Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History BookOpen Original Text f regulations of this Bourbon bandit
chief, I gave a polite negative, and was about to descend from the
_coupé_ to see more accurately our new visitors, when, on a signal
from the chief, they all laid their guns against a bank, one of the
sentries descending to stand guard over the weapons. Curious guns they
were--English Brown Bess, old Prussian muzzle-loader, ancient Italian
regulation muzzle-loader, converted breech loader, and blunderbuss,
were represented. All who wore revolvers had new ones, perhaps bought
by the funds subscribed by the London Committee.
"The diligence, which only contained one passenger besides myself and
Senor de Churruca, was now literally taken by storm; and at present,
seeing that there were no signs of fighting, I preserved an armed
neutrality, keeping my revolver cocked, but still carefully out of
sight under my coat, only moving the pistol-case on the strap, so
as to have it ready for almost instantaneous use. The first search
appeared to be for letters, and I began to quake for one directed in
Mr Foote's[165] best handwriting to Senor Castelar, and of which I
was the bearer. I soon found that only the chief could read at all,
and I much doubt if he could read anything but print. The principle
of natural selection seemed governed by the appropriation of thick
and large epistles; and even these, after being turned about, were
restored to the driver, who, with a slight shrug of his shoulders,
looked on as though he had but little concern in the matter.
[Footnote 165: Mr Foote was Secretary to the Committee convening the
Republican Conference.]
"Presently a cry of triumph came from the top of the diligence.
Thinking it was my poor black bag containing the Castelar letter,
I pressed forward, but was stopped, and a sentry placed in charge
of me. His gun was a treasure, and I consider that if he had meant
shooting, there would have been nearly as much danger in the discharge
to the shooter as to the shot. The triumphal shout had been caused
by the discovery of two saddles and bridles, which were at once
confiscated by his Majesty's customs collectors as contraband, and
despite an energetic protest from the conductor, were carried off
behind the rising ground. The next thing seized was a military cap in
its oilskin case; uncovered, it was a thing of beauty--a brigadier's
cap, thickly overlaid with silver lace. The Carlist commander took
possession of this with almost boyish delight, giving his own cap to
one of his followers, who had hitherto been decorated with a dirty
rag for head-piece. The oilskin covering of the new cap was thrown to
the ground, and one of the band, who seemed to have a sudden attack
of madness, drew his bayonet and rushed at the poor cover, furiously
digging the bayonet through and through, and crying out in Basque
that he wished that he had the nigger, its master, there to serve in
the same manner. Suddenly and menacingly he turned to me, and angrily
asked in Basque whether the cap was mine. When Senor de Churruca
translated this into French, it was too much for my gravity, already
disturbed by the mad onslaught on the unoffending oilskin. My thick
skull is of tolerably large size, this cap was small enough to have
perched on the top of my head. My reply was a hearty laugh, and it
seems to have been the best answer I could have made, my interlocutor
grinning approbation. Bayonets were now called into work to break
open the portmanteaus of which the owners were absent, and also to
open certain wooden cases containing merchandise belonging to the
third passenger. Boots appeared to be contraband of war, and liable
to instant confiscation. One pair of long cavalry boots did us good
service, for the chief determined to get into them at once, and
luckily they were so tight a fit that they occupied his time and
attention for nearly twenty minutes, during which period the searchers
came to my black bag, and found the official-looking envelope
containing the vote of sympathy from the Birmingham meeting. As I
was in a Catholic country, and the Carlists were pious Catholics, I
adopted the views of the equally pious Eusebius, and shouted lustily,
'_Io Inglese, esta mia passeporta._' The man who held it looked at
it, holding the writing upside down, and returned it to its place.
Fortunately I had no spare boots, and my Carlist friends had no taste
for shirts, so I got leave to fasten up my bag. My fellow-traveller,
who had a fine military-looking appearance, and who had just come
from Porto Rico, underwent a searching cross-examination, and I began
to think he was to be walked off into the mountains. Fortunately, he
not only talked Basque well, but had considerable presence of mind,
and after exchanging cigars with the second in command (the first
was still struggling into his boots, one of which resolutely refused
to go on), he was allowed to move about uninterfered with. No. 3
passenger was in sore trouble; he had about thirty umbrellas, and was
required to pay 2-1/2 reals for each, and also duties on some other
articles, which he said amounted to more than their value. Senor de
Churruca expostulated with the Carlists in their native tongue, while
I reasoned with passenger number three in French. His difficulty was
very simple: the Carlists wanted more money than he had got, and he
looked bewailingly at his broken boxes and soiled goods. I got him to
offer about thirty pesetas; these were indignantly refused, violent
gesticulation was indulged in, our driver now really taking active
part on our side, but occasionally breaking off and running up to the
top of the nearest hill, as though looking for some one. At last the
guns were picked up and pointed at us, everybody talked at once, and
it looked as if it would come to a free fight after all, when suddenly
some cry came from a distance--at first faintly, then more clearly;
and whether some other prey approached, or whether the soldiers were
coming along the road we had left, I know not, but number three's
pesetas were hurriedly taken, and this sample of the army of Carlos
VII. hastily disappeared, leaving us the unpleasant task of repacking
the luggage on the diligence as best we could, with the cords which
they had recklessly cut when too hurried to untie. Senor de Churruca
stated that the Carlists claimed to have no less than 3000 men well
armed in the Montanas de Arlaban, round which the road passed, of whom
500 they said could be brought on the spot by signal in a few minutes.
We resumed our route, pleased and disgusted--pleased at our lucky
escape, and disgusted because the more than two hours and a half's
delay would render us too late for the night express to Madrid.
"The road, too, was now more dangerous for the horses, as the
telegraph wires lying across the road in curls made traps for their
legs, and driving at a gallop was occasionally difficult. At last
we came i Previous Next |