Brigands and their Ways 307 
veredas pass through this waste of rocks. It was here that a 
famous brigand, popularly known to his admirers as ‘Monte Cristo,” 
or as “Cristo,” was eventually brought to book. I am aware that 
a book on Spain without some account of brigands is popularly 
considered incomplete as one which deals with the Peninsula 
without a description of a bull-fight. Despite many years of wan- 
dering in remote spots, I have no adventures with brigands to retail 
and I make the confession with equanimity, for it is at best a very 
one-sided game to play at. Of course during my time there have 
been instances of brigandage and the old system of capture for 
ransom by the gentry known to the inhabitants as secuestradores 
has been put into practice from time to time. When I first went 
to Spain, the famous incident of the capture and ransom of the 
brothers Bonel had only just been concluded. This occurred 
literally under the guns of Gibraltar. I met both brothers con- 
stantly and it was always a standing joke that after their unpleasant 
experience they ceased to take any interest in riding out into 
Spain and were content to take their daily horse exercise within 
the British Lines. 
Probably the reason why I have escaped any trouble is first, 
because those engaged in the interesting task of capturing people 
and holding them for ransom have an extremely shrewd idea as to 
the monetary value of their quarry and, secondly, they are quite 
sharp enough to realize that as a general rule it is best to leave 
Englishmen alone, owing to the probability of energetic action being 
taken to put a stop to their trade. 
That admirable body, known as the Guardia Civil, make it 
their business to look after the safety of any travellers, especially 
travelling Englishmen; and since their motto is eminently “ pre- 
vention is better than cure,” they take steps to prevent people going 
into any district which they know to be infested by dangerous 
characters. Thus, some fifteen years ago, | was anxious to explore 
