第49章

The Pass of Mirabete - Wolves and Shepherds - Female Subtlety -Death by Wolves - The Mystery Solved - The Mountains - The Dark Hour -The Traveller of the Night - Abarbenel - Hoarded Treasure -Force of Gold - The Archbishop - Arrival at Madrid.

I proceeded down the pass of Mirabete, occasionally ruminating on the matter which had brought me to Spain, and occasionally admiring one of the finest prospects in the world;before me outstretched lay immense plains, bounded in the distance by huge mountains, whilst at the foot of the hill which I was now descending, rolled the Tagus, in a deep narrow stream, between lofty banks; the whole was gilded by the rays of the setting sun; for the day, though cold and wintry, was bright and clear.In about an hour I reached the river at a place where stood the remains of what had once been a magnificent bridge, which had, however, been blown up in the Peninsular war and never since repaired.

I crossed the river in a ferry-boat; the passage was rather difficult, the current very rapid and swollen, owing to the latter rains.

"Am I in New Castile?" I demanded of the ferryman, on reaching the further bank."The raya is many leagues from hence," replied the ferryman; "you seem a stranger.Whence do you come?" "From England," I replied, and without waiting for an answer, I sprang on the burra, and proceeded on my way.The burra plied her feet most nimbly, and, shortly after nightfall, brought me to a village at about two leagues' distance from the river's bank.

I sat down in the venta where I put up; there was a huge fire, consisting of the greater part of the trunk of an olive tree; the company was rather miscellaneous: a hunter with his escopeta; a brace of shepherds with immense dogs, of that species for which Estremadura is celebrated; a broken soldier, just returned from the wars; and a beggar, who, after demanding charity for the seven wounds of Maria Santissima, took a seat amidst us, and made himself quite comfortable.The hostess was an active bustling woman, and busied herself in cooking my supper, which consisted of the game which I had purchased at Jaraicejo, and which, on my taking leave of the Gypsy, he had counselled me to take with me.In the meantime, I sat by the fire listening to the conversation of the company.

"I would I were a wolf," said one of the shepherds; "or, indeed, anything rather than what I am.A pretty life is this of ours, out in the campo, among the carascales, suffering heat and cold for a peseta a day.I would I were a wolf; he fares better and is more respected than the wretch of a shepherd.""But he frequently fares scurvily," said I; "the shepherd and dogs fall upon him, and then he pays for his temerity with the loss of his head.""That is not often the case, senor traveller," said the shepherd; "he watches his opportunity, and seldom runs into harm's way.And as to attacking him, it is no very pleasant task; he has both teeth and claws, and dog or man, who has once felt them, likes not to venture a second time within his reach.

These dogs of mine will seize a bear singly with considerable alacrity, though he is a most powerful animal, but I have seen them run howling away from a wolf, even though there were two or three of us at hand to encourage them.""A dangerous person is the wolf," said the other shepherd, "and cunning as dangerous; who knows more than he?

He knows the vulnerable point of every animal; see, for example, how he flies at the neck of a bullock, tearing open the veins with his grim teeth and claws.But does he attack a horse in this manner? I trow not.""Not he," said the other shepherd, "he is too good a judge; but he fastens on the haunches, and hamstrings him in a moment.O the fear of the horse when he comes near the dwelling of the wolf.My master was the other day riding in the despoblado, above the pass, on his fine Andalusian steed, which had cost him five hundred dollars; suddenly the horse stopped, and sweated and trembled like a woman in the act of fainting; my master could not conceive the reason, but presently he heard a squealing and growling in the bushes, whereupon he fired off his gun and scared the wolves, who scampered away; but he tells me, that the horse has not yet recovered from his fright.""Yet the mares know, occasionally, how to balk him,"replied his companion; "there is great craft and malice in mares, as there is in all females; see them feeding in the campo with their young cria about them; presently the alarm is given that the wolf is drawing near; they start wildly and run about for a moment, but it is only for a moment - amain they gather together, forming themselves into a circle, in the centre of which they place the foals.Onward comes the wolf, hoping to make his dinner on horseflesh; he is mistaken, however, the mares have balked him, and are as cunning as himself: not a tail is to be seen - not a hinder quarter - but there stands the whole troop, their fronts towards him ready to receive him, and as he runs around them barking and howling, they rise successively on their hind legs, ready to stamp him to the earth, should he attempt to hurt their cria or themselves.""Worse than the he-wolf," said the soldier, "is the female, for as the senor pastor has well observed, there is more malice in women than in males: to see one of these she-demons with a troop of the males at her heels is truly surprising: where she turns, they turn, and what she does that do they; for they appear bewitched, and have no power but to imitate her actions.I was once travelling with a comrade over the hills of Galicia, when we heard a howl.`Those are wolves,' said my companion, `let us get out of the way;' so we stepped from the path and ascended the side of the hill a little way, to a terrace, where grew vines, after the manner of Galicia: presently appeared a large grey she-wolf, DESHONESTA, snapping and growling at a troop of demons, who followed close behind, their tails uplifted, and their eyes like fire-brands.