PART I - CHAPTER XLI.

by Miguel de Cervantes

　　IN WHICH THE CAPTIVE STILL CONTINUES HIS ADVENTURESBefore fifteen days were over our renegade had already purchased anexcellent vessel with room for more than thirty persons; and to make thetransaction safe and lend a colour to it, he thought it well to make, ashe did, a voyage to a place called Shershel, twenty leagues from Algierson the Oran side, where there is an extensive trade in dried figs. Two orthree times he made this voyage in company with the Tagarin alreadymentioned. The Moors of Aragon are called Tagarins in Barbary, and thoseof Granada Mudejars; but in the Kingdom of Fez they call the MudejarsElches, and they are the people the king chiefly employs in war. Toproceed: every time he passed with his vessel he anchored in a cove thatwas not two crossbow shots from the garden where Zoraida was waiting; andthere the renegade, together with the two Moorish lads that rowed, usedpurposely to station himself, either going through his prayers, or elsepractising as a part what he meant to perform in earnest. And thus hewould go to Zoraida's garden and ask for fruit, which her father gavehim, not knowing him; but though, as he afterwards told me, he sought tospeak to Zoraida, and tell her who he was, and that by my orders he wasto take her to the land of the Christians, so that she might feelsatisfied and easy, he had never been able to do so; for the Moorishwomen do not allow themselves to be seen by any Moor or Turk, unlesstheir husband or father bid them: with Christian captives they permitfreedom of intercourse and communication, even more than might beconsidered proper. But for my part I should have been sorry if he hadspoken to her, for perhaps it might have alarmed her to find her affairstalked of by renegades. But God, who ordered it otherwise, afforded noopportunity for our renegade's well-meant purpose; and he, seeing howsafely he could go to Shershel and return, and anchor when and how andwhere he liked, and that the Tagarin his partner had no will but his, andthat, now I was ransomed, all we wanted was to find some Christians torow, told me to look out for any I should be willing to take with me,over and above those who had been ransomed, and to engage them for thenext Friday, which he fixed upon for our departure. On this I spoke totwelve Spaniards, all stout rowers, and such as could most easily leavethe city; but it was no easy matter to find so many just then, becausethere were twenty ships out on a cruise and they had taken all the rowerswith them; and these would not have been found were it not that theirmaster remained at home that summer without going to sea in order tofinish a galliot that he had upon the stocks. To these men I said nothingmore than that the next Friday in the evening they were to come outstealthily one by one and hang about Hadji Morato's garden, waiting forme there until I came. These directions I gave each one separately, withorders that if they saw any other Christians there they were not to sayanything to them except that I had directed them to wait at that spot.This preliminary having been settled, another still more necessary stephad to be taken, which was to let Zoraida know how matters stood that shemight be prepared and forewarned, so as not to be taken by surprise if wewere suddenly to seize upon her before she thought the Christians' vesselcould have returned. I determined, therefore, to go to the garden and tryif I could speak to her; and the day before my departure I went thereunder the pretence of gathering herbs. The first person I met was herfather, who addressed me in the language that all over Barbary and evenin Constantinople is the medium between captives and Moors, and isneither Morisco nor Castilian, nor of any other nation, but a mixture ofall languages, by means of which we can all understand one another. Inthis sort of language, I say, he asked me what I wanted in his garden,and to whom I belonged. I replied that I was a slave of the Arnaut Mami(for I knew as a certainty that he was a very great friend of his), andthat I wanted some herbs to make a salad. He asked me then whether I wereon ransom or not, and what my master demanded for me. While thesequestions and answers were proceeding, the fair Zoraida, who had alreadyperceived me some time before, came out of the house in the garden, andas Moorish women are by no means particular about letting themselves beseen by Christians, or, as I have said before, at all coy, she had nohesitation in coming to where her father stood with me; moreover herfather, seeing her approaching slowly, called to her to come. It would bebeyond my power now to describe to you the great beauty, the high-bredair, the brilliant attire of my beloved Zoraida as she presented herselfbefore my eyes. I will content myself with saying that more pearls hungfrom her fair neck, her ears, and her hair than she had hairs on herhead. On her ankles, which as is customary were bare, she had carcajes(for so bracelets or anklets are called in Morisco) of the purest gold,set with so many diamonds that she told me afterwards her father valuedthem at ten thousand doubloons, and those she had on her wrists wereworth as much more. The pearls were in profusion and very fine, for thehighest display and adornment of the Moorish