Gaspar Ruiz | Page 6

we perceived was that the bar of forged
iron was being bent slowly by the mightiness of his pull. The sun was
beating full upon his cramped, unquivering figure. A shower of
sweat-drops burst out of his forehead. Watching the bar grow crooked,
I saw a little blood ooze from under his finger-nails. Then he let go. For
a moment he remained all huddled up, with a hanging head, looking
drowsily into the upturned palms of his mighty hands. Indeed he
seemed to have dozed off. Suddenly he flung himself backwards on the
sill, and setting the soles of his bare feet against the other middle bar,
he bent that one too, but in the opposite direction from the first.
"Such was his strength, which in this case relieved my painful feelings.
And the man seemed to have done nothing. Except for the change of

position in order to use his feet, which made us all start by its swiftness,
my recollection is that of immobility. But he had bent the bars wide
apart. And now he could get out if he liked; but he dropped his legs
inwards; and looking over his shoulder beckoned to the soldiers. 'Hand
up the water,' he said. 'I will give them all a drink.'
"He was obeyed. For a moment I expected man and bucket to disappear,
overwhelmed by the rush of eagerness; I thought they would pull him
down with their teeth. There was a rush, but holding the bucket on his
lap he repulsed the assault of those wretches by the mere swinging of
his feet. They flew backwards at every kick, yelling with pain; and the
soldiers laughed, gazing at the window.
"They all laughed, holding their sides, except the sergeant, who was
gloomy and morose. He was afraid the prisoners would rise and break
out--which would have been a bad example. But there was no fear of
that, and I stood myself before the window with my drawn sword.
When sufficiently tamed by the strength of Gaspar Ruiz, they came up
one by one, stretching their necks and presenting their lips to the edge
of the bucket which the strong man tilted towards them from his knees
with an extraordinary air of charity, gentleness and compassion. That
benevolent appearance was of course the effect of his care in not
spilling the water and of his attitude as he sat on the sill; for, if a man
lingered with his lips glued to the rim of the bucket after Gaspar Ruiz
had said 'You have had enough,' there would be no tenderness or mercy
in the shove of the foot which would send him groaning and doubled
up far into the interior of the prison, where he would knock down two
or three others before he fell himself. They came up to him again and
again; it looked as if they meant to drink the well dry before going to
their death; but the soldiers were so amused by Gaspar Ruiz's
systematic proceedings that they carried the water up to the window
cheerfully.
"When the adjutant came out after his siesta there was some trouble
over this affair, I can assure you. And the worst of it, that the general
whom we expected never came to the castle that day."
The guests of General Santierra unanimously expressed their regret that
the man of such strength and patience had not been saved.
"He was not saved by my interference," said the General. "The
prisoners were led to execution half an hour before sunset. Gaspar Ruiz,

contrary to the sergeant's apprehensions, gave no trouble. There was no
necessity to get a cavalry man with a lasso in order to subdue him, as if
he were a wild bull of the campo. I believe he marched out with his
arms free amongst the others who were bound. I did not see. I was not
there. I had been put under arrest for interfering with the prisoner's
guard. About dusk, sitting dismally in my quarters, I heard three
volleys fired, and thought that I should never hear of Gaspar Ruiz again.
He fell with the others. But we were to hear of him nevertheless,
though the sergeant boasted that, as he lay on his face expiring or dead
in the heap of the slain, he had slashed his neck with a sword. He had
done this, he said, to make sure of ridding the world of a dangerous
traitor.
"I confess to you, senores, that I thought of that strong man with a sort
of gratitude, and with some admiration. He had used his strength
honourably. There dwelt, then, in his soul no fierceness corresponding
to the vigour of his body."

V
GASPAR RUIZ, who could with ease bend apart the heavy iron bars of