The Bible in Spain

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"I see the London Caloro is weary; enough, enough, to-morrow more
thereof--we will now to the charipe (bed)."

"With all my heart," said I; "where are we to sleep?"

"In the stable," said he, "in the manger; however cold the stable
may be we shall be warm enough in the bufa."

CHAPTER X

The Gypsy's Granddaughter--Proposed Marriage--The Algnazil--The
Assault--Speedy Trot--Arrival at Trujillo--Night and Rain--The
Forest--The Bivouac--Mount and Away!--Jaraicejo--The National--The
Cavalier Balmerson--Among the Thicket--Serious Discourse--What is
Truth?--Unexpected Intelligence.

We remained three days at the Gypsies' house, Antonio departing
early every morning, on his mule, and returning late at night. The
house was large and ruinous, the only habitable part of it, with
the exception of the stable, being the hall, where we had supped,
and there the Gypsy females slept at night, on some mats and
mattresses in a corner.

"A strange house is this," said I to Antonio, one morning as he was
on the point of saddling his mule and departing, as I supposed, on
the affairs of Egypt; "a strange house and strange people; that
Gypsy grandmother has all the appearance of a sowanee (sorceress)."

"All the appearance of one!" said Antonio; "and is she not really
one? She knows more crabbed things and crabbed words than all the
Errate betwixt here and Catalonia. She has been amongst the wild
Moors, and can make more drows, poisons, and philtres than any one
alive. She once made a kind of paste, and persuaded me to taste,
and shortly after I had done so my soul departed from my body, and
wandered through horrid forests and mountains, amidst monsters and
duendes, during one entire night. She learned many things amidst
the Corahai which I should be glad to know."

"Have you been long acquainted with her?" said I; "you appear to be
quite at home in this house."

"Acquainted with her!" said Antonio. "Did not my own brother marry
the black Calli, her daughter, who bore him the chabi, sixteen
years ago, just before he was hanged by the Busne?"

In the afternoon I was seated with the Gypsy mother in the hall,
the two Callees were absent telling fortunes about the town and
neighbourhood, which was their principal occupation. "Are you
married, my London Caloro?" said the old woman to me. "Are you a
ro?"

Myself.--Wherefore do you ask, O Dai de los Cales?

Gypsy Mother.--It is high time that the lacha of the chabi were
taken from her, and that she had a ro. You can do no better than
take her for romi, my London Caloro.

Myself.--I am a stranger in this land, O mother of the Gypsies, and
scarcely know how to provide for myself, much less for a romi.

Gypsy Mother.--She wants no one to provide for her, my London
Caloro, she can at any time provide for herself and her ro. She
can hokkawar, tell baji, and there are few to equal her at stealing
a pastesas. Were she once at Madrilati, where they tell me you are
going, she would make much treasure; therefore take her thither,
for in this foros she is nahi (lost), as it were, for there is
nothing to be gained; but in the foros baro it would be another
matter; she would go dressed in lachipi and sonacai (silk and
gold), whilst you would ride about on your black-tailed gra; and
when you had got much treasure, you might return hither and live
like a Crallis, and all the Errate of the Chim del Manro should bow
down their heads to you. What, say you, my London Caloro, what say
you to my plan?

Myself.--Your plan is a plausible one, mother, or at least some
people would think so; but I am, as you are aware, of another chim,
and have no inclination to pass my life in this country.

Gypsy Mother.--Then return to your own country, my Caloro, the
chabi can cross the pani. Would she not do business in London with
the rest of the Calore? Or why not go to the land of the Corahai?
In which case I would accompany you; I and my daughter, the mother
of the chabi.

Myself.--And what should we do in the land of the Corahai? It is a
poor and wild country, I believe.

Gypsy Mother.--The London Caloro asks me what we could do in the
land of the Corahai! Aromali! I almost think that I am speaking
to a lilipendi (simpleton). Are there not horses to chore? Yes, I
trow there are, and better ones than in this land, and asses and
mules. In the land of the Corahai you must hokkawar and chore even
as you must here, or in your own country, or else you are no
Caloro. Can you not join yourselves with the black people who live
in the despoblados? Yes, surely; and glad they would be to have
among them the Errate from Spain and London. I am seventy years of
age, but I wish not to die in this chim, but yonder, far away,
where both my roms are sleeping. Take the chabi, therefore, and go
to Madrilati to win the parne, and when you have got it, return,
and we will give a banquet to all the Busne in Merida, and in their
food I will mix drow, and they shall eat and burst like poisoned
sheep. . . . And when they have eaten we will leave them, and away
to the land of the Moor, my London Caloro.