women is decking themselveswith rich pearls and seed-pearls; and of these there are therefore moreamong the Moors than among any other people. Zoraida's father had to thereputation of possessing a great number, and the purest in all Algiers,and of possessing also more than two hundred thousand Spanish crowns; andshe, who is now mistress of me only, was mistress of all this. Whetherthus adorned she would have been beautiful or not, and what she must havebeen in her prosperity, may be imagined from the beauty remaining to herafter so many hardships; for, as everyone knows, the beauty of some womenhas its times and its seasons, and is increased or diminished by chancecauses; and naturally the emotions of the mind will heighten or impairit, though indeed more frequently they totally destroy it. In a word shepresented herself before me that day attired with the utmost splendour,and supremely beautiful; at any rate, she seemed to me the most beautifulobject I had ever seen; and when, besides, I thought of all I owed to herI felt as though I had before me some heavenly being come to earth tobring me relief and happiness.As she approached her father told her in his own language that I was acaptive belonging to his friend the Arnaut Mami, and that I had come forsalad.She took up the conversation, and in that mixture of tongues I havespoken of she asked me if I was a gentleman, and why I was not ransomed.I answered that I was already ransomed, and that by the price it might beseen what value my master set on me, as I had given one thousand fivehundred zoltanis for me; to which she replied, "Hadst thou been myfather's, I can tell thee, I would not have let him part with thee fortwice as much, for you Christians always tell lies about yourselves andmake yourselves out poor to cheat the Moors.""That may be, lady," said I; "but indeed I dealt truthfully with mymaster, as I do and mean to do with everybody in the world.""And when dost thou go?" said Zoraida."To-morrow, I think," said I, "for there is a vessel here from Francewhich sails to-morrow, and I think I shall go in her.""Would it not be better," said Zoraida, "to wait for the arrival of shipsfrom Spain and go with them and not with the French who are not yourfriends?""No," said I; "though if there were intelligence that a vessel were nowcoming from Spain it is true I might, perhaps, wait for it; however, itis more likely I shall depart to-morrow, for the longing I feel to returnto my country and to those I love is so great that it will not allow meto wait for another opportunity, however more convenient, if it bedelayed.""No doubt thou art married in thine own country," said Zoraida, "and forthat reason thou art anxious to go and see thy wife.""I am not married," I replied, "but I have given my promise to marry onmy arrival there.""And is the lady beautiful to whom thou hast given it?" said Zoraida."So beautiful," said I, "that, to describe her worthily and tell thee thetruth, she is very like thee."At this her father laughed very heartily and said, "By Allah, Christian,she must be very beautiful if she is like my daughter, who is the mostbeautiful woman in all this kingdom: only look at her well and thou wiltsee I am telling the truth."Zoraida's father as the better linguist helped to interpret most of thesewords and phrases, for though she spoke the bastard language, that, as Ihave said, is employed there, she expressed her meaning more by signsthan by words.While we were still engaged in this conversation, a Moor came running up,exclaiming that four Turks had leaped over the fence or wall of thegarden, and were gathering the fruit though it was not yet ripe. The oldman was alarmed and Zoraida too, for the Moors commonly, and, so tospeak, instinctively have a dread of the Turks, but particularly of thesoldiers, who are so insolent and domineering to the Moors who are undertheir power that they treat them worse than if they were their slaves.Her father said to Zoraida, "Daughter, retire into the house and shutthyself in while I go and speak to these dogs; and thou, Christian, pickthy herbs, and go in peace, and Allah bring thee safe to thy owncountry."I bowed, and he went away to look for the Turks, leaving me alone withZoraida, who made as if she were about to retire as her father bade her;but the moment he was concealed by the trees of the garden, turning to mewith her eyes full of tears she said, "Tameji, cristiano, tameji?" that isto say, "Art thou going, Christian, art thou going?"I made answer, "Yes, lady, but not without thee, come what may: be on thewatch for me on the next Juma, and be not alarmed when thou seest us; formost surely we shall go to the land of the Christians."This I said in such a way that she understood perfectly all that passedbetween us, and throwing her arm round my neck she began with feeblesteps to move towards the house; but as fate would have it (and it mighthave been very unfortunate if Heaven had not otherwise ordered it), justas we were moving on in the manner and position I have described, withher arm round my neck, her father, as he returned after having sent awaythe Turks, saw how we were walking and we perceived that he saw us; butZoraida, ready and quickwitted, took care not to remove her arm from myneck, but on the contrary drew closer to me and laid her head on