Patrañas; or, Spanish Stories, Legendary and Traditional
Page 46
MOORISH REMNANTS.
III.
THE EMIR IN SEARCH OF AN EYE.
The Emir Abu-Bekir lost an eye in battle against the Christians. "TheChristians shall pay me what they have taken from me," he said; andhe sent for a number of Christian captives, and had one of their eyestaken out, in the idea of replacing his own; but it was found thatnone of them agreed with his in size, and form, and colour. The EmirAbu-Bekir was of very comely person, and his eyes had been so mildand soft, that it was at last thought only the eye of a woman couldreplace the missing one; the choice fell upon a beautiful maiden namedSancha. Sancha was brought into the Emir's presence, and his physicianwas ordered to take out her eye, and place it in the vacant socket.
Now Sancha stood trembling and wailing, and by her very cryingdamaging the perfection of the coveted feature. Then there stoodup a travelling doctor who was in great fame among the people,and begged a hearing of the Emir; for albeit he was a Turk, yet hepossessed pity and gratitude. He knew that the operation, while atorment to the Christian maiden, would be of no service to the Emir;and he pitied the waste of pain. It happened further, that once, whenon a journey he had sunk fainting by the way-side, this very Sanchahad comforted and relieved him; and now he determined to rescue her.
Accordingly, he stepped up to the Emir, and told him that he hadeyes made of crystal, and coloured by cunning art, which no one couldtell from living eyes, and which would be of much greater service andornament than those of the Christian dogs, whose eyes he might haveobserved lost all their lustre and consistency the moment they weretaken from their natural place. The Emir admitted the truth of thelast statement, and being marvellously pleased with the glass eyesthe travelling doctor displayed, asked him the price.
"The maiden for a slave," replied the doctor.
The Emir gladly consented to so advantageous a bargain, and sufferedthe glass eye to be fixed in his head. All the Court applauded theappearance.
"But I cannot see with it!" cried the Emir.
"Oh! you must give it a little time to get used to your ways,"answered the doctor, readily; "you can't expect it all of a suddento do as well as the other, that you have had in use so long."
So the Emir was content to wait; meantime, the doctor made off withhis fair prize, whom he conducted safely back to Spain, and restoredher faithfully to her friends and her liberty.