Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1894-10-25
THE WHITE HORSE.

''This canyon ought to have history,
Pablo" l said to the guide as, supper
finished, leaned back on my blankets
and dreamily gazed at the scene before
us.
1t was summer night-a night in
the southwest, where nights are perfect
The moon was at the full, and not a
cloud was in the sky to obscure her
radiance or the light Of the myriad
stars which bore her company. The
air was cool and bracing, yet balmy,
and there was just enough breeze to lull
ones spirits and cause him to forget
the world and indulge in fanciful rever-
les such as only southern breezes in
spire.
We had pitched our camp on one Of
the sloping hills on the south side OF
the canyon, where a little stream Of
clear, sweet water rippled from spring
in ravine down into the canyon be-
low. Above us was the signing, odor-
GUS forest of Juniper and pinon. Below
was little stretch of velvety grass ex-
tending clear to the floor of the canyon
on both sides of the little stream. Right
and left stretched the canyon itself. its
walls, precipitous for the most part, ris
ing grandly hundreds of feet high on
each side.
1T is beautiful, Pablo, continued.
'It must have history of some kind
or a story-no?"
Isl, senior, that it has-aye, that ii
has, [" answered the Mexican, lighting
a fresh cigarette and putting at it re-
f1ectively moment Would the senior
hear it?'
''By all means, Pablo. Go ahead. -
And here is Pablo's story as nearly
as can translate it, for he spoke in
Spanish:
'tDoes the senior see the cliff on the
other side, how high it is? That is the
cliff of the White Horse 1t is many
hundred feet high and straight up and
down. And at the top when the moon
Is little higher the senior will see the
white horse. 1t is great white rock on
the edge of the cliff, and by clear moon
light it looks like white horse. 1t has
not alway been there, and now, they
say, on the anniversaries of a certain
day the ghost of old Don Fernando
comes and rides it along the edge of the
canyon.
Don Fernando? Oh, aye May the
blessed saints have mercy upon himr'
calculated Pablo crossing himself.
Many years ago Don Fernando Cor
tez-he was a grandson or something Of
the great Cortez-lived over above be-
yond the canyon several miles. Don
Fernando was rich and lived in a grand
house and had many servants and
slaves. He was great entertainer, was
Don Fernando, and people used to come
many miles-hundreds, thousands, yes,
to his grand dinners and balls.
He was not a good man. No He
was cruel master and hard with all
his people and made them all hate him.
He was kind to only two living crea-
lures. One of these was his beautiful
daughter, the Lady Ysabel; the othe,
was his great white stallion, the largest
and fleetest horse in all the country.
These two the old don loved as his two
eyes, and well he might Yes. The
Lady Ysabel was not only beautiful, but
she was kind and good, and all the peo-
pie loved her as much as they hated the
don. which was a great deal. She had
golden hair and eyes like the sky, and
it is said the birds listened when she
sang. And the horse-aye, he was won
derful He was as big as three ordinary
horses, and his tread shook the ground.
He had long, white name and eyes
that flashed fire and was almost a.
much feared as the old don, who alone
dared go near him.
"The Lady Ysabel had many suitors.
The wealthiest and most aristocratit
men in all the country came to sue fc
her hand, many Of them from farotr
California; and some, it is said, can't
even from Spain. But the Lady Ysabel
would have none of them. She loved
her pony and her dogs and birds and
her people, but man, no. One after
another came, but she turned them all
away. So after few years the old don
became tired of what he called her fool
ishness and swore she should marry,
and at once, a man whom he had Sc
lected for her.
''This grieved the Lady Ysabel very
much, for not only did she not love any
of those who.had offered themselves to
her, but her heart was already given
given to one of her fathers poems, a
young man named Jose, whom she had
helped to nurse through a terrible i'll
ness. Him she used to meet by stealth
nearly every night unknown to any
but themselves. But one night when
the Lady Ysabel's wedding day was
near at hand she and her lover were
seen together, and the story came to the
ears of the old don.
He started to find them, swearing
to kill them both, but they had been
warned and had taken two of the fleet
est horses in the stables and fed. With
mad haste the don saddled his white
stallion and pursued them. They had
taken their way over the hills blindly,
but some instinct led the don to follow
the direction they had taken, and in a
short time he had them in sight riding
over the plateau beyond the canyon
there.
when the lovers saw they were pur-
sued, they put their jaded horses to
their highest speed, hoping to escape.
but soon they found it was too late, and
as the old don, with terrible curses,
pressed them closely they leaped to the
ground. ran to the edge Of the cliff, and
clasped in each others arms sprang
into eternity together.
"And the don7 For days he raved
like mailman and seemed to know no
one. Then he became quieter, and they
thought he would be himself again.
But one moonlight night they missed
him, and several set out to seek him.
He was riding up and down the edge Of
the cliff yonder, raying and disappearing
terribly, and none of those who had
come to find him dared approach. For
hours he raved. Then, just as the moon
came from behind a clOud. thev saw