Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-05-17
The MOoR,s CAVE.

of Fitero, on peaked rock, upon
which flow the waters Of the Albania,
| the traveller can still find the forsaken
ruins of an Arabian castle.
The castle, in the palmy days OF the
reconquest, was famous as having
been the scene Of great and memorable
! exploits, as much on the part oil
those who defended it as on the part
OF those who valiantly planted upon
its turrets the standard OF the cross.
OF its walls few fragments alone
| remain. The stones which had once
shaped the watch tower have fallen
into the moat, one heaped on the
other, forming, as it were a complete
ford.
In the court OF arms grow brlars
and m atted vines; on all sides naught
can be seen but broken arches, grim
and moldering stone benches, here
sheet o. wall, between the crevices Of
which the ivy struggles in its growth;
there dilapidated tower standing as
| il by miracle, and further on pillars OF
cement, still encircled by the iron
hoops which once upheld the draw
bridge.
During my stay at the baths much
exercise was recommended me as being
conducive to my physical improve
ment. Impelled by this motive, or
perhaps by one of curiosity, | often
followed the rugged path which led to
the ruins OF the Abraham fortress,
and there spent hours carefully ex-
amining the soil, in hopes OF finding
some old armor, sounding the walls
to ascertain whether they were hollow
or to discover the hiding place OF
some forgotten treasure; searching in
every corner with the anticipation OF
seeing the entrance of some II those
famous subterranean dungeons which,
as tradition has it, are to be found
in Moorish castles.
MY diligent perquisitions were
| fraitless. At last, one evening, feeling
dIsheartened at not discovering some
| thing curious or new on the rocky
heights upon which rests the castle, l
forsook my plans and limited my
walk to the banks OF the river which
flows near by. Following the drift OF
heriver, saw gap in the rock, half
hidden by a luxuriant growth OF
briars. 1t was not without some
emotion that | parted the tangled
| shrubbery that covered the opening
| of what seemed to me cave dug by
| the hand OF nature, and which l. later
found to be a subterranean vault cut
through the rock.
dared not penetrate into its depth,
which was lost to sight ia shadowy
| darkness. 1t suited me to observe
| the peculiarities of the dome and OF
| its arches, which rose seemingly as a
gigantic stairway, stretching towards
| the castle, in among the ruins OF which
| / remembered having encountered q
blind postern. Without doubt /
| had at last found one of those secret
| paths which are by no means uncom-
| mon in the military constructions OF
that day, and which must have serv-
| ed either as an exit or as means to
facilitate the carrying OF water from
the river which flows near by.
In order to verify my suggestions
left the vault, and addressing a work
man who was busy trimming one OF
the vines growing on the roadside, l
approached him under the plea OF ask.
ing light for my cigarette.
At first we spoke OF indifferent sub
jects-of the medicinal properties OF
the waters, of the past harvest and of
| the one to come, OF the women OF Ma
| varre, of wine culture in that province,
| etc., and, in short, discussed all the
topics which occurred to the good
man, including the cave, the object OF
my curiosity.
| When at last the conversation fell
upon this point asked if anyone had
ever descended into the cave.
| penetrate into the Moor's cave"
exclaimed he, terrified at my question.
"Who would dare venture within it?
Do you not know that from this
cavern there comes a soul every
night?"
"a soul" said / smiling, Whose
soul2"
The soul oil the daughter OF Moor
| ish CHIEF, who even to this day wan
ders about in the still hours of the
night, robed in white, generally going
in the direction of the river to fill a
jar with water"
Through the information given by
| this good man / came to the knowl-
| edge that concerning the Arabian cas-
tie and the cave communicating with
it there was a history, and as l am
partial to traditions, especially when
coming from the lips OF the natives, /
begged that he relate the story of the
| Moor's cave, which he did in words
very similar to those which will use
in telling it to my readers.
When the castle, of which now only
remains mass of shapeless ruins,
was yet held by the Moorish kings,
aud its towers, which overhung the
valley made fertile by the waters of
the Albania, there occurred in the vi
entity OF the city OF Fitero bloody
battle,in which fell wounded and pris-
oner of the Arabs famous Christian
cavalier, equally as worthy OF renown
for his piety as for his military valor.
He was led to the fortress laden with
chains, and remained for several DAYS
in a dungeon, struggling between life
and death, when, miraculously as it
were, his kindred redeemed him by
force or gold. The captive returned
to his hearth; returned to press in
tender embrace those who had given
| him life. His comrades in arms and
his soldiers were heartily rejoiced at
seeing him, taking his return as an
omen that the hour Tor new combats
had come. But the soul of the knight
was filed with profound melancholy,
and neither the affection nor the kind.
ly efforts of his friends had power to
dispei the strange sadness which
had taken possession OF him.
1t happened that during his captivity
he CHANGED to see the daughter
of the Moorish chief the fame OF
whose extraordinary beauty had
reached him long ere his eyes had fall
en- upon her. When they had met, and
he found her superior to his expecta.
tions. he could not resist the seduc.
lion of her charms, and fell madly in
love with her, whom he knew could
never be his.
For months and months the knight
pondered over schemes most daring
and wild. AT times he imagined
means by which to break the barriers
which separated them; at others he
strove as earnestly to forget her; now
he decided in favor of one plan aud
then for another entirely different,
until one day, assembling his broth
ers in arms and soldiers, he sent fol
his warriors, and with the greatest
secrecy made all the necessary prepa
rations for an unexpected attack up
on the fortress where was kept his