By The By, Senhor, I Perceive That Yours Is
An Entire Horse; Now Out Of Twenty Ponies That You See On The Roads
Of Galicia, Nineteen Are Mares; The Males Are Sent Down Into
Castile To Be Sold.
Senhor, your horse will become heated on our
roads, and will catch the bad glanders, for which there is no
remedy.
Senhor, a man must be mad to bring any horse to Galicia,
but twice mad to bring an entero, as you have done.
"A strange country this of Galicia," said I, and went to consult
with Antonio.
It appeared that the information of the ostler was literally true
with regard to the horse-shoe; at least the blacksmith of the
village, to whom we conducted the animal, confessed his inability
to shoe him, having none that would fit his hoof: he said it was
very probable that we should be obliged to lead the animal to Lugo,
which, being a cavalry station, we might perhaps find there what we
wanted. He added, however, that the greatest part of the cavalry
soldiers were mounted on the ponies of the country, the mortality
amongst the horses brought from the level ground into Galicia being
frightful. Lugo was ten leagues distant: there seemed, however,
to be no remedy at hand but patience, and, having refreshed
ourselves, we proceeded, leading our horses by the bridle.
We were now on level ground, being upon the very top of one of the
highest mountains in Galicia. This level continued for about a
league, when we began to descend. Before we had crossed the plain,
which was overgrown with furze and brushwood, we came suddenly upon
half a dozen fellows armed with muskets and wearing a tattered
uniform. We at first supposed them to be banditti: they were,
however, only a party of soldiers who had been detached from the
station we had just quitted to escort one of the provincial posts
or couriers. They were clamorous for cigars, but offered us no
farther incivility. Having no cigars to bestow, I gave them in
lieu thereof a small piece of silver. Two of the worst looking
were very eager to be permitted to escort us to Nogales, the
village where we proposed to spend the night. "By no means permit
them, mon maitre," said Antonio, "they are two famous assassins of
my acquaintance; I have known them at Madrid: in the first ravine
they will shoot and plunder us." I therefore civilly declined
their offer and departed. "You seem to be acquainted with all the
cut-throats in Galicia," said I to Antonio, as we descended the
hill.
"With respect to those two fellows," he replied, "I knew them when
I lived as cook in the family of General Q-, who is a Gallegan:
they were sworn friends of the repostero. All the Gallegans in
Madrid know each other, whether high or low makes no difference;
there, at least, they are all good friends, and assist each other
on all imaginable occasions; and if there be a Gallegan domestic in
a house, the kitchen is sure to be filled with his countrymen, as
the cook frequently knows to his cost, for they generally contrive
to eat up any little perquisites which he may have reserved for
himself and family."
Somewhat less than half way down the mountain we reached a small
village. On observing a blacksmith's shop, we stopped, in the
faint hope of finding a shoe for the horse, who, for want of one,
was rapidly becoming lame. To our great joy we found that the
smith was in possession of one single horse-shoe, which some time
previously he had found upon the way. This, after undergoing much
hammering and alteration, was pronounced by the Gallegan vulcan to
be capable of serving in lieu of a better; whereupon we again
mounted, and slowly continued our descent.
Shortly ere sunset we arrived at Nogales, a hamlet situate in a
narrow valley at the foot of the mountain, in traversing which we
had spent the day. Nothing could be more picturesque than the
appearance of this spot: steep hills, thickly clad with groves and
forests of chestnuts, surrounded it on every side; the village
itself was almost embowered in trees, and close beside it ran a
purling brook. Here we found a tolerably large and commodious
posada.
I was languid and fatigued, but felt little desire to sleep.
Antonio cooked our supper, or rather his own, for I had no
appetite. I sat by the door, gazing on the wood-covered heights
above me, or on the waters of the rivulet, occasionally listening
to the people who lounged about the house, conversing in the
country dialect. What a strange tongue is the Gallegan, with its
half singing half whining accent, and with its confused jumble of
words from many languages, but chiefly from the Spanish and
Portuguese. "Can you understand this conversation?" I demanded of
Antonio, who had by this time rejoined me. "I cannot, mon maitre,"
he replied; "I have acquired at various times a great many words
amongst the Gallegan domestics in the kitchens where I have
officiated as cook, but am quite unable to understand any long
conversation. I have heard the Gallegans say that in no two
villages is it spoken in one and the same manner, and that very
frequently they do not understand each other. The worst of this
language is, that everybody on first hearing it thinks that nothing
is more easy than to understand it, as words are continually
occurring which he has heard before: but these merely serve to
bewilder and puzzle him, causing him to misunderstand everything
that is said; whereas, if he were totally ignorant of the tongue,
he would occasionally give a shrewd guess at what was meant, as I
myself frequently do when I hear Basque spoken, though the only
word which I know of that language is jaunguicoa."
As the night closed in I retired to bed, where I remained four or
five hours, restless and tossing about; the fever of Leon still
clinging to my system.
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