During the whole time that I remained at Merida I stirred not once
from the house; following the advice of Antonio, who informed me
that it would not be convenient. My time lay rather heavily on my
hands, my only source of amusement consisting in the conversation
of the women, and in that of Antonio when he made his appearance at
night. In these tertulias the grandmother was the principal
spokeswoman, and astonished my ears with wonderful tales of the
Land of the Moors, prison escapes, thievish feats, and one or two
poisoning adventures, in which she had been engaged, as she
informed me, in her early youth.

There was occasionally something very wild in her gestures and
demeanour; more than once I observed her, in the midst of much
declamation, to stop short, stare in vacancy, and thrust out her
palms as if endeavouring to push away some invisible substance; she
goggled frightfully with her eyes, and once sank back in
convulsions, of which her children took no farther notice than
observing that she was only lili, and would soon come to herself.

Late in the afternoon of the third day, as the three women and
myself sat conversing as usual over the brasero, a shabby looking
fellow in an old rusty cloak walked into the room: he came
straight up to the place where we were sitting, produced a paper
cigar, which he lighted at a coal, and taking a whiff or two,
looked at me: "Carracho," said he, "who is this companion?"

I saw at once that the fellow was no Gypsy: the women said
nothing, but I could hear the grandmother growling to herself,
something after the manner of an old grimalkin when disturbed.

"Carracho," reiterated the fellow, "how came this companion here?"

"No le penela chi min chaboro," said the black Callee to me, in an
undertone; "sin un balicho de los chineles {4};" then looking up to
the interrogator she said aloud, "he is one of our people from
Portugal, come on the smuggling lay, and to see his poor sisters
here."

"Then let him give me some tobacco," said the fellow, "I suppose he
has brought some with him."

"He has no tobacco," said the black Callee, "he has nothing but old
iron. This cigar is the only tobacco there is in the house; take
it, smoke it, and go away!"

Thereupon she produced a cigar from out her shoe, which she
presented to the alguazil.

"This will not do," said the fellow, taking the cigar, "I must have
something better; it is now three months since I received anything
from you; the last present was a handkerchief, which was good for
nothing; therefore hand me over something worth taking, or I will
carry you all to the Carcel."

"The Busno will take us to prison," said the black Callee, "ha! ha!
ha!"

"The Chinel will take us to prison," giggled the young girl "he!
he! he!"

"The Bengui will carry us all to the estaripel," grunted the Gypsy
grandmother, "ho! ho! ho!"

The three females arose and walked slowly round the fellow, fixing
their eyes steadfastly on his face; he appeared frightened, and
evidently wished to get away. Suddenly the two youngest seized his
hands, and whilst he struggled to release himself, the old woman
exclaimed: "You want tobacco, hijo--you come to the Gypsy house to
frighten the Callees and the strange Caloro out of their plako--
truly, hijo, we have none for you, and right sorry I am; we have,
however, plenty of the dust a su servicio."

Here, thrusting her hand into her pocket, she discharged a handful
of some kind of dust or snuff into the fellow's eyes; he stamped
and roared, but was for some time held fast by the two Callees; he
extricated himself, however, and attempted to unsheath a knife
which he bore at his girdle; but the two younger females flung
themselves upon him like furies, while the old woman increased his
disorder by thrusting her stick into his face; he was soon glad to
give up the contest, and retreated, leaving behind him his hat and
cloak, which the chabi gathered up and flung after him into the
street.

"This is a bad business," said I, "the fellow will of course bring
the rest of the justicia upon us, and we shall all be cast into the
estaripel."

"Ca!" said the black Callee, biting her thumb nail, "he has more
reason to fear us than we him, we could bring him to the filimicha;
we have, moreover, friends in this town, plenty, plenty."

"Yes," mumbled the grandmother, "the daughters of the baji have
friends, my London Caloro, friends among the Busnees, baributre,
baribu (plenty, plenty)."

Nothing farther of any account occurred in the Gypsy house; the
next day, Antonio and myself were again in the saddle, we travelled
at least thirteen leagues before we reached the Venta, where we
passed the night; we rose early in the morning, my guide informing
me that we had a long day's journey to make. "Where are we bound
to?" I demanded. "To Trujillo," he replied.

