Historical Tales, Volume VII | Page 5

closed the entrance to the enchanted palace, and upon
this each king of the Goths, on coming to the throne, placed a strong
lock, so that in time huge padlocks covered much of its front and its
secrecy seemed amply assured. When Roderic, the last king of the

Goths, came to the throne, twenty-seven of such locks hung upon the
gate. As for the keys, some writers tell us that they remained in the
locks, others say that they had been hidden and lost; but it is certain
that no one had dared to open a single one of the locks; prudence and
fear guarded the secret better than gates and locks.
At length the time came when the cherished secret was to be divulged.
Don Roderic, who had seized the throne by violence, and bore in his
heart the fatal bane of curiosity, determined to learn what had lain for
centuries behind those locks. The whole affair, he declared, was the jest
of an ancient king, which did very well when superstition ruled the
world, but which was far behind the age in which he lived. Two things
moved the epoch-breaking king,--curiosity, that vice which has led
thousands to ruin, and avarice, which has brought destruction upon
thousands more. "It is a treasure-house, not a talisman," he told himself.
"Gold, silver, and jewels lie hidden in its mouldy depths. My treasury is
empty, and I should be a fool to let a cluster of rusty locks keep me
from filling it from this ancient store."
When it became known what Roderic proposed a shudder of horror ran
through the land. Nobles and bishops hastened to the audience chamber
and sought to hinder the fateful purpose of the rash monarch. Their
hearts were filled with dread of the perils that would follow any
meddling with the magic spell, and they earnestly implored him not to
bring the foretold disaster upon the land.
"The kings who reigned before you have religiously obeyed the
injunction," they said. "Each of them has fixed his lock to the gate. It
will be wise and prudent in you to follow their example. If it is gold
and jewels you look for, tell us how much you think the cavern holds,
even all your fancy hopes to find, and so much we will give you. Even
if it beggars us, we will collect and bring you this sum without fail. We
pray and implore you, then, do not break a custom which our old kings
have all held sacred. They knew well what they did when they
commanded that none after them should seek to disclose the fatal secret
of the hidden chamber."
Earnest as was their appeal, it was wasted upon Roderic. Their offer of

gold did not reach his deepest motive; curiosity with him was stronger
than greed, and he laughed in his beard at the fears and tremblings of
his lords.
"It shall not be said that Don Roderic, the king of the Goths, fears the
devil or his agents," he loudly declared, and orders were given that the
locks should be forced.
One by one the rusty safeguards yielded to key or sledge, and the gates
shrieked disapproval when at length they reluctantly turned on their
stiff hinges, that had not moved for centuries. Into the cavern strode the
king, followed by his fearful but curious train. The rooms, as tradition
had said, were many, and from room to room he hurried with rapid feet.
He sought in vain. No gold appeared, no jewels glittered on his sight.
The rooms were drear and empty, their hollow floors mocking his
footsteps with long-silent echoes. One treasure only he found, the
jewelled table of Solomon, a famous ancient work of art which had
long remained hidden from human sight. Of this wonderful relic we
shall say no more here, for it has a history of its own, to be told in a
future tale.
On and on went the disappointed king, with nothing to satisfy his
avarice or his curiosity. At length he entered the chamber of the spell,
the magic room which had so long been locked from human vision, and
looked with eyes of wonder on the secret which had been so carefully
preserved.
What he saw was simple but threatening. On the wall of the room was a
rude painting, which represented a group of strangely dressed horsemen,
some wearing turbans, some bareheaded, with locks of coarse black
hair hanging over their foreheads. The skins of animals covered their
limbs; they carried scimitars and lances and bore fluttering pennons;
their horses were small, but of purest breed.
Turning in doubt and dread from this enigmatical drawing, the daring
intruder saw in the centre of the apartment a pedestal bearing a marble
urn, in