Alexandria Gazette & Advertiser

A SPANISH GUERILLA CHIEF.

The following description of the appearance of a Spanish Guerilla Chief is from "Thier's South of France, in November and December, 1822"

We arrived about night-fall at the town of Caroll. I saw some habitations covered with snow, irregularly placed, and having an appearance of filth, which surprised me, even after what I had seen. My horse, which was used to the country, carried me of his own accord into a court-yard. This yard was occupied with the tannery of beef and hides established by one of the contractors of the army: and the dung-hill which covered the ground, was formed of blood and straw. This sight shocked me. My guide lent me a pair of large wooden shoes, which I put on over my boots, and I crossed this filthy court-yard, to go through a little door, to the foot of a ladder, which led to the upper story. The company was very numerous, as I had concluded from the number of mules which were unloading in the court-yard. In an immense apartment there was a fire on which nearly a whole tree was burning. The flame ascended the wall, and issued by a hole in the roof. The persons around the fire were all sitting upon square stones, or on blocks of wood; they consisted of muleteers, monks, smugglers, always called merchants, the trusty and well beloved, who were on their flight, and women, who, in the eagerness to warm themselves, had not thrown off their black cloaks. All were on a footing of perfect equality, and the seats belonged to the first comer. Several rows of frozen travellers were waiting till their turn came. As soon as one of those who were in the first line began to feel his skin burn, he retired, and made room for the one behind him. The first care was to take off the spartillas, or the wooden shoes, and to hang them on the sticks of the faggots, which were not then burning. Thus there were about 20 pair of shoes smoking, and the feet of the mountaineers exhibited naked round the fire. It was in the middle of this gallery that I had to take my seat. Fortunately my guide had acted as my charge d'affaires, and taken care to occupy a seat, which he gave up to me. I soon found myself seated next to the chief of a band, whose face promised me many curious stories, if I could make myself understood, and accommodate myself to his Castilian pride. He wore a large cloak wrapped round his body, a leather girdle from which no sabre hung: but on the other hand I saw a rude handle projecting from the pocket of his trowsers. He had just smoked a pipe, and putting his hand to this long instrument, suddenly opening, showed me a dagger concealed under the form of a knife. He made use of the point to clean the bowl of his pipe. and when this operation was finished. he looked at his weapon for an instant. and turned it several times with complacency, like a man who contemplates his last shilling. A brigadier of the corps d'armes who was present, immediately put his hand on it, saying that it was forbidden to enter with arms into the French territory. 'Well,' said the other, 'is it forbidden to cut one's tobacco and bread?' 'Certainly not,' replied the brigadier, 'but here is more than is required to cut one's tobacco and bread.' 'And the wolves and dogs; must we not defend ourselves against them?' The guerilla said this with a careless air, but so haughtily, that the gendarme, who was accustomed to ask for passports, and not for daggers, did not venture to insist. There was an old sergeant in the company, the only one perhaps to his age and appearance that I have remarked in our army, and who I believe would have willingly taken upon himself to disarm the guerilla. He seemed to be well acquainted with this kind of knaves. I heard him mutter between his teeth, and ask rather angrily, 'whether the people came into France to assassinate.' As the police, however, did not concern him, he went to drink in a corner, while the other continued to smoke: and thus they parted like two dogs of equal strength, who separate growling at each other. I drew near the table where the old sergeant was drinking. The face of this brave man brightened up; he politely asked me to drink with him, and immediately inquired what business I had among all those people. 'Indeed, sir,' said he, 'I pity you; you will sup ill, pass a bad night, and to-morrow you will make a journey which is worse than all. For us, it is nothing; we have been for a year guarding these Spaniards, who play the devil at home, and then come to take refuge among us. There is one there!' 'Yes, my friend, what do you think of him?' 'Think of him, that he is as old a soldier as myself--and that knife has killed more Frenchmen than it has ever cut tobacco.' 'How do you guess that?' 'Oh, faith, I know them well! I understand those countenances, as our fishermen when they look at the horizon can forsee the mistral.' 'You were born on the sea coast?' 'Oh dear, yes! my mother is an oysterwoman at Cette. Though I have always been used to run about the mountains, I assure you that fine fellow would have gathered a handful of snow upon Canigou before I could pluck up a turf of grass. Only look at those feet--no goat's are more forked. And that dagger! I'll wager that it has tasted plenty of our blood.' The brigadier of the gendarmes had not yet retired, and was smoking his pipe by the fireside. I arose and went to sit down by him. In changing my seat I saw the guerilla, who with his knife, had stretched his large limbs upon the floor, and supported his head upon a block of wood. This magnificent bandit, like Endymion lighted up by a moon beam, received the red light of the fire on his countenance. He was in a profound sleep. I particularly remarked his large closed eyes, his mouth half open, his long hair scattered in confusion about his neck. In spite of his rude costume, I have never seen a finer model of a human figure. What a pity, thought I, that civilization has not enlightened and developed so powerful a form. 'What do you think of this company?' said the gendarme; and without giving me time to reply, added, 'you must certainly have some very particular business to bring you here; as for me, I would not stay a day in it if I were not obliged by my office; I have guarded all the coasts of France, all the defiles of the Alps: I have even served in Italy during the blockade-- but I assure you I have never yet seen such smugglers as those of the Valley of Caroll.' 'See,' said he, (pointing to the company,) there are people who know the smallest crevice in the mountains, and who pass where neither you nor I would dare to venture ourselves. And what kind of contraband do you think they carry on? In the Jura near Geneva, the mountaineers carry jewellery and watches, which are such small articles that it is natural they should not be seen. But these merely smuggle--what do you think?--wool! and we can hardly ever catch them. In fact, they climb the mountains on the south side, and when they have reached the summit they throw down the bales, which roll down on the north side, when others receive and carry them through the defiles into the plain. It is in vain that we watch them. They always escape us. It is a very different thing with sugar and coffee: as for those goods, they introduce them as the ladies in the sea ports do vanilla, in their bags. They are intractable and wicked people, whom we have the greatest difficulty to keep under restraint, who are neither French nor Spanish, and who only look for one thing, which is a rise in the price of their commodities.'