to the females, who plough the flinty fields and gather in the scanty
harvests. Their husbands and sons are far differently employed, for they
are a nation of _arrieros_ or carriers, and almost esteem it a disgrace
to follow any other profession. On every road of Spain, particularly
those north of the mountains which divide the two Castiles, may be seen
gangs of fives and sixes of these people lolling or sleeping beneath the
broiling sun on their gigantic and heavily laden mutes and mules, the
boast of Spain, but dearly purchased by the debasement and degeneration
of a once noble breed of horses. In a word, almost the entire commerce
of nearly one half of Spain passes through the hands of the Maragatos,
whose fidelity to their trust is such that no one accustomed to employ
them would hesitate to entrust them with the transport of a ton of
treasure from the sea of Biscay to Madrid, knowing well that it would not
be their fault were it not delivered safe and undiminished even of a
grain, and that bold must be the thieves who would seek to wrest it from
the far-feared Maragatos, who would cling to it whilst they could stand,
and would cover it with their bodies when they fell in the act of loading
or discharging their long carbines.
But they are far from being disinterested, and if they are the most
trustworthy of all the _arrieros_ of Spain, they in general demand for
the transport of articles a sum at least double of what others of the
trade would esteem a reasonable recompense. By this means they
accumulate large sums of money, notwithstanding that they indulge
themselves in a far superior fare to that which contents in general the
parsimonious Spaniard--another argument in favour of their pure Gothic
descent; for the Maragatos, like true men of the north, delight in
swilling liquors and battening upon gross and luscious meats, which help
to swell out their tall and goodly figures. Many of them have died
possessed of considerable riches, part of which they have not
unfrequently bequeathed to the erection or embellishment of religious
houses. On the east end of the cathedral of Astorga, which towers over
the lofty and precipitous wall, a colossal figure of lead may be seen on
the roof. It is the statue of a Maragato carrier, who endowed the
cathedral with a large sum. He is in his national dress, but his head is
averted from the land of his fathers, and whilst he waves in his hand a
species of flag, he seems to be summoning his race from their unfruitful
region to other climes where a richer field is open to their industry and
enterprise.
I spoke to several of these men respecting the all-important subject of
religion; but 'I found their hearts blunted, and with their ears they
heard heavily, and their eyes were closed.' There was one in particular
to whom I showed the New Testament and addressed for a considerable time.
He listened, or seemed to listen, patiently, taking occasional copious
draughts from an immense jug of whitish wine which stood between his
knees. After I had concluded, he said: 'To-morrow I set out for Lugo,
whither I am told yourself are going. If you wish to send your chest, I
have no objection to take it at so much (naming an extravagant price).
As for what you have told me, I understand little of it and believe not a
word of it; but in respect to the books which you have shown me, I will
take three or four. I shall not read them, it is true, but I have no
doubt that I can sell them at a higher price than you demand.'
So much for the Maragatos.
It was four o'clock of a beautiful morning that we sallied from Astorga,
or rather from the suburbs in which we had been lodged; we directed our
course to the north in the direction of Galicia. Leaving the mountain
Telleno on our left, we passed along the eastern skirts of the land of
the Maragatos over broken uneven ground, enlivened here and there by
small green valleys and runs of water. Several of the Maragato women
mounted on donkeys passed us on their way to Astorga whither they were
carrying vegetables; we saw others in the fields handling their rude
ploughs drawn by lean oxen; we likewise passed through a small village in
which we however saw no living soul. Near this village we entered the
high road which leads direct from Madrid to Corunna, and at last having
travelled near four leagues we came to a species of pass formed on our
left by a huge lumpish hill (one of those which descend from the great
mountain Telleno), and on our right by one of considerably less altitude.
In the middle of this pass which was of considerable breadth, a noble
view opened itself to us. Before us, at the distance of about a league
and a half, rose the mighty frontier chain of which I have spoken before;
its blue sides and broken and picturesque peaks still wearing a thin veil
of the morning mist, which the fierce rays of the sun were fast
dispelling. It seemed an enormous barrier threatening to oppose our
further progress, and it reminded me of the fables respecting the
children of Magog, who are said to reside in remotest Tartary behind a
gigantic wall of rocks which can only be passed by a gate of steel a
thousand cubits in height.
