The colossal statue is on the summit of the monument, which has four other figures at the base. At the other end of the plaza is a very handsome marble cross, which symbolizes the sanctity of the city name.
“This is the house in which was born the Marshal O’Donnel, Duke of Tetuan,” said the doctor, as he pointed to the building, a small and modest structure.
“He is a brave general in the French army. I was reading about him the other day. He was taken prisoner at Sedan last summer while we were in the north of Europe,” said Scott.
“Now, that is not a creditable joke,” added the surgeon. “You ought to know better.”
“But I don’t know any better.”
“You are thinking of Marshal McMahon. This is O’Donnel, another man entirely,” interposed the doctor.
“It was not a joke, but a blunder,” said Scott, blushing. “They have Irish names; and both of them seem to be out of their element in France and Spain. But who is O’Donnel, anyhow?”
“He isn’t McMahon, anyhow,—nor Gen. Howe. His ancestors were Irish refugees, who came here after the battle of the Boyne. He went into the Spanish army, and was a colonel at the age of twenty-five. He distinguished himself as a soldier, and for his services in Morocco was made Duke of Tetuan, which is a division of that country. He has had great influence as a statesman, having been minister of war, and president of the council. He had his ups and downs, as all Spanish statesmen have. He has headed an insurrection, and has been banished. He died in 1867. You must have heard of him when you were in Spain.”
“I think I did, sir; but I have heard about so many men, that I get them a little mixed.”
“Like the plaza and the alameda in all Spanish towns, this square is the great resort of the people in the evening. The band plays here, and the scene is quite lively,” continued Dr. Winstock. “When I was a young man I used to see a deal of flirting on this square; but since I have grown older I don’t notice such things. I was stationed on the coast of Africa, in a sloop-of-war, looking out for slavers; and the ship came up here to recruit the health of the men. One of our officers was smitten with a Santa Cruz beauty; and he adopted the custom of the country. He followed her about the streets, dogged her steps, in a manner that would have amounted to an outrage at home. At last he obtained an introduction to her; but this was hardly necessary, though his prejudices required it of him. But he only saw her in the plaza, and in the Prince Royal Square; and she evidently liked him as well as he did her. Not till they were engaged was he permitted by the custom of the islands to enter her father’s house, or hotel it was in this instance; for she was a Canarienne, and only a temporary resident.”