ALCOBAgA. 77 



from the direct line at a sliort distance from the capital, 

 and leaving the railway which now connects the two largest 

 cities in the kingdom, to make our way by road, and by a 

 somewhat circuitous route through Cereal and Caldas de 

 Rainha. 



Now, in all southern countries, the universal practice is 

 to travel by night ; and this custom, which is intelligible 

 enough in the hot weather, when a railway carriage be- 

 comes like an oven under the fierce rays of a midday sun, 

 is so engrained in the habits of the southerners, that all 

 the arrangements for the starting of public carriages, 

 whether by rail or road, are made upon this principle 

 for all seasons of the year ; so that, even if the railway 

 journey might be contrived by a morning train, the dili- 

 gence, or omnibus, or sociable, which begins its journey 

 from any station to some distant town, is certain to start 

 at night, and he who would take advantage of such con- 

 venient and inexpensive conveyance must perforce accom- 

 modate himself to the national custom, and plan his jour- ' 

 ney accordingly. At the same time, as such a practice is 

 altogether fatal to the purpose of the tourist, who desires 

 to see something of the country through which he jour- 

 neys, he will generally find himself debarred by this 

 unfortunate arrangement from taking advantage of the 

 public carriages, of which otherwise he would gladly 

 make use. 



However, as our proposed journey was a long one, and 

 would occupy some eighteen hours (for there was nothing 

 of special interest to detain us till we reached Alcobapa) ; 

 as, moreover, a full moon, shining in the clearest of skies, 

 promised to light up the landscape for our advantage, we 

 made arrangements to start by the latest train ; and, just 

 as the sun was setting on a beautiful evening in May, we 

 took leave of Lisbon, and, after something more than an 

 hour's journey, were landed on the platform of the deso- 



