Treasures – Tesoros
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval
Part 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos)
077. The Two Travelers (Los Dos Viajeros)
(Told by D. Francisco Vásquez, in 1911.)
Two men had gone out on an excursion on foot, and after a long walk they got lost and, being exhausted, they lay down to rest on the ground, under the shade of certain trees. One of the travelers fell asleep almost immediately, but the other could not close his eyes and sat up to smoke a cigarette. While he was smoking, he looked at his companion, who continued to sleep like an angel of God, and was very surprised to see some colored bubbles coming out from the latter’s mouth which then vanished into the air. But suddenly a much larger one than the others came out and rose a little, and then continued in an easterly direction, being surrounded by some vultures which accompanied it with great joy. This caught his attention and, getting up, he followed the bubble and its companions, who did not stop until arriving at a rock located on the slope of a nearby hill, under which the bubble landed. The man left a mark and turned back to reunite with his companion, who was still asleep. To wake him up, he shook him vigorously; but he had to repeat this three times to get the desired result. The sleepyhead, on waking up, said to his friend: -“I had a very pleasant dream: that I was walking along a road and met some friends who welcomed me with joy and told me that they were going to give me a treasure; they were going to show it to me when you woke me up.”
The friend listened to the story and immediately led his companion to the foot of the rock, and without telling him what he had seen, he invited him to accompany him in digging at the place in which he had seen the colored bubble disappeared, and as he expected it, after a few strikes, they stumbled upon a large pan filled with gold nuggets.
Only after dividing up the treasure between themselves did the one who had been awake tell his sleepyhead friend everything that he had seen.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Extraviarse – (to become lost) to get lost, to lose one’s way, to go astray, to go missing, to stray; (to fall into evil ways) to stray, to be led astray
Extraviar – (to be unable to find) to lose, to mislay, to misplace; (to disorient) to mislead
Rendido – (tired out) exhausted, worn-out; (unconditional) devoted; (surrendered) submissive
Sobremanera – exceedingly
Desvanecer – (to make disappear) to dispel (doubts or fears), to dissipate (smoke or fog); (to decolor) to fade; (to make indistinct) to blur
Peñasco – (boulder) crag, large rock
Remecer – (to move) to shake; remecerse – (to sway) to swing
Menester – (task) activity, occupation; (responsibility) duty
Dormilón – (person who sleeps a lot) sleepyhead; (inclined to sleep a lot) fond of sleeping, sleepyhead
Azadonar – to hoe
En vela – awake