They Stared At One Another,
And Then At Me, Till At Last A Young Man, Who Was Dangling A Long
Gun in his hands as he reclined, demanded of me what it was, at the
same time inquiring whether I
Was a Catalan, "for you speak
hoarse," said he, "and are tall and fair like that family." I sat
down amongst them and said that I was no Catalan, but that I came
from a spot in the Western Sea, many leagues distant, to sell that
book at half the price it cost; and that their souls' welfare
depended on their being acquainted with it. I then explained to
them the nature of the New Testament, and read to them the parable
of the Sower. They stared at each other again, but said that they
were poor, and could not buy books. I rose, mounted, and was going
away, saying to them: "Peace bide with you." Whereupon the young
man with the gun rose, and saying, "Caspita! this is odd," snatched
the book from my hand and gave me the price I had demanded.
Perhaps the whole world might be searched in vain for a spot whose
natural charms could rival those of this plain or valley of
Bembibre, as it is called, with its wall of mighty mountains, its
spreading chestnut trees, and its groves of oaks and willows, which
clothe the banks of its stream, a tributary to the Minho. True it
is, that when I passed through it, the candle of heaven was blazing
in full splendour, and everything lighted by its rays looked gay,
glad, and blessed.
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