We shortly after arrived at Manzanal, a village consisting of wretched
huts, and exhibiting every sign of poverty and misery. It was now time
to refresh ourselves and horses, and we accordingly put up at a kind of
_venta_, the last habitation in the village, where, though we found
barley for the animals, we had much difficulty in procuring anything for
ourselves. I was at last fortunate enough to obtain a large jug of milk,
for there were plenty of cows in the neighbourhood feeding in a
picturesque valley which we had passed by, in which there was abundance
of grass and trees and a run of water broken by tiny cascades. The jug
might contain about half a gallon, but I emptied it in a few minutes, for
the thirst of fever was still burning within me though I was destitute of
appetite. The _venta_ had something the appearance of a German baiting
house. It consisted of an immense stable, from which was partitioned a
kind of kitchen and a place where the family slept. The master, a robust
young man, lolled on a large solid stone bench which stood within the
door. He was very inquisitive respecting news, but I could afford him
none; whereupon he became communicative, and gave me the history of his
life, the sum of which was that he had been a courier in the Basque
provinces, but about a year since had been despatched to this village
where he kept the post-house. He was an enthusiastic liberal, and spoke
in bitter terms of the surrounding population, who, he said, were all
Carlists and friends of the friars. I paid little attention to his
discourse, for I was looking at a Maragato lad of about fourteen who
served in the house as a kind of ostler. I asked the master if we were
still in the land of the Maragatos, but he told me that we had left it
behind nearly a league, and that the lad was an orphan, and was serving
until he could rake up a sufficient capital to become an _arriero_. I
addressed several questions to the boy, but the urchin looked sullenly in
my face, and either answered by monosyllables or was doggedly silent. I
asked him if he could read: 'Yes,' said he, 'as much as that black brute
of yours who is tearing down the manger.'
Quitting Manzanal, we continued our course, the ground gradually
descending; we soon arrived at a place where the road took a turn to the
west, though previously it had tended due north. We now found that we
had to descend the steep sides of a deep and narrow valley which wound
amongst mountains, not those of the chain which we had seen before us and
which we had left at our right, but those of the Telleno range, just
before they unite with that chain. Arrived at the brink of the valley we
turned into a foot-path, to avoid making a considerable circuit, for we
saw the road on the other side of the valley opposite to us about a
furlong [distant], and the path appeared to lead direct towards it. 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 slid, frequently on his haunches. 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
been a terrified observer of 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 foot-path,
which tempted Christian from the straight road to heaven, and finally
conducted him to the dominions of the Giant Despair.
_No hay atajo_
_Sin trabajo_.
'There is no short cut
Without some deep rut.'
says the Spanish proverb.
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 run 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, [grew] more
considerable; 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. There was something silvan and savage in
the mountains on the further side, clad from foot to pinnacle with trees,
so closely growing that the eye was unable to obtain a glimpse of the
hill-sides which were uneven with ravines and gulleys, the haunts of the
wolf, the wild boar and the _corso_ or mountain-stag; the last of which,
as I was informed by a peasant who was driving a car of oxen, frequently
descended to feed in the prairie and were shot for the sake of their
skins, for the flesh being strong and disagreeable is held at no account.
But notwithstanding the wildness of these regions, the handiworks of man
were visible. The sides of the gorge though precipitous were yellow with
little fields of barley, and we saw a hamlet and church down in the
prairie below, whilst merry songs ascended to our ears from where the
mowers were toiling with their scythes, cutting the luxuriant and
abundant grass. I could scarcely believe that I was in Spain, in general
so brown, so arid and cheerless, and I almost fancied myself in Greece,
in that land of ancient glory, whose mountain and forest scenery
Theocritus has so well described.
At the bottom of the valley we entered a small village washed by the
brook, which had now swelled almost to a stream. A more romantic
situation I had never witnessed. It was surrounded and almost overhung
by huge mountains, and embowered in trees of various kinds; waters
sounded, nightingales sang, and the cuckoo's full note boomed from the
distant branches, but the village was miserable. The huts were built of
slate-stones, of which the neighbouring hills seemed to be principally
composed, and roofed with the same, but not in the neat tidy manner of
English houses, for the slates were of all sizes, and seemed to be flung
on in confusion. We were spent with heat and thirst, and sitting down on
a stone bench I entreated a woman to give us a little water. The woman
said she would, but added that she expected to be paid for it. My Greek
on hearing this burst into horrid execrations, and speaking Greek,
Turkish and Spanish invoked the vengeance of the _Panhagia_ on the
heartless woman, saying 'If I were to offer a Mahometan gold for a
draught of water, he would dash it in my face; and you are a Catholic
with the stream running at your door.' I told him to be silent, and
giving the woman two _cuartos_ repeated my request; whereupon she took a
pitcher, and, going to the stream, filled it with water. It tasted muddy
and disagreeable, but it drowned the fever which was devouring me.
