one of the bright-eyed houris, destined to administer to the-
happiness of true believers.

A Moorish Mill.

INHABITANTS OF THE ALHAMBRA

I HAVE often observed that the more proudly a mansion has
been tenanted in the day of its prosperity, the humbler are its
inhabitants in the day of its decline, and that the palace
of a king commonly ends in being the nestling-place of the
beggar.

The Alhambra is in a rapid state of similar transition.
Whenever a tower falls to decay, it is seized upon by some
tatterdemalion family, who become joint-tenants, with the bats
and owls, of its gilded halls ; and hang their rags, those stand-
ards of poverty, out of its windows and loopholes.

I have amused myself with remarking some of the motley
characters that have thus usurped the ancient abode of royalty,
and who seem as if placed here to give a farcical termination
to the drama of human pride. One of these* even bears the
mockery of a regal title. It is a little old woman named Maria
Antonia Sabonea, but who goes by the appellation of la Reyiia
Coquifia, or the Cockle-queen. She is small enough to be a
fairy ; and a fairy she may be for aught I can find out, for no
one seems to know her origin. Her habitation is in a kind o""
closet under the outer staircase of the palace, and she sits in
the cool stone corridor, plying her needle and singing from
morning till night, with a ready joke for every one that passes :
for though one of the poorest, she is one of the merriest little

INHABITANTS OF THE ALHAMBRA

women breathing. Her great merit is a gift for story-telling,
having, I verily believe, as many stories at her command as the
inexhaustible Scheherezade of the Thousand and One Nights.
Some of these I have heard her relate in the evening tertulias
of Dame Antonia, at which she is occasionally a humble
attendant.

That there must be some fairy gift about this mysterious

^ 1^ ..'1 ^'^'^^^-f

little old woman, would appear from her extraordinary luck,
since, notwithstanding her being very little, very ugly, and very
poor, she has had, according to her own account, five husbands
and a half, reckoning as a half one a young dragoon, who died
during courtship. A rival personage to this little fairy queen
is a portly old fellow with a bottle-nose, who goes about in a
rusty garb, with a cocked hat of oil-skin and a red cockade.
He is one of the legitimate sons of the Alhambra, and has
lived here all his life, filling various offices, such as deputy
alguazil, sexton of the parochial church, and marker of a fives-

THE ALHA.MHRA

^3;

court, established at the foot of one of the towers. He is as
poor as a rat, but as proud as he is ragged, boasting of his
descent from the illustrious house of Aguilar, from which
sprang Gonzalvo of Cordova, the grand captain. Nay, he
actually bears the name of Alonzo de Aguilar, so renowned in
the history of the Conquest ; though the graceless wags of the
fortress have given him the title of el padre santo, or the holy
father, the usual appellation of the Pope, which I had
thought too sacred in the eyes of true .Catholics to be
thus ludicrously applied. It is a whimsical caprice of
fortune to present, in the grotesque person of this tatter-
demalion, a namesake
and descendant of the
proud Alonzo de Aguilar,
the mirror of Anda-
lusian chivalry, leading
an almost mendicant
existence about this once
haughty fortress, which
his ancestor aided to re-
duce ; yet such might
have been the lot of the
i^:^4\'^^^'^^'lF;-%l.'^ ,.:^^iK^^ descendants of Agamem-
^Mw^\^y~'yf^^^0^^^^^'' ^on and Achilles, had
""^ "'" they lingered about the

ruins of Troy !

Of this motley com-
munity, I find the family
of my gossiping squire,
Mateo Ximenes, to form, from their numbers at least, a
very important part. His boast of being a son of the
Alhambra is not unfounded. His family has inhabited the
fortress ever since the time of the Conquest, handing down an
hereditary po\erty from father to son ; not one of them having
ever been known to be worth a viaravedi. His father, by

v/-'

INHABITANTS OF THE ALHAMBRA

93'

trade a ribbon-weaver, and who succeeded the historical tailor
as the head of the family, is now near seventy years of age,
and lives in a hovel of reeds and plaster, built by his own
hands, just above the iron gate. The furniture consists of a
crazy bed, a table, and two or three chairs ; a wooden chest,
containing, besides his scanty clothing, the " archives of the
family."' These are nothing more nor less than the papers of
various lawsuits sustained by different generations ; by which
it would seem that, with all their apparent carelessness and good-
humour, they are a litigious
brood. Most of the suits -^ ^
have been brought against
gossiping neighbours for
questioning the purity of
their blood, and denying
their being Christianos
viejos, i.e. old Christians,
without Jewish or Moorish
taint. In fact, I doubt
whether this jealousy about
their blood has not kept
them so poor in purse :
spending all their earnings
on escribanos and algua-
zils. The pride of the
hovel is an escutcheon
suspended against the wall,
in which are emblazoned
quarterings of the arms of >.

the Marquis of Caiesedo,

and of various other noble houses, with which this poverty-
stricken brood claim affinity.

As to Mateo himself, who is now about thirty-five years of
age, he has done his utmost to perpetuate his line and continue
the poverty of the family, having a wife and a numerous

THE ALHAMBRA

!t-^^^

progeny, who inhabit an almost dismantled hovel in the hamlet.
How they manage to subsist, He only who sees into all
mysteries can tell ; the subsistence of a Spanish family of the
kind is always a riddle to me ; yet they do subsist, and what is
more, appear to enjoy their existence. The wife takes her
holiday stroll on the Paseo of Granada, with a child in her
arms and half a dozen at her heels ; and the eldest daughter,
now verging into womanhood, dresses her hair with flowers,
and dances gaily to the castanets.

There are two classes of people to whom life seems one

long holiday, — the very
rich and the very poor ;
one, because they need
do nothing ; the other,
because they have no-
thing to do ; but there
are none who under-
^^^^' stand the art of doing
nothing and living upon
nothing, better than the
poor classes of Spain.
Climate does one half,
and temperament the
rest. Give a Spaniard
the shade in summer
and the sun in winter,
a little bread, garlic, oil,
and garbances, an old
brown cloak and a
guitar, and let the world
roll on as it pleases.
Talk of poverty I with him it has no disgrace. It sits upon
him with a grandiose style, like his ragged cloak. He is a
hidalgo, even when in rags.

The " sons of the Alhambra " are an eminent illustration of

INHABITANTS OF THE ALHAMBRA 95

this practical philosophy. As the Moors imagined that the
celestial paradise hung over this favoured spot, so I am inclined
at times to fancy that a gleam of the golden age still lingers
about this ragged community. They possess nothing, they do
nothing, they care for nothing. Yet, though apparently idle
all the week, they are as observant of all holy days and saints'
days as the most laborious artisan. They attend all fetes and
dancings in Granada and its vicinity, light bonfires on the hills
on St. John's eve, and dance away the moonlight nights on the
harvest-home of a small field within the precincts of the fortress,
which yield a few bushels of wheat.

Before concluding these remarks, I must mention one of the
amusements of the place, which has particularly struck me. I
had repeatedly observed a long lean fellow perched on the top
of one of the towers, manoeuvring two or three fishing-rods, as
though he were angling for the stars. I was for some time
perplexed by the evolutions of this aerial fisherman, and my
perplexity increased on observing others employed in like
manner on different parts of the battlements and bastions ; it
was not until I consulted Mateo Ximenes that I solved the
mystery.

It seems that the pure and airy situation of this fortress has
rendered it, like the castle of Macbeth, a prolific breeding-place
for swallows and martlets, who sport about its towers in myriads,
with the holiday glee of urchins just let loose from school.
To entrap these birds in their giddy circlings, w4th hooks baited
with flies, is one of the favourite amusements of the ragged
" sons of the Alhambra," who, with the good-for-nothing in-
genuity of arrant idlers, have thus invented the art of angling
in the sky.

i>- '

I jtu^imutiiMjtpjmiii jiixwi'

THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS

Ix one of my visits to the old Moorish chamber where the
good Tia Antonia cooks her dinner and receives her company,
I observed a mysterious door in one corner, leading apparently
into the ancient part of the edifice. My curiosity being aroused,
I opened it, and found myself in a narrow, blind corridor,
groping along which I came to the head of a dark winding
staircase, leading down an angle of the tower of Comares.
Down this staircase I descended darkling, guiding myself by the
wall until I came to a small door at the bottom, throwing which
open, I was suddenly dazzled by emerging into the brilliant
antechamber of the Hall of Ambassadors ; with the fountain of
the court of the Alberca sparkling before me. The ante-
chamber is separated with the court by an elegant gallery,
supported by slender columns with spandrels of openwork in
the Morisco style. At each end of the antechamber are
alcoves, and its ceiling is richly stuccoed and painted. Passing
through a magnificent portal, I found myself in the far-famed

THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS

Hall of Ambassadors, the audience chamber of the Moslem
monarchs. It is said to be thirty-seven feet square, and sixty
feet high ; occupies the whole interior of the Tower of Comares ;
and still bears the traces of past magnificence. The walls are
beautifully stuccoed and decorated with IMorisco fancifulness ;
the lofty ceiling was originally of the same favourite material,
with the usual frostwork and nensile ornaments or stalactites ;

which, with the embellishments of vivid colouring and gilding,
must have been gorgeous in the extreme. Unfortunately it
gave way during an earthquake, and brought down with it an
immense arch which traversed the hall. It was replaced by
the present vault or dome of larch or cedar, with intersecting
ribs, the whole curiously wrought and richly coloured ; still
Oriental in its character, reminding one of " those ceihngs of

THE ALIIAMBRA

^3 y

? ?

cedar and vermilion that we read of in the Prophets and the

Arabian Nights^ ^

From the great height of the vault above the windows, the

upper part of the hall is almost lost in obscurity ; yet there is

a magnificence as well as solemnity in the gloom, as through it

we have gleams of
rich gilding and the
brilliant tints of the
Moorish pencil.

The royal throne
was placed opposite
the entrance in a re-
cess, which still bears
an inscription inti-

l'J:_^-;'ft4i»'5:il?^. '^. i^^:;v*-^ (the monarch who

completed the Alham-
bra) made this the
throne of his empire.
Everything in this
noble hall seems to
have been calculated
to surround the throne
with impressive dignity
and splendour ; there
' -" ' ■-•:;- \ . was none of the

elegant voluptuous-
ness which reigns in other parts of the palace. The tower
is of massive strength, domineering over the whole edifice and
overhanging the steep hillside. On three sides of the Hall of
Ambassadors are windows cut through the immense thickness
of the walls and commanding extensive prospects. The balcony
of the central window especially looks down upon the verdant

— -_.^.§**i :-.^;^SSt i_tii.Li »,v>— V

H^'"

Urquhart's Pillars of He^xules.

THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS

valley of the Darro, with its walks, its groves, and gardens. To
the left it enjoys a distant prospect of the Vega : while directly
in front rises the rival height of the Albaycin, with its medley
of streets, and terraces, and gardens, and once crowned by
a fortress that vied in power with the Alhambra, " 111 fated
the man who lost all this I " exclaimed Charles V., as he
looked forth from this window upon the enchanting scenery
it commands.

The balcony of the window where this royal exclamation was

made, has of late become one of my favourite resorts. I have
just been seated there, enjoying the close of a brilliant long day.
The sun, as he sank behind the purple mountains of Alhama,
sent a stream of effulgence up the valley of the Darro, that
spread a melancholy pomp over the ruddy towers of the
Alhambra ; while the Vega, covered with a slight sultry vapour
that caught the setting ray, seemed spread out in the distance
like a golden sea. Not a breath of air disturbed the stillness
of the hour, and though the faint sound of music and merri-
ment now and then rose from the gardens of the Darro, it but

H 2

lOO

THE ALII AM 15 RA

rendered more impressive the monumental silence of the pile
which overshadowed me. It was one of those hours and scenes
in which memory asserts an almost magical power : and, like
the evening sun beaming on these mouldering towers, sends
back her retrospective rays to light up the glories of the
past.

As I sat watching the effect of the declining daylight upon

this Moorish pile^ I was led
->^---^^-^ -~^ "^. ^•■". 4^ into a consideration of the

light, elegant, and volup-
tuous character prevalent
throughout its internal ar-
chitecture, and to contrast
it with the grand but gloomy
solemnity of the Gothic
edifices reared by the
Spanish conquerors. The
very architecture thus be-
speaks the opposite and
irreconcilable natures of the
two warlike people who so
long battled here for the
mastery of the Peninsula.
By degrees I fell into a
course of musing upon the
singular fortunes of the

^■- ■>;>. a -A •\igi -Y.- f,H '

Mountains of Alhai7ibra.

Arabian or Morisco-Spaniards, whose whole existence is as a
tale that is told, and certainly forms one of the most anomalous
yet splendid episodes in history. Potent and durable as was
their dominion, we scarcely know how to call them. They
were a nation without a legitimate country or name. A remote
wave of the great Arabian inundation, cast upon the shores of
Europe, they seem to have all the impetus of the first rush of
the torrent. Their career of conquest, from the rock of Gibraltar
to the cliffs of the Pyrenees, was as rapid and brilliant as the

Tomb of St. Ferdinand, Seville

THE ALII AM BRA

r^^

T-

}0i

<f-\

Wc,

AM'

Moslem victories of Syria and Egypt. Nay, had they not been
checked on the plains of Tours, all France, all Europe, might
have been overrun with the same facility as the empires of the
East, and the Crescent at this day have glittered on the fanes
of Paris and London.

Repelled within the limits of the Pyrenees, the mixed hordes
of Asia and Africa, that formed this great irruption, gave up
the Moslem principle of conquest, and sought to establish in
Spain a peaceful and permanent
dominion. As conquerors, their hero-
ism was only equalled by their moder-
ation ; and in both, for a time, they
excelled the nations with whom they
contended. Severed from their native
homes, they loved the land given them
as they supposed by Allah, and strove
to embellish it with everything that
could administer to the happiness of
man. Laying the foundations of their
power in a system of wise and equitable
laws, diligently cultivating the arts and
sciences, and promoting agriculture,
manufactures, and commerce, they
gradually formed an empire unrivalled
for its prosperity by any of the empires of Christendom ; and
diligently drawing round them the graces and refinements
which marked the Arabian empire in the East, at the time
of its greatest civilisation, they diffused the light of Oriental
knowledge through the western regions of benighted Europe.
The cities of Arabian Spain became the resort of Christian
artisans, to instruct themselves in the useful arts. The universi-
ties of Toledo, Cordova, Seville, and Granada were sought by
the pale student from other lands to acquaint himself with the
sciences of the Arabs and the treasured lore of antiquity ; the
lovers of the gay science resorted to Cordova and Granada, to

ti« -, ->■ -»^ ^j \ I '

THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS 103

imbibe the poetry and music of the East ; and the steel-clad
warriors of the North hastened thither to accomplish themselves
in the graceful exercises and courteous usages of chivalry.

If the Moslem monuments in Spain, if the Mosque of Cor-
dova, the Alcazar of Seville, and the Alhambra of Granada,
still bear inscriptions fondly boasting of the power and per-
manency of their dominion, can the boast be derided as arro-
gant and vain? Generation after generation, century after
century, passed away, and still they maintained possession of

ili^**f^_

^ --^

r^i's^v^t%

'-■e^^

►

?L>

Court 0/ Mosque, Cordova.

the land. A period elapsed longer than that which has passed
since England was subjugated by the Norman Conqueror, and
the descendants of Musa and Taric might as little anticipate
being driven into exile across the same straits, traversed by
their triumphant ancestors, as the descendants of Rollo and
William, and their veteran peers, may dream of being driven
back to the shores of Normandy.

With all this, however, the Moslem empire in Spain was but
a brilliant exotic, that took no permanent root in the soil it
embellished. Severed from all their neighbours in the West by

I04

THE ALU AM BRA

impassable barriers of faith and manners, and separated by seas
and deserts from their kindred of the East, the Morisco-
Spaniards were an isolated people. Their whole existence was
a prolonged, though gallant and chivalric struggle for a foothold
in a usurped land.

They were the outposts and frontiers of Islamism. The

Garden of A Icazar, Seville.

Peninsula was the great battle-ground where the Gothic con-
querors of the north and the Moslem conquerors of the East
met and strove for mastery : apd the fiery courage of the Arab
was at length subdued by the obstinate and persevering valour
of the Goth.

Never was the annihilation of a people more complete than
that of the Morisco-Spaniards. Where are they? Ask the

THE HALL OF AMBASSADORS

105

shores of Barbary and its desert places. The exiled remnant
of their once powerful empire disappeared among the barbarians
of Africa, and ceased to be a nation. They have not even left
a distinct name behind them, though for nearly eight centuries
they were a distinct people. The home of their adoption, and
of their occupation for ages, refuses to acknowledge them,
except as invaders and usurpers. A few broken monuments
are all that remain to bear witness to their power and dominion,
as solitary rocks, left far in the interior, bear testimony to the
extent of some vast inundation. Such is the Alhambra ; — a
Moslem pile in the midst of a Christian land ; an Oriental
palace amidst the Gothic edifices of the West ; an elegant
memento of a brave, intelligent, and graceful people, who con-
quered, ruled, flourished, and passed away.

Cadiz.

THE :\IYSTERIOUS CHAMBERS

As I was rambling one day about the ^loorish halls, my
attention was, for the first time, attracted to a door in a remote
gallery, communicating apparently with some part of the
Alhambra which I had not yet explored. I attempted to open
it, but it was locked. I knocked, but no one answered, and
the sound seemed to reverberate through empty chambers
Here then was a mystery. Here was the haunted wing of the
castle. How was I to get at the dark secrets here shut up
from the public eye ? Should I come privately at night with
lamp and sword, according to the prying custom of heroes of
romance ; or should I endeavour to draw the secret from Pepe
the stuttering gardener ; or the ingenuous Dolores, or the
loquacious Mateo ? Or should I go frankly and openly to
Dame Antonia the chatelaine, and ask her all about it ? I
chose the latter course, as being the simplest though the least
romantic ; and found, somewhat to my disappointment, that

THE MYSTERIOUS CHAMBERS

there was no mystery in the case. I was welcome to explore
the apartment, and there was the key.

Thus provided, I returned forthwith to the door. It opened,
as I had surmised, to a range of vacant chambers ; but they
were quite difterent from the rest of the palace. The archi-
tecture, though rich and antiquated, was European. There
was nothing Moorish about it. The first two rooms were lofty ;
the ceilings, broken in many places, were of cedar, deeply
panelled and skilfully carved with fruits and flowers, inter-
mingled with
grotesque masks
or faces.

The walls had
evidently in an-
cient times been
hung with da-
mask : but now
were naked, and
scrawled over by
that class of as-
piring travellers
who defile noble
monuments with

their worthless names. The windows, dismantled and open to
wind and weather, looked out into a charming little secluded
garden, where an alabaster fountain sparkled among roses and
myrtles, and was surrounded by orange and citron trees, some
of which flung their branches into the chambers. Beyond these
rooms were two saloons, longer but less lofty, looking also into
the garden. In the compartments of the panelled ceilings were
baskets of fruit and garlands of flowers, painted by no mean
hand, and in tolerable preservation. The walls also had been
painted in fresco in the Italian style, but the paintings were
nearly obliterated ; the windows were in the same shattered
state with those of the other chambers. This fanciful suite of

Nv^rflk-

i '■'"'T" '

^"'

—

^i.

^■:^,

-*^

[o8

THE ALHAMBRA

^^f^^^Stt^

rooms terminated in an open gallery with balustrades, running
at right angles along another side of the garden. The whole
apartment, so delicate and elegant in its decorations, so choice
and sequestered in its situation along this retired little garden,
and so different in architecture from the neighbouring halls,
awakened an interest in its history. I found on inquiry that it
was an apartment fitted up by Italian artists in the early part
of the last century, at the time when Philip V. and his second
wife, the beautiful Elizabetta of Farnese, daughter of the Duke

of Parma, were expected
at the Alhambra. It was
destined for the queen and
the ladies of her train.
One of the loftiest cham-
bers had been her sleep-
ing-room. A narrow stair-
case, now walled up, led
up to a delightful belvidere,
originally a mirador of the
, ^ ^Moorish sultanas, commu-

g|^^',>f^''^|('|i|.^ nicating with the harem;

ji^|,|, -\'^\^Xi^iJ^sip^m' but which was fitted up
-_. — - as a boudoir for the fair
-^ ^ Elizabetta, and still re-
tains the name of e/
tocador de la Reyna^ or the queen's toilette.

One window of the royal sleeping-room commanded a
prospect of the Generalife and its embowered terraces ; another
looked out into the little secluded garden I have mentioned,
which was decidedly ^Moorish in its character, and also had its
history. It was in fact the garden of Lindaraxa, so often
mentioned in descriptions of the Alhambra, but who this
Lindaraxa was I had never heard explained. A little research
gave me the few particulars known about her. She was a
Moorish beauty who flourished in the court of Muhamed the

\ <;. -^ ^\^^

'Semite* ^

• '>».

Garden of Lindaraxa

THE ALIIAMBRA

Left-Handed, and was the daughter of his loyal adherent, the
alcayde of Malaga, who sheltered him in his city when driven

.11 ^
Fountain of Linda^-axa.

from the throne. On regaining his crown, the alcayde was
rewarded for his fidelity. His daughter had her apartment in
the Alhambra, and was given by the king in marriage to

THE ^IVSTERIOUS CHAMBERS in

Nasar, a young Cetimerien prince descended from Aben Hud
the Just. Their espousals were doubtless celebrated in the
royal palace and their honeymoon may have passed among
these very bowers.^

Four centuries had elapsed since the fair Lindaraxa passed
away, yet how much of the fragile beauty of the scenes she
inhabited remained ! The garden still bloomed in which she
delighted ; the fountain still presented the crystal mirror in
which her charms may once have been reflected ; the alabaster,
it is true, had lost its whiteness : the basin beneath, overrun
with weeds, had become the lurking-place of the lizard, but
there was something in the very decay that enhanced the
interest of the scene, speaking as it did of that mutability, the
irrevocable lot of man and all his works.

The desolation too of these chambers, once the abode of
the proud and elegant Elizabetta, had a more touching charm
for me than if I had beheld them in their pristine splendour,
glittering with the pageantry of a court.

When I returned to my quarters, in the governor's apart-
ment, everything seemed tame and commonplace after the
poetic region I had left. The thought suggested itself : Why
could I not change my quarters to these vacant chambers ?
that would indeed be living in the Alhambra, surrounded by
its gardens and fountains, as in the time of the Moorish
sovereigns. I proposed the change to Dame Antonia and her
family, and it occasioned vast surprise. They could not
conceive any rational inducement for the choice of an apart-
ment so forlorn, remote, and solitary. Dolores exclaimed

^ Una de las cosas en que tienen precisa intervencion los Reyes Moros
as en el matrimonio de sus grandes : de aqui nace que todos los senores
Uegadas a la persona real si casan en palacio, y siempre huvo su quarto
destinado para esta ceremonia.

One of the things in which the Moorish kings interfered was in the
marriage of their nobles : hence it came that all the senors attached to the
royal person were married in the palace ; and there was always a chamber
destined for the ceremony. — Paseos por Gi'aimda, Paseo XXI.

112 THE ALHAMBRA

at its frightful loneliness ; nothing but bats and owls flitting
about, — and then a fox and wildcat, kept in the vaults
of the neighbouring baths, roamed about at night.
The good Tia had more reasonable objections. The neigh-
bourhood was infested by vagrants : gipsies swarmed in the
caverns of the adjacent hills ; the palace was ruinous and easy
to be entered in many places ; the rumour of a stranger
quartered alone in one of the remote and ruined apartments,
out of the hearing of the rest of the inhabitants, might tempt
unwelcome visitors in the night, especially as foreigners were

always supposed to be well

^^i^v,^^'i:'Ar':jt''-^''*'&i' stocked with money. I

• * ' > "-^^f^ ^''A :^,-,„ r '-^ ' was not to be diverted from

^X'' ^''^^ / •^^!^^^mlP """v^^"^ "^' humour, however, and

*^^sA*'V'^.(tii"551:illllS^ ^ my vrill was law with these

good people. So, calling

in the assistance of a car-

\^t ^"" penter, and the ever offi-

'^>-/".~*r-^i' ^- ' cious Mateo Ximenes, the

\ ''^^-\v.'-^ ,_/•' doors and windows were

^it'fi'^' '? soon placed in a state of

tolerable security, and the
sleeping-room of the stately Elizabetta prepared for my reception,
Mateo kindly volunteered as a body-guard to sleep in m)' ante-
chamber : but I did not think it worth while to put his valour
to the proof.

With all the hardihood I had assumed and all the pre-
cautions I had taken, I must confess the first night passed in
these quarters was inexpressibly dreary. I do not think it was
so much the apprehension of dangers from without that affected
me, as the character of the place itself, with all its strange
associations : the deeds of violence committed there ; the
tragical ends of many of those who had once reigned there
in splendour. As I passed beneath the fated halls of the
tower of Comares on the way to my chamber, I called

^/W^*^#^

N -?^

I •!

., ,/^?^'

Prospect from the Hall of Ambassadors.

114 THE ALHAMRRA

to mind a quotation that used to thrill me in the days of
boyhood :

" Fate sits on these dark battlements and frowns-;
And, as the portal opens to receive me,
A voice in sullen echoes through the courts
Tells of a nameless deed ! "'

The whole family escorted me to my chamber, and took
leave of me as of one engaged in a perilous enterprise ; and when
I heard their retreating steps die away along the waste ante-
chambers and echoing galleries, and turned the key of my door,
I was reminded of those hobgoblin stories, where the hero is
left to accomplish the adventure of an enchanted house.

Even the thoughts of the fair Elizabetta and the beauties of
her court, who had once graced these chambers, now, by a
perversion of fancy, added to the gloom. Here was the scene
of their transient gaiety and loveliness ; here were the very
traces of their elegance and enjoyment ; but what and where
were they ? Dust and ashes ! tenants of the tomb ! phantoms
of the memory !

A vague and indescribable awe was creeping over me. I
would fain have ascribed it to the thoughts of robbers awakened
by the evening's conversation, but I felt it was something more
unreal and absurd. The long-buried superstitions of the
nursery were reviving, and asserting their power over my
imagination. Everything began to be affected by the working
of my mind. The whispering of the wind among the citron-
trees beneath my window had something sinister. I cast my
eyes into the garden of Lindaraxa ; the groves presented a gulf
of shadows ; the thickets, indistinct and ghastly shapes. I was
glad to close the window, but my chamber itself became
infected. There was a slight rustling noise overhead ; a bat
suddenly emerged from a broken panel of the ceiling, flitting
about the room and athwart my solitary lamp ; and as the
fateful bird almost flouted my face with his noiseless wing, the

THE MYSTERIOUS CHAMBERS

115

grotesque faces carved in high reHef in the cedar ceiHng, whence
he had emerged, seemed to mope and mow at me.

Rousing myself, and half smiling at this temporary weakness,
I resolved to brave it out in the true spirit of the hero of the
enchanted house ; so, taking lamp in hand, I sallied forth to
make a tour of the palace. Notwithstanding every mental
exertion the task was a severe one. I had to traverse waste
halls and mysterious galleries, where the rays of the lamp
extended but a short distance around me. I walked, as it
were, in a mere halo of light, walled in by impenetrable dark-
ness. The vaulted corridors were as caverns ; the ceilings of
the halls were lost in doom.

I recalled all that had been
said of the danger from in
terlopers in these remote
and ruined apartments.
Might not some vagrant foe
be lurking before or behind
me, in the outer darkness ^
My own shadow, cast upon
the wall, began to disturb
me. The echoes of m}
own footsteps along the
corridors made me pause and look around,
ing scenes fraught with dismal recollections,
passage led down to the mosque where Yusef, the Moorish
monarch, the finisher of the Alhambra, had been basely mur-
dered. In another place I trod the gallery where another
monarch had been struck down by the poniard of a relative

twhom he had thwarted in his love.
■. A low murmuring sound, as of stifled voices and clanking
chains, now reached me. It seemed to come from the Hall of
the Abencerrages. I knew it to be the rush of water through
subterranean channels, but it sounded strangely in the night,
and reminded me of the dismal stories to which it had given rise.

was travers-
One dark

Il6 Tin: ALIIAMBRA

Soon, however, my ear was assailed by sounds too fearfully
real to be the work of fancy. As I was crossing the Hall of
Ambassadors, low moans and broken ejaculations rose, as it
were, from beneath my feet. I paused and listened. I'hey
then appeared to be outside of the tower — then again within.
Then broke forth bowlings as of an animal — then stifled shrieks
and inarticulate ravings. Heard in that dead hour and singular
place, the effect was thrilling. I had no desire for further
perambulation ; but returned to my chamber with infinitely
more alacrity than I had sallied forth, and drew my breath
more freely when once more within its walls and the door
bolted behind me. ^^'hen I awoke in the morning, with the
sun shining in at my window and lighting up every part of the
building with his cheerful and truth-telling beams, I could
scarcely recall the shadows and fancies conjured up by the
gloom of the preceding night ; or believe that the scenes around
me, so naked and apparent, could have been clothed with such
imaginary horrors.

Still, the dismal bowlings and ejaculations I had heard were
not ideal ; they were soon accounted for, however, by my hand-
maid Dolores : being the ravings of a poor maniac, a brother
of her aunt, who was subject to violent paroxysms, during
which he was confined in a vaulted room beneath the Hall of
Ambassadors.

In the course of a few evenings a thorough change took
place in the scene and its associations. The moon, which
when I took possession of my new apartments was invisible,
gradually gained each evening upon the darkness of the night,
and at length rolled in full splendour above the towers, pouring
a flood of tempered light into every court and hall. The
garden beneath my window, before wrapped in gloom, was
gently lighted up ; the orange and citron trees were tipped with
silver : the fountain sparkled in the moonbeams, and even
the blush of the rose was faintly visible.

I now felt the poetic merit of the Arabic inscription on the

THE MYSTERIOUS CHAMBERS

117

walls, — '' How beauteous is this garden ; where the flowers of
the earth vie with the stars of heaven. What can compare
with the vase of yon alabaster fountain filled with crystal water ?
nothing but the moon in her fulness, shining in the midst of an
unclouded sky I "

On such heavenly nights I would sit for hours at my window
inhaling the sweetness of the garden, and musing on the
chequered fortunes of those whose history was dimly shadowed
out in the elegant memorials around. Sometimes, when all

was quiet, and the clock from the distant cathedral of Granada
struck the midnight hour, I have sallied out on another tour
and wandered over the whole building : but how different
from my first tour ! No longer dark and mysterious ; no
longer peopled with shadowy foes ; no longer recalling scenes
of violence and murder ; all was open, spacious, beautiful ;
everything called up pleasing and romantic fancies ; Lindaraxa
once more walked in her garden ; the gay chivalry of Moslem
Granada once more glittered about the Court of Lions ! A\'ho
can do justice to a moonlight night in such a climate and such
a place ? The temperature of a summer midnight in Andalusia

ii8

THE ALIIAMBRA

is perfectly ethereal. We seem lifted up into a purer atmo-
sphere ; we feel a serenity of soul, a buoyancy of spirits, an
elasticity of frame, which render mere existence happiness.

<>-

El Tocador de la Reyfta.

But when moonlight is added to all this, the effect is like
enchantment. Under its plastic sway the Alhambra seems to
regain its pristine glories. Every rent and chasm of time ;

THE MYSTERIOUS CHAMBERS

119

every mouldering tint and weather-stain is gone : the marble
resumes its original whiteness ; the long colonnades brighten in

the moonbeams ; the halls are illuminated with a softened

radiance, — we tread the enchanted palace of an Arabian tale!

What a delight, at such a . time, to ascend to the little airy

pavilion of the queens KjncLit; u/ tocador de la 7'eyna)^
which, like a bird-cage, overhangs the valley of the Darro, and

I20

THE ALHAMBRA

gaze from its light arcades upon the moonlight prospect ! To
the right, the swelling mountains of the Sierra Nevada, robbed
of their ruggedness and softened into a fairy land, with their
snowy summits gleaming like silver clouds against the deep
blue sky. And then to lean over the parapet of the Tocador
and gaze down upon Granada and the Albaycin spread out
hke a v)?^.p below ; all buried in deep repose ; the white palaces

House of the Grand Captain.

and convents sleeping in the moonshine, and beyond all these
the vapoury Vega fading away like a dreamland in the distance.
Sometimes the faint click of castanets rise from the Alameda,
where some gay Andalusians are dancing away the summer
night. Sometimes the dubious tones of a guitar and the notes
of an amorous voice, tell perchance the whereabout of some
moonstruck lover serenading his lady's window.

THE MYSTERIOUS CHAMBERS 121

Such is a faint picture of the moonhght nights I have passed
loitering about the courts and halls and balconies of this most
suggestive pile; "feeding my fancy with sugared suppositions,"
and enjoying that mixture of reverie and sensation which steal
away existence in a southern climate ; so that it has been
almost morning before I have retired to bed, and been lulled
to sleep by the falling waters of the fountain of Lindaraxa.

^mA ..
'1^^-^

Tower of Iron

PANORAMA FROM THE TOWER OF
COMARES

It is a serene and beautiful morning : the sun has not gained
sutThcient power to destroy the freshness of the night. What a
morning to mount to the summit of the Tower of Comares,
and take a bird's-eye view of Granada and its environs !

Come then, worthy reader and comrade, follow my steps
into this vestibule, ornamented with rich tracery, which opens
into the Hall of Ambassadors. We will not enter the hall,
however, but turn to this small door opening into the wall.
Have a care I here are steep winding steps and but scanty
light ; yet up this narrow, obscure, and spiral staircase, the
proud monarchs of Granada and their queens have often
ascended to the battlements to watch the approach of in-
vading armies, or gaze with anxious hearts on the battles in
the ^'^ega.

At length we have reached the terraced roof, and may take
breath for a moment, while we cast a general eye over the
splendid panorama of city and country ; of rocky mountain,

PANORAMA FROM THE TOWER OF COMARES

123

verdant valley, and fertile plain • of castle, cathedral, Moorish
towers, and Gothic domes, crumbling ruins, and blooming
groves. Let us approach the battlements, and cast our eyes
immediately below. See, on this side we have the whole plain
of the Alhambra laid open to us, and can look down into its
courts and gardens. At the foot of the tower is the Court of
the Alberca, with its great tank or fishpool, bordered with
flowers ; and yonder is the Court of Lions, with its famous
fountain, and its light Moorish arcades ; and in the centre of

the pile is the little garden of Lindaraxa, buried in the heart of
the building, with its roses and citrons and shrubbery of emerald
green.

That belt of battlements, studded with square towers,
straggling round the whole brow of the hill, is the outer
boundary of the fortress. Some of the towers, you may per-
ceive, are in ruins, and their massive fragments buried among
vines, fig-trees, and aloes.

Let us look on this northern side of the tower. It is a giddy

124

THE ALIIAMBRA

height ; the very foundations of the tower rise above the groves
of the steep hill-side. And see ! a long fissure in the massive
walls shows that the tower has been rent by some of the earth-

quakes which from time to time have thrown Granada into
consternation; and which, sooner or later, must reduce this
crumbling pile to a mere mass of ruin. The deep narrow glen
below us, which gradually widens as it opens from the moun-

PANORAMA FROM THE TOWER OF COMARES 125

tains, is the valley of the Darro ; you see the little river winding
its way under embowered terraces, and among orchards and

^..^ ^S-^J'

flower-gardens. It is a stream famous in old times for yielding
gold, and its sands are still sifted occasionally, in search of the
precious ore. Some of those white pavilions, which here and

126

THE ALIIAMBRA

there gleam from among groves and vineyards, were rustic
retreats of the Moors, to enjoy the refreshment of their gardens.
Well have they been compared by one of their poets to so
many pearls set in a bed of emeralds.

The airy palace, with its tall white towers and long arcades,
which breasts yon mountain, among pompous groves and
hanging gardens, is the Generalife, a summer palace of the
Moorish kings, to which they resorted during the sultry months
to enjoy a still more breezy region than that of the Alhambra.
The naked summit of the height above it, where you behold

•-»iM

some shapeless ruins, is the Silla del Moro, or seat of the
Moor, so called from having been a retreat of the unfortunate
Boabdil during the time of an insurrection, where he seated
himself and looked down mournfully upon his rebellious city.

A murmuring sound of water now and then rises from the
valley. It is from the aqueduct of yon Moorish mill, nearly at
the foot of the hill. The avenue of trees beyond is the
Alameda, along the bank of the Darro ; a favourite resort in
evenings, and a rendezvous of lovers in the summer nights,
w^hen the guitar may be heard at a late hour from the benches
along its walks. At present you see none but a few loitering

PANORAMA FROM THE TOWER OF CO>L\RES 127

monks there, and a group of water-carriers. The latter are
burdened with water-jars of ancient Oriental construction,
such as were used by the Mooes. They have been filled at
the cold and limpid spring called the fountain of Avellanos.
Yon mountain path leads to the fountain, a favourite resort of
Moslems as well as Christians ; for this is said to be the

^v^^fj^VO ^^ — s^. — C^-r,

Adinamar {Aym(-l-adaviar), the " Fountain of Tears," men-
tioned by Ibn Batuta the traveller, and celebrated in the

, histories and romances of the Moors.

You start I 'tis nothing but a hawk that we have frightened
from his nest. This old tower is a complete breeding-place
for vagrant birds ; the swallow and martlet abound in every

\ chink and cranny, and circle about it the whole day long :
while at night, when all other birds have gone to rest, the

128 THE ALHAMBRA

moping owl comes out of its lurking-place, and utters its boding
cry from the battlements. See how the hawk we have dis-
lodged sweeps away below us, skimming over the tops of the
trees, and sailing up to the ruins above the Generalife !

I see you raise your eyes to the snowy summit of yon pile Oi
mountains, shining like a white summer cloud in the blue sky.
It is the Sierra Nevada, the pride and delight of Granada ; the
source of her cooling breezes and perpetual verdure ; of her.
gushing fountains and perennial streams. It is this glorious

pile of mountains which gives to Granada that combination of
delights so rare in a southern city, — the fresh vegetation and
temperate airs of a northern climate, with the vivifying ardour
of a tropical sun, and the cloudless azure of a southern sky.
It is this aerial treasury of snow, which, melting in proportion
to the increase of the summer heat, sends down rivulets and
streams through every glen and gorge of the Alpuxarras, dif-
fusing emerald verdure and fertility throughout a chain of happy
and sequestered valleys.

Those mountains may be well called the glory of Granada.

PANORAMA FROM THE TOWER OF COMARES 129

They dominate the whole extent of Andalusia, and may be
seen from its most distant parts. The muleteer hails them, as
he views their frosty peaks from the sultry level of the plain ;
and the Spanish mariner on the

deck of his bark, far, far off on the ^^-'^^•^^C''v-^%^^^'^^J^^
bosom of the blue Mediterranean, ^^*3^^^^^v^2h^._

watches them with a pensive eye, .' :^0-. -'^^ "^

thinks of delightful Granada, and -~^^-=7^p;.^3l _.^=^^^-;^^
chants, in low voice, some old ^"^^^^^'^^^a^a-^^te^^^^^

romance about the Moors.

See to the south at the foot of those mountains a line of
arid hills, down which a long train of mules is slowly moving.
Here was the closing scene of Moslem domination. From
the summit of one of those hills the unfortunate Boabdil cast
back his last look upon Granada, and gave vent to the agony
of his soul. It is the spot famous in song and story, " The
last sigh of the Moor."

Further this way these arid hills slope down into the luxurious
Vega, from which he had just emerged : a blooming wilderness
of grove and garden, and teeming orchard, with the Xenil
winding through it in silver links, and feeding innumerable
rills ; which, conducted through ancient Moorish channels,
■''■'^''•m^'u^^.iW.4.<'»>ff- maintain the landscape

«..^ '"'"^m^"''^^'

'VV'J''^^^s^/"*^^V, '■' ^'y ."^f ,■'■ ^^^ perpetual verdure.

'^''^S'^t^'-^^''-'^^^^^ Here were the beloved

bowers and gardens, and
rural pavilions, for which
the unfortunate Moors
fought with such des-
perate valour. The very
hovels and rude granges,
now inhabited by boors, show, by the remains of arabesques
and other tasteful decoration, that they were elegant residences
in the days of the Moslems. Behold, in the very centre of
this eventful plain, a place which in a manner links the history

I30 TME ALHAMBRA

of the Old World wiUi that of the New. Von line of walls
and towers gleaming in the morning sun, is the city of Santa
Fe, built by the Catholic sovereigns during the siege of Granada,

after a conflagration had de-

' ^^" .'^"■-'V'-'''' r-^^^_ - '- stroyed their camp. It was

''\^^ r.^^^^7:%^^^ to these walls Columbus was

?r>..^-..^*^-..i!''*-^'"^'^ %>/^ called back by the heroic

r^ J,':;«^TT-5^''^-. .-^-i-r-i**^T' queen, and within them the

r^'^i-T^- '^f"* ;^^^^|^.' -' • "' treaty was concluded which

^ " .-, p: ' '";":- led to the discovery of the

'"'■' \\'estern World. Behind yon

Pass of Elvira. , . ,

promontory to the west is the
bridge of Pinos, renowned for many a bloody fight between
Moors and Christians. At this bridge the messenger overtook
Columbus when, despairing of success with the Spanish sove-
reigns, he was departing to carry his project of discovery to the
court of France.

Above the bridge a range of mountains bounds the Vega to
the west, — the ancient barrier between Granada and the
Christian territories. Among their heights you may still dis-
cern warrior towns ; their gray walls and battlements seeming
of a piece with the rocks on which they are built. Here and
there a solitary atahiya, or ^-^^ p^ <._/'=^b

watchtower, perched on a ^ /^ ^'^'^ ^"^^^^ 1^_-^ ^-^K^^

mountain peak, looks down ' rc^^^J^l^^^t^^^**^ ^<$/^'^

as it were from the sky into "^"'-^^.^y ' ■ — -■
the valley on either side.
How often have these
atalayas given notice, by
fire at night or smoke by
day, of an approaching foe !
It was down a cragged defile of these mountains, called the Pass
of Lope, that the Christian armies descended into the Vega.
Round the base of yon gray and naked mountain (the moun-
tain of Elvira), stretching its bold rocky promontory into the

PANORAMA FROM TPIE TOWER OF COMARES 131

bosom of the plain, the invading squadrons would come
bursting into view, with flaunting banners and clangour of drum
and trumpet.

Five hundred years have elapsed since Ismael ben Ferrag, a

Moorish king of Granada, ^ ,

beheld from this very tower ^;^fe ^

an invasion of the kind, and

an insulting ravage of the .j ^_^

Vega: on which occasion " .^ l\ r^' % -> j

he displayed an mstance ^'^^^^^^^^''J-.^^^^-^^^^^^S^'^'
of chivalrous magnanimity, ^"^^^^^pj^^^"- -^:^S^^^^^^
often witnessed in the ^*'''-i> "O-^-.

Moslem princes; "whose Aicaudete.

history," says an Arabian writer, '• abounds in generous actions
and noble deeds that will last through all succeeding ages, and
live for ever in the memory of 'man." — But let us sit down on
this parapet, and I will relate the anecdote.

It was in the year of Grace 13 19, that Ismael ben Ferrag
beheld from this tower a Christian camp whitening the skirts
of yon mountain of Elvira. The royal princes, Don Juan and
Don Pedro, regents of Castile during the minority of Alphonso
XL, had already laid waste the country from Alcaudete to Alcala

la Real, capturing the castle

*^;<r-^=^-r-.„-.' of Illora, and setting fire

. /_ . ■.; - to its suburbs, and they

^^— '^ - --'- ''^\ now carried their insulting

-^^^^^^ - . ^ ravages to the very gates

^-^"-^^^ ^ .A^^fc^- - °^ Granada, def)'ing the

^^. .,; -^- king to sally forth and give

^< ^'^^^ them battle.

Ismael, though a young
and intrepid prince, hesitated to accept the challenge. He
had not sufficient force at hand, and awaited the arrival of
troops summoned from the neighbouring towns. The Christian
princes, mistaking his motives, gave up all hope of drawing

K 2

132 Tin: ALII AM BRA

him forth, and having glutted themselves with ravage, struck
their tents and began their homeward march. Don Pedro
led the van, and Don Juan brought up the rear, but their
march was confused and irregular, the army being greatly
encumbered by the spoils and captives they had taken.

By this time King Ismael had received his expected resources,
and putting them under the command of Osmyn, one of the

^■■3,€^;4i^^'. 'm|''J*

IJrSl-S

bravest of his generals, sent them forth in hot pursuit of the
enemy. The Christians were overtaken in the defiles of the
mountains. A panic seized them ; they were completely
routed, and driven with great slaughter across the borders.
Both of the princes lost their lives. The body of Don Pedro
was carried off by his soldiers, but that of Don Juan was lost
in the darkness of the night. His son wrote to the Moorish
king, entreating that the body of his father might be sought
and honourably treated. Ismael forgot in a moment that Don

PANORAMA FROM THE TOWER OF COM ARES 133

Juan was an enemy, who had carried ravage and insult to the
very gate of his capital ; he only thought of him as a gallant
cavalier and a royal prince. By his command diligent search
was made for the body. It was found in a barra7ico and
brought to Granada. There Ismael caused it to be laid out in
state on a lofty bier, surrounded by torches and tapers, in one
of these halls of the Alhambra. Osmyn and other of the
noblest cavaliers were appointed as a guard of honour, and the
Christian captives were assembled to pray around it.

In the meantime, Ismael wrote to the son of Prince Juan to
send a convoy for the body, assuring him it should be faithfully
delivered up. In due time, a band of Christian cavaliers arri^'ed
for the purpose. They were honourably received and enter-
tained by Ismael, and, on their departure with the body, the
guard of honour of Moslem cavaliers escorted the funeral train
to the frontier.

But enough ; the sun is high above the mountains, and
pours his full fervour on our heads. Already the terraced
roof is hot beneath our feet ; let us abandon it, and refresh
ourselves under the Arcades by the Fountain of the Lions.

•:/:;

THE BALCONY

I HAVE spoken of a balcony of the central window of the
Hall of Ambassadors. It served as a kind of observatory,
where I used often to take my seat, and consider not merely
the heaven above but the earth beneath. Besides the magni-
ficent prospect which it commanded of mountain, valley, and
Vega, there was a little busy scene of human life laid open to
inspection immediately below. At the foot of the hill was an
a/ameda, or public walk, which, though not so fashionable
as the more modern and splendid paseo of the Xenil, still
boasted a varied and picturesque concourse. Hither resorted
the small gentry of the suburbs, together with priests and friars,
who walked for appetite and digestion ; majos and majas, the
beaux and belles of the lower classes, in their Andalusian
dresses ; swaggering co?itraba?idislas, and sometimes half-muffled
and mysterious loungers of the higher ranks, on some secret
assignation.

It was a moving picture of Spanish life and character, which

THE BALCONY 135

I delighted to study ; and as the astronomer has his grand
telescope with which to sweep the skies, and, as it were, bring
the stars nearer for his inspection, so I had a smaller one,
of pocket size, for the use of my observatory, with which I
could sweep the regions below, and bring the countenances
of the motley groups so close as almost, at times, to make
me think I could divine their conversation by the play and
expression of their features. I was thus, in a manner, an
invisible observer, and, without quitting my solitude, could

':M

•--J^".r-

Wf«§: .

throw myself in an instant into the midst of society,— a rare
advantage to one of somewhat shy and quiet habits, and fond,
like myself, of observing the drama of life without becoming
an actor in the scene.

There was a considerable suburb lying below the Alhambra,
iing the narrow gorge of the valley, and extending up the
opposite hill of the Albaycin. Many of the houses were built
in the Moorish style, round patios^ or courts, cooled by foun-
tains and open to the sky ; and as the inhabitants passed much
of their time in these courts, and on the terraced roofs during the

136

THE ALIIAMBRA

summer season, it follows that many a glance of their domestic
life might be obtained by an aerial spectator like myself, who
could look down on them from the clouds.

I enjoyed in some degree the advantages of the student in
the famous old Spanish story, who beheld all Madrid unroofed
for his inspection ; and my gossiping squire, ^Nlateo Ximenes,
officiated occasionally as my Asmodeus, to give me anecdotes

of the different man-
sions and their in-
habitants.

I preferred, however,
to form conjectural
histories for myself,
and thus would sit for
hours, weaving, from
casual incidents and
indications passing un-
der my eye, a whole
tissue of schemes, in-
trigues, and occupa-
tions of the busy mor-
tals below. There was
scarce a pretty face or
a striking figure that
I daily saw, about
which I had not thus
gradually framed a
dramatic story, though
characters would occasionally act in direct
the part assigned them, and disconcert the
Reconnoitring one day with my glass the
Albaycin, I beheld the procession of a

some of my
opposition to
whole drama,
streets of the

novice about to take the veil ; and remarked several circum-
stances which excited the strongest sympathy in the fate of the
youthful being thus about to be consigned to a living tomb. I

THE BALCONY 137

ascertained to my satisfaction that she was beautiful, and, from
the paleness of her cheek, that she was a victim rather than a
votarv. She was arrayed in bridal garments, and decked with
a chaplet of white flowers, but her heart evidently revolted at
this mockery of a spiritual union, and yearned after its earthly
loves. A tall stern-looking man walked near her in the proces-
sion : it was, of course, the tyrannical father, who, from some
bigoted or sordid motive, had compelled this sacrifice. Amid
the crowd was a dark handsome youth, in Andalusian garb,
who seemed to fix on her an eye of agony. It was doubtless
the secret lover from whom she was for ever to be separated.
My indignation rose as I noted the malignant expression
painted on the countenances of the attendant monks and
friars. The procession arrived at the chapel of the con-
vent ; the sun gleamed for the last time upon the chaplet
of the poor novice, as she crossed the fatal threshold and dis-
appeared within the building. The throng poured in with
cowl, and cross, and minstrelsy ; the lover paused for a mo-
ment at the door. I could divine the tumult of his feelings ;
but he mastered them, and entered. There was a long interval.
I pictured to myself the scene passing within : the poor novice
despoiled of her transient finery, and clothed in the conventual
garb ; the bridal chaplet taken from her brow, and her beauti-
ful head shorn of its long silken tresses. I heard her murmur
the irrevocable vow. I saw her extended on a bier ; the death-
pall spread over her ; the funeral service performed that pro-
claimed her dead to the world ; her sighs were drowned in the
deep tones of the organ, and the plaintive requiem of the nuns ;
the father looked on, unmoved, without a tear ; the lover — no —
my imagination refused to portray the anguish of the lover —
there the picture remained a blank.

After a time the throng again poured forth, and dispersed
various ways, to enjoy the light of the sun and mingle with the
stirring scenes of life ; but the victim, with her bridal chaplet,
was no longer there. The door of the convent closed that

138

THE ALMAMBRA

severed her from the world for ever. I saw the father and
the lover issue forth ; they were in earnest conversation. Tht
latter was vehement in his gesticulations ; I expected some
violent termination to my drama ; but an angle of a building
interfered and closed the scene. My eye afterwards was fre-
quently turned to that convent with painful interest. I re-
marked late at night a solitary light twinkling from a remote
lattice of one of its towers. "There,'" said I, "the unhappy
nun sits weeping in her cell, while perhaps her lover paces thc
street below in unavailing anguish."

The officious Mateo interrupted my meditations and de-
/ stroyed in an instant

-zi . -- the cobweb tissue of

my fancy. "With his
usual zeal he had
gathered facts con-
cerning the scene,
which put my fictions
all to flight. The
heroine of my romancer
was neither young nor
handsome ; she had
no lover ; she had
entered the convent of her own free will, as a respectable
asylum, and was one of the most cheerful residents within its
walls.

It was some little while before I could forgive the wrong
done me by the nun in being thus happy in her cell, in con-
tradiction to all the rules of romance ; I diverted my spleen,
however, by watching, for a day or two, the pretty coquetries
of a dark-eyed brunette, who, from the covert of a balcony
shrouded with flowering shrubs and a silken awning, was carrying
on a mysterious correspondence with a handsome, dark, well-
whiskered cavalier, who lurked frequently in the street beneath
her window. Sometimes I saw him at an earlv hour stealino;

THE BALCONY 139

forth wrapped to the eyes in a mantle. Sometimes he loitered
at a corner, in various disguises, apparently waiting for a private
signal to slip into the house. Then there was the tinkling of a
guitar at night and a lantern shifted from place to place in the
balcony. I imagined another intrigue like that of Almaviva,
but was again disconcerted in all my suppositions. The sup-
posed lover turned out to be the husband of the lady, and a
noted contrahaiidista ; and all his mysterious signs and move-
ments had doubtless some smuggling scheme in view.

I occasionally amused myself with noting from this bal-
cony the gradual changes of the scenes below, according to the
different stages of the day.

Scarce has the gray dawn streaked the sky, and the earliest
cock crowed from the cottages of the hill-side, when the suburbs
give sign of reviving animation ; for the fresh hours of dawning
are precious in the summer season in a sultry climate. All are
anxious to get the start of the sun, in the business of the day.
The muleteer drives forth his loaded train for the journey ; the
traveller slings his carbine behind his saddle, and mounts his
steed at the gate of the hostel ; the brown peasant from the
country urges forward his loitering beasts, laden with panniers
of sunny fruit and fresh dewy vegetables, for already the thrifty
housewives are hastening to the market.

