BURIED TREASURES.
Few things possess such powerful attraction as the thought of buried
treasures which may be lying unsuspected around us. To think that
the golden buttercups which dot a meadow are, perchance, but the
reflections of other golden pieces lying beneath the surface; to
suppose the crumbling gray walls of some ancient tower to be the dingy
casket enshrouding priceless gems, there secreted by long-vanished
hands—is surely enough to set imagination on fire, and engender the
wild, delirious hope that to you alone, favored among ten thousand
other mortals who have passed by the spot unknowing, may be destined
the triumph of finding that golden key.
Vain and futile as such researches mostly are, yet they have in
Transylvania a somewhat greater semblance of reason than in most other
countries, for nowhere else, perhaps, have so many successive nations
been forced to secrete their riches in flying from an enemy, to say
nothing of the numerous, yet undiscovered, veins of gold and silver
which must be seaming the country in all directions. Not a year passes
without bringing to light some earthen jar containing old Dacian coins,
or golden ornaments of Roman origin—which discoveries all serve to
feed and keep up the national superstitions connected with treasures
and treasure-finders.
The night of St. George, the 24th of April (corresponding to our 6th
of May), is of all others the most favorable in the year for such
researches, and many Roumanian peasants spend these hours in wandering
about the hills, trying to probe the earth for the gold it contains;
for in this night (so say the legends) all these treasures begin to
burn, or, to speak in technical, mystic language, “to bloom,” in the
bosom of the earth, and the light they give forth, described as a
bluish flame, resembling the color of burning spirits of wine, serves
to guide favored mortals to their place of concealment.
The conditions to the successful raising of a treasure are manifold and
difficult of accomplishment. In the first place, it is by no means
easy for a common mortal who has not been born on a Sunday, nor even
at mid-day when the bells are ringing, to hit upon a treasure at all.
If he does, however, chance to catch sight of a flame such as I have
described, he must quickly pierce through the swaddling rags of his
right foot with a knife, and then throw it in the direction of the
flame seen. If two people are together during this discovery, they must
on no account break silence till the treasure is raised; neither is it
allowed to fill up the hole from which anything has been taken, for
that would entail the death of one of the finders. Another important
feature to be noted is that the lights seen before midnight on St.
George’s Day denote treasures kept by good spirits, while those which
appear at a later hour are unquestionably of a pernicious nature.
For the comfort of less favored mortals who do not happen to have been
born either on a Sunday nor to the sound of bells, I must here mention
that these deficiencies may to some extent be condoned for and the
mental vision sharpened by the consumption of mouldy bread; so that
whoever has, during the preceding year, been careful to feed upon
decayed loaves only, may (if he survive this trying diet) become the
fortunate discoverer of hidden treasures.
Sometimes the power of finding a particular treasure is supposed
only to be possessed by members of some particular family. A curious
instance of this was lately recorded in Roumania, relating to an old
ruined convent, where, according to a popular legend, a large sum of
gold is concealed. A deputation of peasants, at considerable trouble
and expense, found out the last surviving member of the family supposed
to possess the mystic power, and offered him unconditionally a very
handsome sum merely for the benefit of his personal attendance on the
spot. The gentleman in question being old, and probably sceptical,
declined the offer, to the peasants’ great disappointment.
There is hardly a ruin, mountain, or forest in Transylvania which has
not got some legend of a hidden treasure attached to it. These are
often supposed to be guarded by some animal, as a serpent, turkey,
dog, or pig; or sometimes the devil himself, in the shape of a black
buffalo, haunts the place at night and carries off those who attempt
to raise the treasure. Out of the many such tales there afloat I shall
here quote only a few, which have been collected and written down from
the words of old villagers in different places:
THE TREASURE OF DARIUS
is one of the principal treasures supposed to be somewhere concealed
on Transylvanian ground. It is said to be of immense value, and is
believed to have been secreted when the Persian king was compelled to
fly before the Scythian forces; but opinions are divided as to the
exact locality where it lies. One version, which places the treasure
in a forest in the neighborhood of Hamlesch, relates of it that fifty
years ago a poor German workman, sleeping in the forest one night,
discovered the treasure, and being versed in the formalities to be
observed on such occasions, laid upon it some article of clothing
marked with his name in token of taking possession. Then, as he did not
trust the country people, he went off to Germany to fetch his relations
to assist him in raising the treasure. But, hardly arrived at his
house, he fell ill and died; and though on his death-bed he exactly
described the place where he had seen the gold, and gave directions for
finding it, his relations were never able to hit upon the place.
