LES LANDES
The dawn was just beginning to appear, when the bugles sounded, and the
tents were struck. For the first few leagues, our route to-day
resembled that of yesterday, in almost every particular. There was the
same appearance of peaceful quiet, the same delightful intermingling of
woods, corn-fields, vineyards, and pasture; but we had not proceeded
far, when a marked difference was perceptible; every step we trod, the
soil became more and more sandy, the cultivation less frequent, and the
wood more abundant, till at last we found ourselves marching through
the heart of an immense forest of pines. We had diverged, it appeared,
from the main road, which carries the traveller through a rich and open
country, and were pursuing another through the middle of those deserts
and savannahs which lie towards the coast; a district known by the name
of les Landes. There was something, if not beautiful, at least new and
striking in the scenery now around us. Wherever the eye turned, it was
met by one wide waste of gloomy pine-trees; diversified, here and
there, by the unexpected appearance of a modest hamlet, which looked as
if it were the abode of some newly arrived settlers in a country
hitherto devoid of human habitations.
Were I to continue the detail of a long march through these barren
regions, I should soon fatigue, without amusing my reader: I shall,
therefore, content myself with observing, that day after day the same
dreary prospect presented itself, varied by the occasional occurrence
of huge uncultivated plains, which apparently chequer the forest, at
certain intervals, with spots of stunted and unprofitable pasturage;
upon these there were usually flocks of sheep grazing, in the mode of
watching which, the peasants fully evinced the truth of the old
proverb, that necessity is the mother of invention. I do not know
whether the practice to which I allude be generally known, but as it
struck me as very remarkable, I shall offer no apology for relating it.
The whole of this district, as well where it is wooded, as where it is
bare, is perfectly flat, containing scarcely a knoll or eminence any
sort, as far as the eye can reach. In addition to this, the vast plains
where the sheep are fed, many of which extend two or three leagues in
every direction, produce not so much as a fir-tree, by climbing which,
a man might see to any of its extremities: and the consequence is, that
the shepherds are constantly in danger of losing their sheep, as one
loses sight of a vessel at sea, in the distance. To remedy this evil,
they have fallen upon a plan not more simple than ingenious; they all
walk on stilts, exactly similar to those with which our school-boys
amuse themselves; the only difference lying here, that whereas the
school-boys’ stilts are with us seldom raised above ten or twelve
inches from the ground, those of the French peasants are elevated to
the height of six or eight feet.
When we first caught a glimpse of these figures, it was in the dusk of
the morning, and for awhile we were willing to persuade ourselves that
the haze had deceived us, by seeming to enlarge bodies beyond their
real dimensions. But when we looked at the trees, we saw them in their
own proper size, nor could we suppose that the atmosphere would have an
effect upon one object, which it had not upon another; yet there
appeared to be no other way of accounting for the phenomenon, unless
indeed this wild country were the parent of a race of giants, for the
men whom we saw resembled moving towers rather than mortals. I need not
observe that our astonishment was very great; nor, in was it much
diminished when, on a nearer approach, we discovered the truth, and
witnessed the agility with which they moved, and the ease with which,
aided by the poles which each carried in his hand, they would stoop to
the ground, pick up the article, and stand upright again. But if we
admired the skill of one or two individuals, our admiration rose to a
still higher pitch when we saw crowds of them together, all equally
skilful; till they informed us that the thing was not an amusement, but
universally practised for the purpose I have stated.
Besides this, I know of nothing in the customs of this isolated people
at all worthy of notice, unless, indeed, it be their method of
supplying themselves with lights. Being completely cut off from the
rest of the world, it is not in their power, except when once or twice
a-year they travel to the nearest towns with their wool, to purchase
candles; and as they have no notion how these can be made, they
substitute in their room a lamp, fed with the turpentine extracted from
the fir-trees. The whole process is simple and primitive: to obtain the
turpentine they out a hole in the tree, and fasten a dish in it to
catch the sap as it oozes through; and as soon as the dish is filled,
they put a wick of cotton into the midst of the liquor, and burn it as
we do a lamp. The light is not indeed of the most brilliant nature, but
it is at least better than none; and as they have fir-trees in
abundance within their reach, there is no danger of their oil being
quickly exhausted.
MARCH TO BORDEAUX
In this manner was an entire week expended, each succeeding day
introducing us to a repetition of the same adventures, and a renewal of
the same scenery, which had amused us during the day before; nor was it
till the morning of the twenty-third that we at last began to emerge
from the forests, and to find ourselves once again in a more open
country. At first, however, it cannot be said that, with respect to
beauty, the change was greatly for the better. Upon the borders of the
deserts there is a little village called Le Barp, where we spent the
night of the twenty-second; from whence, till you arrive at a place
called Belle-Vue, the country is exactly in that state which land
assumes when nature has begun to lose ground, and art to gain it—when
the wild simplicity of the one is destroyed, and the rich luxuriance of
the other has not yet been superinduced. So far, therefore, we
proceeded, regretting, rather than rejoicing, that we had quitted the
woods; but no sooner had we attained that point, than there burst upon
us, all on a sudden, a prospect as gloriously fertile as ever delighted
the eyes of a weary traveller.
BORDEAUX
Instead of boundless forests of pine, the whole face of the country was
now covered with vineyards, interspersed, in the most exquisite and
tasteful manner, with corn-fields and meadows of the richest pasturage.
