the zincali-第16章

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'You　too；　I　see；　amongst　others；　have　cause　to　rue　the　Drao　which　



the　Gitanos　have　cast。　　Know；'　he　continued；　'that　in　order　to　



accomplish　a　detestable　plan；　the　fountains　of　Logrono　have　been　



poisoned　by　emissaries　of　the　roving　bands；　who　are　now　assembled　



in　the　neighbourhood。　　On　the　first　appearance　of　the　disorder；　



from　which　I　happily　escaped　by　tasting　the　water　of　a　private　



fountain；　which　I　possess　in　my　own　house；　I　instantly　recognised　



the　effects　of　the　poison　of　the　Gitanos；　brought　by　their　



ancestors　from　the　isles　of　the　Indian　sea；　and　suspecting　their　



intentions；　I　disguised　myself　as　a　Gitano；　and　went　forth　in　the　



hope　of　being　able　to　act　as　a　spy　upon　their　actions。　　I　have　been　



successful；　and　am　at　present　thoroughly　acquainted　with　their　



designs。　　They　intended；　from　the　first；　to　sack　the　town；　as　soon　



as　it　should　have　been　emptied　of　its　defenders。







'Midday；　to…morrow；　is　the　hour　in　which　they　have　determined　to　



make　the　attempt。　　There　is　no　time　to　be　lost；　let　us；　therefore；　



warn　those　of　our　townsmen　who　still　survive；　in　order　that　they　



may　make　preparations　for　their　defence。'







