Throughout The Journey We Had Been
Considerably Delayed By The Badness Of Our Horses, Especially That
Of My Attendant, Which
Appeared to pay no regard to whip or spur;
his rider also was no horseman, it being thirty years, as
He at
length confessed to me, since he last mounted in a saddle. Horses
soon become aware of the powers of their riders, and the brute in
question was disposed to take great advantage of the fears and
weakness of the old man. There is a remedy, however, for most
things in this world. I became so wearied at last at the snail's
pace at which we were proceeding, that I fastened the bridle of the
sluggish horse to the crupper of mine, then sparing neither spur
nor cudgel, I soon forced my own horse into a kind of trot, which
compelled the other to make some use of his legs. He twice
attempted to fling himself down, to the great terror of his aged
rider, who frequently entreated me to stop and permit him to
dismount. I, however, took no notice of what he said, but
continued spurring and cudgelling with unabated activity, and with
such success, that in less than half an hour we saw lights close
before us, and presently came to a river and a bridge, which
crossing, we found ourselves at the gate of Cordova, without having
broken either our horses' knees or our own necks.
We passed through the entire length of the town ere we reached the
posada; the streets were dark and almost entirely deserted.
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