AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 157 



to me that a man had been found crushed on the road to Murviedro. 

 I gave him an account of the iHowess of Isidro's mule, and no more 

 was said. 



Que anecdote, taken from among a thousand, will show what an 

 adventurous life was led b}' the delegate of the Bureau of Longitude. 



During my stay on a mountain near Cullera, to the north of the 

 mouth of the river Xucar, and to the south of the Albufera, I once con- 

 ceived the project of establishing a station on the high mountains 

 which are in front of it. I went to see them. The alcaid of one of the 

 neighboring villages warned me of the danger to which I was about to 

 expose myself. "These mountains," said he to me, "form the resort of 

 a band of highway robbers." I asked for the national guard, as I had 

 the power to do so. M3' escort was supposed by the robbers to be an 

 expedition directed against them, and they dispersed themselves at 

 once over the rich plain which is watered by the Xucar. On my return 

 I found them engaged in combat with the authorities of Cullera. 

 Wounds had been given on both sides, and, if I recollect right, one 

 alguazil was left dead on the plain. 



The next morning I regained my station. The following night was a 

 horrible one ; the rain fell in a deluge. Toward night there was knock- 

 ing at my cabin door. To the question "Who is there?" the answer 

 was, "A custom-house guard, who asks of you a shelter for some hours." 

 My servant having opened the door to him, I saw a magnificent man 

 enter, armed to the teeth. He laid himself down on the earth, and went 

 to sleep. In the morning, as I was chatting with him at the door of my 

 cabin, his eyes flashed on seeing two persons on the slope of the mountain, 

 the alcaid of Cullera and his principal alguazil, who were coming to pay 

 me a visit. "Sir," cried he, "nothing less than the gratitude which I 

 owe to you, on account of the service which you have rendered to me 

 this night, could prevent my seizing this occasion for ridding myself, 

 by one shot of this carabine, of my most cruel enemy. Adieu, sir!" 

 And lie departed, springing from rock to rock as light as a gazelle. 



On reaching the cabin, the alcaid and his alguazil recognized in the 

 fugitive the chief of all the brigands in the country. 

 Ij Some days afterward, the weather having again become very bad, 

 I received a second visit from the ijretended custom-house guard, who 

 i went soundly to sleep in my cabin. I saw that my servant, an old sol- 

 i dier, who had heard the recital of the deeds and behavior of this man, 

 I was preparing to kill him. I jumped down from my camp bed, and, 

 seizing my servant by the throat, "Are you mad ?" said I to him; " are 

 we to discharge the duties of police in this country? Do you not see, 

 moreover, that this would expose us to the resentment of all those who 

 obey the orders of this redoubted chief? and we should thus render.it 

 impossible for us to terminate our operations." 



Xext morning, when the sun rose, I had a conversation with my guest, 

 which I will try to reproduce faithfully. 



