,,poor ,,folk ,,in ,,spain ,,by ,,the ,,same ,,author ,,modern ,,french ,,painters ,with #bj ,illustrations in colour and #bd in black and white4 ,crown #dto4 #bas4 net4 ,,mother ,,and ,,child ,drawings by ,,bernard ,,meninsky4 ,with letterpress by ,,jan ,,gordon4 ,crown #dto4 #aes4 net4 ,,the ,,bodley ,,head ,illustration3 ,,spanish ,,courtyard ,,poor ,,folk ,,in ,,spain ,,by ,,jan ,,and ,,cora ,,gordon ,,illustrated ,,by ,,the ,,authors ,,john ,,lane ,,the ,,bodley ,,head ,,limited ,,vigo ,,st433333333 ,,london ,first published #aibb ,printed in ,great ,britain by ,richard ,clay ,sons1 ,ltd41 ,bungay1 ,suffolk4 ,,contents ,,chap4 ,,page ,i4 ,,london #c ,,ii4 ,,jesus ,,perez #g ,,iii4 ,,the ,,frontier #ag ,,iv4 ,,medina ,,del ,,campo #bi ,v4 ,,avila #dj ,,vi4 ,,madrid #ea ,,vii4 ,a ,,hot ,,night #fj ,,viii4 ,,murcia--,,first ,,impressions #gj ,,ix4 ,,murcia--,,settling ,,down #ha ,x4 ,,murcia--,,blas #ij ,,xi4 ,,murcia--,,the ,,alpagata ,,shop #ie ,,xii4 ,,murcia--,,bravo ,,toro #ih ,,xiii4 ,,an ,,excursion #aji ,,xiv4 ,,verdolay--,,housekeeping #abc ,,xv4 ,,verdolay--,,sketching ,,in ,,spain #acc ,,xvi4 ,,verdolay--,,coneni #adb ,,xvii4 ,,verdolay--,,the ,,inhabitants #adg ,,xviii4 ,,verdolay--,,the ,,dance ,,at ,,coneni',s #aef ,,xix4 ,,murcia--,,the ,,laud #afa ,,xx4 ,,alicante #afi ,,xxi4 ,,jijona--,,the ,,fiesta #ahe ,,xxii4 ,,jijona--,,tia ,,roger #bjj ,,xxiii4 ,,jijona--,a ,,day',s ,,work #bjg ,,xxiv4 ,,jijona--,,the ,,goatherds #bah ,,xxv4 ,,murcia--,,autumn ,,in ,,the ,,paseo ,,de ,,corveras #bbf ,,xxvi4 ,,lorca #bdd ,,xxvii4 ,,murcia--,,last ,,days #bfj ,,xxviii4 ,,the ,,road ,,home #bfh ,,list ,,of ,,plates ,to face page ,,spanish ,,courtyard ,frontispiece ,,carters ,,in ,,the ,,posada #gj ,a ,,murcian ,,beggar ,,woman #gh ,,girl ,,singing ,a ,,malague,a #bbj ,,the ,,valencian ,,jota ,,danced ,,by ,,three ,,couples #bbb ,,poor ,,folk ,,in ,,spain ,,chapter ,i ,,london ,we had tasted of ,spain before ever we had crossed her frontiers4 ,indeed1 perhaps ,spain is the easiest country to obtain samples from without the fatigue of travelling4 ,the ,spaniard carries his atmosphere with him3 wherever he goes he re-creates in his immediate surroundings more than a hint of his national existence4 ,the ,englishman abroad may be ,english--more brutally and uncompromisingly ,english than the ,spaniard is ,spanish--yet he does not carry ,england with him4 ,he does not1 that is1 re-create ,england to the extent of making her seem quite real abroad2 there she appears alien1 remote1 somewhat out of place4 ,so1 too1 neither the ,russian1 the ,german1 the ,dane1 the ,portuguese1 the ,italian1 nor the ,american can carry with him the flavour of his homeland in an essence sufficiently concentrated to withstand the insidious infiltration of a foreign atmosphere4 ,to some extent the ,scandinavian countries1 ,norway and ,sweden1 have this power2 but ,spain is thus gifted in the greatest measure4 ,these three countries seem to possess a national unconsciousness which fends them off from too close a contact with lands which are foreign to them2 perhaps one might almost accuse them of a lack of sensitiveness in certain aspects4444 ,however1 be the reason what it may1 we had gathered some experience of ,spain in ,paris before1 and in ,london during the war4 ,what we had tasted we had liked1 and so when in our low-ceilinged attic refuge in ,london we gazed out upon a sky covered with flat cloud1 as though with a dirty blanket1 and wondered how we might escape in order to seek for our original selves--if they were not irretrievably lost--we thought of ,spain4 ,i think that we went to ,spain to look for something that the war had taken from us4 ,it was as though the low ceiling of our room1 and the low-lying sky1 shut us in with something which was not altogether true2 indeed1 we feel that many years must pass before the dissipation of this curious sensation of unreality which the war had stamped on to every one1 except the most callous4 ,it is now clear that peace is the normal condition of the human race4 ,in the olden days this was not the case1 but the tendency has been changing1 and to-day we increase our powers during times of peace1 and our powers fall from us during the disorganizations of war4 ,the artist1 who is the barometer of social change1 was attuned to peace4 ,in peace he exercises important functions4 ,but with the sudden outbreak of war the whole foundation of his being was suddenly torn away4 ,when war broke out ,art for the artist seemed almost meaningless4 ,in the face of a human catastrophe who could paint pictures8 ,nero may have fiddled while ,rome was burning1 but it must have been a poor meaningless tune that he played1 some popular jingle1 a ,roman variation of ,ta-ra-ra-,boom-de-,ay4 ,we had come at last to a peace which still carried on its breezes all the poisons of war1 and we1 at least1 felt an imperative need of escape to some place where the war had not been2 to some place where perchance life had carried on a not too distorted existence since #aiad4 ,spain drew us to her more than did ,scandinavia4 ,romance certainly had a finger in it2 the sun perhaps two fingers--for we are undoubted sun-worshippers2 the music of ,spain1 which had attracted us in ,paris1 causing ,jan to abandon the banjo for the guitar1 added an appeal2 and ,i think an exhibition of ,spanish landscapes by ,wyndham ,tryon at the ,twenty-,one ,galleries settled the matter4 ,we had been in ,majorca before the war1 and this combined with our experience of ,spaniards in ,paris had fixed in our minds a belief in a simplicity and courtliness of the ,spanish people which we hoped would be very soothing4 ,finally1 two houses were offered by a friend rent free for the whole of the summer1 together with introductions which would smooth the way4 ,we then packed up painting materials1 stamped clothes into a trunk1 worried a strangely assorted collection of packages down our narrow and twisted staircase into a cab1 and so--hey1 for the ,sun1 southward6 ,perhaps the reader should be warned that this is not properly a book about ,spain in the true sense of the word2 it is a book about ourselves4 ,we are inclined to doubt if1 in the true sense of the word1 a book can ever be written about a country4 ,curiously enough the native scarcely perceives his country at all as long as he is living in it4 ,when he travels he may come to a clearer vision1 but then scarcely perceives with truth the country in which he is travelling4 ,we might say that by travelling he makes out of the foreign land a sort of inverted image of his home4 ,what he relishes abroad is probably what is lacking1 what he dislikes abroad is perhaps more perfect in his own country4 ,and thus his vision of abroad makes1 as it were1 a mould1 and1 if one could pour into it a substance which would reproduce the exact reverse as one makes a cast1 one might procure a fairly faithful image of his unconscious judgment of his own land4 ,so perhaps if this book could be turned inside out it might be found that1 after all1 stripped of its unessentials1 we have been writing a book1 not about ,spain1 but about ,england4 ,indeed1 we have been writing about ,england already--romance1 sun1 an interesting national music1 the guitar1 and national unconsciousness are not assets to be found here in any overwhelming quantities4 ,we must then deny that we are trying to write a book of any authority2 we do not even assert that our facts are correct1 even though they are as we saw them2 we admit a mental astigmatism which we cannot avoid and which may have twisted actual happenings or hearings as much as optical astigmatism may twist a straight line4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,jesus ,,perez ,jesus ,perez took us to ,spain in spirit while we were still in ,paris4 ,we were off to ,spain to paint1 that being the normal course of our lives1 but in addition ,jan had formed a fixed resolution that happen what might he was not coming home without having bought a good ,spanish guitar by the best guitar-maker he could find1 while ,i wished to buy a ,spanish lute4 ,arias and ,ramirez1 the two best modern luthiers in ,madrid1 both had recently died2 we had1 however1 the address of the widow of ,ramirez1 who carried on her husband's business1 but faintly in ,jan's mind a cloud hung over the lady's name4 ,he did not trust her4 ,not she1 but ,ramirez had made those superfine instruments4 ,so we were overjoyed to meet ,perez upon the ,boulevard ,montparnasse soon after our arrival in ,paris4 ,perez was a friend of ours from the times before the war4 ,he was almost a mystery man4 ,native of ,malaga1 self-styled painter--though he never showed his work--nobody could tell how he had managed to make a living during fifteen years of apparently unproductive existence4 ,it is true that one summer he had disappeared from the quarter1 returning late in ,november browned by the sun1 and had explained that he had been smuggling in the ,pyrenees2 but that event was an exception1 and for some months subsequently ,perez was obviously well off as a result of his risky enterprises4 ,normally1 he survived like so many others in the ,quartier ,montparnasse1 drawing sufficient nourishment 7supplemented very obviously by borrowing7 from mysterious sources4 ,but while most of his confrres in penury had no talents1 not even the talent for painting1 ,perez did know the guitar4 ,rumour said that he was one of the best amateur players of the ,jota ,arragonesa in ,spain4 ,rumour may have exaggerated without detracting from the real quality of ,perez's exquisite gift4 ,we saw a ,perez very much polished up by so many years of war4 ,he wore a clean straw hat1 new clothes of the latest cut1 a waistcoat of check with ornamental buttons1 patent leather boots with a lacquer which flung back the rays of the ,june sun1 and heavy owlish eyeglasses of tortoise-shell fastened with a broad black ribbon4 ,indeed1 so transformed was he1 that it was he who recognized us2 and for some moments we stood trying to pierce through the new respectability1 as though it were through a disguise4 ,seated together at the ,rotonde we exchanged some petty items of news4 ,perez had but recently returned from ,spain2 he had held a small exhibition1 he said1 which had provided funds2 pictures were selling well in ,spain4444 ,he was delighted to hear of our plan1 and thereupon wrote for us an introduction to a painter1 a friend1 who lived in ,madrid4 ,un homme trs serviable1 he said1 manufacturing a ,french word out of one ,spanish4 ,jan then asked his question4 ,a good guitar-maker in ,spain1 said ,perez1 pinching his lower lip between finger and thumb4 ,he shook his head slowly4 ,a good guitar-maker1 repeated ,perez4 ,in ,madrid1 eh8 ,frankly1 no1 ,i do not know of one at the moment4 ,and you are going away at once4 ,tomorrow4 ,well1 this afternoon ,i am free1 that is good4 ,the best guitar-maker at the moment lives here1 here in ,paris4 ,his name is ,ramirez4 ,yes1 a relative of that other ,ramirez4 ,he has found a new form for the guitar4 ,more fine1 more powerful4 ,each one like a genuine ,torres4 ,you come with me4 ,i will show you one or two that he made from an old piano which he pulled to pieces for the wood4 ,exquisite6 ,and if you like them1 together we will seek out ,ramirez and he will make you one4 ,he is very busy1 oh1 excessively busy1 but he will make you one because he is an old friend of mine4 ,so the hot afternoon found us sweating up the slopes of ,montmartre4 ,first1 said ,perez1 ,i will take you to the house of a friend who possesses two of ,ramirez' guitars4 ,one is one of those made from the old piano4 ,it is marvellous6 ,but when we reached the street he could not remember the number4 ,it was four years1 he explained1 since last he had been there4 ,however1 he went on1 not far away is another possessor of such a guitar2 possibly he will be in4 ,up the hill we went into streets which became more narrow and more steep1 until at length he led us through a courtyard with pinkwashed walls1 up five flights of polished stairs1 to a studio door upon which a visiting card was pinned3 ,,auguste ,,la ,,branche ,artiste ,peintre ,aquafortist ,the door1 under ,perez's knuckles1 sounded hollow and forlorn4 ,we waited for a while1 and ,perez was beginning to finger his lip when a faint shuffle on the other side of the door changed into the noise of locks4 ,the door swung ajar revealing a small man1 with a thin face and tousled head1 clad in pyjamas and a ,jaeger dressing-gown which trailed behind him on the floor4 ,failing to penetrate to the real ,perez1 as we also had failed1 he blinked inquiringly at us4 ,a moment of confused explanation ended with a warm hand-shake4 ,perez explained our presence and our purpose2 with protestations of apology for his nglig ,m4 ,la ,branche led us into his studio4 ,illustration ,from the card upon his door we must presume that ,m4 ,la ,branche was both painter and etcher1 and pictures hanging from the walls1 and an etching press almost buried beneath a mound of tossed draperies1 were evidences of the fact4 ,but where he found space either to paint or to etch was a puzzle4 ,the large studio was crammed with bric--brac4 ,indian tables1 ,chinese tables1 wicker chairs1 lacquer stools1 screens1 figures in armour1 large vases1 birdcages and innumerable articles strewed the floor1 across which narrow lines of bare parquet showed like channels upon the chart of an estuary4 ,over the chairs were heaped draperies1 on the tables smaller bric--brac crowded together4 ,upon a sofa thrust to one side sat a woman methodically sewing at the hem of a long sheet4 ,she took no notice of us1 nor of ,m4 ,la ,branche1 but continued her sewing1 careful1 however1 not to swing her arm too wide for fear of banging into several guitars and other musical instruments1 which almost disputed possession of the sofa with her4 ,having cleared a table and sufficient chairs1 ,m4 ,la ,branche gave us th anglais1 by the usual complex ,french method4 ,then from amongst his guitars he selected that made by ,ramirez1 and sitting down began to play4 ,it is strange how a man's personality appears in everything he does4 ,m4 ,la ,branche in his paintings was an expert painter rather than an artist2 his etchings1 large colour plates1 showed a similar skill with the burin4 ,his music was of the same nature4 ,everything that a practiced player should do1 he did2 his nimble fingers raced up and down the frets1 his tempo and his modulations were impeccable1 yet he did not make music4 ,but we had not come with the intention of hearing music1 but of hearing the qualities and power of the guitar1 and this was1 perhaps1 more ably shown by the technicalities of ,m4 ,la ,branche than it might have been in the hands of a more artistic though less able musician4 ,the shop of ,ramirez1 the luthier1 was down the hill1 and to this1 thoroughly satisfied about the excellence of his instruments1 we went1 ,perez grumbling to us in undertones4 ,that fellow ,la ,branche--he does not play ,spanish music4 ,no--he comes from ,toulouse4 ,that explains it4 ,it is the talent of the ,south of ,france1 all on the top1 all lively and excitable and showing off--that is how it is4 ,now ,i tell you1 ,monsieur and ,madame ,gordon1 just because of that the ,frenchman never will be able to understand our music4 ,you ,english are nearer to us4 ,you1 when you have acquired ability1 will play our music with much more insight and much more sensibility than that ,la ,branche4 ,this comforted us exceedingly1 for one day in wrath ,modigliani1 the ,italian painter1 had said that it was mere impertinence for an ,englishman to think that he could understand the subtleties of the music of ,spain4 ,ramirez almost makes his guitars out in the street4 ,his workshop was about ten feet square with a door six feet wide4 ,here was a piece of pure ,spain1 though we could not recognize it 7at the moment having no data71 ten feet square1 thrust bodily into the lower floor of a ,french house4 ,the only light came in from the door1 but the door was nearly as broad as the room4 ,almost blocking up the entrance1 ,ramirez1 a burly1 blue-jowled ,spaniard1 with something of the physical construction of a boxer1 was working at delicate shavings of wood4 ,behind him the wall was hung with templates1 cut from white wood1 of the parts of the instruments he was making1 guitars and lauds and bandurrias1 strange instruments which ,europe1 outside of ,spain1 scarcely knows4 ,on a shelf at the back of the small shop were heaped unfinished bandurrias bound with string1 for the glue to become hardened in them4 ,the workshop of ,ramirez was not what we had expected4 ,one is1 ,i think1 justified in expecting a neatness1 a delicacy1 about the place where fine musical instruments are made4 ,had ,ramirez been a maker of chairs1 or even of cartwheels1 his workshop1 though small1 would have appeared appropriate2 but that1 from this rough place1 could come out the most difficult of musical instruments to make disturbed one's sense of suitability4 ,the greeting which ,ramirez gave us touched with doubt the picture which we had conceived of the amiability of the ,spaniard4 ,there was no cordiality in him4 ,some of his aloofness cleared away when he had penetrated through the disguise of a dandy to the real ,perez beneath1 but he continued his occupation1 and to the statement that we wished him to make a guitar for ,jan he shrugged his fat shoulders4 ,he declared that he had already too much work4 ,those two instruments1 for instance1 he said1 pointing to two unfinished guitars elaborately ornamented standing in a corner1 ,i have already been nine months over those1 and have not had time to finish them4 ,it is true they are exhibition instruments1 for shops1 and therefore have little if any interest for me4 ,perez led him on with compliments1 thawing away his frostiness gradually with ,jan's admiration for the guitar of ,m4 ,la ,branche4 ,suddenly ,ramirez put down his tools4 ,look here1 he said1 ,i'll make the ,seor a guitar4 ,three hundred francs is the price1 and it will be finished in three months4 ,the bargain concluded1 ,ramirez picked up one of the unfinished instruments4 ,he handed it to ,jan1 exhorting him to explore with a finger the exquisite workmanship of its interior4 ,he rapped on the belly with his knuckle1 and at the sound of its deep musical boom he smiled for the first time4 ,ramirez1 having thawed1 did not freeze up again4 ,he began explaining the novel shape of his instrument1 a shape which had been worked out for him by a mathematical philosopher4 ,he said that the guitar was the most difficult of musical instruments to make1 requiring a volume of tone which had to be produced from strings easy to pluck and finger4 ,a problem very difficult to solve4 ,and the guitar ,i made for you1 he said1 turning to ,perez1 you gave it to ,s----8 ,yes1 said ,perez4 ,see here1 said ,ramirez1 turning to us1 ,i make a guitar1 an excellent one1 one of my best4 ,this fellow comes to see me1 he hears the instrument4 ,he says to me1 ',ramirez1 keep that guitar for me1 and ,i will at once go to work in a ,french munition factory1 and ,i will work like a slave1 and every week ,i will send you money until the guitar is paid for4' ,and ,i agree4 ,and he goes and makes aeroplanes1 and does honest work for the first time in his life1 ,i believe1 and every week he sends money to me4 ,and the week it is all paid up he stops work and goes off with the guitar4 ,and he is crazy about the instrument4 ,and he goes back to ,spain and then he hears ,s---- playing4 ,he is so enraptured by the wonderful playing of the man1 that he runs home1 fetches his guitar1 and thrusts it into ,s---- 's hands1 exclaiming3 ',here is an instrument worthy of you4 ,it is too good for me1 for ,i am a mere bungler beside you4' ,and so he gives away the guitar that he has laboured for4 ,ah yes1 you villain1 ,i have heard of you4 ,as we went down the hill1 ,perez tried to explain away this generosity so characteristic of his impulsive nature4 ,it is not as though ,i would have played on the instrument again after having heard ,s---- touch it4 ,every time that ,i wished to play ,i would have thought1 ',ah yes1 but if only he were playing it and not ,i4' ,and ,i had to give it to him1 or perhaps ,i would never have been able to play again4 ,he asked us to come that evening to a certain small caf in the ,rue ,campagne ,premier2 some other ,spaniards were to come also and there was to be playing and singing4 ,we were to come after the legal closing time1 and we were to thump on the shutters4 ,in the night1 in the dark1 we rapped upon the rusty iron shutters1 and one by one1 like conspirators1 were admitted into the dimly-lit caf4 ,it was a small place1 characteristic of ,paris1 a combination of buvette with zinc bar1 and cheap restaurant with marble-topped tables4 ,five years ago a good meal could be bought here for less than a franc4 ,behind the bar bottles and glass vats reached up to the ceiling2 upon the dirty1 green1 oil-painted walls1 cheap almanacs and trivial popular prints hung1 together with excellent drawings and sketches1 presented to ,madame by her clients4 ,one by one the invits slipped in4 ,madame and her two girl waitresses laughed and giggled at the kitchen door1 while the patron1 grey-moustached1 hollow-eyed and cadaverous1 uncorked the bottles of wine behind the bar4 ,here again for several hours the ,spaniards re-created ,spain4 ,perez is a player of temperament4 ,half of his skill and art he appears to suck from his audience4 ,thus at first he plays but indifferently well2 but any music will rouse a crowd of ,spaniards4 ,to the growing excitement ,perez responds1 playing the better for it1 thus creating more enthusiasm1 and these interchanges continue1 until he reaches the limit of his ability4 ,but he is so sensitive to his audience that one indifferent person can take the edge off all his power4 ,this night there was no one unresponsive4 ,the playing of ,perez became more and more brilliant4 ,with his nails be rasped deep chords from his responsive instrument2 to and fro he beat the strings in the remorseless rhythm of ,jota ,arragonesa4 ,in the dimly lit caf the dark figures and the sallow faces of the ,spaniards were crowded about him in an irregular circle4 ,ol6 ,ol6 they cried1 and clapped their hands in time with the music4 ,the air within the caf throbbed and pulsated with the music4 ,mais1 c'est trs bien1 exclaimed ,madame at intervals from her corner4 ,c'est trs amusant1 hein8 ,two of the younger men were murmuring to the waitresses and were making them titter4 ,come1 exclaimed ,perez at last1 enough of this piece playing4 ,let us have a song4 ,vamos6 who will sing8 ,but something1 possibly my presence1 deterred the ,spaniards from singing4 ,they were shy as a group of schoolboys4 ,one at last began to chant in a high quavering falsetto1 but before the first half of his copla was ended he broke down into a laugh of hysterical shyness4 ,why then1 cried ,perez1 ,i'll have to sing myself1 and ,heaven knows ,i've got no voice4 ,the ,spaniard believes that any singing is better than no singing4 ,one of his chief pursuits in life is that of happiness--allgre he calls it4 ,this allgre is produced not by perfect results but by evidence of good intentions4 ,he would rather have a bad player who plays from his heart than a good player who plays for his pocket4 ,any singing1 then1 so long as it is of the right nature1 will suffice1 no matter what its musical effect4 ,perez's singing had allgre1 but no music4 ,he lowed like a calf1 rising up into strange throaty hoarseness like a barrow merchant who has been crying his goods all day1 and descending into dim growls of deep notes4 ,but even he at last tired2 and after ,madame had been yawning for some while1 after the last bottle of wine had been drained of its last drops1 we slipped out one by one into the moonlit streets of ,paris and said our farewells on the ,boulevard4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,frontier ,i wonder what ,charlemagne would have done if one had whisked him down from ,paris to the ,spanish ,frontier in something under twenty hours8 ,probably the hero would have been paralysed with terror during the journey and would have revenged himself upon the magician by means of a little stake party4 ,but what would have been magic and miracle to ,charlemagne remains in one's mind as a jumble--the interior of a second-class carriage2 antimacassars2 an adolescent who ate lusciously a basket of peaches1 thereby reminding us that ,french peaches ripen early in ,june2 intrusive knees and superfluous legs2 an obese man who pinched my knee in his sleep1 probably from habit2 touches of indigestion which made one fidget1 and in the dawn a little excitement roused by observing the turpentine tapping operations at work on the pine-trees by the side of the railroad--cemented together by the thick atmosphere of a summer's night enclosed between shut windows4 ,it is a strange fact that the more perfect do we make travelling1 the more tedious does it become--,i wonder whether the same may not apply to almost all progress in civilization4 ,the most primitive aspect of travel is that of walking1 and even upon the most tedious of walks the exercise itself seldom degenerates into definite boredom1 one is never far away from one's fellow men1 yet even if one is quite alone the mere fact of walking is an occupation which cannot be despised2 of riding similar things may be said4 ,coaching may have had its inconveniences1 yet a coach drive cannot have been lacking in definite interest4 ,one was in very close contact with one's fellow passengers1 coaching made as strange bedfellows as any adversity1 and the journey was seldom so short that one could enjoy a sort of snuffy insulation from one's fellows--mutual discomforts1 even mutual terrors of footpads made a definite bond of humanity4 ,it is true that in all these primitive processes the act of getting from here to there is prolonged--perhaps extremely prolonged--but mere duration is not tedium4 ,if the act itself is interesting and vivid then the act itself is worth while4 ,to-day the act of travelling by a fast train is scarcely worth while--the traveller can almost count it out as so much time lost out of life4 ,i fear that when the aeroplane is perfected journeys will be performed in a tedium absolutely unrelieved1 and those patients who have to undertake journeys would be advised to take a mild ansthetic at the beginning4 ,what is missing to-day from the act of travelling--and what lacks from much modern civilization--is the expectation of the unexpected2 the sense of adventure1 the true sauce of life4 ,now to have the true sense of adventure it is not necessary that one should always be expecting to meet a lion round the corner4 ,any little thing will do1 anything not before experienced1 anything that will give the imagination that extra fillip of interest which will convince it that the world will always remain a ,fortunatus purse of new things to learn1 anything that will make positive the fact that the act of living is also the act of growing1--anything of this nature will contribute to the sense of adventure4 ,but the trend of civilization to-day is that all these little interests are being quietly but very effectively crushed3 we fling them beneath the wheels of railway trains and into the cogs of factories1 with the result that only those experiences which are too large for us to fling thus are allowed to flourish4 ,we have1 in fact1 almost cleared away the little things and left only the big4 ,now1 if we turn the corner1 either there is nothing at all or1 in one case out of a hundred1 we find the lion4 ,in our railway travelling to-day1 either nothing happens or there is a railway accident2 but we have turned so many corners in our lives which led to the mere blankness of more empty road1 that the possibility of the lion has almost faded from our minds--and so the sense of adventure in little1 the true sense of adventure1 is in danger of atrophy4 ,some day1 ,i feel sure that this sense of adventure will take a revenge on the civilization which would destroy it4 ,we kill off birds and caterpillars flourish4 ,some worm lies near the heart of things ready to gnaw at the right moment4 ,i fear that never will they apply preservation laws to the sense of adventure1 or we1 as adventurers1 properly appreciated1 should be in receipt of a scholarship or of a civil list pension4 ,we were too dazed by the drug of twenty hours of tedium and sleeplessness to suck any adventure from the passage through the ,french ,customs ,house at ,hendaye4 ,but this experience roused us so that we were quite mentally awake by the time that we reached ,irun4 ,here a problem confronted us4 ,we had in our large leather trunk a good many yards of government canvas1 several pounds' worth of paints1 and ten pounds in weight of preparation for turning the government canvas into material for painting upon4 ,we had heard that the ,spanish customs were very strict2 very strict in theory1 that is4 ,but if they worry you1 bribe them a bit1 had said a friend4 ,were these things contraband8 ,if so1 how much was one to bribe1 and how was one to do it8 ,there are plenty of men with nerve enough to try to tip ,charon for his trip over the ,styx1 but ,jan is not one of these4 ,now for a man of ,jan's kind to attempt a delicate piece of palmed bribing often results in things worse than if he had left well alone4 ,ten to one there is a fumble and the coin drops to the floor beneath the nose of the chief bug-a-bug4 ,so1 fingering two unpleasantly warm five-peseta pieces in his pocket1 he prayed fervently to kind ,opportunity to step in4 ,to his prayer the goddess answered4 ,we had brought with us from our ,paris studio a mosquito curtain which once before had been used in ,majorca4 ,as our baggage was packed in ,london we had1 rather than undo straps and locks1 tied this mosquito curtain1 wrapped in clean brown paper1 on to the outside of our suit-case4 ,upon this the authorities flung themselves4 ,hi6 they cried4 ,you will pay duty on this1 it is new4 ,two gendarmes and a clerk tore off the paper1 pitched the mosquito curtain into a pair of scales1 weighed it and wrote out the bill4 ,all the while we had been clamouring1 with a sudden memory from ,hugo3 ,antigua1 antigua1 antigua4444 ,this clamour became suddenly effective as soon as the officials had nothing to do than to collect the money4 ,instead of cash we gave them a chorus of ,antigua1 antigua4 ,the clerk and the two gendarmes then began what seemed to be an impromptu imitation of ,miss ,loie ,fuller in her celebrated skirt dancing--mosquito curtain whirled this way and that in voluptuous curves4 ,they were looking for evidence4 ,suddenly ,i pointed out a spot where perchance some full-blooded mosquito had come to a sudden death in #aiac1 when the world was yet at peace4 ,the mosquito curtain was refolded1 the bill torn up4 ,they were quite peremptory with the rest of our luggage2 so ,jan dropped the two warm five-peseta pieces back into his pocket4 ,however much one may be in a country1 one never feels that one is in the country until the door leading out of the customs house has been passed4 ,so we never really thought of ourselves as being in ,spain until we stepped on to the platform where the train for ,madrid was standing4 ,with a bitter shock1 we realized that it was a chill day and raining4 ,we had come all the way from ,england1 hunting the sun1 to be greeted in ,june by a day which would fit1 both in temperature and atmosphere1 the tail-end of a ,march at home4 ,illustration ,of those minor adventures which make life so valuable1 some of the finest flowers amongst them which