I expended all I was worth in masses for his soul, and was once more thrown upon the world to seek a livelihood.
I thought of applying to the —— to procure me some employment, but learnt that he too had closed his mortal career. The fever had given such a shock to my constitution, that old age, I may say, came suddenly upon me, and to gain a livelihood by hard labour was out of the question. I had no relations; my friends were all new; so that I had no claims on any one: my present occupation presented itself, as the only one I was fit for; and, thank God, it enables me to earn my bread without begging, and even to lay by a little store for pious purposes:—for much of my time is devoted to the performance of penances and austerities, to expiate the sins of my past life. Thrice, on my knees, have I ascended to the Ermita you see there peeping through the clouds gathered round the peaks of the Sierra Morena. Once, too, have I walked barefoot to prostrate myself before the Santa faz[150] of Jaen; and this winter (God willing!) I purpose visiting the most holy shrine of Sant’ Iago de Compostela.
It is a long journey, and will, probably, be my last pilgrimage, for I feel myself sinking fast.
You have now had the history of my whole life, Don Carlos—I wish it could be published. It might, probably, warn my fellow-creatures to rest contented with the lot to which it has pleased God to call them; and, if so, I may have lived to some purpose.
CHAPTER XIII.
UNFORESEEN DIFFICULTIES IN PROCEEDING TO MADRID—DEATH OF KING FERDINAND—CHANGE IN OUR PLANS—ROAD TO ANDUJAR—ALCOLEA—MONTORO—PORCUNA—ANDUJAR—ARJONA—TORRE XIMENO—DIFFICULTY OF GAINING ADMISSION—SUCCESS OF A STRATAGEM—CONSTERNATION OF THE AUTHORITIES—SPANISH ADHERENCE TO FORMS—CONTRASTS—JAEN—DESCRIPTION OF THE CASTLE, CITY, AND CATHEDRAL—LA SANTA FAZ—ROAD TO GRANADA—OUR KNIGHTLY ATTENDANT—PARADOR DE SAN RAFAEL—HOSPITABLE FARMER—ASTONISHMENT OF THE NATIVES—GRANADA—EL SOTO DE ROMA—LOJA—VENTA DE DORNEJO—COLMENAR—FINE SCENERY—ROAD FROM MALAGA TO ANTEQUERA, AND DESCRIPTION OF THAT CITY.
I FOUND Cordoba the same dull, sultry, loyal city as at the period of my former visit; after devoting a day, therefore, to the incomparable Mezquita, we repaired to the police office to redeem our passports, and have them visé for Madrid, purposing to proceed to the capital by Diligence. We there learnt, however, that our route from Gibraltar, having passed near the district wherein the cholera had appeared, the public safety demanded that our journey should be continued on horseback, and, moreover, that each day’s ride should not exceed eight leagues!
The prospect of a fortnight’s baking on the parched plains of La Mancha and Castile, which this preposterous precaution held out, was, of itself, enough to make any one crusty; but the additional vexation of finding that all our precautions had been unavailing, all our information erroneous, made us return to the posada, thoroughly out of humour with Las Cosas de España. Our landlord comforted us, however, by engaging—if we would but wait patiently for a few days, and leave the business entirely in his hands—to get matters arranged so that we might yet proceed on to Madrid by the diligence; and, knowing the wheels within wheels by which Spanish affairs of state are put in motion, we willingly came to this compromise, and remained quietly paying him for our breakfasts and dinners during the best part of a week, receiving each day renewed assurances that every thing was proceeding “corriente.”
The second day after our arrival at Cordoba, the inhabitants were moved to an unusual degree of excitement, in consequence of an estafette having passed through the city during the night, bearing despatches from Madrid to the Captain General of the Province, and rumours were afloat that the king was so seriously ill as to occasion great fears for his life; and, on the following day, public anxiety was yet further excited by a report that the Captain General had passed through Cordoba on his way to the capital; leading to the general belief that Ferdinand was actually dead.
In the evening our host came to us with a very long face, and informed us, confidentially, that such was the case, though, for political reasons, it had been deemed prudent not to make the melancholy news public; adding, that, in consequence of this unforeseen and unfortunate event, he regretted to say the authorities had been seized with such a panic, that he had altogether failed in his endeavour to have the stain effaced from our bill of health. Nevertheless, he said, he hoped yet to be able to arrange matters so as to ensure our being received into the diligence, without any questions being asked at Andujar, if we would but remain quietly where we were for a few days longer, and then proceed to that place on horseback.