The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-14

brave Admiral Cervera, gre Is span
lard who outranks HMM popularity
Neither war nor diplouiy can dislodge
Cervantes from his oldpedestal' When
SPAN failed to see I'M Don Quixo1e'
more than a jest book pc educated mlhd
of England saw the If greatness OF the
novel. 1t was, in laF measure English
appreciation, which Iats down the preJu-
49, of tbe Snanisb ierary coterie, which
t,..5 r,srvantes Iivk and warred on him
5o5 The event Jour war, a struggle
in which Spanish fessels nave Iared as
io,7l,, &C the Donwhen he charged the
,,irdn,iUs NAV ing about a deeper in
tres, IN the ma4r mind of Spanish lit
ersture in perhss the noblest spirit the
literary nrofessiA ever numbered in its
ranks.
Nipuel de Cerantes (the name Save
5ra being addedsfter his return from AL
siers) was bornkn Acala de Henares in
7547 Like Horer, seven cities claimed
the honor of hisbnth His father, Rodri-
On de Cervantes and his mother, Leonor
d. Cortinas. wen of pld families of wan
inc fortunes. N[igue was the youngest
of four children HIS brother, Rodrigo,
became a noted sailol and one of his sis
ters became nun. Whether Miguel ever
went to one of the Sansh universities is
disputed, but he certinly won the affec-
ZION of schoolmaser, who delighted in
his boyish verses. IN boyhood he made
theatrical acquaintsces and formed the
ambition to be a graf dramatist, in which
he never succeeded He was a devoted
reader of the fantastic Spanish romances
which his noblest book satirizes. From
the very little kpwn of his youth he
seems to have bee bright lad, more in
clined 10 general ,eading than to regular
habits Of study 10 one ever ranked him
among scholars, and yet scholars of every
nation count him dfairly read man. When
scarcely past q he found a place in the
household of Cardinal Acquaviva, young
prelate with a greal fondness for literary
society. Cardinal Aoluaviva took Cervan-
ties with him to Rome, but the diplomatic
career of Miguel was brief
Spain Venice and Rome were forming
holy league against the Sultan, and Ger
vantes enlisted as a private in a famous
regiment, composed wholly of recruits from
noble or gentle families A year of tire
some delay at Naples chafed his spirit,
and his romantic drains were rudely
awakened by the fact hat some Christian
powers were secretly helping the Turk.
Spain and Venice wraigled necessarily. At
last, however, Don Jbhn of Austria, put
70 sea with a mighty leet and in October
1571, defeated the Turks at Lepanto. Ger
Vantes left a sick bed for the deck receiv-
ed three wounds in tie breast and had his
left hand shattered. He did not lose his
left arm, as is so cften stated; but his
wounds were seriols and painful. Owing
TO discord among tie Christians and unity
among the Turks, Iepanto, though a vic
tory, was almost barren of results. Ger
Vantes saw more lighting and won hand
some letters from many commanders, in
Guiding Don John himself. After years of
hard service, he started for home, with
natural hope that these letters would en-
sure his promotion. The galley Ell Sol was
attacked by three Aigerine cruisers, and
after a hard fight the Spaniards were oblis
ed to yield Rodrigo and Miguel Cervantes
were now prisoners. Miguel fell into the
hands of a Greek renegade, who seized the
letters and concluded that their owner must
be a prize for whom he might demand an
enormous ransom. The young soldier, who
had been dreaming of promotion, was soon
a fettered captive in Algiers.
Now comes the most heroic period of
Ceramics life. The barest facts surpass
the widest page of romance. Algiers was
then what might be called a bull market
for Christian slaves. There was demand
for skilled labor, especially on ships and in
dockyards. Vessels, generally commanded
by Christian renegades, sailed from Algiers
20 make prizes. The captives, if laborers,
were put TO work; if merchants or MOBILES
were held for ransom. According to Fa-
Their Haldo, a high authority on Algiers,
one-third of the population in 1916 were
renegades According to general report,
these apostates were far more cruel than
natiVe-born Turks. Prisoners of high rank
We're often treated fairly well, because dead
men were not likely to be ransomed.
Eassan Pasha, viceroy of Algiers, was
a Venetian renegade, who impaled cap
tves for trifling offenses and cut off noses
or ears out of pure cruelty. Yet this mon
ster never struck Cervantes, or even in
suited him. Time after time, Cervantes
Planned escape for himself and friends.
Some detail always miscarried or some
one played the traitor; but nothing daunt-
ed the bold spirit. Cervantes would con-
less himself TO be the ringleader, and re-
fuse to name his confederates Once he
stood with his neck in the halter, and lis
tened unmoVed to threats of torture.
Another time he was sentenced to re-
celNe $500 blows, but not a blow was ad
mnistered. Never had Barbary known so
troublesome prisoner A carefully
Planned uprising of Christians, with an at
A AtDIl NlG spanish meet, was one OL
CerVantes pet schemes. Charles the
flfth would have aided such movement,
Dat here was nothing heroic about Philip
me Second, and the plan failed Cervantes
went on with new plans, and in some way
raised the bitter hatred of Blanco de Paz,
dominican monk, who exposed his plots.
Asdln Cervantes was threatened with
ueath but the affair only ended in
sulcter captivity. Rodrigo de Cervantes
nao been ransomed long ago, and Miguel
was occasionally cheered by hearing that
friends were trying to buy his liberty.
among Christians Moors and even rene
Saaes his dauntless courage, his loyalty
20 ms race and religion, his unfailing good
A1mor won him friends He did not write
Ion QuiXote in Algiers.
NJ last the time of freedom came.
Fh'hp the Second began to prepare for an
Sl'ack on Portugal, and the Algerians
cared he would conquer them. The price
u saves fell, and the bears urged "sel.
s'I at once, "a we viii lose all our cap
ives Ceryantes' father was dead, but
ms mother and sister begged and Dor
i'"ed ransom money which they placed
III me hands of Father Juan Gil. one Of
eIe noblest priests that ever stood at a