may be picked are the delicate first impressions of a new country4 ,these impressions have a flavour all their own2 they are usually compressed within the space of one hour or so1 and once experienced they never return4 ,new impressions indeed one may gather by the score1 but those first1 fine savourings of the new can never be retasted4 ,we had expected so much from ,spain4 ,we had hoped at the first moment to open out our arms to her sun1 to satiate our colour sense with the blueness of her skies--we were received instead with this grey1 gloomy weather4 ,how can one describe the revulsion8 ,it would be an exaggeration to say that it was as though we had touched a corpse where we had expected to find a living man1 but the revulsion was of this nature though perhaps less poignant4 ,i left ,jan to finish with the larger luggage and1 securing the aid of a porter1 set out to look for an hotel4 ,at the exit of the station ,i was accosted by a sallow man with a large1 peaked jockey cap pulled down over a thin face4 ,he said3 ,hey1 ,seora6 ,hotel8 ,spik ,engleesh4 ,yes4 ,we don't want a dear place1 ,i answered in ,english4 ,we want a cheap one1 understand8 ,hotel4 ,spik ,engleesh4 ,yes1 replied the tout4 ,cheap hotel--cheap1 ,i said4 ,hotel4 ,spik ,engleesh--yes1 said he4 ,puede usted recomendarme una fonda barata8 said ,i1 out of the conversation book1 though the barata#a at the end was my own4 ,but the tout turned sulky and would not answer--,i suppose he thought his fee would diminish if he were enticed into ,spanish4 ,the porter stood on one side2 he was a small1 inadequate man and he sniffed continually4 ,whether he had caught cold from the rain1 or whether he was expressing his private opinion of travellers1 ,i did not learn4 ,jan was arranging about our trunk and a hold-all2 ,i had in my charge two thermos flasks1 a camera1 two rucksacks--memories of days in the ,german ,tyrol before the war--and a suit-case which had been with us in ,serbia and which still bore the faint traces of a painted red cross1 but the cat had for the last two years been sharpening her claws upon it and the leather now looked something like ,teddy ,bear material4 ,these ,i distributed between the porter and the tout1 and1 trusting to ,providence and my own powers of observation1 we entered ,irun4 ,where was the queer magic which lies in the first impressions of a new land1 the dreamlike quality1 the unreality which almost puts one's feet for a moment into ,fairyland8 ,spain had played a nasty trick upon us2 the grey sky and the low-lying cloud and the drizzling rain had nothing of ,fairyland for us4 ,with head held low against the drizzle one was conscious of nothing but a wall on the right hand and of dirty pavement beneath the feet4 ,the tout led me into the first house we reached4 ,there1 was a narrow passage which passed by a room of a dingy whiteness2 but the tout showed me on1 up some stumbly stairs and through a spring door4 ,we came into a dark room in which1 by means of the light filtering through the slats of the closed shutters1 could be seen the dim outlines of a bed and of a tin wash-hand-stand4 ,ocho pesetas1 said the tout4 ,por todo1 ,i answered4 ,todo--todo--comida y toda1 protested the tout4 ,i had been waiting for this moment4 ,in the conversation book which ,i had been studying was a phrase which had caught my fancy2 it meant no extras1 but it was much more beautiful4 ,the time had come4 ,no hay extraordinario8 said ,i sternly4 ,no1 ,seora1 no1 said the tout1 spreading out his hands4 ,the matter having been thus settled1 he took me downstairs again2 and1 in the dingy white diningroom1 introduced me to a plump woman1 the proprietress4 ,i was ravenously hungry2 the tables were laid4 ,i asked3 ,what time is lunch8 ,at two1 ,seora4 ,i was dismayed4 ,it was now eleven o'clock--we had eaten little since the night before4 ,but1 ,i stammered1 ,i am hungry4 ,tengo hambre4 ,my memory shuffled with conversation-book sentences and faint recollections of ,majorca1 but could find nothing about the minuti of food4 ,tengo hambre1 ,i repeated desperately4 ,suddenly inspiration came to me4 ,i made motions of beating up an omelet and clucked like a hen that has laid an egg4 ,for a moment there was a silence1 a positive kind of silence1 which is much more still than mere absence of noise4 ,then a roar of laughter went up4 ,the fat hostess shook like a jelly1 the tout guffawed behind a restraining hand--he had not yet received his tip--while an old woman who had been sitting in one of the darker corners1 went off3 ,ck6 ,ck6 ,ck6 ,he6 ,he6 ,he6 ,ck6 ,ck6 ,ck6 ,he6 ,he6 ,he6 ,at this moment ,jan arrived1 having deposited the bigger luggage and having been informed that the train to ,avila1 our first stopping-place1 went out at #h a4m4 ,i led him along the dark passage and upstairs4 ,he flung wide the shutters4 ,the window looked into a deep1 triangular well at the bottom of which was a floor of stamped earth1 a washtub and a hen-coop4 ,windows of all sizes pierced the walls at irregular intervals and across the well were stretched ropes1 from some of which flapped pieces of damp linen or underclothes4 ,in the light of the open window the room was dingy4 ,we wondered if there were bugs in it1 for we had been cautioned against these insects4 ,but the room did not smell buggy2 it had a peculiar smell of its own4 ,the strong characteristics of odours need more attention than novelists give them4 ,for instance1 ,i remember that ,german mistresses had a faint vinegary scent1 but ,french governesses an odour like trunks which had been suddenly opened4 ,this room had an austere smell4 ,it smelt1 ,i don't know how1 ,roman ,catholic3 not of incense nor of censers1 but of a flavour which1 by some combination of circumstances1 we have associated with ,roman ,catholicism in bulk4 ,the bedroom door was largely panelled with tinted glass2 it had a very flimsy lock1 but we did not fear that we would be murdered or burgled in our bed4 ,the omelet was ready when we came down4 ,the diningroom had two doors1 one leading to the kitchen1 one up some steps and into the street4 ,there was a broad stretch of window and almost all the other walls of the room were covered with big mirrors4 ,illustration ,about five grim people1 mostly clad in black--including the old lady--sat in the room and stared at us as we ate4 ,we could not avoid this disconcerting gaze--look where we would we either caught a human eye or else1 what was worse1 we were fascinated by a long procession of eyes passing away into the dim mysteries of reflection and re-reflection of the mirrors4 ,we had to choose between the gaze of one real old lady or of twenty-five reflected old ladies1 of one callow youth or of twenty-five youths diminishing towards the infinite4 ,the audience stared at us as we ate our omelet1 watched the fruit--apricots1 cherries and hard pears--with which we finished the meal1 and noted each sip of coffee4 ,at last1 unable to bear any longer the embarrassment of this mechanically intensified curiosity1 we took refuge in our bedroom and lay down4 ,we then noted that the bed was too small1 all the rest of the furniture1 on the contrary1 being much too big4 ,we rested till lunch4 ,the omelet and the fruit had but filled some of the minor vacancies within us and we were ready again on the stroke of two4 ,once more we faced the ,spanish stare and all the reflected repetitions of it4 ,a fair number of persons lunched at the hotel4 ,as they came in the women sat themselves directly at the table1 but the men without exception went to the far corner where1 suspended against the wall1 was a small tin reservoir with a minute tap and beneath it a tiny basin4 ,each man rinsed his hands in the infinitesimal trickle1 before he sat down to dinner4 ,why the men and women made this distinction we could not guess4 ,it seemed to be a custom and not to be dependent upon whether the hands were dirty or not4 ,even if the hands had been dirty the small amount of water used would not have cleaned them4 ,in the centre of the dining table were white1 porous vessels containing drinking water4 ,the water oozes through the porous clay and appears on the outside of the vessel as a faint sweat4 ,this layer of moisture evaporates and keeps all the water in the vessel at several degrees cooler than the surrounding atmosphere4 ,between mouthfuls of soup and wedges of beef the diners were watching us4 ,as soon as the meal was over we fled into the streets of ,irun4 ,one cannot call ,irun ,spanish4 ,it is abominably ,french1 though ,france is pleasant in its own place4 ,the caf in the little plaza is ,french1 with a ,french terrasse1 ,french side screens of ugly ironwork and glass1 and faces a square full of shady trees between which one sees modern fortifications of ,french appearance4 ,so we sat sipping coffee and we said to ourselves3 ,forget that you are in ,spain4 ,put off your excitement4 ,don't waste your sensations with false sentiment4 ,nor did the fact that all the wording on the shops was ,spanish1 nor even the sight of a building of pure modern ,spanish architecture rouse us from our cloudy resignation4 ,the building which towered into some six stories by the side of the railway was of a maroon brick4 ,the lower story1 including the entrance door1 was decorated with appliqu in the design which the ,french used to call l'art nouveau1 and which now is confined almost exclusively to the iron work on boulevard cafs4 ,it is marked by exaggerated curves4 ,the whole bottom story of this building was sculptured in this fantastic fashion2 in order to fit in with the decorations the front door was wider at the top than it was at the bottom1 while the windows were of every variety of shape1 squashed curves1 dilated hearts1 indented circles and so on4 ,above this story the building rose gravely brick save for the corners1 which were decorated with bathroom tiles of bad glaze upon which flowers had been painted2 roses1 violets and pansies3 the top story1 however1 was part ,gothic1 part ,egyptian1 with a unifying intermixture of more bathroom tiles4 ,a munition millionaire went to an art dealer saying he wanted a picture1 but he didn't mind what sort of a picture it was provided it looked expensive4 ,we imagined that the architect of this house had received a similar order4 ,later on we were undeceived4 ,a yellow tram went by bearing the name ,fuentarabia4 ,having heard eulogies of this place1 we decided to go4 ,we reached the terminus of the tramway and the conductor told us we were there4 ,since then we have met so many people who were in ecstasies about the beauties of ,fuentarabia1 about its pure ,spanish character1 etc41 etc41 that we are still wondering if we went to ,fuentarabia after all4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #a3 ,cheap4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,medina ,,del ,,campo ,if civilization were without a flaw1 the happy civilized traveller could pass through and circumambulate a foreign country yet never come into closer contact with the inhabitants than that transmitted through a ,cook's interpreter4 ,so that if you want to learn anything about a country1 either you must put a sprag into the wheels of this civilization or you must let ,opportunity do it for you4 ,opportunity is a very complaisant goddess3 give her an inch and the ell at least is offered to you4 ,she smiled upon us when we decided to stay the night at ,irun2 once more she smiled when the porter told us that the train to ,avila left about eight o'clock1 so we humped the two rucksacks and the suit-case from the inn to the station1 got our trunk and hold-all from the baggage office and went to buy our tickets4 ,then we realized what ,opportunity had been up to4 ,the ticket clerk refused to give us tickets to ,avila4 ,why not8 ,the train does not go through ,avila1 it goes to ,madrid by the other branch through ,segovia4 ,the train by ,avila goes at four4 ,where1 then1 does it branch off8 ,at ,medina del ,campo4 ,then give us tickets to ,avila and we will wait at ,medina del ,campo4 ,but the authorities did not approve of this novel idea4 ,it seemed that the through-ticket system had not become the custom in ,spain4 ,we must then take tickets to ,medina or wait in ,irun till the proper1 respectable ,avila train should go1 so to the astonishment of the booking clerk we said3 ,all right1 give us tickets for ,medina4 ,illustration ,i do not believe that any pleasure traveller had stopped at ,medina before we did4 ,that is the impression we received1 both from the behaviour of the porters at ,irun and of those at ,medina itself4 ,the scenery from the railway was1 as scenery always is1 fascinating because of one's elevation and the scope of one's view1 tiring because of its continuous movement4 ,we passed through mountains worthy of ,scotland1 very ,scotch in colour1 and at last came out upon the big plain of ,valladolid4 ,while we were streaming across this and the mountains were fading slowly into a distant blue the luncheon-car waiter announced his joyful news4 ,we had heard that living in ,spain was going to be dear1 so1 with some trepidation1 we decided to take that train luncheon--for our financial position did not encourage extravagance4 ,the whole trip was1 in theory1 to come within the limits of ,jan's war gratuity--about #abj4 ,we had calculated the railway travelling as #ej in all2 this gave us #gj for all other expenses1 including the purchase of the musical instruments upon which we had set our minds1 and we hoped to stay for four or five months4 ,yet in spite of the need for economy luncheon called us if only as an experience4 ,the meal cost us about three and fourpence apiece3 it was a complicated affair of many courses--even in a ,soho restaurant the same would have come to about ten shillings1 so that the spirit of economy in us was cheered and inspirited4 ,of our fellow passengers we remember nobody save a gigantic priest who waddled slowly along the corridors1 carrying1 suspended on a plump finger1 a very small cage in which1 like a medival captive in a little ease1 was a canary almost as large as its prison4 ,medina station looked like an exaggerated cart-shed on a farm2 two long walls and a roof of corrugated iron--there were no platforms1 only one broad pavement along one of the walls4 ,a small bookstall was against the wall and further along the pavement a booth of jewellery4 ,this booth had glass windows and ,precio ,fijo#b--,no bargaining1 in other words--was painted across the glass in white letters4 ,why ,spaniards1 en route1 should have mad desires to purchase jewellery1 we have not learned1 but these jewellery booths are common on ,spanish stations4 ,the jewellers seem to detest bargaining1 for these words always appear on the windows4 ,i suppose the fact that the purchaser of jewellery has got to catch a train may give him some occult advantage over the seller4 ,one may imagine him slamming his last offer down on the counter and sprinting off with the coveted trinket to the train1 while the defrauded merchant is struggling with the door-handle of his booth--so ,no ,bargaining is painted up1 very white and very positive4 ,as we had nine hours to wait1 there was no need to hurry1 so we allowed the crowd to drift out of the platform before we began to see about the disposal of our luggage4 ,stumbling about in ,hugo ,spanish we discovered that1 owing to the receipt that had been given us at ,irun1 our big trunk would look after itself until claimed1 but that there was no luggage office or other facility for getting rid of our smaller baggage4 ,we1 however1 insinuated understanding into the head of a porter1 who thereupon led us to a door amongst other doors in the wall labelled ,fonda4 ,we came into a huge hall4 ,across one end stretched a majestic bar four feet high1 of elaborately carved wood1 upon the top of which were vases of fruits1 tiers of bottles and glittering machines for the manufacture of drink4 ,three long tables were in the room1 two spread simply with coffee-cups4 ,the third table occupied the full length of the middle of the room4 ,it seemed spread for some ,lord ,mayor's banquet4 ,snowy napery was covered along the centre with huge cut-glass dishes1 stacked with fruit1 alternated with palms flanked by champagne bottles and white and red wine bottles4 ,fully fifty places were laid1 each place having seven or eight plates stacked upon it while the cutlery sparkled on either hand4 ,a cadaverous1 unshaven waiter lounged about amongst this magnificence and lazily flicked at the flies with his napkin4 ,this huge1 deserted room1 expectant of so many guests1 made one think of the introduction to a fairy story3 one could have sat the mad hatter1 the dormouse and the ,march hare down there1 but one could never imagine that fifty passengers could in sober earnestness crowd to have supper at ,medina del ,campo upon the same day4 ,no1 rather here was one flutter of the dying pomp and majesty of ,spain4 ,we placed our bags in a corner of the pretentious room and went from the station to look for the town4 ,it was nowhere to be seen4 ,a white road deep in dust gleamed beneath the afternoon sun and led away across the ochreous plain1 but1 of town1 not a sign4 ,yet the white road was the only road2 ,medina must be somewhere1 so off we walked4 ,the plain was not quite flat1 it flowed away in undulations which appeared shallow1 but which proved sufficiently deep to swallow up all signs of ,medina del ,campo at the distance of a mile4 ,first we came to a line of little brightly coloured hovels1 square boxes1 many of only one room1 then to a church1 an ancient ,spanish-,gothic church surrounded by gloomy trees4 ,suddenly the road turned a corner and we were almost in the middle of the town4 ,medina was ,spanish enough4 ,here was the plaza at the end of which towered a high cathedral decorated with colour and with carving4 ,the plaza lay broad and shining beneath the sunlight2 loungers sprawled in the shadows beneath the small1 vivid green trees1 and in the deep stone arcades which edged the open square the afternoon coffee-drinkers1 clad in cool white1 lolled at the caf tables4 ,in the centre of the plaza was a fountain running with water1 and about it came and went a continual procession of women bearing large1 white amphoras upon their hips1 children carrying smaller drinking vessels1 and men wheeling long1 barrow-like frameworks into which many amphoras were placed4 ,the shops and cafs were painted in gay colours which were brilliant in the sun and which contrasted pleasantly with the crude--as though painted--green of the trees and the clear1 soothing hue of the sky4 ,i know that historical things have happened at ,medina del ,campo1 but we are not going to retail second-hand history4 ,to us1 as living beings1 it is far more important that we bought our first oily1 almondy ,spanish cakes here than that ,santa ,teresa 7who started off at the age of ten years to be martyred by the ,moors7 founded a convent in the town4 ,medina is a dead place and must be typical of ,spain4 ,it has a market1 a plaza and a few ragged fringes of streets more than half full of collapsing houses1 and in this gay-looking remnant of past glory are at least three enormous churches with monasteries in attendance4 ,but even the churches are falling into ruin and the storks' nests are clustered flat on the belfries1 while ,hymen's debt collectors1 clapping their beaks1 gaze down from aloft into the empty roadways4 ,sunset had played out a colour symphony in orange major by the time we had arrived back at the station where we asked for a meal2 but the cadaverous1 blue-jowled waiter had not laid covers for fifty in order that intrusive strangers might push in and demand food at whatever hour they chose4 ,supper1 he said with some dignity and disgust at our ignorance1 is at eight4 ,so out we went on to the pavement platform1 found a lattice seat and ate the cakes we had bought4 ,they were like treacly macaroons1 so oily that the paper in which they had been wrapped was soaked through1 but it was with pure almond oil and the cakes were delicious4 ,lunch had been eaten at twelve and in trains one never eats quite at one's ease2 hunger had gripped us when eight o'clock struck by the station clock4 ,we took our seats at the long table before those piles of plates4 ,a quarter-past eight went by1 half-past eight was approaching4 ,one by one about six or seven persons sauntered into the room and seated themselves1 distant from each other in comparison with the size of the table as are the planets in the solar system4 ,nearest to us1 our ,mars1 as it were1 was a very fat commercial man1 his face showing the hue of the ruddy planet4 ,our ,venus was represented by a pale young priest1 his long wrists projecting far from the sleeves of his cassock4 ,mercury looked appropriately enough like one who was always travelling2 ,saturn was covered with rings--he must have been one of the customers of the precio fijo booths--the other planets were lost amongst cumulus of fruit and cirrus of palm4 ,the waiter became active4 ,balancing a large soup tureen1 he ladled a thin1 greenish soup into the upper plate4 ,we then understood that we would have to eat our way down through the pile of plates1 each plate a course4 ,mars rushed at his soup in such a wild manner that we felt it was a good thing indeed that the soup-plate was thus raised so near to his mouth or fully the half of the soup would have drenched his waistcoat4 ,alice again was recalled to my mind4 ,i remembered her dismay during her regal banquet when the dishes once introduced to her were whisked away from under her nose1 for every time ,i laid down my knife and fork to speak to ,jan my plate was seized and carried off by the cadaverous waiter4 ,no sooner was ,i introduced to a new ,spanish dish than it was wrested from me4 ,twice this had occurred4 ,on the third occasion ,i lay in wait3 as the waiter swooped for my plate ,i seized it4 ,there was a momentary struggle1 but ,i had two hands to his one2 he retired with a look of astonishment on his face4 ,gradually ,i became aware of the fact that ,mars never loosed his knife and fork until he had cleared his plate4 ,he held both firmly in his two red hands4 ,if he drank--which he did with gusto1 throwing his head back1 washing the wine1 which had a queer tarry taste1 about the inside of his mouth1 almost cleaning his teeth with it--he held his fork sceptre-wise as if to say to the waiter1 ,touch that last corner of beefsteak at your peril4 ,when he had quite finished the course1 when he had mopped up all the remnants with a piece of bread1 then and then only did he lay down both knife and fork4 ,unconsciously ,i had been giving a signal to the waiter4 ,after the beefsteak we had a surprise4 ,one has been so long accustomed to the ,french custom in gastronomy1 that one almost forgets that courses are not arranged in an immutable order4 ,once indeed ,i did make a bet in ,paris that ,i would eat a meal in the inverse direction1 beginning with the coffee and sweets and ending with the soup--which1 by the way1 proved very hard to swallow--but the mere fact that one could bet about it proves how fixed one imagines the laws of food progression to be4 ,at ,medina del ,campo1 after the beefsteak1 which was about the third item on the menu1 the waiter brought us fried fish1 thereby proving that gastronomic progression is not so unalterable as is usually imagined4 ,the fish looked like very small plaice1 but they had a strange flavour which we had never before tasted4 ,that the fish had been packed for several days in rotting hay seemed the nearest description and explanation1 and we would have clung to this idea if the salad had not also had a perceptible tang of this unpleasant taste4 ,we asked the waiter what the flavour was1 but our ,spanish broke down under the strain1 and the waiter said ,claro#c and went away4 ,for some weeks afterwards the word ,claro became our bugbear4 ,the ,spaniard gets little amusement from hearing his language spoken by foreigners4 ,if the unfortunate foreigner does not get pronunciation1 accent and intonation perfect the ,spaniard says ,claro1 in reality meaning ,i can't make head or tail of what you are talking about4 ,both laziness and courtesy make the ,spaniard say ,claro1 and often the poor foreigner is quite delighted with his progress in the language--the people tell him that everything he says is perfectly clear1 hooray2 he thinks that he must have an unsuspected gift for languages--until one day he asks the way to somewhere and receives the usual answer1 ,claro4 ,the ,redonda ,mesa1#d which would ,i think be the ,spanish for a square meal1 cost us again four pesetas1 and it was an even better three and eightpenn'orth than we had been given on the train4 ,the meal finished1 the planets held a public tooth-picking competition for a while1 then one by one they resumed their normal orbits and passed from our sight4 ,we1 with the processes of digestion heavy upon us1 went back to the seat in the ill-lit station4 ,three more hours we had to wait for the train to ,avila1 so we sat in the mild night watching the only engine at ,medina--an engine which looked like an immediate descendant of ,stevenson's ,rocket--push trucks very slowly to and fro4 ,this engine1 though it made a lot of spasmodic noise1 did not destroy1 it only interrupted1 the intense silence which lay over the country-side4 ,the platform was quite deserted4 ,presently two small boys came along4 ,one had a red tin of tobacco which he offered to ,jan2 ,jan shook his head but did not answer4 ,they then tried to talk to us1 but we knew better than to expose our imperfect ,castilian to two small boys--so we kept silence4 ,at last they said we were misteriosos and went away4 ,a luggage train steamed in4 ,at the tail end of the train were three third-class carriages1 and from these carriages1 as well as from the waggons1 poured out a mob of wild-looking men4 ,they were dark brown1 unshaven1 covered with broad tattered straw hats1 clothed in rough and ragged fustian and carried blankets of many coloured stripes4 ,huge bundles1 sacks and strange implements were slung upon their backs4 ,as they crowded in beneath the dim lamp at the station exit one could almost have sworn that all the figures from ,millet's pictures had come to life4 ,a smell of the soil and of labour and of sweat went up from them4 ,these men were peasants from ,galicia2 they had come in third-class carriages1 in goods waggons1 travelling probably for two or three days1 attached to luggage trains1 across the country to the harvesting4 ,one by one they passed out1 their voices trailed away into the night towards ,medina1 and once more the silence came back4 ,time wears itself out in the end4 ,the train to ,avila1 when it came1 was fairly empty1 so we could lay ourselves out at full length and rest1 disturbed1 however1 by the continual fear that we might overshoot our destination4 ,it was pitchy night when we clambered down from the train at ,avila4 ,the large barn of a station was lit by but three minute lamps and the glow from the fonda door4 ,in the semi-darkness the passengers moved about like ghosts1 each intent on his own business4 ,it was two o'clock in the morning1 so before exploring we again put our baggage in a corner of the fonda2 where also we found the one waiter presiding over a banquet laid for fifty non-existent guests4 ,speaking as little of the language as we did1 it seemed impossible to go exploring a foreign town in the dead of night for a hotel which would probably be shut when we found it4 ,so1 feeling somewhat like ,leon ,berthelini and his wife in ,stevenson's story1 we sat down on a seat in the station to await the dawn4 ,the temperature of the night was almost perfect2 there was a hint of chill in our faces which1 however1 did not penetrate through the clothing4 ,for awhile porters moved about arranging luggage1 then one by one the three lights were extinguished and the station was left to darkness4 ,one porter clambered into a carriage which was standing on a siding2 as he did not come out again nor pass down on the other side we imagine he went to bed in it4 ,we were tempted to follow his example1 but feared the train might move off unexpectedly and carry us to some remote part of ,spain before we could wake up4 ,one can tempt opportunity too far4 ,but the seat was hard4 ,if1 like ,berthelini1 we had had a guitar we might have performed miracles with it similar to his1 but we had left our guitars in ,england4 ,so ,jan went exploring4 ,outside the station he found a small omnibus1 its horses eating hay out of nose-bags4 ,hearing faint voices he discovered a sort of dimly lit underground bar annexed to the fonda1 in which the driver of the omnibus and a friend were drinking spirits1 while the tired waiter lounged yawning behind the counter4 ,our ignorance of ,spanish prevented us from thrusting ourselves into their company3 but we waited for the driver to attend to his horses and in halting ,hugo we asked him at what hour the omnibus went to the hotel4 ,he replied ,in the morning and went back to his drinking4 ,the eau-de-nil of dawn found us on the edge of shivering1 but the day warmed rapidly4 ,a train thundered into the station pouring out its cascade of passengers4 ,gathering up our packages and tipping the waiter fifty centimes1 we found a new omnibus which was labelled ,hotel ,jardin and took our seats inside4 ,dawn was over by the time we reached the hotel1 though it was but four o'clock4 ,we had a confused impression of great buff battlements overhanging the buildings1 of a few stunted bushes1 of one or two girls in black1 of a huge room which was to be our bedroom and then--bed--sleep4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #b3 ,fixed prices4 ,footnote #c3 ,that is clear4 ,footnote #d3 ,round table4 ,,chapter ,v ,,avila ,borrow has a description of an inn in ,galicia in which a whole family occupies but one bedroom while the servant sleeps across the door4 ,our bedroom in the ,htel del ,jardin was quite large enough for any family other than1 perhaps1 a ,french ,canadian1 which sometimes runs1 we have heard1 into twenties and thirties4 ,the walls were painted a pinky-mauve stucco1 decorated with a broad olive-green ribbon of colour making a complete oblong or frame on each wall about eighteen inches within the edges of the wall1 top1 bottom and sides4 ,this method of making1 as it were1 a separate frame of each wall1 was novel and rather pleasant4 ,it is a common practice in ,spanish wall decoration and is probably ,moorish in origin4 ,the hotel was full of dark corridors leading to huge bedrooms3 it had a broad veranda upstairs full of large wicker chairs1 bottoms up1 while downstairs was a dining room with square tables and a small entrance hall in which sat the three old ladies4 ,with one of the old ladies we had bargained in a sleepy way upon our arrival4 ,she had conceded us the room with full pension 7no extraordinarios7 for eight pesetas a day1 but in general the three old ladies sat in the entrada together1 giving a sense of black-frocked repose and of quiet dignity to the place4 ,one was thin-faced1 dried-up but energetically capable2 one was large and motherly1 while the third had no characteristics whatever and was ignored by every one4 ,illustration ,i do not think we realized that these three old ladies were the proprietresses until the second or third day at lunch-time4 ,we had been given our seats at a table by the waiter2 suddenly we found the three old ladies had surrounded us and were glowering down at us4 ,we were rising to our feet but they peremptorily commanded us to stay where we were1 breaking the rising tide of their wrath upon the waiter4 ,then1 for the first