The Bible in Spain: Or, the Journeys, Adventures, and Imprisonments of an Englishman, in an Attempt to Circulate the Scriptures in the PeninsulaBorrow, George
Religion
The Bible in Spain: Or, the Journeys, Adventures, and Imprisonments of an Englishman, in an Attempt to Circulate the Scriptures in the Peninsula
Borrow, George
Borrow, George, 1803-1881 -- Travel -- Spain; Spain -- Description and travel; Spain -- History -- 19th century
In truth, your worship, this is a fine horse, I must look at his
teeth.”
I looked at the corporal—his nose and eyes were in the horse’s mouth: the
rest of the party, who might amount to six or seven, were not less busily
engaged. One was examining his forefeet, another his hind; one fellow
was pulling at his tail with all his might, while another pinched the
windpipe, for the purpose of discovering whether the animal was at all
touched there. At last perceiving that the corporal was about to remove
the saddle that he might examine the back of the animal, I exclaimed:—
“Stay, ye chabés of Egypt, ye forget that ye are hundunares, and are no
longer paruguing grastes in the chardy.”
The corporal at these words turned his face full upon me, and so did all
the rest. Yes, sure enough, there were the countenances of Egypt, and
the fixed filmy stare of eye. We continued looking at each other for a
minute at least, when the corporal, a villainous-looking fellow, at last
said, in the richest gypsy whine imaginable, “the erray know us, the poor
Caloré! And he an Englishman! Bullati! I should not have thought that
there was e’er a Busno would know us in these parts, where Gitanos are
never seen. Yes, your worship is right; we are all here of the blood of
the Caloré; we are from Melegrana (Granada), your worship; they took us
from thence and sent us to the wars. Your worship is right, the sight of
that horse made us believe we were at home again in the mercado of
Granada; he is a countryman of ours, a real Andalou. Por dios, your
worship, sell us that horse; we are poor Caloré, but we can buy him.”
“You forget that you are soldiers,” said I. “How should you buy my
horse?”
“We are soldiers, your worship,” said the corporal, “but we are still
Caloré; we buy and sell bestis; the captain of our troop is in league
with us. We have been to the wars, but not to fight; we left that to the
Busné. We have kept together, and like true Caloré, have stood back to
back. We have made money in the wars, your worship. _No tenga usted
cuidao_ (be under no apprehension). We can buy your horse.”
Here he pulled out a purse, which contained at least ten ounces of gold.
“If I were willing to sell,” I replied, “what would you give me for that
horse?”
“Then your worship wishes to sell your horse—that alters the matter. We
will give ten dollars for your worship’s horse. He is good for nothing.”
“How is this?” said I. “You this moment told me he was a fine horse—an
Andalusian, and a countryman of yours.”
“No, Señor! we did not say that he was an Andalou. We said he was an
Estremou, and the worst of his kind. He is eighteen years old, your
worship, short-winded and galled.”
“I do not wish to sell my horse,” said I; “quite the contrary; I had
rather buy than sell.”
“Your worship does not wish to sell your horse,” said the Gypsy. “Stay,
your worship, we will give sixty dollars for your worship’s horse.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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