Adventures of a Spanish Sailor of the Armada.

Evening Star, Issue 8720, 12 January 1892, Page 3

Adventures of a Spanish Sailor of the Armada.

In the third part of «The Spanish Story of the Armada,' in 'Longmans' Magazine,' Mr Froude describes the adventures of Cuellar, a Spanish ofliuer, whoso ship was wrecked in Sligo Bay after the defeat of the Armada. Incidentally wo have a picture of the barbarous state of contemporary Ireland:

Cuellar'a ship had broken in two, bu the forecastle held a little longer together than the rest, and Cuollar, cliugiug to it, watched his comrades being swept away and destroyed before his eyes. Iho wild Irish were down in hundreds stripping the bodies. Those who had come on shore with life in them fared no better. Some wero knocked on the head; other* had their clothes torn off, and were left naked to perish of cold. Don Diego Enriquez, a highborn patrician, passed with the Conde De \ illafranca and sixty-five others into his ship's tender carrying bags of ducats and jewels. They went below and fastened down the hatchway, hoping to be rolled alive on land. A huge wave turned the tender bottom upwards, and all who were in it were smothered. As the tide went back the Irish came with their axes and broke a hole open in search of plunder, while Cuellar looked on speculating how soon the same fate would be his own, and seeing the corpses of bis comrades dragged out, stripped naked, and left to the wolves. His own turn came at last. He held on to the wreck till he was swept away, and he found himself in the water with a brother officer who had stuffed his pockets full of gold. He could not swim, but he caught a ecuttle-board as it floated by him und climbed up on it. His companion tried to follow, but was washed off and drowned. Cuellar, a few minutes later, waß tossed ashore, his leg badly cut by a blow from a spar in the surf. Drenched and bleeding as he was, he looked a miserable tkure. Tho Irish, who were plundering the better dressed of the bodies, took no notico of him. He crawled along till he found a number of his countrymen who had been left with nothing but life, bare to their skins, and huddled together for warmth, Cuellar, who had still his clothes, though of course drenched, lay down among some rushes. A gentleman worse off than he, for he was entirely naked, threw himself at his aido too spent to speak. Two Irishmen came by with axes, who, to Cuellar'a surprise, cut Borne bushes, which they threw over them for a covering, and went on to join in the pillage on the shore, Cuellar, half dead from cold and hunger, fell asleep. He was woke by a troop of English horsemen galloping by for a share in the spoil. He called his comrade, but found him dead, while all round the crows and wolves were busy over the naked carcasses. Something like a monastery was visible not far oil'. Cuellar limped along till he reached it. He found it deserted. The roof had been lately burnt. The images of the saints lay tumbled on the ground. In tho nave twelve Spaniards were hanging from the rafters. The monks had fled to the mountains. Sick at the ghostly spectacle, he crept alone a path through a wood, when ho came upon an old woman who was hiding her cattle from the English. Her cabin was not far distant, but Bhe made signs to him to keep off, as there were enemies in occupation there. Wandering hopelessly on, he fell in with two of his countrymen, naked and shivering. They were famished, and they went back together to the sea, hoping to find some fragments of provision washed on land. On the way they came on the body of Don Enrique/., and stopped to scrape a hole in the Band and bury it. W bile they were thus employed a party of Irish came ud who pointed to a cluster of cabins, and intimated that if they went there they would be taken care of. Cuellar was dead lame. His companions left him. At the first cottage which he reached there was an old Irish " savage," an Englishman, a Frenchman, and a girl. The Englishman struck at him with a knife, and gave him a second wound. They stripped him to his shirt, took a gold chain from him (which they found concealed under it) and a purse of ducats. They would have left him m afro* like the reat, without a rag upon him, had not the girl interposed, who affected to be a Christian, "though she was no more a Christian than Mahomet. The Frenchman proved to be an old sailor who had fought at Terceira. In him the Spanish captain found some human kindness, for he bound up his leg .for him and gave him Bome oat cakes, with butter and milk. The Frenchman then _ pointed to a ridtra of distant mountains. There, he 2, was the country of The ORourke a great chief, who was a Inend of the King 5 Spain. Q'Rourke would take care of him, and many of his comrades had already gone thither for protection. With his strength somewhat restored by the food Cuellar limped along, stick in hand. At night he stopped at a; hut where there was a Tad who could speak Latin. This boy talked with him, gave him supper, and a bundle of Saw to Bleep upon. About midnight the boy'T father fndW came in loaded with plunder from the wrecks They, too, did him no hurt, and sent him forward in 1 in the Spaniards that they could fall in With. The first party that he met did not see him. With the second he was less fortunate. His guide saved his life by some means which Cuellar n °t underßtend Bat they beat him and took his shirt from him, the last of his garment, that had been left. The boy and pony went off, and he thought then that the end was come and prayed God to finish with him and take him to His mercy Forlorn as he was how- „„ ho rallied hU eon-age, piukea up a piece ol old. matting, and with this and some &ited ferns made a shift to coyer himself, _nd thus costumed he went on to a hamlet It the side of a lake. The hovels of which | it consisted were all empty. He entered the best-looking of them, found some.faggots ftf oat-straw, and was looking about for a pace tT£-p among them when three Jaked figures sprang suddenly up. He took them for devils, and in his extraordinary areas thev thought the same of him; but galleons-one of them a naval officer the other two soldiers. They explained mutually who they were, and then, buned themselves in the oat sheavesrand Blept. They remained there for warmth and condealment all the next day. At night, having wnp£d themselves fa ..raw,. they walked O'R urthhTelfw2 absent "fighting the Enribfa" but his wife took them in, fed bubo., was refitting for sea, «* about to HL He hurried down to join her, but she was gone. He learnt afterwards that she hadLn wrecked, and that all on board {English deputy had issued orders that every

Spaniard in the country must be given up tJ the Government. Thei Irish did not betray Cuellar, but they did not oarejo risk their necks by giving "»*•**'• "£ he wandered about through the winter in Sligo and Donegal, meetang with many str»ge adventures. His first friend wm a poor priest, who was l ™' lions among the Irish, lln spite o the law, disguised as a layman. From this man he met with help. He worked. «»«*"» journeyman with a blacksmith and the blacksmith's wife, who was a brute. The priest delivered him from these people and carried him to a castle, which from the description appears to have been on Lough Erne, and here, *° r J h « fi "* time, he met with hearty hospitality, in the Irish understanding of the term. The owner of the castle was a gentleman. He reoognised an ally in every enemy of Jinglana. He took Cuellar into his troop of retainers, and dressed him in the saffron mantle of the Irish Gallowglass. For some week- he was now permitted to rest and recover himself, and he spent the time in learning the manners of the people. The ohiei s wife was beautiful, unlike the blacksmith s, and the handsome and unfortunate Span ah officer was an interesting novelty, Besides the lady there were other girls In the castle, who came about him perhaps too ardently, asked him a thousand questions, and at length insisted that he should examine their hands and tell their fortunes. He had learnt palmistry from the gipsies inhis i own land. His invention was ready. » e . B P°;° Latin, which they could understand and gathered from their lips fragments of their own Irish. At length, with lis art and attractiveness, ho gives the reader: to understand that he was inconvenient!* popular. Men and women persecuted nun with demands and attentions, and he hart to throw himself on the protection of the eiiiui himself, ne describes the habits and character of the people as if ho was writing of a fresh-discovered ialaud in the New World. Cuellar finally oacaped, and returned to Spain.