San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-09-01

Upon which the don, stopping his
mule at the risk of being cast down the
abyss, turns in his saddle, and says:
Fellow, Don Lopez is Spaniard,
Castilian of noble BIRTH But here
his mule, deciding that this was no fit
place for halting, bundled onward at a
trot to overtake the guides, and obliged
his rider to turn his attention to other
matters.
BY the look of the sun it must be
about in the afternoon when, round
ing great bluff of rock, we came upon
kind of tableland which commanded a
wide view of the plain below, most
dazzling to our eyes after the gloomy
recesses of the pass, and here we found
trees growing and some rude attempt at
cultivation, but all very poor and stunt
ed, being still very high and exposed to
the bleak winds issuing from the gorges.
Our guides, throwing themselves on
the ground, repaired once more to their
store of onions, and we, nothing loath
to follow their example, opened our
saddlebags, and with our cold meat
and the hogskin of wine made another
good repast and very merry. And the
don, falling into discourse with the
guides, pointed out to us little white
patch on the plain below, told us that
was Ravellos, where we should find one
of the best posadas in the world, which
added to our satisfaction. But" says
he, It's yet four hours march ere we
reach it, so we had best be packing
quickly"
Thereupon we finished our meal in
haste, the guides still lying ON the
ground eating onions, and when we
were prepared to start they still lay
there and would not bulge. On this en-
sued another discussion, very indignant
and passionate on the part of Don San
chez, and as cool and phlegmatic ON the
side of the guides, the upshot of which
was, as we learned from the don, that
these rascals maintained they had full
filed their bargain in bringing US over
into Spain, but as to carrying us to RAJ
vellos, they would by no means do that
without the permission of their padr0he,
who was one of those they had whiStled
to from our last halting place. and
whom they were now staying for.
Then, beginning to quake a bit at the
strangenesS of this treatment. we looked
about us to see if we might venture to
continue our journey alone. But, Lord,
one might as easily have found a needle
in bundle of hay as a path amid this
labyrinth of rocks and horrid assures
that environed us, and this was so OBJ
vious that the guides, though not yet
paid for their service, made no attempt
to follow or to stay, as knowing full
well we must come back in despair. So
there was no choice but to wait the
coming up of the padrone, the don
standing with his legs astride and his
arms folded, with very storm of pas
sion in his face, in readiness to confront
the tardy padrOne with his reproaches
for this delay and the affront offered to
himself, we casting our eye longingly
down at Ravellos, and the guides ST.
lently munching their onions. Thus we
waited until, the fine ear of our guides
catching sound, they rose to their feet,
muttering the word "padrone, and
pulled off their hats as two men, mounted
on mules tricked out like our own,
came round the corner and pulled up
before u.s. But what was our surprise
to see that the foremost of these fell
lows was none other than the Don Lo-
PEI de Calvados we had entertained to
supper the night before, and of whose
noble family Don Sanchez had been
prating so highly, and not thread bet
ter dressed than when we saw him last
and full as dirty. That which gave us
most uneasiness, however, was to OBJ
serve that each of these friends" car
ried an ugly kind of musket slung across
his back and a most unpleasant long
sheath knife in his waistcloth.
Not a word says our Don Sanchez, but
feigning still to believe him man of
quality he returns the other don s salu-
tation with all the ceremony possible
Then Don Lopez, smiling from ear to
ear, begs us, as 1 learned afterward, to
pardon him for keeping rs waiting,
which had not happened, he assures us,
if we had not suffered him to oversleep
himself. He then informs us that we
are now upon his domain and begs us
to accept such hospitality as his CASTILLO
will furnish in return for our entertain
ment of last night.
To this Don Sanchez replies with
thousand thanks that we are anxious to
reach Ravellos before nightfall, and
that, therefore, we will be going at
once if it is all the same to him With
more bowling and scraping, Don Lopez
amiably but firmly declines to accept
any refusal of his offer or to talk of
business before his debt of gratitude is
paid. With that he gives a sign to our
guides, who at once lead off our mules
at brisk trot, leaving us to follow on
foot with Don Lopez and his companion,
whom he introduces as Don Ruy del
Puerto-as arrant cutthroat rascal to
look at as ever clapped eyes on.