"There can be no difficulty," said I, "with respect to what we have
to do; if your friends are gone out, it is easy enough to go to a
posada."
"You know not what you say," replied the Gypsy, "I dare not go to
the mesuna, nor enter any house in Trujillo save this, and this is
shut; well, there is no remedy, we must move on, and, between
ourselves, the sooner we leave this place the better; my own
planoro (brother) was garroted at Trujillo."
He lighted a cigar, by means of a steel and yesca, sprang on his
mule, and proceeded through streets and lanes equally dismal as
those which we had already traversed till we again found ourselves
out of the, town.
I confess I did not much like this decision of the Gypsy; I felt
very slight inclination to leave the town behind and to venture
into unknown places in the dark night: amidst rain and mist, for
the wind had now dropped, and the rain began again to fall briskly.
I was, moreover, much fatigued, and wished for nothing better than
to deposit myself in some comfortable manger, where I might sink to
sleep, lulled by the pleasant sound of horses and mules despatching
their provender. I had, however, put myself under the direction of
the Gypsy, and I was too old a traveller to quarrel with my guide
under the present circumstances. I therefore followed close at his
crupper; our only light being the glow emitted from the Gypsy's
cigar; at last he flung it from his mouth into a puddle, and we
were then in darkness.
We proceeded in this manner for a long time; the Gypsy was silent;
I myself was equally so; the rain descended more and more. I
sometimes thought I heard doleful noises, something like the
hooting of owls. "This is a strange night to be wandering abroad
in," I at length said to Antonio.
"It is, brother," said he, "but I would sooner be abroad in such a
night, and in such places, than in the estaripel of Trujillo."
We wandered at least a league farther, and appeared now to be near
a wood, for I could occasionally distinguish the trunks of immense
trees. Suddenly Antonio stopped his mule; "Look, brother," said
he, "to the left, and tell me if you do not see a light; your eyes
are sharper than mine." I did as he commanded me. At first I
could see nothing, but moving a little farther on I plainly saw a
large light at some distance, seemingly amongst the trees. "Yonder
cannot be a lamp or candle," said I; "it is more like the blaze of
a fire." "Very likely," said Antonio. "There are no queres
(houses) in this place; it is doubtless a fire made by durotunes
(shepherds); let us go and join them, for, as you say, it is
doleful work wandering about at night amidst rain and mire."
We dismounted and entered what I now saw was a forest, leading the
animals cautiously amongst the trees and brushwood.