The sun is up and sparkles along the valley, tipping the
transparent foliage of the groves. The matin bells resound
melodiously through the pure bright air, announcing the hour
of devotion. The muleteer halts his burdened animals before
the chapel, thrusts his staff through his belt behind, and enters
^vith hat in hand, smoothing his coal-black hair to hear a mass,
and to put up a prayer for a prosperous wayfaring across the
sierra. And now steals forth on fairy foot the gentle seilora,
in trim basquina, with restless fan in hand, and dark eye flash-
ing from beneath the gracefully folded mantilla; she seeks
some well-frequented church to offer up her morning orisons :
but the nicely adjusted dress, the dainty shoe and cobweb

I40 THE ALHAMBRA

stocking, the raven tresses exquisitely braided, the fresh-pkicked
rose, gleaming among them like a gem, show that earth divides
with Heaven the empiie of her thoughts. Keep an eye upon
her, careful mother, or virgin aunt, or vigilant duenna, which-
ever you may be, that walk behind !

As the morning advances, the din of labour augments on
every side ; the streets are thronged with man, and steed, and
beast of burden, and there is a hum and murmur, like the
surges of the ocean. As the sun ascends to his meridian, the
hum and bustle gradually decline ; at the height of noon there

The Market.

is a pause. The panting city sinks into lassitude, and for sev-
eral hours there is a general repose. The windows are closed,
the curtains drawn, the inhabitants retire into the coolest re-
cesses of their mansions ; the full-fed monk snores in his dor-
mitory ; the brawny porter lies stretched on the pavement
beside his burden : the peasant and the labourer sleep beneath
the trees of the Alameda, lulled by the sultry chirping of the
locust. The streets are deserted, except by the water-carrier,
who refreshes the ear by proclaiming the merits of his sparkling
beverage," colder than the mountain snow {jnasfria que la nieve)."

rfr"

1 ■^■

'^^^^[#^#;iSi

-;.=;— xi

s <j ^>^-^

House of the Darro.

142

THE ALHAMBRA

As the sun declines, there is again a gradual reviving, and
when the vesper bell rings out his sinking knell, all nature
seems to rejoice that the tyrant of the day has fallen. Now
begins the bustle of enjoyment, when the citizens pour forth to
breathe the evening air, and revel away the brief twilight in the
walks and gardens of the Darro and Xenil.

As night closes, the capricious scene assumes new features.

wm^

-^ytm-^sm

.5^5?«

The Convent.

Light after light gradually twinkles forth ; here a taper from a
balconied Avindow : there a votive lamp before the image of a
saint. Thus, by degrees, the city emerges from the pervading
gloom, and sparkles with scattered lights, like the starry firma-
ment. Xow break forth from court and garden, and street
and lane, the tinkling of innumerable guitars, and the click-
ing of castanets ; blending, at this lofty height, in a faint but

THE BALCONY

H-

general concert. " Enjoy the moment '' is the creed of the gay
and amorous Andalusian, and at no time does he practise it
more zealously than on the balmy nights of summer, wooing
his mistress with the dance, the love-ditty, and the passionate
serenade.

I Avas one evening seated in the balcony, enjoying the light
breeze that came rustling along the side of the hill, among the
tree-tops, when my humble historiographer Mateo, who was at
my elbow, pointed out a spacious house, in an obscure street
of the Albaycin, about which he related, as nearly as I can
recollect, the following anecdote.

In the Sierras.

'^^^ ^ m %-,^

r. -^ SfX o •'*' .J

Mosque .

THE ADVENTURE OF THE MASON

There was once upon a time a poor mason, or bricklayer,
in Granada, who kept all the saints' days and holidays, and Saint
Monday into the bargain, and yet, with all his devotion, he
grew poorer and poorer, and could scarcely earn bread for his
numerous family. One night he was roused from his first
sleep by a knocking at his door. He opened it, and beheld
before him a tall, meagre cadaverous-looking priest.

" ' Hark ye, honest friend ! ' said the stranger ; ' I have
observed that you are a good Christian, and one to be trusted ;
will you undertake a job this very night ? '

" ' ^Vith all my heart, Sefior Padre, on condition that I am
paid accordingly.'

" ' That you shall be ; but you must suffer yourself to be
blindfolded.'

"To this the mason made no objection. So, being hood-
winked, he was led by the priest through various rough lanes

THE ADVENTURE OF THE MASON

145

and winding passages, until they stopped before the portal of a
house. The priest then appHed a key, turned a creaking lock,
and opened what sounded Uke a ponderous door. They

x\\iV

House of the Priests.

entered, the door was closed and bolted, and the mason was
conducted through an echoing corridor and a spacious hall to
an interior part of the building. Here the bandage was

146

THE ALII AM BRA

removed from his eyes, and he found himself in a patio, or
court, dimly lighted by a single lamp. In the centre was the
drv basin of an old Moorish fountain, under which the priest

requested him to form a small vault, bricks and mortar bemg
at hand for the purpose. He accordingly worked all night,
but without finishing the job. Just before daybreak the priest

THE ADVENTURE OF THE MASON

147

put a piece of gold into his hand, and having again blindfolded
him, conducted him back to his dwelling.

" ' Are you willing,' said he, ' to return and complete your
work ? '

" ' Gladly, Sefior Padre, provided I am so well paid.'

" ' Well, then, to-morrow at midnight I will call again.'

" He did so, and the vault was completed.

" ' Now,' said the priest, ' you must help me to bring
forth the bodies that are to be buried in this vault.'

,/iii'^

" The poor mason's hair rose on his head at these words ;
he followed the priest, with trembling steps, into a retired
chamber of the mansion, expecting to behold some ghastly
spectacle of death, but was relieved on perceiving three or four
portly jars standing in one corner. They were evidently full
of money, and it was with great labour that he and the priest
carried them forth and consigned them to their tomb. The
vault was then closed, the pavement replaced, and all traces of
the work were obliterated. The mason was again hoodwinked

L 2

I4S THE ALIIAMBRA

and led forth by a route different from that by which he had
come. After they had wandered for a long time through a
perplexed maze of lanes and alleys, they halted. The priest
then put two pieces of gold into his hand : ' Wait here,' said
he. ' until you hear the cathedral bell toll for matins. If you
j)resume to uncover your eyes before that time, evil will befall
you : ' so saying, he departed. The mason waited faithfully,
amusing himself by weighing the gold pieces in his hand, and

•m VTr^-

a -* :Mfi A000M

r,l^l '{{/fi>j

T/ie Moorish Fountain.

clinking them against each other. The moment the cathedral
bell rang its matin peal, he uncovered his eyes, and found himself
on the banks of the Xenil ; whence he made the best of his way
home, and revelled with his family for a whole fortnight on the
profits of his two nights' work ; after which he was as poor as ever.
" He continued to work a httle, and pray a good deal, and
keep saints' days and holidays, from year to year, while his
family grew up as gaunt and ragged as a crew of gipsies. As
he was seated one evening at the door of his hovel, he was
accosted by a rich old curmudgeon, who was noted for owning
many houses, and being a griping landlord. The man of

THE ADVENTURE OF THE MASON

149

money eyed him for a moment from beneath a pair of anxious
shagged eyebrows.

I am told, friend, that you are very poor.'
There is no denying the fact, seilor, — it speaks for itself.'
" ' I presume, then, that you will be glad of a job, and will
work cheap.'

" ' As cheap, my master, as any mason in Granada.'

U i

•m

..,^:i |-< -.jS \,-

^^^-r;^'^"^.

^^jurn^v

„f"

Banks of Xenil.

" ' That's what I want. I have an old house fallen into
decay, which costs me more money than it is worth to keep it
in repair, for nobody will live in it ; so I must contrive to
patch it up and keep it together at as small expense as possible.'

" The mason was accordingly conducted to a large deserted
house that seemed going to ruin. Passing through several
empty halls and chambers, he entered an inner court, where
his eye was caught by an old Moorish fountain. He paused

I50 Till-: ALllA.MBRA

for a moment, for a dreaming recollection of the })lace came
over him.

" ' Pray,' said he, 'who occupied this house formerly?'

*• ' A pest upon him ! ' cried the landlord ; ' it was an old
miserly priest, who cared for nobody but himself. He was
said to be immensely rich, and, having no relations, it was
thought he would leave all his treasures to the Church. He
died suddenly, and the priests and friars thronged to take
possession of his wealth : but nothing could they find but
a few ducats in a leathern purse. The worst luck has fallen
on me, for, since his death, the old fellow continues to occupy
my house without paying rent, and there is no taking the law
of a dead man. The people pretend to hear the clinking of
gold all night in the chamber where the old priest slept, as if
he were counting over his money, and sometimes a groaning
and moaning about the court. A\'hether true or false, these
stories have brought a bad name on my house, and not a
tenant will remain in it.'

" ' Enough,' said the mason sturdily : ' let me live in your
house rent-free until some better tenant present, and I will
engage to put it in repair, and to quiet the troubled spirit that
disturbs it. I am a good Christian and a poor man, and am
not to be daunted by the Devil himself, even though he should
come in the shape of a big bag of money I '

" The offer of the honest mason was gladly accepted ; he
moved with his family into the house, and fulfilled all his en-
gagements. By little and little he restored it to its former
state ; the clinking of gold was no more heard at night in the
chamber of the defunct priest, but began to be heard by day
in the pocket of the living mason. In a word, he increased
rapidly in wealth, to the admiration of all his neighbours, and
became one of the richest men in Granada : he gave large
sums to the Church, by way, no doubt, of satisfying his
conscience, and never revealed the secret of the vault until on
his death-bed to his son and heir."

THE COURT OF LIONS

The peculiar charm of this old dreamy palace is its power
of calling up vague reveries and picturings of the past, and
thus clothing naked realities with the illusions of the memory
and the imagination. As I delight to walk in these "vain
shadows," I am prone to seek those parts of the Alhambra
which are most favourable to this phantasmagoria of the mind ;
and none are more so than the Court of Lions, and its sur-
rounding halls. Here the hand of time has fallen the lightest,
and the traces of Moorish elegance and splendour exist in
almost their original brilliancy. Earthquakes have shaken the
foundations of this pile, and rent its rudest towers ; yet see !
not one of those slender columns has been displaced, not an
arch of that light and fragile colonnade given way, and all the
fairy fretwork of these domes, apparently as unsubstantial as
the crystal fabrics of a morning's frost, exist after the lapse of
centuries, almost as fresh as if from the hand of the Moslem
artist. I write in the midst of these mementoes of the past, in
the fresh hour of early morning, in the fated Hall of the Aben-
cerrages. The blood-stained fountain, the legendary monument
of their massacre, is before me ; the lofty jet almost casts its

152 THE ALHAMKRA

dew upon my ])aper. How difficult to reconcile the ancient
tale of violence and blood with the gentle and peaceful scene
around I Everything here appears calculated to inspire kind
and happy feelings, for everything is delicate and beautiful.
The very light falls tenderly from above, through the lantern of
a dome tinted and wrought as if by fairy hands. Through the
ample and fretted arch of the portal I behold the Court of
Lions, with brilliant sunshine gleaming along its colonnades
and sparkling in its fountains. The lively swallow dives into
the court, and, rising with a surge, darts away twittering over
the roofs ; the busy bee toils humming among the flower-beds ;
and painted butterflies hover from plant to plant, and flutter
up and sport with each other in the sunny air. It needs but a
slight exertion of the fancy to picture some pensive beauty
of the harem, loitering in these secluded haunts of Oriental
luxury.

He, however, who would behold this scene under an aspect
more in unison with its fortunes, let him come when the
shadows of evening temper the brightness of the court, and
throw a gloom into the surrounding halls. Then nothing can
be more serenely melancholy, or more in harmony with the
tale of departed grandeur.

At such times I am apt to seek the Hall of Justice, whose
deep shadowy arcades extend across the upper end of the
court. Here was performed, in presence of Ferdinand and
Isabella and their triumphant court, the pompous ceremonial
of high mass, on taking possession of the Alhambra. The very
cross is still to be seen upon the wall, where the altar was erected,
and where officiated the Grand Cardinal of Spain, and others of
the highest religious dignitaries of the land. I picture to my-
self the scene when this place was filled with the conquering
host, that mixture of mitred prelate and shaven monk, and
steel-clad knight and silken courtier ; when crosses and crosiers
and religious standards were mingled with proud armorial-
ensigns and the banners of the haughty chiefs of Spain, and

THE COURT OF LIONS

153

flaunted in triumph through these Moslem halls. I picture to
myself Columbus, the future discoverer of a world, taking his

Cotn-t 0/ Lioiis.

modest stand in a remote corner, the humble and neglected
spectator of the pageant. I see in imagination the Catholic
sovereigns prostrating themselves before the altar, and pouring

154

THE ALHAMBRA

forth thanks for their victory ; while the vaults resound with
sacred minstrelsy, and the deep-toned Te Deiun.

The transient illusion is over, — the pageant melts from the

Hall of Justice.

fancy, — monarch, priest, and warrior return into oblivion with
the poor Moslems over whom they exulted. The hall of their
triumph is waste and desolate. The bat flits about its twilight
vault, and the owl hoots from the neighbouring tower of Comares.

THE COURT OF LIONS 155

Entering the Court of the Lions a few evenings since, I was
almost startled at beholding a turbaned Moo'r quietly seated
near the fountain. For a moment one of the fictions of the
place seemed realised : an enchanted Moor had broken the
spell of centuries, and become visible. He proved, however,

MM
Mm

'^:.

kh''^

I 1

HaH o//ust/ce.

to be a mere ordinary mortal : a native of Tetuan in Barbary,
who had a shop in the Zacatin of Granada, where he sold
rhubarb, trinkets, and perfumes. As he spoke Spanish fluently,
I was enabled to hold conversation ^^■ith him, and found him
shrewd and intelligent. He told me that he came up the hill
occasionally in the summer, to pass a part of the day in the

IS6

THE ALIIAMBRA

Alhambra, which reminded him of the old palaces in Barbary,

being built and' adorned in similar style, though with more

magni licence.

As we walked about the palace, he pointed out several of the

Arabic inscriptions, as possessing much poetic beauty.

" Ah, seilor,'' said he, " when the Moors held Granada, they

were a gayer people than they are nowadays. They thought

only of love, music, and poetry.
They made stanzas upon every
occasion, and set them all to
music. He who could make the
best verses, and she who had the
most tuneful voice, might be sure
of favour and preferment. In
those days, if any one asked for
bread, the reply was, make me a
couplet ; and the poorest beggar,
if he begged in rhyme, would often
be rewarded with a piece of gold."
\ lif^ '■ "' W \ ••*'' "I * '' ^^"^ ^^ ^^^ popular feeling for

iiillHBL'^ ■ "il^wffi t-^-' ^ poetry," said I, "entirely lost

'W'^ftflft ^li^ifcs^^v V among you ? "
'^^•awB , M,Ji«»^ JV -.i ugy j^Q means, sefior ; the

people of Barbary, even those of
the lower classes, still make coup-
lets, and good ones too, as in
-■ ■' -•-■^' Qld times: but talent is not re-
"*^ warded as it was then : the rich

prefer the jingle of their gold to the sound of poetry or music."
As he was talking, his eye caught one of the inscriptions
which foretold perpetuity to the power and glory of the Moslem
monarchs, the masters of this pile. He shook his head, and
shrugged his shoulders, as he interpreted it. " Such might
have been the case," said he ; " the Moslems might still have
been reigning in the Alhambra, had not Boabdil been a traitor.

THE COURT OF LIONS 157

and given up his capital to the Christians. The Spanish
monarchs would never have been able to conquer it by open
force."

I endeavoured to vindicate the memory of the unlucky
Boabdil from this aspersion, and to show that the dissensions

I '^

/ei^;j^;.'

^j:'m^.^

A IVindmv in the Hall of Justice.

which led to the downfall of the Moorish throne originated in
the cruelty of his tiger-hearted father; but the Moor would
admit of no palliation.

" Muley Abul Hassan," said he, " might have been cruel :
but he was brave, vigilant, and patriotic. Had he been
properly seconded, Granada would still have been ours; but

1 58 THE ALII AM BRA

his son Boabdil thwarted his plans, crippled his power, sowed
treason in his palace, and dissension in his camp. May the
curse of God light upon him for his treachery 1 " With these
words the Moor left the Alhambra.

The indignation of my turbaned companion agrees with an
anecdote related by a friend, who, in the course of a tour in
Barbary, had an interview with the Pacha of Tetuan. The
Moorish governor was particular in his inquiries about Spain,
and especially concerning the favoured region of Andalusia,
the delights of Granada, and the remains of its royal palace.
The replies awakened all those fond recollections, so deeply
cherished by the Moors, of the power and splendour of their
ancient empire in Spain. Turning to his Moslem attendants,
the Pacha stroked his beard, and broke forth in passionate
lamentations, that such a sceptre should have fallen from the
sway of true believers. He consoled himself, however, with
the persuasion, that the power and prosperity of the Spanish
nation were on the decline ; that a time would come when the
Moors would conquer their rightful domains ; and that the day
was perhaps not far distant w^hen Mohammedan worship would
again be offered up in the mosque of Cordova, and a Moham-
medan prince sit on his throne in the Alhambra.

Such is the general aspiration and belief among the Moors of
Barbary ; who consider Spain, or Andaluz, as it was anciently
called, their rightful heritage, of which they have been despoiled
by treachery and violence. These ideas are fostered and per-
petuated by the descendants of the exiled Moors of Granada,
scattered among the cities of Barbary. Several of these reside
in Tetuan, preserving their ancient names, such as Paez and
Medina, and refraining from intermarriage with any families who
cannot claim the same high origin. Their vaunted lineage is
regarded with a degree of popular deference rarely shown in
Mohammedan communities to any hereditary distinction,
excepting in the royal line.

These families, it is said, continue to sigh after the terrestrial

THE COURT OF LIONS

159

paradise of their ancestors, and to put up prayers in their
mosques on Fridays, imploring Allah to hasten the time when
Granada shall be restored to the faithful : an event to which
they look forward as fondly and confidently as did the Christian
Crusaders to the recovery of the Holy Sepulchre. Nay, it is
added, that some of them retain the ancient maps and deeds
of the estates and gardens of their ancestors at Granada, and
even the keys of the houses ; holding them as evidences of their

Jii|f

Mosque Cordoz'a.

hereditary claims, to be produced at the anticipated day of
restoration.

My conversation with the Moor set me to musing on the
fate of Boabdil. Never was surname more applicable than that
bestowed upon him by his subjects of el Zogoybi, or the
Unlucky. His misfortunes began almost in his cradle, and
ceased not even with his death. If ever he cherished the
desire of leaving an honourable name on the historic page, how
cruelly has he been defrauded of his hopes ! Who is there that
has turned the least attention to the romantic history of the

KKD THE ALIIAMBRA

Moorish domination in Spain, without kindling with indignation
at the alleged atrocities of Boabdil ? Who has not been touched
.with the woes of his lovely and gentle queen, subjected by him
to a trial of life and death, on a false charge of infidelity ?
^^'ho has not been shocked by his alleged murder of his sister
and her two children, in a transport of passion ? Who has not
felt his blood boil at the inhuman massacre of the gallant
Abencerrages, thirty-six of whom, it is affirmed, he ordered to
be beheaded in the Court of Lions ? All these charges have
been reiterated in various forms ; they have passed into ballads,
dramas, and romances, until they have taken too thorough
possession of the public mind to be eradicated. There is not
a foreigner of education that visits the Alhambra, but asks for
the fountain where the Abencerrages were beheaded ; and
gazes with horror at the grated gallery where the queen is said
to have been confined ; not a peasant of the Vega or the
Sierra, but sings the story in rude couplets, to the accompani-
ment of his guitar, while his hearers learn to execrate the very
name of Boabdil.

Never, however, was name more foully and unjustly slandered.
I have examined all the authentic chronicles and letters written
by Spanish authors, contemporary with Boabdil : some of whom
were in the confidence of the Catholic sovereigns, and actually
present in the camp throughout the war. I have examined all
the Arabian authorities I could get access to, through the
medium of translation, and have found nothing to justify these
dark and hateful accusations. The most of these tales may be
traced to a work commonly called The Civil Wars of Gra?mda,
containing a pretended history of the feuds of the Zegries and
Abencerrages, during the last struggle of the Moorish empire.
The work appeared originally in Spanish, and professed to be
translated from the Arabic by one Gines Perez de Hita, an
inhabitant of Murcia. It has since passed into various lan-
guages, and Florian has taken from it much of the fable of his
Gonsalvo of Cordovo : it has thus, in a great measure, usurped

THE COURT OF LIONS

i6i

the authority of real history, and is currently believed by the
people, and especially the peasantry of Granada. The whole
of it, however, is a mass of fiction, mingled with a few disfigured
truths, which give it an air of veracity. It bears internal

evidence of its falsity ; the manners and customs of the floors
being extravagantly misrepresented in it, and scenes depicted
totally incompatible with their habits and their faith, and which
never could have been recorded by a Mohammedan writer.

;0:

THE AIJIAMBRA

I confess there seems to me something ahiiost criminal in the
wilful perversions of this work : great latitude is undoubtedly
to be allowed to romantic fiction, but there are limits which it
must not pass ; and the names of the distinguished dead, which
belong to history, are no more to be calumniated than those of
the ilkistrious living. One would have thought, too, that the
unfortunate Boabdil had suffered enough for his justifiable
hostility to the Spaniards, by being stripped of his kingdom,
v.ithout having his name thus wantonly traduced, and rendered
a byword and a theme of infamy in his native land, and in the
very mansion of his fathers !

Entrance to Hall of Abenccrragcc

»^

.y^

MEMENTOES OF BOABDIL

While my mind was still warm with the subject of the
unfortunate Boabdil, I set forth to trace the mementoes of him
still existing in this scene of his sovereignty and misfortunes.
In the tower of Comares, immediately under the Hall of
Ambassadors, are two vaulted rooms, separated by a narrow
passage ; these are said to have been the prisons of himself and
his mother, the virtuous Ayxa la Horra ; indeed, no other part
of the tower would have served for the purpose. The external
walls of these chambers are of prodigious thickness, pierced with
small windows secured by iron bars. A narrow stone galler}',
with a low parapet, extends along three sides of the tower just
below the windows, but at a considerable height from the
ground. From this gallery, it is presumed, the queen lowered
her son with the scarves of herself and her female attendants
during the darkness of the night to the hill-side, where some of
his faithful adherents waited with fleet steeds to bear him to
the mountains.

Between three and four hundred years have elapsed, yet this
scene of the drama remains almost unchanged. As I paced

M 2

i64

THE ALII AM BRA

:SU43*S^:

the gallery, my imagination pictured the anxious queen leaning
over the parapet, listening, with the throbbings of a mother's
heart, to the last echoes of the horse's hoofs as her son scoured
along the narrow valley of the Darro.

I next sought the gate by which Boabdil made his last exit
from the Alhambra, when about to surrender his capital and

kingdom. W'ith the melan-
choly caprice of a broken
spirit, or perhaps with some
superstitious feeling, he re-
quested of the Catholic mon-
archs that no one afterwards
might be permitted to pass
through it. His prayer, ac-
cording to ancient chronicles,
was complied with, through
the sympathy of Isabella,
and the gate was walled up.
I inquired for some time
in vain for such a portal ;
at length my humble attend-
ant, Mateo Ximenes, said
it must be one closed up
with stones, which, according
_^ to what he had heard from

;1.-J" ' ■ his father and grandfather,

was the gateway b}' which
King Chico had left the fortress. There was a mystery about
it, and it had never been opened within the memory of the
oldest inhaljitant.

He conducted me to the spot. The gateway is in the centre
of what was once an immense pile, called the Tower of the
Seven Floors {/a Torre de los siete suelos). It is famous in the
neighbourhood as the scene of strange apparitions and Moorish
enchantments. According to Swinburne the traveller, it was

,wJi.

MEMENTOES OE BOABDIL 165

originally the great gate of entrance. The antiquaries of
Granada pronounce it the entrance to that quarter of the
royal residence where the king's bodyguards were stationed. It
therefore might well form an immediate entrance and exit to the
palace ; while the grand Gate of Justice served as the entrance
of state to the fortress. When Boabdil sallied by this gate to
descend to the Vega, where he was to surrender the keys of
the city to the Spanish sovereigns, he left his vizier Aben

Comixa to receive, at the gate of Justice, the detachment
from the Christian army and the officers to whom the fortress
was to be given up.

The once redoubtable Tower of the Seven Floors is now a
mere wreck, having been blown up with gunpowder by the
French, when they abandoned the fortress. Great masses of
the wall lie scattered about, buried in luxuriant herbage, or
overshadowed by vines and fig-trees. The arch of the gateway,
though rent by the shock, still remains ; but the last wish of
poor Boabdil has again, though unintentionally, been fulfilled,

1 66

Till-: ALII AM BRA

for the portal has been closed up by loose stones gathered
from the ruins, and remains impassable.

Mounting my horse, I followed up the route of the Moslem
monarch from this place of his exit. Crossing the hill of Los
]\lartyros, and keeping along the garden-wall of a convent

<^.i^

f^.H"^'''

Sf-

^d:

••'^< ■;"§

bearing the same name, I descended a rugged ravine beset by
thickets of aloes and Indian figs, and lined with caves and
hovels swarming with gipsies. The descent was so steep and
broken that I was fain to alight and lead my horse. By this
via dolorosa poor Boabdil took his sad departure to avoid

MEMENTOES OF BOABDIL 167

passing through the city ; partly, perhaps, through unwilHngness
that its inhabitants should behold his humiliation ; but chiefly,
in all probability, lest it might cause some popular agitation.
For the last reason, undoubtedly, the detachment sent to take
possession of the fortress ascended by the same route.

Emerging from this rough ravine, so full of melancholy
associations, and passing by the puerta de los inolinos (the gate
of the mills), I issued forth upon the public promenade called
the Prado ; and pursuing the course of the Xenil, arrived at a

'^^r^'^"^" ^.

--*-^eN

W&^^^rP^?^

small chapel, once a mosque, now the Hermitage of San
Sebastian. Here, according to tradition, Boabdil surrendered
the keys of Granada to King Ferdinand. I rode slowly thence
across the Vega to a village where the family and household
of the unhappy king awaited him, for he had sent them forward
on the preceding night from the Alhambra, that his mother
and wife might not participate in his personal humiliation, or be
■xposed to the gaze of the conquerors. P'oUowing on in the
route of the melancholy band of royal exiles, I arrived at the
foot of a chain of barren and dreary heights, forming the skirt

i6S

TIIK ALHAMHRA

of the Alpiixarra Mcnintains. From the summit of one of
these the unfortunate Boabdil took his last look at Granada ; it
hears a name expressive of his sorrows, La Cuesta de /as
Lagrinias (the hill of tears). Beyond it, a sandy road winds

^- ^'" ;.Wi \^-s ■.■^.'. ^fi

~ s* -^ ..

-^^T

across a rugged cheerless waste, doubly dismal to the unhappy
monarch, as it led to exile.

I spurred my horse to the summit of a rock, where Boabdil
uttered his last sorrowful exclamation, as he turned his eyes
from taking their farewell gaze : it is still denominated elultwio
suspiro del Moro (the last sigh of the Moor). Who can wonder
at his anguish at being expelled from such a kingdom and such

MEMENTOES OF BOABDIL

169

an abode ? With the Alhambra he seemed to be yielding up
all the honours of his line, and all the glories and delights of
life.

It was here, too, that his affliction was embittered by the
reproach of his mother, Ayxa, who had so often assisted him in
times of peril, and had vainly sought to instil into him her own

^^^ ■ •v-"^'^

-. ^-^-^

"'i^^M..

^'^

.^C

resolute spirit. " You do well,'* said she, " to weep as a woman
over what you could not defend as a man ; " a speech savour-
ing more of the pride of the princess than the tenderness of
the mother.

When this anecdote was related to Charles V., by Bishop
Guevara, the emperor joined in the expression of scorn at the
weakness of the wavering Boabdil. " Had I been he, or he
been I," said the haughty potentate, " I would rather have

[70

THE ALHAMBRA

made this Alhambra my sepulchre than have lived without a
kingdom in the Alpuxarra." How easy it is for those in

^>t^^

V#J

.^:v^-..

(I> i?*^;^/

W^-i

^^ ^iC M'

..U: ^

power and prosperity to preach heroism to the vanquished !
how little can they understand that life itself may rise in value
with the unfortunate when naught but life remains !

Slowly de-
scending the
" Hill of
Tears," I let
my horse
take his own
loitering gait
back to Gran-
ada, while I
turned the
stor>' of the
unfortunate
Boabdi lover
in my mind,
in summing up the particulars, I found the balance inclining
in his favour. Throughout the whole of his brief, turbulent, and
dfsastrous reign, he gives evidence of a mild and amiable char-
acter. He, in the first instance, won the hearts of his people by

^"^- >

■'-- -^■^^'

^^^

jfll

-'^

-^^f^^H

"'*■' ^

i^^^^^^B

^"-^iiSi^

W^^m

MEMENTOES OF BOABDIL 171

his affable and gracious manners ; he was ahvays placable, and
never inflicted any severity of punishment upon those who occa-
sionally rebelled against him. He was personally brave, but
wanted moral courage ; and, in times of difficulty and per-
plexity, was wavering and irresolute. This feebleness of spirit
hastened his downfall, while it deprived him of that heroic
grace which would have given grandeur and dignity to his fate,
and rendered him worthy of closing the splendid drama of the
Moslem domination in Spain.

-; f^'iT;: 5^- - ^-3^^ _ 5^ f^ . ^-^^ -^^ ^%

Rubbing froin the Comnieviorative Plaque in the iiall o/ t/ie Hertniiage of
San Sebastian.

-•*'■ ;^^ -.jpsarj

i.:

Pass of I^ope.

THE HOUSE OF THE WEATHERCOCK

On the brow of the lofty hill of the Albaycin, the highest
part of Granada, and which rises from the narrow valley of the
Darro, directly opposite to the Alhambra, stands all that is left
of what was once a royal palace of the Moors. It has, in fact,
fallen into such obscurity, that it cost me much trouble to find
it, though aided in my researches by the sagacious and all-
knowing Mateo Ximenes. This edifice has borne for centuries
the name of " The House of the Weathercock " {La casa del
Gallo de Viento), from a bronze figure on one of its turrets, in
ancient times, of a warrior on horseback, and turning with
every breeze. This weathercock was considered by the
Moslems of Granada a portentous talisman. According to
some traditions, it bore the following Arabic inscription :

Cakt el Bedici Attn Habuz,
Qiiidat ehahet Lindabuz.

Which has been rendered into Spanish :

Dice el sabio A ben Habiiz,
Que a si se dejiende el Andiiluz.

And into English :

In this way, says Aben Hal^uz the Wise,
Andaluz guards against surprise.

This Aben Habuz, according to some of the old ^.loorish

174

THE AI.IIAM1U<A

« iironirles, was a captain in the invading army of Taric, one of
the coiKjuerors of Spain, wlio left him as Akayde of Granada.
He is supposed to have intended this effigy as a perpetual
warning to the Moslems of Andaluz, that, surrounded by foes,
their safety depended upon their being always on their guard
and ready for the field.

Others, among whom is the Christian historian ?^Iarmol,

affirms " Badis Ahen Habus" to have been a

Moorish sultan of Granada, and that the weather-

t\ :f cock was intended as a perpetual admonition of

*^ . '-./ the instability of Moslem power, bearing the

*''■"' following words in Arabic :

^ ^^ " Thus Ibn Habus al

."fi '"'L'.'i:-.. -4, badise predicts Andaluz

'}'/ ^^9^%^^^^^-^. ^ < Wc. shall one dav vanish and

,/ V^^'^ :{ pass away.

*"• j .^ ^/^ .• ^^:.- - r^o'" " rrrf "■' Vr"'' Another version of this

if • ^ .^ .'--r^^x-^^y^,-^ portentous inscription is

" ""^ T-^..^ X>&^ 'j^f^^'"'' given bv a Moslem his-

*^\ '/>'-. "^^-A__ '-i torian, on the authority

\ \ , ' ''^^-^v '~^llj^.i^*'\ of Sidi Hasan, a faquir

zzsr^ -^'"'-'^'^^ who flourished about the

'^^'V'Cf'' '■'%-'- ^^"^^ ^^ Ferdinand and

'J^l^ Isabella, and who was

yll '^^'%'i present at the taking

'' •■ ^~"- '^v -<' 7^^'^ downof the weathercock,

r- ""^^^ \ \^ ^^ when the old Kassaba

' was undergoing repairs.

"I saw it," says the venerable 7^z<////>, "with my own eyes ;

it was of a heptagonal shape, and had the following inscription

in verse :

" The palace at fair Granada presents a talisman."
" The horseman, though a solid body, turns with every wind."
" This to a wise man reveals a mystery. In a little while
comes a calamity to ruin both the palace and its owner."

S ^-v. '!it^ims-€,.

THE HOUSE OF THE WEATHERCOCK 175

In effect it was not long after this meddling with the por-
tentous weathercock that the following event occurred. As
old Muley Abul Hassan, the king of Granada, was seated
under a sumptuous pa\ilion, reviewing his troops, who paraded
before him in armour of polished steel and gorgeous silken
robes, mounted on fleet steeds, and equipped with swords,
spears, and shields embossed with gold and silver, — suddenly a
tempest was seen hurrying from the south-west. In a little
while black clouds overshadowed the heavens and burst forth
with a deluge of rain. Torrents came roaring down from the
mountains, bringing with them rocks and trees ; the Darro
overflowed its banks ; mills were swept away, bridges destroyed,
gardens laid waste ; the inundation rushed into the city, under-
mining houses, drowning their inhabitants, and overflowing
even the square of the Great Mosque. The people rushed in
affright to the mosques to implore the mercy of Allah, regarding
this uproar of the elements as the harbinger of dreadful
calamities ; and, indeed, according to the Arabian historian Al
Makkari, it was but a type and prelude of the direful war
which ended in the downfall of the ^loslem kingdom of
Granada.

I have thus given historic authorities sufficient to show the
portentous mysteries connected with the House of the "\^'eather-
cock, and its talismanic horseman.

I now proceed to relate still more surprising things about
Aben Habuz and his palace : for the truth of which, should
any doubt be entertained, I refer the dubious reader to Mateo
Ximenes and his fellow-historiographers of the Alhambra.

f^^.

Ajfiofig- the Hills.

LEGEND OF THE ARABIAN ASTROLOGER.

In old times, many hundred years ago, there was a Moorish
king named Aben Habuz, who reigned over the kingdom of
(iranada. He was a retired conqueror, that is to say, one who,
having in his more youthful days led a life of constant foray
and depredation, now that he was grown feeble and superan-
nuated, " languished for repose," and desired nothing more
than to live at peace with all the world, to husband his laurels,
and to enjoy in quiet the possessions he had wrested from his
neighbours.

It so happened, however, that this most reasonable and
pacific old monarch had young rivals to deal with ; princes full
of his early passion for fame and fighting, and who were dis-
posed to call him to account for the scores he had run up with
their fathers. Certain distant districts of his own territories,
also, which during the days of his vigour he had treated with a
high hand, were prone, now that he languished for repose, to
rise in rebellion and threaten to invest him in his capital.
Thus he had foes on every side ; and as Granada is surro-unded
by wild and craggy mountains, which hide the approach of an
enemy, the unfortunate Aben Habuz was kept in a constant
state of vigilance and alarm, not knowing in what quarter
hostilities might break out.

LEGEND OF THE ARABIAN ASTROLOGER

177

It was in vain that he built watch-towers on the mountains,
and stationed guards at every pass with orders to make fires by
night and smoke by day, on the approach of an enemy. His

^iUfli

-iilMli^^ft^^

y^mi4

m:"^

■i-'Vhi

The Tomb of Fcrdinavd n7id Isabella.

alert foes, baffling every precaution, would break out of some
unthought-of defile, ravage his lands beneath his very nose, and
then make off with prisoners and booty to the mountains.

178 THE ALII AM BRA

Was ever peaceable and retired conqueror in a more uncom-
fortable predicament ?

While Aben Habuz was harassed by these perplexities and
molestations, an ancient Arabian physician arrived at his court.
His gray beard descended to his girdle, and he had every mark
of extreme age, yet he had travelled almost the whole way from
Egypt on foot, with no other aid than a staff, marked with
hieroglyphics. His fame had preceded him. His name was
Ibrahim Ebn Abu Ayub ; he was said to have lived ever since
the days of Mahomet, and to be son of Abu Ayub ; the last of
the companions of the Prophet. He had, when a child, followed
the conquering army of Amru into Egypt, where he had remained
many years studying the dark sciences, and particularly magic,
among the Egyptian priests.

It was, moreover, said that he had found out the secret of
prolonging life by means of which he had arrived to the great
age of upwards of two centuries, though, as he did not discover
the secret until well stricken in years, he could only perpetuate
his gray hairs and wrinkles.

This wonderful old man was honourably entertained by the
king : who, like most superannuated monarchs, began to take
physicians into great favour. He would have- assigned him an
apartment in his palace, but the astrologer preferred a cave in
the side of the hill which rises above the city of Granada, being
the same on which the Alhambra has since been built. He
caused the cave to be enlarged so as to form a spacious and
lofty hall, with a circular hole at the top, through which, as
through a well, he could see the heavens and behold the stars
even at mid-day. The walls of this hall were covered with
Egyptian hieroglyphics with cabalistic symbols, and with the
figures of the stars in their signs. This hall he furnished with
many implements, fabricated under his directions by cunning
artificers of Granada, but the occult properties of which were
known only to himself.

In a little while the sage Ibrahim became the bosom coun-

/.r---

% \ '^\

i8o THE ALHAMBRA

sellor of the king, who appHed to him for advice in every
emergency. Aben Habuz was once inveighing against the
injustice of his neighbours, and bewaiHng the restless vigilance he
had to observe to guard himself against their invasions ; when
he had tinished, the astrologer remained silent for a moment,
and then replied, " Know, O king, that, when I was in Egypt,
I beheld a great marvel devised by a pagan priestess of old.
On a mountain, above the city of Borsa, and overlooking the
great valley of the Nile, was a figure of a ram, and above it a
figure of a cock, both of molten brass, and turning upon a
pivot, ^^'henever the country was threatened with- invasion,
the ram would turn in the direction of the enemy, and the
cock would crow ; upon this the inhabitants of the city knew of
the danger, and of the quarter from which it was approaching,
and could take timely means to guard against it.""

" God is great I " exclaimed the pacific Aben Habuz, " what
a treasure would be such a ram to keep an eye upon these
mountains around me ; and then such a cock, to crow in time
of danger ! Allah Akbah ! how securely I might sleep in my
palace with such sentinels on the top I "

The astrologer waited until the ecstasies of the king had sub-
sided, and then proceeded :

'* After the victorious Amru (may he rest in peace !) had
finished his conquest of Egypt, I remained among the priests
of the land, studying the rites and ceremonies of their idolatrous
faith, and seeking to make myself master of the hidden know-
ledge for which they are renowned. I was one day seated on
the banks of the Nile, conversing with an ancient priest, when
he pointed to the mighty pyramids which rose like mountains
out of the neighbouring desert. ' All that we can teach thee,'
said he, ' is nothing to the knowledge locked up in those
mighty piles. In the centre of the central pyramid is a
sepulchral chamber, in which is enclosed the mummy of the
high priest who aided in rearing that stupendous pile ; and
with him is buried a wondrous book of knowledge, containing

LEGEND OF THE ARABIAN ASTROLOGER i8i

all the secrets of magic and art. This book was given to Adam
after his fall, and was handed down from generation to genera-
tion to King Solomon the Wise, and by its aid he built the
Temple of Jerusalem. How it came into the possession of
the builder of the pyramids is known to Him alone who knows
all things.'

" ^^'hen I heard these words of the Egyptian priest, my heart
burned to get possession of that book. I could command the
services of many of the soldiers of our conquering army, and of
a number of the native Egyptians : with these I set to work,
and pierced the solid mass of the pyramid, until, after great
toil, I came upon one of its interior and hidden passages.
Following this up, and threading a fearful labyrinth, I pene-
trated into the very heart of the pyramids, even to the sepulchral
chamber, where the mummy of the high-priest had lain for ages,
I broke through the outer cases of the mummy, unfolded its
many wrappers and bandages, and at length found the precious
volume on its bosom. I seized it with a trembling hand, and
groped my way out of the pyramid, leaving the mummy in its
dark and silent sepulchre, there to await the final day of
resurrection and judgment."

" Son of Abu Ayub," exclaimed Aben Habuz, " thou hast
been a great traveller, and seen marvellous things ; but of what
avail to me is the secret of the pyramid, and the volume of
knowledge of the wise Solomon ? ''

" This it is, O king 1 By the study of that book I am in-
structed in all magic arts, and can command the assistance of
genii to accomplish my plans. The mystery of the Talisman
of Borsa is therefore familiar to me, and such a talisman can I
make, nay, one of greater virtues."'

" O wise son of Abu Ayub," cried Aben Habuz, "better
were such a talisman than all the watch towers on the hills, and
sentinels upon the borders. Give me such a safeguard, and
the riches of my treasury are at thy command."

The astrologer immediately set to work to gratify the wishes

i82 THE ALHAMBRA

of the monarch. He caused a great tower to be erected upon
the top of the royal palace, which stood on the brow of the hill
of the Albaycin. The tower was built of stones brought from
Egypt, and taken, it is said, from one of the pyramids. In the
upper part of the tower was a circular hall, with windows looking
towards every point of the compass, and before each window
was a table on which was arranged, as on a chess-board, a
mimic army of horse and foot, with the effigy of the potentate
that ruled in that direction, all carved of wood. To each of
these tables there was a small lance, no bigger than a bodkin,
on which were engraved certain Chaldaic characters. This
hall was kept constantly closed, by a gate of brass, with a
great lock of steel, the key of which was in possession of the
king.

On the top of the tower was a bronze figure of a Moorish
horseman, fixed on a pivot, with a shield on one arm, and his
lance elevated perpendicularly. The face of this horseman
was towards the city, as if keeping guard over it : but if any foe
were at hand, the figure would turn in that direction, and
would level the lance as if for action.

^^'hen this talisman was finished, Aben Habuz was all
impatient to try its virtues, and longed as ardently for an
invasion as he had ever sighed after repose. His desire was
soon gratified. Tidings Avere • brought, early one morning, by
the sentinel appointed to watch the tower, that the face of the
bronze horseman was turned towards the mountains of Elvira,
and that his lance pointed directly against the Pass of Lope.

" Let the drums and trumpets sound to arms, and all
Granada be put on the alert," said Aben Habuz.

" O king," said the astrologer, " let not your city be dis-
quieted, nor your warriors called to arms ; we need no aid of
force to deliver you from your enemies. Dismiss your at-
tendants, and let us proceed alone to the secret hall of the
tower."

The ancient Aben Habuz mounted the staircase of the

The Gate of Justice.

i84 THE ALHAMBRA

tower, leaning on the arm of the still more ancient Ibrahim
Ebn Abu Ayub. They unlocked the brazen door and entered.
The window that looked towards the Pass of Lope was open.
" In this direction,"' said the astrologer, " lies the danger ;
approach, O king, and behold the mystery of the table."

King Aben Habuz approached the seeming chessboard, on
which were arranged the small wooden effigies, when, to his
surprise, he perceived that they were all in motion. The
horses pranced and curveted, the warriors brandished their
weapons, and there was a faint sound of drums and trumpets,
and the clang of arms, and neighing of steeds ; but all no
louder, nor more distinct, than the hum of the bee, or the
summer-fly, in the drowsy ear of him who lies at noontide in
the shade.

"Behold, O king," said the astrologer, "a proof that
thy enemies are even now in the field. They must be ad-
vancing through yonder mountains, by the Pass of Lope.
\\'ould you produce a panic and confusion amongst them, and
cause them to retreat without loss of life, strike these effigies
with the butt-end of this magic lance ; would you cause bloody
feud and carnage, strike with the point."

A livid streak passed across the countenance of Aben Abuz ;
he seized the lance with trembling eagerness ; his gray beard
wagged with exultation as he tottered toward the table : " Son
of Abu Ayub," exclaimed he, in chuckling tone, " I think we
will have a little blood ! "

So saying, he thrust the magic lance into some of the pigmy
effigies, and belaboured others with the butt-end, upon which
the former fell as dead upon the board, and the rest turning
upon each other, began, pell-mell, a chance-medley fight.

It was with difficulty the astrologer could stay the hand of
the most pacific of monarchs and prevent him from absolutely
exterminating his foes ; at length he prevailed upon him to
leave the tower, and to send out scouts to the mountains by
the Pass of Lope.

LEGEND OF THE ARABIAN ASTROLOGER 185

They returned with the intelligence that a Christian army
had advanced through the heart of the Sierra, almost within
sight of Granada, where a dissension had bro-ken out among
them ; they had turned their weapons against each other, and
after much slaughter had retreated over the border.

Aben Habuz was transported with joy on thus proving the
efficacy of the talisman. " At length," said he, " I shall lead a
life of tranquillity, and have all my enemies in my power. O
wise son of Abu Ayub, what can I bestow on thee in reward
for such a blessing ? "

" The wants of an old man and a philosopher, O king, are
few and simple ; grant me but the means of fitting up my cave
as a suitable hermitage, and I am content,''

" How noble is the moderation of the truly wise ! " ex-
claimed Aben Habuz, secretly pleased at the cheapness of the
recompense. He summoned his treasurer, and bade him
dispense whatever sums might be required by Ibrahim to
complete and furnish his hermitage.

The astrologer now gave orders to have various chambers
hewn out of the solid rock, so as to form ranges of apartments
connected with his astrological hall ; these he caused to be
furnished with luxurious ottomans and divans, and the walls to
be hung with the richest silks of Damascus. " I am an old
man," said he, " and can no longer rest my bones on stone
couches, and these damp walls require covering."

He had baths too constructed, and provided with all kinds
of perfumes and aromatic oils. " For a bath," said he, " is
necessary to counteract the rigidity of age, and to restore
freshness and suppleness to the frame withered by study."

He caused the apartments to be hung with innumerable
silver and crystal lamps, which he filled with a fragrant oil
prepared according to a receipt discovered by him in the
tombs of Egypt. This oil was perpetual in its nature, and
diffused a soft radiance like the tempered light of day. " The
light of the sun," said he, '• is too garish and violent for the

iS6 TIIK ALIIAMBRA

eyes of an old man, and the light of the lamp is more con-
genial to the studies of a philosopher."

The treasurer of King Aben Habuz groaned at the sums
daily demanded to fit up this hermitage, and he carried his
complaints to the king. The royal word, however, had been
given ; Aben Habuz shrugged his shoulders : " We must have
patience," said he ; " this old man has taken his idea of a
philosophic retreat from the interior of the pyramids, and of
the vast ruins of Egypt ; but all things have an end, and so
will the furnishing of his cavern."

The king was in the right ; the hermitage was at length
complete, and formed a sumptuous subterranean palace. The
astrologer expressed himself perfectly content, and, shutting
himself up, remained for three whole days buried in study.
At the end of that time he appeared again before the treasurer.
^' One thing more is necessary," said he, "one trifling solace for
the intervals of mental labour."

" O wise Ibrahim, I am bound to furnish everything
necessary for thy solitude ; what more dost thou require ? "

" I would fain have a few dancing-women."

" Dancing-women," echoed the treasurer, with surprise.

" Dancing-women," replied the sage gravely ; "and let them
be young and fair to look upon ; for the sight of youth and
beauty is refreshing, A few will suffice, for I am a philosopher
of simple habits and easily satisfied."

While the philosophic Ibrahim Ebn Abu Ayub passed his
time thus sagely in his hermitage, the pacific Aben Habuz
carried on furious campaigns in effigy in his tower. It was a
glorious thing for an old man, like himself, of quiet habits,
to have war made easy, and to be enabled to amuse himself in
"his chamber by brushing away whole armies like so man\'
swarms of flies.

For a time he rioted in the indulgence of his humours, and
even taunted and insulted his neighbours, to induce them
to make incursions ; but by degrees they grew wary from

LEGEND OF THE ARABIAN ASTROLOGER 187

repeated disasters, until no one ventured to invade his
territories. For many months the bronze horseman re-
mained on the peace estabhshment, with his lance elevated
in the air ; and the worthy old monarch began to repine at
the want of his accustomed sport, and to grow peevish at his
monotonous tranquillity.

At length, one day, the talismanic horseman veered sud-
denly round, and lowering his lance, made a dead point
towards the mountains of Guadix. Aben Habuz hastened to
his tower, but the magic table in that direction remained quiet :
not a single warrior was in motion. Perplexed at the cir-
cumstance, he sent forth a troop of horse to scour the moun-
tains and reconnoitre. They returned after three days' ab-
sence.

'• ^^'e have searched every mountain pass," said they, " but
not a helm nor spear was stirring. All that we have found in
the course of our foray, was a Christian damsel of surpassing
beaut}-, sleeping at noontide beside a fountain, whom we have
brought away captive."

" A damsel of surpassing beauty I " exclaimed Aben Habuz,
his eyes gleaming with animation ; " let her be conducted into
my presence."

The beautiful damsel was accordingly conducted into his
presence. She was arrayed with all the luxury of ornament
that had prevailed among the Gothic Spaniards at the time of
the Arabian conquest. Pearls of dazzling whiteness were
entwined with her raven tresses : and jewels sparkled on her
forehead, rivalling the lustre of her eyes. Around her neck
was a golden chain, to which was suspended a silver lyre,
which hung by her side.

The flashes of her dark refulgent eye were like sparks of fire
on the withered, yet combustible, heart of Aben Habuz ; the
swimming voloptuousness of her gait made his senses reel.
*' Fairest of women," cried he, with rapture, '* who and what
art thou ? "

iSS THE ALHAMERA

" The daughter of one of the (jothic princes, who but lately
ruled over this land. The armies of my father have been
destroyed, as if by magic, among these mountains ; he has
been driven ijito exile, and his daughter is a captive."

" Beware, O king 1 " whispered Ibrahim Ebn Abu Ayub,
'' this may be one of those nothern sorceresses of whom we
have heard, who assume the most seductive forms to beguile
the unwary. Methinks I read witchcraft in her eye, and
sorcery in every movement. Doubtless this is the enemy
pointed out by the talisman."

" Son of Abu Ayub," replied the king, " thou art a wise
man, I grant, a conjuror for aught I know ; but thou art little
versed in the ways of woman. In that knowledge will I yield
to no man ; no, not to the wise Solomon himself, notwith-
standing the number of his wives and concubines. As to this
damsel, I see no harm in her ; she is fair to look upon, and
finds favour in my eyes."

" Hearken, O king ! " replied the astrologer. " I have given
thee many victories by means of my talisman, but have never
shared any of the spoil. Give me then this stray captive, to
solace me in my solitude with her silver lyre. If she be indeed
a sorceress, I have counter spells that set her charms at
defiance."

"What! more women!" cried Aben Habuz. "Hast thou
not already dancing-w^omen enough to solace thee ? "

" Dancing-women have I, it is true, but no singing-women.
I would fain have a little minstrelsy to refresh my mind when
weary with the toils of study."

" A truce with thy hermit cravings," said the king, im-
patiently. " This damsel have I marked for my own. I see
much comfort in her : even such comfort as David, the father
of Solomon the Wise, found in the society of Abishag the
Shunammite."

Further solicitations and remonstrances of the astrologer
only provoked a more peremptory reply from the monarch, and

LEGEND OF THE ARABIAN ASTROLOGER 189

they parted in high displeasure. The sage shut himself up in
his hermitage to brood over his disappointment ; ere he de-
parted, however, he gave the king one more warning to beware
of his dangerous captive. But where is the old man in love
that will listen to counsel ? Aben Habuz resigned himself to
the full sway of his passion. His only study was how to render
himself amiable in the eyes of the Gothic beauty. He had
not youth to recommend him, it is true, but then he had
riches; and when a lover is old, he is generally generous. The
Zacatin of Granada was ransacked for the most precious
merchandise of the East ; silks, jewels, precious gems, exquisite
perfumes, all that Asia and Africa yielded of rich and rare,
were lavished upon the princess. All kinds of spectacles and
festivities were devised for her entertainment ; minstrelsy,
dancing, tournaments, bull-fights ; — Granada for a time was a
scene of perpetual pageant. The Gothic princess regarded all
this splendour with the air of one accustomed to magnificence.
She received everything as a homage due to her rank, or rather
to her beauty ; for beauty is more lofty in its exactions even
than rank. Nay, she seemed to take a secret pleasure in
exciting the monarch to expenses that made his treasury shrink,
and then treating his extravagant generosity as a mere matter
of course. With all his assiduity and munificence, also, the
venerable lover could not flatter himself that he had made any
impression on her heart. She never frowned on him, it is true,
but then she never smiled. Whenever he began to plead his
pa^ion, she struck her silver lyre. There was a mystic charm
in the sound. In an instant the monarch began to nod ; a
drowsiness stole over him, and he gradually sank into a sleep,
from which he awoke wonderfully refreshed, but perfectly cooled
for the time of his passion. This was very bafiling to his suit :
but then these slumbers were accompanied by agreeable dreams,
which completely enthralled the senses of the drowsy lover; so
he continued to dream on, while all Granada scoffed at his
infatuation, and groaned at the treasures lavished for a song.

I90 THE ALHAMBRA

At length a danger burst on the head cf Aben Habiiz,
against which his- tahsman yielded him no warning. An in-
surrection broke out in his very capital ; his palace was sur-
rounded by an armed rabble, who menaced bis life and the life
of his Christian paramour. A spark of his ancient warlike
spirit was awakened in the breast of the monarch. At the
head of a handful of his guards he sallied forth, put the rebels
to flight, and crushed the insurrection in the bud.

