The adventures of Alphonso and Marina: An Interesting Spanish Tale Page 3

on the danger they had escaped. Whilethey were discoursing on their adventures, one of the passengers beganto quarrel with a soldier, concerning a box, which the passengerasserted belonged to him.

  Don Alphonso desirous to put an end to the contention, obliged thepassenger to declare what it contained, opening it, at the same time, todiscover whether he spoke truth.

  How great was his surprise to find in it the jewels of Marina, and,among them the very emerald he had given her. For a moment he stoodmotionless, examining attentively the casket, and fixing his eyes,sparkling with rage, on the claimant, 'how came you by these jewels?'said he, with a terrible voice.

  'What does it signify,' replied the passenger, haughtily, 'how I came bythem? It is sufficient that they are mine.'

  He then endeavoured to snatch the casket from Don Alphonso; but thelatter, pushing him back, instantly drew his sword, and exclaiming,'Wretch, confess your crime, or you die this moment,' attacked him withgreat fury: his antagonist defended himself desperately, but presentlyreceived a mortal wound, and fell.

  Don Alphonso was immediately surrounded by the people of the house. Theytake him to prison, and the master of the inn sends his wife to fetchthe clergyman of the parish, that he may administer spiritual comfort tothe dying man, while he runs himself, to the alcaid to carry the casket,and inform him of the whole adventure.

  How great was the surprise, the joy, and the anxiety of Marina onperceiving her diamonds, and hearing the behaviour of the noblestranger!

  She immediately hastened to the inn: the minister was already there; andthe dying man, induced by his exhortations, declared, in presence of thealcaid, that, two years before, as he was one night passing through astreet in Granada, a lady had given him that box, through a lattice,desiring him to hold it till she came down, but that he immediately madeoff with the jewels; for which theft he asked pardon of God, and of theunknown lady he had injured. He immediately expired, and Marina hastenedto the prison.

  Imagine the palpitations of her heart: she could no longer doubt but sheshould again see Don Alphonso, but she was apprehensive of being knownby him: she therefore pulled her hat over her eyes, wrapped herself upin her cloak, and, preceded by her clerk and the gaoler, entered thedungeon.

  No sooner had she come to the bottom of the stairs than she perceivedDon Alphonso. Her joy almost deprived her of speech; she leaned againstthe wall, her head sunk on her shoulder, and the tears bedewed hercheeks. She wiped them away, stopped a moment to take breath, and,endeavouring to speak with firmness, approached the prisoner.

  'Stranger,' said she, disguising her voice, 'you have killed yourcompanion. What could induce you to commit such a horrid crime?'

  'Alcaid,' answered Don Alphonso, 'I have committed no crime; it was anact of justice; but I am desirous to die. Death alone can end themiseries, of which the wretch I have sacrificed was the first cause.Condemn me. I wish not to make a defence. Deliver me from a life whichis hateful to me, since I have lost what alone could render itdelightful; since I can no longer hope ever to find'----

  He was scarce able to conclude, and his voice faintly expressed the nameof Marina.

  Marina trembled on hearing him pronounce her name. She could scarcelyconceal her transports, but was ready to throw herself into the arms ofher lover. The presence, however, of so many witnesses restrained her.She, therefore, turned away her eyes, and faintly requested to be leftalone with the prisoner. She was obeyed.

  Giving a free course to her tears she advanced towards Don Alphonso, andoffering him her hand, said to him, in a most affectionate tone, 'Do youthen still love her who lives for you alone?'

  At these words, at this voice, Alphonso lifts his head, unable tobelieve his eyes. 'Oh Heavens! Is it--is it my Marina! Or is it someangelic being assuming her form? Yes, it is my Marina herself, I can nolonger doubt it,' cried he, clamping her in his arms, and bathing herwith his tears. 'It is my love, my life, and all my woes are ended.'

  'No,' said Marina, as soon as she could recover speech, 'you are guiltyof bloodshed, and I cannot free you from your fetters; but I will repairto-morrow to the superior judge, will inform him of the secret of mybirth, relate to him our misfortunes, and, if he refuses me yourliberty, will return and end my days with you in this prison.'

