The carcelera had a fine voice, and touched the favourite instrument of the Spaniards in a truly masterly manner.  I remained listening to her performance for nearly an hour, when I retired to my apartment and my repose.  I believe that she continued playing and singing during the greater part of the night, for as I occasionally awoke I could still hear her; and, even in my slumbers, the strings were ringing in my ears.

CHAPTER XXII

Duenas—­Children of Egypt—­Jockeyism—­The Baggage Pony—­The Fall—­ Palencia—­Carlist Priests—­The Lookout—­Priestly Sincerity—­Leon—­ Antonio alarmed—­Heat and Dust.

After a sojourn of about ten days at Valladolid, we directed our course towards Leon.  We arrived about noon at Duenas, a town at the distance of six short leagues from Valladolid.  It is in every respect a singular place:  it stands on a rising ground, and directly above it towers a steep conical mountain of calcareous earth, crowned by a ruined castle.  Around Duenas are seen a multitude of caves scooped in the high banks and secured with strong doors.  These are cellars, in which is deposited the wine, of which abundance is grown in the neighbourhood, and which is chiefly sold to the Navarrese and the mountaineers of Santander, who arrive in cars drawn by oxen, and convey it away in large quantities.  We put up at a mean posada in the suburb for the purpose of refreshing our horses.  Several cavalry soldiers were quartered there, who instantly came forth, and began, with the eyes of connoisseurs, to inspect my Andalusian entero.  “A capital horse that would be for our troop,” said the corporal; “what a chest he has.  By what right do you travel with that horse, Senor, when so many are wanted for the Queen’s service?  He belongs to the requiso.”  “I travel with him by right of purchase, and being an Englishman,” I replied.  “Oh, your worship is an Englishman,” answered the corporal; “that, indeed, alters the matter; the English in Spain are allowed to do what they please with their own, which is more than the Spaniards are.  Cavalier, I have seen your countrymen in the Basque provinces; Vaya, what riders! what horses!  They do not fight badly either.  But their chief skill is in riding:  I have seen them dash over barrancos to get at the factious, who thought themselves quite secure, and then they would fall upon them on a sudden and kill them to a man.  In truth, your worship, this is a fine horse, I must look at his teeth.”

I looked at the corporal—­his nose and eyes were in the horse’s mouth:  the rest of the party, who might amount to six or seven, were not less busily engaged.  One was examining his forefeet, another his hind; one fellow was pulling at his tail with all his might, while another pinched the windpipe, for the purpose of discovering whether the animal was at all touched there.  At last perceiving that the corporal was about to remove the saddle that he might examine the back of the animal, I exclaimed:-