The Witch’s Citadel

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 186, 10 August 1935, Page 12

The Witch’s Citadel

A .ia, -lory tuid by "Grandauuy. ’ Dear Grandchildren,—Now fur th. 1 se-ond instalment of my story, which I hope ever one will find interesting. ’Twas -he alone who possessed the secret gift of spinning these betocla, of which she had prepa e«i and laid up so large a store liiat it would sutiiee for many centuries to come. J.his Baba Coajn was blessed with a sweet young daughter nnnio<i Aina, a maiden of surpassing beauty, white as the snow wiiirh spread its eternal mantle over the mountain'* summit. Delicate as the b.oom on a ripening peach was her cheek, her soft, brown eyes like velvet, and her hair more gulden than the threads, spun by her terrible mother. Alba was always kept carefully concealed from the sight of men, lor tho Baba lea red that anyone, on seeing tier, should ask her hand in marriage, and that she might thus be deprive*] of he/ chief aid, for Alba was skilful and lightened her labour. She it was who wound oil the wefts of thread and arranged it in piles, each pile of which contained sufficient betella for the need* of brides for a century to come. Her task was wearisome, the more so because her mo*.her. while she spun, chanted the most terrible maledictions and evil wishes to fall on the heads of th. brides who were destined to wear these betccla. Alba's heart was heaving when she thought w’iih sorrow of all the udve sity which was being prepared beiure.iand for innocent heads, ami she set about to Corin a plan for averting it Ddi.ng the absence of her mother one day .-ire placed herself at thv spindle and spun a whole piece of gold, her mind only occupied the while with wishes for happiness and good fortune for those who might wear it. On her return Baba Coaja soon discovered this, and flinging herself in a great rage upon her daughter and beating her threw on the ground in a heap all the golden veils, crying out: “Never shalt thou marry until thou hast singled out thy own wurk from among that of the rest.” The Baba in reality was very glad to have found a pretext for keeping her daughter with her, more especially as it had be’n foretold that Alba was de.-tidied to misfortune and an early death. This lovely child was the sole creature in the whole world whom she loved, but iu spite of the efforts she now made to render Alba contented and happy, and the costly gifts lavished on her, nothing could bring buck the colour to her cheeks or the light to her eyes, for tho only boon which -he craved, her liberty, was now denied to her. With ardtat longing she desired, were it but for aii hour or two, to stroll under the shade of tho majestic old trees which grew and spread out their branches at the foot of the mountain, on whose summit she vegetated. Here, on the high peak, only short stubbly grass meagrely clothed its black crest, and hero the cruel winter

time was of much longer duration that that of summer. She grew sad anc dejected as the wind howled anc Uorinud, shaking the old castle to it? \er. foundation, and she would sit foi hou - gazing into the log li -- c. watching iis sparks, her mind almost a blank, for she seemed to be thinking of noth ing. At times she listened to the weird, wild songs of her mother, the humming of whose spinning wheel was drowned in the war of the tempest oui ide, and she mused on tho cares and he sorrows which were being inter rosen ,with Iho golden strands and isked herself why this should be when the beauteous sun was permitted to gladden alikf all nature anti to shed impartial// its bright rays over all. She found it impossible to understand this problem and would fall asleep weiry of conjecturing. All the great heaps of gold in the cave appeared exactly alike; never!hole s, she would ascribe human forms to them and invent histories concerning them. In imagination she saw the mi--fortones that happened to those brides who were destined to wear these betecla, and she greatly pitied them, but •is she had no knowledge of the world her stories were each more fantastic than the other. “Mother.” she said one day, resting her dimpled chin on her shapely hand. “Are men exactly the same as thou and 1? Or have they another form and other thoughts?” ‘‘What does it signify to thee, how and what they are? Know - , child, that all men are wicked, and that thev would only bring ill and woe to thee wert thou to live among them.” “Nevertheless, I saw a wonderful bea>t come up the side of our mountain the other day, which was ridden by a very handsome person, quite different from the gnomes we see. He had black curly hair, no beard on his chin and wore a rich purple mantle. Could that have been a man?” The Baba trembled with fear and replied, “If this stranger should mount here again, J will break his neck, and he shall bo seen no more in the valley bfliow. ’ ’ “Oh, mother, I beseech thee, be not so cruel, for he was beautiful!” “If thou lettest thy thoughts dwell on him now, I will shut thee up in the eave and compel thee to weigh guld night and day. Of late thou doest nothing but sit idle there, asking foolish questions. Hast thou not everything thy heart) can desire?” “Oh, no, mother! I long to have just •ueh n beautiful beast to ride on as that which came up the side of our mountain. Here I see only and »me cannot ride on them.” “What a foolish child thou art to wish for a horse! Dost thou not know that only at. risks of life and limb ran <>nc mount here on a horse’s back? The grass is so slippery and the abysses so a single false step would ••ause one to roll to the bottom a shapeless mass.” Alba asked how it was 'hat the shepp ran about in safety, while so much danger existed for the feet of a horse, but not daring to question hei mother further she had to remain in ignorance. And now it was that the gnomes appeared uglier to her eyes and more repulsive thau they had ever seemed to her. tihe took such a disgust, too, for the heaps of gold that she could not endure the sight of them. Her thoughts only dwelt on the magnificent horse and his beautiful rider, the youth whose life would be tho forfeit did ho venture uu a second expedition in the Baba’s territory. Why did her mother wish to annihilate him?. This was one more prob lent impossible to solve, though she sat musing over it for hours. (To be continued )