Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-11-16

We had an all night ride to Bayonnc.
1879 and 1873 the Carlists held the
and more or less fusillading
was going on. The possibility Of my
way being blocked by the Carlists never
entered into my calculations
Our train crossed the bridge over the
Bidassoa, and we were ON Spanish soil
Soon we entered the gorges of the Pyr-
enees, and while specializing whether
I should awaken my wife to see the
magnificent scenery all necessity for
awakening any one ON that train was
over. Three or four musket shots rang
out our train was off the rail and after
q crash or two came to sudden stop,
and then babel arose, while the train
was surrounded by armed men. 1t was
laughable 1t seemed like opera bouffe,
the real thing, this motley array Of
brigands all trying to maintain under
difficulties the grave Spanish exterior.
One monkey of Is or 10 years, armed,
came to our compartment, and pointing
to my chain said he wanted it and my
watch. None of us understood Spanish,
but we all comprehended his meaning
readily. I refused to make him gift
and got rid Of him easily.
We were all ordered to alight, and
our captors seemed inclined to be ugly.
Myself and party were about the only
we'll dressed people on the train, and
seeing q priest close by I went up to
him, and ascertaining he could speak
French began in very bad French in
deed to threaten with very dire conse-
quences Don Carlos and every band of
Carlists who dared to annoy an English
duke and duchess and demanded in
slant shelter and a guard for my wife,
the duchess. We could hardly keep from
laughing, it was SO very like a melo-
drama. My wife thoroughly enjoyed
the situation, and should have done so,
too, had I not had such strong reasons
for quick passage through Spain to blue
water on the south, for desired to put
some leagues of Neptune's domain be-
tween myself and the old world.
The priest, although a sallow, somber
fellow, was a very good one and seemed
to realize the gravity of the situation,
for calling the chief to him he warned
him to be careful. That gentleman
came up, and drawing himself up said
very proudly, "Sir, we are soldiers. not
robbers I said I was very glad to
know it and demanded to be informed
If l was prisoner or not and was told
was not, but with the same breath he
said he would be obliged to detain us
for few days. There was fonda, or
inn, close by, and leaving my wife
there finally managed by liberal use
Of money to secure an OK cart, and by
virtue of great generalship on the part
Of myself and servant got all our bag
gage out 81 the wrecked train and safe
~ up to the inn.
Spaniards are provokingly slow, but
by riding muleback five miles away
succeeded in seeing the local command
| er of the Carlist forces, and he promised
to send me the next day pass through
the lines going either south or north.
got him also to include in the pass my
fellow passengers. I did this because
there was Portuguese family who had
tickets for South America. They WERE
then on their way to embark at Lisbon
and the old gentleman, the head of the
family, was very weak and ill
My safe plan would have been to re
turn to France, make my way to Bres
and embark from there to New York
and that would have been my cours'
had any conception of the slowness O
the Spanish officials and of the fierc'
storms and SHOWS that dominate tn
passes of the Pyrenees in winter.
We were informed by many officials
railway guards, custom house officers
Carlists, etc., that by crossing 80 mile
south we would pass the lines and &c
to a little town ON the railway wher
trains left frequently for Madrid. Th
Spaniards about the place would neve
have let US start out on that perilou
trip had it not been for the money Their
was in it. had secured at round pric
three century old bullock carts, and i
the afternoon of the second day we &C
of. had all the women and the sic
Portuguese in one cart, with the two otl
er carts ahead heaped with luggage
Thus there were eight bullocks, fou
mules and (unlucky number) ID me
engaged.
had very misty notions as to our de-
tination, but took it for granted I'll
bakers dozen Of natives I had with n
knew what they We're about. Snow w;
: everywhere, and we were mounting III
: up. up, On wheels, but I supposed Il
3 highest altitude was only four or Fl,
miles away, and that the down graz
{ would be easy until we reached son
snug inn where we would find shelf
e for man and beast Then an carly sta
, by daylight and our novel jaunt won
: come to an end in civilization and
b railway. But I did not know Spaniard
their country. the Pyrenees, or VIII
. Billiards can blow in sunny Spain.
y Myself and my servant Num- trudg'
4 ON alongside the cart with the wome
J, 1t took an hour to get out Of sight of L
J. fonda, and then we struck q fine, wi
i military road that wound in and aroul
the mountains, but always up and de
e in snow. Three, four o'clock came, al
4 still no sign Of the summit, but with t
70 road winding in and ont for null
i