78 A SPRING TOUE IN PORTUGAL. 



late station of Carregado, where we fondly expected to find 

 a so-called diligence, but in reality a small sociable, start- 

 ing for Alcoba9a. Now, our knowledge of the Portuguese 

 tongue might be accurately described as infinitesimal, and 

 I must confess that we felt somewhat at a loss, and stared 

 at one another in rather blank dismay, when, on looking 

 around us in all directions, we could see no sign of a car- 

 riao-e of any kind. So here we were, benighted travellers 

 indeed, cast aw^ay by the train at a deserted station in 

 apparently an uninhabited district, with but very feeble 

 powers of making ourselves understood, and at nine 

 o'clock at night. Then, if ever, we felt ourselves to be 

 'lone, lorn wanderers,' as the ever famous Mrs. Gum- 

 midge would say, fairly stranded on a foreign shore, and 

 no means of advance or retreat discernible. However, 

 ' there is a remedy for everything under the sun but 

 death,' says Sancho Panza, and 'fortune always leaves 

 some door open in misfortune to admit a remedy,' and ' a 

 good heart breaks bad luck.' So we philosophically con- 

 soled ourselves with these pithy maxims of the Peninsula, 

 and began to search for any escape which might offer 

 itself from this dilemma. Accordingly, while F. remained 

 to guard the luggage and interrogate the station-master, I 

 started off down the moonlit road in search of some hos- 

 pedaria or estcdagem where we might procure either beds 

 or a carriage. Within less than an hour I was fortunate 

 enough to find a roadside inn, which, though uninviting 

 enough, and not for a moment to be thought of for night- 

 quarters, was able to furnish a dilapidated but roomy old 

 chariot, and a pair of sturdy black mules ; for which, 

 after an immense amount of bargaining, conducted more 

 by dumb show and unintelligible monosyllables than by 

 argument and reason, we concluded our arrangement : 

 and so behold us, at 10 o'clock at night, beginning our 

 fifty-mile drive to Alcobapa. The moon was so brilliant 



