104. The Bandit Brothers (Los Hermanos Bandidos)
One upon a time, there was a house in a mountain village where two brothers lived with their mother. The brothers were called Antonio and Juan. They felt so close that they decided to sign an agreement in which they promised to never get separated from one another. And they were always together until one day when Antonio, who felt the urge to experience the world, broke the agreement and left home without saying a word.
A short time later, Juan was out with his mule in the mountain collecting firewood when a gang of thieves fell upon him, seized him, and carried him to the cave where they were hiding. And there in the cave, Juan recognized his brother Antonio as the leader of the gang. They happily embraced one another, and as Juan had sworn to not get separated from him [his brother], he became a thief and stayed with the gang.
One night, Antonio went to see his mother. On the way, he was forced to pass in front of a cemetery, and on passing by, he thought he heard the cry of a child. He looked inside the cemetery to see what it was and found a newborn girl on a grave. Antonio took pity on her [so] he wrapped her up in his cloak and took her with him.
At last he arrived at his mother’s house and she, on seeing him carrying a child, said:
Is this girl yours?
And Antonio replied:
She is not mine, I found her crying in a cemetery. Now she’ll need to be baptized and raised, but I cannot [afford to] do this.
And the mother said:
Don’t you worry about that, for I will take care of her.
Then she prepared dinner [for Antonio]. But the mother was angry at her sons and began to reprimand them:
Aye, you scoundrels! How embarrassed I am to be your mother! You have become heartless brigands and a price has been put on your heads throughout the region!
And so she went on complaining and reprimanding them for the life they were leading.
I am ashamed to be your mother! Leave here and don’t return anymore, as I don’t want to see you again!
Antonio left home in sorrow, and when he got to the cave, his thieving companions told him that they had apprehended his brother Juan in an ambush, and by the justice’s mandate, they had hung him on an oak tree. Antonio could no longer bear such distress and dissolved the gang. And as they stopped doing harm, after a while they were pardoned.
From then on, Antonio dedicated himself to an exemplary life and met a young and virtuous girl to whom he married. That same day when he got married, while he was in the middle of the wedding banquet with all the guests, he heard a knock on the door.
Bam! Bam!
Antonio said:
Who knocks so loudly at these hours?
So he went to see and ran into the shadow of his brother Juan; and the latter said to him:
How is it that you did not invite me to your wedding? Is it that you do not remember our pact to never get separated from one another?
Antonio was disconcerted, but immediately said to his brother:
Could I invite a dead man? Enter if you’d like, this [here] is my house.
And his brother said to him:
How do you want me to introduce myself, visible or invisible?
Invisible – Antonio replied.
The dead man sat down at the table and he stayed there until the end of the banquet without anyone but his brother Antonio being able to see him. After the last guest had left, Juan also got up and said goodbye to Antonio, but before leaving he said this to his brother:
In six days I will wed the daughter of the Devil in the same cave where we lived when we were thieves. I would like to invite you to my wedding. Will you come?
Count on me, as I will be there – responded Antonio.
The day before the wedding of his brother to the Devil’s daughter, Antonio decided to go to confession and also told the priest about the promise which he had made to his brother. The priest then told him:
You cannot retract the words you gave to your brother, so you must go [to the wedding]. For attending that wedding it is helpful to take some relics along with you.
On the appointed day, Antonio mounted his horse and went to the cave. And along the way he encountered a little girl who carried a rod in her hand. When Antonio reached her, the little girl said to him:
You come well prepared with the relics, but they will be of no use to you if you don’t do what I’m about to tell you [now].
Well, [and] what is that? – replied Antonio.
And the little girl said:
Take this rod that I carry with me; when you arrive at the door of the cave, draw a circle with it and remain inside it without dismounting from your horse. And do not for any reason leave the circle until the ceremony has ended.
[Note: this is similar to a scene in the Chinese novel “Journey to the West”, where the Monkey King did the same thing for Sanzang.]
Intrigued, Antonio asked her:
And who are you, that you’ve come out of your way [to help me]?
And the little girl said:
Don’t you know [remember] me?
I don’t know you – Antonio replied.
Well, I am the girl that you picked up from the cemetery that day when you went to see your mother. In spite of all the care that your mother gave me, luck did not shine on me and am now dead. I have come to see you [today] to save your soul as you once saved mine by having me baptized.
And having said this, the little girl disappeared.
Antonio continued on his way to the cave. There, in front of the mouth of the cave, before entering it, he did what the little girl had told him and from there he witnessed the wedding ceremony of his brother Juan with the daughter of the Devil. Then, without dismounting from his horse, he backed away and went home again.
And when he arrived home, his wife put him in bed because he came back shivering. She believed that it was because he was cold, but he well knew that it was from [the] fear [he had been through].
—– VOCABULARY —–
Altura – (measurement) height, altitude
Apoderar – (legal) to authorize, to empower, to grant power of attorney;
Apoderarse de – to seize, to take possession of; (to overpower) to overcome, to grip
Apoderar de – [taking] over
Asistir – (to be present) to attend; (to observe) to witness; (to help) to attend to
Avergonzar – (to humiliate) to embarrass; (to dishonor) to shame; (to feel remorse) to be ashamed
Bandido – (brigand) bandit, outlaw; (malefactor) robber, thief, criminal, crook
Casamiento – (union) marriage; (ceremony) wedding
Colgar – (to suspend) to hang
Comarca – region, district, county
Compungido – (regretful) contrite, remorseful; (disconsolate) sorrowful, sad
Convidar – (to request the presence of) to invite; (to pay for; often used with “a”) to buy
Cuadrilla – (set of people) bunch, group; (group of workers) gang, team
Desalmado – (cruel) heartless; (cruel person) heartless person
Desconcertado – (confused) disconcerted, taken aback, puzzled
Disgusto – (displeasure or anger) annoyance, irritation, dissatisfaction; (distress and disappointment) concern; (cause of disquiet) problem, worry, source of sadness
Emboscada – (surprise attack) ambush
Encina – holm oak
Envolver – (to cover) to wrap, to wrap up; (to be all around) to surround, to envelop
Fijado – (prearranged) appointed, agreed
Firmar – (to add signature) to sign
Grupas – (animal anatomy) hindquarters, rump
Indultar – (legal) to pardon, to reprieve; (to free from) to exempt, to excuse
Juntar – (to place together) to put together; (finance) to save, to raise; (to make a collection) to collect
Mandato – (instruction) order, mandate, command; (period in office) mandate, term
Presenciar – (to view) to witness, to see; (to go to) to attend, to be present at
Quejarse – (to protest) to complain, to whine, to moan, to grumble
Recriminar – (to reprimand) to reproach
Reliquia – (religious) relic; (trace of the past) relic, vestige; (object of sentimental value) heirloom
Reponer – (to respond) to reply; (to return money) to repay
Sepultura – (interment) burial; (place of interment) grave, tomb
Soportar – (to tolerate) to stand, to put up with; (to endure) to bear; (to hold up) to support
Tiritar – to shiver, to tremble
Trazar – (to delineate) to draw (a line or a character), to trace
Vara – (pole) stick, rod; (botany) branch, stick; (authority symbol) staff