Another story declares the treasure to have been hidden in the
Sacsorer Burg, an old ruined fortress, where some centuries ago it
was discovered by six Hungarian burghers, who swore to keep the
secret among themselves; and once in each year they went and carried
off a sack of gold and silver pieces, which they divided. Only after
five of them had died did the last survivor in his testament leave
directions how to reach the place. To approach the treasure (so runs
the legend), one must pass through a strong iron door lying towards the
west. This door can be opened from the outside, but whoever is not in
possession of the secret is sure to fall down through a trap-door into
a terrible abyss, where he will be cut to pieces by a thousand swords
set in motion by machinery; therefore it is necessary to bridge over
the trap-door with several stout planks before entering. After this a
second iron door is reached, in front of which are lying two life-sized
lions of massive silver. This second door leads into a large hall,
where round a long table are sitting the figures of King Darius, and
of twelve other kings whom he had vanquished in battle. King Darius
himself, who sits at the head of the table, is formed of purest gold,
while the other monarchs, six on either side, are of silver. This hall
leads into a cellar, where are ranged twenty-four barrels bound with
hoops of silver; half of these barrels contain gold, the other half
silver pieces.
It is likewise asserted that towards the end of the last century a
Wallachian hermit was known to reside in those same ruins, in whose
possession were often seen gold and silver coins stamped with the image
of King Darius, but that when questioned on the subject he would never
reveal how he had come by them.
Finally, it is said that within the memory of people still living
there came hither from Switzerland three men with an ancient parchment
document, out of which they professed to have deciphered the directions
for finding the treasure of Darius, but after spending several days in
digging about the place they had to go empty-handed away.
* * * * *
After writing those lines I have unexpectedly come across a new version
of the treasure of Darius, as I read in a current newspaper, dated
November 24, 1886, that only a few weeks ago an old Roumanian peasant
woman formally applied to the Government at Klausenburg for leave to
dig for the treasure of Darius, which, as a sorcerer had revealed to
her, lay buried at Hideg Szamos.
The directions she had received were to dig, at the spot indicated,
as deep as the height of the Klausenburg church steeple, when stone
steps and an iron door would be disclosed. The latter can be opened by
a blow from an axe which had been dipped in holy-water. A large stone
vault with twelve more iron doors will then appear. Twelve golden keys
hang on the wall, and each door being opened will lead to a chamber
filled to overflowing with solid gold-pieces. Three people only were
permitted to dig simultaneously for the treasure, the sorcerer himself
disinterestedly disclaiming any part in the matter, as he professes to
have renounced all earthly goods.
The prosaic Klausenburg officials could not, however, be induced to
share the woman’s enthusiasm, and tried to convince her of the folly of
such search; but all in vain, for, dispensing with the permission she
had failed to obtain, she has now engaged three day-laborers, who since
the 15th of November, 1886, are said to be engaged on this stupendous
task.
Perhaps we shall some day hear the result of their labors.
THE TREASURE OF DECEBALUS
is also among those to which Transylvania lays claim. When Trajan
went forth for the second time against the Dacian king, Decebalus,
vanquished in the fight near his capital, Zarmiszegthusa, retired
to a stronghold in the mountains, where he was again pursued by the
conqueror, and, after a second defeat, perished by his own hand, in
order to escape the ignominy of captivity. But before these reverses
Decebalus had taken care to secure his immense riches. For this purpose
he caused the river Sargetia,[63] which flowed past his residence,
to be diverted from its course at great toil and expense; in the dry
river-bed strong vaulted cellars were constructed, in which all the
gold, silver, and precious stones were stowed away, the whole being
then covered up with earth and gravel, and the river brought back to
its original course.
The work had been executed by prisoners, who were all either massacred
or deprived of their eyesight to avoid betrayal. But a confidant of
the Dacian king, Bicilis, or Biculus, who afterwards fell into Roman
captivity, revealed to the Emperor what he knew of it, and Trajan thus
succeeded in appropriating a considerable portion of the secreted
treasure, but not the whole, it is said.
In the year 1543 some Wallachian fishermen, when mooring their boat on
the banks of the river Strell, became aware of something shining in the
water at the place where a tree had lately been uprooted. Pursuing the
search, they brought to light more than forty thousand gold-pieces,
each of them as heavy as three ducats, and stamped with the image of
King Decebalus on one side, and that of the Goddess of Victory on the
other. This treasure was delivered up to the monk Martinuzzi, the
counsellor of Queen Isabella, and the most powerful man in Transylvania
of that time. Part of the money was sent to the Roman emperor,
Ferdinand I.; but many people declare the treasure of Decebalus not to
be exhausted even now, and prophesy that we have not yet heard the last
of it.
