HOW FERNAN DESPAIRED OF GETTING WOMEN TO UNDERSTAND REASON, AND HOW
DIEGO LAINEZ HOPED THAT HIS HONOUR WILL BE AVENGED
Morning began to break when a cross-bowman, who was keeping watch on the
battlements of the Castle of Vivar, heard the trampling of horses at a
short distance from the fortifications, and a moment after he saw
advancing a body of horsemen and also men on foot, who seemed to bear a
litter. He put to his mouth the speaking-trumpet which hung from his
neck, and cried out, "Who goes there?" Those who were approaching
answered by a signal, which he evidently understood, as the bridges and
the portcullis were at once lowered, and the cortège entered the
courtyard.
A short time before Fernan had left the castle by an iron-bound door,
which led to the stables and which was used for the egress and ingress
of the servants of the lords of Vivar, especially in the night-time,
when the principal entrance was defended by a double portcullis and a
gate, too heavy to raise frequently.
Whither was the squire going so early in the morning? It is easy to
guess, if we remember the last words he used when retiring to rest a few
hours before. Notwithstanding his quarrel with Mayorica, he had slept
that night like a dead man, until an early hour of the morning, at which
time he awoke, as was his custom, and hastened off to the dwelling of
Aldonza, for she lived at some distance, and he had to be back in the
castle before his master arose, when he should have to be in attendance
on him. We must, however, tell who the girl was whom he was about to
visit, and also who the old woman was with whom she lived. To do this it
is only necessary to copy literally the words of the chronicler, who
writes: "The girl was named Aldonza, and was very pretty and attractive,
so that there was none like her in those parts. Many gallants sought her
affection, but it was of no avail, as she was in love with a gentle
squire named Fernan, who belonged to the house of the honoured Diego
Lainez. There lived with her an old witch, by name Mari-Perez, whom all
the maidens and youths that were in love went to consult."
Far be it from us to question the text which we have just quoted: the
reader can do it if he so desires. If the occupation of Mari-Perez may
not be considered a very honourable one, let the blame rest with the
chronicler, and let it be put down to malice, for it looks as if he
harboured such against her, to judge by the way he expresses himself.
All we shall add is that Aldonza called the old woman with whom she
lived "mother," but we are certain that she was not such, for if she
were so, that fact would have been mentioned in the chronicle, which
goes into much detail regarding the persons who figure in it.
Aldonza and the woman she called her mother resided in a cottage
situated amongst the trees of a lonely glen, through which rushed a
torrent, whose roar contributed not a little to increase the
superstitious dread with which the inhabitants of the country
surrounding Vivar approached the dwelling-place of the witch, for by
that name Mari-Perez was commonly known. Fernan, however, who did not
trouble himself much about witchcraft, knocked at the door of Aldonza,
consoling himself with the thoughts of the good reception he would
receive from Aldonza, compared with the scratches which Mayorica had
inflicted on him. The girl appeared at the small window above the door
and asked who was there.
"It's me," answered the squire; "open the door, for this mist that's
rising from the brook is freezing me."
"Wait," said Aldonza, and taking up a jug of water, she threw it out on
the unfortunate Fernan, exclaiming--
"You will die here, traitor, villain, ruffian, blackguard! Do you think
you can deceive me any longer? It is you that are tricked now!"
And not content with having wetted him to the skin with the water and
nearly broken his head with the jug, she began to hurl down on him such
a quantity of tiles, stones, and other projectiles, that if he had not
sheltered himself at once behind the trunk of an oak tree, which luckily
happened to be near, she would have nearly killed him, considering her
fury and the accuracy with which she aimed.
"Halt, you minx!" exclaimed Fernan, soaked through not only with water,
but also with blood. "As sure as I catch you, I'll take every inch of
skin off your back with lashes. Is it thus, you vixen, that you treat so
faithful a lover as I am? Would that I had never set my eyes on a jade
like you! May I lose my strength if at this very moment I do not, with
blows and lashes, half kill both you and the witch who lives with you!"
Thus speaking, the squire rushed at the door and gave it a furious kick,
in order to break it in; but his own head narrowly escaped being broken
in by another jug and more tiles and stones, which made him return to
his tree more quickly than he could have wished.
"What did I do to you? what did I do to you, that you should attack me
with such fury?"
"Be off, traitor!" replied the girl; "be off to the castle, and tell her
who awaits you there that from this day forward you are hers alone."
The enamoured Fernan came now to the conclusion that Aldonza had
discovered his love for Mayorica, and he began to think of using his
eternal arithmetical argument; he remembered, however, the little good
it had done him with Mayorica, and recognised that Aldonza was not then
in a condition to listen to reason. He thought, therefore, that the best
thing he could do would be to return to the castle, which he did,
cursing the unreasonableness of women, and swearing by all the saints in
heaven that, in future, he would have nothing to do with any of them as
long as he lived, even if a war took place in which so many men should
be killed, that there would be a hundred women left for every man that
survived.
