Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-11-14
lppy. For were they not sheltered,

happy. For were they not sheltered,
with plenty of food and high wages, all
out of the pocket Of the great lord the
Virgin herself must have sent to them:
In fact, they We're winning from me
what 10 them was fortune. was pay
ing each man 81 day and 50 for each
team and cart.
All day long the blizzard blew. 1t
was a novel situation, and how | should
have enjoyed it had l only possessed
that greatest of all blessings-a good
consciencel As it was, was IL misery
and could find no peace, not even in my
W.. niles and evident content TO be
anywhc4v .... 80
At 5 O'CLOCK ~ hands up and
breakfast under VIZ. s1 the
drivers and hangers on 10 A..,o ,--o
teams hitched up and ready at day
break. They all ate breakfast heartily
enough, but were not Jealous about
starting out. They made all sorts Of
pretexts and excuses TO avoid leaving
their comfortable quarters. Certainly
the road was not an inviting prospect,
there being quite 1S inches Of snow, but
l was determined to start one way or
the other, either south with the party
or north alone. After long argument
they, thinking they had me at their
mercy, refused TO hitch up the cattle to
make the attempt delivered a speech
to my lucky -unlucky l3, telling them
in the best way l could that l was go
ing in order to deliver them all over to
tho vengeance of the military chief Of
the district; that l should accuse them
as robbers and thieves and that they
might look for anguish that would
wiring their hearts and souls.
They were greatly moved, and, pull
ing out my watch, informed them by
pantomime and bad Spanish that if they
got the teams in harness and the lug
gage all packed on the carts i'll 90 min
utes l would take them into my favor
and resume our journey southward.
Spaniards are proverbially slow. But
these Spaniards We're not slow this time,
and a very few minutes saw Us all once
more mounted on our cart, with the two
baggage carts following, and on our
rocky way southwark.
We passed during the day military
post and several squads of armed men.
Poor fellows, they We're wretchedly
equipped, so far as garments went.
They all examined rs curiously, but did
not offer to stop or question Us, while |
marched on ahead Of the cavalcade like
a drum major, giving the military sa-
lutte to each party we passed. l ought
to have been fatigued, but l was not.
After about miles of uphill work we
began to descend The road was a mas
terpiece of engineering, and well it
might be, for it was one of five mill
tary roads the great Napoleon ordered
to be constructed across the Pyrenees,
and it was done in a thoroughly work
manlike manner. 1t wound i'll and out
and along defiles of stern beauty.
We halted for rest and refreshment at
noon and again at O. clock for an hour.
At the last place we found some Carlist
officers, one a young Englishman, who
was a good fellow and most attentive.
He was an aid-de-camp ON Don Car
los staff. He told me there was no
chance of his side winning, but he was
in it for the fun of the thing and III
hope to see some fighting. He had taken
part in number of skirmishes and was
by no means satisfied yet. He volun-
teered to escort Us through the lines
and was evidently more than pleased TO
meet an English lady in the person OF
my wife.
1t was beautiful to see him order
about my muleteers and bully them up
hill and down dale, not hesitating to
use his whip on them. About O'Clock
we started off in great shape, having
some 20 miles to go to the little town
on the railway south of the Pyrenees.
We had two lanterns and lumber of
torches. 1t was picturesque caravan
in the darkness. The young officer rode
beside the first cart, conversing with my
wife, while 1 walked in the rear. We
had reason to congratulate ourselves
over our escort, he being a brave and
brilliant fellow and evidently person
of Importance He little thought whom
he was escorting. was pleased ON my
wife's account, as he was company for
her, and altogether she thoroughly en-
joyed the novelty of the whole situa-
tion.
Another mile and our escort had to
leave us, but the town, standing dark
against the snow, was in plain view.
By his advice | went ahead on foot with
two men i'll case any of "the enemy
were prowling around, but found none
until we arrived in the town. Then 4
scene of great excitement to the towns
people arose.
We were examined and cross exam
ined and our statements taken down in
writing and sworn to by all hands. In
the meantime ! had made beds for our
sick man and the ladies i'll the waiting
room of the station, and about , O'Clock
1 went to sleep. The station was forti-
fed and full of soldiers, but did not
care, being told the Madrid train would
start at daylight; if so, l would be III
time for Ell Rey Felipe, and would be
sailing out of Cadiz harbor ON Monday
over the blue water, westward no!
After a two hours nap l was up,
paid off my lucky 13, giving them a
present in addition to their due, with a
written paper certifying that they We're
honest and brave and had delivered me
and mine in safety.
The weather continued very cold, and
when the train, consisting of two pas
senger and one baggage cars, arrived we
found there were no heating arrange
ments, and we shivered at the thought
of an all days ride without fire or heat
across that windy plain. l determined
to have a compartment to ourselves, for
nv wife and I had not had a moments S
privacy since the smashup of the train.
So we fixed up a bed on the floor OF a
compartment for our sick man and then
1 put his family in to look out for him.
When the train left we found ourselves,
very much to our satisfaction, alone.
had telegraphed ahead to Burgos to have
hot water cases, then the only mode OF
heating cars in Europe, ready on our
arrival
The engineer of our train was an
Englishman As it was so important
that l should not be delayed gave him
q sovereign and his stoker another and
asked him as favor to make time He
said he would and kept his word. But,
arriving at Burgos, we found that the
train from Santander going south was
two hours late, so my wife and / start
ed out to see the famous town.
At Burgos / tried to get an English
paper, but none was to be had, and no
one there had ever seen one.