mybreast, bending her knees a little and showing all the signs and tokensof fainting, while I at the same time made it seem as though I weresupporting her against my will. Her father came running up to where wewere, and seeing his daughter in this state asked what was the matterwith her; she, however, giving no answer, he said, "No doubt she hasfainted in alarm at the entrance of those dogs," and taking her from minehe drew her to his own breast, while she sighing, her eyes still wet withtears, said again, "Ameji, cristiano, ameji"--"Go, Christian, go." Tothis her father replied, "There is no need, daughter, for the Christianto go, for he has done thee no harm, and the Turks have now gone; feel noalarm, there is nothing to hurt thee, for as I say, the Turks at myrequest have gone back the way they came.""It was they who terrified her, as thou hast said, senor," said I to herfather; "but since she tells me to go, I have no wish to displease her:peace be with thee, and with thy leave I will come back to this gardenfor herbs if need be, for my master says there are nowhere better herbsfor salad then here.""Come back for any thou hast need of," replied Hadji Morato; "for mydaughter does not speak thus because she is displeased with thee or anyChristian: she only meant that the Turks should go, not thou; or that itwas time for thee to look for thy herbs."With this I at once took my leave of both; and she, looking as though herheart were breaking, retired with her father. While pretending to lookfor herbs I made the round of the garden at my ease, and studiedcarefully all the approaches and outlets, and the fastenings of the houseand everything that could be taken advantage of to make our task easy.Having done so I went and gave an account of all that had taken place tothe renegade and my comrades, and looked forward with impatience to thehour when, all fear at an end, I should find myself in possession of theprize which fortune held out to me in the fair and lovely Zoraida. Thetime passed at length, and the appointed day we so longed for arrived;and, all following out the arrangement and plan which, after carefulconsideration and many a long discussion, we had decided upon, wesucceeded as fully as we could have wished; for on the Friday followingthe day upon which I spoke to Zoraida in the garden, the renegadeanchored his vessel at nightfall almost opposite the spot where she was.The Christians who were to row were ready and in hiding in differentplaces round about, all waiting for me, anxious and elated, and eager toattack the vessel they had before their eyes; for they did not know therenegade's plan, but expected that they were to gain their liberty byforce of arms and by killing the Moors who were on board the vessel. Assoon, then, as I and my comrades made our appearance, all those that werein hiding seeing us came and joined us. It was now the time when the citygates are shut, and there was no one to be seen in all the space outside.When we were collected together we debated whether it would be betterfirst to go for Zoraida, or to make prisoners of the Moorish rowers whorowed in the vessel; but while we were still uncertain our renegade cameup asking us what kept us, as it was now the time, and all the Moors wereoff their guard and most of them asleep. We told him why we hesitated,but he said it was of more importance first to secure the vessel, whichcould be done with the greatest ease and without any danger, and then wecould go for Zoraida. We all approved of what he said, and so withoutfurther delay, guided by him we made for the vessel, and he leaping onboard first, drew his cutlass and said in Morisco, "Let no one stir fromthis if he does not want it to cost him his life." By this almost all theChristians were on board, and the Moors, who were fainthearted, hearingtheir captain speak in this way, were cowed, and without any one of themtaking to his arms (and indeed they had few or hardly any) they submittedwithout saying a word to be bound by the Christians, who quickly securedthem, threatening them that if they raised any kind of outcry they wouldbe all put to the sword. This having been accomplished, and half of ourparty being left to keep guard over them, the rest of us, again takingthe renegade as our guide, hastened towards Hadji Morato's garden, and asgood luck would have it, on trying the gate it opened as easily as if ithad not been locked; and so, quite quietly and in silence, we reached thehouse without being perceived by anybody. The lovely Zoraida was watchingfor us at a window, and as soon as she perceived that there were peoplethere, she asked in a low voice if we were "Nizarani," as much as to sayor ask if we were Christians. I answered that we were, and begged her tocome down. As soon as she recognised me she did not delay an instant, butwithout answering a word came down immediately, opened the door andpresented herself before us all, so beautiful and so richly attired thatI cannot attempt to describe her. The moment I saw her I took her handand kissed it, and the renegade and my two comrades did the same; and therest, who knew nothing of the circumstances, did as they saw us do, forit only seemed as if we were returning thanks to her, and recognising heras the giver of our liberty. The renegade asked her in the Moriscolanguage