When quiet was again restored, he sought the astrologer,
who still remained shut up in his hermitage, chewing the bitter
cud of resentment.

Aben Habuz approached him with a conciliatory tone. " O
wise son of Abu Ayub," said he, "well didst thou predict
dangers to me from this captive beauty : tell me then, thou
who art so quick at foreseeing peril, what I should do to avert
it."

" Put from thee, the infidel damsel who is the cause."
" Sooner would I part with my kingdom," cried Aben
Habuz.

" Thou art in danger of losing both," replied the astrologer.
*' Be not harsh and angry, O most profound of philosophers ;
consider the double distress of a monarch and a lover, and
devise some means of protecting me from the evils by which I
am menaced. I care not for grandeur, I care not for power, I
languish only for repose ; would that I had some quiet retreat
where I might take refuge from the world, and all its cares,
and pomps, and troubles, and devote the remainder of my days
to tranquillity and love."

The astrologer regarded him for a moment from under his
bushy eyebrows.

"And what wouldst thou give, if I could provide thee such
a retreat ? "

" Thou shouldst name thy own reward : and whatever it
might be, if within the scope of my power, as my soul liveth, it
should be thine."

LEGEND OF THE ARABIAN ASTROLOGER 191

" Thou hast heard, O king, of the garden of Irem, one of
the prodigies of .Vrabia the happy/'

'' I have heard of that garden ; it is recorded in the Koran,
even in the chapter entitled ' The Dawn of Day.' I have,
moreover, heard marvellous things related of it by pilgrims
who had been to Mecca ; but I considered them wild fables,
such as travellers are wont to tell who have visited remote
countries,"'

" Discredit not, O king, the tales of travellers,"' rejoined the
astrologer, gravely, '' for they contain precious rarities of know-
ledge brought from the ends of the earth. As to the palace
and garden of Irem, what is generally told of them is true : I
have seen them with mine own eyes ; — listen to my adventure, for
it has a bearing upon the object of your request.

" In my younger days, when a mere Arab of the desert, I
tended my father's camels. In traversing the desert of Aden,
one of them strayed from the rest, and was lost. I searched
after it for several days, but in vain, until, wearied and faint, I
laid myself down at noontide, and slept under a palm-tree by
the side of a scanty well. When I awoke I found myself at
the gate of a city. I entered, and beheld noble streets, and
squares, and market-places ; but all were silent and without an
inhabitant. I wandered on until I came to a sumptuous palace,
with a garden adorned with fountains and fish-ponds, and
groves and flowers, and orchards laden with delicious fruit ;
but still no one was to be seen. Upon which, appalled at this
loneliness, I hastened to depart ; and, after issuing forth at the
gate of the city, I turned to look upon the place, but it was no
longer to be seen : nothing but the silent desert extended
before my eyes.

" In the neighbourhood I met with an aged dervise, learned
in the traditions and secrets of the land, and related to him
what had befallen me. 'This,' said he, 'is the far-famed
garden of Irem, one of the wonders of the desert. It only
appears at times to some wanderer like thyself, gladdening him

192 THE ALIIAMBRA

with the sight of towers and palaces and garden-walls overhung
with richly-laden fruit trees, and then vanishes, leaving nothing
but a lonely desert. And this is the story of it. In old times,
when this country was inhabited by the Addites, KingSheddad,
the son of Ad, the great grandson of Noah, founded here a
splendid city. \\'hen it was finished, and he saw its grandeur,
his heart was puffed up with pride and arrogance, and he
determined to build a royal palace, with gardens which should
rival all related in the Koran of the celestial paradise. But
the curse of heaven fell upon him for his presumption. He
and his subjects were swept from the earth, and his splendid
city, and palace, and gardens, were laid under a perpetual spell,
which hides them from human sight, excepting that they are
seen at intervals, by way of keeping his sin in perpetual re-
mem orance.'

" This story, O king, and the wonders I had seen, ever dwelt
in my mind : and in after years, when I had been in Egypt, and
was possessed of the book of knowledge of Solomon the Wise, I
determined to return and revisit the garden of Irem. I did so,
and found it revealed to my instructed sight. I took possession
of the palace of Sheddad, and passed several days in his mock
paradise. The genii who watch over the place were obedient
to my magic power, and revealed to me the spells by which
the whole garden had been, as it were, conjured into existence,
and by which it was rendered invisible. Such a palace and
garden, O king, can I make for thee, even here, on the
mountain above thy city. Do I not know all the secret spells ?
and am I not in possession of the book of knowledge of
Solomon the Wise ? "

" O wise son of Abu Ayub I " exclaimed Aben Habuz,
trembling with eagerness, " thou art a traveller indeed, and
hast seen and learned marvellous things 1 Contrive me such a
paradise, and ask any reward, even to the half of my kingdom."

" Alas 1 " replied the other, " thou knowest I am an old man,
and a philosopher, and easily satisfied ; all the reward I ask is

LEGEND OF THE ARABIAN ASTROLOGER 193

the first beast of burden, with its load, which shall enter the
magic portal of the palace.'"'

The monarch gladly agreed to so moderate a stipulation,
and the astrologer began his work. On the summit of the hill,
immediately above his subterranean hermitage, he caused a
great gateway or barbican to be erected, opening through the
centre of a strong tower.

There was an outer vestibule or porch, with a lofty arch, and
within it a portal secured by massive gates. On the keystone
of the portal the astrologer, with his own hand, wrought the
figure of a huge key ; and on the keystone of the outer arch of
the vestibule, which was loftier than that of the portal, he
carved a gigantic hand. These were potent talismans, over
which he repeated many sentences in an unknown tongue.

When this gateway was finished, he shut himself up for two
days in his astrological hall, engaged in secret incantations ; on
the tliird he ascended the hill, and passed the whole day on its
summit. At a late hour of the night he came down, and
presented himself before Aben Habuz. "At length, O king,''
said he, " my labour is accomplished. On the summit of the
hill stands one of the most delectable palaces that ever the
head of man devised, or the heart of man desired. It contains
sumptuous halls and galleries, delicious gardens, cool fountains,
and fragrant baths ; in a word, the whole mountain is converted
into a paradise. Like the garden of Irem, it is protected by a
mighty charm, which hides it from the view and search of
mortals, excepting such as possess the secret of its talismans."

''Enough ! " cried Aben Habuz, joyfully, " to-morrow morning
with the first light we will ascend and take possession.'"' The
happy monarch slept but little that night. Scarcely had the
rays of the sun begun to play about the snowy summit of the
Sierra Nevada, when he mounted his steed, and, accompanied
inly by a few chosen attendants, ascended a steep and narrow
road leading up the hill. Beside him, on a white palfrey, rode
the Gothic princess, her whole dress sparkling with jewels,

194

THE ALHAMBRA

while round her neck was suspended her sih-er lyre. The
astrologer walked on the other side of the king, assisting his

•■^•^Iwljl J^'

r//^ J/)'j/zV //a«^.

Steps with his hieroglyphic staff, for he never mounted steed of
any kind.

Aben Habuz looked to see the towers of the palace bright-

LEGEND OF THE ARABIAN ASTROLOGER 195

ening above him, and the embowered terraces of its gardens
stretching along the heights ; but as yet nothing of the kind
was to be descried. " That is the mystery and safeguard of the
place," said the astrologer, " nothing can be discerned until you
have passed the spell-bound gateway, and been put in possession
of the place.'"'

As they approach the gateway, the astrologer paused, and
pointed out to the king the mystic hand and key carved upon
the portal of the arch. " These," said he, " are the talismans
which guard the entrance to this paradise. Until yonder hand
shall reach down and seize that key, neither mortal power nor
magic artifice can prevail against the lord of this mountain."

While Aben Habuz was gazing, with open mouth and silent
wonder, at these mystic talismans, the palfrey of the princess
proceeded and bore her in at the portal, to the very centre of
the barbican.

" Behold," cried the astrologer, " my promised reward ; the
first animal with its burden which should enter the magic gate-
way."

Aben Habuz smiled at what he considered a pleasantry of
the ancient man ; but when he found him to be in earnest, his
gray beard trembled with indignation.

"Son of Abu Ayub," said he, sternly, "what equivocation is
this ? Thou knowest the meaning of my promise : the first
beast of burden, with its load, that should enter this portal.
Take the strongest mule in my stables, load it with the most
precious things of my treasury, and it is thine ; but dare not
raise thy thoughts to her who is the deUght of my heart."

" What need I of wealth ? " cried the astrologer, scornfully ;
" have I not the book of knowledge of Solomon the Wise, aad
through it the command of the secret treasures of the earth ?
The princess is mine by right ; thy royal word is pledged ; I
claim her as my own."

The princess looked down haughtily from her palfrey, and a
light smile of scorn curled her rosy lip at this dispute between

o 2

196 THE ALHAMBRA

two gray beards for the possession of youth and beauty. The
wrath of the monarch got the better of his discretion. '' Base
son of the desert," cried he, " thou mayst be master of many
arts, but know me for thy master, and presume not to juggle
with thy king."

" My master ! my king I " echoed the astrologer, — " the
monarch of a mole-hill to claim sway over him who possesses
the talismans of Solomon ! Farewell, Aben Habuz ; reign
over thy petty kingdom, and revel in thy paradise of fools ; for
me I will laugh at thee in my philosophic retirement."

So saying, he seized the bridle of the palfrey, smote the
earth with his staff, and sank with the Gothic princess through
the centre of the barbican. The earth closed over them, and
no trace remained of the opening by which they had de-
scended.

Aben Habuz was struck dumb for a time with astonishment.
Recovering himself, he ordered a thousand workmen to dig,
with pickaxe and spade, into the groufid where the astrologer
had disappeared. They digged and digged, but in vain ; the
flinty bosom of the hill resisted their implements ; or if they
did penetrate a little way, the earth filled in again as fast as
they threw it out. Aben Habuz sought the mouth of the
cavern at the foot of the hill, leading to the subterranean
palace of the astrologer; but it was nowhere to be found.
^^'here once had been an entrance, was now a solid surface of
primeval rock. With the disappearance of Ibrahim Ebn Abu
Ayub ceased the benefit of his talismans. The bronze horse-
man remained fixed, with his face turned toward the hill, and
his spear pointed to the spot where the astrologer had de-
scended, as if there still lurked the deadliest foe of Aben
Habuz.

From time to time the sound of music, and the tones of a
female voice, could be faintly heard from the bosom of the
hill ; and a peasant one day brought word to the king, that in
the preceding night he had found a fissure in the rock, by

LEGEND OF THE ARABIAN ASTROLOGER 197

which he had crept in, until he looked down into a sub-
terranean hall, in which sat the astrologer, on a magnificent
divan, slumbering and nodding to the silver lyre of the
princess, which seemed to hold a magic sway over his senses.

Aben Habuz sought the fissure in the rock, but it was again
closed. He renewed the attempt to unearth his rival, but all
in vain. The spell of the hand and key was too potent to be
counteracted by human power. As to the summit of the
mountain, the site of the promised palace and garden, it
remained a naked waste ; either the boasted elysium was
hidden from sight by enchantment, or was a mere fable of the
astrologer. The world charitably supposed the latter, and
some used to call the place " The King's Folly " ; while others
named it " The Fool's Paradise."

To add to the chagrin of Aben Habuz, the neighbours
whom he had defied and taunted, and cut up at his leisure
while master of the talismanic horseman, finding him no
longer protected by magic spell, made inroads into his
territories from all sides, and the remainder of the life of the
most pacific of monarchs was a tissue of turmoils.

At length Aben Habuz died, and was buried. Ages have
since rolled away. The Alhambra has been built on the
eventful mountain, and in some measure realises the fabled
delights of the garden of Irem. The spellbound gateway still
exists entire, protected no doubt by the mystic hand and key,
and now forms the Gate of Justice, the grand entrance to the
fortress. Under that gateway, it is said, the old astrologer
remains in his subterranean hall, nodding on his divan lulled
by the silver lyre of the princess.

The old invalid sentinels who mount guard at the gate hear
the strains occasionally in the summer nights ; and, yielding to
their soporific power, doze quietly at their posts. Nay, so
drowsy an influence pervades the place, that even those who
watch by day may generally be seen nodding on the stone
benches of the barbican, or sleeping under the neighbouring

198

THE ALHAMBRA

trees ; so that in fact it is the drowsiest military post in all
Christendom. All this, say the ancient legends, will endure
from age to age. The princess will remain captive to the
astrologer ; and the astrologer, bound up in magic slumber by
the princess, until the last day, unless the mystic hand shall
grasp the fated key, and dispel the whole charm of this en-
chanted mountain.

itejrt

rdVl

For nearly three months had I enjoyed undisturbed my
dream of sovereignty in the Alhambra,— a longer term of quiet
than had been the lot of many of my predecessors. During
this lapse of time the progress of the season had wrought the
usual change. On my arrival I had found everything in the
freshness of May : the foliage of the trees was still tender and
transparent ; the pomegranate had not yet shed its brilliant
crimson blossoms ; the orchards of the Xenil and the Darro
were in full bloom ; the rocks were hung with wild-flowers,
and Granada seemed completely surrounded by a wilderness of
roses ; among which innumerable nightingales sang, not merely
in the night, but all day long.

Nov/ the advance of summer had withered the rose and
silenced the nightingale, and the distant country began to look
parched and sunburnt ; though a perennial verdure reigned
immediately round the city and in the deep narrow valleys at
the foot of the snow-capped mountains.

The Alhambra possesses retreats graduated to the heat of
the weather, among vrhich the most peculiar is the almost
subterranean apartment of the baths. This still retains its
ancient Oriental character, though stamped with the touching

200

THE ALHAMBRA

traces of decline. At the entrance, opening into a small court
formerly adorned with flowers, is a hall, moderate in size, but
light and graceful in architecture. It is overlooked by a small
gallery supported by marble pillars and moresco arches. An
alabaster fountain in the centre of the pavement still throws up
a jet of water to cool the place. On each side are deep alcoves
with raised platforms, where the bathers, after their ablutions,

I \^;^.;j/

]!K

"m^uf^M

\ i4-'./ ; '"^!z2:^

^'f: W

1^ ^MS''i:^^^^^^?^*5^^^^^^^^S^

.//^-^

Sanctran Sanctontm.

reclined on cushions, soothed to voluptuous repose by the
fragrance of the perfumed air and the notes of soft music from
the gallery. Beyond this hall are the interior chambers, still
more retired ; the sajictwn sanctorum of female privacy ; for here
the beauties of the Harem indulged in the luxury of the baths.
A soft mysterious light reigns through the place, admitted
through small apertures {himbreras) in the vaulted ceihng.
The traces of ancient elegance are still to be seen ; and the

VISITORS TO THE ALHAMBRA 201

alabaster baths in which the sultanas once reclined. The
prevailing obscurity and silence have made these vaults a
favourite resort of bats, who nestle during the day in the dark
nooks and corners, and on being disturbed, flit mysteriously
about the twilight chambers, heightening, in an indescribable
degree, their air of desertion and decay.

In this cool and elegant, though dilapidated retreat, which
had the freshness and seclusion of a grotto, I passed the sultry

The Small Court.

hours of the day as summ.er advanced, emerging towards sunset ;
and bathing, or rather swimming, at night in the great reservoir
of the main court. In this way I was enabled in a measure to
counteract the relaxing and enervating influence of the climate.
My dream of absolute sovereignty, however, came at length
U). an end. I was roused one morning by the report of fire-
arms, which reverberated among the towers as if the castle had
been taken by surprise. On sallying forth, I found an old

202 THE ALHAMBRA

cavalier with a number of domestics in possession of the Hall
of Ambassadors. He was an ancient count who had come up
from his palace in Granada to pass a short time in the Alhambra
for the benefit of purer air ; and who, being a veteran and
inveterate sportsman, was endeavouring to get an appetite for
his breakfast by shooting at swallows from the balconies. It
was a harmless amusement; for though, by the alertness of
his attendants in loading his pieces, he was enabled to keep up

"' ' m d\ T f -I'

T/u: Great Reservoir.

a brisk fire, I could not accuse him of the death of a single
swallow. Nay, the birds themselves seemed to enjoy the sport,
and to deride his want of skill, skimming in circles close to the
balconies, and twittering as they darted by.

The arrival of this old gentleman changed essentially the
aspect of affairs, but caused no jealousy nor collision. We
tacitly shared the empire between us, like the last kings of
Granada, excepting that we maintained a most amicable
alliance. He reigned absolute over the Court of the Lions and

:^^.^^>;^H

Entrance to Hall nf Ambassadors.

204

THE ALHAMBRA

^.^^,;^..

its adjacent halls, while I maintained peaceful possession of
the regions of the baths and the little garden of Lindaraxa.
A\'e took our meals together under the arcades of the court,
where the fountains cooled the air, and bubbling rills ran along
the channels of the marble pavement.

In the evenings a domestic circle would gather about the
worthy old cavalier. The countess, his wife by a second

marriage, would come
up from the city ac-
companied by her
step - daughter Car-
men, an only child, a
'^- charming little being,
still in her girlish
years. Then there
were always some of
his official depend-
ants, his chaplain, his
lawyer, his secretary,
his steward, and other
officers and agents of
his extensive posses-
sions, who brought
him up the news or
gossip of the city, and
formed his evening
party of tresillo or
07nb7-e. Thus he held
a kind of domestic
court, where each one paid him deference, and sought to
contribute to his amusement, without, however, any appear-
ance of servility, or any sacrifice of self-respect. In fact,
nothing of the kind was exacted by the demeanour of the
count ; for whatever may be said of Spanish pride, it rarely
chills or constrains the intercourse of social or domestic life.

^- ^If

Garden of Litidaraxa.

VISITORS TO THE ALHAMBRA

205

Among no people are the relations between kindred more
unreserved and cordial, or between superior and dependant
more free from haughtiness on the one side, and obsequiousness
on the other. In these respects there still remains in Spanish
life, especially in the provinces, much of the vaunted simplicity
of the olden time.

The most interesting member of this family group, in my
eyes, was the daughter of the
count, the lovely little Carmen.
She was but about sixteen
years of age, and appeared to
be considered a mere child,
though the idol of the family,
going generally by the child-
like but endearing appellation
of /a lY/'mi. Her form had
not yet attained full maturity
and development, but pos-
sessed already the exquisite
symmetry and pliant grace so
prevalent in this country.
Her blue eyes, fair complexion,
and light hair, were unusual
in Andalusia, and gave a
mildness and gentleness to

her demeanour in contrast to the usual fire of Spanish
beauty, but in unison with the guileless and confiding
innocence of her manners. She had at the same time the
innate aptness and versatility of her fascinating country-
women. A\'hatever she undertook to do she did well and
apparently without effort. She sang, played the guitar and
other instruments, and danced the picturesque dances of her
country to admiration, but never seemed to seek admiration.
Everything was spontaneous, prompted by her own gay spirits
and happy temper.

2o6 THE ALII AM BRA

The presence of this fascinating little being spread a new-
charm about the Alhambra, and seemed to be in unison with
the place. While the count and countess, with the chaplain or
secretary, were playing their game of tresillo under the vestibule
of the Court of Lions, she, attended by Dolores, who acted as
her maid of honour, would sit by one of the fountains, and
accompanying herself on the guitar, would sing some of those
popular romances which abound in Spain, or, what was
still more to my taste, some traditional ballad about the
Moors.

Never shall I think of the Alhambra without remembering
this lovely little being, sporting in happy and innocent girlhood
in its marble halls, dancing to the sound of the Moorish
castanets, or mingling the silver warbling of her voice with the
music of its fountains.

^-. .

THE GEXERALIFE

High above the Alhambra, on the breast of the mountain,

amidst embowered gardens and stately terraces, rise the lofty

towers and white walls of the Generalife ; a fairy palace full of
storied recollections. Here are still to be seen the famous

208

THE ALHAMBRA

cypresses of enormous size which flourished in the time of the
Moors, and which tradition has connected with the fabulous
story of Boabdil and his sultana.

Here are preserved the portraits of many who figured in the
romantic drama of the Conquest. Ferdinand and Isabella,
Ponce de Leon, the gallant Marquis of Cadiz, and Garcilaso de
la Vega, who slew in desperate fight Tarfe the Moor, a
champion of Herculean strength. Here too hangs a portrait

'} - ■^> .' ■ ■,;■

Ha// of Portraits.

which has long passed for that of the unfortunate Boabdil, but
which is said to be that of Aben Hud, the Moorish king from
whom descended the princes of Almeria. From one of these
princes, who joined the standard of Ferdinand and Isabella
towards the close of the Conquest, and was Christianised by
the name of Don Pedro de Granada Venegas, was descended
the present proprietor of the palace, the Marquis of Campotejar.
The proprietor, however, dwells in a foreign land, and the
palace has no longer a princely inhabitant.

Yet here is everything to delight a southern voluptuary :
fruits, flowers, fragrance, green arbours and myrtle hedges,

y!^J: 'J }..--.:' -A-r^^:

Ott^er Court oj the Generalife.

2IO THE ALHAMBRA

delicate air and gushing waters. Here I had an opportunity
of witnessing those scenes which painters are fond of
depicting arbout southern palaces and gardens. It was the

iencralifc fycin Alhambra.

saint's day of the count's daughter, and she had brought up
several of her youthful companions from Granada, to sport
away a long summer's day among the breezy halls and bowers

212 THE ALHAMBRA

of the Moorish palaces. A visit to the Generalife was the
morning's entertainment. Here some of the gay company
dispersed itself in groups about the green walks, the bright
fountains, the flights of Italian steps, the noble terraces and
marble balustrades. Others, among whom I was one, took
their seats in an open gallery or colonnade commanding a vast
prospect ; with the Alhambra, the city, and the \'ega, far

below, and the distant horizon of mountains — -a dreamy world,
all glimmering to the eye in summer sunshine. AA'hile thus
seated, the all-pervading tinkling of the guitar and click of the
castanets came stealing up from the valley of the Darro, and
half-way down the mountain we descried a festive party under
the trees, enjoying themselves in true Andalusian style ; some
lying on the grass, others dancing to the music.

All these sights and sounds together with the princely

/' \{

4:^

214

THE ALHAMBRA

seclusion of the place, the sweet quiet which prevailed around.
and the delicious serenity of the weather, had a witching effect

upon the mind, and drew from some of the company, versed
in local story, several of the popular fancies and traditions

. .:i^:'ifim ^^''-^^ n--X'^

'^^

"n.

C<w<r/ o/ i/i<: Aqueduct.

216

THE ALHAMBRA

connected with this old Moorish palace ; they were " such
stuff as dreams are made of," but out of them I have shaped
the following legend, which I hope may have the good fortune
to prove acceptable to the reader.

^^".^.-...^

th^

T/ie Cypress Walk, Generali/e, destroyed in 1S96

LEGEND OF PRINXE AHMED AL KAMEL

OR,

THE PILGRLM OF LOVE

There was once a Moorish king of Granada, who had but
one son, whom he named Ahmed, to which his courtiers
added the surname of al Kamel^ or the Perfect, from the in-
dubitable signs of super-excellence which they perceived in him
in his very infancy. The astrologers countenanced them in
their foresight, predicting everything in his favour that could
make a perfect prince and a prosperous sovereign. One cloud
only rested upon his destiny, and even that was of a roseate
hue : he would be of an amorous temperament, and run great
perils from the tender passion. If, however, he could be kept
from the allurements of love until of mature age, these dangers
would be averted, and his life thereafter be one uninterrupted
course of felicity.

To prevent all danger of the kind, the king wisely determined
to rear the prince in a seclusion where he should never see a
female face, nor hear even the name of love. For this purpose
he built a beautiful palace on the brow of the hill above the
Alhambra, in the midst of delightful gardens, but surrounded by
lofty walls, being, in fact, the same palace known at the present
day by the name of the Generalife. In this palace the youth-

2i8 THE ALHAMBRA

ful prince was shut up, and intrusted to the guardianship and
instruction of Eben Bonabben, one of the wisest and dryest of
Arabian sages, who had passed the greater part of his life in
Egypt, studying hieroglyphics, and making researches among
the tombs and pyramids, and who saw more charms in an
Egyptian mummy than in the most tempting of living beauties.
The sage was ordered to instruct the prince in all kinds of
knowledge but one, — he was to be kept utterly ignorant of love.
"' Use every precaution for the purpose you may think proper,"
said the king, " but remember, O Eben Bonabben, if my son
learns aught of that forbidden knowledge while under your
care, your head shall answer for it." A withered smile came
over the dry visage of the wise Bonabben at the menace.
" Let your majesty's heart be as easy about your son, as mine
is about my head : am I a man likely to give lessons in the
idle passion ? "

Under the vigilant care of the philosopher, the prince grew
up in the seclusion of the palace and its gardens. He had
black slaves to attend upon him — ^hideous mutes who knew
nothing of love, or if they did, had not words to communicate
it. His mental endowments were the peculiar care of Eben
Bonabben, who sought to initiate him into the abstruse lore of
Egypt ; but in this the prince made little progress, and it was
soon evident that he had no turn for philosophy.

He was, however, amazingly ductile for a youthful prince,
ready to follow any advice, and always guided by the last
counsellor. He suppressed his yawns, and listened patiently
to the long and learned discourses of Eben Bonabben, from
which he imbibed a smattering of various kinds of knowledge,
and thus happily attained his twentieth year, a miracle of
princely wisdom— but totally ignorant of love.

About this time, however, a change came over the conduct
of the prince. He completely abandoned his studies, and
took to strolling about the gardens, and musing by the sides of
the fountains. He had been taught a little music among his

•i.'-:^: '^'■S

/ A 'i ..-"^"^ '^^?=s*'*^4?4ui'**%-^

Fountain of the Generali/e.

220 THE ALHAMBRA

various accomplishments ; it now engrossed a great part of his
time, and a turn for poetry became apparent. The sage Eben
Bonabben took the alarm, and endeavoured to work these idle
humours out of him by a severe course of Algebra ; but the
prince turned from it with distaste. '' I cannot endure algebra,"
said he ; " it is an abomination to me. I want something that
speaks more to the heart."

The sage Eben Bonabben shook his dry head at the words.

Here is an end to philosophy," thought he. " The prince has
discovered he has a heart I " He now kept anxious watch upon
his pupil, and saw that the latent tenderness of his nature was
in activity, and only wanted an object. He wandered about
the gardens of the Generalife in an intoxication of feelings of
which he knew not the cause. vSometimes he would sit plunged
in a delicious reverie ; then he would seize his lute and draw
from it the most touching notes, and then throw it aside, and
break forth into sighs and ejaculations.

By degrees this loving disposition, began to extend to in-
animate objects ; he had his favourite flowers, which he
cherished with tender assiduity ; then he became attached to
various trees, and there was one in particular, of a graceful form
and drooping foliage, on which he lavished his amorous devo-
tion, carving his name on its bark, hanging garlands on its
branches, and singing couplets in its praise, to the accompani-
ment of his lute.

Eben Bonabben was alarmed at this excited state of his
pupil. He saw him on the very brink of forbidden knowledge
— the least hint might reveal to him the fatal secret. Tremb-
ling for the safety of the prince and the security of his own
head, he hastened to draw him from the seductions of the
garden, and shut him up in the highest tower of the Generalife.
It contained beautiful apartments, and commanded an almost
boundless prospect, but was elevated far above that atmosphere
of sweets and those witching bowers so dangerous to the feel-
ings of the too susceptible Ahmed.

LEGEND OF PRINCE AHMED AL KAMEL

^o^^

.#r^/i%"

\\'hat was to be done, however, to reconcile him to this
restraint and to beguile the tedious hours ? He had exhausted
almost all kinds of agreeable knowledge ; and algebra was not to
be mentioned. Fortunately Eben Bonabben had been instructed,
when in Egypt, in the language of birds by a Jewish Rabbin,
who had received it in lineal transmission from Solomon the
^Vise, who had been taught it by the queen of Sheba. At the
very mention of such a
study, the eyes of the
prince sparkled with ani-
mation, and he appHed
himself to it with such
avidity, that he soon be-
came as great an adept
as his master.

The tower of the
Generalife was no lonsjer
a solitude ; he had com-
panions at hand \\'ith
whom he could con-
verse. The first ac-
quaintance he formed
was with a hawk, who
built his nest in a crevice
of the lofty battlements,
whence he soared far and
wide in quest of prey.
The prince, however,
found little to like or esteem in him. He was a mere pirate
of the air, swaggering and boastful, whose talk was all about
rapine and carnage, and desperate exploits.

His next acquaintance was an owl, a mighty wise-looking
bird, with a huge head and staring eyes, who sat blinking and
goggling all day in a hole in the wall, but roamed forth at
night. He had great pretensions to wisdom, talked something

TJic highest Tauer.

^22 THE ALHAMBRA

of astrology and the moon, and hinted at the. dark sciences ; he
was grievously given to metaphysics, and the prince found his
prosings even more ponderous than those of the sage Eben
Bonabben,

Then there was a bat, that hung all day by his heels in the
dark corner of a vault, but sallied out in slipshod style at twi-
light. He, however, had but twilight ideas on all subjects,
derided things of which he had taken but an imperfect view,
and seemed to take delight in nothing.

Besides these there was a swallow, with whom the prince was
at first much taken. He was a smart talker, but restless,
bustling, and for ever on the wing ; seldom remaining long
enough for any continued conversation. He turned out in the
end to be a mere smatterer, who did but skim over the surface
of things, pretending to know everything, but knowing nothing
thoroughly.

These were the only feathered associates with whom the
prince had any opportunity of exercising his newly acquired
language ; the tower was too high for any other birds to fre-
quent it. He soon grew weary of his new acquaintances, whose
conversation spoke so little to the head and nothing to the
heart, and gradually relapsed into his loneliness. A winter
passed away, spring opened with all its bloom and verdure and
breathing sweetness, and the happy time arrived for birds to
pair and build their nests. Suddenly, as it were, a universal
burst of song and melody broke forth from the groves and
gardens of the Generalife, and reached the prince in the soli-
tude of his tower. From every side he heard the same uni-
versal theme — love — love — love — chanted forth, and responded
to in every variety of note and tone. The prince listened in
silence and perplexity. "What can be this love,'' thought he,
" of which the world seems so full, and of which I know
nothing ? " He applied for information to his friend the hawk.
The ruffian bird answered in a tone of scorn: "You must
apply," said he, " to the vulgar peaceable birds of earth, w^ho

LEGEND OF PRINCE AHMED AL KAMEL 223

are made for the prey of us princes of the air. My trade is
war, and fighting my delight. I am a warrior, and know-
nothing of this thing called love."

The prince turned from him with disgust, and sought the
owl in his retreat. "This is a bird," said he, "of peaceful
habits, and may be able to solve my question." So he asked
the owl to tell him what was this love about which all the birds
in the groves below were singing.

Upon this the owl put on a look of offended dignity. " My

:i^^.^ t^^-- ^^^.^ ."

'^XS^^'

nights," said he, " are taken up in study and research, and my
days in ruminating in my cell upon all that I have learnt. As
to these singing birds of whom you talk, I never listen to them
— I despise them and their themes. Allah be praised, I cannot
sing ; I am a philosopher, and know nothing of this thing
called love."

The prince now repaired to the vault, where his friend the
bat was hanging by the heels, and propounded the same
question. The bat wrinkled up his nose into a most snappish
expression. " Why do you disturb me in my morning's nap
w^ith such an idle question ? " said he, peevishly. " I only fly

224 THE ALII AM BRA

by twilight, when all birds are asleep, and never trouble myself
with their concerns. I am neither bird nor beast, and I thank
heaven for it. I have found out the villainy of the whole of
them, and hate them one and all. In a word, I am a misan-
thrope— and know nothing of this thing called love."

As a last resort, the prince now sought the swallow, and
stopped him just as he was circling about the summit of the
tower. The swallow, as usual, was in a prodigious hurry, and
had scarce time to make a reply. " Upon my word," said he,
" I have so much public business to attend to, and so many
pursuits to follow, that I have had no time to think on the sub-
ject. I have every day a thousand visits to pay ; a thousand
affairs of importance to examine into, that leave me not a
moment of leisure for these little sing-song matters. In a word,
I am a citizen of the world — I know nothing of this thing
called love." So saying, the swallow dived into the valley, and
was out of sight in a moment.

The prince remained disappointed and perplexed, but with
his curiosity still more piqued by the difficulty of gratifying it.
While in this mood, his ancient guardian entered the tower.
The prince advanced eagerly to meet him. " O Eben Bonab-
ben," cried he, " thou hast revealed to me much of the wisdom
of the earth ; but there is one thing of which I remain in utter
ignorance, and would fain be informed."

" My prince has but to make the inquiry, and everything
within the limited range of his servant's intellect is at his
command."

" Tell me then, O most profound of sages, what is the nature
of this thing called love ? "

Eben Bonabben was struck as with a thunderbolt. He
trembled and turned pale, and felt as if his head sat but
loosely on his shoulders.

" What could suggest such a question to my prince, — -where
could he have learnt so idle a word ? "

The prince led him to the window of the tower. " Listen,

LEGEND OF PRINXE AHMED AL KAMEL 225

Eben Bonabben," said he. The sage Ustened. The nightingale
sat in a thicket below the tower, singing to his paramour the
rose : from every blossomed spray and tufted grove rose a
strain of melody ; and love — love — love was still the unvarying
strain.

" Allah Akbar I God is great ! " exclaimed the wise Bonabben.
" A\'ho shall pretend to keep this secret from the heart of man,
when even the birds of the air conspire to betray it ? "

Then turning to Ahmed — " O my prince,"' cried he, " shut
thine ears to these seductive strains. Close thy mind against
this dangerous knowledge. Know that this love is the cause of
half the ills of wretched mortality. It is this which produces
bitterness and strife between brethren and friends ; which
causes treacherous murder and desolating war. Care and
sorrow, weary days and sleepless nights, are its attendants. It
withers the bloom and blights the joy of youth, and brings on
the ills and griefs of premature old age. Allah preserve thee.
my prince, in total ignorance of this thing called love I '"'

The sage Eben Bonabben hastily retired, leaving the prince
plunged in still deeper perplexity. It was in vain he attempted
to dismiss the subject from his mind ; it still continued upper-
most in his thoughts, and teased and exhausted him with vain
conjectures. Surely, said he to himself, as he listened to the
tuneful strains of the birds, there is no sorrow in those notes :
everything seems tenderness and joy. If love be a cause of
such wretchedness and strife, why are not these birds drooping
in solitude, or tearing each other in pieces, instead of fluttering
cheerfully about the groves, or sporting with each other among
the flowers ?

He lay one morning on his couch, meditating on this inex-
plicable matter. The window of his chamber was open to
admit the soft morning breeze, which came laden with the
perfume of orange-blossoms from the valley of the Darro. The
voice of the nightingale was faintly heard, still chanting the
wonted theme. As the prince was listening and sighing, there

226

THE ALIIAMBRA

was a sudden rushing noise in the air ; a beautiful dove, pur-
sued by a hawk, darted in at the window, and fell panting on
the floor, while the pursuer, balked of his prey, soared off to
the mountains.

The prince took up the gasping bird, smoothed its feathers,

ff * ^■'

^Kl

^ 'j^WWl r W HI' -sal'®

^ ^"^ c^

^^\ •; {?--;

Bridge on the Darro.

and nestled it in his bosom. When he had soothed it by his
caresses, he put it in a golden cage, and offered it, with his own
hands, the whitest and finest of wheat and the purest of water.
The bird, however, refused food, and sat drooping and pining,
and uttering piteous moans.

" What aileth thee ?" said Ahmed. "Hast thou not every-
tliing thy heart can wish ? "

LEGEND OF PRINCE AHMED AL KAMEL

227

"Alas, no!" replied the dove ; "am I not separated from
the partner of my heart, and that too in the happy spring-time,
the very season of love ! "

" Of love I " echoed Ahmed. " I pray thee, my pretty bird,
canst thou then tell me what is love ? "

"Too well can I, my prince. It is the torment of one, the
felicity of two, the strife and enmity of three. It is a charm

'■^^

'^^,

Si^'

.f\: -^^Z

^^f \-''lm

Mmm'mfW^'

hj "■■■■'

The Moorish Mint.

which draws two beings together, and unites them by delicious
sympathies, making it happiness to be with each other, but
misery to be apart. Is there no being to whom you are drawn
by these ties of tender affection ? "

" I like my old teacher Eben Bonabben better than any
other being ; but he is often tedious, and I occasionally feel
myself happier without his society."

" That is not the sympathy I mean. I speak of love, the
great mystery and principle of life : the intoxicating revel of

Q 2

228 THE ALHAMBRA

youth ; the sober delight of age. Look forth, my prince, and
behold how at this blest season all nature is full of love.
Every created being has its mate ; the most insignificant bird
sings to its "paramour ; the very beetle woos its lady-beetle in
the dust, and yon butterflies which you see fluttering high
above the tower and toying in the air, are happy in each other's
loves. Alas, my prince ! hast thou spent so many of the
precious days of youth without knowing anything of love ? Is
there no gentle being of another sex — no beautiful princess
nor lovely damsel who has ensnared your heart, and filled your
bosom with a soft tumult of pleasing pains and tender wishes ? "

" I begin to understand," said the prince, sighing ; " such a
tumult I have more than once experienced, without knowing
the cause ; and where should I seek for an object such as you
describe in this dismal solitude ? "

A little further conversation ensued, and the first amatory
lesson of the prince was complete.

" Alas ! " said he, " if love be indeed such a delight, and its
interruption such a misery, Allah forbid that I should mar the
joy of any of its votaries." He opened the cage, took out the
dove, and having fondly kissed it, carried it to the window.
" Go, happy bird," said he, "rejoice with the partner of thy
heart in the days of youth and spring-time, ^^^hy should I
make thee a fellow-prisoner in this dreary tower, where love
can never enter ? "

The dove flapped its wings in rapture, gave one vault into the
air, and then swooped downward on whistling wings to the
blooming bowers of the Darro.

The prince followed him with his eyes, and then gave way
to bitter repining. The singing of the birds, which once
delighted him, now added to his bitterness. Love ! love ! love !
Alas, poor youth ! he now understood the strain.

His eyes flashed fire when next he beheld the sage Bonab-
ben. " Why hast thou kept me in this abject ignorance ? "
cried he. " Why has the great mystery and principle of life

LEGEND OF PRINCE AHMED AL KAMEL 229

been withheld from me, in which I find the meanest insect is
so learned ? Behold all nature is in a revel of delight. Every
created being rejoices with its mate. This — this is the love
about which I have sought instruction. Why am I alone

>^^'

■It- ¥'

Generalife. The First Court's Cool Canal.

debarred its enjoyment ? Why has so much of my youth been
wasted without a knowledge of its raptures ? "

The sage Bonabben saw that all further reserve was useless ;
for the prince had acquired the dangerous and forbidden know-
ledge. He revealed to him, therefore, the predictions of the
astrologers and the precautions that had been taken in his

230 THE ALHAMBRA

education to avert the threatened evils. " And now, my
prince," added he, " my life is in your hands. Let the king
your father discover that you have learned the passion of
love while under my guardianship, and my head must answer
for it."

The prince was as reasonable as most young men of his age,
and easily listened to the remonstrances of his tutor, since
nothing pleaded against them. Besides, he really was attached
to Eben Bonabben, and being as yet but theoretically acquainted
with the passion of love, he consented to confine the knowledge
of it to his own bosom, rather than endanger the head of the
philosopher.

His discretion was doomed, however, to be put to still
further proofs. A few mornings afterwards, as he was rum-
inating on the battlements of the tower, the dove which had
been released by him came hovering in the air, and alighted
fearlessly upon his shoulder.

The prince fondled it to his heart. " Happy bird," said he,
" who can fly, as it were, with the wings of the morning to the
uttermost parts of the earth. Where hast thou been since we
parted ? "

" In a far country, my prince, whence I bring you tidings in
reward for my liberty. In the wild compass of my flight, which
extends over plain and mountain, as I was soaring in the air, I
beheld below me a delightful garden with all kinds of fruits and
flowers. It was in a green meadow, on the banks of a wander-
ing stream : and in the centre of the garden was a stately
palace. I alighted in one of the bowers to repose after my
weary flight. On the green bank below me was a youthful
princess, in the very sweetness and bloom of her years. She
was surrounded by female attendants, young like herself, who
decked her with garlands and coronets of flowers ; but no
flower of field or garden could compare with her for loveliness.
Here, however, she bloomed in secret, for the garden was
surrounded by high walls, and no mortal man was permitted to

i>cviUe Cathedral.

232 THE ALHAMBKA

enter. When I beheld this beauteous maid, thus young and
innocent and unspotted by the world, I thought, here is the
being formed by heaven to inspire my prince with love."

The description was a spark of fire to the combustible heart
of Ahmed ; all the latent amorousness of his temperament had
at once found an object, and he conceived an immeasurable
passion for the princess. He wrote a letter, couched in the
most impassioned language, breathing his fervent devotion, but
bewailing the unhappy thraldom of his person, which prevented
him from seeking her out and throwing himself at her feet. He
added couplets of the most tender and moving eloquence, for
he was a poet by nature, and inspired by love. He addressed
his letter — " To the Unknown Beauty, from the captive Prince
Ahmed ; " then perfuming it with musk and roses, he gave it to
the dove.

"Away, trustiest of messengers!" said he. "Fly over
mountain, and valley, and river, and plain ; rest not in bower,
nor set foot on earth, until thou hast given this letter to the
mistress of my heart."

The dove soared high in air, and taking his course darted
away in one undeviating direction. The prince followed him
with his eye until he was a mere speck on a cloud, and gradually
disappeared behind a mountain.

Day after day he watched for the return of the messenger of
love, but he watched in vain. He began to accuse him of
forgetfulness, when towards sunset one evening the faithful
bird fluttered into his apartment, and falling at his feet
expired. The arrow of some wanton archer had pierced his
breast, yet he had struggled with the lingerings of life to
execute his mission. As the prince bent with grief over this
gentle martyr to fidelity, he beheld a chain of pearls round his
neck, attached to which, beneath his wing, was a small enamelled
picture. It represented a lovely princess in the very flower of
her years. It was doubtless the unknown beauty of the garden ;
but who and where was she ? — how had she received his letter ?

LEGEND OF PRINCE AHMED AL KAMEL 233

and was this picture sent as a token of her approval of his
passion ? Unfortunately the death of the faithful dove left
everything in mystery and doubt.

The prince gazed on the picture till his eyes swam with
tears. He pressed it to his lips and to his heart ; he sat for
hours contemplating it almost in an agony of tenderness.
" Beautiful image ! " said he, " alas, thou art but an image !
Yet thy dewy eyes beam tenderly upon me ; those rosy lips
look as though they would speak encouragement : vain fancies !
Have they not looked the same on some more happy rival ?
But where in this wide world shall I hope to find the original ?
Who knows what mountains, what realms may separate us ;
what adverse chances may intervene ? Perhaps now, even
now, lovers may be crowding around her, while I sit here a
prisoner in a tower, wasting my time in adoration of a painted
shadow."

The resolution of Prince Ahmed was taken. " I will fly from
this palace," said he, " which has become an odious prison ;
and, a pilgrim of love, will seek this unknown princess through-
out the world." To escape from the tower in the day when
every one was awake, might be a difficult matter ; but at night
the palace was slightly guarded ; for no one apprehended any
attempt of the kind from the prince, who had always been so
passive in his captivity. How was he to guide himself, how-
ever, in his darkling flight, being ignorant of the country ? He
bethought him of the owl, who was accustomed to roam at
night, and must know every by-lane and secret pass. Seeking
him in his hermitage, he questioned him touching his know-
ledge of the land. Upon this the owl put on a mighty self-
important look. " You must know, O prince," said he, " that
we owls are of a very ancient and extensive family, though
rather fallen to decay, and possess ruinous castles and palaces
in all parts of Spain. There is scarcely a tower of the
mountains, or a fortress of the plains, or an old citadel of
a city, but has some brother, or uncle, or cousin, quartered in

234 THE ALHAMBRA

it ; and in going the rounds to visit this my numerous kindred,
I have pried into every nook and corner, and made myself
acquainted with every secret of the land."

The prince was overjoyed to find the owl so deeply versed
in topography, and now informed him, in confidence, of his
tender passion and his intended elopement, urging him to be
his companion and counsellor.

" Go to ! " said the owl, with a look of displeasure ; " am I a
bird to engage in a love-affair ? — 1, whose whole time is devoted
to meditation and the moon ? "

" Be not offended, most solemn owl," replied the prince ;
*' abstract thyself for a time from meditation and the moon,
and aid me in my flight, and thou shalt have whatever heart
can wish."

" I have that already," said the owl : "a few mice are
suflficient for my frugal table, and this hole in the wall is
spacious enough for my studies ; and what more does a philo-
sopher like myself desire ? "

" Bethink thee, most wise owl, that while moping in thy cell
and gazing at the moon, all thy talents are lost to the world. I
shall one day be a sovereign prince, and may advance thee to
some post of honour and dignity."

The owl, though a philosopher and above the ordinary wants
of life, was not above ambition, so he was finally prevailed on
to elope with the prince, and be his guide and mentor in his
pilgrimage.

The plans of a lover are promptly executed. The prince
collected all his jewels, and concealed them about his person
as travelling funds. That very night he lowered himself by
his scarf from a balcony of the tower, clambered over the outer
walls of the Generalife, and, guided by the owl, made good his
escape before morning to the mountains.

He now held a council with his mentor as to his future
course.

" Might I advise," said the owl, '• I would recommend you

TJie GiralJa Tower, Sez'ille.

236

THE ALHAMBRA

to repair to Seville. You must know that many years since I
was on a visit to an uncle, an owl of great dignity and power,
who lived in a ruined wing of the Alcazar of that place. In my

T/ic' Alcazar, Seznllc.

hoverings at night over the city I frequently remarked a light
burning in a lonely tower. At length I alighted on the battle-
ments, and found it to proceed from the lamp of an Arabian
magician : he was surrounded by his magic books, and on his

LEGEND OF PRINXE AHMED AL KAMEL 237

shoulder was perched his famiUar, an ancient raven who had
come with him from Egypt. I am acquainted with that raven,
and owe to him a great part of the knowledge I possess. The
magician is since dead, but the raven still inhabits the tower,
for these birds are of wonderful long life. I would advise you,
O prince, to seek that raven, for he is a soothsayer and a
conjurer, and deals in the black art, for which all ravens, and
especially those of Egypt, are renowned.

The prince was struck with the wisdom of this advice, and
accordingly bent his course towards Seville. He travelled only
in the night to accommodate his companion, and lay by during
the day in some dark cavern or mouldering watch-tower, for
the owl knew every hiding-hole of the kind, and had a most
antiquarian taste for ruins.

At length one morning at daybreak they reached the city of
Seville, where the owl, who hated the glare and bristle of
crowded streets, halted without the gate, and took up his
quarters in a hollow tree.

The prince entered the gate, and readily found the magic
tower, which rose above the houses of the city, as a palm-tree
rises above the shrubs of the desert ; it was in fact the same
tower standing at the present day, and known as the Giralda,
the famous Moorish tower of Seville.

The prince ascended by a great winding staircase to the
summit of the tower, where he found the cabalistic raven, — an
old, mysterious, gray-headed bird, ragged in feather, with a
film over one eye that gave him the glare of a spectre. He
was perched on one leg, with his head turned on one side,
poring with his remaining eye on a diagram described on the
pavement.

The prince approached him with the awe and reverence
naturally inspired by his venerable appearance and supernatural
wisdom. " Pardon me, most ancient and darkly wise raven,'"'
exclaimed he, " if for a moment I interrupt those studies which
are the wonder of the world. You behold before you a votary

238 THE ALHAMBRA

of love, who would fain seek your counsel how to obtain the
object of his passion."

" In other words," said the raven, with a significant look,
" you seek to try my skill in palmistry. Come, show me your
hand, and let me decipher the mysterious lines of fortune."

" Excuse me," said the prince, " I come not to pry into the
decrees of fate, which are hidden by Allah from the eyes of
mortals ; I am a pilgrim of love, and seek but to find a clue to
the object of my pilgrimage."

" And can )'ou be at any loss for an object in amorous
Andalusia?" said the old raven, leering upon him with his
single eyes ; '*' above all, can you be at a loss in wanton Seville,
where black-eyed damsels dance the zambra under every orange
grove ? "

The prince blushed, and was somewhat shocked at hearing
an old bird with one foot in the grave talk thus loosely.
"Believe me," said he gravely, "I am on no such light and
vagrant errand as thou dost insinuate. The black-eyed damsels
of Andalusia who dance among the orange groves of the Guadal-
quiver are as nought to me. I seek one unknown but immacu-
late beauty, the original of this picture ; and I beseech thee,
most potent raven, if it be within the scope of thy knowledge or
the reach of thy heart, inform me where she may be found ? "

The gray-headed raven was rebuked by the gravity of the
prince.

"What know I," replied he, dryly, " of youth and beauty?
my visits are to the old and withered, not the fresh and fair ;
the harbinger of fate am I ; who croak bodings of death from
the chimney-top, and flap my wings at the sick man's window.
You must seek elsewhere for tidings of your unknown beauty."

"And where can I seek if not among the sons of wisdom,
versed in the book of destiny ? Know that I am a royal prince,
fated by the stars, and sent on a mysterious enterprise on which
may hang the destiny of empires."

When the raven heard that it was a matter of vast mom.ent,

r^^ /'a//« Tree, Cordoz'a

~^J^-5^^£^'=^^^^"' '"

240 THE ALIIAMBRA

in which the stars took interest, he changed his tone and
manner, and Hstened with profound attention to the story of
the prince. When it was concluded, he replied, " Touching this
princess, I can give thee no information of myself, for my flight
is not among gardens, or around ladies' bowers ; but hie thee
to Cordova, seek the palm-tree of the great Abderahman, which
stands in the court of the principal mosque : at the foot of it
thou wilt find a great traveller who has visited all countries and
courts, and been a favourite with queens and princesses. He
will give thee tidings of the object of thy search.''

'' }vlany thanks for this precious information,'' said the prince.
" Farewell, most venerable conjurer."

" Farewell, pilgrim of love," said the raven, dryly, and again
fell to pondering on the diagram.

The prince sallied forth from Seville, sought his fellow-
traveller the owl, who was still dozing in the hollow tree, and
set off for Cordova.

He approached it along hanging gardens, and orange and
citron groves, overlooking the fair valley of the Guadalquiver.
When arrived at its gates the owl flew up to a dark hole in the
wall, and the prince proceeded in quest of the palm-tree planted
in days of yore by the great Abderahman. It stood in the
midst of the great court of the mosque, towering from amidst
orange and cypress trees. Dervishes and Faquirs were seated
in groups under the cloisters of the court, and many of the
faithful were performing their ablutions at the fountains before
entering the mosque.

At the foot of the palm-tree was a crowd listening to the
words of one who appeared to be talking with great volubility.
" This," said the prince to himself, " must be the great traveller
who is to give me tidings of the unknown princess." He
mingled in the crowd, but was astonished to perceive that they
were all listening to a parrot, who with his bright-green coat,
pragmatical eye, and consequential top-knot, had the air of a
bird on excellent terms with himself

LEGEND OF PRINCE AHMED AL KAMEL

241

" How is this," said the prince to one of the by-standers,
" that so many grave persons can be deUghted with the garruUty
of a chattering bird ? "

'' You know not whom you speak of," said the other ; " this
parrot is a descendant of the famous parrot of Persia, renowned

_:t\- mi.' ■

siStt^^C'^^^^i

V v-.«^'^^

Entrance to Mosque, Cordova.

for his Story-telling talent. He has all the learning of the East
at the tip of his tongue, and can quote poetry as fast as he can
talk. He has visited various foreign courts, where he has been
considered an oracle of erudition. He has been a universal
favourite also with the fair sex, who have a vast admiration for
erudite parrots that can quote poetry."

342 THE ALHAMBRA

" Enough," said the prince, " I will have some private talk
with this distinguished traveller."

He sought a private interview, and expounded the nature of
his errand. He had scarcely mentioned it when the parrot
burst into a fit of dry rickety laughter, that absolutely brought
tears into his eyes. " Excuse my merriment," said he, " but the
mere mention of love always sets me laughing."

The prince was shocked at this ill-timed mirth. •• Is not
love," said he, " the great myster>' of nature, the secret principle
of life, the universal bond of sympathy ? "

" A fig's end ! " cried the parrot, interrupting him : " prithee
where hast thou learned this sentimental jargon ? trust me, love
is quite out of vogue ; one never hears of it in the company of
wits and people of refinement.'"

The prince sighed as he recalled the different language of his
friend the dove. But this parrot, thought he, has lived about the
court, he affects the wit and the fine gentleman, he knows nothing
of the thing called love. Unwilling to provoke any more ridicule
of the sentiment which filled his heart, he now directed his in-
quiries to the immediate purport of his visit.

"Tell me," said he, "most accomplished parrot, thou who
hast everywhere been admitted to the most secret bowers of
beauty, hast thou in the course of thy travels met with the
original of this portrait?"

