The Tagus and the Tiber
by William Edward Baxter (9781458983701)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. DEPARTURE FOR TORRES VEDRAS?SINGULAR MODE OF CONVEYANCE?A HIGH-ROAD IN PORTUGAL?NOTES ON THE APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY?TRAVELLING AT NIGHT?THE POLE STAR? SUDDEN STOPPAGE?THE VILLAGE OF TORRES VEDRAS?SCENE IN THE INN?THE LINES VINEYARDS IN THE VICINITY WINES AND THE VINTAGE?A SHAPE WAREHOUSE?MAFRA?THE PALACE ?ITS DESOLATION?ARRIVAL AT CINTRA?BEAUTY OF ITS SITUATION?THE CORK CONVENT?THE CLIFFS?COLHARES?MONT- SERRAT THE LA PENA CONVENT VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT OF THE ROCK DONKEY-RIDES DRESS OF THE PEASANTRY THEIR POLITENESS RETURN TO LISBON?THE GALLEGOS ? CACILHAS AND JACKASS BAY PANORAMA OF THE CITY?ENGLISH SAILORS ?THE IBERIA?ARRIVAL AT CADIZ. Not a little to the surprise of friends who thought the plan impracticable, and although the mule- path or track along which the route lay resembled in many places the bed of a torrent, compared to which the stony fields were smooth as a race-course, our party resolved to adventure a journey to Torres Vedras in a carriage and four. After the usual amount of controversial discussion regarding the cost of such an extraordinary mode of conveyance,a bargain was struck, and an hour fixed for starting next morning. About two hours subsequent to the time aforesaid, (for no power on earth can prevent the delays experienced by travellers in the south of Europe,) a rattling noise was heard in the street, and an apparition appeared before our hotel door, in the shape of an ornamented box, highly exalted by means of leathern straps on wheels, the workmanship of which would have astonished the denizens of Long Acre. I doubt if such a vehicle would not have been thought old-fashioned in the time of the Tudors. To draw this venerable remnant of the middle ages we had four wiry horses, guided by two tall postilions, in pon...

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