time1 we realized how completely we were married in ,spain4 ,in ,france1 for instance1 married people are les poux1 plural1 separate2 in ,england they are a married couple1 which still recognizes a duality though perhaps less definitely than does ,france2 but in ,spain we were un matrimonio1 indissolubly wedded into one in the language1 and into a masculine one at that4 ,somehow ,i always felt that we ought to be wheeled in on casters3 it was improper that so stately a thing as a matrimonio like the ,queen of ,spain should use legs4 ,from the old ladies' annoyance we understood that the matrimonio had done something which was not correct1 but they talked so fast1 and they all talked together1 so that the matrimonio could not make head or tail of what they were saying4 ,nor indeed did we ever discover our misdemeanour4 ,for our six and eightpence a day we had breakfast in a little side room4 ,this meal was of caf au lait in a huge bowl1 rolls and butter4 ,sometimes we had companions for this meal4 ,on the second day ,i was some minutes earlier than ,jan4 ,at the table was a young peasant priest4 ,he ignored my tentative bow but began muttering to himself protective prayers in ,latin4 ,however1 once ,i looked up suddenly and surprised him in the act of staring at me4 ,he quickly crossed himself and redoubled the urgency of his protestations to ,god4 ,the other meals were excellently cooked and with four or five courses to each1 but the diningroom bore on its walls a placard saying that owing to the rise of prices the management regretted that it was unable to provide wine at the pension4 ,so there was an extraordinario after all--and a very good extraordinario it was too--red ,rioja wine with the faint1 strange exotic taste in it of the tar with which the wine barrels are caulked4 ,you know the queer old drawings one finds in ancient books3 towns like bandboxes with the walls round a perfect circle1 and peaked houses all comfortably packed inside1 and soldiers' heads sticking out of the battlemented towers8 ,well1 ,avila is like that4 ,you may stand on the opposite hillside and see the full circle of her walls with never a breach in it1 with towers at every two hundred yards or so1 and you can gaze down into her houses1 fitted neatly within the bandbox1 and wonder if the old manuscripts were quite as exaggerated as one often supposed4 ,from this hillside one might imagine that ,avila has never changed from the days when the monks drew their primitive pictures4 ,the walls top the hill-side and one sees nothing of the modern ,avila which has spread beyond those great frowning gateways facing the plaza1 but even the modern part of ,avila which has oozed out beyond the walls is not overwhelmingly modern4 ,there are none of the exquisite specimens of ,spanish bad taste like that we found in ,irun4 ,the plaza is surrounded by coloured houses and arcades much as is that of ,medina2 the sun-blinds of the two large cafs are tattered and weather-beaten2 the peasants stare at strangers with an unspoilt curiosity4 ,the habit of rushing about towns1 of penetrating into every gloomy interior1 ecclesiastical or otherwise1 which seems to be decently penetrable1 is a modern convention to which we do not subscribe4 ,there are two aspects to every place1 the living and the dead1 and we prefer the former4 ,there is this advantage in our attitude1 that one does not have to seek out the living1 it flows quite easily and naturally by1 and one does not remain an open-mouthed spectator with a jackdaw brain1 but incorporates oneself with it4 ,we did not go into the cathedral1 nor into any convent1 nor did we climb up the towers or into the walls3 we sat at the caf drinking in both coffee and ,spain4 ,of costume1 as ,spain is so often painted1 there was little2 the peasant men wore tall1 flat-brimmed hats and broad1 blue sashes about their stomachs2 the women shawls and woven leggings2 the mules and donkeys had trappings of bright-coloured woolwork and often saddlebags with fine woven coloured patterns on them4 ,string-soled sandals were the footwear of the men and of the soldiers3 string-soled shoes1 alpagatas1 were worn by the women and children4 ,the town was moderately alive until eleven o'clock4 ,very early in the morning the peasants came into the market with their mules or donkeys1 then gradually a quiet settled down1 a quiet which lasted till the evening4 ,after six o'clock ,avila awoke1 the business men left their shops1 the officers their cantonments4 ,the cadets and youths gathered in the plaza to flirt with the girls who1 dressed in gay cottons1 paraded to and fro in small giggling and swaying groups4 ,booths selling cool drinks and ices opened at the corners of the plaza1 while wandering sweetmeat merchants sold fried almonds and sugared nuts4 ,there was no woman with a lace mantilla and a high comb1 nor any one with a flat hat1 embroidered shawl and cigarette2 so the cigar boxes are liars4 ,as one sits at the caf table in ,spain1 life is1 perhaps1 presented to one in an aspect almost too crude4 ,lazarus lay at the rich man's gates exhibiting his sores1 and the ,spanish beggar follows his example4 ,spain needs no ,charles ,lamb to write of the decay of beggars4 ,decayed indeed they are1 but not in that sense of which ,lamb wrote3 in tattered and unspeakable rags they pursue their trade from the ,asturias to ,cadiz4 ,no dishonour attaches to beggary in ,spain4 ,a ,spaniard was horrified when ,jan told him that begging was not permitted in ,england4 ,what1 then1 can those do who are unable or unwilling to work8 he asked4 ,a humble though probably verminous official refuge is provided for the beggar in each town1 and1 as he tells his clients1 ,god repays his small extortions4 ,the ,spaniard is accustomed to his beggars1 he does not nag at his conscience about them1 but it harrows the unaccustomed heart of the ,englishman who1 taking his modest coffee or ,blanco y negro after supper1 finds a procession of misery thrusting importunate hands into his moment of quiet luxury4 ,the ,spanish beggar has no tenderness for one's sensibility4 ,each has the motto1 ,if you have tears prepare to shed them now4 ,naturally we were their quarry4 ,they presented us with a series of specimens worthy of a hospital museum4 ,we hardened our hearts1 as we were afraid of consequences1 but after two days1 when the beggars1 disappointed with us1 relaxed their exertions1 we gave or withheld alms with the outward serenity of a ,spaniard1 but feeling inwardly brutal whenever we refused to give a dole4 ,dirty1 half-naked children dodged about the caf pillars1 hiding from the waiter's eyes4 ,they stared wistfully at the small1 square packets of beet sugar which the waiter brought with the coffee1 and if a lump were left over they would creep up and in a cringing whine ask for it4 ,boys slightly older usually begged for a perra chica or for a cigarette4 ,their voices would be pathetic enough almost to break one's heart--they would say they had not eaten for three days--but if the refusal was decisive they would suddenly change their tones and shout out gaily to a comrade or run away whistling1 or turn a few cartwheels down the gutter4 ,in ,avila1 too1 we encountered the money problem4 ,we had been told that the ,spaniard calculates his cash in pesetas and centimos1 the peseta being worth normally tenpence in ,english money and the ten-centimo piece about one penny4 ,so far this had worked fairly well1 we had been on the travellers' route and the peculiarity of travellers had been catered for2 but here we found a new system of coinage4 ,how much is that8 ,i asked a woman in the market1 pointing to some object4 ,that1 she replied1 is worth six 'little bitches4' ,six what8 ,i exclaimed4 ,well1 three 'fat dogs1' if you prefer4 ,three 'fat dogs'8 ,yes1 or one 'royal' and one 'little bitch4' ,but ,i cannot understand4 ,what is a 'royal'8 ,oh1 don't you know8 ,why1 twenty 'royals' make a 'hard one4' ,at last we worried it out4 ,the little bitch 7perra chica7 is five centimos1 or one halfpenny4 ,the fat dog 7perro gordo7 is the ten-centimo piece2 these are both so called because of the lion on the back1 though why the sex should be changed we do not know4 ,the royal 7real7 is twenty-five centimos or twopence-halfpenny1 the hard one 7duro7 is a five-peseta piece4 ,the peseta is ignored4 ,nobody except an ignorant foreigner calculates in pesetas4 ,the ,spaniard1 who often cannot write1 does staggering sums in mental arithmetic1 reducing thirty-two little bitches or seventeen royals almost instantly into the equivalent in minted coin4 ,we had come to ,spain for the several reasons mentioned in ,chapter ,i4 ,we had found the freedom3 it was as though some oppressing weight were lifted from off us1 as though an attack of mental asthma had been relieved4 ,but on the whole we felt that we had been defrauded in other respects4 ,the weather1 except for the afternoon at ,medina1 had been very cloudy and at times almost cold4 ,we had heard no guitar during our week in ,spain4 ,one day a man with a primitive clarinet1 accompanied by a man with a side drum1 had wandered about the town making a queer music which had given us thrills of unexpected delight4 ,but ,jan does not play the clarinet4 ,he had made up his mind about guitars1 and guitars he would have4 ,the last night which we were to spend in ,avila1 he said3 ,see here1 ,jo1 we'll go out and we'll walk up and down1 through and round this town1 till we hear a guitar playing4 ,then we will walk in and explain4 ,i'm sure the people1 whoever they may be1 will not mind1 but ,i am going to hear ,spanish music4 ,after supper we set out again4 ,we walked the town from the top to the bottom4 ,not a whisper of guitar or of any other music4 ,we bisected the town from left to right--still silence except for the dim sounds of normal evening life4 ,we went out into the little garden which was beyond the walls and1 leaning on the parapet1 stretched our ears over the small suburb beneath4 ,the cries of a wailing child or two1 of a scolding woman and the shouts of an angry man answered us2 of music not a note4 ,we walked round the walls and were about to return in disappointment to the hotel1 when ,jan said ,hush6 ,we listened4 ,barely audible1 from below on the hill-side1 came the faint tinkle of a guitar4 ,we looked out across the dark country4 ,the hill sloped steeply from our feet and rose again in planes of blue blackness to the distant mountains4 ,almost in the bottom of the valley we saw a square of light from an open door4 ,the sound came from this direction4 ,cautiously we crept down the hill1 which was steep1 pebbly and without paths4 ,as we came down1 the noise grew louder4 ,there was a small drinking house or venta by the roadside2 near to it1 drawn up on a grassy spot beneath some big trees1 were gipsy caravans and booths1 and as we passed by we could see1 dimly white1 the blanketed shapes of the gipsies as they lay on the grass asleep under the stars4 ,from the venta came the sounds of music4 ,after a momentary hesitation we went in4 ,the room1 lit by one dim lamp1 was crowded with gipsies and workmen4 ,it was long in shape and an alcove almost opposite to the door was partitioned off as a bar4 ,at one end was a table upon which three gipsies with dark1 lined ,spanish faces were sitting1 and the audience had formed itself into rough1 concentric semicircles spreading down the length of the room4 ,most of the men were swarthy with the sun1 clad in the roughest of clothes1 some with tall hats on1 others with striped blankets flung over their shoulders4 ,the inn looked like what the average traveller would describe as a nest of brigands4 ,we murmured a bashful buenos noches1 bowed to the company and crept into the background4 ,a few returned our greeting1 but with delicacy of feeling the majority took no overt notice of our presence4 ,the man on the table who held the guitar began to thrum on the instrument4 ,a tall gipsy1 whose face was drawn into clear1 almost prismatic shapes1 and who might have stepped out of an etching by ,goya1 put his stick into a corner1 slipped off his blanket and1 standing in the open space before the table1 began a stamping dance1 snapping his fingers in time with the rhythm4 ,a workman standing near to us said3 ,that man does not play the guitar very well1 the other one plays better4 ,he went out and in a short while returned with his wife1 a laughing woman whom he placed next to me4 ,there was no drinking of wine4 ,the alcarraza1 an unglazed1 bottle shaped drinking vessel1 full of water1 was handed about4 ,it has a small spout1 and from this the ,spaniard pours a fine stream of water into his mouth4 ,but beware1 incautious traveller--ten to one you will drench yourself4 ,though the audience apparently took no notice of our presence1 in reality they were extremely conscious of us4 ,one by one1 as if by accident1 gipsy women clad in red cottons came into the already crowded room4 ,soon a girl was urged to dance4 ,she demurred1 giggling4 ,at last she was pushed into the open space1 and with a gesture of resignation she began to dance4 ,we are not judges of ,spanish dancing3 we had been looking for atmosphere1 and had plunged into the thick of it4 ,this was no caf in ,madrid or ,seville got up for the entertainment of the traveller4 ,this was the true1 natural1 romantic ,spain4 ,opportunity again had blessed her disciples4 ,one of the women pushed her way out of the door1 and in a short while returned1 dragging with her a child about nine years old4 ,the little girl's face was frowning and angered1 the sleep from which she had been roused still hung heavy on her eyelids4 ,aha6 exclaimed the audience4 ,she dances well4 ,the man who was reputed the better player roused himself from the table and sat down on a chair4 ,they put castanets into the child's hands4 ,the man struck a few chords and slowly the music formed itself into the rhythm of a ,spanish measure4 ,illustration ,relaxing none of her angry1 sleepy expression1 the child danced wonderfully4 ,the castanets clashed and fluttered beneath her fingers1 her skirts swirled this way and that1 her feet beat the floor in time with the pulsation of the guitar4 ,the audience shouted encouragement at her4 ,with a wild series of movements1 the dance at last came to an end4 ,brava6 ,brava6 cried the gipsies4 ,one day that girl will be worth much money1 said a man1 with approval in his voice4 ,then the best male dancer took the floor4 ,with true artistic instinct he did not attempt to rival the active dancing of the child1 but performed a stately movement1 holding his arms above his head1 and slowly turning himself about4 ,when he sat down an old man of seventy or so began a series of senile caperings1 thumping his stick on the floor4 ,the audience rolled with laughter at the ancient buffoon4 ,for some while ,jan had been wondering whether he should pay for two or three bottles of wine for the company1 but we did not know the delicacies of ,spanish etiquette1 nor had we sufficient language in which to make an inquiry1 so1 pushing my way to the child who had danced so well1 ,i pressed a few coppers into her hand4 ,she looked up at me in astonishment4 ,what do you want me to do1 then8 she asked4 ,our ,spanish failed to shape a proper reply1 so ,i smiled at her as answer4 ,buenos noches1 and ,muchos gracias1 we said to the crowd1 and made our way out again into the night4 ,we were followed up the hill by a gipsy boy who begged cigarettes1 but he had pestered us during the whole of our stay at ,avila1 and we did not feel kindly towards him4 ,nor indeed had we any cigarettes to give1 because ,spain was suffering from a tobacco famine1 and those which we had brought with us from ,france had just come to an end4 ,the next morning we left the ,htel del ,jardin1 which owes its name to the fact that it possesses in the front a tiny square of earth on which grow five bushes and a small tree4 ,we were bound for ,madrid4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,madrid ,madrid ,station was the usual dark barn into which the trains ran and where they rested1 as the diligences rest beneath the barn of the coaching inn4 ,one descended the steps of the carriage into gloom2 found a dim porter whom one would never recognize again2 made one's way amongst the towering1 sniffling black ,pargantua of locomotives2 was fought for by an excited mob of cabmen1 amongst whom one remained passive until a cabman dowered with more character than his fellows had managed to attract one's notice2 and finally we were packed into a small1 four-square omnibus1 our luggage on the top1 the driver and his tout on the box4 ,a police official in a grey uniform halted us4 ,he asked our names1 our destination and warned us not to pay the driver more than five pesetas for the trip1 including the luggage4 ,to-day was ,sunday4 ,we had1 indeed1 on getting up at ,avila imagined it to be ,saturday4 ,we were leaving ,avila expressly on a ,saturday in order to be in ,madrid for the great ,sunday bullfight1 for practically all bullfighting in ,spain is reserved as a mild sport for ,sunday afternoon1 or for other days of ,church festival4 ,unfortunately1 we had learned on the train that it was not ,saturday but ,sunday4 ,somehow1 we had mislaid a day4 ,we had presented ourselves with a ,wednesday or a ,thursday or a ,friday too many1 and now ,sunday had gone bang and the bullfight with it4 ,but in consequence our entry into ,madrid had some of the dignity of a royal procession4 ,we plunged1 a shabby omnibus1 into the flood of carriages which parade the parks of ,madrid on bullfight occasions4 ,there were doubtless ladies with high combs placed in their raven hair2 with lustrous eyes glowing from the deep caverns of their eye sockets2 with a waxy and sensuous flower hanging from their full-blooded lips2 clad in mystery-lending mantilla and gorgeous shawl1 over which the ,orient has burst a splendour of silken blossom4 ,there were1 no doubt1 such spectacles to see2 there must have been2 all the artists who paint ,spain cannot lie4 ,yet ,i confess that we did not see them4 ,though we are beginning to be suspicious of ,spanish painters1 we will not assert that no such ladies drove in procession1 tempting the lounging ,spaniard with glances from eyes of melting jet4 ,we did not see them because the whole flood of carriages was plunged in a strange golden haze4 ,dusk had fallen and overhead signs of daylight showed purplish through the fog1 but lower down it was quite dark1 and through this haze of orange-gold particles1 which drifted in the air as golden particles drift in a chemical solution1 the lamps of the carriages threw long searchlights1 arresting strange silhouettes of the coach-borne crowd1 so that we made our first acquaintance with the people of ,madrid merely as black shadows against a radiance of gold4 ,it was1 indeed1 somewhat a prophetic introduction4 ,these black shadows against the gold may stand as a figure for ,spain4 ,we think of ,spain as the land of the last romance1 whereas the ,spaniard's real romance is money and the gaining of it4 ,but this is a mixing of secondary and primary impressions4 ,before our eyes ,madrid rolled forward1 gloating in an aureate solution1 accompanied by the shouts of coachmen and the blaring from aristocratic and impatient motor-cars4 ,we sat looking out of the black windows of the omnibus with much of that childish delight which a shadowgraph theatre gives4 ,in time1 however1 we began to cough4 ,after a while longer we began to realize that this haze so exquisite in the lamplight was dust--dust4 ,we rolled along1 manufacturing our halo as we went1 until1 coming out of the press of carriages into cobbled and ill-lit streets1 our glory fell away from us and we rocked on1 reflecting on this apt illustration of the old ,french proverb concerning beauty and suffering4 ,gradually we decided that we could have dispensed with this weird introduction to ,madrid in order to have spared our throats4 ,our friend ,jesus ,perez had given us an address appropriately enough in the ,place of the ,angel4 ,but there were three pensions in the same building and he had not discriminated4 ,so ,i1 leaving ,jan to look after the bus1 went to explore1 and knocking at random was brought face to face with an old lady who had not a trace of the angelic in her constitution4 ,while she was grumpily and wilfully misunderstanding me1 insisting that the ,seor for whom ,i was looking did not live there1 a crowd of well-fed persons sifted from the dining-room and stood in a circle staring at me with cold-eyed curiosity4 ,as they stared they all picked their teeth4 ,at last ,i forced understanding on her and she told me in a surly voice that her pension was full4 ,the other two pensions were full also4 ,it was explained to me that ,madrid was suffering from congestion1 that never had such a season been experienced4 ,so ,i retreated from the stairs and we held a council of distress in the street4 ,the driver of the bus1 who did not indeed look like a very competent judge1 said that he knew of a good pension4 ,by a series of manoeuvres1 about as complicated as the turning of a large ship in a small river1 he got his bus reversed and we set off again the way we had come4 ,but once more we met a refusal1 backed by wide-eyed staring and public tooth-picking4 ,we had the address of an hotel1 as a last resource indeed1 for it was somewhat beyond our means1 costing seventeen pesetas a day en pension4 ,so in despair we made our way to it1 wondering whether the congestion had spread from the eight peseta boarding-houses to the seventeen-peseta hotels1 and whether our first night in ,madrid was to be spent in the bus4 ,we came back into the garishly lit main streets of ,madrid and at last the bus halted4 ,there was no hotel front1 and we plunged between two shops along a passage from which photographs of the beauties of ,madrid showed exquisite sets of teeth from the showcases of a society photographer4 ,a narrow1 twisting staircase--the lift was out of order--spiralled us up to a sumptuous hotel decorated with mirrors and white paint arranged with a ,permanic taste4 ,rooms were to be had1 and so we resigned ourselves to luxury for a few days4 ,luxury indeed it was4 ,for our eight pesetas a day in ,avila we had had as much as we wanted4 ,here it was in proportion4 ,we were expected to eat our seventeen pesetas' worth a day4 ,course followed course until1 more than replete1 we had to wave away almost the whole of the second half of this truly ,roman repast4 ,the waiters were aghast4 ,what8 ,not eat seventeen pesetas worth when one had paid for it8 ,incredible6 ,we gazed about at our fellow diners and saw that we were unique4 ,but then as a rule our fellow diners surpassed us as much in girth as in appetite2 they had excellent accommodations4 ,your true ,spaniard adores his dinner4 ,there is a general superstition that love is the ,spaniard's prime passion4 ,but ,i doubt it4 ,for the once that we have been asked what we think of ,spanish beauty1 we have been twenty times questioned about our judgment of ,spanish cooking4 ,madrid at night4 ,how much has one not dreamed of southern romance beneath skies of ultramarine8 ,but ,madrid seems just like any other large ,european city4 ,it is ,paris without the wit1 ,munich without the music4 ,we talk1 of course1 of first impressions4 ,the first impressions of a town are rarely national4 ,collective humanity is collective humanity everywhere2 has the same needs and devises the same methods of satisfying them4 ,some needs ,madrid supplies more blatantly than is done in other places4 ,the ,latin is indifferent to noise and the ,spaniard is the most hardened of the ,latin races4 ,there seems to be no curb on the cries of the street vendors4 ,the consequence is that each shouts out his wares in competition with his fellows2 the louder the yell the more the custom4 ,the peculiar qualities of ,spanish singing further stimulate to a point of mordant acidity the ,iberian voice4 ,for a person of sensitive hearing ,madrid is intolerable3 newspaper men1 flower-merchants1 toothpick-sellers1 and above all the lottery ticket vendors1 scream their wares with nerve-racking persistency2 added to which1 to make pandemonium complete1 the cab-drivers and their touts bellow and shout1 while the horns of the motor-cars are the most discordant that we have ever heard4 ,as the night progressed from a stifling heat to a comparative coolness the noise seemed to increase4 ,at two o'clock in the morning we thought1 surely1 it had reached its limit4 ,and to some extent it had4 ,one thanks ,heaven sometimes that the human machine runs down2 and we1 when the sweet sister of death laid her hands upon newspaper and lottery ticket sellers1 sent a thanksgiving up towards the stars1 a thanksgiving the more sincere at the moment because it was silent4 ,the diminution of noise went on steadily until about three1 and we imagined that ,madrid was going to sleep4 ,it was1 however1 but a ruse of the subtle city4 ,as is well known1 one can become used to a persistent or regularly repeated noise1 for ,jan used to sleep sweetly close to the stamp battery of a mine1 the din of which was so deafening that the voice was inaudible1 even at the loudest shout2 and dwellers near a railway line are but little disturbed by the nightly trains4 ,madrid knew that in time we would become accustomed to the human babel1 in spite of its strident note2 so she substituted a fictitious silence torn into strips by the sudden passage of motors which had taken advantage of the clearness of the streets to put on full speed and also to cut off the silencer4 ,irregularly these motors went by about one every five minutes4 ,each silence was about long enough to let us reach the edge over which one tumbles into sleep1 and each roaring passage of a car jerked us back into disgusted wakefulness4 ,we arose to a very early breakfast1 wishing we had ,mr4 ,g4 ,k4 ,chesterton at hand so that we could enter into an argument with him about the beauties of liberty4 ,to retrace our steps for a moment1 it was just about at the hither side of the noise climax1 that is1 about #b4bj in the morning1 that we got back to our hotel4 ,we found the street door shut and locked1 and no bell could we find to pull4 ,we thumped on the door1 but only a hollow1 drum-like echoing answered us4 ,we were dismayed4 ,we had got up early at ,avila1 a train journey and discoverings in ,madrid had worn us out1 and on the other side of this locked door our bed tempted us2 for we were not then aware that sleep was forbidden to us whether we got in or stayed in the street4 ,it seemed strange in ,madrid1 wide awake and noisy1 that our hotel should have locked up so early and should have shut us out4 ,despairingly again we drummed on the door4 ,we awakened sympathy in a passer-by4 ,a few words explained our plight4 ,he whistled1 and we presently saw a man with a lantern in his hand and with an official cap on his head coming towards us4 ,our helper explained and the official unlocked the door1 let us in1 and locked the door behind us4 ,this wandering latchkey is the equivalent to our old night-watchman4 ,amongst his duties is that of chanting out the hours of the night as they pass--for the benefit of the sleepless--to which he adds the condition of the weather4 ,since fully ninety-five per cent4 of the ,spanish nocturnes are ,whistlerian blue1 he has earned the title of ,el ,sereno1 or the serene4 ,there is an advantage in this custom--one cannot forget one's latchkey4 ,the worst evil which can happen to one is that one's latchkey may forget itself3 but ,spain is on the whole a sober country4 ,a big town reveals its flavour but by degrees4 ,madrid1 whatever its real character may be1 had hidden herself behind a veil--a veil of dust4 ,that golden aura which had enveloped our first vision was not a permanent characteristic of the town4 ,the dust hung in the air1 rising higher than the houses4 ,from the outskirts1 maybe one would have seen ,madrid as it were enclosed in a dome of dust4 ,we marvelled that people could live in such at atmosphere4 ,we had noticed that1 in addition to its dustiness1 ,madrid was suffering from a dreadful shortage of water4 ,it was1 of course1 ,july1 and one might expect some famine on the high and arid tableland of ,spain1 but we wondered that so great a city could have arisen with so meagre a water supply4 ,at street corners queues of tired women and children waited for hot hours with buckets1 pails1 jugs and amphoras4 ,soldiers with a hose pipe from which trickled a paltry stream of water filled the vessels one by one4 ,there was gaiety and bad temper1 giggling and quarrelling amongst the women4 ,this1 said we1 is a primitive city4 ,in the public gardens water-carts were standing1 and crowds of men were baling water up from the decorative ponds4 ,a real famine1 said we1 could not be worse than this4 ,this was in fact the case4 ,madrid is supplied from the mountains by an ancient aqueduct4 ,the ,spaniard has a principle of interfering with nothing until the last moment2 the ideals of liberty are carried so far in ,spain that they apply to inanimate objects as well as human beings4 ,thus1 if the aqueduct wishes to break1 it is allowed to do so4 ,panic ensues4 ,the government is criticized1 but words hurt nobody4 ,the aqueduct had given way a few days before our arrival4 ,had it not been for the generosity of a nobleman who turned a private water supply into the conduits of ,madrid1 we would have found not calamity but catastrophe4 ,madrid was unsavoury enough4 ,the breakdown of the water-supply entails also the failure of the drainage system4 ,in a land of wine one might dispense with water as a mere drink2 but to dispense with flushed drains in a semi-tropical climate is impossible4 ,illustration ,one late afternoon we were in our bedroom1 having taken advantage of the quiet which reigns from one p4m4 till five1 7for we got no other sleep during out stay71 we heard a faint strange murmur which seemed to be drawing nearer4 ,we went to the balcony and looked out4 ,the sound was coming from the direction of the ,puerto del ,sol1 the sun's gate1 the torrid centre of ,madrid so well named4 ,the sound drew nearer4 ,soon it shaped itself into a word murmur from thousands of throats3 ,agua1 agua1 agua4 ,the word passed us and fled down the streets1 sweeping before the hesitating trickle which crept along the gutters4 ,with the word a communal shiver of delight ran through the town1 like a sort of physical earthquake4 ,before six o'clock the road men were dragging their hoses about the street1 and the rising damp was dragging the dust out of the air4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,a ,,hot ,,night 7,this ,chapter should be omitted by ,prudes7 ,the expense of an omnibus is not necessary to the experienced traveller4 ,a ,spanish friend took us to a bureau of town porters in ,madrid1 and we gave instructions to a dark-faced man in a shabby uniform1 who promised to see all our baggage to the station in good time for the evening train to ,murcia4 ,seor ,don ,mateo ,bartolommeo was the name of the porter1 for he gave us his visiting card1 on which was his professional and private address1 and a deep black mourning border like that on one's grandmother's envelopes4 ,the preliminaries to travelling in ,spain are lengthy4 ,the ticket office opens fifteen or twenty minutes before the train leaves1 but the passengers arrive an hour before1 so that there is always a long queue waiting at the ticket office4 ,one can buy either tickets for the journey or tickets for the thousand or more kilometres4 ,the latter are a great saving if one does much travelling1 but they entail further delay at the booking office1 for