I have been here for two hundred years; I learned the teachings of the Arab sages and made happy those few people who know well that a person is both a master and a slave...
All these years I have not slept, I have not experienced hunger, thirst, sorrow, or joy...
Without stopping, but without feeling tired, I walk around the wonderful palace hidden in Mount Zharau, and trample gold bars into dust, and they crumble under my feet like loose earth; The paths in the garden, which I trample with disgust, are lined with green, yellow, bright red, blue, pink, purple stones... When the sorceress passes, they turn into a multi-colored rainbow, each stone into a living light that leaves no ashes. The wells are full of doubloons and ounces, jewelry and armor. And all this gold of Peru, Mexico and Minas Gerais (Minas Gerais is a modern state in Brazil), all the treasures that were conquered by the kings of Portugal, Castile and Aragon...
But I look at all these riches with disgust, because I have so much of them, and because I cannot rejoice in them as in those days when I was the same as all people, and just like all people, I was in need and died of envy; patiently endured misfortunes and did not value what he had, striving to get what belonged to others...
The spell that kept me imprisoned allowed me to accompany people, strong in spirit and pure in heart, who decided to try their luck in this Zharau cave, which became famous thanks to me...
Many, having been there, left with a disfigured soul: some died from the fear that overwhelmed them, others, distraught, wandered through the villages, terrifying people, others went to the plains and lived there side by side with wild animals...
Few survived the trials that befell them. But those who endured them received everything they asked for, and yet the greatest of all treasures - the enchanted Moorish woman - fulfills all her promises and does not take back what she gives...
And everyone who comes here leaves a ransom for himself, so that we all someday find freedom...
However, everyone who came was arrogant in soul; everyone came here, attracted by greed, or hatred, or some other vice; you were the only one who came here without bad intentions, and the only one who spoke to me like the son of God...
Hitherto you were the first; when these places hear the greeting of a Christian for the third time, the witchcraft spell will be destroyed, because I repent... and like the Apostle Peter, who denied Christ three times, but was forgiven, I repent and I will receive forgiveness.
It was written in my family that my salvation would come in this way; and when I am disenchanted, thanks to me the witchcraft spell of the magic lizard will also be destroyed; when this happens, the cave will disappear along with all the treasures, all the precious stones, all the coins, all the witchcraft secrets, all the love potions, all the poisonous potions and enchanted, invincible weapons... everything, everything, all this will be carried away by smoke through the hole in the top of the mountain and will dissipate in the wind rose...
You, you were the first to turn to me as a Christian.
It’s good when a person is strong in spirit and pure in heart!.. Such a person will enter the cave, touch the magic wand and choose whatever he wants...
A man strong in spirit and pure in heart! There is a dark dungeon before you: enter! Come in! A warm wind blows there, which blows out the candle fire... and a cold, cold wind blows in... it freezes like frost.
There is no one there... But if you listen carefully, you will hear human voices, they are talking to each other... but you will not understand what they are talking about, for they speak in languages unknown to you; these are the slaves of the dark princess, these are the spirits of the magic lizard... There is no one there... No one is visible there, but, as if inviting you, someone’s hand will pat the shoulder of the one who enters here boldly, and, as if threatening, will push the one who backs away in fear...
A man strong in spirit and pure in heart! If you enter there like that and stay like that, you will gain the right to desire and you will get what you want!
But control your thoughts and hold your tongue, for a man’s thought elevates him to the top of the universe, but a man’s tongue lowers him...
So come in, man, strong in spirit and pure in heart!..
And the gaucho dismounted; he hobbled his good horse and, for extra precaution, tied it to a kambuy tree, which bends but does not break; he untied his spurs, sharpened a long knife, crossed himself and approached the cave...
He was silent and silently entered the cave... The enchanted sacristan stood up and disappeared like a shadow into the shadow of the trees.
The silence froze like an owl soaring in the air; This silence inspired fear...
And the gaucho went forward.
He entered a dungeon that was barely visible behind a dense tangle of branches; in its depths it was completely dark...
He walked down a spacious corridor, which at the end branched into seven corridors.
And everything went forward.
He walked along one of these corridors, turning left and right, going up and down. And it was dark all the time. And it was quiet all the time.
Someone's invisible hand patted him on the shoulder.
At some crossroads he heard the sound of crossed sabers, the familiar ringing of swords.
Then a light appeared in the darkness, faint, like the light of a firefly.
The shadows of people fought to the death; there were no threats or curses in their eyes, but the blows they silently struck each other were furious...
Gauchau shuddered with horror, but immediately heard the voice of a creature with a pale and sad face:
– Strong in spirit and pure in heart...
Gaucho rushed into the very thick of the swords, he felt their blades, their points, the touch of the bodies of the fighters... And yet he proudly walked among them, not looking around, but hearing the sighs and groans of the fighters.
