of splendour and colouring. As the sun
went down, a chilliness had risen upon the air, and suddenly we
shivered. Then it passed away, but there was no rest on retiring. Fever
came on, and in semi-delirium we imagined that we were taking part in a
bull-fight; warring with infuriated animals. There was no repose and no
escape. Deafening shouts rang in our ears, but still the combat went on;
seemed to have gone on for years, and must go on for ever.

The agony was terrible. Molten lead coursed through our veins. We tried
to rise, but chains bound us down. The night passed. In the early
morning the fever abated, and presently we awoke from a short,
unrefreshing slumber; rose as one who has gone through a long illness.
When H. C. appeared and said it was time for the flower-market and the
Lonja, he went alone.

Our maitre-d'hotel, who felt he could not be sufficiently attentive to
friends of de Nevada and the de la Torres, brought us strong tea; and on
hearing an account of our night, suddenly departed, to reappear with a
white powder procured at a chemist's.

"A touch of the fever, senor, caught last night at sundown," he
remarked. "It is taken in a moment, but seldom shaken off so quickly.
This powder will go far to put you right."

We took it in faith, and found it chiefly quinine. The effect was
excellent. Though still weak, we were capable of an effort, and when H.
C. returned with hands full of roses, carnations, orange-blossoms, sweet
verbena--for which he had extravagantly paid threepence and made the
flower-woman's heart sing for joy--we were able to carry out our
programme and start for Saguntum.

A short railway journey landed us amidst the ruins of this ancient city,
where we were in the very atmosphere not only of Rome, but of days and
people long before.

The small, primitive town at the foot of the height was full of quaint
outlines. Large circular doorways led to wonderful interiors; immense
living-rooms in semi-obscurity; rich dark walls whose colour and tone
were due to smoke and age. Here women were working and spinning and
sometimes bending over a huge fire, deep in the mysteries of cooking.
Beyond these dark rooms one caught sight of open courts or gardens,
where orange and other trees flourished. Some of the women were busy
making cheese, which here is quite an article of commerce and goes to
many parts of the country. We had the place to ourselves. The women
stopped their cheese-making and spin