Fonda San Rafael 



Riding to Guadarrama, we turned up the mountain, and 

 had to ascend by the zigzag road to, I should think, about 

 two thousand feet above the level of the plain. It was very 

 cold towards the top, and there was here and there a patch 

 or two of snow. We had been afraid to go by La Granja, 

 as it was not known whether the road was passable for snow, 

 that pass being much higher. There was a mighty rushing 

 wind, very keen and piercing, which blew our cloaks about 

 our ears in a manner very trying to our tempers. 



There is nothing, perhaps, more annoying in the category 

 of grievances incident to clothing, than the disposal of a 

 vast mass of heavy drapery on a gusty day ; when you fling 

 it over your shoulders and the whole thing flaps in your face 

 like an avalanche, smothering up all your frantic indigna- 

 tion and endeavours. Then the beasts you ride, finding, as 

 they are sure to do, that they have you at a disadvantage, 

 are sure to be as inconvenient as possible. We came to the 

 conclusion that the capa^ which is not a bad thing for slow 

 travelling on horseback in rain, is eminently unadapted for 

 wind. 



The aspect of the country on the other side of the moun- 

 tain-range we had passed was more barren and desolate, 

 even, than the country surrounding Madrid. However, it 

 was not so flat. It looked like a volcanic formation of 

 eruptive hills with loosish sandy slopes, on which vege- 

 tation found scanty footing and seemed liable to slip 

 away. 



We could not see Segovia, as we had hoped. Descending 

 to Fonda San Rafael^ we supped on a rabbit, and walked out 

 to see the sun set. We came to where a flock of o-oats were 

 being milked near a farm-house by the banks of the stream. 

 The manners of the goats towards one another are curious. 

 They seem to take a pleasure in a sort of sham fight, as 



345 



