第6章 THE LEGEND OF MONTE DEL DIABLO.(6)

Starting back in deep disgust,he brandished his crucifix in the face of the unmasked Fiend,and in a voice that made the dusky vault resound,cried,--"Avaunt thee,Sathanas!Diabolus,I defy thee!What!wouldst thou bribe me,--me,a brother of the Sacred Society of the Holy Jesus,Licentiate of Cordova and Inquisitor of Guadalaxara?Thinkest thou to buy me with thy sordid treasure?Avaunt!"What might have been the issue of this rupture,and how complete might have been the triumph of the Holy Father over the Arch-Fiend,who was recoiling aghast at these sacred titles and the flourishing symbol,we can never know,for at that moment the crucifix slipped through his fingers.

Scarcely had it touched the ground before Devil and Holy Father simultaneously cast themselves toward it.In the struggle they clinched,and the pious Jose,who was as much the superior of his antagonist in bodily as in spiritual strength,was about to treat the Great Adversary to a back somersault,when he suddenly felt the long nails of the stranger piercing his flesh.A new fear seized his heart,a numbing chillness crept through his body,and he struggled to free himself,but in vain.A strange roaring was in his ears;the lake and cavern danced before his eyes and vanished;and with a loud cry he sank senseless to the ground.

When he recovered his consciousness he was aware of a gentle swaying motion of his body.He opened his eyes,and saw it was high noon,and that he was being carried in a litter through the valley.He felt stiff,and,looking down,perceived that his arm was tightly bandaged to his side.

He closed his eyes and after a few words of thankful prayer,thought how miraculously he had been preserved,and made a vow of candlesticks to the blessed Saint Jose.He then called in a faint voice,and presently the penitent Ignacio stood beside him.

The joy the poor fellow felt at his patron's returning consciousness for some time choked his utterance.He could only ejaculate,"Amiracle!Blessed Saint Jose,he lives!"and kiss the Padre's bandaged hand.Father Jose,more intent on his last night's experience,waited for his emotion to subside,and asked where he had been found.

"On the mountain,your Reverence,but a few varas from where he attacked you.""How?--you saw him then?"asked the Padre,in unfeigned astonishment.

"Saw him,your Reverence!Mother of God,I should think I did!

And your Reverence shall see him too,if he ever comes again within range of Ignacio's arquebuse.""What mean you,Ignacio?"said the Padre,sitting bolt-upright in his litter.

"Why,the bear,your Reverence,--the bear,Holy Father,who attacked your worshipful person while you were meditating on the top of yonder mountain.""Ah!"said the Holy Father,lying down again."Chut,child!Iwould be at peace."

When he reached the Mission,he was tenderly cared for,and in a few weeks was enabled to resume those duties from which,as will be seen,not even the machinations of the Evil One could divert him.

The news of his physical disaster spread over the country;and a letter to the Bishop of Guadalaxara contained a confidential and detailed account of the good Father's spiritual temptation.But in some way the story leaked out;and long after Jose was gathered to his fathers,his mysterious encounter formed the theme of thrilling and whispered narrative.The mountain was generally shunned.It is true that Senor Joaquin Pedrillo afterward located a grant near the base of the mountain;but as Senora Pedrillo was known to be a termagant half-breed,the Senor was not supposed to be over-fastidious.

Such is the Legend of Monte del Diablo.As I said before,it may seem to lack essential corroboration.The discrepancy between the Father's narrative and the actual climax has given rise to some scepticism on the part of ingenious quibblers.All such I would simply refer to that part of the report of Senor Julio Serro,Sub-Prefect of San Pablo,before whom attest of the above was made.

Touching this matter,the worthy Prefect observes,"That although the body of Father Jose doth show evidence of grievous conflict in the flesh,yet that is no proof that the Enemy of Souls,who could assume the figure of a decorous elderly caballero,could not at the same time transform himself into a bear for his own vile purposes."