'504 Spanish Highways and Bywaijs. [Nov. 



cakes, and wine. I asked her particularly concerning the duties of her 

 conventual life, with a view to elicit the real state of her feehngs. — In 

 reply, she declared herself devotedly attached to her order ; but when I 

 arose to take my leave it was not without a feeling of pain that I beheld 

 her eyes glisten with tears, and heard her say in the low soft accent of 

 emotion — " If ever you should return hither again, bring with you some 

 memorial of the dear place of my youth ; if it is but a little pebble from 

 the heath, you don't know how dear it will be to me !" The effect of 

 these few words was heightened by the manner in which they were 

 spoken. I bitterly lamented the cruel policy that had deprived the 

 world of so beautiful and amiable a being. 



I was accompanied by my soti in this trip to the royal manufactory, 

 and having our guns, we determined to mnke our way back from Gua- 

 dalaxara to iMadrid on foot, and take what chance of sport the road 

 might afford us. The distance is foi'ty miles ; but as the weather was 

 fine, we allowed ourselves two days for our journey. Our first day's 

 sport was but indifferent. We slept that night at Alcala, which is half 

 way, and in the morning resumed our sport by the road-side. We met 

 with some good partridge-shooting, and in a vineyard close to the river 

 Henares, my son despatched a brace of foxes. We now entered an excel- 

 lent cover, and found an immense number of rabbits, and our bags were 

 filling quickly, when our attention was drawn from the sport before us, 

 by the sudden appearance of a gang of fellows, whose ruffian-like vi- 

 sages left us no doubt of the nature of their occupation. They were all 

 armed; and, surrounding us, they motioned to us, in an imperative 

 manner, to move with them. We marched along for some time in 

 silence, and at length arrived at a sombre- looking house in the depth of 

 the wood, which appeared to me a fitting retreat for the lawless gang 

 which it seemed to be our ill-fortune to have fallen in with. Our arms 

 w ere taken from us, and we were secured in a dismal apartment, the 

 windows of which were grated. Our feelings, as may be supposed, were 

 not of the most enviable nature, during an hour and a half's imprison- 

 ■ment, which the uncertainty of our fate rendered sufficiently distressing. 

 .Our forebodings were checked, however, by the appearance of a man 

 'abruptly entering our apartment. He wore a brown Spanish cloak, the 

 .state of his dress betokening a recent arrival. The expression of his 

 countenance was morose and forbidding. After surveying us for some 

 short time in contemplative silence, during which I made ready with 

 my watch and purse, he inquired who we were, and made himself ac- 

 quainted with our country, and situation in life. Particulars regarding 

 my means, I kept down as much as possible, fearing the robber's 

 demand for our ransom might be exorbitant ; when I was not a little 

 surprised to hear him say, that for this time he would excuse us, bidding 

 us, however, beware how we offended again. I begged to know the 

 nature of our offence, that we might be the better enabled to avoid a re- 

 petition ; when I found we had offended against the game laws, and in- 

 curred the gentleman's wrath by sliooting on his preserve ! To find a 

 code of game laws, and in such strict force, reminded me of the delights 

 of home, and, I must confess, was a gratifying instance of the progress 

 of liberty and civilization — particularly when I found that we were in- 

 debted solely to our rank in life for the extreme courtesy with which we 

 had been treated. The awe, however, impressed on me by the appear- 

 - ance of a captain of banditti, dwindled mightily before a lord of the 