The parrot took the picture in his claw, turned his head from
side to side, and examined it curiously with either eye. " Upon
my honour," said he, "a very pretty face, very pretty ; but then
one sees so many pretty women in one's travels that one can
hardly — but hold — bless me ! now I look at it again — sure
enough, this is the Princess Aldegonda : how could I forget one
that is so prodigious a favourite with me ! "

" The Princess Aldegonda ! " echoed the prince ; " and
where is she to be found ? "

" Softly, softly," said the parrot, " easier to be found than
gained. She is the only daughter of the Christian king who

LEGEND OF PRINCE AHMED AL KAMEL 243

reigns at Toledo, and is shut up from the world until her
seventeenth birthday, on account of some prediction of those
meddlesome fellows the astrologers. You'll not get a sight of
her ; no mortal man can see her. I was admitted to her
presence to entertain her, and I assure you, on the word of a
parrot who has seen the world, I have conversed with m.uch
sillier princesses in my time."

" A word in confidence, my dear parrot," said the prince.
" I am heir to a kingdom, and shall one day sit upon a throne.
I see that you are a bird of parts, and understand the world.
Help me to gain possession of this princess, and I will advance
you to some distinguished place about court."

" With all my heart," said the parrot ; " but let it be a
sinecure if possible, for we wits have a great dislike to labour."

Arrangements were promptly made : the prince sallied forth
from Cordova through the same gate by which he had entered ;
called the owl down from the hole in the wall, introduced him
to his new travelling companion as a brother savant, and away
they set off on their journey.

They travelled much more slowly than accorded with the
impatience of the prince ; but the parrot was accustomed to high
life, and did not like to be disturbed early in the morning.
The owl, on the other hand, was for sleeping at mid-day, and
lost a great deal of time by his long siestas. His antiquarian
taste also was in the way ; for he insisted on pausing and
inspecting every ruin, and had long legendary tales to tell about
every old tower and castle in the country. The prince had
supposed that he and the parrot, being both birds of learning,
would delight in each other's society, but never had he been
more mistaken. They were eternally bickering. The one
was a wit, the other a philosopher. The parrot quoted poetry,
was critical on new readings and eloquent on small points of
erudition ; the owl treated all such knowledge as trifling, and
relished nothing but metaphysics. Then the parrot would
sing songs and repeat botis mots and crack jokes upon hit

R 2

244

THE ALITAMBRA

solemn neighbour, and laugh outrageously at his own wit ; all
which proceedings the owl considered as a grievous invasion of
his dignity, and would scowl and sulk and swell, and be silent

for a whole day together.
The prince heeded
not the wranglings of
his companions being
wrapped up in the
dreams of his own
fancy and the contem-
plation of the portrait
of the beautiful prin-
cess. In this way they
journeyed through the
stern passes of the
Sierra Morena, across the sunburnt plains of La ]Mancha and
Castile, and along the banks of the " Golden Tagus," which
winds its wizard mazes over one half of Spain and Portugal.
At length they came in sight of a strong city with walls and
towers built on a rocky promontory, round the foot of which
the Tagus circled with brawling violence.

" Behold," exclaimed the owl, " the ancient and renowned city
of Toledo; a city famous for its antiquities. Behold those vener-
able domes and towers, hoary with time and clothed with legend-
ary grandeur in which so many of my ancestors have meditated,"

LEGEND OF PRINCE AHMED AL KAMEL

245

" Pish ! " cried the parrot, interrupting his solemn antiquarian
rapture, "what have we to do with antiquities, and legends,
and your ancestry ? Behold what is more to the purpose —
behold the abode of youth and beauty — behold at length, O
prince, the abode of your long-sought princess."

The prince looked in the direction indicated by the parrot,
and beheld, in a delightful green meadow on the banks of the
Tagus, a stately palace rising from amidst the bowers of a
delicious garden. It was just such a place as had been

Toledo.

described by the dove as the residence *of the original of the
picture. He gazed at it with a throbbing heart ; " perhaps at
this moment," thought he, '"the beautiful princess is sporting
beneath those shady bowers, or pacing with delicate step those
stately terraces, or reposing beneath those lofty roofs ! " As
he looked more narrowly, he perceived that the walls of the
garden were of great height, so as to defy access, while
numbers of armed guards patrolled around them.

The prince turned to the parrot. " O most accomplished
of birds," said he, " thou hast the gift of human speech. Hie

246

THE ALIIAMBRA

thee to yon garden ; seek the idol of my soul, and tell her that
Prince Ahmed, a pilgrim of love, and guided by the stars, has
arrived in quest of her on the flowery banks of the Tagus."
The parrot, proud of his embassy, flew away to the garden.

mounted above its lofty y^^ ^ -■'-^•'•...^.

walls, and after soaring for ^^'-'■•- ' v.-

a time over the lawns and " \^'

groves, alighted on the

balcony of a pavilion that overhung the river. Here looking

in at the casement, he beheld the princess reclining on a couch,

with her eyes fixed on a paper, while tears gently stole after

each other down her pallid cheek.

Pluming his wings for a moment, adjusting his bright-green

LEGEND OF PRINCE AHMED AL KAMEL 247

coat, and elevating his top-knot, the parrot perched himself
beside her with a gallant air ; then assuming a tenderness of
tone, " Dry thy tears, most beautiful of princesses," said he ;
" I come to bring solace to thy heart."

The princess was startled on hearing a voice, but turning
and seeing nothing but a little green-coated bird bobbing and
bowing before her, " Alas ! what solace canst thou yield,'' said
she, " seeing thou art but a parrot ? "'

The parrot was nettled at the question. " I have consoled
many beautiful ladies in my time," said he ; " but let that pass.
At present I come as ambassador f^-om a royal prince. Know
that Ahmed, the prince of Granada, has arrived in quest of
thee, and is encamped even now on the flowery banks of the
Tagus,"

The eyes of the beautiful princess sparkled at these words
even brighter than the diamonds in her coronet. " O sweetest
of parrots," cried she, " joyful indeed are thy tidings, for I was
faint and weary, and sick almost unto death with doubt of the
constancy of Ahmed. Hie thee back, and tell him that the
words of his letter are engraven in my heart, and his poetry
has been the food of my soul. Tell him, however, that he
must prepare to prove his love by force of arms ; to-morrow is
my seventeenth birthday, when the king my father holds a
great tournament ; several princes are to enter the lists, and
my hand is to be the prize of the victor."

The parrot again took wing, and rustling through the groves,
flew back to where the prince awaited his return. The rapture
of Ahmed on finding the original of his adored portrait, and
finding her kind and true, can only be conceived by those
favoured mortals who have had the good fortune to realise day-
dreams and turn a shadow into substance : still there was one
thing that alloyed his transport — this impending tournament.
In fact, the banks of the Tagus were already glittering with
arms, and resounding with trumpets of the various knights,
who, with proud retinues, were prancing on towards Toledo to

248 THE ALHAMBRA

attend the ceremonial. The same star that had controlled the
destiny of the prince had governed that of the princess, and
until her seventeenth birthday she had been shut up from the
world, to guard her from the tender passion. The fame of her
charms, however, had been enhanced rather than obscured by
this seclusion. Several powerful princes had contended for
her hand ; and her father, who was a king of wondrous
shrewdness, to avoid making enemies by showing partiality,
had referred them to the arbitrament of arms. Among the
rival candidates were several renowned for strength and
prowess. What a predicament for the unfortunate Ahmed,
unprovided as he was with weapons, and unskilled in the
exercise of chivalry ! " Luckless prince that I am 1 "' said he,
"to have been brought up in seclusion under the eye of a
philosopher ! Of what avail are algebra and philosophy in
affairs of love ? Alas, Eben Bonabben ! why hast thou
neglected to instruct me in the management of arms ? '"' Upon
this the owl broke silence, preluding his harangue with a pious
ejaculation, for he was a devout Mussulman.

'^ Allah Akbar! God is great!" exclaimed he; "in his
hands are all secret things— he alone governs the destiny ot
princes ! Know, O prince, that this land is full of mysteries,
hidden from all but those who, like myself, can grope after
knowledge in the dark. Know^ that in the neighbouring
mountains there is a cave, and in that cave there is an iron
table, and on that table there lies a suit of magic armour, and
beside that table there stands a spell-bound steed, which have
been shut up there for many generations."

The prince stared with wonder, while the owl, blinking his
huge round eyes, and erecting his horns, proceeded.

" Many years since I accompanied my father to these parts on
a tour of his estates, and we sojourned in that cave ; and thus
became I acquainted with the mystery. It is a tradition in
our family which I have heard from my grandfather, when I
was yet but a very little owlet, that this armour belonged to a

LEGEND OF PRINCE AHMED AL KAMEL

249

Moorish magician, who took refuge in this cavern when Toledo
was captured by the Christians, and died here, leaving his
steed and weapons under a mystic spell, never to be used but
by a Moslem, and by him only from sunrise to mid-day. In
that interval, whoever uses them will overthrow every opponent."

'• Enough : let us seek this cave ! " exclaimed Ahmed.

Guided by his legendary mentor, the prince found the cavern,
which was in one of the wildest recesses of those rocky cliffs
which rise around Toledo : none but the mousing eye of an
owl or an antiquary could have discovered the entrance to it.
A sepulchral
lamp of everlast-
ing oil shed a
solemn light
through the
place. On an
iron table in the
centre of the
cavern lay the
magic armour,
against it leaned
the lance, and
beside it stood
an Arabian steed, caparisoned for the field, but motionless as a
statue. The armour was bright and unsullied as it had gleamed
in days of old ; the steed in as good condition as if just from
the pasture : and when Ahmed laid his hand upon his neck, he
pawed the ground and gave a loud neigh of joy that shook the
walls of the cavern. Thus amply provided with " horse and
rider and weapon to wear," the prince determined to defy the
field in the impending tourney.

The eventful morning arrived. The lists for the combat
were prepared in the Vega, or plain, just below the cliff-built
walls of Toledo, where stages and galleries were erected for the
spectators, covered with rich tapestry, and sheltered from the

250

THE ALHAMBRA

sun by silken awnings. All the beauties of the land were
assembled in those galleries, while below pranced plumed
knights with their pages and esquires, among whom figured
conspicuously the princes who were to contend in the tourney.
All the beauties of the land, however, were eclipsed when the
Princess Aldegonda appeared in the royal pavilion, and for the
first time broke forth upon the gaze of an admiring world. A
murmur of wonder ran through the crowd at her transcendent
loveliness ; and the princes who were candidates for he-r hand,

ToU.

merely on the faith of her reported charms, now felt tenfold
ardour for the conflict.

The princess, however, had a troubled look. The colour
came and went from her cheek, and her eye wandered with a
restless and unsatisfied expression over the plumed throng of
knights. The trumpets were about sounding for the encounter,
when the herald announced the arrival of a strange knight ;
and Ahmed rode into the field. A steel helmet studded with
gems rose above his turban ; his cuirass was embossed with

LEGEND OF PRINCE AH.UED AL KAMEL 251

gold ; his ci meter and dagger were of the workmanship of Fez.
and flamed with precious stones. A round shield was at his
shoulder, and in his hand he bore the lance of charmed virtue.
The caparison of his Arabian steed was richly embroidered and
swept the ground, and the proud animal pranced and sniffed
the air, and neighed with joy at once more beholding the array
of arms. The lofty and graceful demeanour of the prince struck
every eye, and when his appellation was announced, "The
Pilgrim of Love, ' a universal flutter and agitation prevailed
among the fair dames in the galleries.

When Ahmed presented himself at the lists, however, they

The Castic, Toledo.

were closed against him : none but princes, he was told, vrere
admitted to the contest. He declared his name and rank.
Still worse 1 — he was a Moslem, and could not engage in a
tourney where the hand of a Chiistian princess was the prize.

The rival princes surrounded him with haughty and menacing
aspects ; and one of insolent demeanour and herculean frame
sneered at his light and youthful form, and scoffed at his
amorous appellation. The ire of the prince was roused. He
defied his rival to the encounter. They took distance, wheeled,
and charged ; and at the first touch of the magic lance, the
brawny scoffer was tilted from his saddle. Here the prince
would have paused, but, alas ! he had to deal with a demoniac

252 THE ALII AM BRA

horse and armour : once in action, nothing could control them.
The Arabian steed charged into the thickest of the throng ; the
lance overturned everything that presented ; the gentle prince
was carried pell-mell about the field, strewing it with high and
low, gentle and simple, and grieving at his own involuntary
exploits. The king stormed and raged at this outrage on his
subjects and his guests. He ordered out all his guards — they
were unhorsed as fast as they came up. The king threw off his
robes, grasped buckler and lance, and rode forth to awe the
stranger with the presence of majesty itself. Alas I majesty
fared no better than the vulgar ; the steel and lance were no
respecters of persons ; to the dismay of Ahmed, he was borne
full tilt against the king, and in a moment the royal heels were
in the air, and the crown was rolling in the dust.

At this moment the sun reached the meridian ; the magic
spell resumed its power ; the Arabian steed scoured across the
plain, leaped the barrier, plunged into the Tagus, swam its
raging current, bore the prince breathless and amazed to the
cavern, and resumed his station, like a statue, beside the iron
table. The prince dismounted right gladly, and replaced the
armour, to abide the further decrees of fate. Then seating
himself in the cavern, ne ruminated on the desperate state to
which this demoniac steed and armour had reduced him.
Never should he dare to show his face at Toledo after inflicting
such disgrace upon its chivalry, and such an outrage on its king.
What too would the princess think of so rude and riotous an
achievement ? Full of anxiety, he sent forth his winged mes-
sengers to gather tidings. The parrot resorted to all the public
places and crowded resorts of the city, and soon returned with
a world of gossip. All Toledo was in consternation. The
princess had been borne off senseless to the palace : the tourna-
ment had ended in confusion : every one was talking of the
sudden apparition, prodigious exploits, and strange disappear-
ance of the Moslem knight. Some pronounced him a Moorish
magician; others thought him a demon who had assumed a

LEGEND OF PRINCE x\HMED AL KAMEL

253

human shape, while others related traditions of enchanted war-
riors hidden in the caves of the mountains, and thought it
might be one of these, who had made a sudden irruption from
his den. All agreed that no mere ordinary mortal could have
wrought such wonders, or unhorsed such accomplished and
stalwart Christian warriors.

The owl flew forth at night and hovered about the dusky
city, perching on roofs and chimneys. He then wheeled his
flight up to the royal palace, which stood on a rocky summit
of Toledo, and went prowling about its terraces and battle-
ments, eaves-
dropping at
every cranny,
and glaring in
with his big
goggling eyes at
every window
where there was
a light, so as to
throw two or
three maids of
honour into fits.
It was not until
the grey dawn
began to peer above the mountains that he returned from his
mousing expedition, and related to the prince what he had seen.

" As I was prying about one of the loftiest towers of the
palace," said he, " I beheld through a casement a beautiful
princess. She was reclining on a couch with attendants and
physicians around her, but she would none of their ministry
and relief. When they retired, I beheld her draw forth a
letter from her bosom, and read and kiss it, and give way
to loud lamentations ; at which, philosopher as I am, I could
but be greatly moved."

The tender heart of Ahmed was distressed at these tidings.

The Royal Palace.

254 THE ALHAMBRA

" Too true were thy words, O sage Eben Bonabben," cried he ;
'' care and sorrow and sleepless nights are the lot of lovers.
Allah preserve the princess from the blighting influence of this
thing called love ! "

Further intelligence from Toledo corroborated the report of
the owl. The city was a prey to uneasiness and alarm. The
princess was conveyed to the highest tower of the palace, every
avenue to which was strongly guarded. In the meantime a
devouring melancholy had seized upon her, of which no one
could divine the cause — she refused food and turned a deaf
ear to every consolation. The most skilful physicians had
essayed their art in vain ; it was thought some magic spell had
been practised upon her, and the king made proclamation,
declaring that who ever should effect her cure should receive
the richest jewel in the royal treasury.

^^'hen the owl, who was dozing in a corner, heard of this
proclamation, he rolled his large eyes and looked more
mysterious than ever.

''Allah Akbar."' exclaimed he, "happy the man that shall
effect that cure, should he but know what to choose from the
royal treasury."

" What mean you, most reverend owl ? " said Ahmed.

" Hearken, O prince, to what I shall relate. We owls, you
must know, are a learned body, and much given to dark and
dusty research. During my late prowling at night about the
domes and turrets of Toledo, I discovered a college of anti-
quarian owls, who hold their meetings in a great vaulted tower
where the royal treasury is deposited. Here they were dis-
cussing the forms and inscriptions and designs of ancient gems
and jewels, and of golden and silver vessels, heaped up in the
treasury, the fashion of every country and age ; but mostly
they were interested about certain relics and talismans that
have remained in the treasury since the time of Roderick the
Goth. Among these was a box of sandal-wood secured by
bands of steel of Oriental workmanship, and inscribed with

LEGEND OF PRINXE AHMED AL KAMEL 253

mystic characters known only to the learned few. This box
and its inscription had occupied the college for several sessions,
and had caused much long and grave dispute. i\t the time of
my visit a very ancient owl, who had recently arrived from
Egypt, was seated on the lid of the box, lecturing upon the
inscription, and he proved from it that the coffer contained the
silken carpet of the throne of Solomon the wise ; which doubt-
less had been brought to Toledo by the Jews who took refuge
there after the downfall of Jerusalem."

When the owl had concluded his antiquarian harangue, the
prince remained for a time absorbed in thought. " I have
heard,'' said he, " from the sage Eben Bonabben, of the
wonderful properties of that talisman, which disappeared at the
fall of Jerusalem, and was supposed to be lost to mankind.
Doubtless it remains a sealed mystery to the Christians of Toledo.
If I can get possession of that carpet, my fortune is secure.''

The next day the prince laid aside his rich attire, and
arrayed himself in the simple guard of an Arab of the desert.
He dyed his complexion to a tawny hue, and no one could
have recognised in him the splendid warrior who had caused
such admiration and dismay at the tournament. With staff in
hand, and scrip by his side, and a small pastoral reed, he
repaired to Toledo, and presenting himself at the gate of the
royal palace, announced himself as a candidate for the reward
offered for the cure of the princess. The guards would have
driven him away with blows. " What can a vagrant Arab like
thyself pretend to do," said they, " in a case where the most
learned of the land have failed ? " The king, however, overheard
the tumult, and ordered the Arab to be brought into his presence.

" Most potent king," said Ahmed, " you behold before you
a Bedouin Arab, the greater part of whose life has been passed
in the solitudes of the desert. These solitudes, it is well
known, are the haunts of demons and evil spirits, who beset us
poor shepherds in our lonely watchings, enter into and possess
our flocks and herds, and sometimes render even the patient

256 THE ALIIAMBRA

camel furious ; against these, our counter-charm is music ; and
we have legendary airs handed down from generation to
generation, that we chant and pipe, to cast forth these evil
spirits. I am of a gifted Hne, and possess this power in its fullest
force. If it be any evil influence of the kind that holds a spell
over thy daughter, I pledge my head to free her from its sway.

The king, who was a man of understanding, and knew the
wonderful secrets possessed by the Arabs, was inspired with
hope by the confident language of the prince. He conducted
him immediately to the lofty tower, secured by several doors, in
the summit of which was the chamber of the princess. The
windows opened upon a terrace with balustrades, commanding
a view over Toledo and all the surrounding country. The
windows were darkened, for the princess lay within, a prey to
a devouring grief that refused all alleviation.

The prince seated himself on the terrace, and performed
several wild Arabian airs on his pastoral pipe, which he had
learnt from his attendants in the Generalife at Granada. The
princess continued insensible, and the doctors who were present
shook their heads, and smiled wdth incredulity and contempt :
at length the prince laid aside the reed, and, to a simple melody,
chanted the amatory verses of the letter w^hich had declared his
passion.

The princess recognised the strain — a fluttering joy stole to
her heart ; she raised her head and listened ; tears rushed
to her eyes and streamed down her cheeks ; her bosom rose
and fell with a tumult of emotions. She would have asked for
the minstrel to be brought into her presence, but maiden coy-
ness held her silent. The king read her wishes, and at his
command Ahmed was conducted into the chamber. The
lovers were discreet : they but exchanged glances, yet those
glances spoke volumes. Never was triumph of music more
complete. The rose had returned to the soft cheek of the
princess, the freshness to her lip, and the dewy light to her
languishing eyes.

AU the physicians present stared at each other with astonish-

LEGEND OF PRINCE AHMED AL KAMEL 257

ment. The king regarded the Arab minstrel with admiration
mixed with awe. " Wonderful youth ! " exclaimed he, " thou
shalt henceforth be the first physician of my court, and no other
prescription will I take but thy melody. For the present receive
thy reward, the most precious jewel in my treasury."

" O king," replied Ahmed, " I care not for silver or gold or
precious stones. One relic hast thou in thy treasury, handed
down from the Moslems who once owned Toledo — a box ot
sandal-wood containing a silken carpet : give me that box, and
I am content."

All present were surprised at the moderation of the Arab,
and still more when the box of sandal-wood was brought and
the carpet drawn forth. It was of fine green silk, covered with
Hebrew and Chaldaic characters. The court physicians looked at
each other, shrugged their shoulders, and smiled at the simplicity
of this new practitioner, who could be content with so paltry a fee.

" This carpet," said the prince, " once covered the throne of
Solomon the Wise ; it is worthy of being placed beneath the
feet of beauty."

So saying, he spread it on the terrace beneath an ottoman
that had been brought forth for the princess ; then seating
himself at her feet —

" Who," said he, " shall counteract what is written in the
book of fate ? Behold the prediction of the astrologers verified.
Know, O king, that your daughter and I have long loved each
other in secret. Behold in me the Pilgrim of Love ! "

These words were scarcely from his lips when the carpet rose
in the air, bearing off the prince and princess. The king and
the physicians gazed after it with open mouths and straining
eyes until it became a little speck on the white bosom of a
cloud, and then disappeared in the blue vault of heaven.

The king in a rage summoned his treasurer. " How is this,"
said he, " that thou hast suffered an infidel to get possession
of such a talisman ? "

"Alas, sir, we knew not its nature, nor could we decipher the
inscription of the box. If it be indeed the carpet of the throne

258

THE ALHAMBRA

of the wise Solomon, it is possessed of magic power, and can
transport its owner from place to place through the air."

The king assembled a mighty army, and set off for Granada
in pursuit of the fugitives. His march was long and toilsome.
Encamping in the Vega, he sent a herald to demand restitution
of his daughter. The king himself came forth with all his court
to meet him. In the king he beheld the real minstrel, for
Ahmed had succeeded to the throne on the death of his father,
and the beautiful Aldegonda was his sultana.

The Christian king was easily pacified when he found that
his daughter was suffered to continue in her faith ; not that he
was particularly pious, but religion is always a point of pride
and etiquette with princes. Instead of bloody battles, there
was a succession of feasts and rejoicings, after which the king
returned well pleased to Toledo, and the youthful couple con-
tinued to reign as happily as wisely, in the Alhambra.

It is proper to add, that the owl and the parrot had severally
followed the prince by easy stages to Granada; the former
travelling by night, and stopping at the various hereditary
possessions of his family ; the latter figuring in gay circles of
every town and city on his route.

Ahmed gratefully requited the services which they had
rendered on his pilgrimage. He appointed the owl his prime
minister, the parrot his master of ceremonies. It is needless to
say that never was a realm more sagely administered, nor a
court conducted with more exact punctilio.

A RAMBLE AMONG THE HILLS

I USED frequently to amuse myself towards the close of the
day, when the heat had subsided, with taking long rambles
about the neighbouring hills, and the deep umbrageous valleys,
accompanied by my historiographic squire, Mateo, to whose
passion for gossiping I on such occasions gave the most un-
bounded license; and there was scarce a rock, or ruin, or
broken fountain, or lonely glen, about which he had not some
marvellous story ; or, above all, some golden legend ; for never
was poor devil so munificent in dispensing hidden treasures.

In the course of one of these strolls Mateo was more than
usually communicative. It was toward sunset that we sallied
forth from the great Gate of Justice, and ascended an alley of
trees until we came to a clump of figs and pomegranates at the
foot of the Tower of the Seven Floors {de los siete siielos), the
identical tower whence Boabdil is said to have issued, when he
surrendered his capital. Here, pointing to a low archway in
the foundation, Mateo informed me of a monstrous sprite or
hobgoblin, said to infest this tower, ever since the time of the
Moors, and to guard the treasures of a Moslem king. Some-
times it issues forth in the dead of the night, and scours the

s 2

26o

THE ALHAMBRA

avenues of the Alhambra, and the streets
shape of a headless horse, pursued

'%^

AjJiofig the Hills.

of Granada, in the
by six dogs with terrible
yells and bowlings.

" But have you ever

met with it yourself,

Mateo, in any of your

rambles ? " demanded I.

" No, Sefior, God be

"^ , '^''^'"'^•^SSi^B&S *^^^^''^^^ • ^^^ ^^y grand-

"•^ ""^Wi^^BBH, fa^h^r, the tailor, knew

several persons that had
seen it, for it went about
much oftener in his time
than at present; some-
times in one shape, sometimes in another. Everybody in
Granada has heard of the BeHudo, for the old women and the
nurses frighten the children with it when they cry. Some say
it is the spirit of a cruel Moorish king, who killed his six sons
and buried them in these vaults, and that they hunt him at
nights in revenge."

I forbear to dwell upon the
simple-minded Mateo about
this redoubtable phantom,
which has^ in fact, been time
out of mind a favourite
theme of nursery tales and
popular tradition in Granada, .
and of which honourable
mention is made by an an-
cient and learned historian
and topographer of the
place.

Leaving this eventful pile, we continued our course, skirting
the fruitful orchards of the Generalife, in which two or three
nightingales were pouring forth a rich strain of melody.

marvellous details given by the

11^

ai^

'-^-

Among the Hills.

A RAMBLE AMONG THE HILLS

261

Behind these orchards we passed a number of Moorish tanks,
with a door cut into the rocky bosom of the hill, but closed up.
These tanks, Mateo informed me, were favourite bathing-places
of himself and his comrades in boyhood, until frightened away
by a story of a hideous ^loor, who used to issue forth from the
door in the rock to entrap unwary bathers.

Leaving these haunted tanks behind us, we pursued our
ramble up a solitary mule-path winding among the hills, and

Frtiit/zd Orchards.

soon found ourselves amidst wild and melancholy mountains,
destitute of trees, and here and there tinted with scanty verdure.
Everything within sight was severe and sterile, and it was scarcely
possible to realise the idea that but a short distance behind us
was the Generalife, with its blooming orchards and terraced gar-
dens, and that we were in the vicinity of delicious Granada,
that city of groves and fountains. But such is the nature of
Spain ; wild and stern the moment it escapes from cultivation ;
the desert and the garden are ever side by side.

The narrow defile up which we were passing is called, accord-

262

THE ALIIAMBRA

ing to Mateo, el Ba?-?-a?iiO de la tinaja, or the ravine of the
jar, because a jar full of Moorish gold was found here in old
time. The brain of poor ]\Iateo was continually running upon
these golden legends.

"But what is the meaning of the cross I see yonder
upon a heap of stones, in that narrow part of the ravine ? "

The Desert and the Garden.

" Oh, that's nothing — a muleteer was murdered there some
years since."

" So then, Mateo, you have robbers and murderers even at
the gates of the Alhambra ? "

" Not at present, Seiior ; that was formerly, when there used
to be many loose fellows about the fortress ; but they've all
been weeded out. Not but that the gypsies who live in caves
in the hill-sides, just out of the fortress, are many of them fit for
anything ; but we have had no murder about here for a long
time past. The man who murdered the muleteer was hanged
in the fortress."

A RAMBLE AMONG THE HILLS

263

Our path continued up the barranco, with a bold, rugged
height to our left, called the Sil/a del Moro, or Chair of the
Moor, from the tradition already alluded to, that the unfortu-
nate Boabdil fled thither during a popular insurrection, and
remained all day seated on the rocky summit, looking mourn-
fully down on his factious city.

^^'e at length arrived on the highest part of the promontor)'

^^M^^ i

Its

Garden at Sez-ille.

above Granada, called the mountain of the sun. The evening
was approaching ; the setting sun just gilded the loftiest
heights. Here and there a solitar\- shepherd might be de-
scried driving his flock down the declivities, to be folded for the
night : or a muleteer and his lagging animals, threading some
mountain path to arrive at the city gates before nightfall.

Presently the deep tones of the Cathedral bell came swelling
up the defiles, proclaiming the hour of oration or prayer.
The note was responded to from the belfry of every church, and

264

THE ALII AM BRA

from the sweet bells of the convents among the mountains.
The shepherd paused on the fold of the hill, the muleteer in
the midst of the road ; each took off his hat and remained
motionless for a time, murmuring his evening prayer. There is

:-5SiJ%

'-s-

^f"V''' '''i^''>

Si'/Za del Mora.

always something pleasingly solemn in this custom, by which,
at a melodious signal, every human being throughout the land
unites at the same moment in a tribute of thanks to God for
the mercies of the day. It spreads a transient sanctity over

A RAMBLE AMONG THE HILLS 265

tne land, and the sight of the sun sinking in all his glory adds
not a little to the solemnity of the scene.

In the present instance the effect was heightened by the wild
and lonely nature of the place. We were on the naked and
broken summit of the haunted mountain of the sun, where
ruined tanks and cisterns, and the mouldering foundations of
extensive buildings, spoke of former populousness, but where
all was now silent and desolate.

As we were wandering about among these traces of old times,
we came to a circular pit, penetrating deep into the bosom of the
mountain ; which Mateo pointed out as one of the wonders
and mysteries of the place. I supposed it to be a well dug by
the indefatigable Moors, to obtain their favourite element in its
greatest purity. Mateo, however, had a different story, and
one much more to his humour. According to a tradition, in
which his father and grandfather firmly believed, this was an
entrance to the subterranean caverns of the mountain, in which
Boabdil and his court lay bound in magic spell ; and whence
they sallied forth at night, at allotted times, to revisit their
ancient abodes.

" Ah, Se/Ior, this mountain is full of wonders of the kind.
In another place there was a hole somewhat like this, and just
within it hung an iron pot by a chain ; nobody knew what was
in that pot, for it was always covered up ; but everybody sup-
posed it full of Moorish gold. Many tried to draw it forth, for
it seemed just within reach ; but the moment it was touched it
would sink far, far down, and not come up again for some
time. At. last one who thought it must be enchanted touched
it with the cross, by way of breaking the charm ; and faith he
did break it, for the pot sank out of sight and never was seen
any more.

"All this is a fact, Sefior ; for my grandfather was an eye-
witness."

" What ! Mateo ; did he see the pot ? "

" No, Sefior^ but he saw the hole where the pot had hung."

266 THE ALHAMBRA

" It's the same thing, Mateo."

The deepening twiHght, which in this climate is of short
duration, admonished us to leave this haunted ground. As we
descended the mountain defile, there was no longer herdsman
nor muleteer to be seen, nor anything to be heard but our own
footsteps and the lonely chirping of the cricket. The shadows
of the valley grew deeper and deeper, until all was dark around
us. The lofty summit of the Sierra Nevada alone retained a
lingering gleam of daylight ; its snowy peaks glaring against the
dark blue firmament, and seeming close to us, from the extreme
purity of the atmosphere.

" How near the Sierra looks this evening ! " said Mateo : " it
seems as if you could touch it with your hand ; and yet it is
many long leagues off." While he was speaking, a star ap-
peared over the sno^^7 summit of the mountain, the only one
yet visible in the heavens, and so pure, so large, so bright and
beautiful, as to call forth ejaculations of delight from honest
Mateo.

" Que estrella hermosa ! que clara y limpia es ! — No pueda
ser estrella 7?ias brillante ! "

(What a beautiful star ! how clear and lucid — a star could
not be more brilliant !)

I have often remarked this sensibility of the common people
of Spain to the charms of natural objects. The lustre of a
star, the beauty or fragrance of a flower, the crystal purity of a
fountain, will inspire them with a kind of poetical delight ; and
then, what euphonious words their magnificent language affords,
with which to give utterance to their transports !

" But what lights are those, Mateo, which I see twinkling
along the Sierra Nevada, just below the snowy region, and which
might be taken for stars, only that they are ruddy, and against
the dark side of the mountain ? "

" Those, Seiior, are fires, made by the men who gather snow
and ice for the supply of Granada. They go up every afternoon
with mules and asses, and take turns, some to rest and warm

A RAMBLE AMONG THE HILLS 267

themselves by the fires, while others fill the panniers with ice.
They then set off down the mountains, so as to reach the gates
of Granada before sunrise. That Sierra Nevada, Senor, is a
lump of ice in the middle of Andalusia, to keep it all cool in
summer."

It was now completely dark ; we were passing through the
barranca, where stood the cross of the murdered muleteer, when
I beheld a number of lights moving at a distance, and ap-
parently advancing up the ravine. On nearer approach, they
proved to be torches borne by a train of uncouth figures arrayed
in black : it would have been a procession dreary enough at
any time, but was peculiarly so in this wild and solitary place.

Mateo drew near, and told me, in a low voice, that it was a
funeral train bearing a corpse to the burying-ground among the
hills.

As the procession passed by, the lugubrious light of the
torches, falling on the rugged features and funeral weeds of the
attendants, had the most fantastic effect, but was perfectly
ghastly, as it revealed the countenance of the corpse, which
according to the Spanish custom, was borne uncovered on an
open bier. I remained for some time gazing after the dreary
train as it wound up the dark defile of the mountain. It put
me in mind of the old story of a procession of demons bearing
the body of a sinner up the crater of Stromboli.

"Ah I Sefior" cried Mateo, " I could tell you a story of a
procession once seen among these mountains, but then you'd
laugh at me, and say it was one of the legacies of my grand-
father the tailor."

" By no means, Mateo. There is nothing I relish more than
a marvellous tale."

" \\'ell, Sefior, it is about one of those very men we have
been talking of, who gather snow on the Sierra Nevada.

" You must know, that a great many years since, in my grand-
father's time, there was an old fellow, Tio Nicolo [L'ncle
Nicholas] by name, who had filled the panniers of his mule

268 THE ALHAMBRA

with snow and ice, and was returning down the mountain.
Being very drowsy, he mounted upon the mule, and soon falling
asleep, went with his head nodding and bobbing about from
side to side, while his surefooted old mule stepped along the
edge of precipices, and down steep and broken barra?ccos, just
as safe and steady as if it had been on plain ground. At
length Tio Nicolo awoke, and gazed about him, and rubbed his
eyes — and, in good truth, he had reason. The moon shone
almost as bright as day, and he saw the city below him, as
plain as your hand, and shining with its white buildings, like a
silver platter, in the moonshine : but. Lord ! Se?ior, it was
nothing like the city he had left a few hours before ! Instead of
the cathedral, with its great dome and turrets, and the churches
with their spires, and the convents with their pinnacles, all
surmounted with the blessed cross, he saw nothing but ^Moorish
mosques, and minarets, and cupolas, all topped off with glitter-
ing crescents, such as you see on the Barbary flags. Well,
Senor, as you may suppose, Tio Nicolo was mightily puzzled at
all this, but while he was gazing down upon the city, a great
army came marching up the mountains, winding along the
ravines, sometimes in the moonshine, sometimes in the shade.
As it drew nigh, he saw that there were horse and foot, all in
^Moorish armour. Tio Nicolo tried to scramble out of their
way, but his old mule stood stock still, and refused to budge,
trembling at the same time, like a leaf, — for dumb beasts,
Sefior, are just as much frightened at such things as human
beings. Well, Seiior, the hobgoblin army came marching by ;
there were men that seemed to blow trumpets, and others to
beat drums and strike cymbals, yet never a sound did they
make ; they all moved on without the least noise, just as I have
seen painted armies move across the stage in the theatre of
Granada, and all looked as pale as death At last, in the rear
of the army, between two black Moorish horsemen, rode the
Grand Inquisitor of Granada, on a mule as white as snow.
Tio Nicolo wondered to see him in such company, for the

A RA^IBLE AMONG THE HILLS 269

Inquisitor was famous for his hatred of Moors, and, indeed, of
all kinds of Infidels, Jews, and heretics, and used to hunt them
out with fire and scourge. However, Tio Nicolo felt himself safe,
now that there was a priest of such sanctity at hand. So making
the sign of the cross, he called out for his benediction, when,
hoiubre ! he received a blow that sent him and his old mule
over the edge of a steep bank, down which they rolled, head-
over-heels, to the bottom ! Tio Nicolo did not come to his senses
until long after sunrise, when he found himself at the bottom
of a deep ravine, his mule grazing beside him, and his panniers
of snow completely melted. He crawled back to Granada
sorely bruised and battered, but was glad to find the city looking
as usual, with Christian churches and crosses. When he told
the story of his night's adventure, every one laughed at him ;
some said he had dreamed it all, as he dozed on his mule ;
others thought it all a fabrication of his own ; but what was
strange, Seilor, and made people afterwards think more seriously
of the matter, was, that the Grand Inquisitor died within the
year. I have often heard my grandfather, the tailor, say, that
there was more meant by that hobgoblin army bearing off the
resemblance of the priest, than folks dared to surmise."'

" Then you would insinuate, friend ]\Iateo, that there is a
kind of ^Moorish limbo, or purgatory, in the bowels of these
mountains, to which the padre Inquisitor was borne off"

"God forbid, Seiior! I know nothing of the matter. I
only relate what I heard from my grandfather."

By the time Mateo had finished the tale, which I have more
succinctly related, and which was interlarded with many com-
ments, and spun out with minute details, we reached the gate
of the Alhambra.

The marvellous stories hinted at by ]Mateo, in the early part
of our ramble about the Tower of the Seven Floors, set me as
usual upon my goblin researches. I found that the redoubtable
phantom, the Belludo, had been time out of mind a favourite
theme of nursery tales and popular traditions in Granada, and

270

THE ALHAMBRA

that honourable mention had even been made of it by an ancient
historian and topographer of the place. The scattered mem>
bers of one of these popular traditions I have gathered
together, collated them with infinite pains, and digested them
into the following legend ; which only wants a number of
learned notes and references at bottom to take its rank among
those concrete productions gravely passed upon the world for
Historical Facts.

m-'m^W-^ V •.,

La Plaza de los A I gibes.

LEGEND OF THE MOOR'S LEGACY

Just within the fortress of the Alhambra, in front of the
royal palace, is a broad open esplanade, called the Place or
Square of the Cisterns, {La Plaza de los Algibes), so called from
being undermined by reservoirs of water, hidden from sight,
and which have existed from the time of the Moors. At one
corner of this esplanade is a ]Moorish well, cut through the
living rock to a great depth, the water of which is cold as ice
and clear as crystal. The wells made by the floors are always
in repute, for it is well known what pains they took to penetrate
to the purest and sweetest springs and fountains. The one of
which we now speak is famous throughout Granada, insomuch
that water-carriers, some bearing great water-jars on their
shoulders, others driving asses before them laden with earthern
vessels, are ascending and descending the steep woody
avenues of the Alhambra, from early dawn until a late hour of
the night.

Fountains and wells, ever since the scriptural days, have
been noted gossiping-places in hot climates ; and at the well in
question there is a kind of perpetual club kept up during the
livelong day, by the invalids, old women, and other curious
do-nothing folk of the fortress, who sit here on the stone

272

THE ALHAMBRA

benches, under an awning spread over the well to shelter the
toll-gatherer from the sun, and dawdle over the gossip of the
fortress, and question every water-carrier that arrives about the

• V.' • ^?

'-.'r

^-^Sve^^

new^ of the city, and make long comments on everything they
hear and see. Not an hour of the day but loitering housewives
and idle maid-servants may be seen, lingering, with pitcher on
head or in hand, to hear the last of the endless tattle of these
worthies.

LEGEND OF THE MOOR'S LEGACY 273

Among the water-carriers who once resorted to this well,
there was a sturdy, strong-backed, bandy-legged little fellow,
named Pedro Gil, but called Peregil for shortness. Being a
water-carrier, he was a Gallego, or native of Gallicia, of course.
Nature seems to have formed races of men, as she has of
animals, for different kinds of drudgery. In P'rance the shoe-
blacks are all Savoyards, the porters of hotels all Swiss, and in
the days of hoops and hair-powder in England, no man could
give the regular swing to a sedan-chair but a bog-trotting
Irishman. So in Spain, the carriers of water and bearers of
burdens are all sturdy little natives of Gallicia. No man says,
" Get me a porter," but, " call a Gallego."

To return from this digression, Peregil the Gallego had
begun business with merely a great earthen jar which he
carried upon his shoulder ; by degrees he rose in the world,
and was enabled to purchase an assistant of a correspondent
class of animals, being a stout shaggy-haired donkey. On each
side of this his long-eared aide-de-camp, in a kind of pannier,
were slung his water-jars, covered with fig leaves to protect
them from the sun. There was not a more industrious water-
carrier in all Granada, nor one more merry withal. The streets
rang with his cheerful voice as he trudged after his donkey,
singing forth the usual summer note that resounds through the
Spanish towns : " Qiden quiere agua — agua mas fria que la
nieve ? " — " Who wants water — water colder than snow ? Who
wants water from the well of the Alhambra, cold as ice and
clear as crystal ? " When he served a customer with a sparkling
glass, it was always with a pleasant word that caused a smile ;
and if, perchance, it was a comely dame or dimpling damsel, it
was always with a sly leer and a compliment to her beauty that
was irresistible. Thus Peregil the Gallego was noted through-
out all Granada for being one of the civilest, pleasantest, and
happiest of mortals. Yet it is not he who sings loudest and
jokes most that has the lightest heart. Under all this air of
merriment, honest Peregil had his cares and troubles. He had

274 THE ALIIAMBRA

a large family of ragged children to support, who were hungry
and clamorous as a nest of young swallows, and beset him with
their outcries for food whenever he came home of an evening.
He had a helpmate, too, who was anything but a help to him.
She had been a village beauty before marriage, noted for her
skill at dancing the bolero and rattling the castanets ; and she
still retained her early propensities, spending the hard earnings
of honest Peregil in frippery, and laying the very donkey under
requisition for junketing parties into the country on Sundays
and saints' days, and those innumerable holidays, which are
rather more numerous in Spain than the days of the week.
With all this she was a little of a slattern, something more of a
lie-abed, and, above all, a gossip of the first water ; neglecting
house, household, and everything else, to loiter slipshod in the
houses of her gossip neighbours.

He, however, who tempers the wind to the shorn lamb, ac-
commodates the yoke of matrimony to the submissive neck.
Peregil bore all the heavy dispensations of wife and children
with as meek a spirit as his donkey bore the water-jars ; and,
however he might shake his ears in private, never ventured to
question the household virtues of his slattern spouse.

He loved his children, too, even as an owl loves its owlets,
seeing in them his own image multiplied and perpetuated ; for
they were a sturdy, long-backed, bandy-legged little brood.
The great pleasure of honest Peregil was, whenever he could
afford himself a scanty holiday, and had a handful of maravedis
to spare, to take the whole litter forth with him, some in his
arms, some tugging at his skirts, and some trudging at his
heels, and to treat them to a gambol among the orchards of
the Vega, while his wife was dancing with her holiday friends
in the Angostu7'as of th€ Darro.

It was a late hour one summer night, and most of the water-
carriers had desisted from their toils. The day had been un-
commonly sultry ; the night was one of those delicious moon-
lights which tempt the inhabitants of southern climes to

LEGEND OF THE MOOR'S LEGACY 275

indemnify themselves for the heat and inaction of the day, by
Ungering in the open air, and enjoying its tempered sweetness
until after midnight. Customers for water were therefore still
abroad. Peregil, like a considerate, painstaking father, thought
of his hungry children. " One more journey to the well," said
he to himself, "to earn a Sunday's /;^^/^^r<9 for the little ones."
So saying, he trudged manfully up the steep avenue of the
Alhambra, singing as he went, and now and then bestowing a
hearty thwack with a cudgel on the flanks of his donkey, either
by way of cadence to the song, or refreshment to the animal :
for dry blows serve in lieu of provender in Spain for all beasts
of burden.

When arrived at the well, he found it deserted by every one
except a solitary stranger in Moorish garb, seated on a stone
bench in the moonlight. Peregil paused at first and regarded
him with surprise, not unmixed with awe, but the Moor feebly
beckoned him to approach. " I am faint and ill," said he ;
" aid me to return to the city, and I will pay thee double what
thou couldst gain by thy jars of water."

The honest heart of the little water-carrier was touched with
compassion at the appeal of the stranger. " God forbid," said
he, " that I should ask fee or reward for doing a common act
of humanity." He accordingly helped the Moor on his donkey,
and set off slowly for Granada, the poor Moslem being so weak
that it was necessary to hold him on the animal to keep him
from falling to the earth.

When they entered the city, the water-carrier demanded
whither he should conduct him. " Alas 1 " said the Moor,
faintly, " I have neither home nor habitation ; I am a stranger
in the land. Suffer me to lay my head this night beneath thy
roof, and thou shalt be amply repaid."

Honest Peregil thus saw himself unexpectedly saddled with
an infidel guest, but he was too humane to refuse a night'r>
shelter to a fellow-being in so forlorn a plight ; so he conducted
the Moor to his dwelling. The children, who had sallied forth

T 2

276 THE ALII AM BRA

open-mouthed as usual on hearing the tramp of the donkey,
ran back with affright when they beheld the turbaned stranger,
and hid themselves behind their mother. The latter stepped
forth intrepidly, like a ruffling hen before her brood when a
vagrant dog approaches.

'•What infidel companion," cried she, "is this you have
brought home at this late hour, to draw upon us the eyes of
the inquisition ? "

" Be quiet, wife," replied the Gallego ; " here is a poor sick
stranger, without friend or home ; wouldst thou turn him forth
to perish in the streets ? "

The wife would still have remonstrated for although she
lived in a hovel, she was a furious stickler for the credit of her
house ; the little water-carrier, however, for once was stiffnecked,
and refused to bend beneath the yoke. He assisted the poor
Moslem to alight, and spread a mat and a sheepskin for him,
on the ground, in the coolest part of the house ; being the
only kind of bed that his poverty afforded.

In a little while the Moor was seized with violent con-
vulsions, which defied all the ministering skill of the simple
water-carrier. The eye of the poor patient acknowledged
his kindness. During an interval of his fits he called him to
his side, and addressing him in a low voice, " My end," said
he, " I fear is at hand. If I die, I bequeath you this box as a
reward for your charity : " so saying, he opened his albornoz^
or cloak, and showed a small box of sandal-wood, strapped
round his body. " God grant, my friend," replied the worthy
little Gallego^ " that you may live many years to enjoy "your
treasure, whatever it may be." The Moor shook his head; he
laid his hand upon the box, and would have said something
more concerning it, but his convulsions returned with increasing
violence, and in a little while he expired.

The water-carrier's wife was now as one distracted. " This
comes," said she, " of your foolish good-nature, always running
into scrapes to oblige others. What will become of us when

LEGEND OF THE MOOR'S LEGACY 277

this corpse is found in our house ? We shall be sent to prison as
murderers ; and if we escape with our lives, shall be ruined by
notaries and alguazils."

Poor Peregil was in equal tribulation, and almost repented
himself of having done a good deed. At length a thought
struck him. " It is not yet day," said he ; "I can convey the
dead body out of the city, and bury it in the sands on the
banks of the Xenil. No one saw the Moor enter our dwelling,
and no one will know anything of his death."

So said, so done. The wife aided him ; they rolled the body
of the unfortunate Moslem in the mat on which he had expired,
laid it across the ass, and Peregil set out with it for the banks
of the river.

As ill luck would have it, there lived opposite to the water-
carrier a barber named Pedrillo Pedrugo, one of the most
prying, tattling, and mischief-making of his gossip tribe. He
was a weasel-faced, spider-legged varlet, supple and insinuating ;
the famous barber of Seville could not surpass him for his
universal knowledge of the affairs of others, and he had no
more powder of retention than a sieve. It was said that he
slept but with one eye at a time, and kept one ear uncovered,
so that even in his sleep he might see and hear all that was
going on. Certain it is, he was a sort of scandalous chronicle
for the quidnuncs of Granada, and had more customers than
all the rest of his fraternity.

The meddlesome barber heard Peregil arrive at an unusual
hour at night, and the exclamations of his wife and children.
His head was instantly popped out of a little window which
served as a look-out, and he saw his neighbour assist a man in
Moorish garb into his dwelling. This was so strange an occur-
rence, that Pedrillo Pedrugo slept not a wink that night. Every
five minutes he was at his loophole, watching the lights that
gleamed through the chinks of his neighbour's door, and before
dayhght he beheld Peregil sally forth with his donkey unusually
laden.

278 THE ALHAMRRA

The inquisitive barber was in a fidget ; he sHpped on his
clothes, and, stealing forth silently, followed the water-carrier at
a distance, until he saw him dig a hole in the sandy bank of
the Xenil, and bury something that had the appearance of a
dead body.

The barber hied him home, and fidgeted about his shop,
setting everything upside down, until sunrise. He then took a
basin under his arm, and sallied forth to the house of his daily
customer the alcalde.

The alcalde was just risen. Pedrillo Pedrugo seated him in
a chair, threw a napkin round his neck, put a basin of hot
water under his chin, and began to mollify his beard with his
fingers.

" Strange doings ! " said Pedrugo, who played barber and
newsmonger at the same time, — " strange doings ! Robbery,
and murder, and burial all in one night ! "

" Hey ! — how ! — what is that you say ? " cried the alcalde.

" I say," replied the barber, rubbing a piece of soap over the
nose and mouth of the dignitary, for a Spanish barber disdains
to employ a brush,- — " I say that Peregil the Gallego has
robbed and murdered a Moorish Mussulman, and buried him,
this blessed night. Maldita sea la ?ioche ; — Accursed be the
night for the same 1 "

" But how do you know all this ? " demanded the alcalde.

" Be patient, SeTior, and you shall hear all about it," replied
Pedrillo, taking him by the nose and sliding a razor over his
cheek. He then recounted all that he had seen, going through
both operations at the same time, shaving his beard, washing
his chin, and wiping him dry with a dirty napkin, while he was
robbing, murdering, and burying the Moslem.

Now it so happened that this alcalde was one of the most
overbearing, and at the same time most griping and corrupt
curmudgeons in all Granada. It could not be denied, however,
that he set a high value upon justice, for he sold it at its weight
in gold. He presumed the case in point to be one of murder

LEGEND OF THE MOOR'S LEGACY 279

and robbery ; doubtless there must be a rich spoil ; how was it
to be secured into the legitimate hands of the law ? for as to
merely entrapping the delinquent — that would be feeding the
gallows ; but entrapping the booty — that would be enriching the
judge, and such, according to his creed, was the great end of
justice. So thinking, he summoned to his presence his truest
alguazil — a gaunt, hungry-looking varlet, clad, according to the
custom of his order, in the ancient Spanish garb, a broad
black beaver turned up at its sides ; a quaint ruff ; a small
black cloak dangling from his shoulders ; rusty black under-
clothes that set off his spare wiry frame, while in his hand he
bore a slender white wand, the dreaded insignia of his office.
Such was the legal bloodhound of the ancient Spanish breed,
that he put upon the traces of the unlucky water-carrier, and
such was his speed and certainty, that he was upon the haunches
of poor Peregil before he had returned to his dwelling, and
brought both him and his donkey before the dispenser of
justice.

The alcalde bent upon him one of the most terrific frowns.
•' Hark ye, culprit ! " roared he, in a voice that made the knees of
the little Gallego 'SymiX.Q together, — "hark ye, culprit !' there is
no need of denying thy guilt, ever}'thing is known to me. A
gallows is the proper reward for the crime thou hast committed,
but I am merciful, and readily listen to reason. The man that has
been murdered in thy house was a Moor, and in-fidel, the enemy
of our faith. It was doubtless in a fit of religious zeal that
thou hast slain him. I will be indulgent, therefore ; render up
the property of which thou hast robbed him, and we will hush
the matter up."

The poor water-carrier called upon all the saints to witness
his innocence ; alas ! not one of them appeared ; and if they
had, the alcalde would have disbelieved the whole calendar.
The water-carrier related the whole story of the dying Moor
with the straightforward simplicity of truth, but it was all in
vain. "Wilt thou persist in saying," demanded the judge,

28o THE ALIIAMBRA

*' that this Moslem had neither gold nor jewels, which were the
object of thy cupidity ? "

" As I hoped to be saved, your worship," replied the water-
carrier, " he had nothing but a small box of sandal-wood, which
he bequeathed to me in reward for my services."

" A box of sandal-wood ! a box of sandal-wood I " exclaimed
the alcalde^ his eyes sparkling at the idea of precious jewels.
" And where is this box ? where have you concealed it ? "

"An' it please your grace," replied the water-carrier, " it is in
one of the panniers of my mule, and heartily at the service of
your worship."

He had hardly spoken the words, when the keen alguazil
darted off, and reappeared in an instant with the mysterious
box of sandal wood. The alcalde opened it with an eager and
trembling hand ; all pressed fonvard to gaze upon the treasure
it was expected to contain ; when, to their disappointment,
nothing appeared within, but a parchment scroll, covered with
Arabic characters, and an end of a waxen taper.

When there is nothing to be gained by the conviction of a
prisoner, justice, even in Spain, is apt to be impartial. The
alcalde^ having recovered from his disappointment, and found that
there was really no booty in the case, now listened dispassionately
to the explanation of the water-carrier, which was corroborated
by the testimony of his wife. Being convinced, therefore, of
his innocence, he discharged him from arrest ; nay more, he
permitted him to carry off the Moor's legacy, the box of sandal-
wood and its contents, as the well-merited reward of his
humanity ; but he retained his donkey in payment of costs and
charges.