We again mounted and proceeded on our way, which for a considerable
distance lay along the margin of the stream, which now fell in small
cataracts, now brawled over stones, and at other times ran dark and
silent through deep pools overhung with tall willows--pools which seemed
to abound with the finny tribe, for huge trout frequently sprang from the
water catching the brilliant fly which skimmed along its deceitful
surface. How delightful! The sun was rolling high in the firmament,
casting from its girdle of fire the most glorious rays, so that the
atmosphere was flickering with their splendour; but their fierceness was
either warded off by the shadow of the trees or rendered innocuous either
by the refreshing coolness which rose from the waters or by the gentle
breezes which murmured at intervals over the meadows 'fanning the cheek
or raising the hair' of the wanderer. The hills gradually receded, till
at last we entered a plain where tall grass was undulating, and mighty
chestnut-trees in full blossom spread their giant and umbrageous boughs.
Beneath many stood cars, the tired oxen prostrate on the ground, the
cross-bar of the pole which they support pressing heavily on their heads,
whilst their drivers were either employed in cooking or were enjoying a
delicious _siesta_ in the grass and shade. I went up to one of the
largest of these groups and demanded of the individuals whether they were
in need of the Testament of Jesus Christ. They stared at one another and
then at me, till at last a young man who was dandling a long gun in his
hands as he reclined demanded of me what it was, at the same time
enquiring whether I was a Catalan, 'for you speak hoarse,' said he, 'and
are tall and fair like that family.' I sat down amongst them and said I
was no Catalan, but I came from a spot in the western sea many leagues
distant to sell that book at half the price it cost, and that their
souls' welfare depended upon their being acquainted with it. I then
explained to them the nature of the New Testament and read to them the
Parable of the Sower. They stared at each other again, but said that
they were poor and could not buy books. I rose, mounted, and was going
away, saying to them: 'Peace bide with you.' Whereupon the young man
with the gun rose, and saying; '_Caspita_! this is odd,' snatched the
book from my hand, and gave me the price I had demanded.
Perhaps the whole world might be searched in vain for a spot whose
natural charms could rival those of this plain or valley of Bembibre,
with its wall of mighty mountains, its spreading chestnut-trees, and its
groves of oaks and willows which clothe the banks of its stream, a
tributary to the Minho. True it is that when I passed through it the
candle of heaven was blazing in full splendour, and everything lighted by
its rays looked gay, glad and blessed. Whether it would have filled me
with the same feelings of admiration if viewed beneath another sky I will
not pretend to determine, but it certainly possessed advantages which at
no time could fail to delight; for it exhibited all the peaceful beauties
of an English landscape blended with something wild and grand, and I
thought within myself that he must be a restless dissatisfied man who
born amongst those scenes would wish to quit them. At the time I would
have desired no better fate than that of a shepherd on the prairies or a
hunter on the hills of Bembibre.
Three hours passed away, and we were in another situation. We had halted
and refreshed ourselves and horses at Bembibre, a village of mud and
slate, and which possessed little to attract attention. We were now
ascending, for the road was over one of the extreme ledges of those
frontier hills which I have before so often mentioned; but the aspect of
heaven had blackened, clouds were rolling rapidly from the west over the
mountains, and a cold wind was moaning dismally. 'There is a storm
travelling through the air,' said a peasant, whom we overtook mounted on
a wretched mule, 'and the Asturians had better be on the look-out, for it
is speeding in their direction.' He had scarce spoken when a light so
vivid and dazzling that it seemed the whole lustre of the fiery element
was concentrated therein broke around us, filling the whole atmosphere,
and covering rock, tree and mountain with a glare indescribable. The
mule of the peasant tumbled prostrate, while the horse I rode reared
himself perpendicularly, and turning round dashed down the hill at
headlong speed which for some time it was impossible to check. The
lightning was followed by a peal almost as terrible, but distant, for it
sounded hollow and deep; the hills, however, caught up its voice,
seemingly pitching it along their summits, till it was lost in
interminable space. Other flashes and peals succeeded, but slight in
comparison, and a few drops of rain; the body of the tempest seemed to be
over another region. 'A hundred families are weeping where that bolt
fell,' said the peasant, when I rejoined him, 'for its blaze has blinded
my mule at six leagues' distance.' He was leading the animal by the
bridle, as its sight was evidently affected. 'Were the friars still in
their nest above there,' he continued, 'I should say that this was their
doing, for they are the cause of all the miseries of the land.'
