Historical Tales, Volume VII | Page 4

by his work."
The two suitors were warmly in love with the beautiful maiden, and
both ardently entered upon their duties. The first to get to work was the
aqueduct builder, whose task called for hard labor rather than magical
aid. Cadiz stands on a long, narrow peninsula, opposite which, on the
mainland, the king built a hydraulic machine, to which the water was

brought by pipes or canals from springs in a nearby mountain. This
stream of cool, refreshing water poured upon a wheel, by which it was
driven into an aqueduct crossing the bay into Cadiz.
Here comes the fact behind the legend. Such an aqueduct stood long in
evidence, and as late as the eighteenth century traces of it could be seen.
We have an account of it by the Arab writer, Al Makkari. "It
consisted," he says, "of a long line of arches, and the way it was done
was this: whenever they came to high ground or to a mountain they cut
a passage through it; when the ground was lower, they built a bridge
over arches; if they met with a porous soil, they laid a bed of gravel for
the passage of the water; when the building reached the sea-shore, the
water was made to pass underground, and in this way it reached Cadiz."
So it was built, and "wise" was the king who built it, even if he did not
call upon the genii for assistance.
The other king could not perform his labor so simply. He had a
talisman to construct, so powerful that it would keep out of Spain those
fierce African tribes whose boats swept the seas. What talisman could
he produce that would be proof against ships and swords? The king
thought much and deeply, and then went diligently to work. On the
border of the strait that lay between Spain and Africa he built a lofty
marble column, a square, white shaft based on a solid foundation. On
its summit he erected a colossal statue of iron and copper, melted and
cast into the human form. The figure was that of a Berber, like whom it
wore a full and flowing beard, while a tuft of hair hung over its
forehead in Berber fashion. The dress was that of the African tribes.
The extended right arm of the figure pointed across the strait towards
the opposite shores. In its hand were a padlock and keys. Though it
spoke not, it seemed to say, "No one must pass this way." It bore the
aspect of a Berber captive, chained to the tower's top, and warning his
brethren to keep away from Spain.
Rapidly wrought the rival kings, each seeking to finish his work the
first. In this the aqueduct builder succeeded. The water began to flow,
the wheel to revolve, and the refreshing liquid to pour into the public
fountains of Cadiz. The multitude were overjoyed as the glad torrent

flowed into their streets, and hailed with loud acclamations the
successful builder.
The sound of the people's shouts of joy reached the ears of the statue
builder as he was putting the last touches to his great work of art and
magic. Despair filled his heart. Despite his labors, his rival had won the
prize. In bitterness of spirit he threw himself from the top of the column
and was dashed to pieces at its foot. "By which means," says the
chronicle, "the other prince, freed from his rival, became the master of
the lady, of the wheel, and of the charm."
The talisman was really a watch-tower, from which the news of an
African invasion could be signalled through the land. In this cold age
we can give its builder credit for no higher magic than that of wisdom
and vigilance.

THE ENCHANTED PALACE.
Near the city of Toledo, the capital of Spain when that country was a
kingdom of the Goths, was a great palace of the olden time, or, as some
say, a vast cave, which had been deepened and widened and made into
many rooms. Still others say that it was a mighty tower, built by
Hercules. Whatever it was,--palace, tower, or cavern,--a spell lay upon
it from far past days, which none had dared to break. There was an
ancient prophecy that Spain would in time be invaded by barbarians
from Africa, and to prevent this a wise king, who knew the arts of
magic, had placed a secret talisman in one of the rooms. While this
remained undisturbed the country was safe from invasion. If once the
secret of the talisman should be divulged, swift ruin would descend
upon the kingdom of the Goths. It must be guarded strongly and well,
for in it lay the destinies of Spain.
A huge iron gate