276 Spanish Highways and Byways. [MARCH., 



A cavana, or flock of Merinos, on route, has a singular appearance to 

 a stranger. The last I saw was in May, 182(j, as I was returning to 

 England, when I overtook several large flocks near Siguenza, return- 

 ing from their winter quarters near Cordova, to be shorn in Soria. 

 They generally travel four leagues, or sixteen miles a day. It is curious 

 to see the admirable regularity which is preserved amongst these 

 immense flocks during their peregrination, and the attention they pay 

 to the call of the shepherds and their dogs. I questioned one of the 

 shepherds respecting his flock, and expressed a wish to examine their 

 wool. He blew a shrill peal from a whistle, which he carried for the 

 purpose, when instantly, as with one consent, the cavana halted. Eight 

 or ten of the rams then scampered from the head of the flock, and run- 

 ning to the shepherd, raised up themselves against him, and placing 

 their fore feet on his breast, seemed ready to devour him. He gave to 

 each a small piece of salt, with which they seemed highly gratified ; and 

 they suffered me to pluck some of their wool, which was of a superior 

 quality. The shepherds being constantly exposed to the sun and air, ne- 

 cessarily become swarthy, and their limited use of a razor, added to their 

 uncommon attire, give them a singularly strange and wild appearance. 

 Their garments are made of the skins of black sheep ; the wool is left 

 about half an inch long, and form a costume more comfortable than 

 seemly. They wear afacha or sash tied round the waist, and in the 

 folds is seen a knife, the use of which, is pretty generally understood 

 by the lower order of Spaniards. The legs and feet of these men are 

 encased in dried sheep-skins, laced with a thong, and a huge sombrero, 

 'or slouched hat, as a covering to the head, completes their costume. 

 They lodge at night under a rude sort of tent, covered with turf and 

 skins, round which the flock is gathered, the clogs forming an out-post 

 to protect them from the wolves. I inquired of the mayoral whether 

 he had lost many of his flock by the wolves ; he told me they had suf- 

 fered considerably among the mountains of Guadalaxara, the wolves 

 being much more ferocious than those in Estremadura ; and my ser- 

 vant, who had been a soldier, said he saw three prowling about not a 

 month since when he was on guard amongst those very mountains. 



The dogs which attend these flocks are of a large size, not unlike the 

 Newfoundland dog, though standing higher on their legs. They are 

 branded in the face with a particular mark, and are protected in their 

 frequent desperate encounters with the wolves by thick leathern col- 

 lars, covered with sharp iron spikes, which presents a formidable bar- 

 rier to their ferocious assailants; it is not always, however, that these 

 faithful and courageous animals are a sufficient protection to the flock 

 from the hordes of these ravenous animals which always hang on their 

 track. The dogs have a daily allowance of bread, and that, with the 

 flesh of the dead sheep and goats, keeps them always in good condi- 

 tion. The shepherd told me, that one night, a wolf had eluded the 

 vigilance of the guardians, and succeeded in capturing a lamb ; the 

 theft, however, was immediately discovered, and the offender was pur- 

 sued arid overtaken by a single dog. The first intimation the shepherd 

 had of the transaction was by the faithful animal returning to his tent 

 with the lamb in his mouth ; the blood on the dog shewed he had not 

 recovered his loss without a severe conflict, which was confirmed the 

 next morning, by finding the wolf mangled and dead near the spot. I 

 was so much pleased with this anecdote of the dog, which was pointed 

 out to me, that I offered the shepherd a considerable sum for him ; the 



