CINTRA. '49 



then slices of coarse black l)read, dipped in red wine, were 

 given to each animal in due order. So far the bait was 

 intelb'gible enough ; but now our coachman proceeded to 

 pour a Clip of red wine over the backs and loins of the 

 horses, which, he assured us, gave them great refreshment 

 and courage ; and when we still appeared sceptical on the 

 point, he reiterated his assertions with redoubled violence 

 and at the top of his voice, in all of which he was well 

 seconded by an old lady who did duty as the ostler. It 

 is a journey of about five leagues, or sixteen miles, from 

 Lisbon to Cintra : the first leaorue through the interminable 

 suburbs of the capital ; then we reach the large hamlet of 

 Bemfica, which, however, is now connected with Lisbon by 

 an unbroken succession of houses ; and now, for another 

 league, villas with their gardens and quintas, and high 

 stone walls shutting in the retreats of the more wealthy 

 Lisbonites, line the road on either hand ; for the third and 

 fourth league the road traverses the open corn fields, brown, 

 scorched, and treeless, ugly and uninviting enough; though, 

 as our first introduction to rural scenes in Portugal, we 

 found ample objects of interest, and an occasional glimpse 

 of the aqueduct spanning a valley or creeping along a 

 hill-side diversified the general monotony of the scene. 

 And then, as we drew near to Cintra, the rocky mountains 

 and forest-clad hills seemed to bar all approach, and it was 

 pleasant to exchange the dazzling sunshine and the glaring 

 road for welcome shade, as we drove under huge oak and 

 plane and cork trees which met overhead. And now, as 

 we crawled up the steepest inclines, and descended terrific 

 hills at a furious pace, with villas and palaces and their 

 respective gardens on either hand, we were fairly in the 

 long straggling town of Cintra ; but we traversed it from 

 end to end, till after a more than ordinarily steep de- 

 clivity, galloped down at a greater speed than before, 

 our merry driver pulled up his horses with a jerk, and we 



