SWABEY DIARY. 243 
JS) JE Assy SOG 
Cuarter I. 
Ineutenant Swabey is attached to, and joins “D” Troop.  Skirmishes. 
Defeat of General Slade’s Brigade. Flag of Truce. Gallant affair of 
TIneut. Strenowttz. 
eend April.—This morning in consequence of an order received last 
night, I set off alone to retrace my steps to Spanish Hstremadura, to 
do duty with Captain Lefebure whose subalterns are all absent. I had 
a gunner to take to his troop, who, the moment he got out of my 
sight, got on my horse’s back, which was terribly sore, and was riding 
with the greatest sangfroid; I was so provoked with the ingratitude 
of the rascal, for I had already allowed him to put his kit with my 
baggage, that I took a stick and basted him in good earnest and sent 
him back to Captain Macdonald. I then proceeded to Villa Velha 
where I found Bull’s troop encamped and dined and slept with them. 
[It was on my route to join Sir Rowland Hill’s corps that I traversed 
a good part of Portugal, from Guarda over the Tagus, at Villa Velha 
by Hlvas, in sight of Badajos into Spanish Hstremadura. I had only 
my servant and the extent of country travelled rendered our march 
difficult and our reception at different places by no means always of 
the same character. It was in the desolate yet beautiful route between 
Villa Velha and Nisa that we met with a startling and rather alarming 
rencontre; full on our route, luxuriating on the carcase of a dead 
horse, stood in solemn festival 30 or 40 vultures of the tribe called 
by naturalists, Vultwr fulvus, each of which when erect might be 
between three and four feet high. Whether satiated with their meal 
and gorged into quiescence, or totally regardless of the human pre- 
sence I could not decide, but there they sat, seemingly in defiance. 
We were afraid for our animals if not for ourselves, and having loaded 
a brace of pistols and a double barreled gun which I always had at 
hand, we made a most respectful detour, leaving the high-road to the 
birds, who it is probable would have made an attack on our horses and 
mules, not then in the most robust condition, had they not already 
revelled too deeply in the same food. It is to be observed that this 
was a rare occurrence, for unless congregated by the keenness of their 
scent for prey, these birds are not in the habit of assembling together 
in numbers. They did not take the smallest notice of us or our pre- 
parations, and we were not altogether sorry to get clear of them 
without a closer intimacy ; but I felt the dignity of the human charac- 
ter somewhat compromised, and could not help thinking how likely it 
was that many a battlefield had been subject to their visitations, nay 
even that the flesh I carried on my bones might in the future be a dainty 
with the taste of which they would not be altogether unacquainted. 
The route we were then pursuing was certainly one of the wild- 
est yet most beautiful of natures pathways. The precipitous hill and 