Whereupon　the　two　friends　proceeded　to　the　chief　magistrate；　who　



had　been　but　slightly　affected　by　the　disorder；　he　heard　the　tale　



of　the　bookseller　with　horror　and　astonishment；　and　instantly　took　



the　best　measures　possible　for　frustrating　the　designs　of　the　



Gitanos；　all　the　men　capable　of　bearing　arms　in　Logrono　were　



assembled；　and　weapons　of　every　description　put　in　their　hands。　　By　



the　advice　of　the　bookseller　all　the　gates　of　the　town　were　shut；　



with　the　exception　of　the　principal　one；　and　the　little　band　of　



defenders；　which　barely　amounted　to　sixty　men；　was　stationed　in　the　



great　square；　to　which；　he　said；　it　was　the　intention　of　the　



Gitanos　to　penetrate　in　the　first　instance；　and　then；　dividing　



themselves　into　various　parties；　to　sack　the　place。　　The　bookseller　



was；　by　general　desire；　constituted　leader　of　the　guardians　of　the　



town。







It　was　considerably　past　noon；　the　sky　was　overcast；　and　tempest　



clouds；　fraught　with　lightning　and　thunder；　were　hanging　black　and　



horrid　over　the　town　of　Logrono。　　The　little　troop；　resting　on　



their　arms；　stood　awaiting　the　arrival　of　their　unnatural　enemies；　



rage　fired　their　minds　as　they　thought　of　the　deaths　of　their　



fathers；　their　sons；　and　their　dearest　relatives；　who　had　perished；　



not　by　the　hand　of　God；　but；　like　infected　cattle；　by　the　hellish　



arts　of　Egyptian　sorcerers。　　They　longed　for　their　appearance；　



determined　to　wreak　upon　them　a　bloody　revenge；　not　a　word　was　



uttered；　and　profound　silence　reigned　around；　only　interrupted　by　



the　occasional　muttering　of　the　thunder…clouds。　　Suddenly；　Alvarez；　



who　had　been　intently　listening；　raised　his　hand　with　a　significant　



gesture；　presently；　a　sound　was　heard　…　a　rustling　like　the　waving　



of　trees；　or　the　rushing　of　distant　water；　it　gradually　increased；　



and　seemed　to　proceed　from　the　narrow　street　which　led　from　the　



principal　gate　into　the　square。　　All　eyes　were　turned　in　that　



direction。　。　。　。







That　night　there　was　repique　or　ringing　of　bells　in　the　towers　of　



Logrono；　and　the　few　priests　who　had　escaped　from　the　pestilence　



sang　litanies　to　God　and　the　Virgin　for　the　salvation　of　the　town　



from　the　hands　of　the　heathen。　　The　attempt　of　the　Gitanos　had　been　



most　signally　defeated；　and　the　great　square　and　the　street　were　



strewn　with　their　corpses。　　Oh！　what　frightful　objects：　　there　lay　



grim　men　more　black　than　mulattos；　with　fury　and　rage　in　their　



stiffened　features；　wild　women　in　extraordinary　dresses；　their　



hair；　black　and　long　as　the　tail　of　the　horse；　spread　all　



dishevelled　upon　the　ground；　and　gaunt　and　naked　children　grasping　



knives　and　daggers　in　their　tiny　hands。　　Of　the　patriotic　troop　not　



one　appeared　to　have　fallen；　and　when；　after　their　enemies　had　



retreated　with　howlings　of　fiendish　despair；　they　told　their　



numbers；　only　one　man　was　missing；　who　was　never　seen　again；　and　



that　man　was　Alvarez。







In　the　midst　of　the　combat；　the　tempest；　which　had　for　a　long　time　



been　gathering；　burst　over　Logrono；　in　lightning；　thunder；　



darkness；　and　vehement　hail。







A　man　of　the　town　asserted　that　the　last　time　he　had　seen　Alvarez；　



the　latter　was　far　in　advance　of　his　companions；　defending　himself　



desperately　against　three　powerful　young　heathen；　who　seemed　to　be　



acting　under　the　direction　of　a　tall　woman　who　stood　nigh；　covered　



with　barbaric　ornaments；　and　wearing　on　her　head　a　rude　silver　



crown。　（18）







Such　is　the　tale　of　the　Bookseller　of　Logrono；　and　such　is　the　



narrative　of　the　attempt　of　the　Gitanos　to　sack　the　town　in　the　



time　of　pestilence；　which　is　alluded　to　by　many　Spanish　authors；　



but　more　particularly　by　the　learned　Francisco　de　Cordova；　in　his　



DIDASCALIA；　one　of　the　most　curious　and　instructive　books　within　



the　circle　of　universal　literature。















CHAPTER　IV















THE　Moors；　after　their　subjugation；　and　previous　to　their　expulsion　



from　Spain；　generally　resided　apart；　principally　in　the　suburbs　of　



the　towns；　where　they　kept　each　other　in　countenance；　being　hated　



and　despised　by　the　Spaniards；　and　persecuted　on　all　occasions。　　By　



this　means　they　preserved；　to　a　certain　extent；　the　Arabic　



language；　though　the　use　of　it　was　strictly　forbidden；　and　



encouraged　each　other　in　the　secret　exercise　of　the　rites　of　the　



Mohammedan　religion；　so　that；　until　the　moment　of　their　final　



expulsion；　they　continued　Moors　in　almost　every　sense　of　the　word。　　



Such　places　were　called　Morerias；　or　quarters　of　the　Moors。







In　like　manner　there　were　Gitanerias；　or　quarters　of　the　Gitanos；　



in　many　of　the　towns　of　Spain；　and　in　more　than　one　instance　



particular　barrios　or　districts　are　still　known　by　this　name；　



though　the　Gitanos　themselves　have　long　since　disappeared。　　Even　in　



the　town　of　Oviedo；　in　the　heart　of　the　Asturias；　a　province　never　



famous　for　Gitanos；　there　is　a　place　called　the　Gitaneria；　though　



no　Gitano　has　been　known　to　reside　in　the　town　within　the　memory　of　



man；　nor　indeed　been　seen；　save；　perhaps；　as　a　chance　visitor　at　a　



fair。







The　exact　period　when　the　Gitanos　first　formed　these　colonies　



within　the　towns　is　not　known；　the　laws；　however；　which　commanded　



them　to　abandon　their　wandering　life　under　penalty　of　banishment　



and　death；　and　to　become　stationary　in　towns；　may　have　induced　them　



first　to　take　such　a　step。　　By　the　first　of　these　laws；　which　was　



made　by　Ferdinand　and　Isabella　as　far　back　as　the　year　1499；　they　



are　commanded　to　seek　out　for　themselves　masters。　　This　injunction　



they　utterly　disregarded。　　Some　of　them　for　fear　of　the　law；　or　



from　the　hope　of　bettering　their　condition；　may　have　settled　down　



in　the　towns；　cities；　and　villages　for　a　time；　but　to　expect　that　a　



people；　in　whose　bosoms　was　so　deeply　rooted　the　love　of　lawless　



independence；　would　subject　themselves　to　the　yoke　of　servitude；　



from　any　motive　whatever；　was　going　too　far；　as　well　might　it　have　



been　expected；　according　to　the　words　of　the　great　poet　of　Persia；　



THAT　THEY　WOULD　HAVE　WASHED　THEIR　SKINS　WHITE。







In　these　Gitanerias；　therefore；　many　Gypsy　families　resided；　but　



ever　in　the　Gypsy　fashion；　in　filth　and　in　misery；　with　little　of　



the　fear　of　man；　and　nothing　of　the　fear　of　God　before　their　eyes。　　



Here　the　swarthy　children　basked　naked　in　the　sun　before　the　doors；　



here　the　women　prepared　love　draughts；　or　told　the　buena　ventura；　



and　here　the　men　plied　the　trade　of　the　blacksmith；　a　forbidden　



occupation；　or　prepared　for　sale；　by　disguising　them；　animals　



stolen　by　themselves　or　their　accomplic