if her father was in the house. She replied that he was and thathe was asleep."Then it will be necessary to waken him and take him with us," said therenegade, "and everything of value in this fair mansion.""Nay," said she, "my father must not on any account be touched, and thereis nothing in the house except what I shall take, and that will be quiteenough to enrich and satisfy all of you; wait a little and you shallsee," and so saying she went in, telling us she would return immediatelyand bidding us keep quiet making any noise.I asked the renegade what had passed between them, and when he told me, Ideclared that nothing should be done except in accordance with the wishesof Zoraida, who now came back with a little trunk so full of gold crownsthat she could scarcely carry it. Unfortunately her father awoke whilethis was going on, and hearing a noise in the garden, came to the window,and at once perceiving that all those who were there were Christians,raising a prodigiously loud outcry, he began to call out in Arabic,"Christians, Christians! thieves, thieves!" by which cries we were allthrown into the greatest fear and embarrassment; but the renegade seeingthe danger we were in and how important it was for him to effect hispurpose before we were heard, mounted with the utmost quickness to whereHadji Morato was, and with him went some of our party; I, however, didnot dare to leave Zoraida, who had fallen almost fainting in my arms. Tobe brief, those who had gone upstairs acted so promptly that in aninstant they came down, carrying Hadji Morato with his hands bound and anapkin tied over his mouth, which prevented him from uttering a word,warning him at the same time that to attempt to speak would cost him hislife. When his daughter caught sight of him she covered her eyes so asnot to see him, and her father was horror-stricken, not knowing howwillingly she had placed herself in our hands. But it was now mostessential for us to be on the move, and carefully and quickly we regainedthe vessel, where those who had remained on board were waiting for us inapprehension of some mishap having befallen us. It was barely two hoursafter night set in when we were all on board the vessel, where the cordswere removed from the hands of Zoraida's father, and the napkin from hismouth; but the renegade once more told him not to utter a word, or theywould take his life. He, when he saw his daughter there, began to sighpiteously, and still more when he perceived that I held her closelyembraced and that she lay quiet without resisting or complaining, orshowing any reluctance; nevertheless he remained silent lest they shouldcarry into effect the repeated threats the renegade had addressed to him.Finding herself now on board, and that we were about to give way with theoars, Zoraida, seeing her father there, and the other Moors bound, badethe renegade ask me to do her the favour of releasing the Moors andsetting her father at liberty, for she would rather drown herself in thesea than suffer a father that had loved her so dearly to be carried awaycaptive before her eyes and on her account. The renegade repeated this tome, and I replied that I was very willing to do so; but he replied thatit was not advisable, because if they were left there they would at onceraise the country and stir up the city, and lead to the despatch of swiftcruisers in pursuit, and our being taken, by sea or land, without anypossibility of escape; and that all that could be done was to set themfree on the first Christian ground we reached. On this point we allagreed; and Zoraida, to whom it was explained, together with the reasonsthat prevented us from doing at once what she desired, was satisfiedlikewise; and then in glad silence and with cheerful alacrity each of ourstout rowers took his oar, and commending ourselves to God with all ourhearts, we began to shape our course for the island of Majorca, thenearest Christian land. Owing, however, to the Tramontana rising alittle, and the sea growing somewhat rough, it was impossible for us tokeep a straight course for Majorca, and we were compelled to coast in thedirection of Oran, not without great uneasiness on our part lest weshould be observed from the town of Shershel, which lies on that coast,not more than sixty miles from Algiers. Moreover we were afraid ofmeeting on that course one of the galliots that usually come with goodsfrom Tetuan; although each of us for himself and all of us together feltconfident that, if we were to meet a merchant galliot, so that it werenot a cruiser, not only should we not be lost, but that we should take avessel in which we could more safely accomplish our voyage. As we pursuedour course Zoraida kept her head between my hands so as not to see herfather, and I felt that she was praying to Lela Marien to help us.We might have made about thirty miles when daybreak found us some threemusket-shots off the land, which seemed to us deserted, and withoutanyone to see us. For all that, however, by hard rowing we put out alittle to sea, for it was now somewhat calmer, and having gained abouttwo leagues the word was given to row by batches, while we ate something,for the vessel was well provided; but the rowers said it was not a timeto take any rest; let food be served out to those who were not rowing,but they would not leave