Nor was there any deficiency of timber; a well-wooded chateau, with its
lawn and plantations, here and there presenting itself, while quiet
hamlets and solitary cottages, scattered in great abundance over the
scene, gave to it an appearance of life and prosperity exceedingly
bewitching. Had there been but the addition of a fine river flowing
through the midst of it, and had the ground been somewhat more broken
into hill and dale, I should have pronounced it the most enchanting
prospect of the kind I had ever beheld; but, unfortunately, both these
were wanting. Though the effect of a first view, therefore, was
striking and delightful, and though to the last we could not help
acknowledging the richness of the land and its high state of
cultivation, its beauty soon began to pall. The fact is, that an
immense plain, however adorned by the labour of man, is not an object
upon which it is pleasing to gaze for any length of time; the eye
becomes wearied with the extent of its own stretch, and as there is no
boundary but the horizon, the imagination is left to picture a
continuance of the same plain, till it becomes as tired of fancying as
the eye is of looking. Besides, we were not long in discovering that
the vineyards were unworthy to be compared, in point of luxuriant
appearance, with those of Spain and the more southern regions of
France. In this neighbourhood the vine is not permitted to grow to a
greater height than three or four feet from the ground; whereas in
Spain, and on the borders, it climbs, like the hop-plant in England, to
the top of high poles, and hangs over from one row to another, in the
most graceful festoons. In spite of these objections, however, no one
could do otherwise than admit that the change we had experienced was
agreeable, and we continued to move on with greater alacrity, till it
was evident, from the increasing number of seats and villas, that we
were rapidly approaching the vicinity of Bordeaux.
Nor was it long before the towers and buildings of that magnificent
city began to be discernible in the distance. Prompted by I know not
what impulse, we almost involuntarily quickened our pace at the sight,
and in a short time reached the suburbs, which like those of most
French towns, are composed of low houses, inhabited by the poorest and
meanest of the people. Here we halted for a few minutes to refresh the
men, when having again resumed the line of march, we advanced under a
triumphal arch, originally erected in honour of Napoleon, but now
inscribed with the name of the Duke d’Angouleme, and ornamented with
garlands of flowers. Passing under this, we proceeded along one or two
handsome streets, till we reached the Military Hospital, a large and
commodious structure fitted up for the reception of several thousands
of sick, where it was arranged that we should spend the night.
The city of Bordeaux has been too often described, and is too well
known to my countrymen, in general, to render any particular account of
it at all necessary from me; and were the case otherwise, I confess
that my opportunities of examining it were not sufficient to authorize
my entering upon such an attempt. The whole extent of our sojourn was
only during the remainder of that day (and it was past noon before we
got in) and the ensuing night; a space of time which admitted of no
more than a hurried stroll through some of the principal streets, and a
hasty visit to such public buildings as are considered most worthy of
attention. The palace of the Duke d’Angouleme, the Military Hospital,
the Theatre, and the Cathedral, are all remarkably fine of their kind;
whilst the public gardens, the Exchange, and fashionable promenades,
are inferior only to those of Paris itself.
MACAU
I have said that our sojourn in Bordeaux was limited to the short space
of a few hours. We could have wished indeed to prolong it, but to wish
was needless, for at an early hour next morning we were again in
motion, and proceeded to an extensive common, near the village of
Macau, about three leagues from Bordeaux, where we found a considerable
force already assembled. Judging from the number of tents upon the
heath, I conceive that there could not be fewer than eight or ten
thousand men in that camp, the whole of whom, we naturally concluded,
were destined for the same service with ourselves. The sight was at
once pleasing and encouraging, because there could be no doubt that
such a force, ably commanded, would carry everything before it.
In this situation we continued, without the occurrence of any incident
deserving of record, till the 27th, when an order arrived for the
officers to dispose of their horses without delay. This was necessarily
done at an enormous loss; and on the morning of the 28th, we set
forward towards the point of embarkation. But, alas! in the numbers
allotted for the trans-Atlantic war, we found ourselves grievously
disappointed, since, instead of the whole division, only two regiments,
neither of them surpassingly numerous, were directed to move; it was
not our business, however, to question the wisdom of any measure
adopted by our superiors; and we accordingly marched on in as high
spirits as if we had been followed by the entire Peninsular army.
The remainder of our journey occupied two days, nor do I often remember
to have spent a similar space of time with greater satisfaction; our
route lay through some of the most fertile districts in France, passing
Chateau Margaux, famous for its wine, with other places not inferior to
it either in richness of soil or in beauty of prospect. The weather was
delightful, and the grapes, though not yet ripe, were hanging in heavy
bunches from the vines, giving promise of much wealth to come; the hay
season had commenced, and numerous groups of happy-looking peasants
were busy in every field; in short, it was a march upon which I shall
never look back without pleasure.
LA MOE.—AT SEA
The close of the first day’s progress brought us to a village called La
Moe, beautifully situated within view of the majestic waters of the
Garonne. Here, for the first time since we quitted Bayonne, were we
quartered upon the inhabitants—a measure which the loss of our tents
rendered necessary. They received us with so much frankness, and
treated us with so much civility, I had almost said kindness, that it
was not without a feeling of something like regret that we parted from
them. The second day carried us to Pauliac, an inconsiderable town upon
the banks of the same river, where we found boats ready to convey us to
the shipping, which lay at anchor to receive us.
To embark the troops in these boats, and to huddle them on board two
dirty little transports, occupied some time, and the provoking part of
the business was, that all this trouble was to be gone through again.
The men-of-war in which we were to cross the Atlantic, could not come
up so high for want of water; and on this account it was that
transports were sent as passage-boats to carry us to them. But the wind
was foul, and blew so strong that the masters would not venture to
hoist a sail; so we were obliged to endure the misery of a crowd in a
small vessel for two nights and a day; nor was it till past noon on the
31st, that the regiment to which I was attached found itself finally
settled in His Majesty’s ship ———— of 64 guns.