verifying1 tearing off1 stamping1 and so forth4 ,then with one's tickets one goes to the luggage bureau1 where the van luggage is weighed1 overweight charged1 and a long slip receipt given4 ,the luggage is then presumed to travel to the journey's end and should be forthcoming on the production by the passenger of the receipt4 ,this is not invariably the case2 but of that we will tell in its place4 ,the wealthy traveller does not undergo all this fatigue4 ,he shows a porter the luggage for the van1 tells him the station to which he wishes to travel1 gives him the money to pay for ticket and luggage1 and bothers his head no more about it4 ,the ,spanish porter is unusually honest4 ,you can give him two or three hundred pesetas to buy tickets with1 and a few minutes before the train starts up he runs with the tickets1 the luggage receipt1 and the exact change4 ,we1 however1 wanted to experience everything2 we did not wish to spend our small capital on exorbitant tips1 so ,i1 leaving ,jan to see to the tickets and heavy luggage1 argued my way past the ticket collector1 who is supposed to let nobody on to the platform without a ticket1 found an empty carriage1 appropriated seats1 and sat on the step waiting for the porter to bring up the smaller luggage4 ,an old lady in black1 with a huge bandbox and a birdcage1 accompanied by three hatless girls dressed in purple silk1 all carrying at least four parcels apiece1 filled up my compartment1 and ,i thought3 ,we are going to have a stuffy time of it4 ,the train was full of talk4 ,in the corridors the people chattered at the top of their voices like a rookery4 ,presently1 conversing in shrill tones1 the old lady and her three daughters swooped back into the carriage1 and with much rustling of silk dragged all their parcels to some other part of the train4 ,a young officer1 carrying about six packages1 took one of the vacated places1 and marked his seat by unbuckling his sword1 which he placed in the corner4 ,an old man1 rather run to stomach1 took the seat opposite the soldier4 ,he then stood in the doorway1 wedging his stomach into the opening1 so that nobody else should enter4 ,the time drew closer to the departure of the train4 ,the noise increased a hundredfold4 ,three girls rushed along the corridor and unceremoniously butted the old gentleman in the waistcoat4 ,the corridor was filled with a confused crowd of people1 who handed in large hat-boxes1 brightly striped1 square cardboard boxes1 small suit-cases with gilt locks1 and a huge doll4 ,the carriage was filled with a strong smell of scent4 ,there was giggling and the kissing of adieux4 ,the escort then retreated down the corridor and the three girls set to arranging themselves for the journey4 ,one of the girls was very dark1 her face like old ivory1 her eyes large caverns of gloom1 and her mouth painted a brilliant scarlet2 one was fair with a long face and grey eyes1 very excitable in manner1 talking a high-pitched ,spanish with a queer intonation2 the third was bigger than either of her companions1 yet less remarkable4 ,one could easily have imagined her dressed in cowgirl's costume1 performing in a travelling ,buffalo ,bill show4 ,all three had bobbed hair1 though that of the second girl was an elaborate coiffure of short hair rather than a mere bob4 ,the dark girl picked up the soldier's sword and tossed it into the luggage rack4 ,the cowgirl pushed the stout old man's suit-case out of his corner and took his seat4 ,the old man but grinned and guffawed1 seeming pleased rather than angry4 ,the soldier stood in the corridor and glowered at the dark girl through the glass4 ,he offered no objection to the robbery of his seat1 but it was evident what were his thoughts4 ,the second girl flung herself down on the seat next to ,jan1 blew out a long sigh and exclaimed3 ,aie1 que calor1 que calor4 ,it was indeed hot4 ,all day long the sun had been beating down into ,madrid4 ,the ,puerto del ,sol had been more like the ,puerto del ,infierno4 ,the little trickles of water which the repaired aqueduct had afforded to ,madrid had done little to mitigate the dull reverberant heat of the still air4 ,even now that the night had come the air was yet quivering1 and came into the lungs like half-warmed water4 ,the girls got down their dainty suit-cases from the rack1 opened them1 burrowing amongst tawdry finery1 manicure sets1 powder-boxes and other articles of toilet use1 found boxes of cigarettes4 ,to do this1 the cowgirl placed her suit-case on the seat and1 standing1 bent over it4 ,the stout old man1 with a giggle1 leant forward and gave the girl a resounding smack with his open palm upon that part of her which was nearest to him4 ,the officer1 through the glass1 frowned and pursed up his lips4 ,the girl next to ,jan caught my eye1 smiled at me1 and winked4 ,aie1 que calor6 she exclaimed1 blowing cigarette smoke into the air4 ,the train dragged itself out of the station and started southward through the night4 ,the girl who was sitting next to ,jan broke out into unexpected ,french4 ,mon ,dieu6 ,qu'il fait chaud6 she exclaimed1 as though ,spanish would not properly express the quality of the heat4 ,but1 said ,jan to her1 you speak ,french very well4 ,well1 she retorted1 ,i ought to1 seeing that ,i am ,french4 ,suddenly she came to a resolution4 ,she stood up and again took down her suit-case4 ,she took from it a wrapper of tinted muslin4 ,slowly then she began to take off her clothes4 ,her silk dress she folded up very neatly and laid along the little rack which is set just below the ordinary one4 ,then she slipped off her petticoat and camisole1 and put on the muslin wrapper4 ,that is better1 she exclaimed2 folded up her discarded underwear1 put it into the suit-case1 which she then replaced on the rack4 ,she then began on her coiffure4 ,she detached a series of little curls from over her ears1 and twisting the wires on which they were made into hooks1 she suspended them from the netting of the rack1 where over her head they swung to and fro with the movement of the train4 ,maintenant1 she said1 on est plus son aise4 ,besides1 she added1 with the instinct of true ,french economy1 it does so spoil one's clothes if one takes a long railway journey in them4 ,the act had been performed with naturalness1 and in view of the heat of the night we could not help envying the ,french girl for her good sense in making the long journey as comfortable as possible4 ,she began to tell ,jan the story of her life4 ,mother was a nuisance1 she said2 she made life a little bit of hell at home4 ,well1 one day we had a fine old flare-up4 ,i told mother that she could go to the devil if she liked1 and ,i just packed up and ran away4 ,i came down to ,madrid1 and on the whole ,i haven't done so badly4 ,i send mother about eight hundred pesetas a month4 ,most of that she'll keep for me1 and ,i'll have a nice little sum to start business with when ,i get back4 ,of course one can't keep up a quarrel with one's mother for ever4 ,hein6 ,jan asked her how long she had been in ,spain4 ,four months1 she answered4 ,you speak very good ,spanish1 said ,jan4 ,oh1 she answered1 with a touch of desperation in her voice1 one can't be all day doing nothing4 ,it's a distraction learning something new4 ,where are you going now8 asked ,jan4 ,we are all going to ,carthagena1 said the ,french girl4 ,we'll be down there all the summer4 ,there are ,english there too1 ,i have heard--sailors4 ,i like sailors4 ,you see1 ,i had to get away from ,madrid4 ,i had a friend1 and one day while ,i was out he stole all my spare money1 and all my clothes1 which he took to the pawnshop4 ,and that left me stranded4 ,then ,i heard these two girls were going to ,carthagena1 to a place1 so ,i said1 ',i'll come too1' and here ,i am4 ,anyway one has to be somewhere1 and ,i adore knocking about4 ,it's life1 isn't it8 ,the dark girl was merely a selfish1 pretty animal4 ,she curled up on the officer's seat like a black cat4 ,she then slyly prodded the poor little stout man with her high heels1 so that he gradually moved up towards me1 leaving me little room in which to sit1 while the dark girl could stretch out at her ease4 ,the other girl sat in her corner1 saying little1 smoking cigarette after cigarette4 ,she seemed to be one of those stolid creatures who drop through life1 taking good and bad without change of face or of manner4 ,she might have been rather ,south ,german than ,spanish4 ,in contrast with these two the ,french girl was simple and attractive4 ,one noted1 too1 that she had a fine streak of unselfishness in her character2 she even talked without bitterness of the man who had robbed her4 ,illustration ,young men drifted along the corridors and stared in at the girls4 ,one man1 who looked well off1 dressed in a tweed sporting coat1 came in and made friends4 ,he gave them cigarettes and drinks of brandy from a flask4 ,at about one o'clock in the morning1 one of the cardboard boxes was opened and disclosed a large pie1 which was divided4 ,the stout old gentleman had a piece1 so did ,tweeds4 ,some was offered to us1 but we had dined well at ,madrid and did not feel hungry4 ,but to refuse in ,spain is a delicate matter1 so we gave them cigarettes to indicate goodwill4 ,we stopped at a dark station4 ,the door was flung open and a tall sunburned man clambered into the carriage4 ,he had around his waist a broad leather belt which was stuck full of knives4 ,these implements were clasp knives1 and varied from small pocket knives and pruning knives to veritable weapons a foot in length4 ,he was not a famous brigand1 though he looked one1 but a salesman4 ,the larger knives had a circular ratchet and a strong spring at the back1 so that upon opening they made a blood-curdling noise1 which in itself would be enough to induce any angry man to finish the matter by burying the blade in his enemy's gizzard4 ,he did no business in our carriage1 and went off down the platform opening and shutting a sample of his murderous wares1 crying out3 ,navajos6 ,navajos6 ,the train went on1 and as we reached southward the night became warmer4 ,the stout old man left us1 and the black girl stretched out at full length1 occasionally prodding me with her ,french heels4 ,presently the darkness became less opaque4 ,a faint silhouette of low hills1 and then a dim reflection from flat lands1 appeared4 ,we stopped at another station2 an unimportant wayside station with a small house for booking-office and a drinking-booth in a lean-to alongside4 ,i must have a drink1 exclaimed ,tweeds4 ,who will come with me8 ,neither the black girl nor the cowgirl would move4 ,we had still lemonade in our ,thermos flasks4 ,so the ,french girl1 in her muslin peignoir1 and ,tweeds clambered down the carriage steps and disappeared through the door of the fonda4 ,disappeared is the right word4 ,without warning1 the train began to move4 ,it gathered speed and clattered away southward4 ,we never saw ,tweeds or the ,french girl again4 ,in the thinnest of ngligs she was left stranded upon the wayside station1 to which no other train would come for at least twelve hours1 and possibly not for twenty-four4 ,the day broke1 and we pounded along through a dusty arid country4 ,there was green in the bottom of the valley1 but from the roads rose high columns of dust1 while the plastered villages of box-like houses near the railroad were dried up and dust-coated4 ,dust blew in through the carriage windows and settled thick upon the curls which1 still swinging and bobbing from the netting of the rack1 were fast leaving their mistress behind4 ,at first her companions had been anxious2 now they were laughing4 ,but1 they said1 we wonder if she knows where to come for her things when she does arrive8 ,the train became more crowded4 ,soon people were running up and down1 looking angrily for places4 ,third-class passengers began to fill the corridor of our second-class carriage4 ,a boy of about nineteen1 with the half-angry intense face characteristic of some ,latins1 came into the carriage and demanded a seat from the dark girl who was still stretched at full length4 ,this seat ,darkey1 with her habitual selfishness1 refused to give up4 ,suddenly1 we were in the middle of a full-fledged ,spanish row4 ,to us it had a comic side4 ,it was not what we would have called a row1 as much as a furious debate4 ,of course with our slight acquaintance with ,spanish we missed the finer points of the varied arguments4 ,darkey began by saying that she was keeping the seat for a friend who was somewhere else4 ,this was to some extent true2 the ,french girl was somewhere else1 though there was little likelihood of her claiming the seat4 ,the boy retorted that if she was somewhere else she probably had another seat4 ,this argument went to and fro1 increasing in acerbity4 ,each of the quarrellers listened in silence to what the other had to say1 making no attempt to interrupt1 though the voices grew hoarse with anger4 ,illustration ,presently ,darkey was telling the boy that he was a wretched third-class passenger anyhow1 and that he had no right in a second-class carriage1 and even if the seat were free he wasn't going to have it4 ,the boy retorted by saying that anybody could see what she was1 and that her mother was probably sorry that she had ever been born1 etc41 etc4 ,no ,english quarrel could have gone to half the length that this proceeded4 ,we were waiting to see either the boy jump into the carriage and shake the life out of ,darkey1 or to see ,darkey spring1 like the young tiger-cat she was1 at the boy and scratch his face4 ,but nothing happened4 ,the crowded corridor listened with delight to the progress of the quarrel4 ,the train stopped at a station4 ,darkey had sat up to pulverize the impertinent youth with some evil retort4 ,the carriage door on the opposite side opened1 and a placid1 middle-aged peasant woman1 followed by an ancient peasant man1 stepped into the carriage1 and before ,darkey had well discovered what was happening had squashed down in the disputed seat1 left vacant by the removal of ,darkey's feet4 ,the woman grinned at us all and sat nursing a large basket on her lap4 ,then the quarrel slowly died down4 ,after a while the boy went away4 ,however1 he came back again whenever he had thought of something good1 and barked it round the corner of the door at ,darkey1 who1 usually taken by surprise1 could find nothing to retort before he had lost himself again in the crowd4 ,the peasant woman smiled at us all1 and1 opening her basket1 handed to each of us a large peach4 ,she selected one especially big for ,darkey1 presumably as refreshment after the tiring argument4 ,the day became hotter and hotter4 ,the dust gathered more thickly on to the ,french girl's poor little curls4 ,when the train stopped1 children ran up and down beside the carriages1 selling water at the price of one little bitch the glass4 ,we were now in the province of ,murcia1 and the scenery put on the characteristic appearance of that province1 tall bare hills of an ochreous mauve1 sloping down into a flat1 irrigated1 fertile valley4 ,the division between mountain and valley1 between the desert and the strown was as sharp as though drawn with the full brush of a ,japanese4 ,on the mountains were dead remnants of ,saracen castles1 of dismantled ,spanish robber fortresses1 and the white or coloured buildings of monasteries which still lived sparkling in the sun4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,murcia--,,first ,,impressions ,one has a right to expect that the station which is the finish of a long and tiring journey should be both a terminus and have a quality all of its own4 ,our egoism makes it seem at that moment the most important place in the world4 ,but ,murcia 7pronounced locally ,mouthia7 had only a big ugly barn of a station like many through which we had already passed1 and even lacked a ,precia ,fijo jewellery shop4 ,all we could see of the town1 on emerging1 was a few houses and a line of small trees which appeared as though they had been in a blizzard of whole-meal flour1 so thick was the dust4 ,over this buff landscape quivered the blue sky4 ,in front of us were one or two cranky omnibuses and many green-hooded two-wheeled carts4 ,these carts were ,oriental in appearance and had the most distinctive appearance we had yet noted in ,spain4 ,they were gaily painted1 and the hoods bulged with the generous curves of a ,russian cupola4 ,inside they were lined with soiled red velvet1 and the driver sat outside of this magnificence on a seat hanging over one of the tall wheels4 ,into one of these we were squeezed in company with two grinning travellers1 and started off1 soon plunging into the shadow of an avenue of lime trees1 behind the grey trunks of which cowered insignificant little houses painted in colours which once had been bright4 ,illustration3 ,,carters ,,in ,,the ,,posada ,the more communicative of our fellow travellers said it was indeed the hottest day of the year4 ,it was hot1 but we were not oppressed by it1 and found out in time that the ,spaniard always seemed to suffer from the heat more than we did4 ,our endeavours to be agreeable in imperfect ,spanish worked up the traveller to a discussion on languages1 and to a eulogy on ourselves for taking the trouble to learn4 ,we said that we were artists4 ,he answered3 ,ah1 yes1 that explains it4 ,poor people1 of course1 are forced to learn languages4 ,we drove across a stone bridge1 almost in collision with a bright blue tram-car4 ,a momentary glimpse was given to us of a muddy river running between deep embankments2 and we drew up before a square barrack of red brick pierced by a regiment of balconied windows4 ,the proprietor1 oily like a cheerful slug1 waved his fingers close to us1 and drew back his hand in delicate jerks as though we were rare and brittle china4 ,he preceded us into an ,alhambra-like central hall1 led us carefully up a stone staircase to a wide balcony1 opened a door into a palatial bedroom with a flourish2 and demanded fifteen pesetas sin extraordinario4 ,intuition told us that this was not a case of ,precio ,fijo1 and we reduced him gently to eleven pesetas before we accepted the bargain4 ,then1 to take off the raw edge left by the chaffering1 ,jan said3 ,i don't suppose you get many foreigners here1 ,seor8 ,si1 si6 returned the hotelkeeper1 anxious for the reputation of his caravanserai4 ,we get quite a lot4 ,oh1 yes1 quite a lot4 ,why1 only last year we had two ,french people1 un matrimonio2 and this year you have come4 ,the maid was in appearance and behaviour like an india-rubber ball1 and the conviction was firmly fixed in her mind either that we couldn't speak ,spanish or that she could not understand if we did4 ,so she grunted1 bounced at us and smiled with her mouth wide open like a dog1 hoping that by this means she was translating a ,spanish welcome into an ,english one4 ,with difficulty we dissuaded her from these antics and persuaded her to speak1 but she turned her words--which were already dialect--into baby talk2 and the less we understood the louder she shouted4 ,however1 she was a kindly creature and succeeded in cheering our spirits1 which were flagging1 for we were very tired and almost ill1 having barely recovered from a severe attack of influenza before leaving ,london4 ,we washed off the thick dust and went downstairs into the large cool hall4 ,the central quadrangle had once probably been open to the sky1 but now was covered1 five stories up1 by a glass roof1 beneath which sackcloth curtains stretched on wires shut out the sun4 ,there were comfortable wicker chairs all about1 and the hall was decorated with four solemn plaster busts1 one in each corner4 ,we were curious to find out who were thus honoured in a southern ,spanish hotel4 ,one was of ,sorolla1 a popular ,valencian painter1 one was of a woman1 a poetess4 ,the other two we did not know1 but think they represented contemporary literature and architecture4 ,imagine finding in an ,english hotel hall busts of ,brangwyn1 ,mrs4 ,meynell1 ,conan ,doyle and ,lutyens4 ,the hall was cool4 ,we ordered coffee and buttered toast4 ,but the butter was rancid1 for we had crossed the geographical line1 almost as important as the equator1 below which butter is not1 and oil must take its place4 ,four children1 making a lot of noise over it1 were in the hall1 playing a game peculiarly ,spanish4 ,the smallest boy1 who always had the dirty work to do1 carried flat in front of him a board1 to the end of which were fixed a pair of bull's horns4 ,he dashed these at his comrades in short straight rushes4 ,two of the other boys carried pieces of red cloth which they waved in front of the bull4 ,the fourth boy carried a pair of toy banderillas1 straight sticks1 covered with tinted paper and pointed with a nail4 ,as the bull rushed the banarillero dabbed his sticks into a piece of cork4 ,then they decided that the bull was to die4 ,one of the cloak-wavers took a toy sword which he triumphantly stuck into the cork4 ,with a moan the small boy sank on to the floor4 ,his companions seized his heels and dragged him round the tiled floor of the hall4 ,the game seemed to us a little tedious2 later on we were to learn how like to actual bullfighting it was4 ,the hotel interpreter1 for whom we had inquired1 now came in4 ,he spoke in ,french3 ,illustration ,what can ,i do for you8 ,we wished to find a gipsy guitar-player named ,blas1 and we had been told that the interpreter knew his house4 ,we feared that he might be in ,madrid1 where he sometimes played in the ,flamenco cafs2 but the interpreter said that he was in ,murcia1 and that we could look for him at once4 ,from the cool hall we stepped into the blazing sun of midday ,spain1 crossed an open space so dazzling that it hurt the eyes1 and entered a maze of narrow1 tall streets4 ,jan and ,i moved along in single file1 clinging to the narrow margins of shadow which edged the houses1 while the interpreter with a mere uniform cap on his head stalked imperturbably in the sunlight4 ,across squares we hurried as rapidly as possible to the shadow on the opposite side4 ,the houses were orange1 pink1 blue or a neutral grey which set off the hue of the tinted buildings4 ,the squares were planted with feathery trees of a green so vivid that it appeared due to paint rather than to nature4 ,it was a clear and windless day1 and soon we remarked a characteristic which ,murcia exhibited more strongly than any other ,spanish town we have visited4 ,each house had exuded its own smell across the pavement1 so as one went along one sampled a variety of ,spanish household odours4 ,some people find an intimate connection between colour and smell4 ,we might say that we passed successfully through a pink smell1 a purple smell1 a citron green smell1 a terra verte smell 7very nasty71 a cobalt smell1 a raw sienna smell1 and so on4 ,this characteristic clung to ,murcia during the greater part of our stay4 ,about fifteen minutes' walk through these variegated odoriferous layers brought us into a street of mean appearance4 ,the interpreter stopped before a large gateway door1 pushed it open and ushered us into a courtyard in the corner of which was a black earthenware pot astew over an open fire4 ,a brown-faced crone1 withered with dirt and age1 her clothes ragged1 her feet shod in burst alpagatas1 asked us what had brought us there4 ,where is ,blas8 said the interpreter4 ,with an unctuous gesture the old gipsy crone spread out her hands1 and turning to a doorway shouted out some words4 ,gipsy women young and old came from the house4 ,they were dark1 dirty and tousled1 clad in draggled greys or vermilions1 many carrying brown babies astraddle on the hip4 ,with gestures1 almost ,indian in subservience1 they crowded about us1 looking at us with ill-disguised curiosity4 ,the interpreter repeated his question4 ,blas1 said a young1 beautiful1 though depressed-looking woman1 is not in the house4 ,illustration ,the ,english ,seor will speak to him1 commanded the interpreter4 ,send him to the hotel when he comes home4 ,then our friend the interpreter determined to earn a large tip1 and calculating on our ignorance brought us back by the longest route1 past all the principal buildings of the town2 thereby quadrupling the journey through the baking streets4 ,our desires1 however1 were fixed on home4 ,we were staggering beneath the heat4 ,had the interpreter but known it1 his tip would have been increased by celerity2 but1 stung by our apathy over public monuments1 he took us into a courtyard to look at some gigantic tomatoes gleaming in the shade1 and ran us across the street to examine a skein of fine white catgut1 dyed orange at the tips1 which a workman was carrying4 ,he explained that this was for medical operations and for fishing lines1 which was a local industry4 ,lunch was ready when we got back1 a prolonged and delicious lunch for those in health1 but we could eat little of it4 ,black olives were in a dish on the table2 and the fruit included large ripe figs1 peaches1 pears and apricots4 ,a curious fact we had noted was that much of the fruit did not ripen properly4 ,either it was unripe or else had begun to rot in the centre4 ,the sun was too strong to allow it to reach the stage of exquisite ripeness which the more temperate climate of ,england encourages4 ,the waiter was dismayed by our lack of appetite4 ,he urged us repeatedly to further gastronomic efforts1 and holding dishes beneath our noses stirred up the contents with a fork4 ,at last he made us a special salad which was not on the menu4 ,the other occupants of the long white restaurant were all fat men who swallowed course after course in spite of the heat4 ,we looked at them and thought3 ,no wonder there are so many plump people in ,spain4 ,after coffee in the large hall1 we went to our bedroom for a rest4 ,the windows of our room looked southwards1 over the muddy river4 ,immediately beneath was a road on which was a wayside stall of bottles and old ironwork1 an ice-cream vendor1 a boy roasting coffee on a stove1 turning a handle round and round while the coffee beans rustled in the heated iron globe1 sending up a delicious smell to our windows4 ,a row of covered carriages1 tartanas1 waited beneath the shadows of the riverside trees4 ,all along the opposite bank were two-storied mills1 and beyond them the town stretched out in a wedge of flat roofs bursting up into church towers4 ,green market gardens came up to the edge of the town1 and covered the valley to the base of the hills with a dense growth of flat and flourishing green which one had not expected thus far south in ,spain4 ,we were awakened from our siesta by the spherical maid who mouthed and pantomimed that a ,seor was waiting for us in the hall4 ,luis ,garay1 a young painter and lithographer to whom our friend had written about us1 had come at the earliest opportunity4 ,he was slim1 sallow1 almost dapper1 with dark frank eyes1 and we took a liking to him at once4 ,together we went outside the hotel and sat at a table in the open place facing the principal promenade of ,murcia4 ,the river was on the right-hand side1 and on the left was a line of tall buildings1 some cafs1 others municipal4 ,the heat attacked one in waves1 it seemed as palpable as though it possessed substance4 ,when we took our seats the plaza was empty because the siesta was not yet over1 but after four o'clock had passed gradually the life of the town blossomed out4 ,the army of beggars attacked us2 in monotonous undertones they moaned their woes4 ,hermanito1 una limosna qui ,dios se la pagara1#e they whined4 ,to those who seemed unworthy ,luis answered1 ,dios le ayude4#f ,how exquisite is the courtesy of the ,spaniard even to a beggar4 ,our manners have not this fine habitual touch--after the international occupation of ,scutari the beggars of the town had learned two ,english phrases2 one was ,g'arn1 the other ,git away4 ,it is true that under this harsh exterior the ,englishman may hide a soft heart2 he may be like the schoolmaster who feels the caning more poignantly than does the schoolboy2 indeed many a man puts a deliberately rough exterior on to mask the flabbiness of his sentimental nature2 and the ,spaniard1 for all his courtesy1 may have the harder nature4 ,yet the courtesy which recognizes a common level of humanity is a precious thing4 ,it may be that by refusing alms with respect one may be preserving in the beggar finer qualities than would be generated by giving with contempt4 ,a ,spaniard once said1 ,i like a beggar to say ',hermanito1 alms which ,god will repay4' ,it is naf and simple4 ,it has a beauty for which one willingly pays a copper4 ,but when a beggar whines that he has eaten nothing for three days1 it is offensive4 ,it is an insult to give a man a halfpenny who has eaten nothing for three days2 and one cannot afford to give him the price of a square meal2 and anyhow one knows that he is lying4 ,as well as the pitiful beggars there were the musical beggars4 ,two men came playing the guitar and laud4 ,another followed with a gramophone which he carried from his shoulder by a strap4 ,then came the barrel-organ4 ,we had not noted its arrival4 ,suddenly the most appalling din broke out4 ,awhile ago in ,paris ,m4 ,marinetti organized a futurist orchestra2 one could imagine that it had been transported in miniature to ,murcia4 ,there were bangs and thumps and crashes of cymbals1 and tattoos of drums1 and tinkles of treble notes1 and plonkings of base notes intermixed apparently without order1 rhythm or tune4 ,what a state the barrel must have been in6 ,once we presume that it played a tune1 but now it was so decrepit that nothing as such was recognizable4 ,it was dragged by a donkey and a cart and shepherded by a fat white dog which had been shaved1 partly because of the heat1 partly because of vermin4 ,it was an indecent-looking dog1 and the flesh stood out in rolls all round its joints4 ,no sooner had this musical horror disappeared round the corner than another organ in an equal state of disrepair took its place4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,murcian ,,beggar-,,woman ,it is all right1 ,luis reassured us2 you have suffered the worst4 ,there are only two in the town4 ,a crowd of urchins carrying home-made boot-blacking boxes pestered us with offers of ,limpia botas4 ,a man and a woman sauntered between the tables bellowing and screaming ,les numeros2 these were state lottery sellers4 ,also there were sellers of local lotteries1 which were promoted by the ,church in aid of the disabled whom they employed to sell the tickets4 ,nuns1 too1 were amongst the beggars4 ,there were boys selling newspapers2 men selling meringues and pastry1 others hawking fried almonds1 very salt to excite thirst2 children hunting between the legs of the tables and chairs for cast cigarette ends or straws discarded by the drinkers2 a man peddling minor toilet articles--toothpicks1 scent1 powder1 buttonhooks--and another with a basket of very odorous dried fish4 ,the smell of the fish banished our new-won universal brotherhood and we waved the fish vender away without courtesy4 ,but an elegantly dressed young man sitting near accosted him and began to chaff him4 ,but what was pretence to the dude was earnest to the salesman4 ,he had some talent for selling and he pestered the dude for nearly half an hour1 at the end of which the latter in self-defence and for the sake of peace bought a portion of the smelly commerce4 ,probably the fishmonger's total gain out of the transaction was a fraction of a penny4 ,but the ,spanish is not a wasteful nation4 ,when the dude walked off home he took with him the fish wrapped in his newspaper4 ,at last we called the waiter by the ,spanish custom of clapping the hands1 paid for the drinks1 and guided by ,luis set out to visit