When the sun arose, which it did gloomily and amidst threatening
rain-clouds, we found ourselves in the neighbourhood of a range of
mountains which lay on our left, and which, Antonio informed me,
were called the Sierra of San Selvan; our route, however, lay over
wide plains, scantily clothed with brushwood, with here and there a
melancholy village, with its old and dilapidated church.
Throughout the greater part of the day, a drizzling rain was
falling, which turned the dust of the roads into mud and mire,
considerably impeding our progress. Towards evening we reached a
moor, a wild place enough, strewn with enormous stones and rocks.
Before us, at some distance, rose a strange conical hill, rough and
shaggy, which appeared to be neither more nor less than an immense
assemblage of the same kind of rocks which lay upon the moor. The
rain had now ceased, but a strong wind rose and howled at our
backs. Throughout the journey, I had experienced considerable
difficulty in keeping up with the mule of Antonio; the walk of the
horse was slow, and I could discover no vestige of the spirit which
the Gypsy had assured me lurked within him. We were now upon a
tolerably clear spot of the moor: "I am about to see," I said,
"whether this horse has any of the quality which you have
described." "Do so," said Antonio, and spurred his beast onward,
speedily leaving me far behind. I jerked the horse with the bit,
endeavouring to arouse his dormant spirit, whereupon he stopped,
reared, and refused to proceed. "Hold the bridle loose and touch
him with your whip," shouted Antonio from before. I obeyed, and
forthwith the animal set off at a trot, which gradually increased
in swiftness till it became a downright furious speedy trot; his
limbs were now thoroughly lithy, and he brandished his fore legs in
a manner perfectly wondrous; the mule of Antonio, which was a
spirited animal of excellent paces, would fain have competed with
him, but was passed in a twinkling. This tremendous trot endured
for about a mile, when the animal, becoming yet more heated, broke
suddenly into a gallop. Hurrah! no hare ever ran so wildly or
blindly; it was, literally, ventre a terre; and I had considerable
difficulty in keeping him clear of rocks, against which he would
have rushed in his savage fury, and dashed himself and rider to
atoms.

This race brought me to the foot of the hill, where I waited till
the Gypsy rejoined me: we left the hill, which seemed quite
inaccessible, on our right, passing through a small and wretched
village. The sun went down, and dark night presently came upon us;
we proceeded on, however, for nearly three hours, until we heard
the barking of dogs, and perceived a light or two in the distance.
"That is Trujillo," said Antonio, who had not spoken for a long
time. "I am glad of it," I replied; "I am thoroughly tired; I
shall sleep soundly in Trujillo." "That is as it may be," said the
Gypsy, and spurred his mule to a brisker pace. We soon entered the
town, which appeared dark and gloomy enough; I followed close
behind the Gypsy, who led the way I knew not whither, through
dismal streets and dark places, where cats were squalling. "Here
is the house," said he at last, dismounting before a low mean hut;
he knocked, no answer was returned;--he knocked again, but still
there was no reply; he shook the door and essayed to open it, but
it appeared firmly locked and bolted. "Caramba!" said he, "they
are out--I feared it might be so. Now what are we to do?"

"There can be no difficulty," said I, "with respect to what we have
to do; if your friends are gone out, it is easy enough to go to a
posada."

"You know not what you say," replied the Gypsy, "I dare not go to
the mesuna, nor enter any house in Trujillo save this, and this is
shut; well, there is no remedy, we must move on, and, between
ourselves, the sooner we leave this place the better; my own
planoro (brother) was garroted at Trujillo."

He lighted a cigar, by means of a steel and yesca, sprang on his
mule, and proceeded through streets and lanes equally dismal as
those which we had already traversed till we again found ourselves
out of the, town.

I confess I did not much like this decision of the Gypsy; I felt
very slight inclination to leave the town behind and to venture
into unknown places in the dark night: amidst rain and mist, for
the wind had now dropped, and the rain began again to fall briskly.
I was, moreover, much fatigued, and wished for nothing better than
to deposit myself in some comfortable manger, where I might sink to
sleep, lulled by the pleasant sound of horses and mules despatching
their provender. I had, however, put myself under the direction of
the Gypsy, and I was too old a traveller to quarrel with my guide
under the present circumstances. I therefore followed close at his
crupper; our only light being the glow emitted from the Gypsy's
cigar; at last he flung it from his mouth into a puddle, and we
were then in darkness.

