The Mysteries of the Court of London, Vol. 5 — page 396: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

y = REDON ses ee ee eee 383 “ Having restocbas long as I dared, I pursued He.wore a moustache, but neitier beard wor my way again. 1 bad purposcly stricken out of the | whiskers, aud thus appeare.l even younger than be main toad, and was plunging deeper and deeper] really was. Ho was dressed in tho picturesque in o the wilds and fastnesses of Catalonia. “I had | Catalan costume, and carried a rifla in sis hand. read of the gencrousglisposition and higt-minded Pris belt was furnished with pistols and dazyers; anil ‘nature of the Catalans—and resolved, when morn- | by his aiJe hung a straight sword of isninense length. -ing dawned, and [ Rad travelled far enough to be! He might eitscr have been a guerilla or a bandit beyond the reach of pursuit, to stop at some cottage ' chief--£ knew not which at the moment: but [ and ask for food and sheltpr: for I had a little: strougly suspected the latter. money in my pocket, which $ had received from i “TY imust here observe that this was the middle cf Mrs. Koight. My spirits did not, flag: indeed ; September, 1839; and the Carlist war wad just con- there was something wilily romantic and exhila- , cluded. Dun Carlos had passed with the bulk of rating in this joutaey, amidst the bold and oériking : his army into Franco: bat Cabrera, one of his scenery which the powerful effulzonee of moon and : most fainous generals, still continued in S)vin at stars brought out in strong relict. It must not be the head of a large body of troops. He was nut THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. mi "ea. "2 5 ein Oe. RN Aa Nr RN ne however thought that [° was indifferent to the gus- picion of giult in respect to the gewels, which woula be naturally confirm:d by tay precipitate flight: but | T resolve, so svon as FE shoudl hive an opportunity, however at thatine in Catalonia ~but T believe in the Basque Provinces; while Catalunia itaeif hac, becSme almugt completely pacified. Tie Catalon whan I have deseribed, aud whom T[ thus encuan- fu write a lotter containing the requisite cxplypa- | tered at sunrise in the midat of his own narive tious to Mrs. Kiunght, showing the infamous conduct of her son and how L had ffed as the ogly alterna. tive to escape » prison. . wilds, stood gazing upon me for upwards of a minute in speeehless astonishment. And oe won- der that such should have been his fe-ling; tor i ® “I pressed courageously forward, stopping every doubtic’s appeared to hint like a perwn druppec now and then to sit down upon a stone or a bank, ; fn the clouds in that lonely region. Bat Gienued but gallantly battling ayainst increasing fatiurue. Thus 1 continued my way till moening dawned; anil now I was in the ratdst of afl the eharicteristie scenery vf the immense principality of Catalonia. Barren rocks and fertile vulleys—groves of cork trees —cascades and torrentg—liinpid streamlets aral roaring waterfalls—these were the principal feu- tures which aature presonsed to my view. When the sdo was rising ever the oriont hills, 1 sat down with his luvk of surprise Waa an expression of mi- Miration: and suspecting that I was nota Sooisua sts wou, he at length addgeysed me in the French tenvue. He spoke with mildness and cuurtess, asking ino whether 1 had not list my way, aud whether he could be of any assistance to me?) replie? frankly that IT had wandered tho whule night—thnt I was exhausted with fatizue and fainished with Gunger—and that DT required bot. upon the slope of an eminence, now no lunger’able | repose and vefreshinent. gWithout asking an- to combat against the sens: of Riuligue. A siniling | other question, he courteously Invited mo to aceon. valley, intersected with a rivulct, spread itself out at | pany him, assuring moe of kiud treatment. [ showed my fect; and behind me tht wild barren hls rose in { by my looks aud manner that L put confidence in aimphitheatrical grandeur. Nota habitagion was to! bim; and he led the way up the eminence, until wi: be seen. 1 add frequently sinked my thiggt during ! reached a winding path which descended somewiut the night's wanderings; for there bad been uo lack | precipitately between two walls of reek, which grew of aprings and rivulets in ghe path whieh I bad pur- | higher and Ingher in proportion as we went lower pucd: but Ll was now tortured with the gnawing and lower, @he path continued its tortuous Wu oanvs of hunger—and the dgead apprekension beran | almost completely round the hill, until it reached a to creep shudderingly over me, that it was possible | valley on the opposite side; and there I Debeld a fur ine to starve amidst these Catdonian wilds, My | little encampment, consisting of, half-a-gozeh tents hope that ] should reach sume hospitable cottaye, | piiched upon the hank of a streamlet, A lire Wibs appeared to be disappointed; and I felt that I must burning in the open alr, and over it a cauldron was rest some hours befure I could resume my wander. | suspended in the true gipsy fashion. A dozen men, ings with ease or speed. While 1 was thus giving { dressed anf armed in a manner similar to the indi- way to the disagreeable reflections tha? began ty | vidual who was puidiaz me thither, were lounging steal uver’me, I heatd footsteps suddenly approach. | about, most of them smoking; ung four or five ing frum behind, and starting up, I beheld a fivure | women, in the picturesque Catalan att&e, added thit ZL must describe. It was that of a man at| to the intrest of the scene. Theso women were least six ‘vet high, symuuctrically bet strongly | young and beawifal: the men werc all tine athl tie built, his form being ghko muscular and clegant | fellows, and the age of none appeared to exceed He appeareg to be abvut thirty years of age, and | furty. 1 immediately beeame the object of curiosity was perhaps one of the handsumest men I Mad | and attention on the part of.these persons: But the ever seen in my whole life. ILis complexion, uatur- | curivsity partook not of rudeness, while the atten- aliy of Spanish awarthiness, was more deeply | tion was courteous and kind. TwWo of tho youns, bronged by exposure to the scorching sun; but it | women spoke French; and thus 1 was enabled to had an olive clearness through which tho warm | understand what they said. I may here at once obh- blood could, mantle upoy that fiue cotntonance. | serve—what I did uot discover tili later in the day Bis eyes were dark, but full of fre—looking like jet | —that the individual who had brdught me thither, that buras without losing its sable hue. His fea. | was the chief of this band, and was styled Don tures were of the purely Grecian cast :.and gis teoth | Diego Christuval; but what the occupations of the were truly splendid. His long bluck Uair, the Jeust | band itself were, I did not so speedily ascertain. thing cuarsep—but glossy and curling naturally, and | Dun Christoval bade the women bustlo ubcut. and @f remarkable luzuriance—{ell upcn his shuuldera | supply me with refresimcuts. I was introduced | | | COMIC OOOKS. COR