I was one day sauntering on the Caesodre, when a Jew, with whom I had previously exchanged a word or two, came up and addressed me.

Jew.—­The blessing of God upon you, brother; I know you to be a wise and powerful man, and I have conceived much regard for you; it is on that account that I wish to put you in the way of gaining much money.  Come with me, and I will conduct you to a place where there are forty chests of tea.  It is a sereka (a robbery), and the thieves are willing to dispose of it for a trifle, for there is search being made, and they are in much fear.  I can raise one half of what they demand, do you supply the other, we will then divide it, each shall go his own way and dispose of his portion.

Myself.—­Wherefore, O son of Arbat, do you propose this to me, who am a stranger?  Surely you are mad.  Have you not your own people about you whom you know, and in whom you can confide?

Jew.—­It is because I know our people here that I do not confide in them; we are in the galoot of sin.  Were I to confide in my brethren there would be a dispute, and perhaps they would rob me, and few of them have any money.  Were I to apply to the sabio he might consent, but when I ask for my portion he would put me in ndui!  You I do not fear; you are good and would do me no harm, unless I attempted to deceive you, and that I dare not do, for I know you are powerful.  Come with me, master, for I wish to gain something, that I may return to Arbat, where I have children . . .

Such are Jews in Lisbon.

CHAPTER VI

Cold of Portugal—­Extortion prevented—­Sensation of Loneliness—­The Dog—­The Convent—­Enchanting Landscape—­Moorish Fortresses—­Prayer for the Sick.

About a fortnight after my return from Evora, having made the necessary preparations, I set out on my journey for Badajoz, from which town I intended to take the diligence to Madrid.  Badajoz lies about a hundred miles distant from Lisbon, and is the principal frontier town of Spain in the direction of the Alemtejo.  To reach this place, it was necessary to retravel the road as far as Monte More, which I had already passed in my excursion to Evora; I had therefore very little pleasure to anticipate from novelty of scenery.  Moreover, in this journey I should be a solitary traveller, with no other companion than the muleteer, as it was my intention to take my servant no farther than Aldea Gallega, for which place I started at four in the afternoon.  Warned by former experience, I did not now embark in a small boat, but in one of the regular passage felouks, in which we reached Aldea Gallega, after a voyage of six hours; for the boat was heavy, there was no wind to propel it, and the crew were obliged to ply their huge oars the whole way.  In a word, this passage was the reverse of the first,—­ safe in every respect,—­but so sluggish and tiresome, that I a hundred times wished