The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-14
THE SlLUGGLER.

Quortcrac, guarding tho entrance to val
ley. On the right and left tho noun
tlins. broken for Il space, resume their
monotonous, uncnding chain Qucrtor,o
is small old fashioned town that was
once fortified 1t is difficult of access
and has about G,O0O inhabitants
On the ncighboring mountains, re-
gardcd Az neutral has gathered popu-
lation as doubtful i'll morality rs in ma
tionnlity-a confused mixture of Gas
cons, Basqucs and Cutalonians, whose
chief occupations are highway robbery
and smuggling
About the middle of tho present cen
fury cholera was devastating Spain, It
ally and France.
In the country and IN tho towns there
was II cessation from the activities of
life The inhabitants barricatled them
selves i'll vain against the invisible enc
my, which glidcd treachcrously through
half opened doors, locks and unsuspect-
ed openings in roofs and walls In
Quertcrnc, II victim from the first day,
nothing could be seen but deserted
streets and houses closed from top to
bottom Those who fell in the public
squares had no assistance, for pity was
dead through fear. The civil authori-
ties were disobcycd and dcspiscd as use
loss and powcrlcss, no regard being paid
to the official notices that We're placar,l-
cd on the doors and walls
If fear WAS great and solflshnovss hard
III the city, the country was even more
distracted and cruel. If bcggar show
od himself at the door of some lonely
IN I, ~,
and bullets Tho dogs were set on him,
and he was mnltrcntcd. Perfectly alb
s7lrd stories W,ar circulated among the
country people. They snid that cholera
Was not so bad rs it was reported to BE-
Many people who had seemingly did
I'd cholera had really been poisoned 10y
some enemy, who had druggcd the
water or lulcadcd arsenic into the bread
III short, tlin people i'll the valley were
cternally i'll dread OF some hostile nc
| ton OH the part Of those r;Lscals up
above, as they called the mixed race
that dwclt III the cstyys and rcooescs of
tho mountains
The opportunity was u good one for
these mountainccrS TO plumber the fioclls
and property of thosc below, but those
r;s>cals up above" never stirred from
their hol.rI Why?
Well, they also We're dying. They
seemed to die III more astonishing pro
| portions than elsewhere, and one never
! could have believed that there were 80
many people III those mountains
At Qucrtcr;tc there was considerable
establishment, for after few days the
| epidemic began Ia decrease, but the
| townspcoplc did not understand it, but
| they could not help ndmirng the picty
| of those people abovc. Every evening
thrc or four joltinS vehicles loaded
with collins and followed by men and
women III mourning descended slowly
| through the ravinc, entered the village
| and passed silently toward the cemetery.
| The shadows OF the nLouriiful cOrtcyc
| i'll the light OF the glowing fires; cast
dark, fantastic pictures OH the walls
| The H.sscrsby fled at the sight, seized
with fresh alarm 1t WIS over lonely
route that the procession passed to reach
the cemetery, and those poor wrctchc:
those hcathcn, followed their dead to
their last resting place, when it would
have been so easy to throw the bodies
into the ravinCs aud rivers or TO leave
them TO the wolves and eagles; but no,
those wanderers those aliens, scrupu-
lousy regarded the rites of burial
The charge OF the custom house ut
Qucrtcrac is one of great importance
and generally falls to a competent Off
Ger. From this point inspectors, goin.
to and fro, carefully watch the marrow
valley which is the only easy entrance
from Spain. During the epidemic death
interrupted the routine of duty, for OH
some days 20 men fell victims TO the
disease, and the survivors, distracted by
the panic, neglected their work.
One man only kept his post, tho old
man Vulgcnod. He always sounded the
final d. He was IA born custom house
officer. He belonged to that race, He
could smell Il smugglcr three hours be-
fore he saw him, and six miles off Il
balc of tobacco would make him sncczc.
Night and day he kept on his rounds,
declaring that it would bc all absurditv
for All old custom man To die of the col
ic, as he called the cholera. The guards
were increased and Valgcnod went the
rounds of those who did not answer to
their names ut roll call. He was always
Watching tue HlOunttlH INC lilr OF the
monsters. He knew them every one
those smugglers on whom he had fired
SO often when he had found them prowl-
ing around the town OH some dark night.
"Ah, said Valgcnod, mot one of theE
slaves Yes, one perhaps Those fellows
30 against my stomach
There was one old man, Father Mcri-
:as, Il gray bearded gypsy, with WHOM
Valgcnod had frequently come into con