the house which our friend had lent us for the summer4 ,habits of cleanliness were shown in the streets4 ,young girls were hard at work1 each industriously brushing the dust from the sidewalk in front of her house1 even though that sidewalk were itself of dried mud4 ,to us it seemed that the story was being repeated of the old woman who tried to besom the tide out of her front door4 ,many of the householders had spread their sphere of influence even beyond the sidewalk1 and had soaked their patch of road1 turning the dust into viscous mud4 ,the pavements were already beginning to be encumbered by chairs1 and by groups of people sitting out in the cooling day4 ,the ,paseo de ,corveras is a one-sided street darkened by tall trees4 ,on the other side stretch maize fields surrounding a small farm1 and walled-in gardens filled with tall feathery date palms4 ,the dates were already hanging in orange clusters beneath the sprouting heads of fronds4 ,luis took us to the house of ,antonio ,garrigos1 who lived at ,no4 #ab4 ,antonio was a handsome man of pure ,spanish type1 giving an impression of nervous vitality4 ,he produced three keys1 each of about a pound in weight and large as any key of a theatrical gaoler4 ,the house key was of monstrous size1 and he assured us that we would have to carry it with us wherever we went4 ,our friend's apartment at ,no4 #bf was on the first floor and spread right across two humbler dwellings below4 ,it was cool and roomy1 filled with specimens of ,spanish draperies1 pottery and furniture1 which he had collected during several years in ,spain4 ,at the back was a kitchen1 with large earthen vessels for water1 and ,spanish grids for cooking on charcoal4 ,the bed was big for one1 but very small for two1 so we suggested taking off the spring mattress and laying planks in its place4 ,antonio at once said that to-morrow he would get the planks in time for the night4 ,then1 feeling very tired but thoroughly pleased with our prospective house1 and with the new acquaintances we had found1 we walked back to the hotel1 had a supper as liberal as the lunch1 and went to bed4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #e3 ,little brother1 alms which ,god ,himself will repay4 ,footnote #f3 ,god will help you4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,murcia--,,settling ,,down ,by the time we left the hotel1 which we did on the second day1 the maid had reviewed her decision as to the state of our mentality4 ,receiving her tips she shook our hands warmly1 asked where we were going and said that she would without fail call upon us4 ,the tatterdemalion bootblack at the hotel door1 who could never quite make up his mind whether he were bootblack or lottery-ticket seller--neglecting each business in favour of the other--helped us with our luggage4 ,he also on receipt of a tip inquired our future address and assured us that he would call upon us4 ,the driver of the tartana told us that he would look us up one day to see how we were getting on2 and another visit was promised by a ragged lounger whom we called in to aid us in getting our luggage upstairs4 ,spain1 we said1 seems to be a sociable country4 ,don ,antonio was waiting for us at his house1 which was but a few doors away from our own4 ,he introduced us to his wife1 a buxom1 jolly woman of about twenty-five2 his sister1 tall1 elegant and dark1 perhaps the most complete type of ,spanish woman we had yet met2 and his brother-in-law4 ,don ,thomas1 for such was the brother-in-law's name1 was able to speak a portion of the ,american language1 and often by his imperfect knowledge he would deepen our ignorance of what others were saying in ,spanish4 ,don ,antonio had a small box factory4 ,his house was two-storied1 as were most of the houses in the ,paseo4 ,on the ground floor the front room1 or entrada1 was filled with wood1 wood-working benches1 and stacks of unfinished boxes2 the kitchen behind was not exempt from business1 for here ,antonio made up his glues and pastes1 while the whole top story was occupied by girls who covered the crude shells of the boxes with velvet and looking-glass and papier mch adornments4 ,antonio and his wife were crowded into two small rooms1 a bedroom in the front alongside of the entrada and a dining-room at the back parallel with the kitchen4 ,our planks were ready for us1 but ,antonio refused to be paid for them4 ,he said that when we had finished with them he could make boxes out of them4 ,we spent the afternoon in our flat unpacking and arranging the plank bed4 ,the mattress was not broad enough to cover the planks which we put down1 but we managed to find a padded sofa-covering which1 laid alongside of the mattress1 supplemented the inefficient breadth4 ,as we had met neither mosquitoes nor net in the hotel1 we left the mosquito-net in the trunk4 ,in the evening ,luis ,garay called for us4 ,he led us through a maze of darkened streets1 at one time skirting the tall1 over-decorated rococo front of the cathedral1 and brought us to a large doorway within which was a smaller door4 ,two sharp raps and the door swung wide mechanically1 though a long rope tied to the latch and looping its way upstairs showed how it had been opened4 ,up wide white stone stairs we went1 watched by an old1 old man hanging over the balcony of the second floor4 ,luis said no word to him1 nor he to ,luis4 ,the chief keynote of ,spanish interiors is whiteness4 ,the room into which we came was white1 and out of it was another white room set with dining-tables and decorated with a huge white filter4 ,this was ,elias1 where we could dine excellently for the sum of one peseta fifty centimos apiece4 ,elias himself looked like a cheery monk painted by ,dendy ,sadler4 ,clad in a long white overall1 he stood in the midst of his snowy tables and greeted us merrily4 ,luis went away1 having said good night1 for he had an engagement4 ,we ate omelet1 beefsteak and fried potatoes1 finishing with a plate of fruit1 fixed by the multiple stare of the young men dining there4 ,i was the only woman at ,elias while we dined there1 for ,spanish women are home clinging folk1 and even to the cafs they never go in large numbers4 ,as the young men finished their meals1 they went out4 ,each one as he passed through the door bowed and said something4 ,it sounded like ,dobro ,vetche1 but ,dobro ,vetche is ,serbian for good evening4 ,we could not make out what the words were1 so1 as the ,serbian seemed to be appropriate1 we boldly answered it in return4 ,later on we discovered that they said ,buen ,aproveche with the first part of the sentence slurred over by habit4 ,it means ,may it do you good1 and the customary sentence to say to any one who is dining4 ,the correct answer is ,gracias4 ,we left ,elias' very satisfied with our cheap discovery4 ,jan1 who generally has a good head for locality1 engaged to find his way back without a guide4 ,but he turned the wrong way out of ,elias' door4 ,we wandered amongst deep darkened streets till suddenly we came out into one as narrow as the others1 but laid with flat pavements1 instead of rugged cobbles1 and blazing with light4 ,through this we ran the gauntlet of ,murcia4 ,the street was crowded with hotels and cafs1 both sides being lined with tables at which the evening drinkers were sitting4 ,the street itself was filled with a flux and reflux of the youth and beauty1 the ,hooventud1 ,bellitza and ,looho1#g of the town4 ,we came1 especially ,i1 upon them as a catastrophe4 ,the light died out of their eyes1 the smiles disappeared from their faces1 mouths dropped open1 fingers pointed1 people grasped each other4 ,it was similar to the moment when an elephant comes along in the village circus procession1 and ,i was the elephant4 ,during our first weeks in ,murcia our appearance in the streets invariably caused excitement and shrieks of laughter among young girls and gossips4 ,if we entered a shop the children crowded in with us to listen to our attempts at ,spanish4 ,this was not done with deliberate rudeness1 but was more the result of unrestrained curiosity4 ,this attitude was not very evident when we went for strolls with ,luis3 the presence of a fellow-townsman seemed to have a calming influence4 ,at last ,i found an effective weapon4 ,with mock horror ,i stared at the feet and ankles of any young woman too malicious4 ,self-consciousness at once gripped her--almost invariably she hurried away to examine her shoes and wonder what was wrong with them4 ,curiously enough we never became conscious of a case of incivility among the men4 ,even groups of lads at the difficult age which breeds larrikins in ,australia were on the whole less offensive than in other countries4 ,it seemed to us that if a ,spanish woman were kind-hearted--and the majority are so--she was the most kindly and charming of women1 but if of a spiteful nature she took less pains to hide or curb it than do the women of more sophisticated countries4 ,the narrow street which we had discovered by accident was perhaps the most disconcerting part of the town1 as it was full of cafs1 and therefore of loungers2 but we often had to go there for small necessities4 ,there we had to go for smoked glasses because of the brilliance of the sun1 for a parasol1 and for a hatpin4 ,the first two objects were easily found1 but the last was difficult4 ,hats1 even in ,southern ,spain1 are worn only by the crme de la crme for great ceremonies1 and the hatpins sold by the jewellers were intended for such occasions4 ,they were decorated affairs with huge heads of complicated workmanship set with garish stones4 ,probably no other woman in the town wore a hat for normal use1 so we gave up the search and ,jan made out of hairpins something which served4 ,we ran the gauntlet of the quizzing street and made our way home4 ,all along the streets the people had brought their chairs out of doors and were sitting on the pavements in the cool of the night4 ,at ,antonio's door we found a group of his family1 almost invisible in the dark4 ,we sat down with them4 ,presently ,antonio said3 ,i will go and fetch ,don ,luis1 and he will play for us4 ,what then could be seen of ,don ,luis was a large nose1 a check cap and a pair of gnarled hands which grasped his guitar in a capable manner4 ,he sat down on a chair on the sidewalk and began to play4 ,curse it6 he exclaimed4 ,do you know ,i used to play very well1 but all this factory work ruins the fingers for playing4 ,mine are getting as stiff as if they had no joints in them4 ,presently he was playing a jota and demanded that somebody should dance4 ,dance1 dance6 he shouted4 ,curse it6 ,what's the good of playing if nobody dances8 ,by this time most of the inhabitants of the houses near had gathered round1 although almost hidden2 but there were no young men4 ,antonio's sister danced a jota with a pretty girl4 ,the jota is the most common of ,spanish dances1 as the waltz used to be with us4 ,it has a tempo which fluctuates between three-four and two-four1 the phrases being divided into two beats each or three bars of two beats each at the will of the player4 ,the jota that evening appeared to be a very sedate kind of dance4 ,when it was over the crowd urged us to dance something ,english4 ,we asked ,don ,luis to play the jota again1 and to it we danced a rather mad waltz which we had invented4 ,the path upon which we danced was of dried mud1 which is pounded into unusual shapes in the winter and dries in whatever shape it happens to be when the heat comes4 ,it was full of lumps and holes1 and the light was dim4 ,in a moment we partially understood why ,antonio's sister had been so sedate4 ,but the brother-in-law informed us3 ,say1 he said1 my girl can dance wonderful4 ,but 't'aint proper1 in de town4 ,say1 you see 'er in de country4 ,den she hop4 ,she kick de window in wid 'er toe4 ,sure4 ,show you one day4 ,murcia is a town of about #ajj1jjj inhabitants and is the capital of its province1 but it is hardly more than an overgrown village in spite of its cathedral1 its bullring1 its theatre and its cinema palace4 ,both at ,avila and at ,madrid they had said to us3 ,aha1 you are going to the town of the beautiful women6 ,but the women of ,murcia1 with the exception of some lovely and filthy gipsies1 were not unusually beautiful4 ,they were thick-set and useful looking with muscular necks and ankles1 and their eyes had a domesticated expression4 ,their clothes emphasized their defects4 ,they indulged in pastel shades and frills which were used in fantastic ways4 ,we have seen frills in spiral twisting around the frock from neck to hem1 or a series of jaunty inverted frills round the hips1 which gave to the wearer something of the appearance of one of those oleographs of a maiden half emerging from the calyx of a flower3 or perpendicular frills which made the wearer resemble a cog-wheel4 ,we had ample opportunities of observing them from the windows of our house1 at which we started our experimental sketches in ,spain1 but we had to sit back from the balcony because small crowds began to gather1 and boys to shout4 ,antonio then said that he would take us to one of the big walled-in gardens where we could paint at our ease4 ,a huge gateway led into a courtyard which was completely covered by a vine pergola4 ,the grapes hung in large bunches1 though yet green4 ,at one side of the courtyard was a low stall on which fruit and vegetables were for sale1 and near an arched door a woman was washing clothes in a large basin of antique pattern4 ,the garden was a rich mass of green4 ,huge trees of magnolia were covered with waxy white flowers and gave out a strong odour which scented the wide garden4 ,lemon trees and orange trees were ranged in rows2 the lemons yellow on the trees or lying on the ground as thick as fallen apples after an autumn storm1 the oranges still hard spheres of dark green4 ,along the edges of the paths stood up the tall palm trees with their golden clusters of unripe dates1 or with their fronds tied up in a stiff spike1 some mystery of palm cultivation4 ,fronds of palm1 hacked from off the trees1 lay about the ground1 and we were surprised to find by experience that they possessed long1 piercing and painful thorns4 ,we painted for several days in this small paradise1 but our conscience was accusing us4 ,we had not come to ,spain to paint gardens4 ,one day we took our courage in our hands4 ,it is market day1 said we2 we will go and paint the market4 ,peasant carts loaded with fruit and vegetables were crowding into the town2 men clad in black cottons were dragging donkeys1 upon the backs of which were panniers filled with saleable provisions2 women with umbrellas aloft against the sun carried baskets in their arms or heavy packages upon their hips4 ,the market was spread in the sunlight behind the ,htel ,reina ,victoria4 ,grain was for sale in broad1 flat baskets1 cheap cottons were on stalls2 fruits--peaches1 plums1 and lemons--were mixed with tomatoes1 berenginas1 and red or green peppers4 ,to one side of the market place was the fonda which had once been a monastery4 ,this was for the travellers by road as the hotels were for travellers by rail4 ,in a huge arched entrada carters and villagers were sitting at their ease4 ,to one side was a kitchen in which could be seen large red earthen vessels which made one think of the last scene in ,the ,forty ,thieves1 and beyond the entrada was an open courtyard in which the high tilted road waggons were drawn up in rows4 ,skirting the fonda wall ,i found a corner which seemed secluded1 and sitting down ,i began to paint an old woman and her fruit stall4 ,one by one a few people gathered behind me4 ,blas1 the gipsy musician1 came up1 greeted me1 and added his solid presence to the spectators4 ,a baker came out of his shop and watched4 ,the crowd began to increase4 ,soon they were pressing all round1 even in front1 so that ,i could see nothing4 ,i cannot paint if ,i cannot see1 ,i exclaimed to ,blas4 ,he and the baker set themselves one on each side and hustled an opening in the crowd4 ,atras1 atras6 they shouted4 ,en la cola1 en la cola4#h ,but more and more people hurried up to see what was happening4 ,soon the crowd1 despite the strenuous efforts of ,blas and the baker1 closed up again in front1 and no efforts could keep an open vista4 ,jan1 who had been drawing in another part of the market1 came up4 ,he saw in the midst of a maelstrom of heads the extreme tip of my hat and worked his way through1 to speaking distance4 ,brown-faced old women1 with market baskets1 men with turkeys hung in braces over their shoulders1 young women with babies1 gipsy men with tall hats and gig-whips1 noisy boys1 all smiling1 friendly and curious1 were peeping under my hat discussing the phenomenon4 ,we left the disappointed maelstrom1 which changed its shape and followed us like a rivulet to a caf1 where they stood for a while gazing solemnly while we sipped iced coffee4 ,we then decided that sketching in the streets of ,murcia was not to be thought of4 ,luis1 to whom we confided this1 said that he would find us balconies and roofs from which we could work1 but we wanted to settle in some small village where we could know everybody in a day1 and sketch where we liked1 so ,luis made arrangements to take us across the plain at the foot of the mountains to see some villages that might suit us4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #g3 7,spelt phonetically47 ,these three words1 meaning youth1 beauty and luxury1 are used in all ,spanish theatre advertisements as especial attractions of the spectacle advertised4 ,footnote #h3 ,back1 back6 ,get into queue1 get into queue6 ,,chapter ,x ,,murcia--,,blas ,spain is the true home of the guitar4 ,only in ,spain is the guitar--the most complete of solo instruments--heard in its true perfection4 ,but even in ,spain the cult of the guitar is dying out4 ,nowadays1 at marriages1 births or christenings the guitar is no longer inevitable1 for the cheap ,german piano and the gramophone are ousting the national instrument4 ,jan had become enamoured of the guitar in ,paris1 some small progress he had made with the help of a friend2 but one cannot get the true spirit of ,spanish music at second hand4 ,so ,blas1 the gipsy1 was called in to given him instruction4 ,we had been told not to give ,blas more than twenty pesetas a month1 these to be full payment for a daily lesson4 ,however1 ,blas proved to be more adept at bargaining than we were4 ,he looked very ,egyptian in the face1 was very smart in a grey check suit1 patent leather boots and straw hat1 a strange contrast to the poverty of his home and the slatterns of women who were his family and relations4 ,he came in rubbing his hands together1 grinning with an expanse of strong1 white teeth1 and showing a sly expression in his curious eyes4 ,he cringed to us4 ,he demanded two pesetas a lesson1 or sixty pesetas a month4 ,we held out that we had been told to offer him twenty4 ,this1 he answered1 was impossible1 quite impossible1 out of the question4 ,some of his subserviency was immediately put into his pocket4 ,jan said that as he would be painting a good deal he would not want more than three lessons a week4 ,blas hummed and hawed and chewed the idea for a while4 ,then1 with the air of one who is making a great concession1 he said that since it was the ,seor and since he appeared muy sympatico he would consent to take twenty-five pesetas1 and that was his final offer4 ,jan agreed4 ,blas then added that he was reducing his terms solely because of the sympathetic nature of the ,seor1 and that he was by no means satisfied with the bargain1 and that it was muy poco4 ,he then asked ,jan if he had a guitar4 ,jan said that he was using the big white instrument made by ,ramirez which our friend had left in his house4 ,blas answered that he possessed the brother of that instrument himself1 and that it was a good one4 ,only after he had gone did we realize that three lessons a week meant twelve lessons a month1 and1 at his original price1 this would have amounted to twenty-four pesetas1 and that ,bias had wheedled out a peseta more than his original offer4 ,we do not like the bargaining system which is prevalent all over ,spain1 a habit from which1 in spite of their stern notices1 the precio fijo shops are not quite exempt4 ,we are not registering this objection because ,blas cozened us of a peseta2 but it seems to us that the whole habit of chaffering inculcates a lack of generosity and lays a foundation of unfriendly relationships between people4 ,no matter upon what friendly terms the bargaining is carried out1 too much of an element of positive personal competition is brought in2 but much bargaining is not carried on in a friendly way4 ,it also necessitates a wholesale campaign of lying--appreciative and depreciative--on the part of both buyer and seller1 and a certain amount of personal feeling on the side of the loser4 ,nor does the constant simulation of anger tend to make a person more pacific by habit4 ,curiously enough the most generous man is often the worst treated by the bargaining system4 ,he offers a sum in excess of the real value in order to shorten the ordeal1 and by doing so only excites the seller to greater cupidity4 ,we have noted that the successful bargainer is treated with respect1 while the other who cuts short the bargain by paying too much earns contempt4 ,blas came to our house at about twelve o'clock4 ,he was a true musician and lived--as far as we could discover--for but two things1 music and drink4 ,he had seemed to understand our ,spanish well enough to get the better of the bargain1 but he had forgotten this4 ,he1 like the maid1 had a fixed idea that ,jan could not speak ,spanish4 ,he grinned1 and made strange noises1 but never tried to explain anything by means of words4 ,one cannot say that he was a good teacher4 ,all that he could do was to play a piece over and over again1 and trust you to get it by ear4 ,now and again he would grasp ,jan's fingers and try to force them into the necessary positions4 ,he was even incapable of playing his tunes slowly4 ,if ,jan wished to analyse a movement which came in the middle of a melody ,blas had to begin at the beginning4 ,sometimes ,jan was almost in despair1 but he worked hard and in the end drew a profit out of ,blas's inadequate instruction4 ,spanish guitar music is unlike the music of ,europe4 ,it has a strange primitive character depending for its marvellous rhythmic properties upon a rhythm of phrase more than upon the rhythm of the bar division4 ,the form is simple1 a passage played with the back of the nails across the strings1 called the ,rasgueado1 a passage like a refrain or chorus1 the ,paseo1 in reality the introduction of the dance or melody1 and the melodies proper called ,falsetas4 ,the rhythmic structure which does not correspond to the bar division of the music is usually emphasized by drum taps made upon the sound board of the guitar with the nail of the second finger4 ,blas considered it his duty to teach ,jan two falsetas on each visit4 ,illustration ,but if he was a bad teacher1 he was a fine player4 ,resting his chin on the great guitar as if the passage of the vibrations through his body were a source of pleasure1 he crouched1 looking like something between a bullfrog and a ,cheshire cat4 ,then with supple fingers he played1 drawing delicious melodies2 or rasping with his nails he beat out complex harmonies that seemed to vie with an orchestra in richness of sound4 ,when he came to a falseta1 he would throw up his negroid eyes like a ,greco saint1 he would kiss his hand1 and1 as likely as not1 spit on the floor to emphasize his delight4 ,before he left the house he always tried to get an advance upon his salary4 ,after all1 to him we were only ,busn to be fleeced if possible4 ,but when his indebtedness amounted to the whole of his month's pay we fended him off by saying that we had no change4 ,i do not think we realized how much we were overpaying ,blas until we decided to leave ,murcia4 ,we found a house1 as you will hear1 at ,verdolay about five miles away4 ,when he heard that we were leaving1 ,blas volunteered to come out as usual for the same pay4 ,he said that he would cheerfully walk the distance--ten miles--for that money4 ,but we were getting rather shy of ,blas4 ,he was too persistent a borrower for our slender means and we had heard of other teachers who were cheaper4 ,so we took this opportunity and dropped him as a pilot to the guitar4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,murcia--,,the ,,alpagata ,,shop ,save upon feast days1 and with the exception of the nobility1 who are few1 and of the merchants1 who have to be worldly commonplace1 alpagatas1 or string-soled shoes1 are the footwear of the ,spanish nation4 ,if you dodge the big towns you may go for days and never see a boot4 ,the agricultural labourer1 the artisan1 the beggar1 the soldier1 the engine-driver1 the porters all wear either the alpagata or1 in the summer1 its cooler brother1 the string-soled sandal4 ,in ,spain boots are not meant for real wear1 you swagger around the town in boots1 and have them cleaned four or five times a day4 ,at a caf a horde of bootblacks precipitate themselves towards you to renew the lustre--possibly dimmed by the all-prevalent dust--of those foot ornaments4 ,the young man who goes to meet his nova removes his alpagatas1 and puts on boots highly polished and with check tops2 the young maiden who is sitting out with her novio has placed her alpagatas in the corner and stretches high-heeled shoes across the pavement4 ,but for all-day-up-and-down use the alpagata wins every time2 the baby wears alpagatas1 and its grandmother wears a larger variant2 there are white alpagatas1 brown alpagatas1 grey alpagatas1 black alpagatas for those in mourning--a very important ceremony in ,spain--and there are the elaborate1 almost ,eastern1 alpagatas1 entirely of esparto grass1 the making of which occupies the time when the goatherd is not yelling at his goats4 ,even the horsemen1 the caballeros1 often wear alpagatas4 ,it is true that one cannot strap a spur on to an alpagata1 but on the whole spurs are little used in ,spain4 ,if the rider wishes his horse or donkey to mend his pace1 he thumps the animal with a thick cudgel at about the place where ,st4 ,dunstan kicked the devil4 ,the alpagata is also a cheap form of footwear4 ,those which we were wearing cost three pesetas1 say #bs4 #i;d4 ,they should last two months4 ,we were therefore spending #as4 #d-a_/b;d4 a month each on shoes4 ,a little arithmetic will show this as #afs4 #f;d4 a year4 ,to-day boots alone cost more than this in repairs1 not counting the first cost4 ,for children1 of course1 they are unrivalled1 as the life of the alpagata almost fits the growth of the infant1 which is spared the torture one remembers in childhood of boots which were too good to throw away and yet too small to wear with ease4 ,but to taste the full romantic flavour of the alpagata1 it should have been bought in the true alpagata shop4 ,if you are in ,spain don't go to the boot-shop4 ,it does sell alpagatas1 but it ought not to do so4 ,in ,spain the boot-seller should be classed with the jeweller4 ,he sells ornaments4 ,the boot merchant who sells alpagatas in ,spain is as bad as the jeweller here who sells umbrellas4 ,go to the shop which sells things for the road1 for that picturesque1 coloured1 moving life of ,spain4 ,the doorway of this fascinating shop is piled up with bales of a rough cloth of an exquisite hyacinthine blue1 or of a strange yellow1 which is seen to perfection only in the alpagata shop or in ,el ,greco's pictures4 ,this cloth is used for lining horse-collars and saddles4 ,above these beautiful bales are collars of white leather1 heavy with small cone-shaped bells of copper1 for the goats1 larger collars of brown leather1 either with small bells in rows1 like a lady's pearl collar1 or with one large bell pendant1 for the oxen4 ,within are large coronet-shaped semicircles of leather and coloured woolwork1 red1 yellow1 black1 white1 for the oxen's foreheads1 long ribbons of coloured woolwork for the donkeys' harness1 and fringes of brightly coloured wool netting1 ending in tassels1 like that which decorated the under edge of our grandmothers' sofas1 to hang across the donkey's chest or down his nose4 ,muzzles for goats and for donkeys are here too4 ,there is harness also in the shop1 ,gargantuan-looking harness studded with nails1 so broad in its facets of leather that when the horse has his face inside it he looks not unlike an ancient knight in his armour4 ,only his eyes and his mouth are visible1 and often indeed not the latter1 for it may be guarded by a piece of leather work not unlike the tongue of a brogue shoe4 ,talking of shoes brings us back to the alpagata4 ,a man will be working at a table like a butcher's block4 ,deftly he cuts the rope1 bending it around an iron peg into the shape of the sole1 then with a long awl he pierces it through and through1 sewing it with great rapidity1 and almost hey presto6 as it were1 a pair of soles are finished4 ,women who sit almost on the edge of the street1 chattering and gossiping--often with the passers-by--are making the uppers of stout canvas4 ,they spring from work to serve you with a gracious kindliness1 and seeing that you are ,english they probably with the same gracious kindliness clap an extra fifty centimos on to the price4 ,if only we had such an alpagata shop in ,london what a rush there would be to purchase4 ,your old alpagatas you leave behind you4 ,what happens to them is to us a mystery4 ,old boots are the nuisance of the ,london dust heaps1 the terror of the errant mongrel4 ,yorick1 who1 ,sam ,weller assures us1 is the only person who has ever seen a dead donkey1 may also in his travels have seen an extinct alpagata1 but his ,sentimental ,journey is unfinished and we shall never know4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,murcia--,,bravo ,,toro ,along cool colonnades of raw-coloured brick1 up a staircase arched with concrete1 and out through a sort of concrete culvert which spouted humanity1 we came into the huge round amphitheatre of the bullring4 ,owing to ,spanish dilatoriness1 we were later than we had intended1 and in consequence were unable to get seats within the coveted shadow which lay over half the great enclosure2 but1 thank goodness1 the sky was mottled with clouds which tempered both the heat and the glare of the ,spanish afternoon4 ,we were in the cheapest seats1 having disdained to go skywards into the boxes1 for we had come to taste the full flavour of an average bullfight as a popular spectacle1 and we wished it as pure as possible4 ,so we had bought purple tickets for two pesetas and a white one for me at half price2 at the same time repelling the persistence of a feminine hawker1 who pressed upon us large flabby looking paper bags of mysterious content which we imagined to be some form of refreshment4 ,the seats of the bullring were of flat stone rising tier upon tier1 and we chose our places low down to get a good view1 yet as near as possible to the slowly creeping shadow2 only one row of stone seats and two rows of chairs of iron lattice separated us from the arena itself4 ,the chairs were empty1 so ,i asked ,luis if they were reserved for some special purpose4 ,no1 he answered1 but the bull may leap out of the ring4 ,those chairs would entangle him1 but it is uncomfortable if you happen to be sitting there1 so they are not very popular4 ,as the edge of the arena was guarded by a palisade of stout planking about five feet high1 through which were cut narrow gaps--bolt-holes--for the toreadors1 and the seats were separated from this palisade by a passage some six feet wide1 the lowest seats being set some ten feet above the floor1 ,i