Whilst Antonio was engaged in treating his friends, I led the horses to the stable; this was through the house, inn, or whatever it might be called. The stable was a wretched shed, in which the horses sank to their fetlocks in mud and puddle. On inquiring for barley, I was told that I was now in Galicia, where barley was not used for provender, and was very rare. I was offered in lieu of it Indian corn, which, however, the horses ate without hesitation. There was no straw to be had; coarse hay, half green, being the substitute. By trampling about in the mud of the stable my horse soon lost a shoe, for which I searched in vain. “Is there a blacksmith in the village?” I demanded of a shock-headed fellow who officiated as ostler. _Ostler_.—_Si_, _Senhor_; {347} but I suppose you have brought horseshoes with you, or that large beast of yours cannot be shod in this village. _Myself_.—What do you mean? Is the blacksmith unequal to his trade? Cannot he put on a horseshoe? _Ostler_.—_Si_, _Senhor_; he can put on a horseshoe, if you give it him; but there are no horseshoes in Galicia, at least in these parts. _Myself_.—Is it not customary, then, to shoe the horses in Galicia? _Ostler_.—_Senhor_, there are no horses in Galicia, there are only ponies; and those who bring horses to Galicia—and none but madmen ever do—must bring shoes to fit them; only shoes of ponies are to be found here. _Myself_.—What do you mean by saying that only madmen bring horses to Galicia? _Ostler_.—_Senhor_, no horse can stand the food of Galicia and the mountains of Galicia long, without falling sick; and then, if he does not die at once, he will cost you in farriers more than he is worth. Besides, a horse is of no use here, and cannot perform amongst the broken ground the tenth part of the service which a little pony mare can. By-the-by, _Senhor_, I perceive that yours is an entire horse; now out of twenty ponies that you see on the roads of Galicia, nineteen are mares; the males are sent down into Castile to be sold. _Senhor_, your horse will become heated on our roads, and will catch the bad glanders, for which there is no remedy. _Senhor_, a man must be mad to bring any horse to Galicia, but twice mad to bring an _entero_, as you have done. “A strange country this of Galicia,” said I, and went to consult with Antonio.