Let us return with him to the Castle of Vivar and discover who were
those that we saw arriving there, and what was taking place in it, even
though the reader has most likely guessed that they were Diego Lainez
and his friends and servants, who had set out from Leon only a short
time after Rodrigo.
It was pitiable to see the state of affliction into which Teresa was
thrown when she saw her husband, whom she, full of love and tenderness,
ran to receive and clasp in her arms. The honoured Diego Lainez, though
he knew his wife would be deeply pained, did not conceal from her the
affront he had received, for it was a matter of necessity for him to
unbosom himself to some beloved being, who would help him to support
such a trial. Teresa Nuña, although the most tender and sensible of
women, was endowed with great strength of character to bear
tribulations; she was one of those beings whose presence and words
strengthen the weakest, and infuse confidence and hope into those who
have almost lost them. Thus it was that she succeeded in consoling Diego
to a considerable extent, particularly when she repeated the words which
Rodrigo used when expressing his determination that no insult to his
house should go unavenged. At that moment Diego conceived the idea of
finding out for himself what he might hope for from his son.
Scarcely had Rodrigo risen from his bed, when he was informed that his
father had returned to the castle; he hurried to visit him, and entered
Diego's chamber a very short time after Teresa had quitted it.
"Father and lord, embrace me," he said, without noticing the affliction
which was clearly stamped on the features of the old man. His father
clasped him to his breast, and taking his hand, pressed it between his
with such force that little more would have disjointed the fingers, for
it seemed that Diego, with the strength of his will, had concentrated in
the hand with which he squeezed that of his son all the power that the
remainder of the muscles of his body retained.
The youth started back, trying to disengage his hand from the grip of
his father; pain coloured his cheeks and injected his eyes with blood.
"Let go, father," he cried out, "let go. Anger of God! if you were not
my father, you should pay for that squeeze you have given me."
The old man let loose the hand of the youth, and pressing him again to
his breast, said, weeping, not indeed with despair but with joy--
"Son of my soul! that indignation was the comfort which your father
needed. Use that fiery spirit in avenging my honour, which is lost if
your arm does not save it."
"Justice of God!" cried Rodrigo, rising erect like a viper disturbed by
a wayfarer. "Who is the traitor who has dared to attack your
honour--which is mine also? Tell me, father, for neither you nor I can
live, if the honour is dead, which no person till now has ever dared to
stain. Who, who is the coward that has affronted you?"
"My son, the Count of Gormaz has struck me on the face with his hand,
has covered my cheek with blood in the sight of the king and the
grandees of Leon"--
And sobs smothered the voice of Diego.
"Anger of God!" exclaimed the brave youth, convulsed with anger even
greater than that which his father felt in his grief and old age. "Do
not weep, father; for I swear to you that I shall cut off the hand which
has stained your visage, even though the cowardly felon should hide
himself in the bowels of the earth."
"Go, my Rodrigo, go and challenge him to single combat. The king will
oppose no obstacles to it, for God, who cannot consent that an old man
should be outraged, and an honour thus stained which was gained by
fighting for the faith during four centuries, will put valour in your
heart and strength in your arm. Public was the offence, public also must
be the vengeance!"
Speaking thus, Diego Lainez went to a large press that stood in the
chamber in which they were, and contained various kinds of arms. He took
down a sword and handed it to Rodrigo, with these words--
"Take and bind on, my son, the sword of Mudarra; go and avenge with it
your father."
Rodrigo took the sword, kissed its cross-shaped hilt, and exclaimed--
"Glorious sword, whose blade was tempered with the blood of Ruiz
Velasquez, be thou tempered again with that of the cowardly Count of
Gormaz, and bring honour to the arm of the son of Diego Lainez, as the
son of Gonzalo Gustios brought honour to thee!"
The high price at which he valued his honour and the magnitude of the
insult he had received had caused the old grandee to exaggerate his
impotence to take vengeance on the count; it is true that he had
scarcely had an opportunity of proving the bravery of his son; however,
it was not so with regard to many other cavaliers of his family and of
his acquaintance. Thus it happened that, on the same day that he
acquired the certainty that his son would proceed to fight for the
honour of their house, a great number of his friends and retainers
presented themselves, offering the aid of their arms, of their riches,
and of their men-at-arms, in order to wash out the stain which he
grieved over. When Rodrigo, therefore, set out for Leon, having received
the blessing of his parents, he was followed by the good wishes of a
multitude of lords and cavaliers, and also by many of them in person,
who desired to be present at the reparation of the honour of De Vivar,
and even to defend it with the strength of their arms, in case the youth
should succumb in the combat.