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ANDALUSIAN SKETCHES 

 No. IV. THE BOCA DE LEONE. 



AT the termination of the " Cork Wood" (as the forest of Almo- 

 raima is usually called at Gibraltar) towards Ximena, and at a short 

 distance from the right of the broad road leading to that town, is a 

 small rocky glen, the entrance to which is by a narrow stony pass. 

 It is known by the name of the Boca de Leone (Lion's Mouth.) A 

 mountain-stream winds its course through the bottom, and on its left 

 bank stands a cottage, inhabited by an old man and his family. 

 They support themselves by cultivating, as garden-ground, a small 

 portion of land in the glen, vending the produce, and the fruit from 

 some remarkably fine orange trees, in the neighbouring towns of 

 Ximena and San Roque. The spot is so secluded, that although in 

 the habit of sporting in the very vicinity, it was a considerable length 

 of time ere I discovered it. Having once by chance done so, I seldom 

 afterwards found myself in that direction without paying a visit to 

 old Francisco at The Boca. He was a splendid specimen of an old 

 Spanish peasant ; Wilkie should have visited him and given us his 

 portrait. The cheerful hospitality with which he welcomed me, 

 produced in time a more intimate acquaintance, and this was soon 

 shared by a few of my brother officers who were sportsmen. The 

 situation being most excellent as a position from whence a day's 

 shooting could be advantageously commenced, it occurred to us to 

 add, at our own expense, some accommodation to the cottage, which 

 only contained two apartments the outer, a kitchen the inner, a 

 sleeping place for the family, consisting of the old man, his wife, and 

 their daughter Juana. The consent of Francisco was soon obtained, 

 and we immediately set about carrying our plan into effect. In this 

 we were munificently aided by the lieutenant-governor of our gar- 

 rison, the late General Sir George Don. The general was himself 

 a keen sportsman, and continued able to enjoy the diversion of shoot- 

 ing almost to the very last hour of his long life. A room capable of 

 accommodating four or five of us was soon added to the cottage; a 

 chimney built a very necessary comfort in Spain, where the smoke 

 is generally allowed to escape as it can ; a canteen and other requisite 

 furniture provided ; and a stock of tea, wine, and spirits laid in. 

 Here, then, we were frequently in the habit of passing many days 

 together, enjoying in the highest degree the very capital sport, of 

 which we were thus within immediate reach. 



On one of these occasions, in the early part of the year 1830, four 



of us, B , S , E (who was lately carried off by cholera in 



Dublin), and myself, formed the party. After a highly satisfactory 

 day's sport, and the termination of our meal, Id Francisco with his 

 wife and daughter joined, as they often did, our tertulia (evening as- 

 sembly) ; and a right merry one it never failed to be. Juana (the 

 daughter), a bright black-eyed, olive-complexioned Andalusian 

 beauty, had all the gratia the natural quickness, of the generality of 



M.M.No. 104. Z 



