Malo Paflo 



When we had dried ourselves at a blazing fire, and eaten 

 a salad, we rode over three more weary leagues of plain to 

 Manzanares. Our beasts got very tired, and so did I; for 

 the dangling plaid, heavy with rain, dragged my shoulders. 

 We must have ridden rather more than thirty miles to-day. 

 I went to sleep by the kitchen-fire, and was waked by 

 Harry, to eat very tough chicken for supper. 



Next day, Good Friday, we gave our ponies a half-holi- 

 day, and at three o'clock were just starting for the Venta 

 Quesada^ intending to sleep there. You are, or should be 

 aware, that this is the venta of Don Quixote. Here he 

 arrived on the evening of his first sally, was knighted, and 

 performed the vigil, watching his armour over the well- 

 trough. 



Our host of the Posada del Carilloy who was standing at 

 the folding-gates of his courtyard to see us oflF, happened to 

 ask where we intended to sleep, and we told him. 



" That is a bad place to sleep, Senores. The venta is a 

 miserable hut, and the people of the house are malo pano 

 (bad cloth). There are no beds there." 



" We had heard it was a large venta^ Senor huesped ; is 

 it not a verv ancient venta f " 



" Oh, no, Senores ; it is only a wretched hovel, to supply 

 a station of carabineros with aguardiente. There was once 

 a great and commodious venta there, but that was burnt 

 down in the war time." 



" Was that an old building ? " 



" Oh, yes ! a cosa de sie?npre (thing or always). There 

 is nothing left of it but the well, and a great stone 

 trough." 



As we had no intention of passing the night watching a 

 row of pistols and daggers on the edge of the well-trough, 

 this information altered our plans. We decided now to 



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