“But the strangest part of the story is yet to be told.  The supper was ended, and the night was rather advanced, the rain still beat against the windows, even as it does at this moment.  Suddenly the jorobado pulled out his watch.  Valgame Dios! such a watch!  I will tell you one thing, Senor, that I could purchase all the Asturias, and Muros besides, with the brilliants which shone about the sides of that same watch:  the room wanted no lamp, I trow, so great was the splendour which they cast.  So the jorobado looked at his watch, and then said to me, I shall go to rest.  He then took the lamp and went through the gallery to his room, followed by his big servant.  Well, Senor, I cleared away the things, and then waited below for the servant, for whom I had prepared a comfortable bed, close by my own.  Senor, I waited patiently for an hour, till at last my patience was exhausted, and I ascended to the supper apartment, and passed through the gallery till I came to the door of the strange guest.  Senor, what do you think I saw at the door?”

“How should I know?” I replied.  “His riding boots perhaps.”

“No, Senor, I did not see his riding boots; but, stretched on the floor with his head against the door, so that it was impossible to open it without disturbing him, lay the big servant fast asleep, his immense legs reaching nearly the whole length of the gallery.  I crossed myself, as well I might, for the wind was howling even as it is now, and the rain was rushing down into the gallery in torrents; yet there lay the big servant fast asleep, without any covering, without any pillow, not even a log, stretched out before his master’s door.

“Senor, I got little rest that night, for I said to myself, I have evil wizards in my house, folks who are not human.  Once or twice I went up and peeped into the gallery, but there still lay the big servant fast asleep, so I crossed myself and returned to my bed again.”

“Well,” said I, “and what occurred next day?”

“Nothing particular occurred next day:  the jorobado came down and said comical things to me in good Spanish, and the big servant came down, but whatever he said, and he did not say much, I understood not, for it was in that disastrous jabber.  They stayed with me throughout the day till after supper-time, and then the jorobado gave me a gold ounce, and mounting their horses, they both departed as strangely as they had come, in the dark night, I know not whither.”

“Is that all?” I demanded.

“No, Senor, it is not all; for I was right in supposing them evil brujos:  the very next day an express arrived and a great search was made after them, and I was arrested for having harboured them.  This occurred just after the present wars had commenced.  It was said they were spies and emissaries of I don’t know what nation, and that they had been in all parts of the Asturias, holding conferences with some of the disaffected.  They escaped, however, and were never heard of more, though the animals which they rode were found without their riders, wandering amongst the hills; they were common ponies, and were of no value.  As for the brujos, it is believed that they embarked in some small vessel which was lying concealed in one of the rias of the coast.”