Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-16
Third Letter of Edgar Wakeman's
New Series of Foreign Travel.
SOME INCIDENTS OF THE ROAD.
Charming Pen Pictures of Professionals
and ancient Inns.
A DISSERTATION ON THE DONKEYS.

anguish ana c0mmlSerat10n Wnlcn CAME
| over the face of Dobrado, my good Gallegan
| guide and servant, as I announced that
| henceforth our journey was to be pursued
! on foot. The honest fellow finally wept so
| copiously that a compromise was effected
! upon donkeys as far as Beja, when should
| he not wish to accompany me on foot he
was to return to Lisbon.
| The genuine grief of Dobrado drew my
attention to two facts of some Importance
to travellers in Portugal One is that such
| firm suspicion of the character of any one
groveling enough to travel on foot is so
| fixed and prefxed in the Portuguese mind,
| that the sentimental tramp labors under the
| greatest possible disadvantage. The hum
| blest farmer is attended by his still humber
servant; and there is not peasant in the en-.
| tire kingdom so desperately impoverished
as to be without this patient beast of bur-
| den.
Donkeys by the Dozens.
The other stubborn fact is the Portuguese
| donkey itself and the variety of uses to
which the little animal is put. Thousands
| of them can be found in all the larger
cities, doing all manner of labor and SER
vice. Every human being in the country
| districts seems to possess from one to a
| praca or square, and huddied in every
crumbling archway are dozens and scores,
| the most of them accompanied by a
| barefooted driver with an iron-pointed
| goad as long as hoe handle, caparisoned
| with rope around its shaggy neck, in lieu
| of halter or bridle and huge wooded sad
die, with upturned wooden yokes at front
and back.
You do not sit astride these little beasts
You ride them something as you do the wild
and vaulting Irish jaunting car, sitting
sideways with your legs dangling over the
donkey's right side, and, in moments of
peril, with your two hands violently clutch
ing the front yoke. You will made sad
business of it if you undertake rigid and
stately posture; but observing the native
Portuguese doubled upon his donkey into
the form of printers reversed mark of in
terrogation. and faithfully copying his rid
ing, which is chiefly upon the under sides
OF the knee joints, you may always do al
most as we'll as to-walk.
A Donkey's Odd Burden.
The oldest burden of all was overtaken
as we were nearing Beja-having wended
our way past fountains where donkeys,
peasants and water-carriers all loitered to
bray, babble and GOSSIP, over hills, down
valleys, past roadside shrines, and through
half dozen struggling sleepy villages 1t
was patient having met with some acci-
dent with which village skill was unable to
cope, being transported to ''da Misericordia"
at Beia, where a surgical operation must
be performed. Two timbers were fastened
lengthwise along the donkeys' backs From
the ends of these, other timbers extended
across from back to back, securely fastened
with thongs, and from the latter, ropes de-
a1 ~, IL lo,. oo.ot-o 81,
slaves, which were covered with the stout
linen woven bv the peasantry The sufferer,
smoking cigar with, great relish and con-
sciousness of his temporary Importance,
was thus being quite comfortably borne to
the hospital, accompanied by a large dele
CATION of neighbors and relatives, all upon
donkeys and all prompted by their sympa-
thetic natures to continually give expression
to grevous meanings and lamentations.
On the way many interesting experiences
and incidents illustrative of the customs of
the country and the characteristics of the
people were enjoyed. Near one little ham
let named, think, Wanna, we met the pro-
cession of 'Nosso Senhor," as the host or
last sacrament to the dying is called.
soIemnity of a Professional.
We dismounted from our donkeys and
knelt with the peasants about us as the sol
by villagers who scattered aromatic leaves
in the road before it. A white-frocked
acolyte was in advance tolling a strangely
toned bell in measured strokes. The priest,
clad in gorgeous chasuble, walking under
a red silk canopy held in its place by four
supporting youths, followed. He bore in his
hand silver vessel containing the sacred |
emblem of consolation. AT his side marched
white surpliced choristers and acolytes
carrying censers; while following these were
members of some irmandade in scarlet |
stoles each carrying long wax candle. |
All were chanting at intervals dirge-like |
hymn. The entire procession was out of |
sound and sight before we who knelt in the |
roadway arose; and Dobrado told me that /
a Portuguese superstition renaered this I
kneeling until the doleful throng had |
passed from sight of the direst Importance. |
Else 'tNosso Senior would next be re- |
ouired at the bedside of him who should so |
fail in meet and complete reverence.
A spot full of quaint little Portuguese
pictures of their kind was an ancient inn
of still more ancient and slumberous
town where we were compelled to pass the |
night saw little but its huge archwav
entrance and the strong iron gates closing
behind, as we entered, for it was late and
1 went directly to my little alccba above.
It had once been an inn of some Importance,
and the structure which was already hun
dreds of years old, and had been in the
hands of one family for over 300 years, was
good for more than another half thousand.
The walls of the entire structure were capa-
BILE of withstanding siege; and the aleobas
or tiny sleeping rooms were no larger than
prisoners cells of modest size. Indeed the
prison effect was enhanced by the rlveted
and bolted doors of chestnut, six inches
thick, in which were iron latticed gratings
with little slides behind; while where win
dows should have been were only tiny grated
holes splayed outwardly through the huge
stone wall.
As Austere as Monks Cell.
No monks cell could have been more Sc
cure or austere, and Dobrado told me that
this sort of a structure was greatly in favor
in the time of such grand robbers as Giraldo,.
of Alfonso Henrique's time, who often Sc
cured large booty at less defensible inns,
when abbots, friars or merchants were
with treasure. The belongings of
nv odd room comprised huge pewter wash
basin, set npon the floor coarse linen
towel ample enough for toga in lieu of other
garments, one chair or stool constructed of
rawhide thongs stretched over hollow
bed of four legs set into a
huge frame with slaves bound across the
thongs, on which were shapeless sack of
sweet corn husks and wooden blankets hand
woven by the peasant women of the district;
while at the head of the bed, hanging from
an iron spike embedded in the stone wall,
was a little pewter crucifx.
When morning came found the interior.
the pateo or court of the old inn, most odd
and charming. Ali sorts of quaint utensils
and furnitura were Scattarad alonr SIC s;das |