40 TENERIFFE. 
on the flanks and sides with their long pikes, holiooing, and 
shouting, and scampering in such a manner that all the lat- 
ticed windows flew open as we passed along the streets ; 
whilst some of the party were in little betteis plight than pooi 
Johnny Gilpin when he rode farther than he intended. And 
that no part of the town might be deprived of having a peep 
at our respectable cavalcade, the rascals separated us, as if 
by design, some taking one street, some another, whilst M^e 
were under the necessity of remaining perfectly unconscious 
whither they meant to drive us. At length Dr. Gillan, Mr. 
Maxwell, and myself arrived at a large decent looking build- 
ing, with a quadrangular court, surrounded by galleries, not 
unlike some of the inns in England, and which indeed we 
concluded to be a house of this description. Tlie Doctor 
marched into a room without ceremony and began to call 
lustily for the landlord, when a gentleman shewed himself, 
whose appearance and manner excited some doubts in his 
mind whether he might not have committed a mistake ; and 
accordingly was beginning a suitable apology in French, but 
was immediately reliev ed from his embarrassment by the gen- 
tleman taking his hand and interrupting him with — " No 
" apologies, my dear Sir, I pray 3^ou ; every Englishman is 
" welcome to m}' house and to what it can afford.'' Mr. 
Little happened to be the very person to whom our letters 
were addressed ; and we afterwards found that the muleteers 
had severall}^ been instructed by Mr. Runy, the Britisli con- 
sul in Santa Cruz, to ^^ hat houses they should conduct us, 
which circumstance explained to us the reason of our separa- 
tion on enterin:^ the town. 