Behold the unfortunate little Gallego reduced once more to
the necessity of being his own water-carrier, and trudging up to
the well of the Alhambra with a great earthen jar upon his
shoulder.

As he toiled up the hill in the heat of a summer noon, his
usual good-humour forsook him. " Dog of an alcalde 1 " would

LEGEND OF THE MOOR^S LEGACY 281

he cry, " to rob a poor man of the means of his subsistence, of
the best friend he had in the world ! " And then at the
remembrance of the beloved companion of his labours, all the
kindness of his nature would break forth. "Ah, donkey of
my heart ! " would he exclaim, resting his burden on a stone, and
wiping the sweat from his brow, — "ah, donkey of my heart ! I
warrant me thou thinkest of thy old master ! I warrant me
thou missest the water-jars — poor beast."

To add to his afflictions, his wife received him, on his
return home, with whimperings and repinings ; she had clearly
the vantage-ground of him, having warned him not to commit
the egregious act of hospitality which had brought on him all
these misfortunes ; and, like a knowing woman, she took every
occasion to throw her superior sagacity in his teeth. If her
children lacked food, or needed a new garment, she could
answer with a sneer, " Go to your father — he is heir to king
Chico of the Alhambra : ask him to help you out of the Moor's
strong box."

Was ever poor mortal so soundly punished for having done
a good action ? The unlucky Peregil was grieved in flesh and
spirit, but still he bore meekly with the railings of his spouse.
At length, one evening, when, after a hot day's toil, she taunted
him in the usual manner, he lost all patience. He did not
venture to retort upon her, but his eye rested upon the box of
sandal-wood, which lay on a shelf with lid half open, as if
laughing in mockery at his vexation. Seizing it up, he dashed
it with indignation to the floor. " Unlucky was the day that I
ever set eyes on thee," he cried, " or sheltered thy master
beneath my roof ! "

As the box struck the floor, the lid flew wide open, and the
parchment scroll rolled forth.

Peregil sat regarding the scroll for some time in moody
silence. At length rallying his ideas, " Who knows," thought
he, " but this writing may be of some importance, as the Moor
seems to have guarded it with such care ? " Picking it up

282

THE ALHAMBRA

therefore, he put it in his bosom, and the next morning as he
was crying water through the streets, he stopped at the shop of
a Moor, a native of Tangiers, who sold trinkets and perfumery
in the Zacatin, and asked him to explain the contents.

The Moor read the scroll attentively, then stroked his beard

and smiled. "Thismanu-
•'- -'^''^ script," said he, "is a

\ form of incantation for

I the recovery of hidden

, V' treasure that is under the
' ^ power of enchantment.
It is said to have such
virtue that the strongest
bolts and bars, nay, the
adamantine rock itself,
will yield before it ! "

" Bah : " cried the little
Gallego, ''what is all that
to me? I am no en-
chanter, and know no-
thing of buried treasure."
So saying, he shouldered
his water-jar, left the
scroll in the hands of the
Moor, and trudged for-
\^ ^^ y ,j ' ' ward on his daily rounds.
^^ - I That evening, however,

as he rested himself
about twilight at the
Alhambra, he found a number of gossips
the place, and their conversation, as is not

' M 'I

p.:m'

1' '^

■H**!/'

Avell of the
assembled at

unusual in that shadowy hour, turned upon old tales and
traditions of a supernatural nature. Being all poor as rats,
they dwelt with peculiar fondness upon the popular theme of
enchanted riches left by the Moors in various parts of the

LEGEND OF THE MOOR'S LEGACY 283

Alhambra. Above all, they concurred in the belief that there
were great treasures buried deep in the earth under the tower
of the seven floors.

These stories made an unusual impression on the mind of the
honest Peregil, and they sank deeper and deeper into his thoughts
as he returned alone down the darkling avenues. " If, after all,
there should be treasure hid beneath that tower ; and if the
scroll I left with the Moor should enable me to get at it ! " In
the sudden ecstasy of the thought he had well-nigh let fall his
water-jar.

That night he tumbled and tossed, and could scarcely get a
wink of sleep for the thoughts that were bewildering his brain.
Bright and early he repaired to the shop of the Moor, and told
him all that was passing in his mind. " You can read Arabic,"
said he ; " suppose we go together to the tower, and try the
effect of the charm ; if it fails, we are no worse off than before ;
but if it succeeds, we will share equally all the treasure we may
discover."

" Hold," replied the Moslem ; " this writing is not sufficient
of itself ; it must be read at midnight, by the light of a taper
singularly compounded and prepared, the ingredients of which
are not within my reach. Without such a taper the scroll is
of no avail."

" Say no more 1 " cried the little Gallego ; • ' I have such a
taper at hand, and will bring it here in a moment." So saying,
he hastened home, and soon returned with the end of yellow
wax taper that he had found in the box of sandal-wood.

The Moor felt it and smelt to it. " Here are rare and cosdy
perfumes," said he, " combined with this yellow wax. This is
the kind of taper specified in the scroll. While this burns, the
strongest walls and most secret caverns will remain open.
Woe to him, however, who lingers within until it be ex-
tinguished. He will remain enchanted with the treasure."

It was now agreed between them to try the charm that very
night. At a late hour, therefore, when nothing was stirring but

284 THE ALHAMBRA

bats and owls, they ascended the woody hill of the Alhambra,
and approached that awful tower, shrouded by trees and
rendered formidable by so many traditionary tales. By the
light of a lantern they groped their way through bushes, and
over fallen stones, to the door of a vault beneath the tower.
With fear and trembling they descended a flight of steps cut
into the rock. It led to an empty chamber, damp and drear,
from which another flight of steps led to a deeper vault. - In
this way they descended four several flights, leading into as
many vaults, one below the other, but the floor of the fourth
was solid ; and though, according to tradition, there remained
three vaults still below, it w^as said to be impossible to penetrate
further, the residue being shut up by strong enchantment.
The air of this vault was damp and chilly, and had an earthy
smell, and the light scarce cast forth any rays. They paused
here for a time, in breathless suspense, until they faintly heard
the clock of the watch-tower strike midnight ; upon this they lit
the waxen taper, which diffused an odour of myrrh and frankin-
cense and storax.

The Moor began to read in a hurried voice. He had scarce
finished when there was a noise as of subterraneous thunder.
The earth shook, and the floor, yawning open, disclosed a
flight of steps. Trembling with awe, they descended, and by
the light of the lantern found themselves in another vault
covered with Arabic inscriptions. In the centre stood a great
chest, secured with seven bands of steel, at each end of which
sat an enchanted Moor in armour, but motionless as a statue,
being controlled by the power of the incantation. Before the
chest were several jars filled with gold and silver and precious
stones. In the largest of these they thrust their arms up to the
elbow, and at every dip hauled forth handfuls of broad yellow
pieces of Moorish gold, or bracelets and ornaments of the same
precious metal, while occasionally a necklace of Oriental pearl
would stick to their fingers. Still they trembled and breathed
short while cramming their pockets with the spoils ; and cast

LEGEND OF THE MOOR'S LEGACY 285

many a fearful glance at the two enchanted Moors, who sat
grim and motionless, glaring upon them with unwinking eyes.
At length, struck with a sudden panic at some fancied noise,
they both rushed up the staircase, tumbled over one another
into the upper apartment, overturned and extinguished the
waxen taper, and the pavement again closed with a thundering
sound.

Filled with dismay, they did not pause until they had groped
their way out of the tower, and beheld the stars shining through
the trees. Then seating themselves upon the grass, they
divided the spoil, determining to content themselves for the
present with this mere skimming of the jars, but to return on
some future night and drain them to the bottom. To make
sure of each other's good faith, also, they divided the talismans
between them, one retaining the scroll and the other the taper ;
this done, they set off with light hearts and well-lined pockets
for Granada.

As they wended their way down the hill, the shrewd Moor
whispered a word of counsel in the ear of the simple little
water-carrier.

"Friend Peregil," said he, "all this affair must be kept a
profound secret until we have secured the treasure, and con-
veyed it out of harm's way. If a whisper of it gets to the ear
of the alcalde^ we are undone I "

" Certainly, replied the Gal/ego, " nothing can be more
true."

" Friend Peregil," said the ]\Ioor, " you are a discreet man,
and I make no doubt can keep a secret ; but you have a wife."

" She shall not know a word of it," replied the little water-
carrier, sturdily.

" Enough," said the Moor, " I depend upon thy discretion
and thy promise."

Never was promise more positive and sincere ; but, alas !
what man can keep a secret from his wife ? Certainly not such
a one as Peregil the water-carrier, who was one of the most

286 THE ALHAMBRA

loving and tractable of husbands. On his return home, he
found his wife moping in a corner. " Mighty well," cried she
as he entered, " you've come at last, after rambling about until
this hour of the night. I wonder you have not brought home
^another Moor as a house-mate." Then bursting into tears,
she began to wring her hands and smite her breast. " Unhappy
woman that I am ! " exclaimed she, " what will become of me ?
My house stripped and plundered by lawyers and alguazils ;
my husband a do-no-good, that no longer brings home bread
to his family, but goes rambling about day and night, with
infidel Moors I O my children ! my children \ what will
become of us ? We shall all have to beg in the streets ! "

Honest Peregil was so moved by the distress of his spouse,
that he could not help whimpering also. His heart was as full
as his pocket, and not to be restrained. Thrusting his hand
into the latter he hauled forth three or four broad gold pieces,
and slipped them into her bosom. The poor woman stared
\\'ith astonishment, and could not understand the meaning of
this golden shower. Before she could recover her surprise, the
little Gallego drew forth a chain of gold and dangled it before her,
capering with exultation, his mouth distended from ear to ear.

" Holy Virgin protect us I " exclaimed the wife. '* What
hast thou been doing, Peregil ? surely thou hast not been
committing murder and robbery 1 "

The idea scarce entered the brain of the poor woman, than
it became a certainty with her. She saw a prison and a
gallows in the distance, and a little bandy-legged Gallego
hanging pendent from it ; and, overcome by the horrors
conjured up by imagination, fell into violent hysterics.

What could the poor man do ? He had no other means of
pacifying his wife, and dispelling the phantoms of her fancy,
than by relating the whole story of his good fortune. This,
however, he did not do until he had exacted from her the
most solemn promise to keep it a profound secret from every
living being.

LEGEND OF THE MOOR'S LEGACY 287

To describe her joy would be impossible. She flung her
arms round the neck of her husband, and almost strangled him
with her caresses. " Now, wife," exclaimed the little man
with honest exultation, " what say you now to the Moor's
legacy? Henceforth never abuse me for helping a fellow-
creature in distress."

The honest Gallego retired to his sheepskin mat, and slept
as soundly as if on a bed of down. Not so his wife ; she
emptied the whole contents of his pockets upon the mat, and
sat counting gold pieces of Arabic coin, trying on necklaces
and earrings, and fancying the figure she should one day make
when permitted to enjoy her riches.

On the following morning the honest Gallego took a broad
golden coin, and repaired with it to a jeweller's shop in the
Zacatin to offer it for sale, pretending to have found it among
the ruins of the Alhambra. The jeweller saw that it had an
Arabic inscription, and was of the purest gold ; he offered,
however, but a third of its value, with which the water-carrier
was perfectly content. Peregil now bought new clothes for his
little flock, and all kinds of toys, together with ample pro-
visions for a hearty meal, and returning to his dwelling, set all
his children dancing around him, while he capered in the
midst, the happiest of fathers.

The wife of the water-carrier kept her promise of secrecy
with surprising strictness. For a whole day and a half she
went about with a look of mystery and a heart swelling almost
to bursting, yet she held her peace, though surrounded by her
gossips It is true, she could not help giving herself a few
airs, apologized for her ragged dress, and talked of ordering a
new basquina all trimmed with gold lace and bugles, and a
new lace mantilla. She threw out hints of her husbands
intention of eaving off his trade of water-carrying, as it
did not altogether agree with his health. In fact she
thought they should all retire to the country for the
summer, that the children might have the benefit of the

288 THE ALII AM BRA

mountain air, for there was no living in the city in this sultrry
season.

The neighbours stared at each other, and thought the poor
woman had lost her wits ; and her airs and graces and elegant
pretensions were the theme of universal scoffing and merriment
among her friends, the moment her back was turned.

If she restrained herself abroad, however, she indemnified
herself at home, and putting a string of rich Oriental pearls
round her neck, ^loorish bracelets on her arms, and an
aigrette of diamonds on her head, sailed backwards and
forwards in her slattern rags about the room, now and then
stopping to admire herself in a broken mirror. Nay, in the
impulse of her simple vanity, she could not resist, on one
occasion, showing herself at the window to enjoy the effect of
her finery on the passers-by.

As the fates would have it, Pedrillo Pedrugo, the meddlesome
barber, was at this moment sitting idly in his shop on the opposite
side of the street, when his ever-watchful eye caught the sparkle
of a diamond. In an instant he was at the loophole recon-
noitring the slattern spouse of the water-carrier, decorated with
the splendour of an eastern bride. No sooner had he taken an
accurate inventory of her ornaments, than he posted off with all
speed to the alcalde. In a little while the hungry alguazil was
again on the scent, and before the day was over the unfortunate
Peregil was once more dragged into the presence of the judge.

" How is this, villain I " cried the alcalde., in a furious voice.
" You told me that the infidel who died in your house left
nothing behind but an empty coffer, and now I hear of
your wife flaunting in her rags decked out with pearls and
diamonds. Wretch that thou art ! prepare to render up the
spoils of thy miserable victim, and to swing on the gallows
that is already tired of waiting for thee."

The terrified water-carrier fell on his knees, and made a full
relation of the marvellous manner in which he had gained his
wealth. The alcalde, the alguazil^ and the inquisitive barber

LEGEND OF THE MOOR^S LEGACY 289

listened with greedy ears to this Arabian tale of enchanted
treasure. The alguazil was despatched to bring the Moor who
had assisted in the incantation. The Moslem entered half
frightened out of his wits at finding himself in the hands of the
harpies of the law. When he beheld the water-carrier standing
with sheepish looks and downcast countenance, he compre-
hended the whole matter. " ^Miserable animal," said he, as he
passed near him, " did I not warn thee against babbling to thy
wife ? "'

The story of the Aloor coincided exactly with that of his
colleague ; but the alcalde affected to be slow of belief, and
threw out menaces of imprisonment and rigorous investigation.

" Softly, good Serwr Alcalde, ^^ said the Mussulman, who by
this time had recovered his usual shrewdness and self-
possession. " Let us not mar fortune's favours in the scramble
for them. Nobody knows anything of this matter but our-
selves ; let us keep the secret. There is wealth enough in the
cave to enrich us all. Promise a fair division, and all shall
be produced ; refuse, and the cave shall remain forever
closed."

The alcalde consulted apart with the alguazil. The latter
was an old fox in his profession. " Promise anything," said
he, " until you get possession of the treasure. You may then
seize upon the whole, and if he and his accomplice dare to
murmur, threaten them with the fagot and the stake as infidels
and sorcerers."

The alcalde relished the advice. Smoothing his brow and
turning to the Moor, "This is a strange story," said he, "and
may be true, but I must have ocular proof of it. This very
night you must repeat the incantation in my presence. If
there be really such treasure, we will share it amicably between
us, and say nothing further of the matter ; if ye have deceived
me, expect no money at my hands. In the meantime you
must remain in custody."

The Moor and the water-carrier cheerfully agreed to these

290 THE ALU AM BRA

conditions, satisfied that the event would prove the truth of
their words.

Towards midnight the alcalde salUed forth secretly, attended
by the alguazil and the meddlesome barber, all strongly armed.
They conducted the ^loor and the water-carrier as prisoners,
and were provided with the stout donkey of the latter to bear
off the expected treasure. They arrived at the tower without
being observed, and tying the donkey to a fig-tree, descended
into the fourth vault of the tower.

The scroll was produced, the yellow waxen taper lighted, and
the Moor read the form of incantation. The earth trembled as
before, and the pavement opened with a thundering sound,
disclosing the narrow flight of steps. The alcalde^ the alguazil^
and the barber were struck aghast, and could not summon
courage to descend. The ]\Ioor and the water-carrier entered
the lower vault, and found the two ]Moors seated as before,
silent and motionless. They removed two of the great jars
filled with golden coin and precious stones. The water-carrier
bore them up one by one upon his shoulders, but though a
strong-backed little man, and accusto-med to carry burdens,
he staggered beneath their weight, and found, when slung on
each side of his donkey, they were as much as the animal could
bear.

'* Let us be content for the present," said the ]\Ioor ; " here
is as much treasure as we can carry off without being per-
ceived, and enough to make us all wealthy to our heart's
desire."

" Is there more treasure remaining behind ? '' demanded the
alcalde.

"The greatest prize of all," said the ^loor, "a huge coffer
bound with bands of steel, and filled with pearls and precious
stones."

" Let us have up the coffer by all means," cried the graspiiig
alcalde.

"I will descend for no more," said the Moor, doggedly;

LEGEND OF THE MOOR'S LEGACY 291

" enough is enough for a reasonable man — more is super-
fluous."'

'•And I,"' said the water-carrier, "will bring up no further
burden to break the back of my poor donkey."

Finding commands, threats, and entreaties equally vain, the
alcalde turned to his two adherents. "Aid me," said he, "to
bring up the coffer, and its contents shall be divided between
us." So saying, he descended the steps, followed with tremb-
ling reluctance by the alguazil and the barber.

No sooner did the Moor behold them fairly earthed than he
extinguished the yellow taper ; the pavement closed with its
usual crash, and the three worthies remained buried in its
womb.

He then hastened up the different flight of steps, nor
stopped until in the open air. The Uttle water-carrier followed
him as fast as his short legs would permit.

"What hast thou done ?" cried Peregil, as soon as he could
recover breath. " The alcalde and the other two are shut up
in the vault."

" It is the will of Allah ! " said the Moor, devoutly.

"And will you not release them?" demanded the Gallego.

" Allah forbid 1 " replied the Moor, smoothing his beard.
" It is written in the book of fate that they shall remain
enchanted until some future adventurer arrive to break the
charm. The will of God be done I " so saying, he hurled
the end of the waxen taper far among the gloomy thickets of
the glen.

There was now no remedy ; so the Moor and the water-
carrier proceeded with the richly-laden donkey toward the city,
nor could honest Peregil refrain from hugging and kissing his
long-eared fellow-labourer, thus restored to him from the
clutches of the law ; and, in fact, it is doubtful which gave the
simple-hearted little man most joy at the moment, the gaining
of the treasure, or the recovery of the donke\".

The two partners in good luck divided their spoil amicably

u 2

292 THE ALHAMBRA

and foirly, except that the ]\Ioor, who had a Httle taste for
trinketry, made out to get into his heap the most of the pearls
and precious stones and other baubles, but then he always
gave the water-carrier in lieu magnificent jewels of massy gold,
of five times the size, with which the latter was heartily content.
They took care not to linger within reach of accidents, but
made off to enjoy their wealth undisturbed in other countries.
The Moor returned to Africa, to his native city of Tangiers,
and the Gallego, with his wife, his children, and his donkey,
made the best of his way to Portugal. Here, under the
admonition and tuition of his wife, he became a personage of
some consequence, for she made the worthy little man array
his long body and short legs in doublet and hose, with a
feather in his hat and a sword by his side, and laying aside his
familiar appellation of Peregil, assume the more sonorous title
of Don Pedro Gil : his progeny grew up a thriving and merry-
hearted, though short and bandy-legged generation, while
Sefiora Gil, befringed, belaced, and betasselled from her head
to her heels, with glittering rings on every finger, became a
model of slattern fashion and finery.

As to the alcalde and his adjuncts, they remained shut up
under the great tower of the seven floors, and there they re-
main spellbound at the present day. Whenever there shall be
a lack in Spain of pimping barbers, sharking algiiazils, and cor-
rupt alcaldes, they may be sought after ; but if they have to
wait until such time for their deliverance, there is danger of
their enchantment enduring until doomsday.

THE TOWER OF LAS INFANTAS

In an evening's stroll up a narrow glen, overshadowed by
fig-trees, pomegranates, and myrtles, which divides the lands

^^ ^-,

■-^-^m^M

of the fortress from those of the Generalife, I was struck with
the romantic appearance of a Moorish tower in the outer wall
of the Alhambra, rising high above the tree-tops, and catching

294 THE ALIIAMBRA

the ruddy rays of the setting sun. A solitary window at a great
height commanded a view of the glen ; and as I was regarding
it, a young female looked out, with her head adorned with
flowers. She was evidently superior to the usual class of
people inhabiting the old towers of the fortress ; and this
sudden and picturesque glimpse of her reminded me of the

descriptions of captive
j^v\ '."^Mii, beauties in fairy tales.
^«^^-^>l*' These fanciful associa-
tions were increased on
being informed by my
attendant INIateo, that
this was the Tower of
^^'^j^ ''t''^'"?<">.- ' ' '~*" '■'"''" the Princesses (Z^ TI;;';^

^V. ?*;^1^' '^ ^ ^^ hifantas) ; so

'''*! .-. w>, called, from having been,

according to tradition,
the residence of the
ro. ' "^f daughters of the Moor-

^^i- -yi^ «s ■ . ish kings. I have since

M-.r^r^^-^'-r^ .p . I ,i.- .. visited the tower. It

^^/^ '• .' y\-^S i y.J^^^' ' ' is not orenerally shown

^^y.^~^.y^^ ^ ^,-v-- .^^v ^.Q strangers, though well

J^'C;"^/,^ *ji ^Z...r: worthv of attention, for

^' /^:':-AC the interior is equal, for

beauty of architecture
7^,' and delicacy of orna-

ment, to any part of
the palace. The elegance of the central hall, with its
marble fountain, its lofty arches, and richly fretted dome ;
the arabesques and stucco-work of the small but well-propor-
tioned chambers, though injured by time and neglect, all
accord with the story of its being anciently the abode of
royal beauty.

The little old fairy queen who lives under the staircase at the

THE TOWER OF LAS INFANTAS

295

Alhambra, and frequents the evening tertulias of Dame
Antonia, tells some fanciful traditions about three Moorish
princesses who were once shut up in this tower by their father, a
tyrant king of Granada, and were only permitted to ride out at
night about the hills, when no one was permitted to come in their
way under pain of death. They still, according to her account,
may be seen occasionally when the moon is in the full, riding

1 ff - r-

? mSmi^-^

iWX.

in lonely places along the mountain-side, on palfreys richly
caparisoned and sparkling with jewels, but they vanish on being
spoken to.

But before I relate anything further respecting these
princesses, the reader may be anxious to know something about
the fair inhabitant of the tower, with her head dressed with
flowers, who looked out from the lofty window. She proved to
be the newly-married spouse of the worthy adjutant of invalids ;
who, though well stricken in years, had had the courage to
take to his bosom a young and buxom Andalusian damsel.
May the good old cavalier be happy in his choice, and find the

296

THE ALU AM BRA

Tower of the Princesses a more secure residence for female
beauty than it seems to have proved in the time of the
Moslems, if we may believe the following legend.

.'/

T»rre de las Infantas.

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL
PRL\XESSES

In old times there reigned a Moorish king in Granada,
whose name was Mohamed, to which his subjects added the
appellation of £/ Hayzari, or " The Left-handed." Some say
he was so called on account of his being really more expert with
his sinister than his dexter hand ; others, because he was prone
to take everything by the wrong end, or, in other words, to mar
wherever he meddled. Certain it is, either through misfortune
or mismanagement, he was continually in trouble : thrice was
he driven from his throne, and on one occasion barely escaped
to Africa with his life, in the disguise of a fisherman. Still he
was as brave as he was blundering ; and though left-handed,
wielded his cimeter to such purpose, that he each time re-
established himself upon his throne by dint of hard fighting.
Instead, however, of learning wisdom from adversity, he
hardened his neck, and stiffened his left arm in wilfulness. The
evils of a public nature which he thus brought upon himself
and his kingdom may be learned by those who will delve into
the Arabian annals of Granada ; the present legend deals but
with his domestic policy.

29$

THE ALII AM BRA

As tliis Mohamed was one day riding forth with a train of
his courtiers, by the foot of the mountain of Elvira, he met a
band of horsemen returning from a foray into the land of the
Christians. They were conducting a long string of mules laden
wi^h spoil, and many captives of both sexes, among whom the
monarch was struck with the appearance of a beautiful damsel,
richly attired, who sat weeping on a low palfrey, and heeded
not the consoling words of a duenna who rode beside her.

The monarch was struck with her beauty, and, on inquiring of
the captain of the troop, found that she was the daughter of the
alcayde of a frontier fortress, that had been surprised and sacked
in the course of the foray. Mohamed claimed her as his royal

share of the booty, and

' had her conveyed to his

iiarem in the Alhambra.

There everything was

devised to soothe her

melancholy ; and the

monarch, more and more

i^.amoured, sought to

make her his queen.

The Spanish maid at first repulsed his addresses : he was an

infidel ; he was the open foe of her country ; what was worse,

he was stricken in years !

The monarch, finding his assiduities of no avail, determined
to enlist in his favour the diieiuia, who had been captured with
the lady. She was an Andalusian by birth, whose Christian
name is forgotten, being mentioned in Moorish legends by no
other appellation than that of the discreet Kadiga ; and discreet
in truth she was, as her whole history makes evident. No sooner
had the Moorish king held a little private conversation with her,
that she saw at once the cogency of his reasoning, and under-
took his cause with her young mistress.

" Go to, now I " cried she ; " what is there in all this to weep
and wail about ? Is it not better to be mistress of this beauti-

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESSES 299

ful palace, with all its gardens and fountains, than to be shut up
within your father's old frontier tower ? As to this ]vIohamed
being an infidel, what is that to the purpose ? You marry him,
not his religion ; and if he is waxing a little old, the sooner
will you be a widow, and mistress of yourself ; at any rate, you
are in his power, and must either be a queen or a slave. When
in the hands of a robber, it is better to sell one's merchandise
for a fair price, than to have it taken by main force."

The arguments of the discreet Kadiga prevailed. The
Spanish lady dried her tears, and became the spouse of
Mohamed the Left-handed ; she even conformed, in appear-
ance, to the faith of her royal husband ; and her discreet
diiejiJia immediately became a zealous convert to the ^Moslem
doctrines ; it was then the latter received the Arabian name of
Kadiga, and was permitted to remain in the confidential employ
of her mistress.

In due process of time the ^sloorish king was made the proud
and happy father of three lovely daughters, all born at a birth :
he could have wished they had been sons, but consoled him-
self with the idea that three daughters at a birth were pretty
well for a man somewhat stricken in years, and left-handed I

As usual with all Moslem monarchs, he summoned his
astrologers on this happy event. They cast the nativities of the
three princesses, and shook their heads. " Daughters, O king ! "
said they, " are always precarious property ; but these will most
need your watchfulness when they arrive at a marriageable age ;
at that time gather them under your wings, and trust them to
no other guardianship."

Mohamed the Left-handed was acknowledged to be a wise
king by his courtiers, and was certainly so considered by him-
self. The prediction of the astrologers caused him but little
disquiet, trusting to his ingenuity to guard his daughters and
outwit the Fates.

The threefold birth was the last matrimonial trophy of the
monarch : his queen bore him no more children, and died

3O0 THE ALHAMBRA

within a few years, bequeathing her infant daughters to his love,
and to the fideHty of the discreet Kadiga.

Many years had yet to elapse before the Princesses would
arrive at that period of danger — the marriageable age. It is
good, however, to be cautious in time," said the shrewd
monarch ; so he determined to have them reared in the royal
castle of Salobreiia. This was a sumptuous palace, incrusted,
as it were, in a powerful Moorish fortress on the summit of a
hill overlooking the Mediterranean sea. It was a royal retreat,
in which the Moslem monarchs shut up such of their relatives

as might endanger their safety : allowing them all kinds of luxuries
and amusements, in the midst of which they passed their lives in
voluptuous indolence. Here the princesses remained, immured
from the world, but surrounded by enjoyment, and attended by
female slaves who anticipated their wishes. They had delightful
gardens for their recreation, filled with the rarest fruits and
flowers, wuth aromatic groves and perfumed baths. On three
sides the castle looked down upon a rich valley, enamelled with
all kinds of culture, and bounded by the lofty Alpuxarra
mountains ; on the other side it overlooked the broad sunny sea.
In this delicious abode, in a propitious climate, and under a
cloudless sky, the three princesses grew up into wondrous
beauty ; but, though all reared alike, they gave early tokens of

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTHUL PRINCESSES 301

diversity of character. Their names were Zayda, Zorayda, and
Zorahayda ; and such was their order of seniority, for there had
been precisely three minutes between their births.

Zayda, the eldest, was of an intrepid spirit, and took the lead
of her sisters in everything, as she had done in entering into
the world. She was curious and inquisitive, and fond of
getting at the bottom of things.

Zorayda had a great feeling for beauty, which was the reason,
no doubt, of her delighting to regard her own image in a mirror
or a fountain, and of her fondness for flowers, and jewels, and
other tasteful ornaments.

As to Zorahayda, the youngest, she was soft and timid, and
extremely sensitive, with a vast deal of disposable tenderness,
as was evident from her number of pet-flowers, and pet-birds,
and pet-animals, all of which she cherished with the fondest
care. Her amusements, too, were of a gentle nature, and
mixed up with musing and reverie. She would sit for hours in
a balcony, gazing on the sparkling stars of a summer's night, or
on the sea when lit up by the moon ; and at such times, the
song of a fisherman, faintly heard from the beach, or the notes
of a Moorish flute from some gliding bark, sufficed to elevate
her feelings into ecstasy. The least uproar of the elements,
however, filled her with dismay; and a clap of thunder was
enough to throw her into a swoon.

Years rolled on smoothly and serenely ; the discreet Kadiga,
to whom the princesses were confided, was faithful to her trust,
and attended them with unremitting care.

The castle of Salobrena, as has been said, was built upon a
hill on the sea-coast. One of the exterior walls straggled down
the profile of the hill, until it reached a jutting rock overhang-
ing the sea, with a narrow sandy beach at its foot, laved by the
rippling billows. A small watch-tower on this rock had been
fitted up as a pavilion, with latticed windows to admit the sea-
breeze. Here the princesses used to pass the sultry hours of
mid-day.

302 Tin: AIJIAMBRA

The curious Zayda was one day seated at a window of the
pavilion, as her sisters, reclining on ottomans, were taking the
siesta or noontide slumber. Her attention was attracted to a
galley which came coasting along, with measured strokes of the
oar. As it drew near, she observed that it was filled with
armed men. The galley anchored at the foot of the tower : a
number of Moorish soldiers landed on the narrow beach, con-
ducting several Christian prisoners. The curious Zayda
awakened her sisters, and all three peeped cautiously through
the close jalousies of the lattice which screened them from
sight. Among the prisoners were three Spanish cavaliers, richly
dressed. They were in the flower of youth, and of noble
presence ; and the lofty manner in which they carried them-
selves, though loaded with chains and surrounded with enemies,
bespoke the grandeur of their souls. The princesses gazed with
intense and breathless interest. Cooped up as they had been
in this castle among female attendants, seeing nothing of the
male sex but black slaves, or the rude fishermen of the sea-
coast, it is not to be wondered at that the appearance of three
gallant cavaliers, in the pride of youth and manly beauty,
should produce some commotion in their bosoms.

" Did ever nobler being tread the earth than that cavalier in
crimson ? " cried Zayda, the eldest of the sisters. " See
how proudlv he bears himself, as though all around him were
his slaves 1 "

" But notice that one in green ! " exclaimed Zorayda. "What
grace I what elegance ! what spirit ! "

The gentle Zorahayda said nothing, but she secretly gave
preference to the cavalier in blue.

The princesses remained gazing until the prisoners were out
of sight ; then heaving long-drawn sighs, they turned round,
looked at each other for a moment, and sat down, musing and
pensive, on their ottomans.

The discreet Kadiga found them in this situation : they
related what thev had seen, and even the withered heart of the

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESSES 303

duerina was warmed. " Poor youths I "' exclaimed she, "I'll
warrant their captivity makes many a fair and high-born lady's
heart ache in their native land 1 Ah ! my children, you have
little idea of the life these cavaliers lead in their own country.
Such prankling at tournaments 1 such devotion to the ladies !
such courting and serenading 1 "

The curiosity of Zayda was fully aroused ; she was insatiable
in her inquiries, and drew from the diieima the most animated
pictures of the scenes of her youthful days and native land.
The beautiful Zorayda bridled up, and slyly regarded herself in
a mirror, when the theme turned upon the charms of the
Spanish ladies ; while Zorahayda suppressed a struggling sigh
at the mention of moonlight serenades.

Every day the curious Zayda renewed her inquiries, and
every day the sage dueima repeated her stories, which were
listened to with profound interest, though with frequent sighs,
by her gentle auditors. The discreet old woman awoke at
length to the mischief she might be doing. She had been
accustomed to think of the princesses only as children ; but
they had imperceptibly ripened beneath her eye, and now
bloomed before her three lovely damsels of the marriageable
age. It is time, thought the duenna, to give notice to the
king.

Mohamed the Teft-handed was seated one morning on a
divan in a cool hall of the Alhambra, when a slave arrived from
the fortress of Salobrena, with a message from the sage Kadiga,
congratulating him on the anniversary of his daughters' birth-
day. The slave at the same time presented a delicate little
basket decorated with flowers, within which, on a couch of vine
and fig-leaves, lay a peach, an apricot, and a nectarine, with
their bloom and down and dewy sweetness upon them, and all
in the early stage of tempting ripeness. The monarch was
versed in the Oriental language of fruits and flowers, and
rapidly divined the meaning of this emblematical offering.

'' So," said he, " the critical period pointed out by the

304

THE ALIIAMBRA

astrologers is arrived : my daughters are at a marriageable age.
What is to be done ? They are shut up from the eyes of men ;
they are under the eyes of the discreet Kadiga, — all very
good, — but still they are not under my own eye, as was pre-
scribed by the astrologers : I must gather them under my wing,
and trust to no other guardianship."

So saying, he ordered that a tower of the Alhambra should
be prepared for their reception, and departed at the head of
his guards for the fortress of Salobrena, to conduct them home
in person.

About three years had elapsed since Mohamed had beheld
his daughters, and he could scarcely credit his eyes at the won-
derful change which that small space of time had made in their
appearance. During the interval, they had passed that won-
drous boundary line in female life which separates the crude,
unformed, and thoughtless girl from the blooming, blushing,
meditative woman. It is like passing from the flat, bleak,
uninteresting plains of La Blanche to the voluptuous valleys
and swelling hills of Andalusia.

^ayda was tall and finely formed, with a lofty demeanour and
a penetrating eye. She entered with a stately and decided
step, and made a profound reverence to Mohamed, treating him
'more as her sovereign than her father. Zorayda was of the
middle height, with an alluring look and swimming gait, and a
sparkling beauty, heightened by the assistance of the toilette.
She approached her father with a smile, kissed his hand, and
saluted him with several stanzas from a popular Arabian poet,
with which the monarch was delighted. Zorahayda was shy
and timid, smaller than her sisters, and with a beauty of that
tender beseeching kind which looks for fondness and protection.
She was little fitted to command, like her elder sister, or to
dazzle like the second, but was rather formed to creep to the
bosom of manly affection, to nestle within it, and be content.
She drew near to her father, with a timid and almost faltering
step, and would have taken his hand to kiss, but on looking up

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESSES 305

into his face, and seeing it beaming with a paternal smile,
the tenderness of her nature broke forth, and she threw
herself upon his neck.

Mohamed the Left-handed surveyed his blooming daughters
with mingled pride and perplexity, for while he exulted in their
charms, he bethought himself of the prediction of the astro-
logers. " Three daughters ! three daughters ! " muttered he
repeatedly to himself, " and all of a marriageable age ! Here's
tempting Hesperian fruit, that requires a dragon watch ! "

He prepared for his return to Granada, by sending heralds
before him, commanding every one to keep out of the road
by which he was to pass, and that all doors and windows should
be closed at the approach of the princesses. This done, he
set forth, escorted by a troop of black horsemen of hideous
aspect, and clad in shining armour

The princesses rode beside the king, closely veiled, on beauti-
ful white palfreys, with velvet caparisons, embroidered with gold,
and sweeping the ground ; the bits and stirrups were of gold,
and the silken bridles adorned with pearls and precious stones.
The palfreys were covered with little silver bells, which made
the most musical tinkling as they ambled gently along. Woe
to the unlucky wight, however, who lingered in the way when
he heard the tinkling of these bells ! — the guards were ordered
to cut him down without mercy.

The cavalcade was drawing near to Granada, when it overtook,
on the banks of the river Xenil, a small body of Moorish
soldiers with a convoy of prisoners. It was too late for the
soldiers to get out of the way, so they threw themselves on
their faces on the earth, ordering their captives to do the like.
Among the prisoners were the three identical cavaliers whom
the princesses had seen from the pavilion. They either did
not understand, or were too haughty to obey the order, and
remained standing and gazing upon the cavalcade as it
approached.

The ire of the monarch was kindled at this flagrant defiance

306

THE ALHAMBRA

) <)

of his orders. Drawing his cimeter, and pressing forward, he

was about to deal a left-handed blow that might have been.

fatal to at least one of the gazers, when the princesses crowded

round him, and implored mercy for the prisoners ; even the

timid Zorahayda forgot her shyness, and became eloquent in

their behalf. Mohamed paused, with uplifted cimeter, when

the captain of the guard threw himself at his feet. " Let not

your highness," said he, "do a deed that may cause great

. scandal throughout the kingdom.

I '■•-^ — ^.v These are three brave and noble

) ij Spanish knights, who have been

taken in battle, fighting like lions ;

they are of high birth, and may bring

great ransoms."

" Enough I " said the king. " I
will spare their lives, but punish
their audacity — let them be taken
to the Vermilion Towers, and put
to hard labour."

Mohamed was making one of his

usual left-handed blunders. In the

tumult and agitation of this bluster-

; ing scene, the veils of the three

\ ' ^ ^ : princesses had been thrown back,

^i and the radiance of their beauty

revealed ; and in prolonging the

VertnUion Towers. parley, the king had given that beauty

time to have its full effect. In those

days people fell in love much more suddenly than at present,

as all ancient stories make manifest : it is not a matter of

wonder, therefore, that the hearts of the three cavaliers were

completely captured ; especially as gratitude was added to their

admiration ; it is a little singular, however, though no less

certain, that each of them was enraptured with a several beauty.

As to the princesses, they were more than ever struck with the

m:'^'^^^\.^

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL FRLXCESSES 307

noble demeanour of the captives, and cherished in their breasts
all that they had heard of their valour and noble lineage.

The cavalcade resumed its march ; the three princesses rode
pensively along on their tinkling palfreys, now and then stealing

X 2

3o8 THE ALIIAMBRA

a glance behind in search of the Christian captives, and the latter
were conducted to their allotted prison in the Vermilion Towers.
The residence provided for the princesses was one of the
most dainty that fancy could devise. It was in a tower some-
what apart from the main palace of the Alhambra, though con-
nected with it by the wall which encircled the whole summit of
the hill. On one side it looked into the interior of the fortress,
and had, at its foot, a small garden filled with the rarest flowers.
On the other side it o\erlooked a deep embowered ravine
separating the grounds of the Alhambra
from those of the Generalife. The
interior of the tower was divided into
small fairy apartments, beautifully orna-
mented in the light Arabian style, sur-
rounding a lofty hall, the vaulted roof
of which rose almost to the summit of
the tower. The walls and the ceilings
of the hall were adorned with arabesque
and fretwork, sparkling with gold and
with brilliant pencilling. In the centre
of the marble pavement was an ala-
baster fountain, set round with aro-
matic shrubs and flowers, and throwing up a jet of water
that cooled the whole edifice and had a lulling sound. Round
the hall were suspended cages of gold and silver wire, containing
singing-birds of the finest plumage or sweetest note.

The princesses had been represented as always cheerful when
in the Castle of the Salobrena ; the king had expected to see
them enraptured with the Alhambra. To his surprise, however,
they began to pine, and grow melancholy, and dissatisfied with
everything around them. The flowers yielded them no fragrance,
the song of the nightingale disturbed their night's rest, and they
were out of all patience with the alabaster fountain, with its
eternal drop-drop and splash-splash, from morning till night and
from night till morning.

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESSES 309

The king, who was of a somewhat testy, tyrannical disposition,
took this at first in high dudgeon ; but he reflected that his
daughters had arrived at an age when the female mind expands
and its desires augment. " They are no longer children," said
he to himself, "they are women grown, and require suitable
objects to interest them." He put in requisition, therefore, all
the dressmakers, and the jewellers, and the artificers in gold
and silver throughout the Zacatin of Granada, and the princesses
were overwhelmed with robes of silk, and tissue, and brocade,
and cashmere shawls, and necklaces
and rings, and
bracelets, and ank-
lets, and all man-
of precious

of pearls and diamonds.

^-^-,'

ner
things.

All, however,
was of no avail ;
the princesses con-
tinued pale and '';
languid in the ^'
midst of their

finery, and looked like three blighted rose-buds, drooping from
one stalk. The king was at his wits' end. He had in general
a laudable confidence in his own judgment, and never took
advice. " The whims and caprices of three marriageable

are sufficient," said he, "to puzzle the
So for once in his life he called in the aid

damsels, however
shrewdest head."
of counsel.

The person to whom he applied was the experienced duenna.

" Kadiga," said the king, " I know you to be one of the most
discreet women in the whole world, as well as one of the most
trustworthy ; for these reasons I have always continued you
about the persons of my daughters. Fathers cannot be too
wary in whom they repose such confidence ; I now wish you to
find out the secret malady that is preying upon the princesses,

3IO THE ALII AM BRA

and to devise some means of restoring them to health and
cheerfuhiess."

Kadiga promised implicit obedience. In fact she knew more
of the malady of the princesses than they themselves. Shutting
herself up with them, however, she endeavoured to insinuate
herself into their confidence.

" My dear children, what is the reason you are so dismal and
downcast in so beautiful a place, where you have everything
that heart can wish ? "

The princesses looked vacantly round the apartment and
sighed.

"What more then would you have? Shall I get you the
wonderful parrot that talks all languages, and is the delight of
Granada ? "'

''Odious I" exclaimed the princess Zayda. "A horrid
screaming bird, that chatters words without ideas : one must be
without brains to tolerate such a pest."

" Shall I send for a monkey from the rock of Gibraltar, to
divert you with his antics ? "

" A monkey ! faugh ! " cried Zorayda ; " the detestable mimic
of man. I hate the nauseous animal."

" What say you to the famous black singer Casem, from the
royal harem, in Morocco ? They say he has a voice as fine as
a woman's."

" I am terrified at the sight of these black slaves," said the
delicate Zorahayda : " besides I have lost all relish for music."

"Ah 1 my child, you would not say so," replied the old
woman slyly, " had you heard the music I heard last evening,
from the three Spanish cavaliers whom we met on our journey.
But bless me, children ; what is the matter that you blush so
and are in such a flutter ? "

" Nothing, nothing, good mother : pray proceed."

" Well ; as I was passing by the ^'ermilion Towers last
evening, I saw the three cavaliers resting after their day's
labour. One was playing on the guitar, so gracefully, and the

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESSES 311

-others sang by turns ; and they did it in such style, that the
very guards seemed like statues, or men enchanted. Allah
forgive me ! I could not help being moved at hearing the songs

^^^i* ^'

WSi\^

Gibraltar.

of my native country. i\nd then to see three such noble and
handsome youths in chains and slavery ! "

Here the kind-hearted' old woman could not restrain her
tears.

312 THE ALHAMBRA

" Perhaps, mother, you could manage to procure us a sight
of these cavaHers,'' said Zayda.

" I think," said Zorayda, " a Httle music would be quite
reviving."

The timid Zorahayda said nothing, but threw her arms round
the neck of Kadiga.

" ]Mercy on me ! " exclaimed the discreet old woman, " what
are you talking of, my children ? Your father would be the
death of us all if he heard of such a thing. To be sure, these
cavaliers are evidently well-bred, and high-minded youths ; but
what of that ? they are the enemies of our faith, and you must
not even think of them but with abhorrence."

There is an admirable intrepidity in the female will, par-
ticularly when about the marriageable age, which is not to be
deterred by dangers and prohibitions. The princesses hung
round their old duenna^ and coaxed, and entreated and declared
that a refusal would break their hearts.

What could she do ? She was certainly the most discreet
old woman in the \vhole world, and one of the most faithful
servants to the king ; but was she to see three beautiful
princesses break their hearts for the mere tinkling of a guitar ?
Besides, though she had been so long among the Moors, and
changed her faith in imitation of her mistress, like a trusty
follower, yet she was a Spaniard born, and had the lingerings
of Christianity in her heart. So she set about to contrive how
the wish of the princesses might be gratified.

The Christian captives, confined in the Vermilion Towers,
were under the charge of a big-whiskered, broad-shouldered
renegado, called Hussein Baba, who was reputed to have a
most itching palm. She went to him privately, and slipping a
broad piece of gold into his hand, " Hussein Baba," said she,
" my mistresses, the three princesses who are shut up in the
tower, and in sad want of amusement; have heard of the
musical talents of the three Spanish cavaliers, and are desirous
of hearing a specimen of their skill. I am sure you

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESSES 313

are too kind-
hearted to re-
fuse them so
innocent a
gratification."

"What! and
to have my
head set grin-
ning over the
gate of my own
tower ; for that
would be the
reward, if the
king should
discover it."

" No danger
of anything of
the kind; the
affair may be
managed so
that the whim
of the princes-
ses may be
gratified, and
their father be
never the wiser.
You know the
deep ravine
outside of the
walls which
passes imme-
diately below
the tower. Put
the three Chris-
tians to work

Xlght on the Sea-front of Algech

314

THE ALHAMBRA

there, and at the intervals of their labour, let them play and
sing, as if for their own recreation. In this way the princesses
will be able to hear them from the windows of the tower, and
you may be sure of their paying well for your compliance."

As the good old woman concluded her harangue, she kindly
pressed the rough hand of the 7'euegado, and left within it
another piece of gold.

Her eloquence was irresistible. The very next day the three
cavaliers were put to work in the ravine. During the noontide
heat, when their fellow-labourers were sleeping in the shade,
and the guard nodding drowsily at his post, they seated them-
selves among the herbage at the foot of the tower, and sang a
Spanish roundelay to the accompaniment of the guitar.

The glen was deep, the tower was high, but their voices rose
distincdy in the stillness of the summer noon. The princesses
listened from their balcony, they had been taught the Spanish
language by their duenna, and were moved by the tenderness
of the song. The discreet Kadiga, on the contrary, was terribly
shocked. " Allah preserve us ! " cried she, " they are singing a
love-ditty, addressed to yourselves. Did ever mortal hear of
such audacity ? I will run to the slave-master, and have them
soundly bastinadoed."

" What ! bastinado such gallant cavaliers, and for singing so
charmingly ! " The three beautiful princesses were filled with
horror at the idea. With all her virtuous indignation, the good
old woman was of a placable nature, and easily appeased.
Besides, the music seemed to have a beneficial effect upon her
young mistresses. A rosy bloom had already come to their
cheeks, and their eyes began to sparkle. She made no further
objection, therefore to the amorous ditty of the cavaliers.

When it was finished, the princesses remained silent for a
time; at length Zorayda took up a lute, and with a sweet,
though faint and trembling voice, warbled a little Arabian air,
the burden of which was, " The rose is concealed among her
leaves, but she listens with delight to the song of the nightingale."

'a-Z-

3i6 THE ALII AM BRA

From this time forward the cavaliers worked almost daily in
the ravine. The considerate Hussein Baba became more and
more indulgent, and daily more prone to sleep at his post.
For some time a vague intercourse was kept up by popular
songs and romances, which in some measure responded to each
other, and breathed the feelings of the parties. By degrees
the princesses showed themselves at the balcony, when they
could do so without being perceived by the guards. They con-
versed with the cavaliers also, by means of flowers, with the
symbolical language of which they were mutually acquainted ;
the difficulties of their intercourse added to its charms, and
strengthened the passion they had so singularly conceived ; for
love delights to struggle with difficulties, and thrives the most
hardily on the scantiest soil.

The change effected in the looks and spirits of the princesses
by this secret intercourse, surprised and gratified the left-
handed king ; but no one was more elated than the discreet
Kadiga, who considered it all owing to her able management.

At length there was an interruption in this telegraphic corre-
spondence : for several days the cavaliers ceased to make their
appearance in the glen. The princesses looked out from the
tower in vain. In vain they stretched their swan-like necks
from the balcony ; in vain they sang like captive nightingales
in their cage : nothing was to be seen of their Christian lovers ;
not a note responded from the groves. The discreet Kadiga
sallied forth in quest of intelligence, and soon returned with a
face full of trouble. " Ah, my children I " cried she, " I saw
what all this would come to, but you would have your way ;
you may now hang up your lutes on the willows. The Spanish
cavaliers are ransomed by their families ; they are down in
Granada, and preparing to return to their native country."

The three beautiful princesses were in despair at the tidings.
Zayda was indignant at the slight put upon them, in thus being
deserted without a parting word. Zorayda wrung her hands
and cried, and looked in the glass, and wiped away her tears,

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESSES 317

and cried afresh. The gentle Zorahayda leaned over the
balcony and wept in silence, and her tears fell drop by drop
among the flowers of the bank, where the faithless cavaliers had
so often been seated.

The discreet Kadiga did all in her power to soothe their
sorrow. "Take comfort, my children," she said, "this is
nothing when you are used to it. This is the way of the world.
Ah I when you are as old as I am, you will know how to value
these men. I'll warrant these cavaliers have their loves amono;
the Spanish beauties of Cordova and Seville, and will soon be
serenading under their balconies, and thinking no more of the
Moorish beauties in the Alhambra. Take comfort, therefore,
my children, and drive them from your hearts."

The comforting words of the discreet Kadiga only redoubled
the distress of the three princesses, and for two days they con-
tinued inconsolable. On the morning of the third the good old
woman entered their apartment, all ruffling with indignation.

" Who would have believed such insolence in mortal man I "
exclaimed she, as soon as she could find words to express
herself; "but I am rightly served for having connived at this
deception of your worthy father. Never talk more to me of
your Spanish cavaliers."

" Why, what has happened, good Kadiga ? " exclaimed the
princesses in breathless anxiety.

" Whsit has happened ? — treason has happened ! or, what is
almost as bad, treason has been proposed ; and to me, the
most faithful of subjects, the trustiest of duetinas ! Yes, my
children, the Spanish cavaliers have dared to tamper with me,
that I should persuade you to fly with them to Cordova, and
become their wives I "

Here the excellent old woman covered her face with her
hands, and gave way to a violent burst of grief and indignation.
The three beautiful princesses turned pale and red, pale and
red, and trembled, aiid looked down, and cast shy looks at
each other, but said nothing. oVIeantime the old woman sat

3i8 THE ALHAMBRA

rocking backward and forward in violent agitation, and now
and then breaking out into exclamations, — " That ever I
should live to be so insulted I — I, the most faithful of
servants ! "

At length the eldest princess, who had most spirit and always
took the lead, approached her, and laying her hand upon her
shoulder, "Well, mother,'* said she, " supposing we were willing
to fly with these Christian cavaliers — is such a thing possible ? "

The good old woman paused suddenly in her grief, and
looking up, " Possible," echoed she; "to be sure it is possible.
Have not the cavaliers already bribed Hussein Baba, the
renegado captain of the guard, and arranged the whole plan ?
But, then, to think of deceiving your father ! your father, who
has placed such confidence in me ! '"' Here the worthy woman
gave way to a fresh burst of grief, and began again to rock
backward and for^vard, and to wring her hands.

" But our father has never placed any confidence in us," said
the eldest princess, "but has trusted to bolts and bars, and
treated us as captives."

" ^Vhy, that is true enough," replied the old woman, again
pausing in her grief; "he has indeed treated you most un-
reasonably, keeping you shut up here, to waste your bloom in
a moping old tower, like roses left to wither in a flower-jar.
But, then, to fly from your native land I "

" And is not the land we fly to the native land of our mother,
where we shall live in freedom ? And shall we not each have
a youthful husband in exchange for a severe old father ? "

" Why, that again is all very true : and your father, I must
confess, is rather tyrannical : but what then," relapsing into her
grief, " would you leave me behind to bear the brunt of his
vengeance ? "

" By no means, my good Kadiga ; cannot you fly with us ? "

" Very true, my child ; and, to tell the truth, when I talked
the matter over with Hussein Baba, he promised to take care
of me, if I would accompany you in your flight ; but then,

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESSES 319

bethink you, my children, are you wiUing to renounce the faith
of your father ? "'

"The Christian faith was the original faith of our mother,"
said the eldest princess ; " I am ready to embrace it, and so, I
am sure, are my sisters."

" Right again," exclaimed the old woman, brightening up ;
" it was the original faith of your mother, and bitterly did she
lament, on her death-bed, that she had renounced it. I
promised her then to take care of your souls, and I rejoice to
see that they are now in a fair way to be saved. Yes, my
children, I too was born a Christian, and have remained a
Christian in my heart, and am resolved to return to the faith.
I have talked on the subject with Hussein Baba, who is a
Spaniard by birth, and comes from a place not far from my
native to\vn. He is equally anxious to see his own country,
and to be reconciled to the Church ; and the cavaliers have
promised that, if we are disposed to become man and wife,
on returning to our native land, they will provide for us
handsomely."

