It was during the war of Independence when the French army took the historic city of Toledo finding little resistance

Before midnight a platoon commanded by an intimidating, young, good looking, french captain arrived to the City walls, the tired soldiers, muffled in their dark cloaks and deafening the narrow, lonely streets with the clang of their weapons and the neigh of the horses exhausted after a long journey and wishing to rest.

There were no room for them apart from an old, somber and tenebrous church but it was better than none so the column move to the church, the soldiers mumbling and whispering in the hazy night

In front of them, the black silhouette of the church with the spired bell-tower and the dark, uneven roof giving a creepy and gloomy atmosphere emphasised by the distance howling of wolves.

By the light of the lantern, whose doubtful ray lost in the heavy glooms of the nave, the officer peered into the desert chapels one by one until, with determination, ordered his troop to dismount and  look for the best place to accommodate and spend the night.

But, despite the sepulchral ambience, our hero, young but so familiar with the inconveniences of a soldier life, was snoring loudly and the soldiers, making improvised pillows of their saddles, followed his example and little by little the murmur of their voices died away.

The following day, a group of officers gathered to take the air and chat a little when, in one of the side-streets, appeared our gallant captain wearing a great shining helmet, a blue coat with scarlet facings and a magnificent sword which clanked as it struck the ground.

All the fellow officers saluted him effusively and one of them asked him about what sort of a night did he spend in the old church.

"I have slept in much worse places but I have to confess that I slept little and I was awake during a good part of the night," answered the captain.

"And what was the cause of your insomnia?"

"A woman" said the captain

When the group listened to the answer all of them cracked up contagiously.