their oars on any account. This was done, butnow a stiff breeze began to blow, which obliged us to leave off rowingand make sail at once and steer for Oran, as it was impossible to makeany other course. All this was done very promptly, and under sail we ranmore than eight miles an hour without any fear, except that of comingacross some vessel out on a roving expedition. We gave the Moorish rowerssome food, and the renegade comforted them by telling them that they werenot held as captives, as we should set them free on the firstopportunity.The same was said to Zoraida's father, who replied, "Anything else,Christian, I might hope for or think likely from your generosity and goodbehaviour, but do not think me so simple as to imagine you will give memy liberty; for you would have never exposed yourselves to the danger ofdepriving me of it only to restore it to me so generously, especially asyou know who I am and the sum you may expect to receive on restoring it;and if you will only name that, I here offer you all you require formyself and for my unhappy daughter there; or else for her alone, for sheis the greatest and most precious part of my soul."As he said this he began to weep so bitterly that he filled us all withcompassion and forced Zoraida to look at him, and when she saw himweeping she was so moved that she rose from my feet and ran to throw herarms round him, and pressing her face to his, they both gave way to suchan outburst of tears that several of us were constrained to keep themcompany.But when her father saw her in full dress and with all her jewels abouther, he said to her in his own language, "What means this, my daughter?Last night, before this terrible misfortune in which we are plungedbefell us, I saw thee in thy everyday and indoor garments; and now,without having had time to attire thyself, and without my bringing theeany joyful tidings to furnish an occasion for adorning and bedeckingthyself, I see thee arrayed in the finest attire it would be in my powerto give thee when fortune was most kind to us. Answer me this; for itcauses me greater anxiety and surprise than even this misfortune itself."The renegade interpreted to us what the Moor said to his daughter; she,however, returned him no answer. But when he observed in one corner ofthe vessel the little trunk in which she used to keep her jewels, whichhe well knew he had left in Algiers and had not brought to the garden, hewas still more amazed, and asked her how that trunk had come into ourhands, and what there was in it. To which the renegade, without waitingfor Zoraida to reply, made answer, "Do not trouble thyself by asking thydaughter Zoraida so many questions, senor, for the one answer I will givethee will serve for all; I would have thee know that she is a Christian,and that it is she who has been the file for our chains and our delivererfrom captivity. She is here of her own free will, as glad, I imagine, tofind herself in this position as he who escapes from darkness into thelight, from death to life, and from suffering to glory.""Daughter, is this true, what he says?" cried the Moor."It is," replied Zoraida."That thou art in truth a Christian," said the old man, "and that thouhast given thy father into the power of his enemies?"To which Zoraida made answer, "A Christian I am, but it is not I who haveplaced thee in this position, for it never was my wish to leave thee ordo thee harm, but only to do good to myself.""And what good hast thou done thyself, daughter?" said he."Ask thou that," said she, "of Lela Marien, for she can tell thee betterthan I."The Moor had hardly heard these words when with marvellous quickness heflung himself headforemost into the sea, where no doubt he would havebeen drowned had not the long and full dress he wore held him up for alittle on the surface of the water. Zoraida cried aloud to us to savehim, and we all hastened to help, and seizing him by his robe we drew himin half drowned and insensible, at which Zoraida was in such distressthat she wept over him as piteously and bitterly as though he werealready dead. We turned him upon his face and he voided a great quantityof water, and at the end of two hours came to himself. Meanwhile, thewind having changed we were compelled to head for the land, and ply ouroars to avoid being driven on shore; but it was our good fortune to reacha creek that lies on one side of a small promontory or cape, called bythe Moors that of the "Cava rumia," which in our language means "thewicked Christian woman;" for it is a tradition among them that La Cava,through whom Spain was lost, lies buried at that spot; "cava" in theirlanguage meaning "wicked woman," and "rumia" "Christian;" moreover, theycount it unlucky to anchor there when necessity compels them, and theynever do so otherwise. For us, however, it was not the resting-place ofthe wicked woman but a haven of safety for our relief, so much had thesea now got up. We posted a look-out on shore, and never let the oars outof our hands, and ate of the stores the renegade had laid in, imploringGod and Our Lady with all our hearts to help and protect us, that wemight give a happy ending to a beginning so prosperous. At the entreatyof Zoraida orders were given to set on shore her father and the otherMoors who were still bound, for she could not endure, nor could