From this venta, there are two roads to Gibraltar; one, which leads to Tariffa, about thirty-four miles distant,--the other, by a solitary venta, considerably nearer. The master of the venta strongly urged us to go by the latter; but having been expressly cautioned against this in Cadiz, I resolved to keep to my original plan, and go to Tariffa; but, in such cases, it is always wise to keep one’s counsel. Accordingly, I pretended to be convinced by his reasoning; but the moment we left the venta, I told the guide that I was resolved to go by Tariffa; and he, although more disposed towards the shortest road than I relished, promised that I should be obeyed. For a short time after leaving the venta, there was some appearance of a road; but it soon terminated, and we struck to the left, among wide green slopes, thickly scattered with fine clumps of ilex, beneath which, many herds of swine were feeding. We passed two or three mud cabins, with a patch of cultivation round them; at the door of one of these, an old man was seated upon a bundle of rushes, and a fine athletic young man stood beside him leaning upon a long gun. The picture was striking; but it is by persons like these, more perhaps than by regular banditti, that the solitary traveller runs the risk of being robbed. Soon afterwards a young man, habited something like a soldier in undress, joined us: he said he was running away from Xeres, having been detected in some contraband transaction, and that he was going to Tariffa. It is never safe in Spain, to join company with strangers: this man and the guide immediately began to differ as to the road; and the guide, after some altercation, yielded to the other, whose good intentions I had afterwards the strongest reasons for doubting. The country through which we passed, after leaving the venta where we breakfasted, was for the most part uncultivated; here and there, a little corn land was to be seen; and I noticed one or two ploughs at work: herds of cattle, horses, and sheep occasionally gave life to the landscape; and now and then a man with his gun, ranged the brushwood, or was seated upon a bank: but there were no houses, and no stationary inhabitants: whoever we met seemed to be far from home; and every little while, a monumental cross was seen by the way-side; I counted no fewer than twenty-seven during the day’s journey.