We proceeded in this manner for a long time; the Gypsy was silent;
I myself was equally so; the rain descended more and more. I
sometimes thought I heard doleful noises, something like the
hooting of owls. "This is a strange night to be wandering abroad
in," I at length said to Antonio.

"It is, brother," said he, "but I would sooner be abroad in such a
night, and in such places, than in the estaripel of Trujillo."

We wandered at least a league farther, and appeared now to be near
a wood, for I could occasionally distinguish the trunks of immense
trees. Suddenly Antonio stopped his mule; "Look, brother," said
he, "to the left, and tell me if you do not see a light; your eyes
are sharper than mine." I did as he commanded me. At first I
could see nothing, but moving a little farther on I plainly saw a
large light at some distance, seemingly amongst the trees. "Yonder
cannot be a lamp or candle," said I; "it is more like the blaze of
a fire." "Very likely," said Antonio. "There are no queres
(houses) in this place; it is doubtless a fire made by durotunes
(shepherds); let us go and join them, for, as you say, it is
doleful work wandering about at night amidst rain and mire."

We dismounted and entered what I now saw was a forest, leading the
animals cautiously amongst the trees and brushwood. In about five
minutes we reached a small open space, at the farther side of
which, at the foot of a large cork tree, a fire was burning, and by
it stood or sat two or three figures; they had heard our approach,
and one of them now exclaimed Quien Vive? "I know that voice,"
said Antonio, and leaving the horse with me, rapidly advanced
towards the fire: presently I heard an Ola! and a laugh, and soon
the voice of Antonio summoned me to advance. On reaching the fire
I found two dark lads, and a still darker woman of about forty; the
latter seated on what appeared to be horse or mule furniture. I
likewise saw a horse and two donkeys tethered to the neighbouring
trees. It was in fact a Gypsy bivouac. . . . "Come forward,
brother, and show yourself," said Antonio to me; "you are amongst
friends; these are of the Errate, the very people whom I expected
to find at Trujillo, and in whose house we should have slept."

"And what," said I, "could have induced them to leave their house
in Trujillo and come into this dark forest in the midst of wind and
rain, to pass the night?"

"They come on business of Egypt, brother, doubtless," replied
Antonio; "and that business is none of ours, Calla boca! It is
lucky we have found them here, else we should have had no supper,
and our horses no corn."

"My ro is prisoner at the village yonder," said the woman, pointing
with her hand in a particular direction; "he is prisoner yonder for
choring a mailla (stealing a donkey); we are come to see what we
can do in his behalf; and where can we lodge better than in this
forest, where there is nothing to pay? It is not the first time, I
trow, that Calore have slept at the root of a tree."

One of the striplings now gave us barley for our animals in a large
bag, into which we successively introduced their heads, allowing
the famished creatures to regale themselves till we conceived that
they had satisfied their hunger. There was a puchero simmering at
the fire, half full of bacon, garbanzos, and other provisions; this
was emptied into a large wooden platter, and out of this Antonio
and myself supped; the other Gypsies refused to join us, giving us
to understand that they had eaten before our arrival; they all,
however, did justice to the leathern bottle of Antonio, which,
before his departure from Merida, he had the precaution to fill.

I was by this time completely overcome with fatigue and sleep.
Antonio flung me an immense horse-cloth, of which he bore more than
one beneath the huge cushion on which he rode; in this I wrapped
myself, and placing my head upon a bundle, and my feet as near as
possible to the fire, I lay down.

Antonio and the other Gypsies remained seated by the fire
conversing. I listened for a moment to what they said, but I did
not perfectly understand it, and what I did understand by no means
interested me: the rain still drizzled, but I heeded it not, and
was soon asleep.

