150 THE FAT BRIGAND. 



character from the horrors he had witnessed, that the stream of 

 humanity war dried up within him. The priest was a most useful 

 partizan to the brigand : he kept up the devotion of his followers, 

 excited their enthusiasm, consoled the dying, buried the dead, and 

 taught them all that killing the French was the shortest and surest 

 road to heaven. 



I remember a curious interview I once had with this guerilla chief, 

 which bears more resemblance to what we read of in romance than 

 to the ordinary incidents of every life. He had somehow or other 

 got intelligence that a French convoy was to pass the lower road, and 

 as he wanted arms and ammunition he sent off a peasant to us with 

 a piece of paper, on which was written " the bearer," merely 

 saying he came from the Brigand Gross. We were then cruising off 

 Barcelona, and our captain, who had a private understanding with 

 the brigand, immediately made sail for that place. 



Arens de Mar is a pretty little village situated on the sea-shore be- 

 tween Matavo and Palamos, and as we had a leading wind we 

 anchored off it before dark, when I was at once sent ashore with a 

 supply of muskets and cartridges for the brigand. As we pulled 

 in I saw a light to the eastward of the town in a small creek, and 

 we made all speed to run the boat high and dry close to it. We 

 landed our chests of arms and ammunition, and I paced up and down 

 the beach while the boat's crew were employed in getting the boat 

 off. I was soon joined by the brigand a short thick- set man, ex- 

 tremely corpulent, with a good-humoured countenance and sharp 

 piercing eyes ; he was dressed in the common habit of the Catalan 

 peasants, with two pistols and a dagger stuck in his belt, and a short 

 musket concealed under the blanket that hung over one shoulder. 

 While I was wondering how the arms and ammunition were to be 

 removed, as I saw nobody but ourselves and the boat's-crew paddling 

 in the water, my pinguitudinous companion put his two thumbs into 

 his mouth, and by a shrill whistle brought a crowd of his followers 

 round us in a moment. The effect was as instantaneous as Rhoderick 

 D'hu's signal to his men, for the guerillas started up like them from 

 the holes and corners where they had been concealed among the rocks. 

 Each man helped himself to a musket and some ammunition, and then 

 formed a sort of group around their chieftain, who, on my presenting 

 him with a receipt for his signature, took an inkhorn from his girdle 

 and scrawled a large cross upon the paper " I cannot write, senhor," 

 said he, " but I dare say my mark will do as well tell your grande 

 capitano that if he will be a little to the westward of Palamos to- 

 morrow evening, and land a few men in the rear of the French 

 convoy, I will drive them down to him, and he may pick up as much 

 cheese and sugar as will last his squadron for a twelvemonth." So 

 saying he took his leave, and made for the mountains with his nume- 

 merous retinue, and I returned on board with my empty chests. 



The next evening we punctually followed his directions, and 

 moored head and stern as near as we could to the shore, bringing our 

 broadside to bear on a point we knew the French must pass, and 

 where they would have nothing to shelter them from our fire. A line- 

 of-battle ship's broadside, loaded with grape and canister, is a most 



