A Landlord in Liquor 



had despised, and thrust their outstretched noses into it 

 again while I was busy unsaddling, regardless of the inter- 

 calary kicks and cuffs I could give them meanwhile. But 

 he only stood hiccuping irrelevant matters, till, on being 

 spoken sharply to, he began to revile us. 



" Who the devil are you, cursed Biscayan muleteers, that 

 come and order me about in my own stable, carajo ? Turn 

 out the burricos^ quotha — turn them out yourselves, and 

 turn yourselves out with them, Biscayan burros as you are, 

 carajo ! " 



" Be silent, you old numskull. Have you lived long 

 enough to lose nine-tenths of the little wits you ever had, 

 and to put nine of your ten toes on the threshold of Death, 

 without learning how to receive guests of distinction, when 

 by any remote chance they casually honour your dilapidated 

 kennel of a Posadilla F " 



But he was too far gone in drink and dotage to be able 

 at all to perceive the distinction of those guests who at 

 present honoured him, or, indeed, to do anything but totter 

 and stagger about, holding a very unsteady candil. So we 

 adopted his suggestion, and turned out the donkeys into a 

 small courtyard ourselves, he cursing us all the time for 

 insolent, beggarly Biscayan varlets. 



As we carried our alforjas^ and saddles and bridles up- 

 stairs, we were met and civilly received by the posadera^ his 

 young and melancholy-looking wife, who made signs to us 

 that he was not all right in his wits, and tried to calm his 

 indignation. She showed us up to a rather desolate bed- 

 room, but could not prevent him following and making an 

 exceedingly inconvenient tumult over our baggage. We 

 thought of going to another place ; but remembering the 

 difficulty of finding a posada at all, and the trouble of 

 saddling again, and, to crown all, the lucerne now lying 



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