March to Santarem and Abrantes—Scenery and incidents at Aronches—Junction with some other regiments—Military scene in a wood—Anticipatory reflections on the fate of some of the author's comrades—Quarters at Portalagre, Castello de Vida and Marvao—Bridge of boats across the Tagus—Contiguous scenery—Horrors of travelling for invalids in the Portuguese cars. Our animals and baggage having joined us the next day, we took the road towards Santarem, and about dusk reached the causeway leading up a steep hill into the town, where the French, previously to their retreat under Marshal the Prince of Essling[11], had thrown the dead from their hospitals into the wells,—the idea of which caused such horrible thoughts, that we could scarcely summon up sufficient resolution to drink while at that place. The excessive heat of the following day having somewhat subsided, towards the cool of the evening we began our march, but, by some unaccountable accident, took the wrong road for upwards of a league before the mistake was found out. Retreading our steps, we at length regained the identical spot from whence we had previously started nearly three hours before; glancing my eye towards the battlements of the town, a smile prophetic passed my countenance, that I should not again behold its turrets. Turning our backs, and pursuing the right road, we gaily tramped along toward Golegam; and, as the morning dawned, I was loudly knocking for admittance at the door of a small house, on the confines of the church-yard, that was strewed with skulls which had been torn from the sepulchres and graves, in search of gold, by the French soldiery. After the usual halt we pursued our march through Punhete to Abrantes, where two of us were nearly carried away amongst the quicksands, while bathing in the river Tagus, and only reached the shore by making the greatest efforts. Various individuals had been drowned at this place by the current. Having halted here one whole day, we crossed over the bridge of boats to the southern province of the Alentejo, and entered Gaviao, where I was billeted in a very poor house. At night I entered a recess, much fatigued, and, upon quitting the mattrass in the morning, the bugs had made such a feast on my right leg from the hip to the very sole of my foot, so that I could scarcely walk, and was in a most dreadful state of irritation.