hertender heart bear to see her father in bonds and her fellow-countrymenprisoners before her eyes. We promised her to do this at the moment ofdeparture, for as it was uninhabited we ran no risk in releasing them atthat place.Our prayers were not so far in vain as to be unheard by Heaven, for aftera while the wind changed in our favour, and made the sea calm, invitingus once more to resume our voyage with a good heart. Seeing this weunbound the Moors, and one by one put them on shore, at which they werefilled with amazement; but when we came to land Zoraida's father, who hadnow completely recovered his senses, he said:"Why is it, think ye, Christians, that this wicked woman is rejoiced atyour giving me my liberty? Think ye it is because of the affection shebears me? Nay verily, it is only because of the hindrance my presenceoffers to the execution of her base designs. And think not that it is herbelief that yours is better than ours that has led her to change herreligion; it is only because she knows that immodesty is more freelypractised in your country than in ours." Then turning to Zoraida, while Iand another of the Christians held him fast by both arms, lest he shoulddo some mad act, he said to her, "Infamous girl, misguided maiden,whither in thy blindness and madness art thou going in the hands of thesedogs, our natural enemies? Cursed be the hour when I begot thee! Cursedthe luxury and indulgence in which I reared thee!"But seeing that he was not likely soon to cease I made haste to put himon shore, and thence he continued his maledictions and lamentationsaloud; calling on Mohammed to pray to Allah to destroy us, to confoundus, to make an end of us; and when, in consequence of having made sail,we could no longer hear what he said we could see what he did; how heplucked out his beard and tore his hair and lay writhing on the ground.But once he raised his voice to such a pitch that we were able to hearwhat he said. "Come back, dear daughter, come back to shore; I forgivethee all; let those men have the money, for it is theirs now, and comeback to comfort thy sorrowing father, who will yield up his life on thisbarren strand if thou dost leave him."All this Zoraida heard, and heard with sorrow and tears, and all shecould say in answer was, "Allah grant that Lela Marien, who has made mebecome a Christian, give thee comfort in thy sorrow, my father. Allahknows that I could not do otherwise than I have done, and that theseChristians owe nothing to my will; for even had I wished not to accompanythem, but remain at home, it would have been impossible for me, soeagerly did my soul urge me on to the accomplishment of this purpose,which I feel to be as righteous as to thee, dear father, it seemswicked."But neither could her father hear her nor we see him when she said this;and so, while I consoled Zoraida, we turned our attention to our voyage,in which a breeze from the right point so favoured us that we made sureof finding ourselves off the coast of Spain on the morrow by daybreak.But, as good seldom or never comes pure and unmixed, without beingattended or followed by some disturbing evil that gives a shock to it,our fortune, or perhaps the curses which the Moor had hurled at hisdaughter (for whatever kind of father they may come from these are alwaysto be dreaded), brought it about that when we were now in mid-sea, andthe night about three hours spent, as we were running with all sail setand oars lashed, for the favouring breeze saved us the trouble of usingthem, we saw by the light of the moon, which shone brilliantly, asquare-rigged vessel in full sail close to us, luffing up and standingacross our course, and so close that we had to strike sail to avoidrunning foul of her, while they too put the helm hard up to let us pass.They came to the side of the ship to ask who we were, whither we werebound, and whence we came, but as they asked this in French our renegadesaid, "Let no one answer, for no doubt these are French corsairs whoplunder all comers."Acting on this warning no one answered a word, but after we had gone alittle ahead, and the vessel was now lying to leeward, suddenly theyfired two guns, and apparently both loaded with chain-shot, for with onethey cut our mast in half and brought down both it and the sail into thesea, and the other, discharged at the same moment, sent a ball into ourvessel amidships, staving her in completely, but without doing anyfurther damage. We, however, finding ourselves sinking began to shout forhelp and call upon those in the ship to pick us up as we were beginningto fill. They then lay to, and lowering a skiff or boat, as many as adozen Frenchmen, well armed with match-locks, and their matches burning,got into it and came alongside; and seeing how few we were, and that ourvessel was going down, they took us in, telling us that this had come tous through our incivility in not giving them an answer. Our renegade tookthe trunk containing Zoraida's wealth and dropped it into the sea withoutanyone perceiving what he did. In short we went on board with theFrenchmen, who, after having ascertained all they wanted to know aboutus, rifled us of everything we had, as if they had been our bitterestenemies, and from Zoraida they took even the anklets she wore on herfeet; but the distress they caused her did not distress