Patrañas; or, Spanish Stories, Legendary and Traditional
Page 53
ARAUCANIA.
III.
FITON'S CAVE.
During the course of the war an exploring party of Spaniards had beensent to bring a report of the chances of success to an expedition forrecovering the coast-line of the Araucanian province. Time passed on,and the party failing to return, great anxiety was felt as to theirfate by the Christians; at last some of the bravest volunteered to goand look after them in various directions, and as great caution wasnecessary, it was agreed the volunteers should go out separately,travelling by night, and keeping themselves concealed by day. Itwas a perilous enterprize, and Don Alonzo de Ercilla, who was alwaysforemost at any brave deed, was the first to offer himself; and hegives us the following account of an adventure that befell him.
He was making his way through a wild brake, helped by the scanty lightof the moon, when he found himself on the edge of a steep descentleading to a vast plain; a narrow path cut the steep, down which atall, lank native of great age was threading his way. His back wasbowed, he was so feeble that he trembled as he walked, and his legswere so fleshless that they looked like dry roots of trees. Don Ercillaadvanced to offer his assistance down the rugged descent, and thoughtat the same time to gather some information of his missing friends,or as to the best means of tracing them. No sooner, however, was theold man conscious of his approach, than, darting into another pathat a sharp angle with the first, he turned and fled up the steep sidefaster than a hunted deer. Don Ercilla spurred his horse, and thoughtto overtake him easily, but in a moment he was out of sight, neitherwas it possible for a stranger to find his way so as to proceed withany rapidity over the overgrown crag. Giving up the pursuit, he cameat last to the bottom of the declivity, where the stream Rauco flowedturbulently, its course being closed in by sharp rocks on both sides;but a little way down it, on the near bank, was a grove of shadytrees, and under them an antelope grazing. The sight reminded himhe had once dreamt that this meeting an antelope should be a signof something important to befall him, so, rejoicing at the incident,he made his way up to the gentle beast.
The antelope had been feeding undisturbed by the sound of the rushingtorrent, but no sooner became conscious of a man's presence than,leaving the verdant pasture, she struck wildly into a steep and narrowpath, dashing through briar and jungle and close-grown trees; wherevershe led, however, Don Ercilla followed, though he had need to spurhis horse hard to keep up with her. At last she brought him in sightof a poor little hut, piled up at the foot of an ancient oak. At thesound of their hasty steps an old man came out, to whom, panting,the antelope approached as for protection. The old man tenderlystroked her reeking sides, and then, addressing Don Ercilla, askedhim what fate or misadventure had brought him to his remote retreat,which strangers' steps had never yet found out. "If," he said,"you have had the misfortune to get separated from your company,you will find welcome here, and all that my humble roof can offer torestore strength; and fear nothing from your enemies while you areunder my protection."
Finding him so affable and pleasant, Don Ercilla gave him hisconfidence, and not only told him his errand, but also opened tohim a wish he had long harboured of visiting the cave of Fiton,the great Araucanian Wizard. The kind old man, without waiting somuch as to answer him, took his hand, and at once leaving his seatset out to lead him. It was the season of early summer, and, as thesun was by this time well risen, they picked their way through theshadiest paths. As they went along, the old man spoke thus:--
"My lands were in Araucania. I am called Guaticolo the Unhappy, who, inmy robust years, was a valiant fighting man, and in office predecessorto Colocolo. Seven several times have I led our people on to victoryon the battle-field, and a thousand times have my now hairless templesbeen girt with the tokens of success. But as in this life no state ispermanent, so fortune was inconstant to me also. After success camedefeat; after honour, shame. At Aynavillo I had the misfortune to beloser in a wagered contest, on which my position had been set. Findingmyself burdened with a dishonoured life, I could devise no better endto it than to bury myself in this retreat, where, for twenty years,no mortal foot has tracked me; and by strange help it is, I ween,that you have been brought so far; who am I, therefore, to resist thedirection you have received from above? How intractable soever Fitonmay be, I will urge the claims of relationship, as he is my uncle,and thus induce him to admit you.
"He dwells in the heart of a bleak mountain where the glad sun neverpenetrates, and whence the foot of man is shut out. But his wisdom andpower are so great that he can by his one word perform any of nature'soperations. In the blazing heat and dazzling light of noonday he cancover the heavens with the darkness of night. When the sky is one evenblue, without assistance of wind or clouds, he can draw rain from abarren heaven. He can arrest the course of the bounding rivers, and ofthe birds in the midst of their flight. The burnt-up grasses of Augustat his word raise their withered blades, and resume their verdant hues;the tides of the sea obey his voice, and forget the commands of themoon. And, much more than all this, he can tell the destinies of men,and foresee the fate of nations. It would be impossible for words ofmine to overstate his mighty and irresistible power."
