084. The Amezketano and The Madrileño (El Amezketano y El Madrileño)
[Note: Amezketano is a person from Amezketa, a town in northern Spain. Madrileño is a person from Madrid, the capital of Spain.]
A famous thief from Madrid heard that there was another one as famous as he is in Guipúzcoa, so he went [there] to meet him. When they met up, they agreed to go to Madrid together. So they went on their way and [during their travel] the Amezketano saw a crow’s nest among the branches of a beech tree, and he said to his companion:
– A true thief is he who could take those eggs from the nest without scaring the bird!
And the Madrileño said:
– Very well, I will remove them.
He climbed silently up the tree, carefully made holes in the bottom of the nest and picked the eggs up one by one with great skill. Meanwhile, the one from Amezketa had climbed up behind the other one without him noticing, took the eggs from the other’s bag and put them in his own. And [as] he climbed up after the other, he got down before him. Later the Madrileño also climbed down, leaving the bird in its place.
As soon as he saw what had happened, he said to the one from Amezketa:
– We are cut from the same cloth and it is a good idea for us to travel together.
And without further ado, they continued on their way.
In Madrid there was an archive where a large amount of money was stored. As soon as the two companions arrived in the city, they skillfully removed the ashlars and entered the building to take [steal] the money. Those from the archive soon noticed that the money was dwindling but they knew not how that could have happened. So they determined to speak to an ancient and old thief, [who was] very famous in his days, but now was blind and couldn’t [even] take care of himself. They consulted with him and he told them to make a fire and wherever they could see smoke escaping the stones, seal them with rubber [e.g. place a trap] and the thief would remain stuck when he returned to his ways.
In one of those nights, the two friends approached that archive again. They moved between the two of them, as in the previous times, an ashlar by means of a lever and the Madrileño entered, and got stuck in the rubber without being able to move forward, nor backward. The Amezketano, after waiting for a long time, stealthily entered through another place that he found and, seeing that his efforts to free his companion were useless, he cut off the other’s head so that no one could recognize him and carried it to his house, well hidden between the clothes.
The following day, those from the archive found the thief with the severed head and they again went to the the old, blind thief to ask for his advice. On learning what had happened, the blind [thief], with joy reflected on his face, said:
– Ah, if only I was young and still have my sight, what a fine companion would he be, this man that you are searching for! Anyway, if you want to know who this sensible thief is, send a beggar to beg in all corners, because the best thieves are usually the most charitable, the same as I was in my better days. He that you send to beg, have him make a cross in the house of the man that gave him generous alms and we shall see what will happen.
The beggar, just as he was instructed, went begging in all corners [of the city]. The thief from Amezketa gave him no less than five duros [dollars]. The beggar made a cross with lime on the door of his benefactor and quickly left.
The Amezketano, on leaving his house to run some errands, saw the cross on his door. He then bought some lime and whitewashed all the nearby doors with crosses. Soon the senior archivist and some policemen, accompanied by the beggar, appeared on that street. Imagine their anger on seeing so many crosses on all those doors! Which should they enter? It was here that they all returned to the house of the old, blind thief to ask him of what they should do.
Despite the despair of everyone, the news they brought gave the old thief great joy. And he then gave them this advice:
– Very well, señores: take the thief’s headless corpse, dress him in clothes which he used to have [wear], tie him erect on a mule and walk [parade] him up and down the street in front of all those houses marked with a cross. The thief’s headless corpse will soon reveal the living thief, who is the owner of two heads.
The Amezketano was also a cobbler and spent his days in the week working with leather. He had sent for his wife and the two of them were there in the house when they began to walk the headless corpse down the street. As it passed by the house, the Amezketano feigned ignorance, but the wife let out a scream. Those from the outside heard her and the Amezketano, sensing that they would come to them, took a pair of scissors and made a cut on his wife’s finger. Those who were searching for the thief immediately entered the house and said:
– You [two], come with us.
