An Advantageous Opening 



subsequently officiated over the frying-pan in a most 

 artistic manner, but the mutton-steaks turned out lament- 

 ably tough. 



I made acquaintance with a gun-malcer, at whose shop I 

 loitered. He admired my pistols. The conversation turned 

 on engraving, and I gave him an extempore specimen of my 

 execution in that department, on a copper coin. He said he 

 could not engrave so well, nor was there any one in Ronda 

 who could:, he showed me some of his own handiwork, 

 which was of a very rude character. He took me to be a 

 professional man, and hinted, that if I would work for him, 

 I might make a decent livelihood ornamenting the locks of 

 muskets. He seemed a very good sort of man, and had a 

 pretty daughter. 



Riding away from Ronda, it appeared much more to 

 advantage than we had ever seen it before. The old town 

 stands compactly on a moundy hill, behind which the new 

 town is only seen crowning the edges of the precipice ; and 

 anybody who wants to be enthusiastic about Ronda, ought 

 to enter it by the way we left it. From Ronda the road 

 rose a good deal, and we got among the snow. Losing our- 

 selves, according to custom, and scrambling along a very 

 rocky little track which skirted the brow of one of the 

 highest mountains, a vista opened downwards through the 

 peaks, and there stood " the Rock," at about forty miles 

 distance. The straits of Gibraltar looked like a o-reat blue 

 river, over whose further bank arose the snowy mountains 

 of Africa. 



However, we were evidently in the wrong road, in which 

 impression we were confirmed by a not very lucid peasant, 

 who could not clearly explain which was the right way. 

 Another peasant came up, who said he was going in our 

 direction. We followed his guidance down by horribly 



155 



