62 



NARRATIVE OF A 



ine Spaniard, under every reverse, consoles himself by a 

 no hay remedio, or a no importa, and illustrates his case 

 by some appropriate proverb. " No hay remedio," (There 

 is no help,) said he, "a buena hambre no hay pan duro," 

 (with a good appetite all bread is soft.) Thereupon, he 

 gave directions for cooking the beans, which were first 

 boiled and then fried with lard, and seasoned with salt and 

 pepper. The tortillas were warmed, and we sat down to 

 this humble and frugal meal with a good will ; for, with 

 the exercise we had taken, and the pure air of the moun- 

 tain, our appetites had returned. The brandy flask of our 

 English friend, which had survived the rude attacks made 

 upon it in the morning, now fairly gave up the ghost : a 

 catastrophe which, under the circumstances, we could not 

 but lament. 



We then disposed ourselves for sleep. The arrieros 

 stretched themselves out on the bales and boxes under 

 the shanty, or on the bare ground in the open air. Don 

 Jose and Mr. M. slung their hammocks, and were soon 

 comfortably settled. But this was a mode of resting I had 

 not yet learnt, and which can only be rendered agreeable 

 by custom. I unrolled the leopard's skin given me in 

 Truxillo, and spread it on the ground. With my cloak 

 over this, to serve as a mattress, and with my saddle for a 

 pillow, I flattered myself that my bed would not be infe- 

 rior to those of my fellow-travellers. I may have been 

 mistaken, for it certainly was not a very soft one. Never- 

 theless, I soon fell into a profound sleep, which I enjoyed 

 without interruption till the calls of the arriero, and the 

 light of the sun beaming bright through the chinks and 

 crannies of the hut, gave warning that it was time for us 

 to depart. No time was lost in getting ready, for the sun 

 was already high in the horizon. The baggage and other 

 mules were laden ; we mounted again, and proceeded on 

 our journey. 



