The Travelling
Merchants Had Departed At Daybreak.
We now led forth the horses,
and mounted; there were several people at the door staring at us.
"What is the meaning of this?" said I to Antonio.
"It is whispered that we are no Christians," said Antonio; "they
have come to cross themselves at our departure."
In effect, the moment that we rode forward a dozen hands at least
were busied in this evil-averting ceremony. Antonio instantly
turned and crossed himself in the Greek fashion, - much more complex
and difficult than the Catholic.
"Mirad que Santiguo! que Santiguo de los demonios!" {15} exclaimed
many voices, whilst for fear of consequences we hastened away.
The day was exceedingly hot, and we wended our way slowly along the
plains of Old Castile. With all that pertains to Spain, vastness
and sublimity are associated: grand are its mountains, and no less
grand are its plains, which seem of boundless extent, but which are
not tame unbroken flats, like the steppes of Russia. Rough and
uneven ground is continually occurring: here a deep ravine and
gully worn by the wintry torrent; yonder an eminence not
unfrequently craggy and savage, at whose top appears the lone
solitary village. There is little that is blithesome and cheerful,
but much that is melancholy. A few solitary rustics are
occasionally seen toiling in the fields - fields without limit or
boundary, where the green oak, the elm or the ash are unknown;
where only the sad and desolate pine displays its pyramid-like
form, and where no grass is to be found. And who are the
travellers of these districts? For the most part arrieros, with
their long trains of mules hung with monotonous tinkling bells.
Behold them with their brown faces, brown dresses, and broad
slouched hats; - the arrieros, the true lords of the roads of Spain,
and to whom more respect is paid in these dusty ways than to dukes
and condes; - the arrieros, sullen, proud, and rarely courteous,
whose deep voices may be sometimes heard at the distance of a mile,
either cheering the sluggish animals, or shortening the dreary way
with savage and dissonant songs.
Late in the afternoon, we reached Medina del Campo, formerly one of
the principal cities of Spain, though at present an inconsiderable
place. Immense ruins surround it in every direction, attesting the
former grandeur of this "city of the plain." The great square or
market-place is a remarkable spot, surrounded by a heavy massive
piazza, over which rise black buildings of great antiquity. We
found the town crowded with people awaiting the fair, which was to
be held in a day or two. We experienced some difficulty in
obtaining admission into the posada, which was chiefly occupied by
Catalans from Valladolid. These people not only brought with them
their merchandise but their wives and children. Some of them
appeared to be people of the worst description: there was one in
particular, a burly savage-looking fellow, of about forty, whose
conduct was atrocious; he sat with his wife, or perhaps concubine,
at the door of a room which opened upon the court:
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