felt that the risk of finding an enraged bull in one's lap was rather remote4 ,the culverts spouted ,spanish humanity3 soldiers in greenish khaki2 women in black1 white or colours dominated by a very popular pink2 peasants in blue blouses and sandals2 bourgeoisie in straw hats and drill2 youths in caps of exaggerated ,english cut4 ,immediately below us two small children1 mothered by a third aged about eleven1 all three exceedingly unkempt1 rather dirty1 and possibly verminous1 took their seats1 and1 recognizing that ,i was a stranger1 advised me in hoarse whispers all through the progress of the spectacle4 ,in spite of her obvious poverty the eldest girl wore a large tortoise-shell comb of elaborate pattern in a carefully arranged coiffure4 ,numberless children seemed to have attended the spectacle thus1 as the small ,londoners go to the cinema4 ,at this moment the ring itself was full of them1 some playing football1 a game very popular--there is even a ,spanish periodical called ,free-,kick--others giving imitation exhibitions of bullfighting1 more or less like that played by the children in the hotel4 ,when the imitation bull1 stabbed to death1 was dragged around the ring1 the real spectators cheered loudly4 ,we wondered what the bull's mother would say about the state of his pants4 ,this was no ,mantilla day1 nor day of fiesta4 ,it was just an ordinary ,sunday afternoon diversion in this provincial town4 ,we took our first dose of bullfight in this place for a reason4 ,essentially a popular sport should be judged as a sport of the people3 not by its highest exponents1 but by its average4 ,an intelligent foreigner would not get the truest impression of what cricket means to ,england at ,lord's or at the ,oval2 but on some village green at an inter-parochial contest4 ,the horrors of bullfighting began with a band1 the age of the bandsmen varying between fourteen and seventy years4 ,the band marched around the ring playing music as out of tune as the new age is with the old4 ,the ring emptied of children1 and two horsemen superbly mounted dashed across the arena to demand from the ,president the key of the bull-pen4 ,this was followed by a general parade of the toreros4 ,alas1 for romance6 ,their gilt was somewhat tarnished1 most of their cloaks worn and faded2 usually the only part of the costume which seemed to have retained its original brilliance was the coloured seat of the tight trousers1 which ,i suppose comes in for very little wear and tear4 ,the picadors with their nail-headed lances seemed veritable ,don ,quixotes on their more than ,rosinante steeds3 poor beasts doomed to the knackers anyhow4 ,the procession ended with two cart-horses and a yoke destined to drag the slaughtered bulls from the ring4 ,there was a pause4 ,luis said in a low murmur3 ,doesn't your heart beat8 ,isn't this moment exciting8 ,he spoke truly4 ,around the huge oval all eyes were concentrated on the red door of the bull-pen3 the very air seemed rarefied and electric4 ,for me1 ,i think this was the most tense moment of the day3 that moment before anything had happened4 ,a bugle call cut the silence4 ,the red door swung open and with a peculiar rolling gallop the bull dashed into the arena4 ,now1 ,i thought1 this terrible bullfight1 about which so much has been written1 so much discussed1 has indeed begun4 ,the bullfights of our imagination are spectacles of sun and colour--of madness stained with cruelty2 the cruelty perhaps partly condoned by the fierceness of the bull1 by a sort of wild frenzy of sport which seems in some part to excuse the murderous instinct of man4 ,illustration ,the bull1 a coloured rosette nailed to its shoulder1 reached the centre of the ring1 and then1 for me1 half the anticipated interest of the fight vanished4 ,we had expected a wild and furious gallop around the arena2 a bull lusting to kill or be killed2 mad charges at the toreros1 who would elude it with quick baffling passes of the cloaks1 wild dashes at the unfortunate horses1 the riders of which would at least make some pretence of manoeuvering before the furious bull was allowed to fling horse and rider into the air4 ,but no6 ,the bull slowed up1 halted and looked to this side and that4 ,it was obviously perplexed4 ,one could almost imagine a crease of puzzlement between its eyes4 ,what was all this2 where the sierras of its youth2 into what strange place had it come8 ,and now began a taunting of the unwilling bull4 ,the toreros flapped their faded cloaks at it1 but whenever the bull was tempted to charge the man ran for safety and crammed himself through one of the bolt-holes in the palisade--once a torero scampering for life reached an opening at the same instant as a companion4 ,for a moment there was a flurry1 but both men contrived to push through before the bull was able to reach them4 ,the first impression of the fight was of a certain power and some magnificence on the part of the bull1 and of degradation on the part of the toreros--one thought of the shorn ,sampson taunted by the ,philistines4 ,in this contest the men seemed somehow ignoble in comparison with the animals4 ,the next act of the drama made this feeling no better4 ,the picador was led out on his blindfolded and skeleton-like steed by a little man in a red shirt1 who from behind the horse's head held out1 like a policeman regulating the traffic1 a protesting hand at the bull1 as if to imply that the animal was not to charge till he was ready to bolt4 ,for some while the bull did not take the invitation1 though whenever he appeared likely to do so the small man dropped the reins and ran for the paling1 from which1 however1 he took care never to be very far away4 ,the picador himself is not in great danger1 for his trousers are armour plated4 ,by this time the audience was shouting out3 ,no quiere6#i but at last the bull charged1 the picador thrust his lance1 and the bull with a great thrust of its head overturned both horse and man4 ,immediately the bull was surrounded by the toreros who with flapping cloaks distracted its attention4 ,man and horse were lifted up again4 ,large numbers of ,spaniards do not like bullfighting1 but a great many ,spaniards who do not in principle object to bullfighting do object to the horse-slaughter4 ,one1 cutting to the roots of the truth1 said it was not sthetic4 ,he was right4 ,there should be a strong sense of the sthetic in sport--it is a thing more subtle than mere fair play1 and when this sense of the sthetic is ignored the sport becomes brutality4 ,this horse-slaughter more than oversteps the line of the sthetic1 so for us did the bolt-holes provided for the toreros4 ,for us bullfighting would begin to be a serious sport if the men and the bull stood on the same conditions4 ,illustration ,one picador1 who by means of his lance kept the bull off from his horse1 received a round of well-earned applause4 ,the bugle sounded once more and the picadors were led out of the ring4 ,there followed another rather dull interval of cloak-flapping4 ,one of the matadors1 however1 gave an exhibition of passes which made the bull charge repeatedly within a foot or so of the man's body1 during which the torero did not move his feet4 ,when the bull1 baffled and panting with exhaustion at his fruitless tosses1 paused1 the torero went upon one knee before the animal4 ,the spectators shrieked applause and flung their hats into the ring4 ,but this exhibition was very different from the usual cloak-flapping followed by a scamper for the bolt-hole3 nor1 indeed1 was it shown often4 ,a torero who had carried an exceedingly faded violet cloak1 and who had been perhaps most hasty in his dashes for the safety gaps1 now discarded his cloak1 and waving a pair of pink banderillas stepped into the centre of the ring4 ,like a foreigner at cricket we naturally missed much of the subtlety1 but it was obvious that there were certain conditions under which the banderillero would meet the bull and others under which he would not4 ,when the toreador seemed to think the bull in a good position1 he waved his banderillas and stamped his feet as though about to fence4 ,but the bull did not want banderillas stuck into him4 ,again and again he declined the invitation while the populace howled ,no quiere1 no quiere6 ,personally ,i should have sent the bull home and ordered another with more ginger in it4 ,at last1 exasperated1 the bull charged1 the banderillero ran towards it in a slightly circular path1 planted his two sticks1 each some thirty inches long1 into the bull's neck1 and1 curving out more widely1 avoided by a few inches the upward thrust of the bull's horns4 ,this piece of work looked dangerous1 and the pay of a banderillero amounts to between #c and #d an afternoon4 ,i think that he earns his money4 ,what surprised us was to see the torero who had appeared such a scamperer with the faded purple cloak performing most pluckily with the paper-covered sticks4 ,i suppose it is the case of a good batsman and good bowler--the arts are not interchangeable4 ,the six banderillas having been placed1 another interval of harrying the unfortunate animal with minor exasperations of cloak-flapping followed3 but at last the espatero1 the swordsman1 and the matador prepared to give the death stroke4 ,here again in first-class bullfighting probably the whole exhibition is one of supreme skill4 ,we expected a certain number of showy passes with the scarlet flag1 the matador keeping the bull circling about him--wearing the bull as a waist-belt1 as the saying is in ,spain4 ,then a pause1 a sudden thrust with the sword--and1 with a groan1 the bull is dead4 ,it was not so4 ,the espatero walked about flapping the cloak1 at which sometimes the bull did charge1 but more often did not4 ,several times the espatero had to run into a bolt-hole4 ,the bull showed strong desires to go home3 it went to the side of the ring and looked at the door from whence it had emerged1 while more venturesome members of the audience leaned over the palisade and tried to snatch out a banderilla as a souvenir4 ,the toreador chivied the bull round the ring1 trying to get it face foremost4 ,however1 when he succeeded in this he did not seem satisfied1 for though the people yelled3 ,ahora6 ,ahora6#aj the matador only flapped his cloak4 ,illustration ,he is rather a nervous espatero1 said ,luis1 so1 when he does prepare to kill1 look out4 ,sometimes the sword flies4 ,not very long ago it landed in the audience and killed a spectator4 ,at last1 however1 the bull1 tongue hanging out1 foam dripping from its mouth1 blood streaming from the lance and banderilla wounds in the shoulders1 faced the matador with half lowered and sullen head4 ,the matador1 taking up the position of a man about to throw a javelin1 aimed his sword1 which was curiously curved in the blade1 and with quick steps ran in1 thrust1 and side-stepped4 ,the bull1 taken by surprise1 could not bring its weight into action rapidly enough1 the upward tossing horns missed the man by inches3 the bull rushed forward at another torero who had taken position in line to attract the animal's attention4 ,the matador had made no master stroke1 the sword stood eighteen inches out of the bull's shoulder4 ,the bull showed no signs of death1 so the matador went away to procure another sword4 ,finally the bull1 stabbed by four swords1 was worried to death rather than killed1 after which the corpse was dragged triumphantly around the ring at the tail of the team of horses1 while the spectators stood on the stone seats and cheered4 ,it may be that we ,english take our pleasures sadly1 but at that moment it struck me that at an ordinary bullfight the ,spaniard seems to take rather dull pleasures with ecstasy4 ,the second bull proved more lively1 the second matador more expert1 or more lucky than his confrre2 but here also the show seemed to partake rather of the nature of what should properly be termed bull-baiting than bullfighting4 ,this second bull provided the thrill of the day to the three small dirty children4 ,with one thrust of its horn it killed a horse4 ,the small boy 7aged six or seven7 turned to me with eyes sparkling with pleasure4 ,did you see that8 he exclaimed4 ,one thrust only4 ,after the death of this bull came the ,interval4 ,look up the numbers printed on your tickets1 said ,luis4 ,having found the papers1 ,i raised my head and to my amazement saw1 in the centre of the arena1 a donkey1 two young calves and a sewing-machine4 ,good heavens6 ,i exclaimed4 ,what are those8 ,they are the prizes of the tombola1 explained ,luis2 you or the ,seor may win one4 ,the lots were drawn out of a large hat-box1 and the numbers displayed on a blackboard4 ,the donkey fell to a small boy1 the calves to a peasant4 ,but for some while the sewing-machine1 forlorn and incongruous1 stood in the centre of the bloodthirsty arena awaiting a claimant4 ,attention was finally concentrated upon a point high up amongst the cheap seats1 to the right of the ,president's box4 ,shouting1 persuasion1 hand-clapping and arm-waving ensued1 and at last the crowd squeezed out a small1 dark woman1 blushing and giggling behind her fan1 accompanied by husband1 husband's friend and six-year-old son4 ,the sewing-machine was escorted out of the same door through which the dead bulls had been dragged4 ,then the bullfight began again4 ,the third bull1 a lusty black1 was the most willing of all4 ,he did charge1 he leapt high in his endeavours to kill those phantom cloaks4 ,after all the necessary banderillas had been placed1 there followed an incident4 ,a boy of about sixteen years leapt the barrier and ran across the ring1 hastily as he ran unwrapping something from a covering of newspaper4 ,there was a sudden hum of excited voices from the spectators4 ,ei6 cried ,luis4 ,an amateur6 ,the boy reached the ,president's box1 the unwrapped objects being a pair of dirty banderillas4 ,bowing to the ,president he craved permission to plant his banderillas in the bull4 ,but1 alas for youthful aspirations1 permission was not given4 ,the boy clambered sadly over the palisade to hide himself in the audience4 ,unfortunately this bull1 the bravest of the four1 fell to the lot of the nervous matador4 ,death was a very lengthy operation1 during the progress of which the bull knocked down the bullfighter4 ,for a moment we wondered if the bull were going to take its revenge1 but flapping cloaks instantly distracted it4 ,meanwhile1 between the forelegs of the bull the matador lay very still1 shielding his head with his arms4 ,the nervous matador1 however1 went on with his task1 using three swords before it was completed4 ,the matador of the fourth bull made an exceedingly bad thrust4 ,the populace howled insults at him1 flinging at the same time those paper bags which we had seen on sale near the ticket-office4 ,they contained no refreshment1 nor material for bombarding unsuccessful matadors1 but were stuffed with horsehair to soften the stone seats4 ,by this time we wished we had inquired more about them1 for the stone had proved anything but soft4 ,the fourth bull dead1 the bullfight was over4 ,come and see the toreros1 said ,luis4 ,so with the outflowing press we repassed into the culvert1 down the stairs and along the corridors of brick1 till we reached a window or grille1 by staring through which we could see the heroes of ,spain clambering into an ordinary station bus1 in which they sat1 stiff1 cramped1 dignified and unsmiling1 conscious of their importance4 ,we returned with the returning crowds along the roads deep in dust1 back to the centre of the town where there were cooling drinks and seats softer than those stone benches4 ,while we were sitting thus1 revelling in varied positions and summing up our first impressions1 a large box cart of lattice work passed by4 ,within the cart were hung great joints of meat which swung to and fro as the cart bumped over the uneven road4 ,there1 said ,luis1 go the bulls4 ,they will be sold to-morrow in the market4 ,the meat is cheap because it is rather tough4 ,this incident1 because it seemed to contain a note of irony1 because it had in it something sardonic and something callous1 seemed to us a fitting termination to the spectacle which we had witnessed4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #i3 ,he doesn't want to fight4 ,footnote #aj3 ,now6 ,now6 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,an ,,excursion ,murcia was very hot1 very dusty and very sultry4 ,we did not mind mere heat--though ,spanish midsummer heat was not the best of pick-me-ups for the influenza--dust we could outlive1 but the sultriness of the ,murcian valley was beyond our physique4 ,this flat valley1 which is ten miles wide between abrupt mountains1 is irrigated over the whole of its breadth and is one of the richest agricultural parts of ,spain4 ,the evaporation of the water makes the heat of ,murcia damp2 the summer in addition was cloudy1 and the sun shining on to the clouds seemed to cook the air enclosed in the valley until the atmosphere resembled that of a glass-house for orchids4 ,we wished to leave ,murcia in spite of an affection which was growing in us for the town4 ,luis met us at one o'clock on the terrace of the ,reina ,victoria4 ,we had caf au lait while waiting for the tartana4 ,luis said that the milk in the coffee was not good3 he deduced preservatives4 ,but the lean waiter stood loyally by his hotel4 ,the milk is excellent1 ,i assure you1 ,seor1 he said4 ,my stomach is excessively delicate2 the slightest thing and it is 444 ,i assure you that ,i drink pints of this milk in this hotel4 ,in fact my stomach is so delicado that ,i am a connoisseur in milk1 es vero4#aa ,if the milk were bad this fatality would happen to me4 ,he gave a dumb-crambo exhibition of the results of bad milk on his delicate digestion2 it needed no words4 ,with deference he then proposed a new caf au lait1 which ,luis sipped with a judicial but unconvinced manner4 ,the tartana was a tight fit4 ,it is about as large as a governess-cart inside1 and we were six4 ,luis1 ,jan and myself1 a monk in brown1 a thin pale ,seor who had long eyelashes and many rings1 and another passenger1 a world type1 the result of overwork and underpay1 neither smart nor slovenly1 with a rough manner covering a kindly nature4 ,,the ,,drive ,illustration ,we discovered why tartanas have bulging hoods4 ,the vehicles roll and rock so much over the bad roads that it is necessary to make room for the passengers' heads to jerk backwards4 ,otherwise cerebral concussion would be the invariable result4 ,luis 7to the little monk73 ,excuse me1 but are not your clothes very hot8 ,the ,monk 7spreading out his hands73 ,they are hot1 but nevertheless they keep out the sun4 ,we come out of the town into the gardens4 ,there are flat fields of cultivation spotted with mulberry trees1 the trunks of which seem vivid purple in the afternoon light4 ,i make a remark in ,spanish4 7,jan was still at the stage of appreciative listener74 ,the ,clerkly ,man3 ,seora1 your ,spanish is good for a stranger--you can pronounce the ,spanish ,j1 which is difficult for foreigners4 ,i3 ,i have learned that from speaking ,german2 it is rather like the ,german ch4 ,a discussion on idioms at once begins4 ,the ,spaniard1 though he speaks foreign languages badly1 has an inextinguishable interest in the subject of tongues4 ,if ever you are bored in ,spanish company start an argument about languages4 ,after the discussion has been going on for some while the pale ,seor says3 ,nevertheless it is sad that the ,catalans wish to root ,castilian out of their country4 ,luis 7with some heat73 ,well6 why should they not8 ,they are the hardest working and the most valuable people of ,spain4 ,why should not they do as they like8 ,why should everybody not do as he likes if he hurts nobody else8 ,the pale ,seor 7with frigidity73 ,but that is ,bolshevism4 ,luis 7with increasing heat73 ,if that is ,bolshevism then ,i do not mind being a ,bolshevik4 ,conversation is at an impasse4 ,the carriage flings us to and fro for a while4 ,a motor-car passes us4 ,the dust which is about six inches deep on the road is whirled up in a cloud so thick that we have to halt for a few minutes to allow it to settle1 or we might have driven into the deep water-channels which edge each side of the road4 ,luis 7to the ,clerkly ,man73 ,my friends want to live for a while out in the mountains4 ,do you by any chance know of a house8 ,the ,clerkly ,man3 ,i am living with my family in the monastery of ,fuen ,santa4 ,there is a guest house there and habitations are to let4 ,i will find out all about them if you wish4 ,the pale little ,seor 7who has apparently forgotten all about ,bolshevism73 ,there are one or two houses in my village of ,verdolay4 ,the proprietor is a friend of mine4 ,i will inquire for you about it4 ,the tartana stops4 ,in front of a solitary house is a small wooden frame on which a few strips of dusty meat are hung4 ,the driver buys some of this from the woman who comes out of the house4 ,the ,driver 7confidentially to the passengers73 ,better get a bit of meat while you have the chance4 ,nobody follows his example4 ,the carriage bumps on4 ,the sun is now shining through the thin dust-laden trees which edge the road3 they appear as flames of pale gold4 ,we mount over a bridge4 ,a broad deep but waterless canal stretches away to right and left4 ,the little ,seor3 ,we are now nearing ,verdolay4 ,it is still too hot for you to go hunting for a house4 ,i shall be delighted if you will take possession of my house until the sun is cooler4 ,luis3 ,seor1 ,i thank you very much1 but we cannot do it4 ,the little ,seor3 ,i insist--you will come8 ,luis3 ,thank you very much4 ,this is ,spanish courtesy4 ,a single invitation is for politeness only1 like the last piece of bread and butter left for ,miss ,manners4 ,a second invitation means that it is really offered4 ,we pass a group of houses the colour of baked bread2 the most arid-looking spot we have seen as yet4 ,the gardens come to an abrupt end4 ,the road rises slightly1 and grey-green olive foliage over gnarled trunks throw a thin lacework of shadow on the dry earth4 ,the tartana stops4 ,we all get out4 ,the clerkly man goes east2 the priest south2 we1 led by the pale ,seor1 west4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we were at the entrance of a village4 ,it spread over a mound at the foot of the higher hills4 ,it was like a pyramid with toy houses coloured yellow1 orange1 green and grey upon the ledges1 and all around trees like those from a child's play box4 ,the village was fronted by a line of houses painted a deep crimson-vermilion4 ,an iron windmill for pumping water was placed on the extreme point of the mound4 ,the little ,seor showed us through the village to his house and left us in the entrada1 while he went to get beer4 ,the room was decorated with wooden art-nouveau chairs1 oleographs and an extremely bad oil painting of a bull with banderillas shedding much blood4 ,on a cane table was a gramophone4 ,the little ,seor had shut a door made on the system of a ,venetian blind to keep out the sun1 and presently the lattice-work was crowded with children trying to peer in at us4 ,the ,seor returned preceded by a large ,english setter4 ,he drew the corks of the beer and asked us to make ourselves at home4 ,the house and all that is in it is at your service1 he said in the phrase of ,spanish courtesy4 ,i was patting the dog4 ,that dog1 said the little ,seor1 is a very valuable dog4 ,it is unique in the province and possibly is unique in the south of ,spain4 ,it has a romantic history4 ,it is bred by the monks in high ,switzerland1 and when the snow is deep on the mountains it goes out to hunt for lost travellers4 ,it is the only specimen of a ,san ,bernar' in the south of ,spain4 ,we looked at the setter2 and drank some more beer4 ,that bull1 went on the ,seor1 pointing to the picture1 was painted by one of the best bull painters in ,spain4 ,we looked at the picture and again took refuge in beer4 ,luis1 who did not know about setters1 but did know about pictures1 drank in sympathy4 ,the ,seor wound up his gramophone4 ,do you know ',frou-,frou'8 he inquired4 ',frou-,frou'8 we said4 ,yes1 the ,french ,comic ,opera4 ,but1 said ,luis1 have you not by chance a disc of ,spanish music8 ,you see1 he added as excuse1 the ,seors are foreign4 ,it interests them to hear the national music1 the ,flamenco4 ,the little ,seor pursed his lips4 ,but1 he said1 it is so vulgar4 ,nobody wants to hear that4 ,he possessed1 however1 a disc or two which he turned on1 to our delight4 ,but before we left him he insisted that we should sit through his favourite ,frou-,frou4 ,we went away4 ,the strains of ,frou-,frou which the little ,seor had turned on once more followed us on the still air4 ,the setter-,st4 ,bernard walked with us to the beginning of the hill1 from whence he turned sedately homewards4 ,we strode upwards--past cottages of all colours1 past a large rambling monastery1 which1 perched on the far side of the ,verdolay hill1 very cubic in shape1 is as romantic as it is possible for a building to be2 past a watercourse1 above which were dwellings hollowed out of the soft rock of the mountain-side1 cave dwellings1 and out on to the side of the mountains lying between ,murcia and ,carthagena4 ,from here we could appreciate the width1 flatness and verdure of the ,murcian valley in the midst of which was the town1 the campanile of the cathedral soaring into the air4 ,here we had our first experience of a ,spanish country walk4 ,we were all wearing alpagatas1 the canvas sides of which are not exceedingly thick4 ,the dried herbage of the hills was intermingled with all manner of prickly weeds4 ,the vegetation protects itself in this way from being eaten by anything less leather-tongued than a goat4 ,the results are uncomfortable for the walker4 ,the little hairlike spines pierce the shoes and break off1 remaining as a continual irritant until the shoe is removed4 ,even then the spines1 almost microscopic in size and almost flesh colour1 are often difficult to find4 ,the same uncomfortable fate is in wait for the unwary stranger who sits down without having carefully explored the place where he is going to seat himself4 ,indeed the fate is worse1 because the thorns thus encountered cannot with decency be extracted in a public place and the victim is condemned to a lot similar to that of the naughty schoolboy4 ,the sun poured the full of its summer power on to the hill-side1 which reflected both heat and light with overpowering intensity4 ,though it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon we felt that our salamandrine limits were being put to a test4 ,a broad white road1 mounting up the hill1 crossed our path and we turned into it4 ,we are going to the monastery of ,la ,luz1 said ,luis4 ,i have heard that they sometimes take visitors for short periods4 ,it would be interesting for you to spend a fortnight in a monastery4 ,illustration ,the road climbed up beneath high black cliffs4 ,the other side of the valley was coloured orange and red upon which the sun was shining with all its force4 ,the side of the hill was dotted with aloes1 some having upright flower stems fifteen feet high in the air1 around the flowers of which the bees were swarming in harmonious halos4 ,a stately stone pine overshadowed a medley of old buildings which sprang from the top of a precipice out of which sprouted the weird branches of the prickly pear cactus4 ,the road circled round the foot of this cliff1 and still mounted till1 making a full semicircle1 it brought us on to a platform4 ,on one side of the flat space was an open cistern into which led a pipe4 ,from the pipe a deliberate trickle of water fell4 ,two women and two men sat about this pipe slowly filling their amphoras of ,grecian form1 while donkeys waited patiently in the background bearing panniers for the water-vessels on their backs4 ,on the other side of the platform the monastery showed a high wall with a large gate leading into a courtyard from which arose the face of the church1 painted a ,cambridge blue4 ,we could find no bell4 ,the water-carriers shouted instructions to us4 ,the bell clanged with an empty sound1 as though echoing through miles of untenanted corridors4 ,we rang again4 ,no response4 ,we rang three or four times before we heard the sound of shuffling steps4 ,a peep-hole1 shaped like a cross1 opened and an eye examined us4 ,the door swung slowly open1 revealing a small obsequious man dressed in peasant costume4 ,through passages we came into a cloister which was built around a small courtyard full of flowers4 ,in the middle of the courtyard was a high statue of the ,virgin4 ,it was framed and almost hidden by a creeper which offered to it a tribute of gorgeous purple bell-shaped flowers4 ,at the foot of the figure was stretched a large cat4 ,a strange thought came to me that the cat did not bother itself about the ,virgin other than as something which threw a grateful shadow4 ,the apologetic little peasant monk1 who had let us in was evidently an underling4 ,he murmured something about ,brother ,juan and went away4 ,brother ,juan came groaning along the corridor with rheumatic steps4 ,he had a tiny head and large-framed body2 dressed in peasant's clothes1 white shirt1 black cummerbund1 short knee trousers1 long white drawers to the ankle and sandals on bare feet4 ,he was rather like a dear old gardener who has been in the family for years1 and who has supported the teasings of generations of children4 ,age and a sweet nature had carved his face with horizontal wrinkles of kindliness2 rheumatism and pain had crossed these with downward seams of depression4 ,luis introduced the object of our visit4 ,brother ,juan doubtingly shook his head4 ,they did have visitors1 yes1 but those were always well-known to the monastery4 ,introductions would be necessary4 ,but1 in any circumstance1 the ,father ,superior was in ,murcia at the moment1 and nothing could be done without him4 ,i1 made conceited by the praise of the clerkly man in the carriage1 then tried to charm ,brother ,juan by a series of apposite remarks in my most careful ,spanish4 ,brother ,juan scratched his head4 ,doubtless1 what the ,seora says is very interesting4 ,he raised his hands and eyes in pantomimed dismay4 ,but1 oh1 these languages6 ,i can't understand a word6 ,brother ,juan1 groaning with rheumatism1 led us to the gate4 ,by some means an old woman dressed in black had joined us4 ,as ,juan was taking his leave of us his eyes suddenly lit up with a merry twinkle4 ,if you will excuse me1 he said to ,luis1 it would be better1 when you see the ,father ,superior1 if the woman would dress rather less indecently4 ,you see1 we are monks and are not used to it4 ,we went down the hill accompanied by the old woman in black1 who was chuckling at ,brother ,juan's last remark4 ,if only the woman would 444 he 444 he 444 we are monks and aren't used to it 444 ho 444 ho4 ,i was surprised4 ,it had not seemed to me that ,i was indecent4 ,i was wearing an ordinary ,english midsummer walking dress4 ,luis said3 ,i think it was the opening at your neck that worried him4 ,you see we haven't really taken up the open neck in ,murcia as yet4 ,directed by the old woman1 we scrambled down steep paths to the bottom of the orange-coloured ravine1 and up the other side past the aloes2 we went through an olive grove1 and again up a steep zigzag road to the second monastery4 ,here lived the clerkly man1 but we did not know his name4 ,this monastery began with a terra-cotta-coloured ,gothic church with three tall towers and a cupola of blue glazed tiles1 and rambled on up the ridge of a long hill to end in a tall building which looked like an overgrown ,turkish bath4 ,a grey building with a huge entrance door was