We Had Not Gone Far Before We Met Two Galicians, On Their Way To
Cut The Harvests Of Castile.
One of them shouted, "Cavalier, turn
back:
In a moment you will be amongst precipices, where your
horses will break their necks, for we ourselves could scarcely
climb them on foot." The other cried, "Cavalier, proceed, but be
careful, and your horses, if sure-footed, will run no great danger:
my comrade is a fool." A violent dispute instantly ensued between
the two mountaineers, each supporting his opinion with loud oaths
and curses; but without stopping to see the result, I passed on,
but the path was now filled with stones and huge slaty rocks, on
which my horse was continually slipping. I likewise heard the
sound of water in a deep gorge, which I had hitherto not perceived,
and I soon saw that it would be worse than madness to proceed. I
turned my horse, and was hastening to regain the path which I had
left, when Antonio, my faithful Greek, pointed out to me a meadow
by which, he said, we might regain the high road much lower down
than if we returned on our steps. The meadow was brilliant with
short green grass, and in the middle there was a small rivulet of
water. I spurred my horse on, expecting to be in the high road in
a moment; the horse, however, snorted and stared wildly, and was
evidently unwilling to cross the seemingly inviting spot. I
thought that the scent of a wolf, or some other wild animal might
have disturbed him, but was soon undeceived by his sinking up to
the knees in a bog. The animal uttered a shrill sharp neigh, and
exhibited every sign of the greatest terror, making at the same
time great efforts to extricate himself, and plunging forward, but
every moment sinking deeper. At last he arrived where a small vein
of rock showed itself: on this he placed his fore feet, and with
one tremendous exertion freed himself, from the deceitful soil,
springing over the rivulet and alighting on comparatively firm
ground, where he stood panting, his heaving sides covered with a
foamy sweat. Antonio, who had observed the whole scene, afraid to
venture forward, returned by the path by which we came, and shortly
afterwards rejoined me. This adventure brought to my recollection
the meadow with its footpath which tempted Christian from the
straight road to heaven, and finally conducted him to the dominions
of the giant Despair.
We now began to descend the valley by a broad and excellent
carretera or carriage road, which was cut out of the steep side of
the mountain on our right. On our left was the gorge, down which
tumbled the runnel of water which I have before mentioned. The
road was tortuous, and at every turn the scene became more
picturesque. The gorge gradually widened, and the brook at its
bottom, fed by a multitude of springs, increased in volume and in
sound, but it was soon far beneath us, pursuing its headlong course
till it reached level ground, where it flowed in the midst of a
beautiful but confined prairie.
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