The sun was just appearing as I awoke. I made several efforts
before I could rise from the ground; my limbs were quite stiff, and
my hair was covered with rime; for the rain had ceased and a rather
severe frost set in. I looked around me, but could see neither
Antonio nor the Gypsies; the animals of the latter had likewise
disappeared, so had the horse which I had hitherto rode; the mule,
however, of Antonio still remained fastened to the tree! this
latter circumstance quieted some apprehensions which were beginning
to arise in my mind. "They are gone on some business of Egypt," I
said to myself, "and will return anon." I gathered together the
embers of the fire, and heaping upon them sticks and branches, soon
succeeded in calling forth a blaze, beside which I placed the
puchero, with what remained of the provision of last night. I
waited for a considerable time in expectation of the return of my
companions, but as they did not appear, I sat down and breakfasted.
Before I had well finished I heard the noise of a horse approaching
rapidly, and presently Antonio made his appearance amongst the
trees, with some agitation in his countenance. He sprang from the
horse, and instantly proceeded to untie the mule. "Mount, brother,
mount!" said he, pointing to the horse; "I went with the Callee and
her chabes to the village where the ro is in trouble; the
chinobaro, however, seized them at once with their cattle, and
would have laid hands also on me, but I set spurs to the grasti,
gave him the bridle, and was soon far away. Mount, brother, mount,
or we shall have the whole rustic canaille upon us in a twinkling."

I did as he commanded: we were presently in the road which we had
left the night before. Along this we hurried at a great rate, the
horse displaying his best speedy trot; whilst the mule, with its
ears pricked up, galloped gallantly at his side. "What place is
that on the hill yonder?" said I to Antonio, at the expiration of
an hour, as we prepared to descend a deep valley.

"That is Jaraicejo," said Antonio; "a bad place it is and a bad
place it has ever been for the Calo people."

"If it is such a bad place," said I, "I hope we shall not have to
pass through it."

"We must pass through it," said Antonio, "for more reasons than
one: first, forasmuch is the road lies through Jaraicejo; and
second, forasmuch as it will be necessary to purchase provisions
there, both for ourselves and horses. On the other side of
Jaraicejo there is a wild desert, a despoblado, where we shall find
nothing."

We crossed the valley, and ascended the hill, and as we drew near
to the town the Gypsy said, "Brother, we had best pass through that
town singly. I will go in advance; follow slowly, and when there
purchase bread and barley; you have nothing to fear. I will await
you on the despoblado."

Without waiting for my answer he hastened forward, and was speedily
out of sight.

I followed slowly behind, and entered the gate of the town; an old
dilapidated place, consisting of little more than one street.
Along this street I was advancing, when a man with a dirty foraging
cap on his head, and holding a gun in his hand, came running up to
me: "Who are you?" said he, in rather rough accents, "from whence
do you come?"

"From Badajoz and Trujillo," I replied; "why do you ask?"

"I am one of the national guard," said the man, "and am placed here
to inspect strangers; I am told that a Gypsy fellow just now rode
through the town; it is well for him that I had stepped into my
house. Do you come in his company?"

"Do I look a person," said I, "likely to keep company with
Gypsies?"

The national measured me from top to toe, and then looked me full
in the face with an expression which seemed to say, "likely
enough." In fact, my appearance was by no means calculated to
prepossess people in my favour. Upon my head I wore an old
Andalusian hat, which, from its condition, appeared to have been
trodden under foot; a rusty cloak, which had perhaps served half a
dozen generations, enwrapped my body. My nether garments were by
no means of the finest description; and as far as could be seen
were covered with mud, with which my face was likewise plentifully
bespattered, and upon my chin was a beard of a week's growth.

"Have you a passport?" at length demanded the national.

I remembered having read that the best way to win a Spaniard's
heart is to treat him with ceremonious civility. I therefore
dismounted, and taking off my hat, made a low bow to the
constitutional soldier, saying, "Senor nacional, you must know that
I am an English gentleman, travelling in this country for my
pleasure; I bear a passport, which, on inspecting, you will find to
be perfectly regular; it was given me by the great Lord Palmerston,
minister of England, whom you of course have heard of here; at the
bottom you will see his own handwriting; look at it and rejoice;
perhaps you will never have another opportunity. As I put
unbounded confidence in the honour of every gentleman, I leave the
passport in your hands whilst I repair to the posada to refresh
myself. When you have inspected it, you will perhaps oblige me so
far as to bring it to me. Cavalier, I kiss your hands."

I then made him another low bow, which he returned with one still
lower, and leaving him now staring at the passport and now looking
at myself, I went into a posada, to which I was directed by a
beggar whom I met.

I fed the horse, and procured some bread and barley, as the Gypsy
had directed me; I likewise purchased three fine partridges of a
fowler, who was drinking wine in the posada. He was satisfied with
the price I gave him, and offered to treat me with a copita, to
which I made no objection. As we sat discoursing at the table, the
national entered with the passport in his hand, and sat down by us.