pointed out as the pension of the monastery4 ,we wandered into a large courtyard and to us came a fat priest wearing a biretta4 ,he was courteous but firm4 ,we have no room1 he said4 ,but we remembered that the clerkly one had said that there was room4 ,i suppose again my dress was the real objection4 ,we went back towards the village of the little ,seor4 ,on our way we again crossed the dusty road which led to ,la ,luz4 ,a carriage was driving along it4 ,in the carriage were two priests4 ,luis said3 ,there probably goes the ,father ,superior4 ,shall we ask him now8 ,after a moment's hesitation we turned and strode up the hill4 ,we had to walk fast to catch the carriage1 but at last the driver1 perceiving that we were following him1 halted4 ,no1 said one of the priests1 we are not the ,superior of ,la ,luz4 ,indeed1 at this moment he is behind you4 ,there4 ,he pointed out an old man in the costume of a peasant1 who1 bent with age1 was toiling up the hill aided by his staff4 ,the ,father ,superior was still some distance away4 ,hastily1 with a brooch1 we pinned my blouse up close around my throat4 ,the ,father ,superior had the face of one designed to be an ascetic1 but his expression was inscrutable4 ,he was very suave4 ,he felt honoured1 he said1 by the request of the ,seors1 but there was no room4 ,now ,brother ,juan had said that there was room4 ,luis tried to urge the matter3 he instanced our ,red ,cross work in ,serbia4 ,the ,father ,superior said it was very praiseworthy of us1 but 444 and bowing unfelt regrets he left us4 ,we went back to our little ,seor4 ,he found for us a woman with the usual pound's weight of keys and conducted us to two bright red houses4 ,both were one story in height1 but one was for three months' tenancy only4 ,we decided to take the other4 ,it was occupied to its limits by a ,spanish family1 so we took but the most cursory of glances into it4 ,then1 our business settled1 we said au revoir to the little ,seor1 who in ,spanish fashion offered us his services whenever they should be needed4 ,we walked down a road and1 in a short while1 came to the village of ,alverca4 ,this was the first typical ,spanish village we had passed through4 ,it was long1 stretched on the edge between the bare mountain and the fertile valley4 ,the houses were low1 one-storied for the most part1 and the dust was all-prevalent4 ,in the dusty street boys were playing football1 which in ,spain seems to be a summer game4 ,in the middle of the village was a shop1 which advertised itself as a ,tobacco ,agency1 for tobacco is a ,spanish government monopoly and can be sold only in licensed places4 ,we went in to get a drink and to ask if by chance they had some tobacco1 for all the while we were in ,spain there was a famine of tobacco4 ,the inside of the shop was a curious mixture of the modern and of the very ancient4 ,at one end of the counter was a modern brass beer machine1 with carbonic acid gas cylinder--which gives to the tepid beer an extra fizz--pressure gauge and lead-lined sink4 ,at the other end of the shop were huge jars four feet high1 and nine or ten feet in circumference2 amphoras of pale porous unglazed pottery1 direct successors of the ,grecian vase2 small drinking pots of clay with short spouts for water or of glass with long spouts for wine1 the latter in shape not unlike the brass drinking-vessels of ,benares4 ,pendent from the ceiling hung candles two or three feet in length1 for devotional purposes1 and side by side with the candles were festooned strings of orange-coloured1 highly flavoured sausages1 which appeared very ominous4 ,some day one felt that one would be tempted by a ,spanish friend to eat one of these sausages1 and the fear of the experiment was always within us4 ,wine of a deep ruby tinged with brown filled a large glass barrel2 wine which could be bought for one halfpenny a glass4 ,inside the shop1 leaning against the zinc bar1 were two tramps2 the one swart with three days' beard on his chin1 dressed in a blue jean smock and soiled yellow velveteen trousers2 the other leaner1 more pallid1 furtive3 in spite of the heat of the day he was covered with a large black cloak4 ,they at once offered us their glasses of wine4 ,gracias4 ,buen aproveche1 said we in customary refusal4 ,they offered cigarettes to ,jan and ,luis4 ,these1 by courtesy1 had to be accepted4 ,while we were drinking our tepid beer--fizzed up with the carbonic acid gas--,jan asked for and bought a box of matches4 ,the ,spanish matches1 very bad1 a government monopoly1 are packed in a small cardboard box4 ,this box is quite difficult to open4 ,whichever way you push it1 like the well-known trick matchbox1 the inside part seems to have two bottoms and no opening4 ,the impatient traveller usually tears the box to pieces trying to get at the forty matches which are inside4 ,jan asked for tobacco4 ,there is not1 sighed the fat woman4 ,outside the shop the two tramps were waiting for us4 ,the swart one peered quickly from left to right4 ,we have tobacco1 he said in a hoarse whisper4 ,he snapped his fingers at his companion1 who produced from beneath the cloak1 furtively1 a square orange packet4 ,good tobacco from ,gibraltar1 growled ,swart2 will you buy8 ,no1 said ,luis4 ,the pallid man slid the tobacco beneath the cloak again4 ,the two slouched off through the dust4 ,that would be tobacco at each end and cabbage or other refuse in the middle1 said ,luis4 ,we turned towards the setting sun4 ,murcia has a tramway system4 ,blue cars run all over the town and reach out into the country at several spots4 ,we came to the terminus in this direction at ,palma1 on the road to ,carthagena4 ,the people of the village crowded about us in curiosity2 but by this time we were becoming used to a publicity which is1 as a rule1 only reserved for ,royalty4 ,as the tram carried us home--with several halts due to failure of the electrical supply--we noticed through an open door a delightful interior1 decorated with the huge water-jars--on a raised step--with which beautiful specimens of old ,spanish pottery were arranged4 ,the village of the little ,seor had pleased us so much that we made arrangements to move out there as soon as possible2 for the heat of ,murcia was now unbearable and we were in consequence on the verge of being really ill4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #aa3 ,that is truth4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,verdolay--,,housekeeping ,the house in ,verdolay had five large rooms1 stone-floored1 and was unfurnished4 ,we decided to borrow all our friend's kitchen furniture1 to wit1 a table1 three chairs1 water-vessels1 etc41 and we bought for ourselves a large frying-pan4 ,but the bed was a problem4 ,our friend's bed looked too good to knock about1 so at last we determined on the planks which we had already1 and four packing-cases on which to lay the planks4 ,antonio1 always eager to help us1 promised to find the packing-cases and to make all the arrangements about a cart4 ,at this moment ,antonio's wife ,rosa was ill4 ,he had invited us to a noble lunch1 and upon the day following he had told us that the lunch had disagreed seriously with ,rosa4 ,she did not get better4 ,there is much fever with it1 said ,antonio4 ,marciana1 our charwoman1 of whom we will tell more later1 was also working for ,antonio1 and would bring us news of ,rosa's illness1 which appeared quite serious for so slight a cause4 ,we must look out for tummy-troubles1 said ,i4 ,it is amazing what a lot a small amount of furniture appears when one is preparing to move4 ,we had thought the cart much too big1 but we had some difficulty in stacking into it all our material1 including the guitar1 of which the driver was told to take especial care4 ,we drove out to ,verdolay in a tartana1 passing on the road our cart of furniture4 ,we noted that the driver had added above our load two huge bundles of straw colour4 ,we wondered what they might be4 ,we were to discover later4 ,the little ,seor took us to the owner of our prospective abode4 ,his house was full of children1 and the study1 where we signed a ,spanish agreement1 was festooned with swords1 pistols and guns1 while a large photograph of him in officer's uniform explained the meaning of this warlike equipment4 ,the proprietor1 ,don ,ferdinand--a most unmilitary looking man--received our money with aloof dignity2 but said1 after the transaction was over1 that if we ever needed a friend we now knew where to look for him4 ,subsequently ,don ,ferdinand placed in the yard next to ours a large dog1 which howled all night and prevented us from sleeping1 but the friendliness which he had professed did not induce him to move it4 ,the cart of furniture had not arrived by the time we were in full possession of our new home4 ,the front door led into a large entrada1 from which one passed into an equally spacious kitchen1 and then by a wide double door into the back yard4 ,to the right and left of the entrada were rooms with windows1 covered with a grille1 looking on to the road4 ,to the right of the kitchen the last room had a window looking into the yard4 ,evening had come and still the cart delayed4 ,antonio had given us an introduction to a friend called ,la ,merchora4 ,we found her in the village shop which she owned4 ,her shop was smaller than that in ,alverca1 but similar1 save that she sold her beer in bottles and dispensed with the beer machine4 ,the same bilious-looking sausage hung in festoons from the ceiling4 ,she was like a fat1 happy aunt to us1 talked very fast1 but was very proud of being able to understand what ,i said4 ,she assured us that she would arrange things for us4 ,in the dusk we sat on the step of our empty house1 and1 illuminated by the light of a couple of candles lent by the little ,seor1 we ate provisions which we providentially had brought with us in the tartana4 ,the cart arrived at about eight o'clock4 ,the two large bundles had disappeared1 but a certain amount of chopped straw scattered about amongst the furniture showed us what they had contained4 ,the driver hesitated before accepting the tip which ,jan offered him4 ,we set up the bed as best we could4 ,we had intended to put the packing-cases upright1 but the structure seemed rather unsafe2 so we laid them flat1 put two of the planks lengthways and the rest crossing4 ,unfortunately two of the packing-cases were much narrower than the others4 ,this made the structure slope down about a foot at one end4 ,we did not have time or surplus energy to alter this arrangement during our stay1 with the result that in the morning we had as a rule slipped gently down so that our feet projected some distance beyond the end of the bed4 ,mosquitoes had threatened us during our meal1 so that we rigged the net at once4 ,we had been warned by many travellers of the verminous condition of ,spain4 ,we had taken the chances of this house1 which in truth had appeared reasonably clean4 ,nevertheless we went to bed with some anxiety4 ,no sooner had we lain down and the candle was out1 than the trouble began4 ,it was as though we had been invaded by a hundred thousand bugs4 ,we both tossed about and cursed our luck4 ,suddenly a piercing and prolonged sting made me clap my hand suddenly to the spot attacked4 ,i had imprisoned something4 ,i had experienced bugs in ,serbia3 this did not seem like a bug1 but much larger4 ,jan1 ,i exclaimed1 ,i've caught something4 ,strike a light4 ,the match revealed a short piece of chopped straw4 ,the carter1 with his bundles of chaff1 had provided us with as uncomfortable a specimen of an apple-pie bed as it has been my lot to experience4 ,the chaff had sifted down through everything1 and had impregnated both the cover of the mattress and the sheets with the fine spikes of straw4 ,we spent the better part of the night picking the tiny irritants out of our bedding4 ,even the thought that the house had proved bugless was at that moment but a poor solace4 ,in addition to our discomforts of that night1 the house was almost unbearable from the heat4 ,we had chosen our first residence with some lack of experience4 ,the house1 we discovered on the morrow1 faced east and west1 and not1 as did the majority of the houses in the village1 north and south4 ,in consequence of this fact we suffered from the sun1 which poured through the front door all the morning1 and through the back door all the afternoon4 ,it was almost impossible to open the windows on both sides1 to allow a draught to pass through the house4 ,and for the worst house in the village we were being charged forty pesetas a month by our friend1 ,don ,ferdinand4 ,the discomforts of the night were added to by the cats1 which chose our back wall for the most awesome serenades we have ever heard2 and also by the plaintive baaing of a sheep tethered in an adjoining yard4 ,we fell into an uneasy sleep about dawn1 but were soon awakened by strange sounds which came from the kitchen4 ,we listened1 but could make nothing of them2 they were strange hollow vocal sounds as though a small carpet was being beaten at irregular intervals4 ,the front door was locked1 the front windows barred2 what had come in must have done so by the back1 over the wall4 ,what was it8 ,jan peeped through a crack of the door4 ,on the kitchen floor was a flock of pigeons1 which had come in to search the chaff1 scattered by the previous night's unpacking1 for grains of corn4 ,it was now about #e4cj4 ,we decided to rest for a while1 in view of the failure of our sleep4 ,a rousing thump1 thump on the front door drew ,jan once more from bed4 ,at the door was a brown-faced peasant1 clad in black cotton1 with bare sandalled feet4 ,spotted about the street were goats1 their distended udders almost trailing on the ground4 ,milk1 said the peasant4 ,do you want milk8 ,la ,merchora sent me4 ,illustration ,he took our milk-jug1 selected a goat the udder of which seemed stretched almost to bursting1 and milked the animal directly into the jug4 ,he handed the jug of milk1 hot and frothy1 with a flourish4 ,three fat dogs and a little bitch1 said he4 ,in such a hot country the milk keeps better inside the animal than outside4 ,milk shops in ,spain therefore are usually quadruped1 and there is never a question of inspector or of adulteration4 ,we made up our minds to get up4 ,we did not know what other venders ,la ,merchora had prepared for us4 ,we had scarcely finished our breakfast of tea1 bread and chocolate1 when another thump1 thump on the door announced the arrival of another ascetically faced peasant1 tall1 clad in blue4 ,with him was a pretty girl of about fifteen and a dusty1 tilted donkey-cart4 ,vegetables and fruit1 said the girl4 ,the man1 having firmly fixed in his head that we knew no ,spanish1 grunted and made noises1 strange though cheery1 in his throat4 ,the inside of the cart was piled with all manner of excellent things--tomatoes1 green and yellow melons1 berenginas1 peaches1 plums1 pears1 red peppers1 cucumbers1 potatoes1 huge purple onions1 and lemons4 ,we bought many things4 ,the system of weights and measures is supposed to be that of the kilogramme1 as it is in ,france1 but the methods by which these weights are translated into practice in ,spain is delightful4 ,evidently there is no inspection of weights and measures4 ,one of the weights used by the tall man was a small axe-head1 another was a lump of rock4 ,after the donkey-cart1 a man stumpy enough to be almost a dwarf rode up to our steps4 ,he was grim-visaged and paunchy2 and said in a sour voice that he would fetch us water if we so wished4 ,the price was one peseta a donkey-load1 a donkey-load of water being four full ,grecian vases 7called cantaros7 which were carried in panniers1 on the top of which the old man sat and looked grumpily at the world1 while the water gurgled and clucked cheerfully beneath him4 ,then came a witch-faced woman with a disagreeable voice4 ,she carried a huge basket and said she was the shopping woman of ,verdolay4 ,verdolay had no market1 nor could one buy there anything other than the few immediate necessities which ,la ,merchora sold4 ,this woman was equivalent to our country carriers4 ,she walked to ,murcia every day and returned with laden basket through the heated dust4 ,for this work she demanded a small percentage upon the value of her purchases2 probably she also extracted a small commission from the shops in which she dealt4 ,we did not employ her much1 as her temperament was not agreeable to us4 ,illustration ,last of all came a little old woman--with a face seamed like a kindly walnut--dragging an old grey donkey4 ,on the donkey's back was a pair of time-worn panniers from which bulged a medley of fruit and vegetables4 ,she was the donkey-cart's rival4 ,i had forgotten to buy onions4 ,during our trip we had been bothered by the fact that at moments our uncertain ,spanish would be displaced by the language we had last learned1 ,serbian4 ,instead of the ,spanish sentence1 quite against our wills ,serbian would speak itself4 ,this phenomenon is quite common1 ,i believe1 to those who learn several languages more or less imperfectly4 ,i now asked the old woman in unwished-for ,serbian for onions4 ,she struck an attitude of theatrical dismay4 ,seora1 she exclaimed1 que es eso8#ab ,i repeated my desire1 and again ,serbian came out4 ,the old lady shook her head1 and seemed frightened4 ,i got a strong hold over my tongue1 and said slowly in ,spanish3 ,tiene cebollas8#ac ,the old lady's face broke into a hundred wrinkles of delight4 ,ahe1 ,seora1 she cried1 if you say 'cebollas1' ,i can understand that you want cebollas4 ,but if you say something different from 'cebollas1' how can ,i know that you need cebollas8 ,we walked round the corner to ,la ,merchora's to discover what could1 and what could not1 be bought at first hand4 ,la ,merchora could supply us with olive oil1 but not with vinegar4 ,she sold beer1 wine1 lemonade and soda-water in siphons2 dried sardines1 very smelly2 orange-coloured sausages2 bread at a peseta the kilo2 ,dutch cheese1 red pepper1 chocolate and eggs4 ,the last-named item on the list she said was scarce and variable in quality4 ,i then asked her if it would be possible to find a maid in the village4 ,the little ,seor had said that servants were as plentiful as flies in ,june1 but ,la ,merchora said that they were as scarce as were the eggs4 ,all the girls went off to ,murcia1 she said4 ,there were several women in the little shop and a discussion began2 they reviewed a list of the likely girls4 ,a young woman came in1 and said at once that her sister was out of a job4 ,she would send her along4 ,la ,merchora was reluctant to tell us the correct price to pay4 ,i suppose she thought that she might be spoiling a beautiful piece of bargaining4 ,upon pressure1 however1 she admitted that the local price was about ten pesetas a month1 this to include all the washing of linen1 both house and personal4 ,we bought some of ,la ,merchora's chocolate4 ,she asked us if we would have ,spanish or ,french flavouring4 ,we naturally chose the ,spanish variety4 ,it was very cheap4 ,it had a dusty consistency in the mouth1 and tasted of chocolate not at all1 but strongly of cinnamon4 ,it was eatable1 but not exciting2 we consoled ourselves with the reflection that it was nourishing without temptations towards greediness and ate no other chocolate during our stay in ,verdolay4 ,behind her shop ,la ,merchora had a large yard1 with outside stove for cooking4 ,in the yard was a flock of turkeys and several pigs4 ,a black and white terrier pup was having a game with the pigs1 running about and pulling their tails with his sharp teeth4 ,our house had inconveniences4 ,there was1 as far as we could see1 no place to put household refuse1 nor any means in the village of collecting it4 ,the windows on the road commanded a view almost of the whole house1 and if we left them open at once the curious were at the grilles1 staring through at us4 ,as we could not open the back door or windows during the afternoon1 this meant that if we wished for privacy we had to live in semi-gloom4 ,nobody in ,spain1 however1 tries to live other than in public2 the people walked in and watched us as we were having our meals2 walked round the house examining with interest the pictures which we hung on the walls to dry2 and in time we became case-hardened to this semi-public life4 ,we had a siesta during the afternoon to make up for the sleep we had lost4 ,at first we lay down without the mosquito-net1 but the flies soon drove us to its protection4 ,in the evening we called on the little ,seor4 ,he was a delicate and very likeable man1 but his pretty wife showed a strong dislike for us1 for which we could find no explanation save that perhaps she had been a pro-,german during the war4 ,we sat uncomfortably in a mixed atmosphere of liking and hate for some while1 then1 making our adieux1 and followed by the setter-,st4 ,bernard1 we went home4 ,i think that we first discovered the lack of privacy while we were undressing4 ,we had left the front windows open for air1 and soon a crowd was watching our preliminaries to sleep4 ,luckily we discovered it early4 ,jan closed the shutters1 upon which a number of boys sat down on our doorstep and sang serenades to us for several hours4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ab3 ,what is that8 ,footnote #ac3 ,have you onions8 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,verdolay--,,sketching ,,in ,,spain ,sketching in ,spain has inconveniences4 ,in the summer the heat makes it imperative that the painter should be up with the dawn1 for between eleven a4m4 and four p4m4 the heat and the brilliance of the light impose too great a strain on the eyes and the endurance4 ,under any circumstances we were almost forced to rise with the sun1 for ,milk and ,vegetables both called before six4 ,verdolay was an excellent spot at which to begin an acquaintance with ,spanish scenery4 ,there was a great variety of subject matter4 ,the village itself was full of vividly coloured houses1 and at the back was the wonderful old monastery of ,santa ,catalina4 ,in the valley less than half a mile away were the huertas1 or irrigated gardens1 full of rich green4 ,on the sides of the mountains were the olive terraces1 which traced the architecture of the hills in a way to delight the painter's heart4 ,between the olives and the garden was the dusty cart road with its intermittent traffic1 and the small dusty strung-out villages1 the houses threaded on the road like beads on a necklace1 especially that one called ,el ,angel--though anything more arid and less angelic could hardly be imagined4 ,in the hills themselves were fine ravines of strangely coloured ferruginous earths1 orange1 purple and blue2 and the tops of the foothills were often crested with monasteries1 like that of ,la ,luz1 which gave the scene a most romantic atmosphere4 ,i clung more or less to the village1 ,jan wandered about the surrounding country or sat in the insufficient shadow of the olive trees near ,el ,angel4 ,illustration ,the first real inconvenience which we noted was that seldom did the best view possess a suitable piece of shade from which to paint it4 ,thus the artist's task was doubled2 one had to find coincident scene and shadow4 ,the apparently aimless wander of the artist looking for a subject usually excited the curiosity of the passers-by1 so that either one was irritated by a series of remarks or became possessed of a small following of the curious4 ,i use a square hole cut in a piece of cardboard in order to test the view and judge whether it would frame as satisfactorily as it promised to do4 ,whenever ,i placed this square to my eye one of my followers bobbed up his head and stared back at me through the hole1 trying to fathom the mystery of my act4 ,once ,i had begun work ,i would become the centre of an excited conversation4 ,illustration ,the first strokes of the brush aroused merriment4 ,but often some onlooker astonished me by perceiving the object of my sketch long before the drawing was in any way clear4 ,she 7it was generally a she7 would then be eager to exhibit her superior knowledge to the others4 ,she would therefore dab her finger on to my painting to point out what she had perceived4 ,this nuisance ,i fought by covering intrusive fingers with oil paint4 ,by the time the overwise one had cleaned off the paint the drawing would be far advanced enough for the others to see for themselves what ,i was doing4 ,as soon as ,i got well into the swing of work questions would begin4 ,why do you do this8 ,is it to make picture postcards from8 ,why isn't your husband with you8 ,are your father and mother alive8 ,do you like ,spanish food8 ,have you got any children8 ,if you have no children1 as we have too many1 would you like a baby to take away with you8 ,are you doing this for the cinematograph8 ,do you like painting8 ,how old are you8 ,why haven't you put in ,so-and-so's house8 ,in this case the house in question was usually behind me4 ,these questions were asked in ,murcian ,spanish not very easy to understand with my small lack of acquaintance2 and ,i had to take my attention off my painting in order to find suitable ,spanish answers4 ,i tried once not to answer1 but my audience then demanded3 ,are you deaf8 ,can't you hear8 ,don't you understand what we say8 ,all this was said with the most courteous of intentions1 direct questioning being permissible in ,spain4 ,chairs were generally brought out1 one for me and others for the spectators4 ,nurse-maids with half-nude babies formed a large proportion of my audiences4 ,the ,spanish baby suffers from over nursing2 it is carried remorselessly about from six in the morning till twelve at night2 it is as a rule fretful and feverish both from the heat and from lack of sleep4 ,indeed ,verdolay always shrilled with wailing children4 ,at about nine o'clock the ,spaniard takes a morning snack4 ,this consists of a slice of bread soaked with olive oil and a dried sardine1 the smell of which was almost paralysing4 ,with the perfect courtesy which marked all my peasant audiences1 this would be offered to me before it was chewed loudly in my ear4 ,when the heat was very great ,i would abandon my sketch as soon as the sardine stage arrived4 ,i was continually pestered by polite requests that ,so-and-so should be painted in4 ,this often led to a lecture on composition and on the introduction of figures4 ,if ,i did1 however1 paint in anybody the enthusiasm was enormous4 ,people would run down the road shouting in at every cottage door3 ,she has painted ,enrico 7or ,miguel or ,maria7 into her picture4 ,once while near the water-fountain ,i painted in the donkey of a water-carrier4 ,for days afterwards ,paco1 the donkey-boy1 grasped the passers-by and exclaimed with tears of joy in his voice3 ,ha pintado mi burro1 mi burro4#ad ,the water-fountain was one of the gathering places of the village4 ,it was the end of a small iron pipe which writhed down from the hills4 ,there were generally three or four donkey-boys with cantaros1 and a crowd of women with amphoras waiting their turns to wedge their pots beneath the small trickle which ran from the nozzle of the pipe4 ,old ,grumpy spent the best part of his day there1 sitting with sour face in the shadow of a small tree--his chief work was either waiting his turn or leaving his pots to fill themselves4 ,a tall bank of prickly pear cactus made a background to the gay scene4 ,women came from dawn until midnight1 and even from the villages of the valley1 for water was very scarce and most of the water in the valley wells unfit for drinking4 ,with their heavy cantaros balanced on a projecting hip1 these women walked two miles or more beneath the sweltering sun2 and they asked me if ,i liked painting4 ,sometimes the ladies of the village stopped and made suitable remarks4 ,one1 a summer visitor1 told me that she knew a very good painter--very good indeed1 she said with a gentle emphasis which revealed what she thought of my work4 ,why1 he painted things five times as big as these which you do4 ,as the sketch progressed my audiences were very eager to point out to me anything which ,i seemed to have forgotten4 ,at this moment somebody always said that ,uncle ,pepe's or ,aunt ,conchas' house wasn't in the sketch4 ,these houses were invariably out of sight or behind my back4 ,the ,spaniards had futuristic instincts4 ,but once they knew me1 my friends would not have me criticized4 ,one passer-by made some disparaging remark about the painting4 ,illustration ,we won't have our ,doa abused1 said the nurse-maids4 ,she is very clever4 ,she knows lots more than you do2 and plays the piano as well4 ,sometimes ,i accompanied ,jan out into the country1 in the direction of ,la ,luz or down into the huertas4 ,one day we were near ,la ,luz and my interest was captured by a lemon and vine garden which was cultivated on terraces down the side of a baking ravine4 ,the farmer's house with a red roof topped the hill4 ,i sat down to paint4 ,presently the farmer with his wife and family clambered down into the ravine and climbed up the side to where ,i was sitting4 ,each time ,i returned the family came back and in awed silence watched the progress of the sketch4 ,it happened that the water of ,verdolay was not very nice for drinking purposes1 being full of minerals and salts1 while that of ,la ,luz was delicious4 ,a poor woman1 who did charing jobs for the farmer above-mentioned1 was delighted to be allowed to carry us heavy cantaros full of ,la ,luz water1 a mile and a half1 for the pay of fivepence a cantaro4 ,one day after the sketch was finished she came in with a look of importance on her face4 ,my ,seora1 she said1 is enamoured of the little painting which you have done of her house and farm4 ,she wishes to buy the sketch4 ,i had had some experience of ,spanish prices1 so ,i said3 ,these paintings are made to exhibit in ,england4 ,it is of no use to tell you the price1 because ,english prices and ,spanish prices are different4 ,but1 ,seora1 said the woman1 my masters are very rich1 excessively rich4 ,they will pay any price that you like to ask4 ,but ,i suspected her protestations4 ,the sketch was one of the best ,i had done in ,spain4 ,i was not very eager to part with it4 ,but owing to her entreaties1 against my better judgment1 fixing a low price because of ,spain1 ,i said at last3 ,two hundred pesetas4#ae ,her mouth dropped open4 ,for a moment she remained speechless with amazement4 ,then hastily crossing herself she gasped out3 ,madre ,maria ,sanctissima6 ,being a woman ,i was often asked to paint female portraits1 but suspecting the monetary value which the people would put on paintings ,i refused4 ,jan overheard a red-faced1 wealthy looking farmer discussing with his father on our doorstep the question of how much ,i was likely to ask for a portrait of the farmer's daughter4 ,red ,face3 ,i think we might offer her ten pesetas4#af ,the ,grandfather3 ,well1 she is foreign1 she might demand fifteen4 ,red ,face3 ,even if she wishes twenty we might yet consider it2 or perhaps twenty-five2 but then we would have to think it carefully over4 ,occasionally we would be asked into houses to examine pictures which the peasants believed to have value4 ,in one house1 a room was set aside as a small private chapel2 it was full of painted plaster images covered with false jewels and tinsel2 on the walls were oleograph reproductions of the ,virgin by ,spanish ,old ,masters1 but one painting of the ,murillo ,school probably had a real value4 ,in another house we found a picture of ,napoleon before which the inhabitants were burning a candle under the impression that the print represented an unidentified ,saint4 ,maybe stranger personalities have been canonized before now4 ,jan escaped from