272 Spanish Highways and Byways. [|Sept. 



had been left a mother,) died before she quitted England ; nnd the last 

 spot she visited, on leaving London, was its grave, in St. Martin's 

 church-yard. She prepared me some chocolate, and gave me fruit, of 

 •which I partook ; before we parted I made her a present of some tea, 

 with which she seemed highly delighted. 



Leaving the village of San Pedro, I pursued a by-road to Almorin, as 

 I wished to pay a visit to my friend Don Ignacio de Vargas, but with all 

 my exertion I was not able to reach it that night ; I was therefore 

 obliged to put up at a miserable and solitary vinta of the very worst 

 description ; and had the mortification of finding, the next morning, on 

 reaching my destination, that my friend was gone from home to IMadrid, 

 and his return was quite uncertain. There was no remedy but patience, 

 therefore I set about regaining my route, which I accomplished by 

 scrambling over a most inti'icate cross-country, and reached Truxillo 

 about eleven o'clock at night. I did not, however, much improve my 

 condition of the preceding night, for on my arrival I found every place 

 of shelter closed, and I had determined on a bivouac, when I discovered 

 a light in the cottage of a peasant, who very hospitably gave us what ac- 

 commodation he was able. 



Truxillo is an ancient town of some consequence, and is cele- 

 brated as being the birth-place of Pizarro. It is very pleasantly 

 situated on a hill, commanded by a castle, now in a state of decay, and 

 surrounded by walls flanked by high towers and bastions — like all old 

 towns, the streets are inconveniently narrow, though the plaza is suffici- 

 ently spacious. I happened to arrive on the king's birth day, and some 

 appearance of festivity was displayed ; the town was illuminated, and a 

 body of cuirassiers, with a troop of the Guadalaxara cavalrj', were drawn 

 up in the plaza. They had just returned from a skirmish with the insur- 

 gents, which, it must be understood, was the term applied to the parti- 

 zans of the king, when the Cortes possessed the government of Spain. 

 The insurgents, it appeared, had attempted to carry off the lapida — a 

 stone, affixed in the plaza, of similar import to the tree of liberty — but 

 were defeated by the gallant gentlemen I had then the honour of in- 

 specting, and had retreated into the forests, of which they held posses- 

 sion. I waited on the JMcirquis of Conquesta, who was unfortunately 

 from home, attending his sheep-shearing. The wool from their immense 

 flocks, as I have before observed, produces large revenues to the grandees 

 of Spain. The porch and hall of this nobleman's mansion are decorated 

 with the spoils of the chase —I counted seventeen wild-boars of enormous 

 size, stuff'ed ; the heads of stags and other animals were scattered about 

 in profusion. Leaving Truxillo, I reached Jaracejo about mid-day, when, 

 having refreshed our' elves under an open shed, with some muleteers, 

 I pi'oposed proceeding to Alraaraz, and inquired of my companions the 

 way. The arcros replied that it was impossible to proceed thither at 

 that time, for the insurgents infested the road, and to be secure it was 

 necessary to go in a strong body, and early in the morning : they added, 

 that if I persisted in going, we should assuredly be robbed of our horses 

 and property. The landlord likewise informed me that two mules had 

 been stolen from him the night before ; which piece of information, 

 though intended as a detainer, at once determined me to proceed ; for, if 

 we were not safe under the sorry shelter of his roof, it was worth a Jittle 

 additional risk for the chance of better accommodation — " Va usted con 

 Dios I'' cried the whole party shrugging their shoulders, as we returned 



