Wichita eagle., 1888-05-15
THE MOOR'S CAVE.

Fronting the bathing establishment 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
This castle, in the palmy days of the re-
conquest, was famous as having been the
scene of great and memorable exploits, as
much on the part of those who defended it
as on the part of those who valiantly planted
upon its turrets the standard of the cross.
OF its walls q few fragments alone remain.
The stones which had once shaped the watch
tower have fallen into the moat, one heeped
on the other, forming, as it were q complete
forc
In the court of arms grow briars and mat
ted vines; on all sides naught can be seen but
broken arches, grim and moldering stone
benches; here a sheet of wall, between the
crevices Of which the ivy struggles in its
growth; there dilipidated tower standing
as if by miracle, and further on pillars Of
cement, still encircled by the iron hoops
which once upheld the drswbridge.
During my stay at the baths much exercise
WIS recommended me as being conducive to
my physical improvement Impelled by this
motive, or perhaps by one of curiosity, l
often followed the rugged path which led to
the ruins of the Arabian fortress, and there
spent hours carefully examining 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
Of Of farn S,,ht
mean dungeons which, as tradition has it, are
to be found in Moorish castles.
My dilgent perquisitions were fruitless
At last, one evening, feeling disheartened at
not discovering something curious or new on
the rocky heights upon which rests the castle,
forsook my plans and limited my walk to
the banks Of the river which flows near by.
Following the drift Of the river, saw gap
in the rock, half hidden by 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 I later found to be a subterranean
vault cut through the rock
dared not penetrate into its depth, which
was lost to sight in shadowy darkness. 1t
suited me to observe the peculiarities Of
ingly as gigantic stairway, stretching to-
ward the castle, in among the ruins Of which
1 remembered having encountered a blind
postern. Without doubt I had at last
found one of those secret paths which are by
no means uncommon In the military con-
structions of that day, and which must have
served either an exit or as q means to ia
cilitate the carrying of water from the river
wlAch flows near by.
In order to verify my suggestions I left
the vault, and addressing a workman who
was busy trimming one Of the vines growing
on the roadside, approached him under the
plea of asking light for my cigarette
At first we spoke of Indifferent subjects
of the medicinal properties Of the waters,
of the past harvest and of the one to come,
of the women of Navarro, 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 any one had ever de-
scended into the cave.
Penetrate into the Moor's cave"> ex-
claimed he, terrified at my question. "Who
would dare venture within it, Do you not
soul every mighty
IA SOUL" said I, smiling. "Whose soulr'
"The soul of the daughter of q Moorish
chief, who even to this day wanders about in
the still hours of night, robed In white, gen.
orally going in the direction Of the river to
fill a jar With water"
Through the information given by this
gosd mani came to the knowledge thai con-
%ta c<I L.
communicating with it there was a history,
and as am partial to traditions, especially
when corning from the lips Of the natives, I
begged that he relate the story of the Moor's
cave, which he did in words very similar to
those which I wiA use in telling it to my
readers
When the castle, Of which now only re-
mains mass Of shApslessafuins, was yet held
by the Moorish kings, and its towers, which
overriding the vualey made fertile by the
waters Of the Albania. there occurred 10 the
vicinity OF TIE city al Fitero bloody battle,
in which fell wourded and prisoner of the
Abrabsa famous Christian cavalier, equally
as worthy Of renown for hts piety as for his
military valor. He was he'd to the fortress
laden with chains, and remained for several
days in dungeon, struggling between life
ana dede1, Saeo, AnI aCoAo1Siy as 10 were.
his kindred redeemed him by force of gold
The captive returned to ais 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 bis return as an omen that the
hour for new conbats had come. But the
soul of the kni GIT was filled with profound
melancholy, and neither the affection nor
the kindly efforts Of his friends had power to
dispel the strange sadness which had taken
possession of him. 1t happened that during
his captivity he CHANGED 70 see the daughter
of the Moorish chief, the fame Of whose ex-
traordinary beauty had resched him long
enc his eyes had fallen upon her When they
had met, and be found her superior to bis
expectations he could nor resist the seduction /
of her charms, and fell madly in love with /
her, whom be knew could never be hia
For months and morshs the knight pom
dersd over schemes most daring and Wild /
At times he imagined means by which to ,
break the barriers which separated them, at 4
others he xerove as earnestly to forget her;
now be decided m favor Of one plan, and 1
then for another entirely different. until one /
day, assembling his brothers IN arms ana .
soldiers, he sent for his warriors. and with 1
the greatest secrecy made aN the necessary
prsparatsons for an unexpected attack upon
the fortress where wss kept bis beauteous
one, the object of his insane love