They mounted outside the city, for Gerald shrank
from meeting any acquaintances upon such a sorry steed as he had
purchased; but once on their way his spirits rose. He laughed and
chatted gaily, and spoke of the future as if all difficulties were
cleared away. The ponies, although rough animals, were strong and
sturdy, and carried their riders at a good pace. Sometimes they
travelled alone, sometimes jogged along with parties whom they
overtook by the way, or who had slept in the same posadas or inns
at which they had put up for the night.
Most of these inns were very rough, and, to Geoffrey, astonishingly
dirty. The food consisted generally of bread and a miscellaneous
olio or stew from a great pot constantly simmering over the fire,
the flavour, whatever it might be, being entirely overpowered
by that of the oil and garlic that were the most marked of its
constituents. Beds were wholly unknown at these places, the guests
simply wrapping themselves in their cloaks and lying down on the
floor, although in a few exceptional cases bundles of rushes were
strewn about to form a common bed.
But the travelling was delightful. It was now late in the autumn,
and when they were once past the dreary district of La Mancha, and
had descended to the rich plains of Cordova, the vintage was in
full progress and the harvest everywhere being garnered in.
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