We call it
"Valerio; or, The Mysterious Mountain Cave."'
'Begins well!' exclaimed Jack.
'Now, Jack, you must be nice. Remember this is Bell's story, and she
is letting me tell it so that I can bear my share in the
entertainment.'
'Pancho believes every word of it,' added Bell, 'and says that his
father told it to him; but as I had to change it from bad Spanish
into good English, I don't know whether I've caught the idea
exactly.'
'Oh, it will do quite nicely, I've no doubt,' said Jack,
encouragingly. 'We've often heard you do good English into bad
Spanish, and turn and turn about is only fair play. Don't mind me,
Polly; I will be gentle!'
'Jack, if you don't behave yourself I'll send you to bed,' said
Elsie; and he ducked his head obediently into her lap, as Polly, with
her hands clasping her knees, and with the firelight dancing over her
bright face, leaned forward and told the Legend of
VALERIO; OR, THE MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAIN CAVE.
'A long time ago, before the settlement of Santa Barbara by the
whites, the Mission padres had a great many Indians under their
control, who were known as peons, or serfs. They were given enough
to eat, were not molested by the outside Indians, and were entirely
peaceable. There were so few mountain passes by which to enter Santa
Barbara that they were easily held, and of course the padres were
anxious to keep their Indians from running away, lest they should
show the wilder tribes the way to get in and commit depredations.
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