– With you? – said the Amezketano – To where and for what?
And the others said:
– Because you were the one who cut off his head. This woman screamed when she saw the corpse and because of that we know [it’s you].
– Well, shouldn’t she scream – replied the Amezketano – if she had cut a finger with [a pair of] scissors? Surely you too would have screamed if the same thing happened to you.
They were discussing for a while and, in the end, the policemen had to leave as they found no reason to detain them.
But as they were convinced that the Amezketano was the thief whom they were seeking, and that he would not leave his companion going to the other world without a head, they put the corpse in a nearby hut, thinking that the other one would bring the head [to place] next to the body, and they hid and waited.
At dusk, the Amezketano, who feared a trap, mounted his horse carrying the head in the saddlebags, as well as bread and wine. It began to rain so much [pour cats and dogs] that he saw the need to search for shelter in the hut. There, they who followed him caught up to him and they offered him bread and wine for entertainment. But he told them that he also brought wine with him and gave them his to drink. And as he had put some poppies in the wine, the policemen remained sleeping like logs after drinking it. The thief from Amezketa was then able to put the head next to the corpse of his companion and, taking advantage of the weather clearing up, he mounted his horse, picked up his wife and disappeared in the direction towards his land.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Además de – as well as; besides; in addition to
Agujerear – to make holes in; to pierce
Alforjas – saddlebag, knapsack
Amezketa is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Autonomous Community, in the North of Spain
Anochecer – (sundown) dusk, nightfall; (to become nighttime) to get dark
Archivo – (building) archive; (documents) archive, file, archives
Avisado – (careful) sensible; (informed) warned
Barruntar – to suspect, to guess, to sense
Bienhechor – (philanthropist) benefactor
Blanquear – (to turn white) to whiten, to bleach (clothing), to whitewash (walls)
Celada – (ruse) trap, trick; (surprise attack) ambush; (part of an armor) helmet
Ciego – (without sight) blind
Con cal – with lime; lime; whitewashed; with quicklime; lime-treated
Convenir – (to be desirable) to be advisable, to be a good idea, to be worth
Cuero – (material) leather; (untanned animal pelt) hide, skin
Cuervo – raven, crow
Denunciar – (to demonstrate) to reveal, to indicate; (to notify) to report; (to censure) to denounce, to condemn
Desentendido – ignorant
Discutir – (to fight verbally) to argue, to quarrel; (to talk about) to discuss
Disminuir – (to lessen) to reduce, to cut (expenses), to bring down (prices);
Duros – (old Spanish coin) five-peseta coin
Erguido – upright, straight, erect
Escampar – (weather) to clear up, to stop raining
Goma – rubber; eraser
Guipúzcoa – a province of Spain
Habilidad – (capability) ability, skill; (legal) competence
Hábilmente – (expertly) skillfully; (shrewdly) cleverly
Haya – beech tree
Humo – smoke
Inútil – (of no use) useless; (impaired) disable; (futile) unsuccessful, in vain; (worthless person) good-for-nothing
Ligero – (fast) quickly; (fast) swift; (agile) nimble
Limosnero – (selfless) charitable; (bum) beggar; (history) almoner; (money bag) coin purse, purse
Madrileño – from Madrid, native of Madrid
Menudo – (emphasis); (size) small, slight (thin); (of little importance) insignificant; (exact) meticulous
Nido – nest; (lair) den
Pegado – (adhered) glued, stuck
Pordiosero – beggar
Por medio de – by means of; through
Según – (describing manner) just as; (as reported by) according to; depending on
Sellar – (to close with wax seal) to seal; (to mark with stamp) to stamp; (to close) to seal, to seal off
Semblante – countenance, face, look on one’s face
Sigilosamente – stealthily
Sillares – ashlars (finely dressed stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones.)
Suelen ser – they’re usually; are usually; tend to be; you’re usually, you tend to be
Tal para cual – perfect for each other; cut from the same cloth
Tijeras – scissors