Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-10-24

ordinations of astonishment 49, ano tneir
him to Frapciscan convent H.. huxsyea
and some men Of consequence In rtb. ,iau.
who had followed the crowd, now eYsp;.'
tins singular being more closely. Tbey a.
| dressed him, FIRST Of all, in the Iansu.S. -
the country, then in French, italian ana all
other dialects; but the wild man did not re .
| ply single sound appeared not 10 comnr.-
hend In the slightest degree what was said Ia
him and altogether bore on his face the ex
preston of perfect imbecility A pious monk
now bethinking himself that he was possibly
possessed of an evil spirit, set TO work with
the customary solemnities for driving cut dew
ills but all the holy friar's efforts proved nm
ayalilng, and did not seem 10 produce the
shghtest impression upon this stupid being
In TINS manner he continued TO live for some
days In the convent, fed and clothed by the
benevolent Franciscsns He was perfectly
harmless; allowed them to do whatever thew
pleased with him but nothing he saw or
heard caused in him the least apparent int.r-
est Various men of rank visited the convent
Ia order to see him; but they could end no
clue to his identity-where be came from, or
what be had been.
After the FIRST excitement had som.vbaf
suosided, he one day suddenly pronounced,
In distinct tone of voice, the name of Lier.
games. This word he repeated several times.
but no one present knew what be desired 10
III.
situated in remote district Of the kingdom,
was perfectly unknown to the good monks
hecollect the country was Spain, and the CEN
tury the seventeenth, and you will not be sur-
prised at this want of geographical knowledge
on the part Of the holy brotherhood.
put IL 20 chanced that young workman In
Cadiz hearing every one talking about this
strange being, and the uuinteIlig gfble expres.
son he had made use of, informed his com
tnlons that he himself came from a place
called Lierganes, and that il was a small town
In the north Of Spain, not far from Santillana
ms news produced a great effect; and the
wise men now began TO conjecture, that as
their guest had used only one word, and this
word the name Of a village, the probability
was that he was born there They thereupon
wrote TO the Secretary Of the Inquisition, him
Sell native of Liersanes, giving him all the
particulars Of the affair This gentleman i'm
mediately interested himself In the business;
and as he happened TO know something OF the
family of Maria de Ia Vega, and had heard Of
cisco, he wrote TO the widow and her children,
to ask them whether, during the last I've
years, they have received any tidings Of their
missing relative. They replied in the neg
atlve, and that every one, both at Lierganos
and Bilbao, considered that he was drowned:
for that, on the occasion of his last bathing in
the river, after having been seen swimming
1 shed, and his clothes alone remained on the
shore.
The Secretary, Don Domingo, reported this
Intelligence to the monks of the convent at
Cadiz, with whom he found the mau-hsh had
now been staying for some considerable period.
After the lapse Of several months, friar, also
belonging to the Franciscan order, arrived one
day at the convent. This friar, Juan Rosende
by name, had just returned from a pilgrimase
To Jerusalem, and soon made acouaintance
with the apparent idiot, whom he took under
his especial charge. He learned his history,
and also what had occurred years ago at Bill
bao; and as the good friar was about to under.
take journey on foot through the provinces
OF Spain, for the purpose Of collecting Aims for
the holy Places in Palestine, he took his dumb
pOrtege with him, thinking il possible th at he
might turn out to be the lost youth Of Lier-
games
In this manner the two companions travelled
through the whole Of Spain on foot; and IL
was only in the course Of the following wear
ll6oO) that they arrived at Santander The
friar now went slightly ont of his way in order
to visit Lierganes The road thither leads
across tolerably high mountain, on the other
side of which, at the distance of about one and
a quarter miles, lies the little town. As soon
as they arrived on the summit of this noun
I ain, whence the eye commands the range of
the entire district below, the monk turned
round to his attendant and said Hitherto
have conducted you, my son il Is now your
turn to conduct me-"
TO BR CONTINUED