In a word, it appeared that this extremely discreet and
provident old woman had consulted with the cavaliers and the
renegado, and had concerted the whole plan of escape. The
eldest princess immediately assented to it ; and her example,
as usual, determined the conduct of her sisters. It is true the
youngest hesitated, for she was gentle and timid of soul, and
there was a struggle in her bosom between filial feeling and
youthful passion : the latter, however, as usual, gained the
victory, and with silent tears and stifled sighs she prepared
herself for flight.

The rugged hill on which the Alhambra is built was, in old
times, perforated with subterranean passages, cut through the
rock, and leading from the fortress to various parts of the city,
and to distant sally-ports on the banks of the Darro and the
Xenil. They had been constructed at different times by the
Moorish kings, as means of escape from sudden insurrections,

320

THE ALHAMBRA

or of secretly issuing forth on private enterprises. Many of
them are now entirely lost, while others remain, partly choked
with rubbish, and partly walled up, — monuments of the jealous
precautions and warlike stratagems of the ^loorish government.
By one of these passages Hussein Baba had undertaken to
conduct the princesses to a sally-port beyond the walls of the
city, where the cavaliers were to be ready with fleet steeds, to
bear the whole party over the borders.

The appointed night arrived ; the tower of the princesses

had been locked up as usual, and the Alhambra was buried in
deep sleep. Towards midnight the discreet Kadiga listened
from the balcony of a window that looked into the garden.
Hussein Baba, the renegado, was already below, and gave the
appointed signal. The due?i?ia fastened the end of a ladder of
ropes to the balcony, lowered it into the garden and descended.
The two eldest princesses followed her with beating hearts ;
but when it came to the turn of the youngest princess,
Zorahayda, she hesitated and trembled. Several times she
ventured a delicate Uttle foot upon the ladder, and as often

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL PRINXESSES 321

drew it back, while her poor little heart fluttered more and
more the longer she delayed. She cast a wistful look back
into the silken chamber ; she had lived in it, to be sure, like a
bird in a cage ; but within it she was secure ; who could tell
what dangers might beset her, should she flutter forth into the
wide world I Now she bethought her of her gallant Christian
lover, and her little foot was instantly upon the ladder ; and
anon she thought of her father, and shrank back. But fruitless
is the attempt to describe the conflict in the bosom of one so
young and tender and loving, but so timid and so ignorant of
the world.

In vain her sisters implored, the duenna scolded, and the
renegado blasphemed beneath the balcony : the gentle little
Moorish maid stood doubting and wavering on the verge of
elopement ; tempted by the sweetness of the sin, but terrified
at its perils.

Every moment increased the danger of discovery. A distant
tramp was heard. " The patrols are walking their rounds,"
cried the renegado ; "if we linger, we perish. Princess,
descend instantly, or we leave you."

Zorahayda was for a moment in fearful agitation ; then
loosening the ladder of ropes, with desperate resolution she
flung it from the balcony.

" It is decided ! " cried she ; " flight is now out of my
power : Allah guide and bless ye, my dear sisters I "

The two eldest princesses were shocked at the thoughts of
leaving her behind, and would fain have lingered, but the
patrol was advancing ; the renegado was furious, and they were
hurried away to the subterraneous passage. They groped their
way through a fearful labyrinth, cut through the heart of the
mountain, and succeeded in reaching, undiscovered, an iron
gate that opened outside of the walls. The Spanish cavaliers
were waiting to receive them, disguised as Moorish soldiers of
the guard, commanded by the re?iegado.

The lover of Zorahayda was frantic when he learned that she

322

THE ALIIAMBRA

had refused to leave the tower ; but there was no time to waste
in lamentations. The two princesses were placed behind their
lovers, the discreet Kadiga mounted behind the renegado, and
they all set off at a round pace in the direction of the Pass of
Lope, which leads through the mountains towards Cordova.

They had not proceeded far when they heard the noise of
drums and trumpets from the battlements of the Alhambra.
" Our flight is discovered ! " said the reiiegado.
" We have fleet steeds, the night is dark, and we may distance
all pursuit," replied the cavaliers.

They put spurs to their horses, and scoured across the Vega.

They attained the
^ foot of the mountains

•r^/^^'^tt^ of Elvira, which

.■^;.\ '». ■ 'h '^ ^^ stretches like a pro-

montory into the
plain. The renegado
paused and listened.
"As yet," said he,
" there is no one on
our traces, we shall
make good our es-
cape to the moun-
tains." While he
spoke, a light blaze sprang up on the top of the watch-tower
of the Alhambra.

" Confusion \ " cried the renegado, " that bale fire will put
all the guards of the passes on the alert. Away ! away ! wSpur
like mad, — there is no time to be lost."

Away they dashed — the clattering of their horses' hoofs
echoed from rock to rock, as they swept along the road that
skirts the rocky mountain of Elvira. As they galloped on, the
bale fire of the Alhambra was answered in every direction ;
light after light blazed on the Afa/ayas, or watch-towers of the
mountains.

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL PRINXESSES 323

" Forward 1 forward I " cried the renegado, with many an
oath," "to the bridge, — to the bridge, before the alarm has
reached there I "

They doubled the promontory of the mountains, and arrived
in sight of the famous Bridge of Pinos, that crosses a rushing
stream often dyed with Christian and Moslem blood. To their
confusion, the tower on the bridge blazed with lights and
glittered with armed men. The re?iegado pulled up his steed,
rose in his stirrups and looked about him for a moment ; then
beckoning to the cavaliers, he struck off from the road, skirted
the river for some distance, and dashed into its waters. The
cavaliers called upon the princesses to cling to them, and did
the same. They were borne for some distance down the rapid
current, the surges roared round them, but the beautiful
princesses clung to their Christian knights, and never uttered
a complaint. The cavaliers attained the opposite bank in
safety and were conducted by the re?iegado, by rude and un-
frequented paths and wild barrancos, through the heart of the
mountains, so as to avoid all the regular passes. In a word,
they succeeded in reaching the ancient city of Cordova ; where
their restoration to their country and friends was celebrated
with great rejoicings, for they were of the noblest families.
The beautiful princesses were forthwith received into the bosom
of the Church, and, after being in all due form made regular
Christians, were rendered happy waives.

In our hurry to make good the escape of the princesses
across the river, and up the mountains, we forgot to mention
the fate of the discreet Kadiga. She had clung like a cat to
Hussein Baba in the scamper across the Vega, screaming at
every bound, and drawing many an oath from the whiskered
renegado ; but when he prepared to plunge his steed into the
river, her terror knew no bounds. " Grasp me not so tightly,"
cried Hussein Baba; "hold on by my belt and fear nothing."
She held firmly with both hands by the leathern belt that
girded the broad-backed renegado ; but when he halted with

Y 2

324 THE ALHAMBRA

the cavaliers to take breath on the mountain summit, the duenna
was no longer to be seen.

" What has become of Kadiga ? " cried the princesses in
alarm.

" Allah alone knows ! " replied the ?-enegado ; " my belt came
loose when in the midst of the river, and Kadiga was swept
with it down the stream. The will of Allah be done ! but it
was an embroidered belt, and of great price."

There was no time to waste in idle regrets ; yet bitterly did
the princesses bewail the loss of their discreet counsellor. That
excellent old woman, however, did not lose more than half of
her nine lives in the water : a fisherman, who was drawing his
nets some distance down the stream, brought her to land, and
was not a little astonished at his miraculous draught. What
further became of the discreet Kadiga, the legend does not
mention ; certain it is that she evinced her discretion in
never venturing within the reach of ]\Iohamed the Left-
handed.

Almost as little is known of the conduct of that sagacious
monarch when he discovered the escape of his daughters, and
the deceit practised upon him by the most faithful of servants.
It was the only instance in which he had called in the aid of
counsel, and he was never afterwards known to be guilty of a
similar weakness. He took good care, however, to guard his
remaining daughter, who had no disposition to elope ; it is
thought, indeed, that she secretly repented having remained
behind : now and then she was seen leaning on the battlements
of the tower, and looking mournfully towards the mountains in
the direction of Cordova, and sometimes the notes of her lute
were heard accompanying plaintive ditties, in which she was
said to lament the loss of her sisters and her lover, and to
bewail her solitary life. She died young, and, according to
popular rumour, was buried in a vault beneath the tower, and
her untimely fate has given rise to more than one traditionary
fable.

LEGEND OF THE THREE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESSES 325

The following legend, which seems in some measure to
spring out of the foregoing story, is too closely connected with
high historic names to be entirely doubted. The Count's
daughter, and some of her young companions, to whom it
was read in one of the evening tertu/ias, thought certain parts
of it had much appearance of reality ; and Dolores, who was
much more versed than they in the improbable truths of the
Alhambra, believed every word of it.

^^^,^^^

\\ \4^ <^.

^>. ^ Tv

LEGEND OF THE ROSE OF THE
ALHAMBRA

For some time after the surrender of Granada by the
!Moors, that delightful city was a frequent and favourite re-
sidence of the Spanish sovereigns, until they were frightened
away by successive shocks of earthquakes, which toppled down
various houses, and made the old Moslem towers rock to their
foundation.

Many, many years then rolled away, during which Granada
was rarely honoured by a royal guest. The palaces of the
nobility remained silent and shut up ; and the Alhambra, Hke a
slighted beauty, sat in mournful desolation among her neglected
gardens. The tower of the Lifantas, once the residence of the
three beautiful Moorish princesses, partook of the general desola-
tion ; the spider spun her web athwart the gilded vault, and bats

328

THE ALHAMBRA

and owls nestled in those chambers that had been graced by the
presence of Zayda, Zorayda, and Zorahayda. The neglect of
this tower may have been partly owing to some superstitious

-^"^^

-y

notions of the neighbours. It was rumoured that the spirit of
the youthful Zorahayda, who had perished in that tower, was
often seen by moonlight seated beside the fountain in the hall,
or moaning about the battlements, and that the notes of her

/ £^5;=^

'*- .fV-

330

THE ALIiAMHRA

silver lute would be heard at midnight by wayfarers passing
along the glen.

At length the city of Granada was once more welcomed by
the royal presence. All the world knows that Philip V. was the
first Bourbon that swayed the Spanish sceptre. All the world
knows that he married, in second nuptials, Elizabetta or Isa-
bella (for they are the same), the beautiful princess of Parma ;
and all the world knows that by this chain of contingencies a
French prince and an Italian princess were seated together on
the Spanish throne. For a visit of this illustrious pair, the
Alhambra was repaired and fitted up with all possible expedi-
tion. The arrival of the court changed the whole aspect of the
lately deserted palace. The clangor of drum and trumpet, the
tramp of steed about the avenues and outer court, the glitter of
arms and display of banners about barbican and battlement, re-
called the ancient and warlike glories of the fortress. A softer
spirit, however, reigned within the royal palace. There was the
rustling of robes and the cautious tread and murmuring voice
of reverential courtiers about the ante-chambers ; a loitering of
pages and maids of honour about the gardens, and the sound
of music stealing from open casements.

Among those w^ho attended in the train of the monarchs was
a favourite page of the queen, named Ruyz de Alarcon. To
say that he was a favourite page of the queen was at once to
speak his eulogium, for every one in the suite of the stately
Elizabetta was chosen for grace, and beauty, and accomplish-
ments. He was just turned of eighteen, light and lithe of
form, and graceful as a young Antinous. To the queen he
was all deference and respect, yet he was at heart a roguish
stripling, petted and spoiled by the ladies about the court, and
experienced in the ways of women far beyond his years.

This loitering page was one morning rambling about the
groves of the Generalife, which overlook the grounds of the
Alhambra. He had taken with him for his amusement a
favourite ger-falcon of the queen. In the course of his

LEGEND OF THE ROSE OF THE ALHAMBRA 331

rambles, seeing a bird rising from a thicket, he unhooded the
hawk and let him fly. The falcon towered high in the air,
made a swoop at his quarry, but missing it, soared away, re-
gardless of the calls of the page. The latter followed the
truant bird with his eye, in its capricious flight, until he saw it
alight upon the battlements of a remote and lonely tower, in
the outer wall of the Alhambra, built on the edge of a

^. -^^ -:v> _- - 1 \.,4 -^^M ">-^ M '■"

>■■ ,»-^-'- if.- ' — -s^.^.

ravine that separated the royal fortress from the grounds
of the Generalife. It was in fact the "Tower of the
Princesses."

The page descended into the ravine and approached the
tower, but it had no entrance from the glen, and its lofty
height rendered any attempt to scale it fruitless. Seeking one
of the gates of the fortress, therefore, he made a wide circuit to
that side of the tower facinsr within the walls.

SS2 THE ALII AM BRA

A small garden, enclosed by a trellis-work of reeds overhung
with myrtle, lay before the tower. Opening a wicket, the page
passed between beds of flowers and thickets of roses to the
door. It was closed and bolted. A crevice in the door gave
him a peep into the interior. There was a small Moorish hall
with fretted walls, light marble columns, and an alabaster
fountain surrounded with flowers. In the centre hung a gilt
cage containing a singing-bird ; beneath it, on a chair, lay a
tortoise-shell cat among reels of silk and other articles of
female labour, and a guitar decorated with ribbons leaned
against the fountain.

J^iiyz de Alarcon was struck with these traces of female taste
and elegance in a lonely, and, as he had supposed, deserted
tower. They reminded him of the tales of enchanted halls
current in the Alhambra ; and the tortoise-shell cat might be
some spell-bound princess.

He knocked gently at the door. A beautifiil face peeped
out from a little window above, but was instantly withdrawn.
He waited, expecting that the door would be opened, but
he waited in vain \ no footstep was to be heard within —
all was silent. Had his senses deceived him, or was this
beautiful apparition the fairy of the tower? He knocked
again, and more loudly. After a little while the beaming face
once more peeped forth ; it was that of a blooming damsel of
fifteen.

The page immediately doffed his plumed bonnet, and
entreated in the most courteous accents to be permitted to
ascend the tower in pursuit of his falcon.

" I dare not open the door, Sefior^'' i^lied the little damsel,
blushing, " my aunt has forbidden it."

" I do beseech you, fair maid — it is the favourite falcon of
the queen : I dare not return to the palace without it.'

''- Are you then one of the cavaliers of the court ? "

" I am, fair maid ; but I shall lose the queen's favour and
my place, if I lose this hawk."

LEGEND OF THE ROSE OF THE ALHAMBRA ^^^

" Santa Maria ! It is against you cavaliers of the court my
aunt has charged me especially to bar the door."

'"Against wicked cavaliers doubtless, but I am none of these,
but a simple, harmless page, who will be ruined and undone if
you deny me this small request."

The heart of the little damsel was touched by the distress of
the page. It vras a thousand pities he should be ruined for the
want of so trifling a boon. Surely too he could not be one of
those dangerous beings whom her aunt had described as a
species of cannibal, ever on the prowl to make prey of thought-
less damsels ; he was gentle and modest, and stood so entreat-
ingly with cap in hand, and looked so charming.

The sly page saw that the garrison began to waver, and
redoubled his entreaties in such moving terms that it was not
in the nature of mortal maiden to deny him ; so the blushing
little warden of the tower descended, and opened the door with
a trembling hand, and if the page had been charnired by a mere
glimpse of her countenance from the window, he was ravished
by the full-length portrait now revealed to him.

Her Andalusian bodice and trim basquina set off the round
but delicate symmetry of her form, which was as yet scarce
verging into womanhood. Her glossy hair was parted on her
forehead with scrupulous exactness, and decorated with a fresh-
plucked rose, according to the universal custom of the country.
It is true her complexion was tinged by the ardour of a
southern sun, but it served to give richness to the mantling
bloom of her cheek, and to heighten the lustre of her melting
eyes.

Ruyz de Alarcon beheld all this with a single glance, for it
became him not to tarry ; he merely murmured his acknow-
ledgments, and then bounded lightly up the spiral staircase in
quest of his falcon.

He soon returned with the truant bird upon his fist. The
damsel, in the meantime, had seated herself by the fountain in
the hall, and was winding silk ; but in her agitation she let fall

334 THE ALIIAMBRA . \

the reel upon the pavement. The page sprang and picked it
up, then dropping gracefully on one knee, presented it to her ;
but, seizing the hand extended to receive it, imprinted on it a
kiss more fervent and devout than he had ever imprinted on
the fair hand of his sovereign.

'^ Ava Maria Sefior f ^^ exclaimed the damsel, blushing still
deeper with confusion and surprise, for never before had she
received such a salutation.

The modest page made a thousand apologies, assuring her it
was the way at court of expressing the most profound homage
and respect.

Her anger, if anger she felt, was easily pacified, but her
agitation and embarrassment continued, and she sat blushing
deeper and deeper, with her eyes cast down upon her work,
entangling the silk which she attempted to wind.

The cunning page saw the confusion in the opposite camp,
and would fain have profited by it, but the fine speeches he
would have uttered died upon his lips ; his attempts at gallantry
were awkward and ineffectual ; and to his surprise, the adroit
page, who had figured with such grace and effrontery among the
most knowing and experienced ladies of the court, found himself
awed and abashed in the presence of a simple damsel of fifteen.

In fact, the artless maiden, in her own modesty and inno-
cence, had guardians more effectual than the bolts and bars
prescribed by her vigilant aunt. Still, where is the female
bosom proof against the first whisperings of love ? The little
damsel, with all her artlessness, instinctively comprehended all
that the faltering tongue of the page failed to express, and her
heart was fluttered at beholding, for the first time, a lover at
her feet — and such a lover !

The dififidence of the page, though genuine, was short-lived,
and he was recovering his usual ease and confidence, when
a shrill voice was heard at a distance.

" My aunt is returning from mass ! " cried the damsel in
affright : " I pray you, Senor, depart."

LEGEND OF THE ROSE OF THE ALHAMBRA 335

" Not until you grant me that rose from your hair as a
remembrance.

She hastily untwisted the rose from her raven locks.
"Take it," cried she, agitated and blushing, "but pray
begone."

The page took the rose, and at the same time covered with
kisses the fair hand that gave it. Then, placing the flower
in his bonnet, and taking the falcon upon his fist he bounded
off through the garden, bearing away with him the heart of the
gentle Jacinta.

When the vigilant aunt arrived at the tower, she remarked
the agitation of her niece, and an air of confusion in the hall ;
but a word of explanation sufficed. " A ger-falcon had pursued
his prey into the hall."

" Mercy on us ! to think of a falcon flying into the tower.
Did ever one hear of so saucy a hawk ? Why, the very bird in
the cage is not safe 1 "

The vigilant Fredegonda was one of the most wary of ancient
spinsters. She had a becoming terror and distrust of what
she denominated "the opposite sex," which had gradually
increased through a long life of celibacy. Not that the good
lady had ever suffered from their wiles, nature having set up a
safeguard in her face that forbade all trespass upon her
premises ; but ladies who have least cause to fear for
themselves are most ready to keep a watch over their more
tempting neighbours.

The niece was the orphan of an officer who had fallen in the
wars. She had been educated in a convent, and had recently
been transferred from her sacred asylum to the immediate
guardianship of her aunt, under whose overshadowing care she
vegetated in obscurity, like an opening rose blooming beneath
a brier. Nor indeed is this comparison entirely accidental ;
for, to tell the truth, her fresh and dawning beauty had caught
the public eye, even in her seclusion, and, with that poetical
turn common to the people of Andalusia, the peasantry of the

336 THE ALHAMBRA

neighbourhood had given her the appellation of " the Rose of
the Alhambra."

The wary aunt continued to keep a faithful watch over her
tempting little niece as long as the court continued at Granada,
and flattered herself that her vigilance had been successful. It
is true the good lady was now and then discomposed by the
tinkling of guitars and chanting of love-ditties from the moonlit
groves beneath the tower ; but she would exhort her niece to
shut her ears against such idle minstrelsy, assuring her that it
was one of the arts of the opposite sex, by which simple maids
were often lured to their undoing. Alas ! what chance with a
simple maid has a dry lecture against a moonlight serenade ?

At length king Philip cut short his sojourn at Granada, and
suddenly departed with all his train. The vigilant Fredegonda
watched the royal pageant as it issued forth from the Gate of
Justice, and descended the great avenue leading to the city.
When the last banner disappeared from her sight, she returned
exulting to her tower, for all her cares were over. To her
surprise, a light Arabian steed pawed the ground at the wicket-
gate of the garden ; — to her horror she saw through the thickets
of roses a youth in gaily embroidered dress, at the feet of her
niece. At the sounds of her footsteps he gave a tender adieu,
bounded lightly over the barrier of reeds and myrtles, sprang
upon his horse, and was out of sight in an instant.

The tender Jacinta, in the agony of her grief, lost all thought
of her aunt's displeasure. Throwing herself into her arms, she
broke forth into sobs and tears.

" Av de 7ni ! " cried she ; " he's gone I — he's gone ! — he's
gone ! and I shall never see him more ! "

" Gone ! — who is gone ? — what youth is that I saw at your
feet ? "

"A queen's page, aunt, who came to bid me farewell."

" A queen's page, child I " echoed the vigilant Fredegonda,
faintly, "and when did you become acquainted with the
queen's page ? "

LEGEND OF THE ROSE OF THE ALHAMBRA 337

" The morning that the ger-falcon came into the tower.
It was the queen's ger-falcon, and he came in pursuit of it."

"Ah silly, silly girl I know that there are no ger-falcons half
so dangerous as these young prankling pages, and it is precisely
such simple birds as thee that they pounce upon."

The aunt was at first indignant at learning that in despite of
her boasted vigilance, a tender intercourse had been carried on
by the youthful lovers, almost beneath her eye ; but when she
found that her simple-hearted niece, though thus exposed,
without the protection of bolt or bar, to all the machina-
tions of the opposite sex, had come forth unsinged from the
fiery ordeal, she consoled herself w^ith the persuasion that it
was owing to the chaste and cautious maxims in which she
had, as it were, steeped her to the very lips.

While the aunt laid this soothing unction to her pride, the
niece treasured up the oft-repeated vows of fidelity of the page.
But what is the love of restless, roving man ? A vagrant
stream that dallies for a time with each flower upon its bank,
then passes on, and leaves them all in tears.

Days, weeks, months elapsed, and nothing more was heard
of the page. The pomegranate ripened, the vine yielded up
its fruit, the autumnal rains descended in torrents from the
mountains ; the Sierra Nevada became covered with a snowy
mantle, and wintry blasts howled through the halls of the
Alhambra — still he came not. The winter passed away.
Again the genial spring burst forth with song and blossom and
balmy zephyr ; the snows melted from the mountains, until
none remained but on the lofty summit of Nevada, glistening
through the sultry summer air. Still nothing was heard of the
forgetful page.

In the meantime the poor little Jacinta grew pale and
thoughtful. Her former occupations and amusements were
abandoned, her silk lay entangled, her guitar unstrung, her
flowers were neglected, the notes of her bird unheeded, and
her eyes, once so bright, were dimmed with secret weeping. If

338 THE ALU AM BRA

any solitude could be devised to foster the passion of a love-
lorn damsel it would be such a place as the Alhambra, where
everything seems disposed to produce tender and romantic
reveries. It is a very paradise for lovers : how hard then to be
alone in such a paradise — and not merely alone, but forsaken !

" Alas, silly child I " would the staid and immaculate
Fredegonda say, when she found her niece in one of her
desponding moods — -" did I not warn thee against the wiles
and deceptions of these men ? What couldst thou expect,
too, from one of a haughty and aspiring family — thou an
orphan, the descendant of a fallen and impoverished line ? Be
assured, if the youth were true, his father, who is one of the
proudest nobles about the court, would prohibit his union
with one so humble and portionless as thou. Pluck up thy
resolution, therefore, and drive these idle notions from thy
mind."'

The words of the immaculate Fredegonda only served to
increase the melancholy of her niece, but she sought to
indulge it in private. At a late hour one midsummer night,
after her aunt had retired to rest, she remained alone in the
hall of the tower, seated beside the alabaster fountain. It
was here that the faithless page had first knelt and kissed her
hand ; it was here that he had often vowed eternal fidelity.
The poor little damsel's heart was overladen with sad and
tender recollections, her tears began to flow, and slowly fell
drop by drop into the fountain. By degrees the crystal water
became agitated, and — bubble^ — bubble — bubble — boiled up
and was tossed about, until a female figure, richly clad in
Moorish robes, slowly rose to view.

Jacinta was so frightened that she fled from the hall, and
did not venture to return. The next morning she related
what she had seen to her aunt, but the good lady treated it as
a fantasy of her troubled mind, or supposed she had fallen
asleep and dreamt beside the fountain. " Thou hast been
thinking of the story of the three Moorish princesses that once

LEGEND OF THE ROSE OF THE ALHAMBRA 339

inhabited this tower,'' continued she, "and it has entered into
thy dreams.*'

" What story, aunt ? I know nothing of it."

" Thou hast certainly heard of the three princesses, Zayda,
Zoravda, and Zorahayda, who were confined in this tower by
the king their father, and agreed to fly with three Christian
cavahers. The two first accomplished their escape, but the
third failed in her resolution, and, it is said, died in this
tower.""

" I now recollect to have heard of it," said Jacinta, " and to
have wept over the fate of the gentle Zorahayda."'

" Thou mayest well weep over her fate," continued the
aunt, " for the lover of Zorahayda was thy ancestor. He long
bemoaned his Moorish love : but time cured him of his grief,
and he married a Spanish lady, from whom thou art
descended."

Jacinta ruminated upon these words. " That what I have
seen is no fantasy of the brain," said she to herself, " I am
confident. If indeed it be the spirit of the gentle Zorahayda,
which I have heard lingers about this tower, of what should I
be afraid ? I'll watch by the fountain to-night — perhaps the
visit will be repeated."

Towards midnight, when everything was quiet, she again
took her seat in the hall. As the bell in the distant watch-
tower of the Alhambra struck the midnight hour, the fountain
was again agitated; and bubble — bubble — bubble — it tossed
about the waters until the Moorish female again rose to view.
She was young and beautiful ; her dress was rich with jewels,
and in her hand she held a silver lute. Jacinta trembled and
was faint, but was reassured by the soft and plaintive voice of
the apparition, and the sweet expression of her pale, melancholy
countenance.

" Daughter of mortality," said she, "what aileth thee? Why
do thy tears trouble my fountain, and thy sighs and plaints
disturb the quiet watches of the night ? "

z 2

340 THE ALHAMBRA

" I weep because of the faithlessness of man, and I bemoan
my soHtary and forsaken state."

" Take comfort ; thy sorrows may yet have an end. Thou
beholdest a Moorish princess, who, Hke thee, was unhappy in
her love. A Christian knight, thy ancestor, won my heart, and
would have borne me to his native land and to the bosom of
his church. I was a convert in my heart, but I lacked
courage equal to my faith, and lingered till too late. For this
the evil genii are permitted to have power over me, and I
remain enchanted in this tower until some pure Christian will
deign to break the magic spell. Wilt thou undertake the
. task ? ''

" I will," replied the damsel, trembling.

" Come hither then, and fear not ; dip thy hand in the
fountain, sprinkle the water over me, and baptize me after the
manner of thy faith ; so shall the enchantment be dispelled,
and my troubled spirit have repose."

The damsel advanced with faltering steps, dipped her hand
in the fountain, collected water in the palm, and sprinkled it
over the pale face of the phantom.

The latter smiled with ineffable benignity. She dropped
her silver lute at the feet of Jacinta, crossed her white arms
upon her bosom, and melted from sight, so that it seemed
merely as if a shower of dewdrops had fallen into the fountain.

Jacinta retired from the hall filled with awe and wonder.
She scarcely closed her eyes that night ; but when she awoke
at daybreak out of a troubled slumber, the whole appeared to
her like a distempered dream. On descending into the hall,
however, the truth of the vision was established, for beside the
fountain she beheld the silver lute glittering in the morning
.sunshine.

She hastened to her aunt, to relate all that had befallen her,
and called her to behold the lute as a testimonial of the reality
of her story. If the good lady had any lingering doubts, they
were removed when Jacinta touched the instrument, for she

LEGEND OF THE ROSE OF THE ALHAMBRA 341

drew forth such ravishing tones as to thaw even the frigid
bosom of the immaculate Fredegonda, that region of eternal
winter, into a genial flow. Nothing but supernatural melody
could have produced such an effect.

The extraordinary power of the lute became every day more
and more apparent. The wayfarer passing by the tower was
detained, and, as it were, spell-bound in breathless ecstasy.
The very birds gathered in the neighbouring trees, and hushing
their own strains, listened in charmed silence.

Rumour soon spread the news abroad. The inhabitants of
Granada thronged to the Alham.bra to catch a few notes of
the transcendent music that floated about the tower of Las
Infantas.

The lovely little minstrel was at length drawn forth from her
retreat. The rich and powerful of the land contended who
should entertain and do honour to her ; or rather, who should
secure the charms of her lute to draw fashionable throngs to
their saloons. Wherever she went her vigilant aunt kept a
dragon watch at her elbow, awing the throngs of impassioned
admirers who hung in raptures on her strains. The report of
her wonderful powers spread from city to city. Malaga,
Seville, Cordova, all became successively mad on the theme ;
nothing was talked of throughout Andalusia but the beautiful
minstrel of the Alhambra. How could it be otherwise among
a people so musical and gallant as the Andalusians, when the
lute was magical in its powers, and the minstrel inspired by
love !

While all Andalusia was thus music mad, a different mood
prevailed at the court of Spain. Philip V., as is well known,
was a miserable hypochondriac, and subject to all kinds of
fancies. Sometimes he would keep to his bed for weeks
together, groaning under imaginary complaints. At othet
times he would insist upon abdicating his throne, to the great
annoyance of his royal spouse, who had a strong relish for the
splendours of a court and the glories of a crown, and guided

342 THE ALHAMBRA

the sceptre of her imbecile lord with an expert and steady
hand.

Nothing was found to be so efficacious in dispelling the
royal megrims as the power of music ; the queen took care,
therefore, to have the best performers, both vocal and
instrumental, at hand, and retained the famous Italian singer
Farinelli about the court as a kind of royal physician.

At the moment we treat of, however, a freak had come over
the mind of this sapient and illustrious Bourbon that surpassed
all former vagaries. After a long spell of imaginary illness,
which set all the strains of Farinelli and the consultations of a
whole orchestra of court fiddlers at defiance, the monarch
fairly, in idea, gave up the ghost, and considered himself
absolutely dead.

This would have been harmless enough, and even convenient
both to his queen and courtiers, had he been content to
remain in the quietude befitting a dead man ; but to their
annoyance he insisted upon having the funeral ceremonies
performed over him, and, to their inexpressible perplexity,
began to grow impatient, and to revile bitterly at them for
negligence and disrespect, in leaving him unburied, ^^'hat
was to be done ? To disobey the king's positive commands
was monstrous in the eyes of the obsequious courtiers of a
punctilious court — but to obey him, and bury him alive would
be downright regicide I

In the midst of this fearful dilemma a rumour reached the
court of the female minstrel who was turning the brains of all
Andalusia. The queen despatched missions in all haste to
summon her to St. Ildefonso, where the court at that time
resided.

Within a few days, as the queen with her maids of honour
was walking in those stately gardens, intended, with their
avenues and terraces and fountains, to eclipse the glories of
Versailles, the far-famed minstrel was conducted into her
presence. The imperial Elizabetta gazed with surprise at the

LEGEND OF THE ROSE OF THE ALHAMBRA 343

youthful and unpretending appearance of the Uttle being that
had set the world madding. She was in her picturesque
Andalusian dress, her silver lute in hand, and stood with
modest and downcast eyes, but with a simplicity and freshness
of beauty that still bespoke her " the Rose of the Alhambra."

As usual she was accompanied by the ever-vigilant Frede-
gonda, who gave the whole history of her parentage and
descent to the inquiring queen. If the stately Elizabetta had
been interested by the appearance of Jacinta, she was still more
pleased when she learnt that she was of a meritorious though
impoverished line, and that her father had bravely fallen in the
service of the crown. " If thy powers equal thy renown," said
she, " and thou canst cast forth this evil spirit that possesses
thy sovereign, thy fortunes shall henceforth be my care, and
honours and wealth attend thee."

Impatient to make trial of her skill, she led the way at once
to the apartment of the moody monarch.

Jacinta followed with downcast eyes through files of guards
and crowds of courtiers. They arrived at length at a great
chamber hung with black. The windows were closed to ex-
clude the light of day : a number of yellow wax tapers in silver
sconces diffused a lugubrious Hght, and dimly revealed the
figures of mutes in mourning dresses, and courtiers who glided
about with noiseless step and woe-begone visage. In the midst
of a funeral bed or bier, his hands folded on his breast, and the
tip of his nose just visible, lay extended this would-be-buried
monarch.

The queen entered the chamber in silence, and pointing to
a footstool in an obscure corner, beckoned to Jacinta to sit
down and commence.

At first she touched her lute with a faltering hand, but
gathering confidence and animation as she proceeded, drew forth
such soft aerial harmony, that all present could scarce believe
it mortal. As to the monarch, who had already considered
himself in the world of spirits, he set it down tor some angelic

344

THE ALHAMBRA

melody or the music of the sphere. By degrees the theme was
varied, and the voice of the minstrel accompanied the instru-
ment. She poured forth one of the legendary ballads treating of
the ancient glories of the Alhambra and the achievements of
the Moors. Her whole soul entered into the theme, for with
the recollections of the Alhambra was associated the story of
her love. The funeral-chamber resounded with the animating
strain. It entered into the gloomy heart of the monarch. He
raised his head and gazed around : he sat up on his couch, his
eye began to kindle — at length, leaping upon the floor, he
called for sword and buckler.

The triumph of music, or rather of the enchanted lute, was
complete ; the demon of melancholy was cast forth ; and, as it
were, a dead man brought to life. The windows of the apart-
ment were thrown open ; the glorious effulgence of Spanish
sunshine burst into the late lugubrious chamber ; all eyes
sought the lovely enchantress, but the lute had fallen from her
hand, she had sunk upon the earth, and the next moment was
clasped to the bosom of Ruyz de Alarcon.

The nuptials of the happy couple were celebrated soon after-
wards with great splendour, and " the Rose of the Alhambra "'
became the ornament and delight of the court. " But hold —
not so fast " — I hear the reader exclaim ; " this is jumping to
the end of a story at a furious rate ! First let us know how
Ruyz de Alarcon managed to account to Jacinta for his long
negieci. ? " Nothing more easy ; the venerable, time-honoured
excuse, the opposition to his wishes by a proud, pragmatical
old father : besides, young people who really like one another
soon come to an amicable understanding, and bury all past
grievances when once they meet.

But how was the proud, pragmatical old father reconciled to
the match ?

Oh I as to that, his scruples were easily overcome by a word
or two from the queen ; especially as dignities and rewards were
showered upon the blooming favourite of royalty. Besides, the

LEGEND OF THE ROSE OF THE ALHAMBRA 345

lute of Jacinta, you know, possessed a magic power, and could
control the most stubborn head and hardest breast.

And what came of the enchanted lute ?

Oh, that is the most curious matter of all, and plainly proves
the truth of the whole story. That lute remained for some
time in the family, but was purloined and carried off, as was
supposed, by the great singer Farinelli, in pure jealousy. At
his death it passed into other hands in Italy, who were ignorant
of its mystic powers, and melting down the silver, transferred
the strings to an old Cremona fiddle. The strings still retain
something of their magic virtues. A word in the reader's ear,
but let it go no further : that fiddle is now bewitching the
whole world, — it is the fiddle of Paganini !

^?i^.mmti^-

*':5=

5i f

THE VETERAN

Among the curious acquaintances I made in my rambles
about the fortress, was a brave and battered old colonel of
Invalids, who was nestled like a hawk in one of the Moorish
towers. His history, which he was fond of telling, was a tissue
of those adventures, mishaps, and vicissitudes that render the
life of almost every Spaniard of note as varied and whimsical as
the pages of Gil Bias.

He was in America at twelve years of age, and reckoned
among the most signal and fortunate events of his life, his
having seen General Washington. Since then he had taken a
part in all the wars of his country ; he could speak experi-
mentally of most of the prisons and dungeons of the Peninsula :
had been lamed of one leg, crippled in his hands, and so cut
up and carbonadoed that he was a kind of walking monument
of the troubles of Spain, on which there was a scar for every
battle and broil, as every year of captivity was notched upon
the tree of Robinson Crusoe. The greatest misfortune of the
brave old cavalier, however, appeared to have been his having
commanded at Malaga during a time of peril and confusion,
and been made a general by the inhabitants, to protect them
from the invasion of the French. This had entailed upon him
a number of just claims upon government, that I feared would

THE VETERAN

347

employ him until his dying day in writing and printing petitions
and memorials, to the great disquiet of his mind, exhaustion of
his purse, and penance of his friends : not one of whom could
visit him without having to listen to a mortal document of half
an hour in length, and to carry away half a dozen pamphlets
in his pocket. This, however, is the case throughout Spain ;
everywhere you meet with some worthy wight brooding in a
corner, and nursing up some pet grievance and cherished wrong.

#|S;i^v^i^

'"t ^^»^2*^«»*fci4«ai*sj8S' 'eav.

Besides, a Spaniard who has a lawsuit, or a claim upon govern-
ment, may be considered as furnished with employment for the
remainder of his life.

I visited the veteran in his quarters in the upper part of the
Torre del Vino, or Wine Tower. His room was small but
snug, and commanded a beautiful view of the Vega. It was
arranged with a soldier's precision. Three muskets and a
brace of pistols, all bright and shining, were suspended against
the wall, with a sabre and a cane hanging side by side, and

348

THE ALIIAMBRA

above them two cocked hats, one for parade, and one for
ordinary use. A small shelf, containing some half dozen
books, formed his library, one of which, a little old mouldy
volume of philosophical maxims, was his favourite reading.
This he thumbed and pondered over day by day ; applying

-"rsi^SSL-r

^ii

^^^fe-^-

^-^ ^'^^^:^: ^.k^i^f^

every maxim to his own particular case, provided it had a little
tinge of wholesome bitterness, and treated of the injustice of
the world.

Yet he was social and kind-hearted, and, provided he could
be diverted from his wrongs and his philosophy, was an enter-

THE VETERAN

349

taining companion. I like these old weather-beaten sons of
fortune, and enjoy their rough campaigning anecdotes. In the
course of my visits to the one in question, I learnt some curious
facts about an old military commander of the fortress, who
seems to have resembled him in some respects, and to have had
similar fortunes in the wars. These particulars have been
augmented by inquiries am.ong some of the old inhabitants of
the place, particularly the father of Mateo Ximenes, of whose
traditional stories the worthy I am about to introduce to the
reader was a favourite hero.

X-~^^ .,.1 -^

A Beetling Bastion.

THE GOVERxNOR AND THE NOTARY

In former times there ruled, as governor of the Alhambra, a
doughty old cavalier, who, from having lost one arm in the
wars, was commonly known by the name of el Gobernador
Matico^ or " the one-armed governor." He in fact prided
himself upon being an old soldier, wore his moustaches curled
up to his eyes, a pair of campaigning boots, and a toledo as
long as a spit, with his pocket-handkerchief in the basket-hilt.

He was, moreover, exceedingly proud and punctilious, and
tenacious of all his privileges and dignities. Under his sway
the immunities of the Alhambra, as a royal residence and
domain, were rigidly exacted. No one was permitted to enter
the fortress with fire-arms, or even with a sword or staff, unless
he were of a certain rank ; and every horseman was obliged
to dismount at the gate, and lead his horse by the bridle. Now
as the hill of the Alhambra rises from the very midst of the

THE GOVERNOR AND THE NOTARY 351

city of Granada, being, as it were, an excrescence of the capital^
it must at all times be somewhat irksome to the captain-general,
who commands the province, to thus have an wiperiiDii i?i
imperio^ a petty independent post in the very centre of his
domains. It was rendered the more galling, in the present
instance, from the irritable jealousy of the old governor, that

".■^.T^'-^i" ■ j'Scr ^'^u ^S P'^ fe^

took fire on the least question of authority and jurisdiction ;
and from the loose vagrant character of the people who had
gradually nestled themselves within the fortress, as in a sanctu-
ary, and thence carried on a system of roguery and depredation
at the expense of the honest inhabitants of the city.

Thus there was a perpetual feud and heart-burning between
the captain-general and the governor, the more virulent on the
part of the latter, inasmuch as the smallest of two neighbouring

352 THE ALHAMBRA

potentates is always the most captious about his dignity. The
stately palace of the captain-general stood in the Plaza Xueva,
immediately at the foot of the hill of the Alhambra ; and here
was always a bustle and parade of guards, and domestics, and
city functionaries. A beetling bastion of the fortress over-
looked the palace and public square in front of it ; and on this
bastion the old governor would occasionally strut backwards
and forwards, with his toledo girded by his side, keeping a
wary eye down upon his rival, like a hawk reconnoitring his
quarry from his nest in a dry tree.

Whenever he descended into the city, it was in grand parade ;
on horseback, surrounded by his guards ; or in his state coach,
an ancient and unwieldy Spanish edifice of carved timber and
gilt leather, drawn by eight mules, with running footmen, out-
riders, and lackeys ; on which occasions he flattered himself he
impressed every beholder with awe and admiration as vice-
gerent of the king; though the wits of Granada, particularly
those who loitered about the palace of the captain-general,
were apt to sneer at his petty parade, and, in allusion to the
vagrant character of his subjects, to greet him with the appella-
tion of " the king of the beggars." One of the most fruitful
sources of dispute between these two doughty rivals was the
right claimed by the governor to have all things passed free of
duty through the city that were intended for the use of himself
or his garrison. By degrees this privilege had given rise to ex-
tensive smuggling. A nest of co?itrabandistas took up their
abode in the hovels of the fortress and the numerous caves in
its vicinity, and drove a thriving business under the connivance
of the soldiers of the garrison.

The vigilance of the captain-general was aroused. He con-
sulted his legal adviser and factotum, a shrewd meddlesome
escribano^ or notary, who rejoiced in an opportunity of perplex-
ing the old potentate of the Alhambra, and involving him in a
maze of legal subtleties. He advised the captain-general to
insist upon the right of examining every convoy passing through

THE GOVERNOR AND THE NOTARY

353

the gates of his city, and penned a long letter for him in vin-
dication of the right. Governor Manco was a straightforward
cut-and-thrust old soldier, who hated an escribano worse
than the devil, and this one in particular worse than all other
escribanos.

" What 1 " said he, curling up his moustaches fiercely, " does
the captain-general set his man of the pen to practise confusions
upon me ? I'll let him see an old soldier is not to be baffled
by Schoolcraft."

He seized his pen and scrawled a short letter in a crabbed

^l'-^- '■.' " "'lis* ^

T^ Gate 0/ XeniL

hand, in which, without deigning to enter into argument, he
insisted on the right of transit free of search, and denounced
vengeance on any custom-house officer who should lay his un-
hallowed hand on any convoy protected by the flag of the
Alhambra. While this question was agitated between the two
pragmatical potentates, it so happened that a mule laden with
supplies for the fortress arrived one day at the gate of Xenil,
by which it was to traverse a suburb of the city on its way
to the Alhambra. The convoy was headed by a testy old

A A

354 THE ALIIAVBRA

corporal, who had long served under the governor, and was a
man after, his own heart : as rusty and staunch as an old toledo
blade.

As they approached the gate of the city, the corporal placed
the banner of the Alhambra on the pack-saddle of the mule,
and drawing himself up to a perfect perpendicular, advanced
with his head dressed to the front, but with the wary side-glance
of a cur passing through hostile ground and ready for a snap
and a snarl.

" Who goes there ? " said the sentinel at the gate.

" Soldier of the Alhambra ! " said the corporal, without
turning his head.

" What have you in charge ? "

" Provisions for the garrison."

" Proceed."

The corporal marched straight forward, followed by the
convoy, but had not advanced many paces before a posse of
custom-house officers rushed out of a small toll-house.

" Hallo there ! " cried the leader. " Muleteer, halt, and open
those packages."

The corporal wheeled round and drew himself up in battle
array. " Respect the flag of the Alhambra," said he ; '^ these
things are for the governor."

" Afigo for the governor and a figo for his flag. Muleteer,
halt, I say."

" Stop the convoy at your peril ! " cried the corporal, cocking
his musket. " Muleteer, proceed."

The muleteer gave his beast a hearty thwack ; the custom-
house officer sprang forward and seized the halter ; whereupon
the corporal levelled his piece and shot him dead.

The street was immediately in an uproar.

The old corporal was seized, and after undergoing
sundry kicks, and cuffs, and cudgellings, which are generally
given impromptu by the mob in Spain as a foretaste of the after
penalties of the law, he was loaded with irons and conducted

THE GOVERNOR AXD THE NOTARY 355

to the city prison, while his comrades were permitted to pro-
ceed with the convoy, after it had been well rummaged, to
the Alhambra.

The old governor was in a towering passion when he heard
of this insult to his flag and capture of his corporal. For a
time he stormed about the Moorish halls, and vapoured about
the bastions, and looked down fire and sword upon the palace
of the captain-general. Having vented the first ebullition of
his wrath, he despatched a message demanding the surrender
of the corporal, as to him alone belonged the right of sitting in
judgment on the offences of those under his command. The
captain-general, aided by the pen of the delighted escribano,
replied at great length, arguing, that, as the offence ha.d been
committed within the walls of his city, and against one of his
civil officers, it was clearly within his proper jurisdiction. The
governor rejoined by a repetition of his demand ; the captain-
general gave a sur-rejoinder of still greater length and legal
acumen ; the governor became hotter and more peremptory in
his demands, and the captain-general cooler and more copious
in his replies ; until the old lion-hearted soldier absolutely
roared with fury at being thus entangled in the meshes of legal
controversy.

While the subtle escribano was thus amusing himself at the
expense of the governor, he was conducting the trial of the
corporal, who, mewed up in a narrow dungeon of the prison,
had merely a small grated window at which to show his iron-
bound visage and receive the consolations of his friends.

A mountain of written testimony was diligently heaped up,
according to Spanish form, by the indefatigable escribano ; the
corporal was completely overwhelmed by it. He was convicted
of murder, and sentenced to be hanged.

It was in vain the governor sent down remonstrance and
menace from the Alhambra. The fatal day was at hand, and
the corporal was put in capi/ia, that is to say, in the chapel
of the prison, as is always done with culprits the day before

A A 2

356 THE ALIIAMBRA

execution, that they may meditate on their approaching end
and repent them of their sins.

Seeing things drawing to extremity, the old governor
determined to attend to the affair in person. For this purpose
he ordered out his carriage of state, and, surrounded by his
guards, rumbled down the avenue of the Alhambra into the
citv. Driving to the house of the escribauo, he summoned him
to the portal.

The eye of the old governor gleamed like a coal at beholding
the smirking man of the law advancing with an air of
exultation.

" What is this I hear," cried he, " that you are about to put
to death one of my soldiers ? "

" All according to law — all in strict form of justice," said the
self-sufficient escridano, chuckling and rubbing his hands ; "I
can show your Excellency the written testimony in the case."

" Fetch it hither," said the governor. The escribano bustled
into his office, delighted with having another opportunity of dis-
playing his ingenuity at the expense of the hard-headed veteran.
He returned with a satchel full of papers, and began to read a
long deposition with professional volubility. By this time a
crowd had collected, listening with outstretched necks and
gaping mouths.

" Prithee, man, get into the carriage, out of this pestilent
throng, that I may the better hear thee," said the governor.

The escribano entered the carriage, when, in a twinkling, the
door was closed, the coachman smacked his whip, — mules,
carriage, guards, and all dashed off at a thundering rate, leaving
the crowd in gaping wonderment ; nor did the governor pause
until he had lodged his prey in one of the strongest dungeons
of the Alhambra.

He then sent down a flag of truce in military style, proposing
a cartel, or exchange of prisoners, — the corporal for the notary.
The pride of the captain-general was piqued ; he returned a
contemptuous refusal, and forthwith caused a gallows, tall and

THE GOVERNOR AND THE NOTARY

357

strong, to be erected in the centre of the Plaza Nueva for the
execution of the corporal.

" Oho ! is that the game ? " said Governor Manco. He gave
orders, and immediately a gibbet was reared on the verge of
great beetling bastion that overlooked the Plaza. " Now,"
said he, in a message to the captain-general, " hang my soldier
when you please ; but at the same time that he is swung off in

■^■^i^

the square, look up to see your escribano dangling against the
sky."

The captain-general was inflexible ; troops were paraded in
the square ; the drums beat, the bell tolled. An immense
multitude of amateurs gathered together to behold the execu-
tion. On the other hand, the governor paraded his garrison
on the bastion, and tolled the funeral dirge of the notary from
the Torre de la Cafnpana, or Tower of the Bell.

The notary's wife pressed through the crowd, with a whole

358 THE ALIIAMBRA

progeny of little embryo escribanos at her heels, and throwing
herself at the feet of the captain-general, implored him not to
sacrifice the life of her husband, and the welfare of herself and
her numerous little ones, to a point of pride ; "for you know
the old governor too well," said she, " to doubt that he will put
his threat in execution, if you hang the soldier."

The captain-general was overpowered by her tears and
lamentations, and the clamours of her callow brood. The
corporal was sent up to the Alhambra, under a guard, in his
gallows garb, like a hooded friar, but with head erect and a
face of iron. The escribano was demanded in exchange, ac-
cording to the cartel. The once bustling and self-sufficient man
of the law was drawn forth from his dungeon more dead than
alive. All his flippancy and conceit had evaporated ; his hair,
it is said, had nearly turned gray with affright, and he had a
downcast, dogged look, as if he still felt the halter round his
neck.

The old governor stuck his one arm akimbo, and for a
moment surveyed him with an iron smile. " Henceforth, my
friend," said he, " moderate your zeal in hurrying others to
the gallows ; be not too certain of your safety, even though
you should have the law on your side : and above all, take care
how you play off your schoolcraft another time upon an old
soldier."

.Mm mm: m

ct-^

GOVERNOR MANCO AND THE SOLDIER

While Governor Manco, or " the one-armed," kept up a
show of miUtary state in the Alhambra, he became nettled at
the reproaches continually cast upon his fortress, of being a
nestling-place of rogues and coiitrabandistas. On a sudden,
the old potentate determined on reform, and setting vigorously
to work, ejected whole nests of vagabonds out of the fortress
and the gipsy caves with which the surrounding hills are honey-
combed. He sent out soldiers, also, to patrol the avenues and
footpaths, with orders to take up all suspicious persons.

One bright summer morning a patrol, consisting of the testy
old corporal who had distinguished himself in the affair of the
notary, a trumpeter, and two privates, was seated under the
garden-wall of the Generalife, beside the road which leads
down from the Mountain of the Sun, when they heard the
tramp of a horse, an-d a male voice singing in rough, though
not unmusical tones, an old Castilian campaigning-song.

Presently they beheld a sturdy, sunburnt fellow, clad in the

36o THE ALHAMBRA

ragged garb of a foot-soldier, leading a powerful Arabian horse
caparisoned in the ancient Morisco fashion.

Astonished at the sight of a strange soldier descending, steed
in hand, from that solitary mountain, the corporal stepped
forth and challenged him.

" Who goes there ? "

" A friend.

" Who and what are you ? "

" A poor soldier just from the wars, with a cracked crown
and empty purse for a reward."'

By this time they were enabled to view him more narrowly.
He had a black patch across his forehead, which, with a
grizzled beard, added to a certain dare-devil cast of countenance,
while a slight squint threw into the whole an occasional gleam
of roguish good-humour.

Having answered the questions of the patrol, the soldier
seemed to consider himself entitled to make others in return.
" May I ask,"' said he, " what city is that which I see at the
foot of the hill ? "'

'• What city I " cried the trumpeter ; " come, that's too bad.
Here's a fellow lurking about the iMountain of the Sun, and
demands the name of the great city of Granada I "

" Granada ! Madre di Dios ! can it be possible ? "

" Perhaps not I " rejoined the trumpeter ; " and perhaps you
have no idea that yonder are the towers of the Alhambra."

'* Son of a trumpet," replied the stranger, " do not trifle with
me ; if this be indeed the Alhambra, I have some strange
matters to reveal to the governor."

"You will have an opportunity," said the corporal, "for we
mean to take you before him." By this time the trumpeter
had seized the bridle of the steed, the two privates had each
secured an arm of the soldier, the corporal put himself in front,
gave the word, " Forward — march 1 " and away they marched
for the Alhambra.

The sight of a ragged foot-soldier and a fine Arabian horse,

GOVERNOR MANGO AND THE SOLDIER 361

brought in captive by the patrol, attracted the attention of all
the idlers of the fortress, and of those gossip groups that gener-
ally assemble about wells and fountains at early dawn. The
wheel of the cistern paused in its rotations, and the slip-shod
servant-maid stood gaping, with pitcher in hand, as the corporal
passed by with his prize. A motley train gradually gathered in
the rear of the escort.

Knowing nods and winks and conjectures passed from one
to another. " It is a deserter," said one; '' A contrabandisfa^''
said another; "A bandolero^'' said a third; — until it was
affirmed that a captain of a desperate band of robbers had
been captured by the prowess of the corporal and his patrol.
" Well, well," said the old crones, one to another, " captain or
not, let him get out of the grasp of old Governor Manco if he
can, though he is but one-handed."