me so much as thefear I was in that from robbing her of her rich and precious jewels theywould proceed to rob her of the most precious jewel that she valued morethan all. The desires, however, of those people do not go beyond money,but of that their covetousness is insatiable, and on this occasion it wascarried to such a pitch that they would have taken even the clothes wewore as captives if they had been worth anything to them. It was theadvice of some of them to throw us all into the sea wrapped up in a sail;for their purpose was to trade at some of the ports of Spain, givingthemselves out as Bretons, and if they brought us alive they would bepunished as soon as the robbery was discovered; but the captain (who wasthe one who had plundered my beloved Zoraida) said he was satisfied withthe prize he had got, and that he would not touch at any Spanish port,but pass the Straits of Gibraltar by night, or as best he could, and makefor La Rochelle, from which he had sailed. So they agreed by commonconsent to give us the skiff belonging to their ship and all we requiredfor the short voyage that remained to us, and this they did the next dayon coming in sight of the Spanish coast, with which, and the joy we felt,all our sufferings and miseries were as completely forgotten as if theyhad never been endured by us, such is the delight of recovering lostliberty.It may have been about mid-day when they placed us in the boat, giving ustwo kegs of water and some biscuit; and the captain, moved by I know notwhat compassion, as the lovely Zoraida was about to embark, gave her someforty gold crowns, and would not permit his men to take from her thosesame garments which she has on now. We got into the boat, returning themthanks for their kindness to us, and showing ourselves grateful ratherthan indignant. They stood out to sea, steering for the straits; we,without looking to any compass save the land we had before us, setourselves to row with such energy that by sunset we were so near that wemight easily, we thought, land before the night was far advanced. But asthe moon did not show that night, and the sky was clouded, and as we knewnot whereabouts we were, it did not seem to us a prudent thing to makefor the shore, as several of us advised, saying we ought to run ourselvesashore even if it were on rocks and far from any habitation, for in thisway we should be relieved from the apprehensions we naturally felt of theprowling vessels of the Tetuan corsairs, who leave Barbary at nightfalland are on the Spanish coast by daybreak, where they commonly take someprize, and then go home to sleep in their own houses. But of theconflicting counsels the one which was adopted was that we shouldapproach gradually, and land where we could if the sea were calm enoughto permit us. This was done, and a little before midnight we drew near tothe foot of a huge and lofty mountain, not so close to the sea but thatit left a narrow space on which to land conveniently. We ran our boat upon the sand, and all sprang out and kissed the ground, and with tears ofjoyful satisfaction returned thanks to God our Lord for all hisincomparable goodness to us on our voyage. We took out of the boat theprovisions it contained, and drew it up on the shore, and then climbed along way up the mountain, for even there we could not feel easy in ourhearts, or persuade ourselves that it was Christian soil that was nowunder our feet.The dawn came, more slowly, I think, than we could have wished; wecompleted the ascent in order to see if from the summit any habitation orany shepherds' huts could be discovered, but strain our eyes as we might,neither dwelling, nor human being, nor path nor road could we perceive.However, we determined to push on farther, as it could not but be thatere long we must see some one who could tell us where we were. But whatdistressed me most was to see Zoraida going on foot over that roughground; for though I once carried her on my shoulders, she was morewearied by my weariness than rested by the rest; and so she would neveragain allow me to undergo the exertion, and went on very patiently andcheerfully, while I led her by the hand. We had gone rather less than aquarter of a league when the sound of a little bell fell on our ears, aclear proof that there were flocks hard by, and looking about carefullyto see if any were within view, we observed a young shepherd tranquillyand unsuspiciously trimming a stick with his knife at the foot of a corktree. We called to him, and he, raising his head, sprang nimbly to hisfeet, for, as we afterwards learned, the first who presented themselvesto his sight were the renegade and Zoraida, and seeing them in Moorishdress he imagined that all the Moors of Barbary were upon him; andplunging with marvellous swiftness into the thicket in front of him, hebegan to raise a prodigious outcry, exclaiming, "The Moors--the Moorshave landed! To arms, to arms!" We were all thrown into perplexity bythese cries, not knowing what to do; but reflecting that the shouts ofthe shepherd would raise the country and that the mounted coast-guardwould come at once to see what was the matter, we agreed that therenegade must strip off his Turkish garments and put on a captive'sjacket or coat which one of our party gave him at once, though he himselfwas reduced to his shirt; and