1828.] [611 ] 



THE CAVE OF HAR HASSAN. 



ON the south-eastern coast of the island of Malta, there is a remark- 

 able cave, rendered illustrious by the many traditions respecting its 

 ancient inhabitant. It has always gone by the name of Hassan's Cave, 

 from the person with whom it has generally been associated in local 

 story. But the ingenuity and credulity of the people have assigned to 

 him a greater share of renown than falls to the lot of ordinary heroes) 

 and he has adorned the tale of beldame mothers with a fertility of interest 

 which would incline one almost to doubt his identity. He is represented 

 as a hermit, a pirate, a petty king, a chivalrous knight, a gigantic goblin. 

 He seems to have been mighty on land and water, over air and fire. 

 But these accomplishments are not to be understood as being attributed 

 to him en masse by any one of his glorifiers ; they are so collected only 

 upon comparison of the different versions ; and if, when set together, 

 they appear not overabundant for one man's share, why let us not smile 

 at the feats of King Arthur or Jack the Giant Killer. 



One of the most favourite records is that which enumerates his worthy 

 deeds during a siege of the island by the Moslemites. He was himself a 

 native of Barbary, and a votary of the creed professed by the besiegers. 

 But for half a century he had found a sanctuary in the hollow rock, and 

 he would not desert the kind mother who had fostered him. Accord- 

 ingly, he garrisoned his cavern ; and, from his commanding post, sorely 

 distressed the enemy's fleet, which was necessarily exposed to his battery. 

 The Water Nymphs alone can say in what numbers the turbaned sinners 

 fell into their embraces, by the stratagems and daring of their great 

 man. 



But a more credible, because a more modest story, simply describes 

 him as a recluse, who, disappointed in his own country, fled with an only 

 daughter to this island. There he resided in honour amongst men, and 

 devoted to the nurture of his beloved child, the sole prop of his infirm 

 spirit. She was wooed by a prince of the country, and the smiles of the fair 

 girl, and the ready sanction of her father, promised a happy consummation. 

 But whilst affianced, she was seized with illness of a deadly character ; 

 her short race was run before men had time to take note of it, and the 

 heart-broken Hassan fled from the haunts of men to this solitary place, 

 where he lingered for some years in the loneliness of a grave. 



These and other less probable traditions excited my curiosity to visit 

 the habitation of so memorable a man. We left Valetta on donkeys, and 

 sallied forth in the direction of the particular point of coast. We had an 

 arduous expedition; for the natives, if aware of the existence, knew 

 nothing as to the locality of the cave. Some volunteered to conduct us 

 without error ; but, after knocking down a dozen stone walls to facilitate 

 our progress, and much scampering to and fro on the verge of a high 

 precipitous rock, based by the sea, we found that in truth the place was 

 unknown, save by conjecture. The casals, or villages, that lie within 

 this district of the island, are not very many, contiguous, or thickly inha- 

 bited ; the roads of communication, themselves unfrequented, reach 

 within no practicable distance of the shore, and the incurious character of 

 the peasants, beyond all other obstacles, concealed even from the neigh- 

 bourhood that knowledge of which we then stood in need. We gazed 

 down the rough side of the rocky eminence in every direction, vainly 



412 



