Velez Malaga 



longer in danger, his pecuniary loss began to work on his 

 constitution, and he burst into tears. 



"Come, now! Make an end — or we shall feel it our duty 

 to shoot thy donkey, that thou may'st have something to 

 whimper for." 



It was a piteous sight to see the grey-haired old impostor 

 crying like a child, and I thought we had punished him 

 enough ; so I said — 



" Now we know thou art poor, since we have taken thy 

 money ; we will give thee a trifle. There" (dropping his 

 money into his hat, which he held out timidly) "is some- 

 thing by way of charity ; and take heed that thou begg'st 

 not again when thou hast money in thy pocket, and so 

 remain with God, my friend." 



With this we rode on, and were in some slight fear for 

 the rest of the day, that he might find some of the Guardia 

 Civil, and send them after us to take us up. But I dare 

 say it never occurred to him, as we left him no poorer, that 

 our offence was actionable. 



Velez Malaga is not a very interesting place. I know 

 nothing remarkable about it, except that the Cautivo in 

 Don Quixote landed here with his fair Morisca, on his 

 escape from Algiers. I trudged to the market-place and 

 bought a pound of sardines for dinner, and afterwards 

 helped to cook them. The landlady and her pretty sister 

 came up after dinner, and told us that there was a company 

 of players about to perform, so we went. It was a shabby 

 little theatre, with bad actors, the prompter being the most 

 audible of the company ; so we left the second act, and 

 came home to bed. 



Next morning, in saddling, I discovered a great misfor- 

 tune which has fallen upon me. A small running sore has 

 come on the shoulder of the Moor. Harry says it is only 



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