so commending ourselves to God, we followedthe same road which we saw the shepherd take, expecting every moment thatthe coast-guard would be down upon us. Nor did our expectation deceiveus, for two hours had not passed when, coming out of the brushwood intothe open ground, we perceived some fifty mounted men swiftly approachingus at a hand-gallop. As soon as we saw them we stood still, waiting forthem; but as they came close and, instead of the Moors they were in questof, saw a set of poor Christians, they were taken aback, and one of themasked if it could be we who were the cause of the shepherd having raisedthe call to arms. I said "Yes," and as I was about to explain to him whathad occurred, and whence we came and who we were, one of the Christiansof our party recognised the horseman who had put the question to us, andbefore I could say anything more he exclaimed:"Thanks be to God, sirs, for bringing us to such good quarters; for, if Ido not deceive myself, the ground we stand on is that of Velez Malagaunless, indeed, all my years of captivity have made me unable torecollect that you, senor, who ask who we are, are Pedro de Bustamante,my uncle."The Christian captive had hardly uttered these words, when the horsemanthrew himself off his horse, and ran to embrace the young man, crying:"Nephew of my soul and life! I recognise thee now; and long have Imourned thee as dead, I, and my sister, thy mother, and all thy kin thatare still alive, and whom God has been pleased to preserve that they mayenjoy the happiness of seeing thee. We knew long since that thou wert inAlgiers, and from the appearance of thy garments and those of all thiscompany, I conclude that ye have had a miraculous restoration toliberty.""It is true," replied the young man, "and by-and-by we will tell youall."As soon as the horsemen understood that we were Christian captives, theydismounted from their horses, and each offered his to carry us to thecity of Velez Malaga, which was a league and a half distant. Some of themwent to bring the boat to the city, we having told them where we had leftit; others took us up behind them, and Zoraida was placed on the horse ofthe young man's uncle. The whole town came out to meet us, for they hadby this time heard of our arrival from one who had gone on in advance.They were not astonished to see liberated captives or captive Moors, forpeople on that coast are well used to see both one and the other; butthey were astonished at the beauty of Zoraida, which was just thenheightened, as well by the exertion of travelling as by joy at findingherself on Christian soil, and relieved of all fear of being lost; forthis had brought such a glow upon her face, that unless my affection forher were deceiving me, I would venture to say that there was not a morebeautiful creature in the world--at least, that I had ever seen. We wentstraight to the church to return thanks to God for the mercies we hadreceived, and when Zoraida entered it she said there were faces therelike Lela Marien's. We told her they were her images; and as well as hecould the renegade explained to her what they meant, that she might adorethem as if each of them were the very same Lela Marien that had spoken toher; and she, having great intelligence and a quick and clear instinct,understood at once all he said to her about them. Thence they took usaway and distributed us all in different houses in the town; but as forthe renegade, Zoraida, and myself, the Christian who came with us broughtus to the house of his parents, who had a fair share of the gifts offortune, and treated us with as much kindness as they did their own son.We remained six days in Velez, at the end of which the renegade, havinginformed himself of all that was requisite for him to do, set out for thecity of Granada to restore himself to the sacred bosom of the Churchthrough the medium of the Holy Inquisition. The other released captivestook their departures, each the way that seemed best to him, and Zoraidaand I were left alone, with nothing more than the crowns which thecourtesy of the Frenchman had bestowed upon Zoraida, out of which Ibought the beast on which she rides; and, I for the present attending heras her father and squire and not as her husband, we are now going toascertain if my father is living, or if any of my brothers has had betterfortune than mine has been; though, as Heaven has made me the companionof Zoraida, I think no other lot could be assigned to me, however happy,that I would rather have. The patience with which she endures thehardships that poverty brings with it, and the eagerness she shows tobecome a Christian, are such that they fill me with admiration, and bindme to serve her all my life; though the happiness I feel in seeing myselfhers, and her mine, is disturbed and marred by not knowing whether Ishall find any corner to shelter her in my own country, or whether timeand death may not have made such changes in the fortunes and lives of myfather and brothers, that I shall hardly find anyone who knows me, ifthey are not alive.I have no more of my story to tell you, gentlemen; whether it be aninteresting or a curious one let your better judgments decide; all I cansay is I would gladly have told it to you more briefly; although my fearof wearying you has made me leave out more than one circumstance.