Someone's hand lightly, as if affectionately and friendly, patted him on the shoulder.
In the silence of the dungeon, the gaucho heard only the ringing of his spurs.
And he kept moving forward.
He found himself in a grotto filled with soft light, where there was no shadow at all. Here, like in a nest of termites, countless roads intertwined, going in all directions; when he walked along one of these roads, at the very first turn he was surrounded by jaguars and pumas, hot breath escaping from their open mouths, the animals extended their claws and furiously beat their tails...
But he walked boldly among them, feeling their rough fur touching him; He walked slowly, but not hesitatingly, and heard a growl behind him, which died away and was not repeated by the echo...
The invisible hand of someone whom he did not see, but who undoubtedly walked next to him, all the time affectionately patted him on the shoulder, not pushing him, but directing him forward, and only forward...
Light appeared again, the greenish-yellow light of a firefly...
And the gaucho kept moving forward.
There was a descent in front of him; below there was a round platform, all strewn with bones. There were many skeletons here, they stood upright, leaning against each other and bent over as if from fatigue; Torn parts of skeletons lay on the ground: fallen off skulls with white teeth, empty eye sockets; as if dancing feet; spines and ribs moved - some rhythmically, others randomly...
The gaucho's right hand raised to make the sign of the cross... but - strong in spirit and pure in heart, he decisively walked between the skeletons, feeling the smell of decay that the rotting bones emitted.
And again a gentle hand patted the gaucho on the shoulder...
And he kept moving forward.
The road began to climb steeply, but he overcame the climb without hyperventilating; a little to the side there was some kind of oven; he had to pass through it, and violent, red flames played inside it, as if branches of a Nyanduwai tree were being thrown into the oven; streams of water gushing from the walls hit the flames, hissing and boiling, and evaporated; a strong wind was blowing, blowing up fire and water, and it would have been the greatest audacity to burst into this whirlwind...
But the gaucho passed through it, feeling the heat of the flame...
And again an invisible hand patted him on the shoulder, as if wanting to say: “Well done!”
And he kept moving forward.
He lost track of time and walked randomly; the silence oppressed him; suddenly a dim light dawned, and in this light he saw a spotted, fat body curled up on the road; a tail with a rattle at the end, as huge as the egg of a tew-tew bird, beat on the ground.
It was a rattlesnake, the guardian of that road; she raised her narrow head and stuck out her black tongue, fixing on the person the gaze of her unblinking burning eyes, black as velvet buttons...
From her two crooked teeth, long as the horns of a yearling bull, black liquid was dripping: it was poison accumulated from long fasting...
The snake—the damned rattlesnake—wriggled, rattled as if to warn of danger, and stuck out its tongue as if to tease.
Profuse sweat appeared on our friend’s forehead... but he walked forward, not looking at the snake, but seeing how it rose on its tail and fell to the ground, flat and trembling... he walked forward, hearing the crack of a rattle that lingers in his ears for a long time, and a whistle that cannot be forgotten...
This was the fifth test of courage, from which he, strong in spirit and pure in heart, emerged victorious; and then the flying hand stroked his head and patted him on the shoulder in a very friendly manner.
And the gaucho walked and walked forward.
He went out into a meadow overgrown with lush grass, from which wafted a sweet aroma hitherto unknown to him; Everywhere grew luxuriantly flowering trees, teeming with fruits, birds with bright plumage chirped merrily on their branches, tame fawns frolicked, cowbirds sang, there were many other birds and animals pleasing the eye, and in the center of the meadow along the grassy slope of the hill flowed a stream, at first thin, like a thread, gaining strength and then turning into a rivulet and seethed along the wide sandy shore, scattering splashes as white as silver dust...
Then he saw a round dance of girls - one more beautiful than the other! - a cheerful round dance that came out of the grove, surrounded the gaucho and began to seduce him, the poor fellow, who only saw the wives of the shepherds.
Some were dressed in garlands woven from flowers, others in clothes woven from threads of beads, others covered themselves with their flowing hair; some brought him fancy-shaped glass vessels filled with a fragrant drink, fogged from the cold, others danced, swaying their hips to the beat, as if to music, others seduced him with the beauty of their bodies and spread soft mats on the ground, openly and slyly inviting him to lie down...
However, the gaucho passed by them, although his temples were pounding: after all, he was breathing air that was saturated with evil...
Gauchau walked further and further.
And as soon as he entered the grove, he was immediately surrounded by a crowd of big-headed and bandy-legged dwarfs, one of whom was more amusing than the other; they all bowed, did pirouettes, danced the fandango, danced on ropes, jumped like grasshoppers, started fights and made such grimaces that only they could do...
But the gaucho walked past them without even smiling...
This seventh test was the last.
And then the sad, pale face of the one who undoubtedly followed him everywhere, although he did not help him on this difficult path, appeared before him, and took his hand.
And the gaucho followed him.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru