I wish

*

San

"Then," replied el loco, "our road lies partly the same way. to show my friend here, who has just arrived at the Plaza, Roque, the Almoraïma, and La Venta del Aqualcahijo." "Or, do you wish," asked José, with a knowing wink, "to present him either to Dolores or La Paquita?"

"Don Guilielmo," continued he, addressing himself to me, and pointing at S, "es un demonio con las muchachas-a terrible fellow amongst the girls."

"Pero, however," continued he, in rather an admonitory, though most friendly tone, but pointing very significantly to the folds of his broad sash, where, no doubt, slumbered his formidable clasp-knife, "be careful how you proceed in that quarter. Dolores has many admirers, confesses to a sturdy young friar, and moreover, those carboneros are dangerous fellows-more so when set on by a priest; nor have they yet forgotten that unpleasant business which occurred last year at the Venta del Aqualcahijo, where we are now going."

"No tenga usted cuidad—never you mind," replied my friend, very good-humouredly, though evidently rather "taken aback." "My companion here shall taste a little of Juanita's gaspacho at the venta; and I'll treat you all to either seco or dulce. We will return by the Almoraïma, and beat up the quarters of the old padre, Don Juan."

"Y de Dolores tambian," whispered, sotto-voce, José Alvarez, as he took the proffered cigar, offered in token of friendship by the loco.

I might here attempt at length to describe what I then witnessed, during one of the most interesting excursions I was ever so fortunate as to take. The "Spanish Lines," with all their historic associations of old Elliott and the "great siege;" the dirty little village of Campamiento, with its long straggling street and innumerable dirty children and barking curs; the classic ruins of Carteïa, with its few Phoenician remains, hidden under the poor fishermen's drying nets; the pretty little town of San Roque, surrounded by its hedges of aloe and cactus, its white buildings crowning the conically-shaped height, on which it so conspicuously stands, and glistening brightly in the bright sunshine of early spring; the "darksome horrors" of the "Pinales," or wood of pines; the romantic defile beyond, known in the garrison as the "Pass of Aberfoil;" the distant glimpses of the old Moorish turrets of Castellar, occasionally caught through the gnarled trunks and branches, and fantastic liannes and creepers of the venerable old Cork forest, whose shady depths we next explored still in company with our brigand-looking troop; but all these, then to me, novel and interesting objects, however slightly sketched, would extend the limits of the present article, and test the reader's patience beyond all reasonable bounds.

• Gibraltar is generally thus called by the Spaniards.

"SIX UPON FOUR."

It was a bitter morning when we reached Portsmouth Point. As the rime or mist fell it froze, rendering the footing insecure, so that the sailors and others carrying loads to the crowd of boats encumbering the strand, slipped about and frequently fell; sometimes unavoidably pitching their burthens into the water, just as they had stepped upon the plank forming a treacherous bridge from the shore to the boat.

Our boatmen were ready, and we embarked instantly. The sleet and snow fell thickly, the breeze was strong, the sea heavy, the cold intense, and our feet and hands became benumbed from our motionless position in the stern-sheets.

As we neared the fleet, we perceived that each vessel had the foresail loose, and blue-Peter hoisted at the main, as signals for sailing, and for all persons belonging to the ships to repair on board forthwith. BluePeter is a blue flag with a white square in its centre. The commodore's ship, which was a first-rate man-of-war, had a triangular yellow flag at the fore-topmast head, in addition to Blue-Peter at the main.

At length we got alongside of our vessel. She was pitching a good deal in the heavy sea, the frozen snow being upon her yards and rigging, and her sides were like glass; so that with our benumbed hands and feet we had rather a difficult task to climb up. We bade adieu to our zealous boatmen-whom we had paid beforehand-and walking aft, we encountered the master (or captain, as he was called by courtesy) on the quarter-deck.

"Just in time, gentlemen," he said, as we saluted him; and, presently, a gun was fired from the commodore's ship, and, at the same time, a signal was displayed, and repeated by the other men-of-war which were to accompany the convoy. We hoisted the answering pennant, and instantly obeyed the signal, which was to get under weigh.

How hard the sailors wrought at the windlass! How they leapt upon it, and then hanging with all their weight and force upon their handspikes, brought them down to the deck, whilst the stout cable twined gradually round the windlass! The anchor was got up in a short time, the sails were loosed, and all was bustle on deck and in the snow-coated rigging. Wrapped up in my cloak, I was, after pacing the quarter-deck for some little time, leaning over the taffrail watching the gradual movement of the vessel, as the sails began to draw, and my mind occupied with a variety of tender, or, as they might be termed by some, sentimental reflections, about my native land, home, and friends, when I was suddenly shoved on one side by a most un-romantic seaman, who unhitched a large coil of rope from a sort of peg affixed to the said taffrail, and flung it down flat upon my toes, saying, as I sprang up, rather sharply,By your leave, sir."

I thought he might as well have asked my leave before throwing the coil on my feet; but a moment's reflection convinced me that on board ship, and, indeed, everywhere else, promptness in the performance of duty is the main point; and that we cannot expect compliments, or ceremony, if we happen to be in people's way.

The deck was in great confusion, as is usual when a vessel is just

leaving the port. The wind and sleet continued to blow and pelt, so I made the best of my way to the cabin, where I was good-naturedly welcomed by my fellow-passengers, who had just sat down to breakfast. Room was made for the two ci-devant absentees; and the second breakfast duly discussed and enjoyed by me. It was a merry meal; and brought the whole party at once into pleasant intimacy.

"How does your purse stand?" said one, archly, to me. "Rather low," said I.

"I should think so. Portsmouth 's an expensive place. However, you've had an opportunity of studying fortification and gunnery by your visits to the ramparts and the platform. This may be useful, you know, by and by."

And so we went on joking together, until we were interrupted by a jarring of the tea-cups and saucers; they did not seem to be so amicably inclined towards each other as their owners were. We all hastened to the companion-ladder, and were soon on deck.

The fleet was all under weigh, and we kept our position nearly in the centre of it. We ran through the Needles, and then shaped our course down the English channel. The last land we saw was the Start Point, on the Devonshire coast, on the following evening at sunset. In the morning nothing was to be seen but sky, the sea, and the vessels sailing along. We had passed Ushant in the night, and were now at the mouth of the celebrated Bay of Biscay.

The weather was bleak and rough, but the wind had hitherto been fair, so that, although the majority of our party had suffered from seasickness, everybody was in good spirits, and we were calculating on arriving at Lisbon in four or five days more. I never was sea-sick in my life, though I have crossed the Atlantic several times; but I felt for my companions, who had been enduring all the distressing sensations of that wearing inconvenience, and my grand point for their consolation on my visits to the cabin-for I kept on deck a good deal-was, that we had a fair wind, and should soon be at the end of our passage.

But, about mid-day, the wind changed; it whisked round from the north-north-east to about south-west, which was dead against us. The yards were at once braced up sharp, and all the vessels were kept as close to the wind as possible. Signals were made by the commodore; our captain's printed instructions enabled him to interpret them; they were obeyed with alacrity, and we kept beating about, as best we could, in the thick, baffling, and boisterous weather.

However, our spirits were good; all soon recovered from the annoying effects of sea-sickness, and we made ourselves happy.

There were forty horses on board our ship, and as many men, belonging to a regiment of heavy dragoons. The main-hold was converted into a stable. It was planked over, so as to form a level footing for the horses, who were tied up in two rows of twenty each in front of the racks and mangers which had been fitted up for them. The hold was ventilated by means of what are called wind-sails, but the poor animals suffered a good deal. It was a long time before the docile creatures could get their sea-legs properly established. When the ship was in violent motion, it was painful to see the shifts they were put to; they kept their legs wide apart, in order to steady themselves, and they humoured the movements of the vessel, as it were, by bowing when she inclined in the direction of the side to which their heads were tied up, so as to

prevent their muzzles from being bruised. Poor horses! they, no doubt, suffered also from qualmishness, and they were far worse off than the animals of the human species embarked in the same vessel; for we could emerge from our hold, or cabin, and take exercise on deck, in the pure air, though sometimes it was difficult to keep our footing.

Well! we laughed at the foul wind, and amused ourselves by reading, writing our journals, learning to keep a reckoning of our daily progress, looking over our trunks, making exchanges with each other of different articles of dress, in cheerful conversation; talking over the probabilities of the Peninsular campaigns, and enjoying our meals. The sea-stock turned out to be excellent. We had red-herrings and eggs for breakfast every day, preserved milk for our tea, excellent butter, fine biscuit, &c. For the first few days we had fresh meat for dinner, but the legs of mutton and joints of beef, which were suspended over the stern, as well as the cabbages and other green vegetables, vanished by degrees. We were liberal to our servants, and had the captain to dine with us several times, on which occasions we had some extra dishes. Our party of officers consisted of eleven or twelve persons, so that our daily consumption was considerable. Great havoc was made in the hen-coops; we had roast and boiled fowls frequently on the dinner-table. But many of the feathered tribe fell sick and died. We did not spare our bottled porter either at luncheon or dinner, and our stock of excellent wine was freely resorted to. In short, to use the emphatic expression of one of our gay companions" we lived like fighting-cocks!"

But the wind continued foul, and the weather bad. At the end of ten days, upon taking stock, we found it woefully low; and, to make short of this part of my story, in a fortnight it was all gone, and, with dismay, we found ourselves reduced to the Government allowance of daily rations, which hitherto we had taken no account of, but had left them to strengthen the servant's mess.

We were at sea for three weeks after this time, and the weather was dreadful. There was a succession of heavy gales of wind, and we were in constant danger of being driven on a lea-shore, and wrecked.

The dead-lights, as the strong shutters of the cabin-windows are called, were firmly secured, so that we had no light in the cabin but from the grated skylight, which was very often covered over with its tarpauling case, for heavy seas were continually breaking over the quarter-deck, and, altogether, the aspect was gloomy. The fleet had unavoidably become dispersed during these heavy gales; now and then, only, we saw a vessel or two belonging to the convoy lying-to, like ourselves, or endeavouring to beat. With the helm lashed a-lee, and our top-gallant masts struck, we lay-to for several days, rolling and tossing about in the raging On deck, every one was obliged to hold-on to avoid being swept overboard, and in the cabin the footing was equally insecure. The cabin was large, but not sufficiently so to admit of commodious sleeping-berths for twelve passengers. Four temporary berths had been made on each side of the cabin, two hammocks were slung over the table-which was fixed to the floor by lashings to iron-staples-and two other compartments had been formed by lashing some portmanteaus as a sort of outwork to a lower berth on each side of the cabin.

sea.

One of the hammocks fell to my lot, the first night I slept on board. I had never slept in a hammock; and it was capital fun when, all the other officers being in their berths, excepting my schoolfellow, who under

took to instruct me as to the proper method of getting into the swinging bed-place, I plunged, as I thought, into it, but actually leaped over it, and fell flat upon the table. What a roar of laughter followed, from all parts of the cabin! I jumped up, and, though rather bruised, joined in the mirth; and making another effort, in a twinkling I succeeded, and swung about with great glee. But my worthy schoolfellow insisted upon occupying the hammock on the following night, and for the remainder of the voyage; and I took his place, in one of the portmanteauformed berths,the one of the same description on the opposite side of the cabin being occupied by a young medical officer, who had just passed his examination, and was going out on service for the first time.

There was a brass-stove in the cabin, with a shifting plate, which was moved up or down by means of a large brass knob, to prevent the cabin being filled with smoke when a fire was lighted.

It was the rule of the service, that the principal cabin of a transport was entirely appropriated to the accommodation of the military officers embarked on board. The master's cabin was a very small one, just outside the principal cabin-door. There was only room in it for a small table, lashed to the side; a sleeping-berth, a little cupboard, and a sort of rack for charts. It was lighted by a bull's-eye, let into the deck above.

The captain had a small green monkey, with a very long tail; it was generally allowed to go at large, and its odd ways were amusing enough. But more of the monkey anon.

We were reduced, I have said, for the remainder of the passage, to the Government allowance of rations, which were put on board from the victualling office at Portsmouth. They were navy rations, and were placed in charge of the master of the transport, and issued according to the regulation scale, by the ship's steward. The provisions for the masters of transports and their crews were quite distinct affairs; they were laid in by the owners of the vessels; the transports being hired by Government at so much a month, according to tonnage, build, and accommodations, including the keep of the crews.

Now, upon the theory that soldiers, when on board ship, belong to the passive class-that they have no labour to perform—the regulation is, that they have one-third less allowance of provisions than that of sailors, who have to work the ship. This regulation is termed, in the quaint parlance of seafaring folks, "six-upon-four;" because six soldiers are fed upon the same quantum of food as is allowed for four sailors. So we were, all at once, reduced from our former abundance, to the gnawing scale of "six-upon-four;" for, very properly, there is no difference between the ration of the soldier and that of his officer. There was nothing on board to be purchased, in the way of extras; and thus, whilst beating and tossing about in the boisterous Bay of Biscay, we had to pay a heavy penalty for our careless arrangements during the first fortnight of our voyage.

We had not one fine day, until within eight-and-forty hours of our arrival at Lisbon. Now and then the wind shifted a few points, and we flattered ourselves with the prospect of a favourable change; but it chopped violently round again to the old quarter, and we either kept tacking about, under very scanty canvas, or lay-to when the gales were at their height.

It now became necessary to have the rations drawn regularly, and to make the most of them, for the general good. Those rations were excellent in point of quality; and issued as they are to their full extent to