They made the journey
without mishap, for they were too destitute to warrant plundering,
and Rosa's disguise concealed what charms remained to her. But
once they had entered the city, what an awakening! What suffering,
what poverty, what rags they saw! The three of them grew weak with
dismay at the horror of it all; but there was no retreat.
Asensio built a makeshift shelter close under La Cumbre--from it
the ruins of the Quinta de Esteban were visible--and there they
settled down to live. They had hoped to lose themselves among the
other prisoners, and in this they were successful, for none of
their miserable neighbors were in any condition to notice them,
and there was nothing sufficiently conspicuous about two tattered
blacks and their hunchbacked daughter to draw attention from the
soldiers.
Asensio foraged zealously, and at first he managed somehow to
secure enough food for his little family. He developed a real
talent for discovering vegetables and fruits. He stole, he begged,
and he found food where there was none. One day the soldiers
seized him and put him to work on the fortifications along with a
gang of other men who appeared strong enough to stand hard labor.
Asensio was not paid for this, but he was allowed one meal a day,
and he succeeded in bringing home each night a share of his
allotment.
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