THE TREASURE ON THE KOND.
The Kond is a gloomy wooded plain near to the town of Regen. Great
riches are said to be here concealed, but they are difficult to obtain,
for the place is haunted by coal-black buffaloes, which may be seen
running backward and forward at night, especially about the time of
St. George and St. Thomas. A citizen named Simon Hill, who once caught
sight of the subterraneous fire, marked the place, resolving to raise
the treasure the following night. But distrusting his own strength and
courage, he confided his purpose to a neighbor called Martin Rosenau,
asking him to come to the place that night at twelve o’clock.
This neighbor, however, was faithless, being one of those who pray
against the Catechism; so he resolved to cheat his friend. Instead,
therefore, of waking his neighbor, as had been agreed, at ten o’clock,
he repaired alone to the spot, where, digging, he found nothing but a
horse’s skull filled with dead frogs. Full of anger at his bad-luck,
he took the skull and flung it along with the frogs in at the open
window of his sleeping friend. But what was the surprise of this latter
when, waking in the morning, he found the whole room strewn with golden
ducats, and in the midst the horse’s skull, likewise half full of
gold. Happy beyond measure, Simon Hill ran to his neighbor to tell him
the joyful news how God had sent him the gold in his sleep; but the
faithless Martin, on hearing the tale, was so seized with grief and
anger that a stroke of apoplexy put an end to his life.
GOLD-DUST.
An old man at Nadesch relates how in his youth he missed a chance of
becoming a rich man for life. Going once to the forest, he saw on the
steep bank near a stream the handle of some sort of earthen-ware jar
peeping out of the soil. Curious to investigate it, he climbed up the
steep bank; but hardly had he seized the handle and drawn the heavy
jar out of the earth, when, the ground giving way under his feet, he
rolled to the bottom of the incline still holding the jar in his hand.
But finding that it contained nothing but a dull yellow dust, which
had partly been spilled in falling, he threw it as worthless into the
stream. Often in later days did he regret this rash act, for, as he was
told by others, this yellow powder could have been nothing else but
gold-dust.
Other ancient vessels which have been sometimes discovered filled
with ashes[64] are believed by the people to have contained golden
treasures, thus changed by the devil to ashes.
There is a plant which is believed by both Saxons and Roumanians to
possess the virtue of opening every lock and breaking iron fetters,
as well as helping to the discovery of hidden treasures. The
Roumanians call it _jarbe cherului_ (iron grass or herb), and it is
only efficacious when it has sprouted at the spot where a rainbow has
touched the earth. The rainbow is the bridge on which the angels go
backward and forward between earth and heaven, and the flower grows
there where an angel has dropped his golden key of Paradise on to the
earth. The Germans call the flower _schlüssel blume_ (key-flower), and
it may be recognized by having a heart-shaped leaf on which is a spot
like a drop of gold or blood. There are several places in Transylvania
where the plant is supposed to grow, but he who walks over it unheeding
will be sure to lose his way. In order to find it, it is recommended to
go out at daybreak and creep on all fours over the grass. Who finds it
should cut open the ball of his left hand and let the leaf grow into
the wound; he will then have power to break fetters and open locks.
The celebrated robber F—— is said to have been in possession of such
a leaf, till the police destroyed his powers by cutting it out of
his hand. Horses whose fore-legs are tethered together by chains are
sometimes set free when they happen to tread on the jarbe cherului;
and in the village of Heltau a Saxon peasant once hit upon the device
of putting his wife in chains and thus driving her over the fields,
expecting to find the flower where the fetters should fall off.
Whoever sells land in certain parts of the country where gold is
supposed to be buried is always careful to indorse the reservation of
eventual treasures to be found on the spot.
But the people say that it is rarely good to seek for hidden treasures,
for much of the gold buried in the country has been secured by a
heavy curse, so that he who raises it will be pursued by illness or
misfortune to himself and his family, unless he is descended in direct
line from the man who buried the treasure. Only such treasures as lie
above-ground exposed to the light of day may be appropriated without
misgiving. Many men have lost their reason, or have become crippled
or blind, but few indeed were ever made happy by gold dug out of the
earth.
FOOTNOTES:
[63] The present river Strell.
[64] Evidently funeral urns.