His Meals Were Sent Him Twice A Day From The Posada,
Where His Pony Remained In Embargo.
Once or twice he asked
permission of the alcalde, who visited him every night and morning
with his armed
Guard, to purchase pen and paper, in order that he
might write to Madrid; but this favour was peremptorily refused
him, and all the inhabitants of the village were forbidden under
terrible penalties to afford him the means of writing, or to convey
any message from him beyond the precincts of the place, and two
boys were stationed before the window of his cell for the purpose
of watching everything which might be conveyed to him.
It happened one day that Victoriano, being in need of a pillow,
sent word to the people of the posada to send him his alforjas or
saddlebags, which they did. In these bags there chanced to be a
kind of rope, or, as it is called in Spanish, soga, with which he
was in the habit of fastening his satchel to the pony's back. The
urchins seeing an end of this rope, hanging from the alforjas,
instantly ran to the alcalde to give him information. Late at
evening, the alcalde again visited the prisoner at the head of his
twelve men as usual. "Buenas noches," said the alcalde. "Buenas
noches tenga usted," replied Victoriano. "For what purpose did you
send for the soga this afternoon?" demanded the functionary. "I
sent for no soga," said the prisoner, "I sent for my alforjas to
serve as a pillow, and it was sent in them by chance." "You are a
false malicious knave," retorted the alcalde; "you intend to hang
yourself, and by so doing ruin us all, as your death would be laid
at our door.
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