“Strangers!” roared the fellow, who was by this time foaming with rage; “Innocent strangers, carracho! they know more of Spain and Galicia too than the whole of us.  Oh, Denho, that servant is no man but a wizard, a nuveiro.—­Where is Perico?”

He mounted Perico, and proceeded forthwith to another posada.  The tale, however, of his dishonesty had gone before him, and no person would house him; whereupon he returned on his steps, and seeing me looking out of the window of the house, he gave a savage shout, and shaking his fist at me, galloped out of the town, the people pursuing him with hootings and revilings.

CHAPTER XXXII

Martin of Rivadeo—­The Factious Mare—­Asturians—­Luarca—­The Seven Bellotas—­Hermits—­The Asturian’s Tale—­Strange Guests—­The Big Servant—­Batuschca

“What may your business be?” said I to a short, thick, merry-faced fellow in a velveteen jerkin and canvas pantaloons, who made his way into my apartment, in the dusk of the evening.

“I am Martin of Rivadeo, your worship,” replied the man, “an alquilador by profession; I am told that you want a horse for your journey into the Asturias to-morrow, and of course a guide:  now, if that be the case, I counsel you to hire myself and mare.”

“I am become tired of guides,” I replied; “so much so that I was thinking of purchasing a pony, and proceeding without any guide at all.  The last which we had was an infamous character.”

“So I have been told, your worship, and it was well for the bribon that I was not in Rivadeo when the affair to which you allude occurred.  But he was gone with the pony Perico before I came back, or I would have bled the fellow to a certainty with my knife.  He is a disgrace to the profession, which is one of the most honourable and ancient in the world.  Perico himself must have been ashamed of him, for Perico, though a pony, is a gentleman, one of many capacities, and well known upon the roads.  He is only inferior to my mare.”

“Are you well acquainted with the road to Oviedo?” I demanded.

“I am not, your worship; that is, no farther than Luarca, which is the first day’s journey.  I do not wish to deceive you, therefore let me go with you no farther than that place; though perhaps I might serve for the whole journey, for though I am unacquainted with the country, I have a tongue in my head, and nimble feet to run and ask questions.  I will, however, answer for myself no farther than Luarca, where you can please yourselves.  Your being strangers is what makes me wish to accompany you, for I like the conversation of strangers, from whom I am sure to gain information both entertaining and profitable.  I wish, moreover, to convince you that we guides of Galicia are not all thieves, which I am sure you will not suppose if you only permit me to accompany you as far as Luarca.”

I was so much struck with the fellow’s good humour and frankness, and more especially by the originality of character displayed in almost every sentence which he uttered, that I readily engaged him to guide us to Luarca; whereupon he left me, promising to be ready with his mare at eight next morning.