At Santarem I picked up an English soldier, who undertook the care of my horse. This is a large town. Part of it is built on a high hill: the remainder standing in a valley. When here last year the French committed great devastation, unroofing some of the houses, and staving in the sides of others, besides plundering and destroying whatever they could lay their hands on. My billet had been unroofed, and part of its sides were torn down. I found a mattrass spread on the floor, but without the necessary accompaniment of clothes. The fleas, as is usual in such places, were exceedingly troublesome; but, having ridden all day under a hot sun, sleep soon overcame this annoyance, and I remained unconscious of their attacks till seven the next morning, when I arose, and, after taking a refreshing swim in the Tagus in order to get rid of my lively bed-fellows, ate my breakfast, and then rode to Villa Franca, twenty-four miles. The heat of the weather being very great, and my horse loaded with my saddle bags, it was impossible for me to go faster than a walk, so that it was evening before I reached that place. In the course of the day I passed through several small villages that the French had nearly destroyed. The inhabitants were beginning to return and put the remains of their houses in order. At Villa Franca I got a tolerably good dinner, but was almost talked to death by the landlady, an Irishwoman, at whose house I had put up, and who inquired the news of the army--what they were about--whither going--where such a regiment was, &c., &c., forgetting that I was tired and wanted rest. Early next morning I left for Lisbon, and, after a ride of six hours, passing by part of the lines of Torres Vedras, at which men were still working, I reached that city. I had ridden, for the first time in my life, more than five hundred miles, and nearly the whole of it in the sun during the hottest part of the day, in the months of July and August, without its doing me the least harm, and never feeling over fatigued. CHAPTER XII. Lisbon, Cintra, Mafra, etc., 1811, 1812--Second trip to the Army--Taking of Badajoz. I spent the remainder of the year in the Tagus, making, when duty permitted, excursions up that river to some of the small islands, near Alhandra, where we used to find snipe, quail, and other wild fowl. Sometimes we landed on the south side of the Tagus, to shoot red-legged partridges and woodcocks, which we occasionally met with near the Prince’s Quinta. But the most delightful place for snipe and wild fowl was Loares, on the road towards Torres Vedras: the swamps being there alive with various kinds of them, and amongst others, bittern, kites, hawks, and I have seen, now and then, an osprey.