Governor Manco was seated in one of the inner halls of the
Alhambra, taking his morning's cup of chocolate in company
with his confessor, — a fat Franciscan friar from the neighbouring
convent. A demure, dark-eyed damsel of Malaga, the daughter
of his housekeeper, was attending upon him. The world
hinted that the damsel, who, with all her demureness, was a
sly buxom baggage, had found out a soft spot in the iron heart
of the old governor, and held complete control over him. But
let that pass — the domestic affairs of these mighty potentates
of the earth should not be too narrowly scrutinised.

When word was brought that a suspicious stranger had been
taken lurking about the fortress, and was actually in the outer
court, in durance of the corporal, waiting the pleasure of his
Excellency, the pride and stateliness of office swelled the bosom
of the governor. Giving back his chocolate-cup into the hands
of the demure damsel, he called for his basket-hilted sword,
girded it to his side, twirled up his moustaches, took his seat in
a large high-backed chair, assumed a bitter and forbidding
aspect, and ordered the prisoner into his presence. The
soldier was brought in, still closely pinioned by his captors,

362 THE ALHAMBRA

and guarded by the corporal. He maintained, however, a
resolute self-confident air, and returned the sharp, scrutinising
look of the governor with an easy squint, which by no means
pleased the punctilious old potentate.

"Well, culprit," said the governor, after he had regarded him
for a moment in silence, " what have you to say for yourself —
who are you ? "

"A soldier, just from the wars, who has brought away
nothing but scars and bruises."

" A soldier — humph — a foot-soldier by your garb. I
understand you have a fine Arabian horse. I presume you
brought him too from the wars, besides your scars and
bruises."

" May it please your Excellency, I have something strange
to tell about that horse. Indeed I have one of the most
wonderful things to relate. Something too that concerns the
security of this fortress, indeed of all Granada. But it is a
matter to be imparted only to your private ear, or in presence
of such only as are in your confidence."

The governor considered for a moment, and then directed
the corporal and his men to withdraw, but to post themselves
outside of the door, and be ready at a call. "This holy friar,"
said he, " is my confessor, you may say anything in his
presence ; — and this damsel," nodding towards the handmaid,
who had loitered with an air of great curiosity, " this damsel
is of great secrecy and discretion, and to be trusted with
anything."

The soldier gave a glance between a squint and a leer at the
demure handmaid. " I am perfectly willing," said he, " that
the damsel should remain."

When all the rest had withdrawn, the soldier commenced
his story. He was a fluent smooth-tongued varlet, and had a
command of language above his apparent rank.

" May it please your Excellency," said he, " I am, as I before
observed, a soldier, and have seen some hard service, but my

GOVERNOR MANGO AND THE SOLDIER 363

term of enlistment being expired, I was discharged, not long
since, from the army at Valladolid, and set out on foot for my
native village in Andalusia. Yesterday evening the sun went
down as I was traversing a great dry plain of Old Castile."

" Hold I " cried the governor, " what is this you say ? Old
Castile is some two or three hundred miles from this."

" Even so," replied the soldier, coolly. " I told your
Excellency I had strange things to relate ; but not more
strange than true, as your Excellency will find, if you will
deign me a patient hearing."

" Proceed, culprit," said the governor, twirling up his
moustaches.

"As the sun went down," continued the soldier, " I cast my
eyes about in search of quarters for the night, but as far as my
sight could reach there were no signs of habitation. I saw
that I should have to make my bed on the naked plain, with
my knapsack for a pillow ; but your Excellency is an old
soldier, and knows that to one who has been in the wars, such
a night's lodging is no great hardship."

The governor nodded assent, as he drew his pocket-
handkerchief out of the basket-hilt to drive away a fly that
buzzed about his nose.

" Well, to make a long story short," continued the soldier,
" I trudged forward for several miles until I came to a bridge
over a deep ravine, through which ran a little thread of water,
almost dried up by the summer heat. At one end of the
bridge was a Moorish tower, the upper end all in ruins, but a
vault in the foundation quite entire. Here, thinks I, is a good
place to make a halt ; so I went down to the stream, and took
a hearty drink, for the water was pure and sweet, and I was
parched with thirst ; then, opening my wallet. I took out an
onion and a few crusts, which were all my provisions, and
seating myself on a stone on the margin of the stream, began
to make my supper, — intending afterwards to quarter myself
for the night in the vault of the tower ; and capital quarters

364 THE ALIIAMBRA

they would have been for a campaigner just from the wars, as
your Excellency, who is an old soldier, may suppose."

" I have put up gladly with worse in my time," said the
governor, returning his pocket-handkerchief into the hilt of his
sword.

" While I was quietly crunching my crust," pursued the
soldier, " I heard something stir within the vault ; I listened —
it was the tramp of a horse. By-and-by a man came forth
from a door in the foundation of the tower, close by the water's
edge, leading a powerful horse by the bridle. I could not well
make out what he was, by the starlight. It had a suspicious
look to be lurking among the ruins of a tower, in that wild
solitary place. He might be a mere wayfarer, like myself; he
might be a contrabajidista ; he might be a bandolero ! what of
that ? thank heaven and my poverty, I had nothing to lose ; so
I sat still and crunched my crust.

" He led his horse to the water, close by where I was sitting,
so that I had a fair opportunity of reconnoitring him. To my
surprise he was dressed in a Moorish garb, with a cuirass of
steel, and a polished skull-cap that I distinguished by the
reflection of the stars upon it. His horse, too, was harnessed
in the Morisco fashion, with great shovel stirrups. He led
him, as I said, to the side of the stream, into which the animal
plunged his head almost to the eyes, and drank until I thought
he would have burst.

" ' Comrade,' said I, ' your steed drinks well ; it's a good
sign when a horse plunges his muzzle bravely into the water.'

" ' He may well drink,' said the stranger, speaking with a
Moorish accent ; ' it is a good year since he had his last
draught.'

" 'By Santiago^' said I, ' that beats even the camels I have
seen in Africa. But come, you seem to be something of a
soldier, will you sit down and take part of a soldier's fare ? ' In
fact, I felt the want of a companion in this lonely place, and
was willing to put up with an infidel. Besides, as your

GOVERNOR MANXO AND THE SOLDIER 365

Excellency well knows, a soldier is never very particular about
the faith of his company, and soldiers of all countries are com-
rades on peaceable ground."

The governor again nodded assent.

" Well, as I was saying, I invited him to share my supper,
such as it was, for I could not do less in common hospitality.
' I have no time to pause for meat or drink,' said he, ' I have
a long journey to make before morning.'

" ' In what direction ? ' said I.

" ' Andalusia,' said he.

" ' Exactly my route,' said I ; 'so, as you won't stop and eat
with me, perhaps you will let me mount and ride with you. I
see your horse is of a powerful frame ; I'll warrant he'll carry
double.'

"'Agreed,' said the trooper; and it would not have been
civil and soldierlike to refuse, especially as I had offered to
share my supper with him. So up he mounted, and up I
mounted behind him.

'•' ' Hold fast,' said he, ' my steed goes like the wind.'

" ' Never fear me,' said I, and so off we set.

" From a walk the horse soon passed to a trot, from a trot to
a gallop, and from a gallop to a harum-scarum scamper. It
seemed as if rocks, trees houses, everything flew hurry-scurry
behind us. *

" ' What town is this ? ' said I.

" ' Segovia,' said he ; and before the word was out of his
mouth, the towers of Segovia were out of sight. We swept up
the Guadarama mountains, and down by the Escurial ; and we
skirted the walls of Madrid, and we scoured away across the
plains of La Mancha. In this way we went up hill and down
dale, by towers and cities, all buried in deep sleep, and across
mountains, and plains, and rivers, just glimmering in the star-
light.

"To make a long story short, and not to fatigue your
Excellency, the trooper suddenly pulled up on the side of a

^66 THE ALHAMBRA

mountain. ' Here we are,' said he, ' at the end of our journey.'
I looked about, but could see no signs of habitation ; nothing
but the mouth of a cavern. While I looked I saw multitudes of
people in Moorish dresses, some on horseback, some on foot,
arriving as if borne by the wind from all points of the compass,
and hurrying into the mouth of the cavern like bees into a
hive. Before I could ask a question, the trooper struck his
long Moorish spurs into the horse's flanks, and dashed in with
the throng. We passed along a steep winding way, that
descended into the very bowels of the mountain. As we
pushed on, a light began to glimmer up, by little and little, like
the first glimmerings of day, but what caused it I could not
discern. It grew stronger and stronger, and enabled me to see
everything around. I now noticed, as we passed along, great
caverns, opening to the right and left, like halls in an arsenal.
In some there were shields, and helmets, and cuirasses, and
lances, and cimeters, hanging against the walls ; in others there
were great heaps of warlike munitions and camp-equipage lying
upon the ground.

" It would have done your Excellency's heart good, being an
old soldier, to have seen such grand provision for war. Then,
in other caverns, there were long rows of horsemen armed to
the teeth, with lances raised and banners unfurled, all ready for
the field ; but they all sat motionless in their saddles, like so
many statues. In other halls were warriors sleeping on the
ground beside their horses, and foot soldiers in groups ready to
fall into the ranks. All were in old-fashioned Moorish dresses
and armour.

" Well, your Excellency, to cut a long story short, we at
length entered an immense cavern, or I may say palace, of
grotto-work, the walls of which seemed to be veined with gold
and silver, and to sparkle with diamonds and sapphires and all
kinds of precious stones. At the upper end sat a Moorish king
on a golden throne, with his nobles on each side, and a guard
of African blacks with drawn cimeters. All the crowd that

GOVERNOR MANGO AND THE SOLDIER 367

continued to flock in, and amounted to thousands and thousands,
passed one by one before his throne, each paying homage as
he passed. Some of the multitude were dressed in magnificent
robes, without stain or blemish, and sparkUng with jewels ,
others in burnished and enamelled armour ; while others were
in mouldered and mildewed garments, and in armour all
battered and dented and covered with rusto

" I had hitherto held my tongue, for your Excellency well
knows it is not for a soldier to ask many questions when on
duty, but I could keep silent no longer.

" ' Prithee, comrade,' said I, ' what is the meaning of all
this ? '

" ' This,' said the trooper, ' is a great and fearful mystery.
Know, O Christian, that you see before you the court and army
of Boabdil the last king of Granada.'

" ' What is this you tell me ? ' cried L ' Boabdil and his
court were exiled from the land hundreds of years agone, and
all died in Africa.'

" ' So it is recorded in your lying chronicles,' replied the
Moor ; ' but know that Boabdil and the warriors who made the
last struggle for Granada were all shut up in the mountain by
powerful enchantment. As for the king and army that marched
forth from Granada at the time of the surrender, they were
a mere phantom train of spirits and demons, permitted to
assume those shapes to deceive the Christian sovereigns. And
furthermore let me tell you, friend, that all Spain is a country
under the power of enchantment. There is not a mountain
cave, not a lonely watch-tower in the plains, nor ruined castle
on the hills, but has some spellbound warrior, sleeping from age
to age within its vaults, until the sins are expiated for which Allah
permitted the dominion to pass for a time out of the hands of
the faithful. Once every year, on the eve of St. John, they are
released from enchantment, from sunset to sunrise, and per-
mitted to repair here to pay homage to their sovereign ! and
the crowds which you beheld swarming into the cavern are

368 THE ALHAMBRA

Moslem warriors from their haunts in all parts of Spain. For
my own part, you saw the ruined tower of the bridge in Old
Castile, where I have now wintered and summered for many
hundred years, and where I must be back again by daybreak.
As to the battalions of horse and foot which you beheld drawn
up in array in the neighbouring caverns, they are the spellbound
warriors of Granada. It is written in the book of fate, that
when the enchantment is broken, Boabdil will descend from
the mountain at the head of this army, resume his throne in the
Alhambra and his sway of Granada, and gathering together the
enchanted warriors from all parts of Spain, will re-conquer the
Peninsula and restore it to ]\Ioslem rule.'

" ' And when shall this happen ? ' said L

" ' Allah alone knows : we had hoped the day of deliverance
was at hand ; but there reigns at present a vigilant governor in
the Alhambra, a stanch old soldier, well known as Governor
Manco. While such a warrior holds command of the very
outpost, and stands ready to check the first irruption from the
mountain, I fear Boabdil and his soldiery must be content to
rest upon their arms.' "

Here the governor raised himself somewhat perpendicularly,
adjusted his sword, and twirled up his moustaches.

"To make a long story short, and not to fatigue your Excel-
lency, the trooper, having given me this account, dismounted
from his steed.

" 'Tarry here,' said he, 'and guard my steed while I go and
bow the knee to Boabdil.' So saying, he strode away among
the throng that pressed forward to the throne.

" ' What's to be done ? ' thought I, when thus left to myself,
' shall I wait here until this infidel returns to whisk me off on
his goblin steed, the Lord knows where ; or shall I make the
most of my time and beat a retreat from this hobgoblin com-
munity ? ' A soldier's mind is soon made up, as your Ex-
cellency well knows. As to the horse, he belonged to an
avowed enemy of the faith and the realm, and was a fair prize

GOVERNOR MAXCO AND THE SOLDIER 369

according to the rules of war. So hoisting myself from the
crupper into the saddle, I turned the reins, struck the Moorish
stirrups into the sides of the steed, and put him to make the best
of his way out of the passage by which he had entered. As we
scoured by the halls where the Moslem horsemen sat in motion-
less battalions, I thought I heard the clang of armour and a
hollow murmur of voices. I gave the steed another taste of
the stirrups and doubled my speed. There was now a sound
behind me like a rushing blast : I heard the clatter of a
thousand hoofs : a countless throng overtook me. I was borne
along in the press, and hurled forth from the mouth of the
cavern, while thousands of shado%\'}' forms were swept off in
ever}' direction by the four winds of heaven.

'■ In the whirl and confusion of the scene I was thrown
senseless to the earth, ^\^len I came to myself, I was lying
on the brow of a hill, with the Arabian steed standing
beside me ; for in falling, my arm had slipped ^^•ithin the
bridle, which, I presume, prevented his whisking off to Old
Castile.

" Your Excellency may easily judge of my surprise, on
looking round, to behold hedges of aloes and Indian figs
and other proofs of a southern climate, and to see a great city
below me, with towers, and palaces, and a grand cathedral.

" I descended the hill cautiously, leading my steed, for I
was afraid to mount him again, lest he should play me some
slippery trick. As I descended I met with your patrol, who
let me into the secret that it was Granada that lay before me,
and that I was actually under the walls of the Alhambra,
the fortress of the redoubted Governor Manco, the terror of all
enchanted Moslems. When I heard this, I determined at once
to seek your Excellency, to inform you of all that I had seen,
and to warn you of the perils that surround and undermine
you, that you may take measures in time to guard your fortress,
and the kingdom itself, from this intestine army that lurks in
the ver>- bowels of the land."

B B

370 THE ALHAMBRA

"And prithee, friend, you who are a veteran campaigner,
and have seen so much service," said the governor, " how
would you advise me to proceed, in order to prevent this
evil ? " '

"It is not for a humble private of the ranks," said the
soldier, modestly, " to pretend to instruct a commander of
your Excellency's sagacity, but it appears to me that your
Excellency might cause all the caves and entrances into the
mountains to be walled up with solid mason-work, so that
Boabdil and his army might be completely corked up in their
subterranean habitation. If the good father, too," added the
soldier, reverently bowing to the friar, and devoutly crossing
himself, "would consecrate the barricadoes with his blessing,
and put up a few crosses and relics and images of saints,
I think they might withstand all the power of infidel enchant-
ments."

"They doubtless would be of great avail," said the friar.

The governor now placed his arm akimbo, with his hand
resting on the hilt of his toledo, fixed his eye upon the
soldier, and gently wagging his head from one side to the
other, —

" So, friend," said he, " then you really suppose I am to be
gulled with this cock-and-bull story about enchanted mountains
and enchanted IMoors ? Hark ye, culprit I — not another word.
An old soldier you may be, but you'll find you have an older
soldier to deal with, and one not easily outgeneralled. Ho !
guards there I put this fellow in irons."

The demure handmaid would have put in a word in favour
of the prisoner, but the governor silenced her with a look.

As they were pinioning the soldier, one of the guards felt
something of bulk in his pocket, and drawing it forth, found a
long leathern purse that appeared to be well filled. Holding
it by one corner, he turned out the contents upon the table
before the governor, and never did freebooter's bag make
more gorgeous delivery. Out tumbled rings, and jewels,

GOVERNOR MANXO AND THE SOLDIER 371

and rosaries of pearls, and sparkling diamond crosses, and
a profusion of ancient golden coin, some of which fell jingling
to the floor, and rolled away to the uttermost parts of the
chamber.

For a time the functions of justice were suspended ; there
was a universal scramble after the glittering fugitives. The
governor alone, who was imbued with true Spanish pride,
maintained his stately decorum, though his eye betrayed a
little anxiety until the last coin and jewel was restored to the
sack.

The friar was not so calm ; his whole face glowed like a
furnace, and his eyes twinkled and flashed at sight of the
rosaries and crosses.

" Sacrilegious wretch that thou art 1 " exclaimed he ; "what
church or sanctuary hast thou been plundering of these sacred
relics ? "

" Neither one nor the other, holy father. If they be sac-
rilegious spoils, they must have been taken, in times long past,
by the infidel trooper I have mentioned. I was just going to
tell his Excellency when he interrupted me, that, on taking
possession of the trooper's horse, I unhooked a leathern sack
which hung at the saddle-bow, and which I presume contained
the plunder of his campaignings in days of old, when the Moors
overran the country."

" Mighty well ; at present you will make up your mind to
take up your quarters in a chamber of the Vermilion Tower,
which, though not under a magic spell, will hold you as safe as
any cave of your enchanted Moors."

" Your Excellency will do as you think proper," said the
prisoner, coolly, " I shall be thankful to your Excellency for
any accommodation in the fortress. A soldier who has been
in the wars, as your Excellency well knows, is not particular
about his lodgings. Provided I have a snug dungeon and
regular rations, I shall manage to make myself comfortable. I
would only entreat that while your Excellency is so careful

p. B 2

372 THE ALHAMBRA

about me, you would have an eye to your fortress, and think
on the hint I dropped about stopping up the entrances to the
mountain."

Here ended the scene. The prisoner was conducted to a
strong dungeon in the VermiUon Tower, the Arabian steed was
led to his Excellency's stable, and the trooper's sack was de-
posited in his Excellency's strong box. To the latter, it is true-
the friar made some demur, questioning whether the sacred
relics, which were evidently sacrilegious spoils, should not be
placed in custody of the church ; but as the governor was
peremptory on the subject, and was absolute lord in the
Alhambra, the friar discreetly dropped the discussion, but
determined to convey intelligence of the fact to the church
dignitaries in Granada.

To explain these prompt and rigid measures on the part of
old Governor Manco, it is proper to obser\-e, that about this
time the Alpuxarra mountains in the neighbourhood of
Granada were terribly infested by a gang of robbers, under
the command of a daring chief named ^Manuel Borasco, who
were accustomed to prowl about the country, and even to enter
the city in various disguises, to gain intelligence of the depar-
ture of convoys of merchandise, or travellers with well-lined
purses, whom they took care to waylay in distant and solitary
passes of the road. These repeated and daring outrages had
awakened the attention of government, and the commanders of
the various posts had received instructions to be on the alert,
and. to take up all suspicious stragglers. Governor Manco was
particularly zealous in consequence of the various stigmas that
had been cast upon his fortress, and he now doubted not he
had entrapped some formidable desperado of this gang.

In the meantime the story took wind, and became the talk
not merely of the fortress, but of the whole city of Granada.
It was said that the noted robber Manuel Borasco, the terror
of the Alpuxarras, had fallen into the clutches of old Governor
Manco, and been cooped up by him in a dungeon of the

GOVERNOR MANGO AND THE SOLDIER 373

Vermilion Tower : and every one who had been robbed by him
flocked to recognize the marauder. The A'ermiHon Tower, as
is well known, stands apart from the Alhambra on a sister hill,
separated from the main fortress by the ravine down which
passes the main avenue. There were no outer walls, but a
sentinel patrolled before the tower. The window of the
chamber in which the soldier was confined was strongly
grated, and looked upon a small esplanade. Here the good
folks of Granada repaired to gaze at him, as they would at a
laughing hyena, grinning through the cage of a menagerie.
Nobody, however, recognized him for Manuel Borasco, for
that terrible robber was noted for a ferocious physiognomy,
and had by no means the good-humoured squint of the
prisoner. Visitors came not merely from the city, but from
all parts of the country ; but nobody knew him, and there
began to be doubts in the minds of the common people
whether there might not be some truth in his story. That
Boabdil and his army were shut up in the mountain, was
an old tradition which many of the ancient inhabitajits had
heard from their fathers. Numbers went up to the ^Mountain
of the Sun, or rather of St. Elena, in search of the cave
mentioned by the soldier ; and saw and peeped into the deep
dark pit, descending, no one knows how far, into the mountain,
and which remains there to this day — the fabled entrance to
the subterranean abode of Boabdil.

By degrees the soldier became popular with the common
people. A freebooter of the mountains is by no means the
opprobrious character in Spain that a robber is in any other
country, on the contrary he is a kind of chivalrous personage in
the eyes of the lower classes. There is always a disposition,
also, to cavil at the conduct of those in command : and many
began to murmur at the high-handed measures of old Governor
Manco, and to look upon the prisoner in the light of a
martyr.

The soldier, moreover, was a merry, waggish fellow, that

374 THE ALHAMBRA

had a joke for every one who came near his window, and a
soft speech for every female. He had procured an old guitar
also, and would sit by his window and sing ballads and love-
ditties to the delight of the women of the neighbourhood, who
would assemble on the esplanade in the evening and dance
boleros to his music. Having trimmed off his rough beard,
his sunburnt face found favour in the eyes of the fair, and the
demure handmaid of the governor declared that his squint was
perfectly irresistible. This kind-hearted damsel had from the
first evinced a deep sympathy in his fortunes, and having in
vain tried to mollify the governor, had set to work privately
to mitigate the rigour of his dispensations. Every day she
brought the prisoner some crumbs of comfort which had fallen
from the governor's table, or been abstracted from his larder,
together with, now and then, a consoling bottle of choice Va/
de Penas, or rich ^Malaga.

A\Tiile this petty treason was going on in the very centre of
the old governor's citadel, a storm of open war was brewing up
among his external foes. The circumstance of a bag of gold
and jewels having been found upon the person of the supposed
robber, had been reported, with many exaggerations, in
Granada. A question of territorial jurisdiction was immedi-
ately started by the governor's inveterate rival, the captain-
general. He insisted that the prisoner had been captured
without the precincts of the Alhambra, and within the rules
of his authority. He demanded his body therefore, and the
$polia opwia taken with him. Due information having been
carried Hkewise by the friar to the grand inquisitor of the
crosses and rosaries, and other relics contained in the bag, he
claimed the culprit as having been guilty of sacrilege, and in-
sisted that his plunder was due to the church, and his body to
the next auto-da-fe. The feuds ran high ; the governor was
furious, and swore, rather than surrender his captive, he would
hang him up within the Alhambra, as a spy caught within the
purlieus of the fortress.

GOVERNOR MANXO AND THE SOLDIER 375

The captain-general threatened to send a body of soldiers
to transfer the prisoner from the Vermilion Tower to the city.
The grand inquisitor was equally bent upon despatching a
number of the familiars of the Holy Office. Word was brought
late at night to the governor of these machinations. " Let
them come," said he, " they'll find me beforehand with them :
he must rise bright and early who would take in an old soldier."
He accordingly issued orders to have the prisoner removed,
at daybreak, to the donjon-keep within the walls of the
Alhambra. "And d'ye hear, child," said he to his demure
handmaid, " tap at my door, and wake me before cock-crowing,
that I may see to the matter myself."

The day dawned, the cock crowed, but nobody tapped at
the door of the governor. The sun rose high above the
mountain-tops, and glittered in at his casement, ere the
governor was awakened from his morning dreams by his
veteran corporal, who stood before him with terror stamped
upon his iron visage.

"He's off I he's gone!" cried the corporal, gasping for
breath.

" Who's off — who's gone ? "

" The soldier — the robber — the devil, for aught I know ; his
dungeon is empty, but the door locked : no one knows how he
has escaped out of it."

" Who saw him last ? "

"Your handmaid; she brought him his supper."

" Let her be called instantly."

Here was new matter of confusion. The chamber of the
demure damsel was likewise empty, her bed had not been
slept in : she had doubtless gone off with the culprit, as she
had appeared, for some days past, to have frequent conversa-
tions with him.

This was wounding the old governor in a tender part, but he
had scarce time to wince at it, when new misfortune broke
upon his view. On going into his cabinet he found his strong

376

THE ALU AM BRA

box open, the leather purse of the trooper abstracted and with
it a couple of corpulent bags of doubloons.

But how, and which way had the fugitives escaped ? An
old peasant who lived in a cottage by the road-side leading up
into the Sierra, declared that he had heard the tramp of a
powerful steed just before daybreak, passing up into the moun-
tains. He had looked out at his casement, and could just
distinguish a horseman, with a female seated before him.

" Search the stables ! "' cried Governor Manco. The stables
were searched : all the horses were in their stalls, excepting the
Arabian steed. In his place was a stout cudgel, tied to the
manger, and on it a label bearing these words, " A Gift to
Governor Manco, from an Old Soldier."'

;M^i;^m^^^

\^^

The Mcsgue.

-"^N^r^^y?

A FETE IX THE ALHAMBRA

The Saint's day of my neighbour and rival potentate, the
count, took place during his sojourn in the Alhambra, on which
occasion he have a domestic /efe ; assembling round him the
members of his family and household, while the stewards
and old servants from his distant possessions came to pay him
reverence and partake of the good cheer which was sure to
be provided. It presented a type, though doubtless a faint
one, of the estabhshment of a Spanish noble in the olden
time.

The Spaniards were always grandiose in their notions of
style. Huge palaces ; lumbering equipages, laden with foot-
men and lackeys ; pompous retinues, and useless dependents
of all kinds ; the dignity of a noble seemed commensurate with
the legions who loitered about his halls, fed at his expense, and
seemed ready to devour him alive. This, doubtless, originated

378 THE ALHAMBRA

in the necessity of keeping up hosts of armed retainers during
the wars with the Moors ; wars of inroads and surprises ; when
a noble was liable to be suddenly assailed in his castle
by a foray of the enemy, or summoned to the field by his
sovereign.

The custom remained after the wars were at an end ; and
what originated in necessity was kept up through ostentation.
The wealth which flowed into the country from conquests and
discoveries fostered the passion for princely establishments.
According to magnificent old Spanish usage, in which pride and
generosity bore equal parts, a superannuated servant was never
turned off, but became a charge for the rest of his days ; nay,
his children, and his children's children, and often their relatives
to the right and left, became gradually entailed upon the family.
Hence the huge palaces of the Spanish nobility, which have
such an air of empty ostentation from the greatness of their
size compared with the mediocrity and scantiness of their
furniture, were absolutely required, in the golden days of
Spain, by the patriarchal habits of their possessors. They
were little better than vast barracks for their hereditary
generations of hangers-on that battened at the expense of a
Spanish noble.

These patriarchal habits of the Spanish nobility have declined
wdth their revenues ; though the spirit which prompted them
remains, and wars sadly with their altered fortunes. The
poorest among them have always some hereditary hangers-on,
who live at their expense, and make them poorer. Some who,
like my neighbour the count, retain a modicum of their once
princely possessions, keep up a shadow of the ancient system,
and their estates are overrun and the produce consumed by
generations of idle retainers.

The count held estates in various parts of the kingdom,
some including whole villages ; yet the revenues collected from
them were comparatively small ; some of them, he assured me

A FETE IX THE ALHAMBRA 379

barely fed the hordes of dependents nestled upon them, who
seemed to consider themselves entitled to live rent-free and be
maintained into the bargain, because their forefathers had been
so since time immemorial.

The saint's day of the old count gave me a glimpse into a
Spanish interior. For two or three days previous preparations
were made for ih^fefe. Viands of all kinds were brought up
from town, greeting the olfactory nerves of the old invalid
guards, as they were borne past them through the Gate of
Justice. Servants hurried officiously about the courts ; the
ancient kitchen of the palace was again alive with the tread of
cooks and scullions, and blazed with unwonted fires.

When the day arrived I beheld the old count in patriarchal
state, his family and household around him, with functionaries
who mismanaged his estates at a distance and consumed the
proceeds : while numerous old worn-out servants and pensioners
were loitering about the courts and keeping within smell of
the kitchen.

It was a joyous day in the Alhambra. The guests dispersed
themselves about the palace before the hour of dinner, enjoying
the luxuries of its courts and fountains, and embosomed gardens,
and music and laughter resounded through its late silent halls.

The feast, for a set dinner in Spain is literally a feast, was
served in the beautiful Morisco Hall of " Las dos Hermanasr
The table was loaded with all the luxuries of the season : there
was an almost interminable succession of dishes ; showing how
truly the feast at the rich Camachos' wedding in " Don Quixote "
was a picture of a Spanish banquet. A joyous conviviality pre-
vailed round the board ; for though Spaniards are generally
abstemious, they are complete revellers on occasions like the
present, and none more so than the Andalusians. For my part,
there was something peculiarly exciting in thus sitting at a feast
in the royal halls of the Alhambra, given by one who might
claim remote affinity with its Moorish kings, and who was a

38o THE ALHAMBRA

lineal representative of Gonsalvo of Cordova, one of the most
distinguished of the Christian conquerors.

The banquet ended, the company adjourned to the Hall of
Ambassadors. Here every one endeavoured to contribute to
the general amusement, singing, improvising, telling wonderful
tales, or dancing popular dances to that all-pervading talisman
of Spanish pleasure, the guitar.

The count's gifted little daughter was as usual the life and
delight of the assemblage, and I was more than ever struck with
her aptness and wonderful versatility. She took a part in two
or three scenes of elegant comedy with some of her companions,
and performed them with exquisite point and finished grace ;
she gave imitations of the popular Italian singers, some serious,
some comic, with a rare quality of voice, and, I was assured,
with singular fidelity ; she imitated the dialects, dances, ballads,
and movements and manners of the gypsies and the peasants
of the A'ega with equal felicity ; but everything was done with
an all-pervading grace and a ladylike tact perfectly fascinating.

The great charm of everything she did was its freedom from
pretension or ambitious display, its happy spontaneity. Every-
thing sprang from the impulse of the moment ; or was in prompt
compliance with a request. She seemed unconscious of the
rarity and extent of her own talent, and was like a child at home
revelling in the buoyancy of its own gay and innocent spirits.
Indeed I was told she had never exerted her talents in general
society, but only, as at present, in the domestic circle.

Her faculty of observation and her perception of character
must have been remarkably quick, for she could have had only
casual and transient glances at the scenes, manners, and customs
depicted with such truth and spirit. " Indeed it is a caluntnio
wonder to us," said the countess, "where the child [/a jYma]
has picked up these things, her life being passed almost entirely
at home, in the bosom of the family."

Evening approached ; twilight began to throw its shadows

A FETE IX THE ALHAMBRA 381

about the halls, and the bats to steal forth from their lurking-
place and flit about. A notion seized the little damsel and
some of her youthful companions, to set out, under the guidance
of Dolores, and explore the less frequented parts of the palace
in quest of mysteries and enchantments. Thus conducted,
they peeped fearfully into the gloomy old mosque, but quickly
drew back on being told that a ^Moorish king had been mur-
dered there ; they ventured into the mysterious regions of the
bath, frightening themselves with the sounds and murmurs of
hidden aqueducts, and flying with mock panic at the alarm of
phantom floors. They then undertook the adventure of the
Iron Gate, a place ot baleful note in the Alhambra, It is a
postern gate, opening into a dark ravine : a narrow covered way
leads down to it, which used to be the terror of Dolores and
her playmates in childhood, as it was said a hand without a body
would sometimes be stretched out from the wall and seize hold
of the passers-by.

The little party of enchantment-hunters ventured to the
entrance of the covered way, but nothing would tempt them to
enter, in this hour of gathering gloom ; they dreaded the grasp
of the phantom arm.

At length they came running back into the Hall of Ambas-
sadors in a mock paroxysm of terror : they had positively seen
two spectral figures all in white. They had not stopped to
examine them ; but could not be mistaken, for they glared
distinctly through the surrounding gloom. Dolores soon
arrived and explained the mystery. The spectres proved to be
two statues of nymphs in white marble, placed at the entrance
of a vaulted passage. Upon this a grave, but, as I thought,
somewhat sly old gentleman present, who, I believe, was the
count's advocate or legal adviser, assured them that these
statues were connected with one of the greatest mysteries of
the Alhambra ; that there was a curious history concerning them,
and, moreover, that they stood a living monument in marble of

382

THE ALHAMBRA

female secrecy and discretion. All present entreated him to
tell the history of the statues. He took a little time to recollect
the details, and then gave them in substance the following
legend.

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■^^{m^^mS^^dMP^?^

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LEGEND OF THE TWO DISCREET STATUES

There lived once in a waste apartment of the Alhambra a
merry little fellow, named Lope Sanchez, who worked in the
gardens, and was as brisk and as blithe as a grasshopper,
singing all day long. He was the life and soul of the fortress ;
when his work was over, he would sit on one of the stone
benches of the esplanade, strum his guitar, and sing long ditties
about the Cid, and Bernardo del Carpio, and Fernando del
Pulgar, and other Spanish heroes, for the amusement of the old
soldiers of the fortress ; or would strike up a merrier tune, and
set the girls dancing boleros d.v\di fandangos.

Like most little men, Lope Sanchez had a strapping buxom
dame for a wife, who could almost have put him in her
pocket ; but he lacked the usual poor man's lot — instead of
ten children he had but one. This was a little black-eyed girl
about twelve years of age, named Sanchica, who was as merry
as himself, and the delight of his heart. She played about him

384 THE ALHAMBRA

as he worked in the gardens, danced to his guitar as he sat in
the shade, and ran as wild as a young fawn about the groves
and alleys and ruined halls of the Alhambra.

It was now the eve of the blessed St. John, and the holiday-
loving gossips of the Alhambra, men, women, and children,
went up at night to the Mountain of the Sun, which rises above
the Generalife, to keep their midsummer vigil on its level
summit. It was a bright moonlight night, and all the
mountains were gray and silvery, and the city, w4th its domes
and spires, lay in shadows below, and the Vega was like a fairy
land, with haunted streams gleaming among its dusky groves.
On the highest part of the mountain they lit up a bonfire,
according to an old custom of the country handed down from
the Moors. The inhabitants of the surrounding country were
keeping a similar vigil, and bonfires, here and there in the
Vega, and along the folds of the mountains, blazed up palely in
the moonlight.

The evening was gayly passed in dancing to the guitar of
Lope Sanchez, who was never so joyous as when on a holiday
revel of the kind. While the dance was going on, the little
Sanchica with some of her playmates sported among the ruins
of an old Moorish fort that crowns the mountain, when, in
gathering pebbles in the fosse, she found a small hand curiously
carved of jet, the fingers closed, and the thumb firmly clasped
upon them. Overjoyed with her good fortune, she ran to her
mother with her prize. It immediately became a subject of
sage speculation, and was eyed by some with superstitious
distrust. " Throw it away," said one : " it's Moorish, — depend
upon it, there's mischief and witchcraft in it." " By no means,"
said another ; " you may sell it for something to the jewellers of
the Zacatin." In the midst of this discussion an old tawny soldier
drew near, who had served in Africa, and was as swarthy as a
Moor. He examined the hand with a knowing look. " I have
seen things of this kind," said he, "among the Moors of Bar-
bary. It is a great virtue to guard against the evil eye, and all

LEGEND OF THE TWO DISCREET STATUES 385

kinds of spells and enchantments. I give you joy, friend Lope,
this bodes good luck to your child."

Upon hearing this, the wife of Lope Sanchez tied the little
hand of jet to a ribbon, and hung it round the neck of her
daughter.

The sight of this talisman called up all the favourite supersti-
tions about the Moors. The dance was neglected, and they
sat in groups on the ground, telling old legendary tales handed
down from their ancestors. Some of their stories turned upon
the wonders of the very mountain upon which they were
seated, which is a famous hobgoblin region. One ancient
crone gave a long account of the subterranean palace in the
bowels of that mountain where Boabdil and all his Moslem
court are said to remain enchanted. " Among yonder ruins,"
said she, pointing to some crumbling walls and mounds of earth
on a distant part of the mountain, " there is a deep black pit
that goes down, down into the very heart of the mountain. For
all the money in Granada I would not look down into it. Once
upon a time a poor man of the Alhambra, who tended goats
upon this mountain, scrambled down into that pit after a kid
that had fallen in. He came out again all wild and staring, and
told such things of what he had seen, that every one thought
his brain was turned. He raved for a day or two about the
hobgoblin Moors that had pursued him in the cavern, and
could hardly be persuaded to drive his goats up again to the
mountain. He did so at last, but, poor man, he never came
down again. The neighbours found his goats browsing about
the Moorish ruins, and his hat and aiantle lying near the mouth
of the pit, but he was never more heard of."

The Httle Sanchica listened with breathless attention to this
story. She was of a curious nature, and felt immediately a
great hankering to peep into this dangerous pit. Stealing away
from her companions, she sought the distant ruins, and, after
groping for some time among them, came to a small hollow, or
basin, near the brow of the mountain, where it swept steeply

c c

386 THE ALHAMBKA

down into the valley of the Darro. In the centre of this basin
yawned the mouth of the pit. Sanchica ventured to the verge,
and peeped in. All was as black as pitch, and gave an idea of
immeasurable depth. Her blood ran cold ; she drew back,
then peeped in again, then would have run away, then took
another peep, — the very horror of the thing was delightful to
her. At length she rolled a large stone, and pushed it over the
brink. For some time it fell in silence ; then struck some
rocky projection with a violent crash ; then rebounded from
side to side, rumbling and tumbling, with a noise Hke thunder.;
then made a final splash into water, far, far below, — and all
was again silent.

The silence, however, did not long continue. It seemed as
if something had been awakened within this dreary abyss. A
murmuring sound gradually rose out of the pit like the hum
and buzz of a beehive. It grew louder and louder, there was
the confusion of voices as of a distant multitude, together with
the faint din of arms, clash of cymbals and clangor of trumpets,
as if some army were marshalling for battle in the very bowels
of the mountain.

The child drew off with silent awe, and hastened back to the
place where she had left her parents and their companions. All
were gone. The bonfire was expiring, and its last wreath of
.smoke curling up in the moonshine. The distant fires that
had blazed along the mountains and in the Vega were all ex-
tinguished, and everything seemed to have sunk to repose.
Sanchica called her parents and some of her companions by
name, but received no reply. She ran down the side of the
mountain, and by the gardens of the Generalife, until she
arrived in the alley of trees leading to the Alhambra, when she
seated herself on a bench of a woody recess, to recover breath.
The bell from the watch-tower of the Alhambra tolled midnight.
There was a deep tranquillity as if all nature slept : excepting
the low tinkling sound of an unseen stream that ran under the
covert of the bushes. The breathing sweetness of the atmos-

LEGEND OF THE TWO DISCREET STATUES 387

phere was lulling her to sleep, when her eye was caught by
something glittering at a distance, and to her surprise she be-
held a long cavalcade of Moorish warriors pouring down the
mountain-side and along the leafy avenues. Some were armed
with lances and shields ; others, with cimeters and battle-axes,
and with polished cuirasses that flashed in the moonbeams.
Their horses pranced proudly and champed upon their bits, but
their tramp caused no more sound than if they had been shod
with felt, and the riders were all as pale as death. Among
them rode a beautiful lady, with a crowned head and long
golden locks entwined with pearls. The housings of her palfrey
were of crimson velvet embroidered with gold, and swept the
earth ; but she rode all disconsolate, with her eyes ever fixed
upon the ground.

Then succeeded a train of courtiers magnificently arrayed in
robes and turbans of divers colours, and amidst them, on a
cream-coloured charger, rode king Boabdil el Chico, in a royal
mantle covered with jewels, and a crown sparkling with
diamonds. The little Sanchica knew him by his yellow beard,
and his resemblance to his portrait, which she had often seen
in the picture-gallery of the Generalife. She gazed in wonder
and admiration at this royal pageant, as it passed glistening
among the trees ; but though she knew these monarchs and
courtiers and warriors, so pale and silent, were out of the com-
mon course of nature, and things of magic and enchantment,
yet she looked on with a bold heart, such courage did she derive
from the mystic talisman of the hand, which was suspended
about her neck.

The cavalcade having passed by, she rose and followed. It
continued on to the great Gate of Justice, which stood wide
open ; the old invalid sentinels on duty lay on the stone
benches of the barbican, buried in profound and apparently
cha-med sleep, and the phantom pageant swept noiselessly by them
with flaunting banner and triumphant state. Sanchica would
have followed ; but to her surprise she beheld an opening in

c c 2

388 THE ALU AM BRA

the earth, within the barbican, leading down beneath the
foundations of the tower. She entered for a Httle distance, and
was encouraged to proceed by finding steps rudely hewn in the
rock, and a vaulted passage here and there lit up by a silver
lamp, which, while it gave light, diffused likewise a grateful
fragrance. Venturing on, she came at last to a great hall,
wrought out of the heart of the mountain, magnificently fur-
nished in the Moorish style, and lighted up by silver and
crystal lamps. Here, on an ottoman, sat an old man in
Moorish dress, with a long white beard, nodding and dozing,
with a staff in his hand, which seemed ever to be slipping from
his grasp ; while at a little distance sat a beautiful lady, in
ancient Spanish dress, with a coronet all sparkling with
diamonds, and her hair entwined with pearls, who was softly
playing on a silver lyre. The little Sanchica now recollected a
stor}^ she had heard among the old people of the Alhambra,
concerning a Gothic princess confined in the centre of the
mountain by an old Arabian magician, whom she kept bound
up in magic sleep by the power of music.

The lady paused with surprise at seeing a mortal in that
enchanted hall. " Is it the eve of the blessed St. John ? '' said
she.

" It is," replied Sanchica.

" Then for one night the magic charm is suspended. Come
hither, child, and fear not. I am a Christian like thyself,
though bound here by enchantment. Touch my fetters with
the talisman that hangs about my neck, and for this night I
shall be free."

So saying, she opened her robes and displayed a broad
golden band round her waist, and a golden chain that fastened
her to the ground. The child hesitated not to apply the little
hand of jet to the golden band, and immediately the chain fell
to the earth. At the sound the old man woke and began to
rub his eyes ; but the lady ran her fingers over the chords of
the lyre, and again he fell into a slumber and began to nod, and

LEGEND OF THE TWO DISCREET STATUES 389

his staff to falter in his hand. " Now,"' said the lady, " touch
his staff with the talismanic hand of jet." The child did so,
and it fell from his grasp, and he sank in a deep sleep on the
ottoman. The lady gently laid the silver lyre on the ottoman,
leaning it against the head of the sleeping magician ; then
touching the chords until they vibrated in his ear, — " O potent
spirit of harmony," said she, "continue thus to hold his senses
in thraldom till the return of day. Now follow me, my child,"
continued she, " and thou shalt behold the Alhambra as it was
in the days of its glory, for thou hast a magic talisman that
reveals all enchantments." Sanchica followed the lady in
silence. They passed up through the entrance of the cavern
into the barbican of the Gate of Justice, and thence to the
Plaza de los A/gibes, or esplanade within the fortress.

This was all filled with Moorish soldiery, horse and foot,
marshalled in squadrons, with banners displayed. There were
royal guards also at the portal, and rows of African blacks with
drawn cimeters. No one spoke a word, and Sanchica passed on
fearlessly after her conductor. Her astonishment increased on
entering the royal palace, in which she had been reared. The
broad moonshine lit up all the halls and courts and gardens
almost as brightly as if it were day, but revealed a far different
scene from that to which she was accustomed. The walls of
the apartments were no longer stained and rent by time. In-
stead of cobwebs, they were now hung with rich silks of
Damascus, and the gildings and arabesque paintings were
restored to their original brilliancy and freshness. The halls,
no longer naked and unfurnished, were set out with divans and
ottomans of the rarest stuffs, embroidered with pearls and
studded with precious gems, and all the fountains in the courts
and gardens were playing.

The kitchens were again in full operation : cooks were
busy preparing shadowy dishes, and roasting and boiling the
phantoms of pullets and partridges ; servants were hurrying to
and fro with silver dishes heaped up with dainties, and arrang-

390 THE ALIIAMBRA

ing a delicious banquet. The Court of Lions was thronged
with guards, and courtiers, and alfaquis, as in the old times of
the Moors ; and at the upper end, in the saloon of judgment,
sat Boabdil on his throne, surrounded by his court, and sway-
ing a shadowy sceptre for the night. Notwithstanding all this
throng and seeming bustle, not a voice nor a footstep was to be
heard ; nothing interrupted the midnight silence but the splash-
ing of the fountains. The little Sanchica followed her con-
ductress in mute amazement about the palace, until they came
to a portal opening to the vaulted passages beneath the great
tower of Comares. On each side of the portal sat the figure of
a nymph, wrought out of alabaster. The heads were turned
aside, and their regards fixed upon the same spot within the
vault. The enchanted lady paused, and beckoned the child
to her. "Here,"' said she, "is a great secret, which I will
reveal to thee in reward for thy faith and courage. These dis-
creet statues watch over a treasure hidden in old times by a
Moorish king. Tell thy father to search the spot on which
their eyes are fixed, and he will find what will make him richer
than any man in Granada. Thy innocent hands alone, how-
ever, gifted as thou art also with the talisman, can remove the
treasure. Bid thy father use it discreetly, and devote a part of
it to the performance of daily masses for my deliverance from
this unholy enchantment."

When the lady had spoken these words, she led the child
onward to the little garden of Lindaraxa, which is hard by the
vault of the statues. The moon trembled upon the waters of
the solitary fountain in the centre of the garden, and shed a
tender light upon the orange and citron trees. The beautiful
lady plucked a branch of myrtle and wreathed it round the head
of the child. "Let this be a memento," said she, "of what I
have revealed to thee, and a testimonial of its truth. My hour
is come ; I must return to the enchanted hall : follow me not,
lest evil befall thee : — farewell. Remember what I have said,
and have masses performed for my deliverance." So saying,

LEGEND OF THE TWO DISCREET STATUES 391

the lady entered a dark passage leading beneath the tower of
Comares, and was no longer seen.

The faint crowing of a cock was now heard from the cottages
below the Alhambra, in the valley of the Darro, and a pale
streak of light began to appear above the eastern mountains. A
slight wind arose, there was a sound like the rustling of dry
leaves through the courts and corridors, and door after door
shut to with a jarring sound.

Sanchica returned to the scenes she had so lately beheld
thronged with the shadowy multitude, but Boabdil and his
phantom court were gone. The moon shone into empty halls
and galleries stripped of their transient splendour, stained and
dilapidated by time, and hung with cobwebs. The bat flitted
about in the uncertain light, and the frog croaked from the
fish-pond.

Sanchica now made the best of her way to a remote staircase
that led up to the humble apartment occupied by her family.
The door as usual was open, for Lope Sanchez was too poor to
need bolt or bar ; she crept quietly to her pallet, and, putting
the myrtle wreath beneath her pillow, soon fell asleep.

In the morning she related all that had befallen her to her
father. Lope Sanchez, however, treated the whole as a mere
dream, and laughed at the child for her credulity. He went
forth to his customary labours in the garden, but had not been
there long when his little daughter came running to him almost
breathless. " Father ! father 1 " cried she, " behold the myrtle
wreath which the Moorish lady bound round my head ! "

Lope Sanchez gazed with astonishment, for the stalk of the
myrtle was of pure gold, and every leaf was a sparkling
emerald ! Being not much accustomed to precious stones, he
was ignorant of the real value of the wealth, but he saw enough
to convince him that it was something more substantial than
the stuff of which dreams are generally made, and that at any rate
the child had dreamt to some purpose. His first care was to
enjoin the most absolute secrecy upon his daughter ; in this

392

THE ALII AM BRA

respect, however, he was secure, for she had discretion far be-
yond her years or sex. He then repaired to the vault, where
stood the statues of the two alabaster nymphs. He remarked
that their heads were turned from the portal, and that the
regards of each were fixed upon the same point in the interior
of the building. Lope Sanchez could not but admire this most
discreet contrivance for guarding a secret. He drew a line from
the eyes of the statues to the point of regard, made a private
mark on the wall, and then retired.

All day, however, the mind of Lope Sanchez was distracted
with a thousand cares. He could not help hovering within
distant view of the two statues, and became nervous from the
dread that the golden secret might be discovered. Every foot-
step that approached the place made him tremble. He would
have given anything could he but have turned the heads of the
statues, forgetting that they had looked precisely in the same
direction for some hundreds of years, without any person being
the wiser.

" A plague upon them," he would say to himself, " they'll
betray all ; did ever mortal hear of such a mode of guarding a
secret ? " Then on hearing any one advance, he would steal
off, as though his very lurking near the place would awaken
suspicion. Then he would return cautiously, and peep from a
distance to see if everything was secure, but the sight of the
statues would again call forth his indignation. " Ay, there
they stand," would he say, "always looking, and looking, and
looking, just where they should not. Confound them ! they
are just like all their sex : if they have not tongues to tattle
with, they'll be sure to do it with their eyes."

At length, to his relief, the long anxious day drew to a close.
The sound of footsteps was no longer heard in the echoing
halls of the Alhambra : the last stranger passed the threshold,
the great portal was barred and bolted, and the bat and the
frog and the hooting owl gradually resumed their nightly
vocations in the deserted palace.

LEGEND OF THE TWO DISCREET STATUES 393

Lope Sanchez waited, however, until the night was far
advanced before he ventured with his little daughter to the hall
of the two nympths. He found them looking as knowingly
and mysteriously as ever at the secret place of deposit. " By
your leaves, gentle ladies," thought Lope Sanchez, as he passed
between them, " I will relieve you from this charge that must
have set so heavy in your minds for the last two or three
centuries." He accordingly went to work at the part of the wall
which he had marked, and in a little while laid open a con-
cealed recess, in which stood two great jars of porcelain. He
attempted to draw them forth, but they were immovable, until
touched by the innocent hand of his little daughter. "With her
aid he dislodged them from their niche, and found, to his great
joy, that they were filled with pieces of Moorish gold, mingled
with jewels and precious stones. Before daylight he managed
to convey them to his chamber, and left the two guardian statues
with their eyes still fixed on the vacant wall.

Lope Sanchez had thus on a sudden become a rich man ;
but riches, as usual, brought a world of cares to which he had
hitherto been a stranger. How was he to convey away his
wealth with safety? How was he even to enter upon the
enjoyment of it without awakening suspicion ? Now, too, for
the first time in his life the dread of robbers entered into his
mind. He looked with terror at the insecurity of his habitation,
and went to work to barricade the doors and windows : yet
after all his precautions he could not sleep soundly. His
usual gaiety was at an end, he had no longer a joke or a song
for his neighbours, and, in short, became the most miserable
animal in the Alhambra. His old comrades remarked this altera-
tion, pitied him heartily, and began to desert him ; thinking he
must be falHng into want, and into danger of looking to them
for assistance. Little did they suspect that his only calamity
was riches.

The wife of Lope Sanchez shared his anxiety, but then she
had ghostly comfort. We ought before this to have mentioned

394 THE ALHAMBRA

that Lope, being rather a Ught inconsiderate Httle man, his wife
was accustomed, in all grave matters, to seek the counsel and
ministry of her confessor Fray Simon, a sturdy, broad-shouldered
blue-bearded, bullet-headed friar of the neighbouring convent
of San Francisco, who was in fact the spiritual comforter ot half
the good wives of the neighbourhood. He was moreover in
great esteem among divers sisterhoods of nuns ; who requited
him for his ghostly services by frequent presents of those little
dainties and knick-knacks manufactured in convents, such as
delicate confections, sweet biscuits, and bottles of spiced cor-
dials, found to be marvellous restoratives after fasts and vigils.

Fray Simon thrived in the exercise of his functions. His
oily skin glistened in the sunshine as he toiled up the hill of
the Alhambra on a sultry day. Yet notwithstanding his sleek
condition, the knotted rope round his waist showed the austerity
of his self-discipline : the multitude doffed their caps to him as
a mirror of piety, and even the dogs scented the odour of
sanctity that exhaled from his garments, and howled from their
kennels as he passed.

Such was Fray Simon, the spiritual counsellor of the comely
wife of Lope Sanchez : and as the father confessor is the
domestic confidant of women in humble life in Spain, he w^as
soon acquainted, in great secrecy, with the story of the hidden
treasure.

The friar opened his eyes and mouth, and crossed himself a
dozen times at the news. After a moment's pause, " Daughter
of my soul ! " said he, " know that thy husband has committed
a double sin — a sin against both state and church ! The
treasure he hath thus seized upon for himself, being found in
the royal domains, belongs of course to the crown ; but being
infidel vrealth, rescued as it were from the very fangs of Satan,
should be devoted to the church. Still, however, the matter
may be accommodated. Bring hither thy myrtle wreath."

When the good father beheld it, his eyes twinkled more than
ever with admiration of the size and beauty of the emeralds.

LEGEND OF THE TWO DISCREET STATUES 395

*' This," said he, " being the first-fruits of this discovery, should
be dedicated to pious purposes. I will hang it up as a votive
offering before the image of San Francisco in our chapel, and
will earnestly pray to him, this very night, that your husband
be permitted to remain in quiet possession of your wealth."

The good dame was delighted to make her peace with heaven
at so cheap a rate, and the friar, putting the wreath under his
mantle, departed with saintly steps towards his convent.