  Marcello immediately gave orders for the removal of Alphonso from thedungeon into a less hideous place of security. He took care that heshould want for nothing, and returned home to prepare for his journey,the next day, when a most alarming event prevented his departure, andhastened the delivery of Don Alphonso.

  Some Algerine galleys, which had for several days pursued the ship onboard which Don Alphonso was, had arrived on the coast, some time afterthe shipwreck; and willing to repay themselves for the trouble they hadtaken, had determined to land, during the night. Two renegadoes, whoknew the country, undertook to conduct the barbarians to the village ofGadara, and fulfilled their promise but too well.

  About one in the morning, when labour enjoys repose, and villainy wakesto remorse, the dreadful cry _to arms! to arms!_ was heard.

  The Corsairs had landed, and were burning and slaughtering all beforethem. The darkness of the night, the groans of the dying, and theshrieks of the inhabitants, filled every heart with consternation. Thetrembling wives caught their husbands in their arms; and the old mensought succour from their sons. In a moment the village was in flames,the light of which discovered the gory scymitars and white turbans ofthe Moors.

  Those barbarians, the flambeau in one hand, and the hatchet in theother, were breaking and burning the doors of the houses; making theirway through the smoaking ruins, to seek for victims or for plunder, andreturning covered with blood, and loaded with booty.

  Here they rush into the chamber, to which two lovers, the bride andbridegroom of the day, had been conducted by their mother. Each on theirknees, side by side, was pouring forth thanks to heaven, for havingcrowned their faithful wishes. An unfeeling wretch, remorseless, seizesthe terrified bride; loads her unhappy lover, whom in cruelty he spares,with chains; and snatches before his face, in spite of his distraction,his tears, prayers, and exclamations, that prize which was due to himalone.

  There they take the sleeping infant from its cradle. The mother,frantic, defends it, singly, against an host. Nothing can repel, nothingcan terrify her. Death she braves and provokes. For her child shesupplicates, threatens, and combats; while the tender infant, alreadyseized by these tigers, starts, wakes, stares, with the wild agony ofterror, on the grim visage of its murderer, and sinks into convulsivehorror and sleep, from which it wakes no more.

  Nothing is held sacred by these monsters. They force their way into thetemples of the Most High, break the shrines, strip off the gold, andtrample the holy relics under foot. Alas! of what avail to the priestsis their sacred character? to the aged their grey hairs? to youth itsgraces, or to infancy its innocence? Slavery, fire, devastation, anddeath are every where, and compassion is fled.

  On the first alarm the Alcaid made all haste to the prison to inform DonAlphonso of the danger. The brave Alphonso demanded a sword for himselfand a buckler for the Alcaid. He takes Marina by the hand, and makinghis way to the market-place, thus accosts the fugitives: 'My friends,are ye Spaniards, and do ye abandon your wives and children to the furyof the infidels?'

  He stops, he rallies them, inspires them with his own valor, and, morethan human, (for he is a lover, and a hero) rushes, sabre in hand, on aparty of the Moors, whom he instantly disperses. The inhabitants recovertheir recollection and their courage; enraged, behold their slaughteredfriends; and hasten in crowds to join their leader.

  Alphonso, without quitting Marina, and ever solicitous to expose hislife in her defence, attacks the barbarians at the head of his braveSpaniards, and dealing destruction to all who make resistance, drivesthe fugitives before him, retakes the plunder and the prisoners, andonly quits the pursuit of the enemy to return and extinguish the flames.

  The day began to break, when a body of troops, who had rec
eivedinformation of the descent of the infidels, arrived from a neighbouringtown. The governor had put himself at their head and found Don Alphonsosurrounded by women, children, and old men; who, weeping, kissed hishands, with unfeigned gratitude, for having preserved their husbands,their fathers, or their sons.

  The governor, informed of the exploits of Don Alphonso, loaded him withpraises and caresses; but Marina, requesting to be heard, declared tothe governor in presence of the whole village, her sex; giving, at thesame time, a relation of her adventures, the death of the bravo by DonAlphonso, and the circumstances which rendered him excusable.

  All the inhabitants, greatly affected with her story, fell at the feetof the governor, intreating pardon for the man to whom they wereindebted for their preservation. Their request was granted, and thehappy Alphonso, thus restored to his dear Marina, embraced the governor,and blessed the good inhabitants. One of the old men then