Treasures – Tesoros
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval
Part 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos)
078. The Cleric (El Clerigo)
(Told by D. Francisco Vásquez, in 1911.)
A long time ago no one dared to walk certain alleys near the Putagán river, because out of the blue, without anyone knowing where he came from, a priest would appear before the passers-by and, although he did nothing to them, fear would take over the travelers and they would turn around and run away in terror.
Once, a man had to deliver some barrels of wheat to a neighboring place which one could reach through those alleyways or through another road, and he said that he would take the alleyways and that he would laugh off the priest whom they said would appear and that it mattered not to him if all the priests and friars on earth appeared, for to defend himself against them he’d need only use a knife that he had with him, one about a half vara long; and although his wife and friends begged him to not do such a thing, he set out [and headed] for the alleyways.
He had barely walked a few blocks in the alleyways when the priest appeared and stood in front of him; but our man took out his knife and began to strike at the apparition. The priest turned around and took flight and the man followed behind him brandishing his weapon, although he did not manage to catch up with the apparition. Suddenly the cleric (e.g. priest) disappeared into some bushes, without leaving a trace; but as the man saw the place that the priest went up in smoke (e.g. disappeared), he began to dig around there with his knife, when he right away encountered a hardened body. Then he uncovered a large earthenware jar, and upon opening it, he saw that it was filled with gold and silver coins. Then he went to search for the barrels of wheat and, emptying them, he filled them with the bags of coins and returned to his house.
When he got back it was already night and he told his wife to light a candle.
There’s only a small one left in the house – she told him.
Light it – the husband replied.
She lighted it, and he brought in the bags and emptied them in the middle of the room. The wife, when she saw so many valuable coins appeared, almost fainted and fearfully said to her husband while crying:
What have you done, you wretch? Where did you steal all of these silver from?
The husband calmed her down and told her everything that had happened to him.
He made two more trips [to load up the remaining coins] and became the richest man in that area. He still lives today in Chillán.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Callejón – (narrow street) alley, passage; (bullfighting) refuge
De improviso – unexpectedly, suddenly, without warning, out of the blue
Transeúnte – (person who is walking past) passerby, pedestrian; (politics) temporary resident; (going past) passing; (not permanent) transitory, transient, temporary
Apoderarse – (to appropriate; used with “de”) to seize, to take possession of, to take control of; (to overpower, used with “de”) to overcome, to grip
Apoderar – (legal) to authorize, to empower, to grant power of attorney
Vara – (pole) stick, rod; (botany) branch, stick; (authority symbol) staff; (unit of measurement) vara; (standard) yardstick; (bullfighting) lance; (of a trombone) slide; (sports) pole; (influence) (Peru) connections
Blandir – (to wield) to brandish; (to swing) to wave, to flourish
Huella – (mark) footprint (of a human), track, footstep; (vestige) trace; (impression) mark; (of a step) tread
Humo – (gas in a visible form) smoke, fumes, vapor, steam; (product of fermentation) fumes
Tinaja – large earthenware jar
Destapar – (to remove cover from) to open, to take the lid off (a box, pot or container), to uncork (a bottle with cork); (to discover) to uncover, to reveal, to lift the lid on; (to clear) to unblock, to unclog; (to remove the bedclothes from) to pull the covers off
Cabito – small candle end
Desmayarse – (to lose consciousness) to faint
Desmayar – (to become disheartened) to lose heart, to become demoralized, to falter