第91章 20th July,1837(3)

But they are far from being disinterested,and if they are the most trustworthy of all the ARRIEROS of Spain,they in general demand for the transport of articles a sum at least double of what others of the trade would esteem a reasonable recompense.By this means they accumulate large sums of money,notwithstanding that they indulge themselves in a far superior fare to that which contents in general the parsimonious Spaniard -another argument in favour of their pure Gothic descent;for the Maragatos,like true men of the north,delight in swilling liquors and battening upon gross and luscious meats,which help to swell out their tall and goodly figures.Many of them have died possessed of considerable riches,part of which they have not unfrequently bequeathed to the erection or embellishment of religious houses.On the east end of the cathedral of Astorga,which towers over the lofty and precipitous wall,a colossal figure of lead may be seen on the roof.It is the statue of a Maragato carrier,who endowed the cathedral with a large sum.He is in his national dress,but his head is averted from the land of his fathers,and whilst he waves in his hand a species of flag,he seems to be summoning his race from their unfruitful region to other climes where a richer field is open to their industry and enterprise.

I spoke to several of these men respecting the all-important subject of religion;but 'I found their hearts blunted,and with their ears they heard heavily,and their eyes were closed.'There was one in particular to whom I showed the New Testament and addressed for a considerable time.He listened,or seemed to listen,patiently,taking occasional copious draughts from an immense jug of whitish wine which stood between his knees.After Ihad concluded,he said:'To-morrow I set out for Lugo,whither Iam told yourself are going.If you wish to send your chest,I have no objection to take it at so much (naming an extravagant price).

As for what you have told me,I understand little of it and believe not a word of it;but in respect to the books which you have shown me,I will take three or four.I shall not read them,it is true,but I have no doubt that I can sell them at a higher price than you demand.'

So much for the Maragatos.

It was four o'clock of a beautiful morning that we sallied from Astorga,or rather from the suburbs in which we had been lodged;we directed our course to the north in the direction of Galicia.

Leaving the mountain Telleno on our left,we passed along the eastern skirts of the land of the Maragatos over broken uneven ground,enlivened here and there by small green valleys and runs of water.Several of the Maragato women mounted on donkeys passed us on their way to Astorga whither they were carrying vegetables;we saw others in the fields handling their rude ploughs drawn by lean oxen;we likewise passed through a small village in which we however saw no living soul.Near this village we entered the high road which leads direct from Madrid to Corunna,and at last having travelled near four leagues we came to a species of pass formed on our left by a huge lumpish hill (one of those which descend from the great mountain Telleno),and on our right by one of considerably less altitude.In the middle of this pass which was of considerable breadth,a noble view opened itself to us.Before us,at the distance of about a league and a half,rose the mighty frontier chain of which I have spoken before;its blue sides and broken and picturesque peaks still wearing a thin veil of the morning mist,which the fierce rays of the sun were fast dispelling.It seemed an enormous barrier threatening to oppose our further progress,and it reminded me of the fables respecting the children of Magog,who are said to reside in remotest Tartary behind a gigantic wall of rocks which can only be passed by a gate of steel a thousand cubits in height.

We shortly after arrived at Manzanal,a village consisting of wretched huts,and exhibiting every sign of poverty and misery.It was now time to refresh ourselves and horses,and we accordingly put up at a kind of VENTA,the last habitation in the village,where,though we found barley for the animals,we had much difficulty in procuring anything for ourselves.I was at last fortunate enough to obtain a large jug of milk,for there were plenty of cows in the neighbourhood feeding in a picturesque valley which we had passed by,in which there was abundance of grass and trees and a run of water broken by tiny cascades.The jug might contain about half a gallon,but I emptied it in a few minutes,for the thirst of fever was still burning within me though I was destitute of appetite.The VENTA had something the appearance of a German baiting house.It consisted of an immense stable,from which was partitioned a kind of kitchen and a place where the family slept.The master,a robust young man,lolled on a large solid stone bench which stood within the door.He was very inquisitive respecting news,but I could afford him none;whereupon he became communicative,and gave me the history of his life,the sum of which was that he had been a courier in the Basque provinces,but about a year since had been despatched to this village where he kept the post-house.He was an enthusiastic liberal,and spoke in bitter terms of the surrounding population,who,he said,were all Carlists and friends of the friars.I paid little attention to his discourse,for I was looking at a Maragato lad of about fourteen who served in the house as a kind of ostler.

I asked the master if we were still in the land of the Maragatos,but he told me that we had left it behind nearly a league,and that the lad was an orphan,and was serving until he could rake up a sufficient capital to become an ARRIERO.I addressed several questions to the boy,but the urchin looked sullenly in my face,and either answered by monosyllables or was doggedly silent.Iasked him if he could read:'Yes,'said he,'as much as that black brute of yours who is tearing down the manger.'