The Brigand of Malaval

A brigand once hid in a cave at Grusseru, overlooking the dangerous Malaval gorge. He ambushed travelers until one day he nearly killed his own nephew. The guilt-ridden nephew eventually sang a coded warning at church: "There is a Black One at the Balmes... if you do not kill him, he will do great harm." The villagers used a straw dummy on a horse as a decoy. When the bandit fired, they pulled the dummy down with a string. As he approached to rob the "body," the armed men captured him. He was publicly shamed and executed. He is remembered as "Nérou" (Nero).