IBEX-SHOOTING IN SPAIN. 163 



employ — a wild-looking lot, who, when not otherwise 

 engaged, were chiefly contrahandistas. Many of these 

 serranos had joined our party purely for the love of sport, 

 and for no pay beyond such fi'ugal fare as our camp might 

 afford — scanty enough some da^'s, though good red wine 

 and cigarettes were never wanting. The previous week a 

 somewhat serious affray, we now heard, had taken place 

 close by. A gang of 100 smugglers convoying thirty 

 horse-loads of tobacco, &c., were attacked at the passage 

 of the Guadiarro by a force of fifty carabineers. Many 

 shots were exchanged, the smugglers being armed with 

 Eemingtons, with the result that seven men were killed 

 and many others wounded. The whole of the thirty 

 cargoes were eventually captured, l)ut the horses escaped, 

 the smugglers cutting the girth-ropes ; nor were any 

 prisoners made. This information was given us l)y the 

 Colonel of carabineers commanding the district, whom we 

 met a few days later in Estepona. 



Here is another reflex of local character — a cutting from 

 a Malaga paper of April 1st, 1891, among the ordinary 

 items of local news : — 



" Bandido. — The Civil Guard of Malaga encountered 

 on Wednesday, Jiear Coin, the celebrated bandit Mena, 

 who has long held the whole of that district in terror. 

 The individuals of the Civil Guard demanded his 

 surrender, to which summons he replied with the dis- 

 charge of his weapon. This brought on a ferocious 

 struggle, resulting in the death of the freebooter, who 

 received two bullet-wounds from his aggressors." 



Such tendencies become infectious, and, as a relief to 

 the tedium of forced inactivity-, and wet days under canvas 

 — for the flooded nargantas made sport impossible — it 

 occurred to one restless spirit that we might ourselves 

 embark in this popular business of haitdoh'risttio. Had we 

 not a score of bold brigands ready at our hand ? And, 

 besides, there was not wanting eminently suitable material 

 for " sequestration " — what a subject for a chapter ! 

 But . . . well, the opportuiiity was thrown away, and, 

 the deluge still continuing, in the morning our smuggler- 



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