170 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL. 



irence, which we have endured for two consecutive days 

 and nights : so that I have always felt that, once upon a 

 branch line connected with any main railway, we were 

 fairly under way for home as direct as we pleased : and 

 thus we were by no means disposed to sneer, either at the 

 appointments or at the pace of the train which we found 

 so serviceable to us, recollecting the well-known proverb 

 of Sancho Panza, ' Never find fault with the bridge which 

 carries you safely over the river.' 



I have already remarked in an earlier page of this 

 volume, that it is the custom in all southern countries to 

 travel by night, in order to avoid, as much as possible, the 

 terrific heat of the mid-day sun : and that, from long- 

 continued practice, this habit is carried out during the cool 

 months of winter, when its desirableness is not apparent, 

 and even influences the hours of starting of railway trains; 

 though such trains must necessarily extend their journey 

 beyond twenty-four hours. Accordingly, we left Oporto for 

 Madrid direct by the 4 o'clock train in the afternoon of a 

 Monday, and fortified ourselves for our journey of 600 miles 

 with a well replenished basket of provisions, not omitting a 

 bottle of very excellent port wine, which we certainly pro- 

 cured here in perfection. For the first two hours we had 

 the advantage of the company of the American Consul, 

 whose acquaintance we had made at Oporto, and who was 

 quite familiar with this part of the country, and very 

 kindly pointed out to us many objects of interest, and 

 especially the heights of Busaco, and the whole site of the 

 famous battle, with all the local details, in which it was 

 evident he was thoroughly at home. In due course, we 

 passed Coimbra; and at midnight reached Entroncamento, 

 or 'the junction,' where we left our train to go on to Lis- 

 bon, and exchanged into one which had just arrived from 

 that capital, and was on its way to Madrid. All went well 

 till we iieared the PortuGfuese frontier at Elvas in the 



