62

SHEWING THE LIONS.

Landport Guard, Tuesday, December 12th.

I AM here doing penance for my sins, that is, making up guards which I missed whilst on the sick list; for that abominable system prevails here, and a poor devil, after being physicked to a skeleton, no sooner escapes from the doctor's hands, than he is worried to death by incessant duties to make up his leeway. No one can form an idea of the sickening sensation with which he sees his name in orders, particularly if he has a long arrear of debts to discharge. When an officer goes on leave, it is quite another thing; then he goes for his own convenience or amusement, and cannot grumble at making up duties that have been performed for him by others. I was particularly disgusted at being stuck on guard on this occasion; it is one of our hunting days, and I had full leisure to envy the red-coated gentry, as they passed my post this morning to meet the hounds. It has been raining the whole day, and they all returned rather the worse for mud, tumbles, and wet, but had a splendid run after a deer.

I spent last Sunday at St. Roque, with a brother officer, shewing him the lions, which his duties as adjutant had hitherto prevented him from seeing, and begin to be a capital cicerone, and as, with the exception of Major G- (who is an old peninsular man,) I am the only one of us who can speak the Spanish language; my services are therefore rather in request. St. Roque is on rather a high hill, about five or six miles from the Rock. It was built, I believe, when Gibraltar was taken from the Spaniards by those who did not choose to remain under the English dominion, and to this day they call themselves" inhabitants of Gibraltar and St. Roque." Lieutenant Lacy and I, after seeing the church, went to the prison, and were astonished at the number it contained-thirtyfour culprits fourteen of whom were confined on a charge of murder. They are all miserablelooking objects, and were very clamorous for us to give them something, at the same time protruding their hands through the double gratings of the windows. We were both moved into rather the pathetic mood at seeing

a very beautiful girl feeding one of the prisoners through the grating, probably her father, and, perhaps, under sentence of death. Our attention was, however, shortly taken off by a fine wolf, chained up in the yard, and for which I tried to strike a bargain with the gaoler, for the purpose of giving him a little exercise before the hounds.

CASTELLAR.

65

CHAPTER VIII.

Expedition to Castellar-Costume and arms on the occasion-Fishermen on the beach-Campamiento --- Inscription on the San Roque road—The contrabandista-Courtesy of Spaniards of the lower orders -Spanish roads - General Don-Cork woodScenery-Swine and swineherds-A juvenile guide -Shot at an eagle-The Castle of Castellar-The Posada View from the Castle walls-The Comida -Monsieur Jean.

Landport Guard, 21st Dec. 1837, 11 P.M. CASTELLAR is an old Moorish tower, surrounded by a small town, and perched on a high rock forming part of a range of hills about eighteen miles from Gibraltar, and the property of the Marquis of Moscoso, whose usual residence is, however, at Cadiz; he sel

dom visits his "mountain fastness," except for a few weeks during the summer heats.

Lieutenant Bremner, an old Indian brothersportsman, and myself, made a start from the "Rock" one morning, as soon as the lowered drawbridge enabled us to effect our escape. We were in our usual "shekaree"* costume, the fowling-piece slung over the shoulder, but with the addition of a brace of loaded pistols in our holsters, and a large knife in the girdle; for here, in these troublous times, more respect is frequently paid to these little implements than to person.

Following the windings of the beach, and occasionally stopped for a moment by the ropes of the fishermen hauling in their nets, we turned up the San Roque road, passed the dirty little village of Campamiento, where even the noisy curs were still slumbering; read, a little further on, the inscription on a small pillar marking the spot where, during the guerra d'independencia," a single Spanish soldier had fallen, after putting to death or to

* Hindu for "sporting."