MOORS AND CHRISTIANS

I.

The once famous but now little known town of Aldeire is situated in the
Marquisate of El Cenet, or, let us say, on the eastern slope of the
Alpujarra, and partly hangs over a ledge, partly hides itself in a ravine
of the giant central ridge of Sierra Nevada, five or six thousand feet
above the level of the sea, and seven or eight thousand below the eternal
snows of the Mulhacem.

Aldeire, be it said with all respect to its reverend pastor, is a Moorish
town. That it was formerly Moorish is clearly proved by its name, its
situation, and its architecture, and that it is not yet completely
Christianized, although it figures among the towns of reconquered Spain,
and has its little Catholic church and its confraternities of the Virgin,
of Jesus, and of several of the saints, is proved by the character and the
customs of its inhabitants; by the perpetual feuds, as terrible as they
are causeless, which unite or separate them; and by the gloomy black eyes,
pale complexions, laconic speech, and infrequent laughter of men, women,
and children.

But it may be well to remind our readers, in order that neither the
aforesaid pastor nor any one else may question the justice of this
reasoning, that the Moors of the Marquisate of El Cenet were not expelled
in a body, like those of the Alpujarra, but that many of them succeeded in
remaining in the country, living in concealment, thanks to the prudence--
or the cowardice--which made them turn a deaf ear to the rash and the
heroic appeal of their unfortunate Prince, Aben Humcya; whence I infer
that Uncle Juan Gomez, nicknamed Hormiga [The Ant], in the year of grace