As they had
only one horse, they would be obliged to take it in turns to ride, or
procure a hammock, which it would be a difficult thing to get, and
attended with considerable expense.
In the mean time, the devoted old queen dowager engrossed the chief
part of their attention, although her doom was inevitably fixed, yet
her cheerfulness appeared rather to increase, and she seemed
determined to spin out her thread of life to its utmost limit; spies
were now set over her, and she was not permitted to go out of
the yard.
On Monday the 12th of April, the travellers had the customary visit
to their yard of a long line of women, who came every morning with
rueful countenances and streaming eyes to lament the approaching
death of the old widow. They wept, they beat their breast and tore
their hair; they moaned, and exhibited all manner of violent
affliction at the expected deprivation. Perhaps their sorrow was
sincere, perhaps it was feigned; at all events their lamentations
were ungovernable and outrageous; the first woman in the line begins
the cry, and is instantly followed by the other voices; the opening
notes of the lamentation were rather low and mournful, the last wild
and piercing.
