186 SWABEY DIARY. 
the dogs, to want payment for their keep; besides which I am fully 
persuaded that the feast they had had was only at Duke Humphrey’s ! 
table. 
28th February.—Marched into Castel Branco where we found the 
4th Dragoons and Sir Stapleton Cotton’s staff. We found almost 
everything to purchase here. 
29th February.-—Before marching this morning we were seen by Sir 
S. Cotton, and during the parade I had the misfortune to lose my inval- 
uable dog “ Rough,” Our route was to Sarnadas, but there not being 
room for the cavalry and ourselves there, we proceeded to Villa Velha, 
which I may call the most miserable place in Portugal, no doors to our 
stables, and our billets hardly to be called covering, the night rainy, 
and no forage, green or dry, for the horses. . . . I may literally 
say that my feet as I lay touched the tiles of my apartment. ; 
There is a hospital for Portuguese troops in a church here, which when 
I was at this place before was ruined and empty. I was anxious to get 
the horses in, and opened the door, when all the cowardly rascals lying 
sick in their wretched beds, cried out to the sentry to bayonet me. I 
had not time to draw my sword and did not like to run, so I caught 
hold of his musket and grappled with him till I had explained that I 
did not want to put in the horses; he then let me go out with his 
bayonet close to my breast. I left him next morning, after threatening 
to cane him, in custody of the militia captain who had charge, who 
promised he should be punished. No doubt if I could have drawn my 
sword the rascal would have made off, but being alone and having so 
many about me, I did not dare to try the experiment. 
1st March.—Marched by half brigades this morning at 7 o’clock for 
Nisa, having the most terrible hill to pass in all Portugal. In crossing 
. the Tagus over the bridge of boats, the river is seen rushing in the 
grandest style through a cleft in the rocks, which are perpendicular on 
each side; it is navigable to this spot, and occasionally a depot is estab- 
lished here. There always has been a Portuguese Engineer in charge 
of this bridge, with orders to destroy it as occasion may oblige him. 
He told me that the river had risen so suddenly this year in two days 
that he could not find boats enough to make the bridge sufficiently long 
to reach from bank to bank, judging from which the water must have 
increased at least 20 ft. This gentleman has not however improved the 
road, so that the march from Villa Velha to Nisa, four leagues, took us 
from 7 in the morning till 6 in the evening, and the brigade of foot 
artillery that passed yesterday had their howitzer precipitated over a 
rock and two wheel horses killed; we were obliged to use ten and 
twelve horses to one carriage. ‘This is the worst march for artillery in 
1 Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, son of Henry I1V., was renowned for his hospitality, and 
was a great favourite with the citizens of London. At his murder in 1447, it was reported that a 
monument would be erected to him in St. Paul’s, but he was buried at St. Albans. St. Paul’s in 
those days was a great place of rendezvous. When the promenaders left for dinner, the poor who 
had no dinner before them stayed behind, if asked by the gay sparks whether they were going to 
dine, they replied, that they would stay a little longer and look for the monument of the good Duke. 
Thus it became a saying “‘to dine at Duke Humphrey’s table, é.¢., to starve, or have no dinner at 
all.’ See Halliwell’s Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial words, also Brewer’s Dictionary of 
Phrase and Fable. - 
