All this time I had seen nothing of our own coachman, and I fully
expected that he had abandoned us altogether.
In a few minutes I
saw him staggering up the street in a state of intoxication,
attempting to sing the Marseillois hymn. I said nothing to him,
but sat observing him. He stood for some time staring at the mules
and talking incoherent nonsense in French. At last he said, "I am
not so drunk but I can ride," and proceeded to lead his mules
towards the gate. When out of the town he made several ineffectual
attempts to mount the smallest mule which bore the saddle; he at
length succeeded, and instantly commenced spurring at a furious
rate down the road. We arrived at a place where a narrow rocky
path branched off, by taking which we should avoid a considerable
circuit round the city wall, which otherwise it would be necessary
to make before we could reach the road to Lisbon, which lay at the
north-east; he now said, "I shall take this path, for by so doing
we shall overtake the family in a minute"; so into the path we
went; it was scarcely wide enough to admit the carriage, and
exceedingly steep and broken; we proceeded; ascending and
descending, the wheels cracked, and the motion was so violent that
we were in danger of being cast out as from a sling. I saw that if
we remained in the carriage it must be broken in pieces, as our
weight must insure its destruction. I called to him in Portuguese
to stop, but he flogged and spurred the beasts the more. My man
now entreated me for God's sake to speak to him in French, for, if
anything would pacify him, that would. I did so, and entreated him
to let us dismount and walk, till we had cleared this dangerous
way. The result justified Antonio's anticipation. He instantly
stopped and said, "Sir, you are master, you have only to command
and I shall obey." We dismounted and walked on till we reached the
great road, when we once more seated ourselves.
The family were about a quarter of a mile in advance, and we were
no sooner reseated, than he lashed the mules into full gallop for
the purpose of overtaking it; his cloak had fallen from his
shoulder, and, in endeavouring to readjust it, he dropped the
string from his hand by which he guided the large mule, it became
entangled in the legs of the poor animal, which fell heavily on its
neck, it struggled for a moment, and then lay stretched across the
way, the shafts over its body. I was pitched forward into the
dirt, and the drunken driver fell upon the murdered mule.
I was in a great rage, and cried, "You drunken renegade, who are
ashamed to speak the language of your own country, you have broken
the staff of your existence, and may now starve." "Paciencia,"
said he, and began kicking the head of the mule, in order to make
it rise; but I pushed him down, and taking his knife, which had
fallen from his pocket, cut the bands by which it was attached to
the carriage, but life had fled, and the film of death had begun to
cover its eyes.
The fellow, in the recklessness of intoxication, seemed at first
disposed to make light of his loss, saying, "The mule is dead, it
was God's will that she should die, what more can be said?
Paciencia." Meanwhile, I despatched Antonio to the town for the
purpose of hiring mules, and, having taken my baggage from the
chaise, waited on the roadside until he should arrive.
The fumes of the liquor began now to depart from the fellow's
brain; he clasped his hands and exclaimed, "Blessed Virgin, what is
to become of me? How am I to support myself? Where am I to get
another mule! For my mule, my best mule is dead, she fell upon the
road, and died of a sudden! I have been in France, and in other
countries, and have seen beasts of all kinds, but such a mule as
that I have never seen; but she is dead - my mule is dead - she fell
upon the road and died of a sudden!" He continued in this strain
for a considerable time, and the burden of his lamentation was
always, "My mule is dead, she fell upon the road, and died of a
sudden." At length he took the collar from the creature's neck,
and put it upon the other, which with some difficulty he placed in
the shafts.
A beautiful boy of about thirteen now came from the direction of
the town, running along the road with the velocity of a hare: he
stopped before the dead mule and burst into tears: it was the
man's son, who had heard of the accident from Antonio. This was
too much for the poor fellow: he ran up to the boy, and said,
"Don't cry, our bread is gone, but it is God's will; the mule is
dead!" He then flung himself on the ground, uttering fearful
cries. "I could have borne my loss," said he, "but when I saw my
child cry, I became a fool." I gave him two or three crowns, and
added some words of comfort; assuring him I had no doubt that, if
he abandoned drink, the Almighty God would take compassion on him
and repair his loss. At length he became more composed, and
placing my baggage in the chaise, we returned to the town, where I
found two excellent riding mules awaiting my arrival at the inn. I
did not see the Spanish woman, or I should have told her of the
little efficacy of rosemary in this instance.
I have known several drunkards amongst the Portuguese, but, without
one exception, they have been individuals who, having travelled
abroad, like this fellow, have returned with a contempt for their
own country, and polluted with the worst vices of the lands which
they have visited.
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