I raised my eyes in the direction in which he pointed. Half-way up the
mountain over whose foot we were wending jutted forth a black, frightful
crag, which at an immense altitude overhung the road and seemed to
threaten destruction. It resembled one of those ledges of the rocky
mountains in the picture of the deluge, up to which the terrified
fugitives have scrambled from the eager pursuit of the savage and
tremendous billow, down on which they are gazing in horror, whilst above
them rise still higher and giddier heights to which they seem unable to
climb. Built on the very rim of this crag stood an edifice, seemingly
devoted to the purposes of religion, as I could discern the spire of a
church rearing itself high over wall and roof. 'That is the house of
"The Virgin of the Rocks,"' said the peasant, 'and it was lately full of
friars, but they have been driven out, and the only inmates now are owls
and ravens.' I replied that their life in such a bleak exposed abode
could not have been very enviable, as in winter they must have incurred
great risk of perishing with cold. 'By no means,' said he; 'they had the
best of wood for their _braseros_ and chimneys, and the best of wine to
warm them at their meals, which were not the most sparing; moreover they
had another convent down in the vale yonder, to which they could retire
at their pleasure.' I asked him the reason of his antipathy to the
friars, to which he replied that he had been their vassal, and that they
had deprived him every year of the flower of what he possessed.
Discoursing in this manner we reached a village just below the convent,
where he left me, having first pointed out to me a house of stone with an
image over the door, which he said once also belonged to the _canalla_
(rabble) above.
The sun was setting fast, and, eager to reach Villafranca, where I had
determined on resting and which was still distant three leagues and a
half, I made no halt at this place. The road was now down a rapid and
crooked descent which terminated in a valley, at the bottom of which was
a long and narrow bridge. Beneath it rolled a river descending from a
wide pass between two mountains, for the chain was here cleft probably by
some convulsion of nature. I looked up the pass and on the hills on both
sides. Far above on my right, but standing out bold and clear, and
catching the last rays of the sun, was 'the Convent of the Precipices';
whilst directly over against it, on the further side of the valley, rose
the perpendicular side of the rival hill which, to a considerable extent
intercepting the light, flung its black shadow over the upper end of the
pass, involving it in mysterious darkness. Emerging from the centre of
this gloom with thundering sound dashed a river, white with foam and
bearing along with it huge stones and branches of trees, for it was the
wild Sil, probably at that [time] swollen by the recent rains, which I
now saw hurrying to the ocean from its cradle in the heart of the
Asturian hills. Its fury, its roar, and the savage grandeur of the
surrounding scenery which was worthy of the pencil of Salvator recalled
to my mind the powerful lines of Stolberg addressed to a mountain
torrent--
'The pine-trees are shaken, they yield to thy shocks,
And, crashing, they tumble in wild disarray;
The rocks fly before thee--thou seizest the rocks
And whirlst them, like pebbles, contemptuous away.'
Hours again passed away. It was now night, and we were in the midst of
woodlands, feeling our way, for the darkness was so great that I could
scarcely see the length of a yard before my horse's head. The animal
seemed uneasy, and would frequently stop short, prick up his ears, and
utter a low mournful whine. Flashes of sheet-lightning frequently
illumed the black sky and flung a momentary glare over our path. No
sound interrupted the stillness of the night save the slow tramp of the
horses' hoofs, and occasionally the croaking of frogs from some pool or
morass. I now bethought me that I was in Spain, the chosen land of the
two fiends, assassination and plunder, and how easily two tired unarmed
wanderers might become their victims. We at last cleared the woodlands,
and after proceeding a short distance the horse gave a joyous neigh and
broke into a smart trot. A barking of dogs speedily reached my ears, and
we seemed to be approaching some town or village. In effect we were
close to Cacabelos, a town about five miles distant from Villafranca.
It was now near eleven at night, and I reflected that it would be far
more expedient to tarry in this place till the morning than to attempt at
present to reach Villafranca, exposing ourselves to all the horrors of
darkness in a lonely and unknown road. My mind was soon made up on this
point--but I determined without my hosts, for at the first _posada_ which
I attempted to enter I was told that we could not be accommodated, and
particularly our horses, as the stable was full of water. At the second
(there were but two), I was answered from the window by a gruff voice
nearly in the words of Scripture: 'Trouble me not, the gate is already
locked, and my servants are also with me in bed; I cannot arise to let
you in.' Indeed we had no particular desire to enter, as it appeared a
wretched hovel; though the poor horses pawed piteously against the door,
and seemed to crave admittance.
We had now no choice but to resume our doleful way to Villafranca, which
we were told was a short league distant, though it proved a league and a
half. We however found it no easy matter to quit the town, for we were
bewildered amongst its labyrinths and could not find the outlet. A lad
about eighteen was, however, persuaded by the promise of a _peseta_ to
guide us, whereupon he led us by many turnings to a bridge which he told
us to cross and to follow the road, which was that of Villafranca; he
then, having received his fee, hastened from us.