From Madrid we went to Pamplona. Pamplona was still a curious city
maintaining customs which would have been appropriate to a state of war.
The draw-bridges were raised at night, only one, or perhaps two, gates
being left open, I am not certain which.
Pamplona proved an amusing place for a small boy. There were the walls
with their glacis, their sentry boxes, their cannon; there were the
gates, the river, the cathedral and the surrounding quarters--all of
them very attractive to us.
We studied at the Institute and committed all sorts of pranks like the
other students. We played practical jokes in the houses of the canons,
and threw stones at the bishop's palace, many of the windows of which
were already paneless and forlorn.
We also made wild excursions to the roof of our house and to those of
other houses in the neighbourhood, prying about the garrets and peering
down over the cornices into the courtyards.
Once we seized a stuffed eagle, cherished by a neighbour, hauled it to
the attic, pulled it through the skylight to the roof, and flung it down
into the street, creating a genuine panic among the innocent passers-by,
when they saw the huge bird drop at their feet.
One of my most vivid memories of Pamplona is seeing a criminal on his
way to execution passing our house, attired in a round cap and yellow
robe.
It was one of the sights which has impressed me most. Later in the
afternoon, driven by curiosity, knowing that the man who had been
garroted must be still on the scaffold, I ventured alone to see him, and
remained there examining him closely for a long time. When I returned
home that night, I was unable to sleep because of the impression he had
made.