When Lope Sanchez came home, his wife told him what had
passed. He was excessively provoked, for he lacked his wife's
devotion, and had for some time groaned in secret at the
domestic visitations of the friar. " Woman," said he, " what hast
thou done ? thou hast put everything at hazard by thy tattling."

" What ! " cried the good woman, " would you forbid my
disburdening my conscience to my confessor ? "

" No, wife ! confess as many of your own sins as you please ;
but as to this money-digging, it is a sin of my own, and my
conscience is very easy under the weight of it."

There was no use, however, in complaining ; the secret was
told, and, like water spilled on the sand, was not again to be
gathered. Their only chance was, that the friar would be discreet.

The next day, while Lope Sanchez was abroad, there was an
humble knocking at the door, and Fray Simon entered with
meek and demure countenance.

" Daughter," said he, "I have earnestly prayed to San
Francisco, and he has heard my prayer. In the dead of the
night the saint appeared to me in a dream, but with a frowning
aspect. ' Why,' said he, ' dost thou pray to me to dispense
with this treasure of the Gentiles, when thou seest the poverty
of my chapel ? Go to the house of Lope Sanchez, crave in my
name a portion of the Moorish gold, to furnish two candlesticks
for the main altar, and let him possess the residue in peace.' "

When the good woman heard of this vision, she crossed
herself with awe, and going to the secret place where Lope had
hid the treasure, she filled a great leathern purse with pieces of

396 THE ALHAMBRA

Moorish gold, and gave it to the friar. The pious monk bestowed
upon her, in return, benedictions enough, if paid by Heaven,
to enrich her race to the latest posterity ; then slipping the
purse into the sleeve of his habit, he folded his hands upon
his breast, and departed with an air of humble thankfulness.

When Lope Sanchez heard of this second donation to the
church, he had well-nigh lost his senses. " Unfortunate man,"
cried he, " what will become of me ? I shall be robbed by
piecemeal ; I shall be ruined and brought to beggary I "

It was with the utmost difficulty that his wife could pacify
him, by reminding him of the countless wealth that yet re-
mained, and how considerate it was for San Francisco to rest
contented with so small a portion.

Unluckily, Fray Simon had a number of poor relations to be
provided for, not to mention some half-dozen sturdy bullet-
headed orphan children and destitute foundlings that he had
taken under his care. He repeated his visits, therefore, from
day to day, with solicitations on behalf of Saint Dominick,
Saint Andrew, Saint James, until poor Lope was driven to
despair, and found that unless he got out of the reach of this
holy friar, he should have to make peace-offerings to every
saint in the calendar. He determined, therefore, to pack up
his remaining wealth, beat a secret retreat in the night, and
make off to another part of the kingdom.

Full of his project, he bought a stout mule for the purpose,
and tethered it in a gloomy vault underneath the tower of the
seven floors ; the very place whence the Belludo, or goblin
horse, is said to issue forth at midnight, and scour the streets
of Granada, pursued by a pack of hell-hounds. Lope Sanchez
had little faith in the story, but availed himself of the dread
occasioned by it, knowing that no one would be likely to pry
into the subterranean stable of the phantom steed. He sent
off his family in the course of the day, with orders to wait for
him at a distant village of the Vega. As the night advanced,
he conveyed his treasure to the vault under the tower, and

LEGEND OF THE TWO DISCREET STATUES 397

having loaded his mule, he led it forth, and cautiously descended
the dusky avenue.

Honest Lope had taken his measures with the utmost secrecy,
imparting them to no one but the faithful wife of his bosom.
By some miraculous revelation, however, they became known
to Fray Simon. The zealous friar beheld these infidel treasures
on the point of slipping forever out of his grasp, and determined
to have one more dash at them for the benefit of the church
and San Francisco. Accordingly, when the bells had rung for
animas, and all the Alhambra was quiet, he stole out of his
convent, and descending through the Gate of Justice, concealed
himself among the thickets of roses and laurels that border the
great avenue. Here he remained, counting the quarters of
hours as they were sounded on the bell of the watch-tower, and
listening to the dreary hootings of owls, and the distant barking
of dogs from the gypsy caverns.

At length he heard the tramp of hoofs, and, through the
gloom of the overshading trees, imperfectly beheld a steed
descending the avenue. The sturdy friar chuckled at the
idea of the knowing turn he was about to serve honest Lope,

Tucking up the skirts of his habit, and wriggling Hke a cat
watching a mouse, he waited until his prey was directly
before him, when darting forth from his leafy covert, and
putting one hand on the shoulder and the other on the crupper,
he made a vault that would not have disgraced the most
experienced master of equitation, and alighted well-forked
astride the steed. "Ah ha!" said the sturdy friar, "we shall
now see who best understands the game." He had scarce
uttered the words when the mule began to kick, and rear, and
plunge, and then set off full speed down the hill. The friar
attempted to check him, but in vain. He bounded from rock
to rock, and bush to bush : the friar's habit was torn to ribbons
and fluttered in the wind, his shaven poll received many a hard
knock from the branches of the trees, and many a scratch from
the brambles. To add to his terror and distress, he found a

398 Tin: ALU. \M BRA

pack of seven hounds in full cry at his heels, and perceived,
too late, that he was actually mounted upon the terrible
Belludo :

Away then they went, according to the ancient phrase, " pull
devil, pull friar," down the great avenue, across the Plaza
Nueva, along the Zacatin, around the Vivarrambla — never did
huntsman and hound make a more furious run, or more infernal
uproar. In vain did the friar invoke every saint in the calendar,
and the holy Mrgin into the bargain ; every time he mentioned
a name of the kind it was like a fresh application of the spur,
and made the Belludo bound as high as a house. Through
the remainder of the night was the unlucky Fray Simon carried
hither and thither, and whither he would not, until every bone
in his body ached, and he suffered a loss of leather too grievous
to be mentioned. At length the crowing of a cock gave the
signal of returning day. At the sound the goblin steed wheeled
about, and galloped back for his tower. Again he scoured the
Vivarrambla, the Zacatin, the Plaza Nueva, and the avenue of
fountains, the seven dogs yelling, and barking, and leaping up,
and snapping at the heels of the terrified friar. The first streak
of day had just appeared as they reached the tower ; here the
goblin steed kicked up his heels, sent the friar a summerset
through the air, plunged into the dark vault followed by the
infernal pack, and a profound silence succeeded to the late
deafening clamour.

Was ever so diabolical a trick played off upon a holy friar ?
A peasant going to his labours at early dawn found the un-
fortunate Fray Simon lying under a fig-tree at the foot of the
tower, but so bruised and bedevilled that he could neither
speak nor move. He was conveyed with all care and tenderness
to his cell, and the story went that he had been waylaid and
maltreated by robbers. A day or two elapsed before he re-
covered the use of his limbs ; he consoled himself, in the
meantime, with the thoughts that though the mule with the
treasure had escaped him, he had previously had some rare

LEGEND OF THE TWO DISCREET STATUES 399

pickings at the infidel spoils. His first care on being able to
use his limbs, was to search beneath his pallet, where he had
secreted the myrtle wreath and the leathern pouches of gold
extracted from the piety of dame Sanchez, "\^'hat was his
dismay at finding the wreath, in effect, but a withered branch
of myrtle, and the leathern pouches filled with sand and gravel !

Fray Simion, with all his chagrin, had the discretion to hold
his tongue, for to betray the secret might draw on him the
ridicule of the public and the punishment of his superior. It
was not until many years afterwards, on his death-bed, that he
revealed to his confessor his nocturnal ride on the Belludo.

Nothing was heard of Lope Sanchez for a long time after his
disappearance from the Alhambra. His memory was always
cherished as that of a merry companion, though it was feared,
from^ the care and melancholy observed in his conduct shortly
before his mysterious departure, that poverty and distress had
driven him to some extremity. Some years afterv\-ards one of
his old companions, an invalid soldier, being at ]Malaga, was
knocked down and nearly run over by a coach and six. The
carriage stopped ; an old gentleman, magnificently dressed,
with a bag-wig and sword, stepped out to assist the poor
invalid. What was the astonishment of the latter to behold
in this grand cavalier his old friend Lope Sanchez, who was
actually celebrating the marriage of his daughter Sanchica with
one of the first grandees in the land.

The carriage contained the bridal party. There was Dame
Sanchez, now grown as round as a barrel, and dressed out with
feathers and jewels, and necklaces of pearls, and necklaces of
diamonds, and rings on every finger, altogether a finery of
apparel that had not been seen since the days of Queen Sheba.
The little Sanchica had now grown to be a woman, and for
grace and beauty might have been mistaken for a duchess, if
not a princess outright. The bridegroom sat beside her —
rather a withered spindle-shanked litde man, but this only
proved him to be of the true-blue blood ; a legitimate Spanish

400

THE ALHAMBRA

grandee being rarely above three cubits in stature. The match
had been of the mother's making.

Riches had not spoiled the heart of honest Lope. He kept
his old comrade with him for several days ; feasted him like a
king, took him to plays and bull-fights, and at length sent him
away rejoicing, with a big bag of money for himself, and
another to be distributed among his ancient messmates of the
Alhambra.

Lope always gave out that a rich brother had died in America
and left him heir to a copper mine ; but the shrewd gossips of
the Alhambra insist that his wealth was all derived from his
having discovered the secret guarded by the two marble nymphs
of the Alhambra. It is remarked that these very discreet
statues continue, even unto the present day, with their eyes
fixed most significantly on the same part of the wall ; Avhich
leads many to suppose there is still some hidden treasure re-
maining there well worthy the attention of the enterprising
traveller. Though others, and particularly all female visitors,
regard them with great complacency as lasting monuments of
the fact that women can keep a secret.

Gate of Elvira.

lit, 'll'^^'ii'f*^*^ V ii)'-'-' ' sU

^ %,T=; '»^^^T?T^if^ . ! I .! '"iJ 111-.

— — / .iii

x^<

THE CRUSADE OF THE GRAND MASTER
OF ALCANTARA

Ix the course of a morning's research among the old
chronicles in the Library of the University, I came upon a
little episode in the history of Granada, so strongly cha-
racteristic of the bigot zeal which sometimes inflamed the
Christian enterprises against this splendid but devoted city,
that I was tempted to draw it forth from the parchment-bound
volume in which it lay entombed, and submit it to the reader.

In the year of redemption, 1394, there was a valiant and
devout grand master of Alcantara, named Martin Yanez de
Barbudo, who was inflamed with a vehement desire to serve
God, and fight the Moors. Unfortunately for this brave and
pious cavalier, a profound peace existed between the Christian
and Moslem powers. Henry HI. had just ascended the throne
of Castile, and Yusef ben Mohammed had succeeded to the
throne of Granada, and both were disposed to continue the
peace which had prevailed between their fathers. The grand

D D

402

TIIL ALII AM BRA

master looked with repining at Moorish banners and weapons,
which decorated his castle-hall, trophies of the exploits of his

•-^^ W^^ Milk

predecessors ; and repined at his fate to exist in a period of
such inglorious tranquillity.

At length his impatience broke through all bounds, and
seeing that he could find no public war in which to engage, he
resolved to carve out a little war for himself. Such at least is

CRUSADE OF THE GRAND MASTER OF ALCANTARA 403

the account given by some ancient chronicles, though others
give the following as the motive for this sudden resolution to
go campaigning.

As the grand master was one day seated at table with
several of his cavaliers, a man suddenly entered the hall, —
tall, meagre, and bony, with haggard countenance and fiery
eye. All recognized him for a hermit, who had been a soldier

KJ>^.

af^^Ut.:!?"

¥^

in his youth, but now led a life of penitence in a cave.
He advanced to the table and struck upon it with a fist
that seemed of iron. " Cavaliers," said he, " why sit ye
here idly, with your weapons resting against the wall, while
the enemies of the faith lord it over the fairest portion of the
land ? "

" Holy father, what wouldst thou have us do," asked the
grand master, " seeing the wars are over and our swords bound
up by treaties of peace ? "

" Listen to my words," replied the hermit. " As I was seated

D D 2

404 THE ALU AM BRA

late at night at the entrance of my cave, contemplating the
heavens, I fell into a reverie, and a wonderful vision was pre-
sented to me. I beheld the moon, a mere crescent, yet
luminous as the brightest silver, and it hung in the heavens
over the kingdom of Granada. \\'hile I was looking at it,
behold there shot forth from the firmament a blazing star,
which, as it went, drew after it all the stars of heaven ; and
they assailed the moon and drove it from the skies ; and the
whole firmament was filled with the glory of the blazing star.
While mine eyes were yet dazzled by this wondrous sight, some
one stood by me with snowy wings and a shining countenance.
' Oh man of prayer,' said he, ' get thee to the grand master of
Alcantara and tell him of the vision thou hast beheld. He is
the blazing star, destined to drive the crescent, the Moslem
emblem, from the land. Let him boldly draw the sword and
continue the good work begun by Pelazo of old, and victory
will assuredly attend his banner.' "

The grand master listened to the hermit as to a messenger
from heaven, and followed his counsel in all things. By his
advice he despatched tvro of his stoutest warriors, armed cap-
a-pie^ on an embassy to the ^Moorish king. They entered the
gates of Granada without molestation, as the nations were at
peace : and made their way to the Alhambra, where they were
promptly admitted to the king, who received them in the Hall
of Ambassadors. They delivered their message roundly and
hardly. " We come, O King, from Don Martin Yaiiez de
Barbudo, grand master of Alcantara : who affirms the faith of
Jesus Christ to be true and holy, and that of Mahomet false
and detestable, and he challenges^thee to maintain the contrary,
hand to hand, in single combat. Shouklst thou refuse, he
offers to combat with one hundred cavaliers against two
hundred ; or, in like proportion, to the number of one
thousand, always allowing thy faith a double number of
champions. Remember, O King, that thou canst not refuse

^I^ilglf^

4o6 THE ALIIAMBRA

this challenge ; since thy prophet, knowing the impossibility
of maintaining his doctrines by argument, has commanded his
followers to enforce them with the sword."

The beard of king Yusef trembled with indignation. " The
master of Alcantara," said he, '' is a madman to send such a
message, and ye are saucy knaves to bring it."

So saying, he ordered the ambassadors to be thrown into a
dungeon, by way of giving them a lesson in diplomacy ; and
they were roughly treated on their way thither by the populace,
who were exasperated at this insult to their sovereign and their
faith.

The grand master of Alcantara could scarcely credit the
tidings of the maltreatment of his messengers ; but the hermit
rejoiced when they were repeated to him. " God," said he,
" has blinded this infidel king for his downfall. Since he has
sent no reply to thy defiance, consider it accepted. Marshal
thy forces, therefore : march forward to Granada ; pause not
until thou seest the gate of Elvira. A miracle will be
wrought in thy favour. There will be a great battle ; the
enemy will be overthrown \ but not one of thy soldiers will
be slain."

The grand master called upon every warrior zealous in the
Christian cause to aid him in this crusade. In a little while three
hundred horsemen and a thousand foot-soldiers rallied under
his standard. The horsemen were veterans, seasoned to battle
and well armed ; but the infantry were raw and undisciplined.
The victory, however, was to be miraculous : the grand master
was a man of surpassing faith, and knew that the weaker the
means the greater the miracle. He sallied forth confidently,
therefore, with his little army, and the hermit strode ahead,
bearing a cross on the end of a long pole, and beneath it the
pennon of the order of Alcantara.

As they approached the city of Cordova they were overtaken
by messengers, spurring in all haste, bearing missives from the
Castilian monarch, forbidding the enterprise. The grand

CRUSADE OF THE GRAND MASTER OF ALCANTARA 407

master was a man of a single mind and a single will ; in
-other words, a man of one idea. "Were I on any other
errand," said he, '^ I should obey these letters as coming from
my lord the king ; but I am sent by a higher power than the
king. In compliance with its commands I have advanced the
cross thus far against the infidels ; and it would be treason to
the standard of Christ to turn back without achieving my
errand."'

^^it-'m. ■

..J

So the trumpets were sounded ; the cross was again reared
aloft, and the band of zealots resumed their march. As they
passed through the streets of Cordova the people were amazed
at beholding a hermit bearing a cross at the head of a warlike
multitude ; but when they learnt that a miraculous victory was
to be effected and Granada destroyed, labourers and artisans
threw by the implements of their handicrafts and joined in the
crusade ; while a mercenary rabble followed on with a view of
plunder.

4oS

THE ALU AM BRA

A number of cavaliers of rank who lacked faith in the
promised miracle, and dreaded the consequences of this
unprovoked irruption into the country of the Moor, assembled
at the bridge of the Guadalquivir and endeavoured to dissuade
the grand master from crossing. He was deaf to prayers,
expostulations, or menaces ; his followers were enraged at this
opposition to the cause of the faith ; they put an end to the
parley by their clamours ; the cross was again reared and
borne triumphantly across the bridge.

The multitude increased as it proceeded ; by the time the
grand master had reached Alcala la Real, which stands on a

iSi^

mountain overlooking the A^ega of Granada, upwards of five
thousand men on foot had joined his standard.

At Alcala came forth Alonzo Fernandez de Cordova, Lord
of Aguilar, his brother Diego Fernandez, Marshal of Castile,
and other cavaliers of valour and experience Placing them-
selves in the way of the grand master, "What madness is this,
Don ?vlartin ? " said they ; " the Moorish king has two hundred
thousand foot soldiers and five thousand horse within his walls ;
what can you and your handful of cavaliers and your noisy
rabble do against such force ? Bethink you of the disasters
which have befallen other Christian commanders who have

CRUSADE OF THE GRAND MASTER OF ALCANTARA 409

crossed these rocky borders with ten times your force. Think,
too, of the mischief that will be brought upon this kingdom by
an outrage of the kind committed by a man of your rank and
importance, a grand master of Alcantara. Pause, we entreat
you, while the truce is yet unbroken. Await within the borders
the reply of the king of Granada to your challenge. If he
agree to meet you singly, or with champions two or three, it
will be your individual contest, and fight it out in God's name ;
if he refuse, you may return home with great honour and the
disgrace will fall upon the Moors."

Several cavaliers, who had hitherto followed the grand
master with devoted zeal, were moved by these expostulations,
and suggested to him the policy of listening to this
advice.

" Cavaliers," said he, addressing himself to Alonzo Fernandez
de Cordova and his companions, "' I thank you for the
counsel you have so kindly bestowed upon me, and if I were
merely in pursuit of individual glory I might be swayed by it.
But I am engaged to achieve a great triumph of the faith, which
God is to effect by miracle through my means. As to you,
cavaliers,"' turning to those of his followers who had wavered,
"if your hearts fail you, or you repent of having put your
hands to this good work, return, in God's name, and my
blessing go with you. For myself, though I have none to
stand by me but this holy hermit, yet will I assuredly proceed ;
until I have planted this sacred standard on the walls of
Granada, or perished in the attempt."

" Don Martin Yanez de Barbudo,"' replied the cavaliers, '• we
are not men to turn our backs upon our commander, however
rash his enterprise. We spoke but in caution. Lead on,
therefore, and if it be to the death, be assured to the death we
will follow thee."'

By this time the common soldiers became impatient.
" Forward ! forward ! " shouted they. '^ Forward in the cause
of faith.'' So the grand master gave signal, the hermit again

410 THE ALIIAMBRA

reared the cross aloft, and they poured down a defile of the
mountain, with solemn chants of triumph.

That night they encamped at the river of Azores, and the
next morning, which was Sunday, crossed the borders. Their
first pause was at an afa/aya or solitary tower^ built upon a
rock : a frontier post to keep a watch upon the border, and
give notice of invasion. It was thence called e/ Torre del
Exea (the tower of the spy). The grand master halted before
it and summoned its petty garrison to surrender. He was
answered by a shower of stones and arrows, which wounded
him in the hand and killed three of his men.

" How is this, father ? '' said he to the hermit ; " you
assured me that not one of my followers would be slain ! "

' True, my son, but I meant in the great battle of the
infidel king ; what need is there of miracle to aid in the capture
of a petty tower ? "

The grand master was satisfied. He ordered wood to be
piled against the door of the tower to burn it down. In the
meantime provisions were unloaded from the sumpter-mules.
and the crusaders, withdrawing beyond bov.'-shot, sat down on the
grass to a repast to strengthen them for the arduous day's work
before them. A\'hile thus engaged, they were startled by tht
sudden appearance of a great Moorish host. The atalayas had
given the alarm by fire and smoke from the mountain-tops of
" an enemy across the border," and the king of Granada had
sallied forth with a great force to the encounter.

The crusaders, nearly taken by surprise, flew to arms and
prepared for battle. The grand master ordered his three
hundred horsemen to dismount and fight on foot in support of
the infantry. The Moors however, charged so suddenly that
they separated the cavaliers from the foot-soldiers and pre-
vented their uniting. The grand master gave the old war-cry,
" Sa?itiago .' Santiago ! and close Spain ! '"' He and his knights
breasted the fury of the battle, but were surrounded by a
■countless host and assailed with arrows, stones, darts, and

CRUSADE OF THE GRAND MASTER OF ALCANTARA 411

arquebuses. Still they fought fearlessly, and made prodigious
slaughter. The hermit mingled in the hottest of the fight. In
one hand he bore the cross, in the other he brandished a sword,
with which he dealt about him like a maniac, slaying several of
the enemy, until he sank to the ground covered with wounds.
The grand master saw him fall, and saw too late the fallacy of
his prophecies. Despair, however, only made him fight the
more fiercely, until he also fell overpowered by numbers. His
devoted cavaliers emulated his holy zeal. Not one turned his
back nor asked for mercy ; all fought until they fell. As to the
foot-soldiers, many were killed, many were taken prisoners ; the
residue escaped to Alcala la Real. A\'hen the Moors came to
strip the slain, the wounds of the cavaliers were all found to be
in front.

Such was the catastrophe of this fanatic enterprise. The
Moors vaunted it as a decisive proof of the superior sanctity of
their faith, and extolled their king to the skies when he returned
in triumph to Granada.

As it was satisfactorily shown that this crusade was the
enterprise of an individual, and contrary to the express orders
of the king of Castile, the peace of the two kingdoms was
not interrupted. Nay, the Moors evinced a feeling of respect
for the valour of the unfortunate grand master, and readily gave
up his body to Don Alonzo Fernandez de Cordova, who came
from Alcala to seek it. The Christians of the frontier united
in paying the last sad honours to his memory. His body was
placed upon a bier, covered with the pennon of the order of
Alcantara ; and the broken cross, the emblem of his confident
hopes and fatal disappointment, was borne before it. In this
way his remains were carried back in funeral procession, through
the mountain tract which he had traversed so resolutely.
^Vhereve^ it passed, through a town or village, the populace
followed, with tears and lamentations, bewailing him as a
valiant knight and a martyr to the faith. His body was
interred in the chapel of the convent of Santa Maria de

412

THE ALHAMBRA

Almocovara, and on his sepulchre may still be seen engraven
in quaint and antique Spanish the following testimonial to his
bravery : —

HERE LIES ONE WHOSE HEART NEVER KNEW FEAR.
{Aqiii yaz aqtiel, que par neva c(sa miuca ere- favor en sen corazon.)

"^^

■^r

I I

an expedition in guest of a
diploma'^

One of the most important occurrences in the domestic life
of the Alhambra, was the departure of Manuel, the nephew of
Dona Antonia, for Malaga, to stand examination as a physician.
I have already informed the reader that, on his success in
obtaining a degree depended in a great measure the union and
future fortunes of himself and his cousin Dolores ; at least so
I was privately informed by Mateo Ximenes, and various cir-
cumstances occurred to corroborate his information. Their
courtship, however, was carried on very quietly and discreetly,
and I scarce think I should have discovered it, if I had not
been put on the alert by the all-observant Mateo.

In the present instance, Dolores was less on the reserve, and
had busied herself for several days in fitting out honest Manuel
for his expedidon. All his clothes had been arranged and
packed in the neatest order, and above all she had worked a
smart Andalusian travelling-jacket for him v/ith her own hands.
On the morning appointed for his departure, a stout mule on
which he was to perform the journey was paraded at the portal

414 THE ALHAMBRA

of the Alhambra, and Tio Polo (Uncle Polo), an old invalid
soldier, attended to caparison him. This veteran was one of
the curiosities of the place. He had a leathern lantern visage
tanned in the tropics, a long Roman nose, and a black beetle
eye. I had frequently observed him reading, apparently with
intense interest, an old parchment-bound volume ; sometimes
he would be surrounded by a group of his brother invalids :
some seated on the parapets, some lying on the grass, listening
with fixed attention, while he read slowly and deliberately out
of his favourite work, sometimes pausing to explain or expound
for the benefit of his less enlightened auditors.

I took occasion one day to inform myself of this ancient
book, which appeared to be his vade mecujn, and found it to be
an odd volume of the works of Padre Benito Geronymo Feyjoo ;
and that one which treats about the Magic of Spain, the
mysterious caves of Salamanca and Toledo, the Purgatory of
San Patricio (St. Patrick), and other mystic subjects of the
kind. From that time I kept my eye upon the veteran.

On the present occasion I amused myself with watching him
fit out the steed of Manuel with all the forecast of an old
campaigner. First he took a considerable time in adjusting to
the back of the mule a cumbrous saddle of antique fashion,
high in front and behind, with Moorish stirrups like shovels ;
the whole looking like a relic of the old armoury of the
Alhambra ; then a fleecy sheepskin was accommodated to the
deep seat of the saddle ; then a inaleta^ neatly packed by the
hand of Dolores, was buckled behind ; then a mafita was
thrown over it to serve as either cloak or couch ; then the all-
important alforjas carefully stocked with provant, were hung in
front, together with the bota, or leathern bottle for either wine
or water, and lastly the trabucho^ which the old soldier slung
behind, giving it his benediction. It was like the fitting out in
old times of a ^Moorish cavalier for a foray or a joust in the
Vivarrambla. A number of the lazzaroni of the fortress had
gathered round, with some of the invalids, all looking on, all

AN EXPEDITION IN QUEST OF A DIPLOMA 415

offering their aid, and all giving advice, to the great annoyance
of Tio Polo.

When all was ready Manuel took leave of the household ;
Tio Polo held his stirrup while he mounted, adjusted the girths
and saddle, and cheered him off in military style ; then turning to
Dolores, who stood admiring her cavaHer as he trotted off,
" Ah, Dolorocita," exclaimed he, with a nod and a wink, " es miiy
guapo Manuelito in :u Xaqueta '' (Ah Dolores, Manuel is
mighty fine in his jacket). The little damsel blushed and
laughed, and ran into the house.

Days elapsed without tidings from Manuel, though he had
promised to write. The heart of Dolores began to misgive her.
Had anything happened to him on the road ? Had he failed
in his examination ? A circumstance occurred in her little
household to add to her uneasiness and fill her mind with fore-
boding. It was almost equal to the escapado of her pigeon.
Her tortoise-shell cat eloped at night and clambered to the
tiled roof of the iVlhambra. In the dead of the night there was
a fearful caterwauling ; some grimalkin was uncivil to her ; then
there was a scramble ; then a clapper-clawing ; then both
parties rolled off the roof and tumbled from a great height among
the trees on the hill-side. Nothing more was seen or heard
of the fugitive, and poor Dolores considered it but the prelude
to greater calamities.

At the end of ten days, however, Manuel returned in triumph,
duly authorised to kill or cure ; and all Dolores' cares were
over. There was a general gathering in the evening of the
humble friends and hangers-on of Dame Antonia to congratulate
her and pay their respects to el Sefior Medico^ who, peradventure,
at some future day might have all their lives in his hands. One
of the most important of these guests was old Tio Polo ; and I
gladly seized the occasion to prosecute my acquaintance with
him. " Oh Sefior," cried Dolores, " you who are so eager to
learn all the old histories of the Alhambra, Tio Polo knows more
about them than any one else about the place. More than
Mateo Ximenes and his whole family put together. Vaya —

4i6

THE ALHAMBRA

Fciya — Tio Po/o, tell the Senor all those stories you told us
one evening, about enchanted Moors, and the haunted bridge
over the Darro, and the old stone pomegranates, that have
been there since the days of King Chico."

It was some time before the old invalid could be brought
into a narrative vein. He shook his head — they were all idle
tales ; not worthy of being told to a cavaUero like myself. It was
only by telling some stories of the kind myself I at last got him
to open his budget. It was a whimsical farrago, partly made
up of what he had heard at the Alhambra, partly of what he
had read in Padre Feyjoo. I will endeavour to give the reader
the substance of it, but I will not promise to give it in the very
words of Tio Polo.

"W^

THE LEGEND OF THE ENXHAXTED
SOLDIER

Everybody nas heard of the Cave of St. Cyprian at Sala-
manca, where in old times judicial astronomy, necromancy,
chiromancy, and other dark and damnable arts were secretly
taught by an ancient sacristan ; or, as some will have it, by the
devil himself, in that disguise. The cave has long been shut up
and the very site of it forgotten ; though, according to tradition,
the entrance was somewhere about where the stone cross stands
in the small square of the seminary of Car^^ajal ; and this tradition
appears in some degree corroborated by the circumstances of
the following story.

There was at one time a student of Salamanca, Don Vicente
by name, of that merry but mendicant class, who set out on
the road to learning without a penny in pouch for the journey,
and who, during college vacations, beg from town to town and
village to village to raise funds to enable them to pursue their
studies through the ensuing term. He was now about to set
forth on his wanderings ; and being somewhat musical, slung

E E

4kS the ALHAMBRA

on his back a guitar with which to amuse the villagers, and pay
for a meal or a night's lodging.

As he passed by the stone cross in the seminary square, he
pulled off his hat and made a short invocation to St. Cyprian,
for good luck ; when casting his eyes upon the earth, he per-
ceived something glitter at the foot of the cross. On picking
it up, it proved to be a seal-ring of mixed metal, in which gold
and silver appeared to be blended. The seal bore as a device
two triangles crossing each other, so as to form a star. This
device is said to be a cabalistic sign, invented by king Solomon
the Wise, and of mighty power in all cases of enchantment ;
but the honest student, being neither sage nor conjurer, knew
nothing of the matter. He took the ring as a present from St.
Cyprian in reward of his prayer ; slipped it on his finger, made
a bow to the cross, and strumming his guitar, set off merrily on
his wandering.

The life of a mendicant student in Spain is not the m^ost
miserable in the world ; especially if he has any talent at
making himself agreeable. He rambles at large from village
to village, and city to city, wherever curiosity or caprice may
conduct him. The country curates, who, for the most part,
have been mendicant students in their time, give him shelter
for the night, and a comfortable meal, and often enrich him with
several quartos, or halfpence in the morning. As he presents
himself from door to door in the streets of the cities, he meets
with no harsh rebuff, no chilling contempt, for there is no dis-
grace attending his mendicity, many of the most learned men
in Spain having commenced their career in this manner ; but
if, like the student in question, he is a good-looking varlet and
a merry companion : and, above all, if he can play the guitar,
he is sure of a hearty welcome among the peasants, and smiles
and favours from their wives and daughters.

In this way, then, did our ragged and musical son of learning
make his way over half the kingdom ; with fixed determination
to visit the famous city of Granada before his return. Some-

THE LEGEND OF THE ENXHAXTED SOLDIER 419

times he was gathered for the night into the fold of some
village pastor ; sometimes he was sheltered under the humble,
but hospitable roof of the peasant. Seated at the cottage door
with his guitar, he delighted the simple folk with his ditties ; or
striking up a fandango or bolero^ set the brown country lads
and lasses dancing in the mellow twilight. In the morning he
departed with kind words from host and hostess, and kind looks
and, peradventure, a squeeze of the hand from the daughter.

At length he arrived at the great object of his musical vaga-
bondising, the far-famed city of Granada, and hailed with
wonder and delight its Moorish towers, its lovely z'ega, and its
snowy mountains glistening through a summer atmosphere. It
is needless to say with what eager curiosity he entered its gates
and wandered through its streets, and gazed upon its oriental
monuments. Every female face peering through a window or
beaming from a balcony was to him a Zorayda or a Zelinda,
nor could he meet a stately dame on the Alameda but he was
ready to fancy her a Moorish princess, and to spread his
student's robe beneath her feet.

His musical talent, his happy humour, his youth and his
good looks, won him a universal welcome in spite of his ragged
robes, and for several days he led a gay life in the old Moorish
capital and its environs. One of his occasional haunts was the
fountain of Avellanos, in the valley of Darro. It is one of the
popular resorts of Granada, and has been so since the days of
the Moors ; and here the student had an opportunity of pur-
suing his studies of female beauty ; a branch of study to which
he was a little prone.

Here he would take his seat with his guitar, improvise love-
ditties to admiring groups of viajos and inajas^ or prompt with
his music the ever-ready dance. He was thus engaged one
evening when he beheld a padre of the church advancing, at
whose approach every one touched the hat. He was evidently
a man of consequence ; he certainly was a mirror of good if not
of holy living ; robust and rosy-faced, and breathing at every

E E 2

^20 THE ALHAMBRA

pore with the warmth of the weather and the exercise of the
walk. As he passed along he would every now and then draw
a maravedi out of his pocket and bestow it on a beggar with
an air of signal beneficence. " Ah, the blessed father : "' would
be the cry ; " long life to him, and may he soon be a bishop I "

To aid his steps in ascending the hill he leaned gently now
and then on the arm of a handmaid, evidently the pet-lamb of
this kindest of pastors. Ah, such a damsel ! Andulas from
head to foot ; from the rose in her hair, to the fairy shoe and
lacework stocking ; Andalus in every movement ; in every
undulation of the body : — ripe, melting Andalus 1 — But then
so modest ! — so shy 1 — ever, with downcast eyes, listening to the
words of the padre ; or, if by chance she let flash a side glance,
it was suddenly checked and her eyes once more cast to the
ground.

The good padre looked benignantly on the company about
the fountain, and took his seat with some emphasis on a stone
bench, while the handmaid hastened to bring him a glass of
sparkling water. He sipped it deliberately and with a relish,
tempering it with one of those spongy pieces of frosted eggs
and sugar so dear to Spanish epicures, and on returning the
glass to the hand of the damsel pinched her cheek with infinite
loving-kindness.

"Ah, the good pastor !" whispered the student to himself;
" what a happiness would it be to be gathered into his fold
with such a pet-lamb for a companion ! "

But no such good fare was likely to befall him. In vain he
essayed those powers of pleasing which he had found so irre-
sistible with country curates and country lasses. Never had
he touched his guitar with such skill ; never had he poured
forth more soul-moving ditties, but he had no longer a country
curate or country lass to deal with. The worthy priest evidently
did not relish music, and the modest damsel never raised her
eyes from the ground. They remained but a short time at the
fountain ; the good padre hastened their return to Granada.

THE LEGEND OF THE ENXHAXTED SOLDIER 421

The damsel gave the student one shy glance in retiring ; but
it plucked the heart out of his bosom 1

He inquired about them after they had gone. Padre Tomds
was one of the saints of Granada, a model of regularity;
punctual in his hour of rising; his hour of taking d. paseo for
an appetite ; his hours of eating ; his hour of taking his siesta ;
his hour of playing his game of fresiHo, of an evening, with
some of the dames of the Cathedral circle ; his hour of sup-
ping, and his hour of retiring to rest, to gather fresh strength
for another day's round of similar duties. He had an easy
sleek mule for his riding ; a matronly housekeeper skilled in
preparing tit-bits for his table ; and the pet-lamb, to smooth
his pillow at night and bring him his chocolate in the morning.

Adieu now to the gay, thoughtless life of the student ; the
side-glance of a bright eye had been the undoing of him. Day
and night he could not get the image of this most modest
damsel out of his mind. He sought the mansion of the padre.
Alas ! it was above the class of houses accessible to a strolling
student like himself. The worthy padre had no sympathy
with him ; he had never been Estudiante sopisfa, obliged to
sing for his supper. He blockaded the house by day, catching
a glance of the damsel now and then as she appeared at a case-
ment ; but these glances only fed his flame without encourag-
ing his hope. He serenaded her balcony at night, and at one
time was flattered by the appearance of something white at a
window. Alas, it was only the night-cap of the padre.

Never was lover more devoted ; never damsel more shy : the
poor student was reduced to despair. At length arrived the
eve of St. John, when the lower classes of Granada swarm into
the country, dance away the afternoon, and pass midsummer's
night on the banks of the Darro and the Xenil. Happy are
they who on this eventful night can wash their faces in those
waters just as the cathedral bell tells midnight, for at that
precise moment they have a beautifying power. The student,
having nothing to do, suffered himself to be carried away by

422

Tin-: ALIIAMT5RA

the holiday-seeking throng until he found himself in the narrow
valley of the Darro, below the lofty hill and ruddy towers of the

Alhambra. The dry
;: ^ bed of the river ; the

.'/•i> K':""^ , ^ rocks which border
«^ ;-'".•■'• ■•'.* It; the terraced gar-
dens which overhang
it, were alive with
variegated groups,
dancing under the
vines and fig-trees to
the sound of the

-^]K

5^^,

:- ^.S,

-:i.\,_ ■

guitar and castanets.
The student re-
mained for some
time in doleful dumps,
leaning against one
of the huge misshapen
stone pomegranates
which adorn the ends
of the little bridge
over the Darro, He
cast a wistful glance
upon the merry scene,
where every cavalier
had his dame : or, to
speak more appro-
priately, every Jack
his Jill ; sighed at his
own solitary state, a
victim to the black
eye of the most unapproachable of damsels, and repined at
his ragged garb, which seemed to shut the gate of hope against
him,

Bv desrrees his attention was attracted to a

v^ -;'T|VXVJ* ■ '- /■■■

-^ --.K

*:ii&i-

^.^

."V

neighbour

THE LEGEND OF THE ENCHANTED SOLDIER 423

equally solitary with himself. This was a tall soldier, of a
stern aspect and grizzled beard, who seemed posted as a
sentry at the opposite pomegranate. His face was bronzed
by time; he was arrayed in ancient Spanish armour, with

Ife.

■f<!k.

.^fj

buckler and lance, and stood immovable as a statue. What
surprised the student was, that though thus strangely equipped,
he was totally unnoticed by the passing throng, albeit that
many almost brushed against him.

"This is a city of old time peculiarities,^' thought the

424

THE ALHAMBRA

student, " and doubtless this is one of them \vith which the
inhabitants are too familiar to be surprised." His own curi-
osity, however, was awakened and being of a social disposition,
he accosted the soldier.

-,i^., J^ .^|,fc

feS^^-,. !J;

.-,..v^rgl^

" A rare old suit of armour that which you wear, comrade.
May I ask what corps you belong to ? "

The soldier gasped out a reply from a pair of jaws which
seemed to have rusted on their hinges.

" The royal guard of Ferdinand and Isabella."

THE LEGEND OF THE ENXHAXTED SOLDIER 425

" Santa Maria ! Why, it is three centuries since that corps
was in service."

*' And for three centuries have I been mounting guard. Now
I trust my tour of duty draws to a close. Dost thou desire
fortune ? "

The student held up his tattered cloak in reply.

" I understand thee. If thou hast faith and courage, follow
me, and thy fortune is made."

" Softly, comrade, to follow thee would require small courage
in one who has nothing to lose but life and an old guitar,
neither of much value ; but my faith is of a different matter,
and not to be put in temptation. If it be any criminal act by
which I am to mend my fortune, think not my ragged cloak
will make me undertake it."

The soldier turned on him a look of high displeasure. " My
sword," said he, "has never been drawn but in the cause of the
faith and the throne. I am a Cristiano viejo ; trust in me and
fear no evil."

The student followed him wondering. He observed that no
one heeded their conversation, and that the soldier made his way
through the various groups of idlers unnoticed, as if invisible.

Crossing the bridge, the soldier led the way by a narrow^
and steep path past a ^loorish mill and aqueduct, and up the
ravine which separates the domains of the Generalife from
those of the Alhambra. The last ray of the sun shone upon
the red battlements of the latter, which beetled far above : and
the convent-bells were proclaiming the festival of the ensuing
day. The ravine was overshadowed by fig-trees, vines, and
myrtles, and the outer towers and walls of the fortress. It was
dark and lonely, and the twilight-loving bats began to flit about.
At length the soldier halted at a remote and ruined tower, ap-
parently intended to guard a Moorish aqueduct. He struck
the foundation with the butt-end of his spear. A rumbling
sound was heard, and the solid stones yawned apart, leaving
an opening as wide as a door.

426

THE ALHAMBRA

"and frl , ,H f"^.°^ *' "°'>' ™"">'" ^^''d 'he soldier,
the .,gn of the cross, muttered his Ave Maria, and followed his

<^s.-^. ^

mysterious guide into a deep vault cut out of the solid rock
under the tower, and covered with Arabic inscriptions The
soldier pointed to a stone seat hewn along one side of the
vault. "Behold," said he, "my couch for three hundred

THE LEGEND OF THE ENCHANTED SOLDIER 427

years.'' The bewildered student tried to force a joke. " By the
blessed St. Anthony," said he, " but you must have slept
soundly, considering the hardness of your couch."

" On the contrary, sleep has been a stranger to these eyes ;
incessant watchfulness has been my doom. Listen to my lot.
I was one of the royal guards of Ferdinand and Isabella ; but
was taken prisoner by the Moors in one of their sorties, and
confined a captive in this tower. When preparations were
made to surrender the fortress to the Christian sovereigns, I
was prevailed upon by an Alfaqui^ a Moorish priest, to aid him
in secreting some of the treasures of Boabdil in this vault. I
was justly punished for my fault. The Alfaqui was an African
necromancer, and by his infernal arts cast a spell upon me — to
guard his treasures. Something must have happened to him,
for he never returned, and here have I remained ever since,
buried alive. Years and years have rolled away ; earthquakes
have shaken this hill ; I have heard stone by stone of the tower
above tumbling to the ground, in the natural operation of time ;
but the spell-bound walls of this vault set both time and earth-
quakes at defiance.

" Once every hundred years, on the festival of St. John, the
enchantment ceases to have thorough sway ; I am permitted to
go forth and post myself upon the bridge of the Darro, where
you met me, waiting until some one shall arrive who may have
power to break this magic spell. I have hitherto mounted guard
there in vain, I walk as in a cloud, concealed from mortal
sight. You are the first to accost me for now three hundred
years. I behold the reason. I see on your finger the seal-ring
of Solomon the Wise, which is proof against all enchantment.
^Vith you it remains to deliver me from this awful dungeon,
or to leave me to keep guard here for another hundred years.*"

The student listened to this tale in mute wonderment. He
had heard many tales of treasures shut up under strong enchant-
ment in the vaults of the Alhambra, but had treated them as
fables. He now felt the value of the seal-ring, which had, in a
manner, been given to him by St. C}prian. Still, though

428 THE ALHAMBRA

armed by so potent a talisman, it was an awful thing to find
himself tete-a-tcte in such a place with an enchanted soldier,
who, according to the laws of nature, ought to have been
quietly in his grave for nearly three centuries.

A personage of this kind, however, was quite out of the
ordinary run, and not to be trifled with, and he assured him he
might rely upon his friendship and good will to do everything
in his power for his deliverance.

" I trust to a motive more powerful than friendship,"' said
the soldier.

He pointed to a ponderous iron coffer, secured by locks,
inscribed with Arabic characters. " That coffer," said he,
" contains countless treasure in gold and jewels and precious
stones. Break the magic spell by which I am enthralled, and
one half of this treasure shall be thine."

" But how am I to do it ? "

"The aid of a Christian priest and a Christian maid is
necessary. The priest to exorcise the powers of darkness ; the
damsel to touch this chest with the seal of Solomon. This
must be done at night. But have a care. This is solemn
work, and not to be effected by the carnal-minded. The priest
must be a Cristiaiio viejo, a model of sanctity ; and must
mortify the flesh before he comes here, by a rigorous fast of
four-and-twenty hours : and as to the maiden, she must be
above reproach, and proof against temptation. Linger not in
finding such aid. In three days my furlough is at an end ; if
not delivered before midnight of the third, I shall have to
mount guard for another century."

" Fear not," said the student, " I have in my eye the very
priest and damsel you describe : but how am I to regain ad-
mission to this tower ? "

" The seal of Solomon will open the way for thee."

The student issued forth from the tower much more gaily
than he had entered. The wall closed behind him, and re-
mained solid as before.

The next morning he repaired boldly to the mansion of the

THE LEGEND OF THE ENCHANTED SOLDIER 429

priest, no longer a poor strolling student, thrumming his way
with a guitar ; but an ambassador from the shadowy world,
with enchanted treasures to bestow. No particulars are told of
his negotiation, excepting that the zeal of the worthy priest was
easily kindled at the idea of rescuing an old soldier of the faith
and a strong-box of King Chico from the very clutches of
Satan ; and then what alms might be dispensed, what churches
built, and how many poor relatives enriched with the Moorish
treasure !

As to the immaculate handmaid, she was ready to lend her
hand, which was all that was required, to the pious work ; and
if a shy glance now and then might be believed, the ambassador
began to find favour in her modest eyes.

The greatest difficulty, however, was the fast to which the
good Padre had to subject himself. Twice he attempted it,
and twice the flesh was too strong for the spirit. It was only
on the third day that he was enabled to withstand the tempta-
tions of the cupboard ; but it was still a question whether he
would hold out until the spell was broken.

At a late hour of the night the party groped their way up the
ravine by the light of a lantern, and bearing a basket with
provisions for exorcising the demon of hunger so soon as the
other demons should be laid in the Red Sea.

The seal of Solomon opened their way into the tower. They
found the soldier seated on the enchanted strong-box, awaiting
their arrival. The exorcism was performed in due style. The
damsel advanced and touched the locks of the coffer with the
seal of Solomon. The lid flew open ; and such treasures of
gold and jewels and precious stones as flashed upon the eye !

" Here's cut and come again ! " cried the student exultingly,
as he proceeded to cram his pockets.

" Fairly and sofdy," exclaimed the soldier. " Let us get the
coffer out entire, and then divide."

They accordingly went to work with might and main ; but it
was a difficult task ; the chest was enormously heavy, and had

430 THE ALHAMBRA

been imbedded there for centuries. A\'hile they were thus
employed the good dominie drew on one side and made a
vigorous onslaught on the basket, by way of exorcising the
demon of hunger which was raging in his entrails. In a little
while a fat capon was devoured, and washed down by a deep
potation of Val de pefias; and, by way of grace after meat, he
gave a kind-hearted kiss to the pet-lamb who waited on him.
It was quietly done in a corner, but the tell-tale walls babbled
it forth as if in triumph. Never was chaste salute more awful
in its effects. At the sound the soldier gave a great cry of
despair ; the coffer, which was half raised, fell back in its place
and was locked once more. Priest, student, and damsel, found
themselves outside of the tower, the wall of which closed with a
thundering jar. Alas ! the good Padre has broken his fast too
soon!

When recovered from his surprise, the student would have
re-entered the tower, but learnt to his dismay that the damsel,
in her fright, had let fall the seal of Solomon : it remained
within the vault.

In a word, the cathedral bell tolled midnight ; the spell
was renewed ; the soldier was doomed to mount guard for
another hundred years, and there he and the treasure remain to
this day — and all because the kind-hearted Padre kissed his
handmaid. " Ah father ! father ! " said the student, shaking
his head ruefully, as they returned down the ravine, " I fear
there was less of the saint than the sinner in that kiss ! "

Thus ends the legend as far as it has been authenticated.
There is a tradition, however, that the student had brought off
treasure enough in his pocket to set him up in the world ; that
he prospered in his affairs, that the worthy Padre gave him the
pet-lamb in marriage, by way of amends for the blunder in the
vault : that the immaculate damsel proved a pattern for wives
as she had been for handmaids, and bore her husband a
numerous progeny ; that the first was a wonder ; it was born

THE LEGEND OF THE ENCHANTED SOLDIER

431

seven months after her marriage, and though a seven-month's
boy, was the sturdiest of the flock. The rest were all born in
the ordinary course of time.

The stor}" of the enchanted soldier remains one ot the popular
traditions of Granada, though told in a variety of ways ; the
common people affirm that he still mounts guard on midsummer
eve, beside the gigantic stone pomegranate on the Bridge of
the Darro ; but remains invisible excepting to such lucky
mortals as may possess the seal of Solomon.

P^P^-"L i

THE AUTHOR'S FAREWELL TO GRANADA

My serene and happy reign in the Alhambra was suddenly
brought to a close by letters which reached me, while indulging
in oriental luxury in the cool hall of the baths, summoning me
away from my Moslem elysium, to mingle once more in the
bustle and business of the dusty world. How was I to en-
counter its toils and turmoils, after such a life of repose and
reverie ! How was I to endure its commonplace, after the
poetry of the Alhambra !

But little preparation was necessary for my departure. A
two-wheeled vehicle, called a tarfa?ia, very much resembling a
covered cart, was to be the travelling equipage of a young
Englishman and myself through Murcia, to Alicant and
Valencia, on our way to France ; and a long-limbed varlet, who
had been a co?ifraba?tdista, and, for aught I knew, a robber,
was to be our guide and guard. The preparations were soon
made, but the departure was the difficulty. Day after day was

LEGEND OF THE ENCHANTED SOLDIER 433

it postponed ; day after day was spent in lingering about my
favourite haunts, and day after day they appeared more
delightful in my eyes.

The social and domestic little world also, in which I had
been moving, had become singularly endeared to me : and the
concern evinced by them at my intended departure, convinced
me that my kind feelings were reciprocated. Indeed, when at
length the day arrived, I did not dare venture upon a leave-
taking at the good dame Antonia's ; I saw the soft heart of
little Dolores, at least, was brim full and ready for an
overflow. So I bade a silent adieu to the palace and its
inmates, and descended into the city as if intending to return.
There, however, the tartana and the guide were ready ; so,
after taking a noon-day's repast with my fellow-traveller at
the Posada^ I set out with him on our journey.

Humble was the cortege and melancholy the departure of
El Rey Chico the Second '. Manuel, the nephew of Tia
Anfonia. Mateo, my officious but now disconsolate squire, and
two or three old invalids of the Alhambra with whom I had
grown into gossiping companionship, had come down to see
me off : for it is one of the good old customs oi Spam to sally
forth several miles to meet a coming friend, and to accompany
him as far on his departure. Thus then we set out, our long-
legged guard striding ahead, with his escopeta on his shoulder ;
Manuel and Mateo on each side of the tartana, and the old
invalids behind.

At some little distance to the north of Granada, the road
gradually ascends the hills ; here I alighted and walked up
slowly with Manuel, who took this occasion to confide to me
the secret of his heart and of all those tender concerns between
himself and Dolores, with which I had been already informed
by the all-knowing and all-revealing Mateo Ximenes. His
doctor's diploma had prepared the way for their union, and
nothing more was wanting but the dispensation of the Pope, on

F F

434

THE ALIIAMBRA

account of their consanguinity. Then, if he could get the
post of Medico of the fortress, his happiness would be complete I
I congratulated him on the judgment and good taste he had
shown in his choice of a helpmate ; invoked all possible felicity
on their union, and trusted that the abundant affections of
the kind-hearted little Dolores would in time have more

stable objects to occupy them than recreant cats and truant
pigeons.

It was indeed a sorrowful parting when I took leave of
these good people and saw them slowly descend the hills ; now
and then turning round to wave me a last adieu. Manuel, it
is true, had cheerful prospects to console him, but poor IMateo
seemed perfectly cast down. It was to him a grievous fall
from the station of prime minister and historiographer, to his

THE AUTHOR'S FAREWELL TO GRANADA 435

old brown cloak and his starveling mystery of ribbon-weaving ;
and the poor devil, notwithstanding his occasional officiousness,
had, spmehow or other, acquired a stronger hold on my
sympathies than I was aware of. It would have really been
a consolation in parting, could I have anticipated the good
fortune in store for him, and to which I had contributed ; for
the importance I had appeared to give to his tales and gossip
and local knowledge, and the frequent companionship in which
I had indulged him in the course of my strolls, had elevated
his idea of his own qualifications and opened a new career to
him ; and the son of the Alhambra has since become its
regular and well-paid cicerone ; insomuch that I am told he
has never been obliged to resume the ragged old brown cloak
in which I first found him.

Towards sunset I came to v\-here the road wound into the
mountains, and here I paused to take a last look at Granada.
The hill on which I stood commanded a glorious view of the
city, the Vega, and the surrounding mountains. It was at
an opposite point of the compass from La cuesta de las lagrimas
(the hill of tears) noted for the " last sigh of the Moor." I
now could realize something of the feelings of poor Boabdil
when he bade adieu to the paradise he was leaving behind,
and beheld before him a rugged and sterile road conducting
him to exile.

The setting sun as usual shed a melancholy effulgence on
the ruddy towers of the Alhambra. I could faintly discern the
balconied window of the tower of Comares, where I had
indulged in so many delightful reveries. The bosky groves
and gardens about the city were richly gilded with the sunshine,
the purple haze of a summer evening was gathering over the
Vega ; everything was lovely, but tenderly and sadly so, to my
parting gaze.

" I will hasten from this prospect,"' thought I, " before the

436 THE ALHAMBRA

sun is set. I will carry away a recollection of it clothed in all
its beauty."

With these thoughts I pursued my way among the mountains.
A little further and Granada, the Vega, and the Alhambra, were
shut from my view ; and thus ended one of the pleasantest
dreams of a life, which the reader perhaps may think has been
but too much made up of dreams.

THE END.

CLAY AND SONS, LTD., BRHAD ST. HILL, E.G.. AND BUNGAY, SL'KKOLK.

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