While he had been speaking they had passed through a long tract offorest, where the trees grew so thickly, and were so encumberedwith brushwood, that Don Ercilla was obliged to tie his horse upand proceed on foot. At last they reached a low opening in a rock,through which was a long dark passage, where they could hardly walkupright, and at the end of it a door garnished all round with headsof wild beasts. Guaticolo opened the door, and led Don Ercilla by thehand into a spacious vault, in the centre of which burnt a strange andperpetual light; in the walls of the cave were cut many stone shelves,on which were ranged jars of ointments, essences, and herbs. There werepreserved the far-piercing eyes of the lynx and that of the venomousbasilisk; red gore of angry men, and foam from the mouth of rabid dogs;parts of the wing of the harpy, the venom of the amphisbena, and thetail of the treacherous asp, which gives death wrapt up in a pleasantdream; mould off a truncated head unworthy of burial, and the tongueof the horrid hemorreo, whose puncture can never be staunched, butwhosoever it wounds must bleed to death. In a huge transparent vasewas a griffin's heart, pierced through with an arrow, and the ashesof an eastern phoenix. Stings of serpents, and tails of scorpions,and whatsoever is deadly and venomous in nature.
While Don Ercilla was engaged in examining this strange repertory,a hidden door gave entrance to a lean old man, whom he at oncerecognized for him who had run away from him with such exceedingrapidity, who said,--
"It is no little boldness in you, so young, to have dared to come thusunbidden to my presence, and to pursue me in my occult habitation,where it is not permitted to foot of man to tread; nevertheless,as I know all things, I know that in your heart you mean no harm,therefore I allow you to live, and will now listen to your intent."
Then Guaticolo took upon himself to explain his errand for him in along speech, in which he commenced by lauding the wizard's influence,then detailed Don Ercilla's fame, and finally told him of his dream,in which he had learnt that he might gain from Fiton supernaturalinformation of the fate of the contest in which his Spanish brethrenin arms were at the time engaged with the Turks in Europe.
Fiton, in great good humour with Guaticolo's dexterously-administeredflattery, took Don Ercilla by the hand, and led him through thesecret door by which he had himself entered. It opened into a verydifferent apartment from the other. No mortal tongue could describeits beauty and costliness; the floor was paved with crystal tilesall lustrous with cunning radiance, while the roof was studded withbrilliant stones, so that the whole place sparkled with dazzlingsplendour. Supported on pillars of shining gold a hundred statuesof heroes were ranged round the room, so life-like in design thata deaf man might have thought they spoke. On the broad medallionsbehind were pictured forth the valiant deeds of each, displaying thedesigner's acquaintance with the history of all nations.
In the midst of the spaciou
s hall, which measured half a mile everyway, swung a globe of light, balanced in the air by supernatural power.
When Don Ercilla had spent some time examining all these wonders,Fiton came to him, and, with his wand pointing to the globe of light,explained to him that it contained an epitome of the world, and hadcost him forty years of labour; but contained the representation ofall that was happening, or ever would happen, in any part or timeof the world. "And," he added, "as it seems you are a poet, whosebusiness it is to chronicle the great deeds of the fighting men ofyour country, and you have already celebrated their achievements byland, I will now show you what they are doing at sea."
Then he touched the bright globe with his wand, and Don Ercilla saw itrepresented the world with all its parts delineated, and all the peopleon it seen as clearly as he might have seen his own face in a mirror.
Then Fiton pointed to the Mediterranean sea, and conducted his eyesto that part of it which washes [114] the Ausonian shore, and he sawit was all covered with galleys bearing the devices of the Pope, andPhilip II., and the Venetian Republic; and from the port of Lepantothere came out to meet them the galleys of the Crescent. Then with ahoarse and terrible voice, Fiton invoked the infernal powers, crying,"O terrible Can-Cerberus, Charon, weary boatman, yellow Orcus, andirresistible Pluto! O chilly Styx, O lake Avernus, O seething watersof Acheron, Lethe, Cocytus, and ruddy Phlegethon! O Furies who withrelentless cruelty torment the souls of the lost, and Gorgons, whosehair of wriggling snakes the shades tremble as they behold! compelledby my all-powerful word, afford to this earth-born youth a clearvision of the work now accomplishing in the waters of Lepanto." Ashe spoke he frantically waved his wand.
Then behold, the waters of the sea boiled over, and the sterilenorth-east wind rounding the white sails, the rival fleets were tossedin sudden motion, the gallant Spanish vessels bearing down proudly onthe Pagan galleys. Mighty warriors were there, whose names and deedsof fame were borne in characters of flame around their brows; many,whom he had known as companions of his own in childhood, now bronzedwith the hardships of many a bold campaign. Suddenly the signal of thefight resounded, and then the Christian hosts, following the sign oftheir redemption, poured down with resistless ardour on their Paganfoes. With breathless interest Don Ercilla watched the fortunes ofhis friends, shouted to them--so present was the scene--to bear thembravely, nor waver in their courage. For hours the fight raged, andmany a brave servant of Christ fell deadly wounded into the deep waves,and tinged the blue waters with his generous blood. Don Ercilla weptand exulted by turns, as, one after another, he saw dear friends lostto him for ever in this life, and yet the Christian arms prevailinginch by inch, till at last, successful and triumphant, they swept theencroaching Turk from the face of the sea, inflicting an irreparablewound on his power, and setting a bound to his aggressions which hemight not pass.