intimate touch with the people by making for the open country4 ,he thus had fewer adventures than did ,i4 ,often1 however1 peasants spied him from the distance of a mile1 and came to see what he was doing4 ,once1 when he had been painting on the cart-road near ,el ,angel and had put a cart into his painting1 a small boy followed him all the way home1 shouting out to every one that he passed3 ,that is a painter6 ,he painted a cart and horse2 just as it went along2 all in a flash6 ,we used to pin up our sketches on the wall of the house2 because1 as we intended to travel1 we wished the sketches to become as dry as we could make them4 ,this used to attract numbers of people1 and usually the grilled window of our front room was occupied by a crowd of faces peering into the house4 ,the fame of our picture exhibition spread over the country-side4 ,people came from some distance to see the pictures2 and if the front door was unlocked walked in1 saluted us1 and proceeded to go the round of the walls4 ,at first we found this disconcerting1 but with use much of our needless self-consciousness and desire for unessential privacy began to wear off4 ,as we left our front window open during the night for air1 we were many times awakened by the voices of the picture-gazers who gathered at our window as soon as the day broke4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ad3 ,she has painted my donkey1 my donkey4 ,footnote #ae3 #h4 ,footnote #af3 #hs4 #d;d4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,verdolay--,,coneni ,the peasant who came every morning with his daughter and donkey-cart full of vegetables and fruit at the dawn was rather like a genial bird of prey in features4 ,this type is typically ,spanish4 ,there was something of the condor about him1 though one can scarcely picture a condor with his welcoming smile or his kindly nature4 ,he began with a fixed idea of our practical dumbness and deafness to the ,spanish language4 ,he was1 we learned later1 an exquisite dancer4 ,we have heard tell of a well-known musician who has a dance for making the household beds1 and another for digging potatoes1 and so on1 trying to bring sthetics into the commonplaces of life4 ,coneni1 for such was the peasant's name1 tried to dance for us the fact that tomatoes were a halfpenny a pound or that a melon was sixpence4 ,his pretty1 demure daughter resorted to more practical measures1 held up fruit as samples and condescended to calculate in pesetas and centimos instead of in royals and little bitches4 ,but the manners both of ,coneni and of his daughter were impeccable4 ,i think that they overcharged us slightly1 but that was the ,spanish tradition4 ,certainly they did not overcharge us as much as they would have done had they not liked us1 and later on they quieted their consciences by making us presents4 ,coneni was one of the first of our picture admirers1 but he had pre-,raphaelite tendencies1 and always said that he supposed they would be better when we painted them out properly4 ,he became eager that we should sketch in his market garden1 and gave us elaborate topographical directions4 ,so one day1 shouldering our sketch-boxes1 off we set4 ,illustration ,we passed through ,el ,angel on to the ,murcia road4 ,we then asked a group of men1 who were winnowing corn on a flat biblical threshing floor of beaten mud1 which was the direction4 ,unfortunately we had got rather mixed in the name4 ,the peasant had not spoken his name very clearly and we had confused it with conecho4#ag ,the winnowers said that they could not understand us very clearly1 but that it was probably further along1 and they wished us to go with ,god4 ,further along the road we1 having found in the dictionary what conecho really means1 tried the other name4 ,the use of this brought us into a narrow side-path between rows of mulberry trees and deep watercourses4 ,it took a sudden turn to the left1 and on the path we saw ,coneni1 tall and lank1 waving welcoming arms at us4 ,the place was embowered in trees3 lemon1 fig1 pear1 plum1 apple1 quince and pomegranate flourished luxuriantly in the irrigated soil4 ,the huertas of the ,murcian plain were not separated1 one from another1 by hedges1 and it was difficult to know how large was ,coneni's garden4 ,in one corner1 beneath the shelter of overhanging fruit-trees1 was a hut made of stiff bamboo-like reeds1 the roof daubed with mud against the rain4 ,from the front of this hut projected a long awning of reeds1 beneath which the ,coneni family was awaiting us4 ,mrs4 ,coneni was plump1 motherly1 and had a genial nature covering an inflexible will4 ,she also had perfect manners1 was full of courtliness and kindness1 and was delighted to see us4 ,she showed her nave pleasure by touching me whenever she was able to do so without rudeness4 ,our broken ,spanish aroused her sense of wonder4 ,coneni1 for the first time in his life1 made up his mind to understand us4 ,he stopped his habitual pre-breakfast pantomime and swaggered about1 saying3 ,but ,i understand all they say4 ,yes1 ,i do4 ,he disappeared into the square small hut and came out again carrying an enormous green water-melon called locally a sandia4 ,he tapped it with a knuckle and1 from the sound that it made1 decided that it was ripe4 ,he then cut off top and bottom with a small hatchet and divided it into huge slices4 ,while we were eating the luscious pink fruit neighbours began to saunter up4 ,they stood in a circle around us4 ,coneni1 with the air of a showman1 said3 ,now ,i will show you something4 ,she smokes2 it is true4 ,i have seen her myself4 ,he made me a cigarette4 ,the men were delighted and ,mrs4 ,coneni was amazed4 ,coneni stood behind me with a lean hand on his hip1 as if to say3 ,alone ,i did it4 ,beneath the reed shelter some of the children were lying asleep1 and the youngest of all1 a baby1 was sitting by itself in a corner1 stark naked1 playing with a large lemon4 ,the exquisite colour contrast between the transparency of skin of the sunburnt child and the hard yellow brilliance of the lemon filled me with a wild desire to paint it4 ,indeed1 one does not come to appreciate the full beauty of the nude until one has seen it in a country where it is natural4 ,in ,spain the children1 usually half nude1 sprawled about in the heat in the most graceful of relaxed poses1 sometimes lying half asleep across their mothers' laps1 and a continual impulse was driving me to make studies of them4 ,but the task is almost impossible4 ,the fact of being sketched is too unusual4 ,the people1 naturally unselfconscious1 at once become stiff and formal4 ,within ,coneni's hut was no furniture other than a four-post bed which almost filled the floor space4 ,here slept ,coneni and his wife1 and the space beneath the bed was used as a storehouse for melons4 ,the children1 three girls and four boys1 all slept on the ground in the open beneath the shelter4 ,but ,mrs4 ,coneni explained to me with some care that the poverty was only apparent2 that this was but their summer residence4 ,for the winter they had a fine house in ,alverca4 ,we did not have any very keen impulse to paint--it had become for that afternoon rather too much of a ceremony1 like the old ,state painter performing before the ,court--but to save our faces we had to do something1 so ,jan painted a portrait of a calf1 while ,i selected a lemon tree4 ,before ,i had half finished1 the interior of the tree was swarming with ,coneni's children1 hoping that they would be included4 ,by my side sat ,coneni's little girl nursing a bantam1 like a doll1 assuring it that mother wouldn't love it if it were not more quiet4 ,and the ,seor plays the guitar1 exclaimed ,coneni4 ,he is affectionate to music4 ,we discussed ,spanish music and dancing4 ,coneni1 bursting with hospitality1 said3 ,come again next ,sunday4 ,i will invite the young men and the girls and we will have a party4 ,there are guitar and lute players at ,alverca4 ,they will all come4 ,antonio's brother-in-law1 ,thomas1 had spoken of the gay times when there is a party in the huertas2 we accepted eagerly4 ,we went home laden with presents of fruit which ,coneni had pressed upon us4 ,especially was our greed delighted with a large basket of figs4 ,we had been asking the ,conenis to bring us some figs for some days1 but they had said3 ,we can't bring you figs4 ,nobody sells figs here4 ,we give them to the pigs4 ,so that evening we rivalled the pigs ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ag3 ,rabbit4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,verdolay--,,the ,,inhabitants ,the little village of ,verdolay was not a characteristic ,spanish village1 it was a watering-place4 ,one came into it along the dusty road between banks on which grew the spiky aloe shrubs1 behind which spread the spaced olive groves with trees drawn up into demure lines1 amongst the grey foliage of which could be seen the red painted corrugated roofs of the ,french ,silk ,company4 ,the village scrambled up a terraced hill4 ,the lower edge was a line of orange-vermilion one-storied houses faced with a small promenade4 ,then the houses scattered4 ,to the right as one faced the hill were the baths1 a collection of bulky1 ramshackle buildings which hid deep1 cool courtyards1 and from which came the plash of water and the sound of young voices4 ,the hill-side was covered with terraced gardens in which were set houses painted yellow1 green1 blue or pink4 ,the apex of the hill was decorated by an iron windwheel for pumping4 ,a ridge joined the crest of the hill to the mountains1 and here perched the ancient monastery of ,santa ,catalina2 while a mile away to the right1 showing white amongst a green bed of palms and firs1 was the country seat of the ,count of ,el ,valle1 and to the left amongst groves of oranges was the villa of an ex-,prime ,minister4 ,one had almost a specimen of ,spain in little in this one village4 ,the vermilion houses1 called the ,malecon1 sheltered a transitory population2 visitors to the baths1 who like ourselves arrived in carts with furniture1 and after a few months disappeared back to town duties4 ,these were usually of the superior artisan or small shopkeeping class4 ,the second row of houses contained persons such as ,don ,ferdinand1 the little ,seor or the people who kept the baths4 ,these represented the larger tradesmen and in general lived all the year in ,verdolay1 travelling to ,murcia by tartana or by tram via ,palmar4 ,the two roads which swept up each side of the hill were edged with small cottages where the real peasantry lived1 and the houses which stood amongst gardens on the hill terraces1 each owning its proper entrance1 were the residences of the merchantry4 ,the ,count of ,el ,valle represented the county aristocracy and the ex-,prime ,minister the ,court4 ,illustration ,in spite of a somewhat evil local reputation1 the peasantry could be counted as a quiet1 hard-working1 rather unintelligent1 good-natured community which leaned vaguely1 on the male side1 to liberalism and atheism1 but lacking the courage or determination to make either effective4 ,it cursed the ,court and told dirty stories about the priesthood1 but all exasperation evaporated in words4 ,this peasantry is the foundation on which the whole of this plutocratical hill of ,verdolay rests2 and it labours as severely as any other peasantry1 perhaps even working harder because of the lack of water1 which adds a need to be satisfied before work is over4 ,the average traveller has the idea that the ,spaniard is lazy4 ,we are not sure that this is a correct estimate of him4 ,we ,english have made a god of ,work4 ,but indeed unnecessary work is mere foolishness4 ,the great blessing to be sought for is leisure4 ,human advance comes from the reflections of leisure rather than from the activities of work4 ,the ,spaniard recognizes leisure as the benefit which it is4 ,he has no false ideas about work4 ,adam bit the apple1 and we pay his debts1 but why load ourselves with compound interest at many hundreds per cent48 ,that is the ,spaniard's point of view4 ,he works when he must work4 ,he rises with the dawn or before it1 say four a4m41 he works till eleven o'clock1 then in the afternoon resumes toil from #c4cj till #f4cj4 ,the late-rising traveller who mouches about in his ,english custom during the hottest hours of the day sees the ,spanish labourer at his siesta1 snoozing by the roadside1 or thrumming his guitar to a herd of sleepy goats4 ,he draws a natural1 though incorrect1 conclusion4 ,the ,spaniard may be dilatory4 ,he puts off doing to-day what he can do to-morrow1 but it is from an exaggerated respect for the benefits of leisure4 ,his handicap is that he has no proper means of filling that leisure1 his apparent laziness comes from lack of education4 ,about eighty per cent4 cannot read1 schooling is not enforced1 and children begin work at ten years of age or thereabouts4 ,but do not lay up the ,spaniard's desire for inactivity as a crime2 it is a virtue ill employed4 ,our particular specimen of the ,spanish peasant was my female servant1 named ,encarnacion4 ,she was thirteen years old1 could neither read nor write1 and worked like a small mule for the not extravagant wage of eleven shillings and sixpence a month4 ,she only worked half the day1 it is true1 but we did not give her food4 ,we indeed overpaid her1 for the regular wage of her kind was about eight shillings and fourpence a month4 ,she had a small1 stumpy child's body1 sprouting into a long neck1 at the top of which was a rounded head4 ,her forehead was intellectual1 her features flattened1 and her hair1 done up tight into a small ball1 was usually decorated with a flower or a green leaf4 ,at first1 like all ,spanish peasants1 she made up her mind that she could not understand what ,i said1 but gradually learned that she had to do so1 and in general succeeded pretty well4 ,but it was to her a tremendous intellectual effort4 ,she would wrinkle her noble-looking brow with the strain1 and was never satisfied until she had translated my orders into her own patois for clarity4 ,but she would not allow her fundamental ideas of what was proper to be influenced by my foreign notions4 ,sometimes she would interrupt me4 ,no1 ,seora1 she would say1 ,i do not like it done thus4 ,that is not the custom4 ,it must be done so4 ,if one insisted upon one's own way1 the work was ill done4 ,so that1 as a rule1 to save trouble1 one allowed her to do as she wished4 ,encarnacion worked all the morning1 singing an interminable ,spanish song1 which struck our ears queerly and pleasantly at the beginning1 but of which in the end we grew very tired4 ,by eleven o'clock she would have done all the housework1 the shopping and the cooking1 and would leave the stone floors soaked in water1 the evaporation of which did a little to counteract the intense heat4 ,she had a habit which we did not like of scattering our household refuse all over the small square yard4 ,it looked dirty and untidy1 but we found out that she knew better than we did4 ,the vagrant cats soon cleared up any remains of meat1 while the hot sun dried up all the other refuse1 which could then be thrown away conveniently4 ,encarnacion was sad that she could neither read nor write1 and was proudly jealous of her younger sister1 who1 working in the milk factory1 was being taught to spell4 ,she of course acquired a proprietary right in us4 ,she upheld the honour of the house1 and gave a lesson in manners to a gipsy girl from the cave dwellings who had once thrown a stone at me4 ,she also criticized our work4 ,to the almost daily parties of strangers who walked into our house whenever the door was left unlocked1 she acted as guide to our pictures drying on the walls1 and she would explain to whom each house in the sketches belonged4 ,but she never said ,thank you4 ,there are considerable differences between ,spanish customs and those of ordinary ,europe1 and these are apt to disconcert the traveller4 ,here are a few ,spanish ones that we noted en passant4 ,you may walk into any house or garden if moved to do so by curiosity if you1 previous to entering1 utter the magic formula3 ,se pueda entrar8#ah ,you may stare as much as you like at anything or anybody1 for staring is in reality a compliment4 ,self-consciousness is a silly vanity4 ,if you feel friendly towards an acquaintance you may call on him at nine in the morning and you may repeat your call three or four times during the same day4 7,what the man does to get rid of you we have not yet discovered4 ,we have only been the victims1 not the visitors47 ,you must refuse everything that is suddenly offered to you1 except cigarettes or sweets offered in the fingers4 ,do not accept other things until the third offer4 ,but to refuse sweets or cigarettes is almost insulting4 ,you must offer to give any object to anybody who admires it 7especially objects of jewellery or babies74 ,you may ask any questions you like1 even upon the most intimate of subjects2 and you must expect to be asked similar questions4 ,if invited to a meal1 you may refuse no dish that is served to you1 even though indigestion is clutching at your vitals1 or repletion stopping your throat4 ,for a specimen of the small tradesman class of the malecon we had ,la ,merchora4 ,she kept the village shop1 the last house on the terrace1 and was in some way a relative of ,antonio4 ,her home was planned like ours was1 and one of the rooms beside the entrada had been filled with a counter1 some shelves1 and a large tin of paraffin oil2 ginger-coloured sausages were festooned from the roof and the shop was complete4 ,she was unmarried1 and therefore1 from a theoretical point of view1 negligible2 but it did not disturb her4 ,indeed1 little did disturb her4 ,she had the figure which grows out of a combination of good living1 no thinking and reasonable working4 ,in any village you will find an example of her kind4 ,she is good-natured but respected4 ,liberties are not taken with her1 and in ,cornwall she is called ,aunt ,so-and-so4 ,la ,merchora was not even black-visaged1 there was in fact nothing that one can count for ,spanish about her4 ,she had two epithets--atrocidad and barbaridad--but she said them with so jovial an aspect that atrocity or barbarity faded into the gentlest of denunciations4 ,when our first servant1 ,encarnacion's elder sister1 deserted us without warning for a better job1 ,la ,merchora said it was an atrocidad2 when the water-carrier overcharged us she said it was barbaridad4 ,when the ,count ,el ,valle's watchman chased us off some square miles of unfenced unproductive mountain she said it was atrocidad2 when the weather was hot she said it was barbaridad4 ,every evening after supper there was a gathering outside ,la ,merchora's shop4 ,la ,merchora1 ,uncle ,pepe1 her father1 the niece1 the gaunt woman from next door1 her baby1 half naked but with a flower in its hair1 women coming through the night to fetch water 7an interminable task71 carters returning from work and others1 would gather on chairs1 benches1 or on the stone wall of the malecon2 and beneath the faint glow of the electric light would gently talk of things1 while the niece was catching the foolish cicadas or crickets 7attracted by the light7 with which to amuse the baby and with which to awaken in the child some primary instinct of cruelty to animals4 ,uncle ,pepe was ,la ,merchora's father4 ,he was a withered brown peasant baked by the sun to the colour of a pot4 ,wrinkles of careful economy and of good humour were as indelibly roasted into him as the pattern on a ,roman dish4 ,in recognition of ,la ,merchora's accumulated kindnesses ,i painted his portrait on a small panel for her4 ,she pondered some while on the problem of a suitable recompense1 and at last gave us an antique ,sevillian basin decorated with a primitive painting of a yellow and green cat4 ,it was an old and valuable piece of earthenware used for washing the linen1 and had probably been employed to wash ,uncle ,pepe's shifts and himself as well when he was a baby4 ,these basins1 two feet in diameter1 are used as decorative and practical adjuncts to the huge red earthenware pots in which the villagers of the ,murcian valley store the household water4 ,we protested against the generosity of this gift1 but in vain4 ,one day1 while we were out1 she had it carried to our house1 and would on no account receive it back4 ,pepe and ,la ,merchora illustrate the rapid evolution of the modern ,spanish gentleman4 ,antonio is the third stage in the development4 ,the little ,seor is the fourth4 ,pepe is an unlettered peasant1 knowing nothing but the labour of the soil but possessing the traditional culture of ,spain4 ,by the time one has reached the little ,seor and the people of the ,baths1 one has arrived at letters but one has lost much of the culture4 ,pepe's wisdom is the common sense of centuries stored up in proverbs2 he has one to fit every occasion4 ,the little ,seor's learning is supplied by the newspapers4 ,the grandparents of all these people1 even of the rich merchants who lived on the apex or ,verdolay hill1 were peasantry--,pepes1 as a rule4 ,then one perceives that with the accumulation of wealth1 the culture gradually diminishes in a like proportion4 ,the third generation has lost almost all culture and has nothing but a kind heart and a love of making money4 ,the ,spanish bourgeoisie is inverting the processes which are going forward in ,england to-day4 ,it is trying to forget its old customs--too late we are trying to revive ours4 ,it has learned to despise its exquisite folk music1 already becoming forgotten--we are trying to fudge out a few miserable tunes from the memories of senile fiddlers4 ,these people have won to that leisure so sweet to the heart of man2 but they don't know what to do with it4 ,they sleep and so grow fat4 ,having become fat they are good-natured and laugh4 ,the old saw should be inverted4 ,indeed1 many an old saw is in reality the truth turned inside out4 ,they were a good-natured kindly people1 these bulky tradesmen1 but they were deadly dull4 ,the daughters of ,verdolay banged untuned pianos to the strains of dances forgotten by ,europe1 polkas1 mazurkas and pas de quatre2 but their own dances--the malagueas and baturras--were unknown to them4 ,they were pressing in their invitations1 and were angry with us because we preferred ,la ,merchora's doorstep with its changing audience of passers-by4 ,of the ,count and the ex-,prime ,minister we know but little2 they lie1 anyway1 beyond the scope of this book4 ,the ,count possessed in this district a country house set in a deep1 wooded valley1 in which was a medicinal spring1 and a few square miles of unfenced sterile mountain land from which his watchman1 armed with a gun1 was instructed to drive away unauthorized pedestrians4 ,he was not popular and was always at daggers drawn with the village2 though from other sources we have learned that he is personally a charming and a generous man4 ,at any rate he has left a fine estate to remain practically unproductive 7the two farms and the house itself are in ruins74 ,this practice seems to be normal in ,spain1 and we have heard of many a case where the aristocracy have deliberately hindered national development4 ,there are rumours1 however1 that this estate is being bought for the government and will be afforested and developed4 ,the ex-,prime ,minister's villa was the most amazing example of bad taste in architecture that we have ever seen4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ah3 ,may one enter8 ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,verdolay--,,the ,,dance ,,at ,,coneni',s ,we had been looking forward to the dance which ,coneni had promised us4 ,spanish music had become with us a hobby1 and the dancing which goes with it had excited our imagination4 ,antonio's sister had led us to believe that wonderful dancing was to be found in the ,murcian huertas1 and the vague hints of gay times al campo stirred us up to eager anticipation4 ,on ,sunday afternoon at about four o'clock we set off1 ,jan carrying the big white guitar in its case4 ,the cicadas were making their accustomed strident din in the mulberry trees1 men on the roadside shouted to us3 ,vaya con dios1 y con la guitarra4 ,the ,conenis were furbished up for the occasion4 ,a few girls in bright cottons and a few young men in check suits1 ,english caps and buttoned brilliant boots were awaiting us4 ,others came in one by one4 ,coneni chopped up a huge pink-fleshed melon for us1 and while we were yet revelling in its cool lusciousness the faint sound of music was heard through the saw-note of the cicadas4 ,the sound came nearer4 ,presently through the trees a band of youths and girls headed by a girl playing a guitar1 and a boy of fourteen playing a ,spanish lute 7or laud7 were visible4 ,they marched into the garden thrumming bravely a popular two-step march4 ,it is the custom of the musicians thus to arrive in full cry1 as it were4 ,amongst the group was the little ,seor's nurse-maid bravely carrying through the heat the inevitable baby4 ,later on the baby caused a diversion by getting itself stung by a bee4 ,the arrival of the music drove ,coneni to a pitch of excitement4 ,he brought out a drinking flask of wine4 ,the flask had a long slender spout1 and the guests drank by pouring the wine straight into their mouths1 tilting their heads backwards4 ,i was afraid of this method1 and to my disgrace had to be given a glass4 ,tables and chairs1 made of rough planking1 were brought from neighbouring huertas4 ,now1 cried ,coneni1 for some dancing4 ,the guitar and laud players sat down4 ,they played a polka1 a common polka4 ,and the girls and ,english-capped youths danced a solemn polka4 ,then followed a schottische1 then another polka1 then a murdered two-step4 ,disappointment rushed upon us4 ,but where then was the ,spanish dancing8 ,had this infernal ,european mechanical civilization quite driven all feeling from the land8 ,where were the jotas1 the malagueas1 the baturras8 ,but1 said ,jan at last to ,coneni1 can you not dance a ,spanish dance8 ,why1 of course1 cried ,coneni4 ,here1 let us dance a malaguea4 ,it is my favourite dance4 ,come1 who will dance with me8 ,but there was nobody amongst the girls who could dance it4 ,mrs4 ,coneni said that she was too old and too fat4 ,nor was there amongst the laud players one who could play a malaguea1 nor could the guitar player beat the tempo4 ,so in the end it was ,jan who played the malaguea as best he could1 while ,coneni1 using his lank limbs with the flexibility of a youth1 danced in marvellous fashion4 ,but he soon tired of dancing solos4 ,we went home1 headed by the band1 seconded by ,coneni's son carrying for us a large green melon1 followed by ,coneni's daughter loaded with a basket of figs4 ,we parted from the band at ,el ,angel1 we going up to ,verdolay1 they going across to ,alverca1 but with the good-byes the guitar playing girl said3 ,aha1 but since you are so 'affectionate' to music we will come and play to you this evening at your house4 ,when ,encarnacion heard this1 she said3 ,oh1 beautiful6 ,and ,i will ask all my friends and we will dance4 ,and ,i will bring all ,mother's chairs4 ,illustration ,we arranged all ,encarnacion's mother's chairs in a neat circle in our entrada and waited4 ,nine o'clock went by--no music--ten passed and #aj4cj4 ,at eleven o'clock we heard the band far away on the ,alverca road4 ,it came musically through the night4 ,we had contrived an especial illumination of candles1 but our guests repudiated houses4 ,they were too hot4 ,so in spite of any possible traffic the chairs were dragged out into the middle of the road1 and we had our concert there4 ,it was not a very inspiring concert4 ,at the opening of it the young laud player handed his instrument to ,jan1 demanding that it should be tuned4 ,we discovered later that quite a number of the minor village executants cannot tune their own instruments4 ,jan1 however1 at this time knew nothing about lauds4 ,so the boy had to do the best he could with it4 ,he managed to worry the instrument more or less into tune with itself1 but the task of getting his laud accorded with his sister's guitar was beyond his power4 ,however1 a concert could not be disturbed for so trifling a matter2 and to the perfect satisfaction of the players1 and1 as far as we could see1 of the audience1 the two instruments played until about three o'clock in the morning1 each one a semi-tone different in pitch from the other4 ,we had provided bottles of wine for the occasion at the cost of sixpence a bottle4 ,this wine was the ordinary drinking wine of the district4 ,it speaks well of the abstemiousness of the ,spaniard that though we had at least thirty guests about half a bottle of wine only was drunk4 ,the major part of the audience contented itself with cool water from the algazarra4 ,some time later on in the evening the players confided to us that they were the pupils of a maestro who lived in ,alverca1 and that they had only been studying for two months4 ,the fact that there was a teacher in ,alverca fired me4 ,i had wanted to learn the laud for some while1 but the opportunity had not offered itself4 ,i inquired his terms4 ,the band said that they were twopence-halfpenny a lesson4 ,so ,i at once told it to send the maestro along4 ,at #c4cj--;after we had been wondering for some time how much longer our eyes would remain open--the band took its leave1 saying that it would come again one evening4 ,it then marched1 playing loudly1 back to ,alverca4 ,the maestro sent word that he would come on ,tuesday evening4 ,he was of that type of southern ,european that the ,american terms ,dago4 ,he was typically ,dago4 ,he was a plumber by trade1 and in the evening augmented his income by odd twopence-halfpennies picked up from the would-be affectionates of the guitar or laud4 ,he loved wine with a sincere though timid reverence4 ,when she heard that he was coming to give me a lesson1 ,encarnacion said3 ,oh1 beautiful6 ,and we will all come and listen to your lesson1 and afterwards we will dance4 ,but even ,spain could not make me unselfconscious enough to support that test4 ,with grim harshness we locked the door on our lessons4 ,the maestro1 like ,blas1 considered two airs his daily portion4 ,at the end of the first air he would empty his tumbler of wine1 and would gently repudiate the idea that it should be refilled4 ,the third glass he accepted with quite vehement protestations4 ,his course homeward was1 ,i fear1 usually more discursive than that of his coming4 ,like all ,spanish musicians he sang upon the slightest excuse4 ,he corrected my melody by singing3 ,lo1 ,la1 ,lo1 ,la1 ,lo1 ,la1 as ,i played4 ,having played the violin1 the mandolin and the piano1 ,i did not find the laud very difficult4 ,it has a queer tuning in fourths and is played with the plectrum4 ,but when ,la ,merchora discovered that ,i had learned a piece in two days she was quite eloquent in her astonishment4 ,,chapter ,,xix ,,murcia--,,the ,,laud ,during our month in ,verdolay we had not quite cut off communication with ,murcia4 ,luis and his friend ,flores had come out to lunch with us1 bringing with them a slab of odoriferous dried fish which they said was excellent in salads4 ,on this occasion many families in ,verdolay had offered to cook our dinner for us1 ,encarnacion's mother1 the shopping woman1 the woman who brought the water and ,la ,merchora were the principal competitors2 and the dinner was finally cooked out in the open in ,la ,merchora's back-yard in a huge frying-pan4 ,we had also travelled the five dusty miles into ,murcia1 walking1 to the grave astonishment of ,verdolay plutocracy4 ,on the first occasion ,antonio told us with a face of joy that his wife was out of danger4 ,out of danger1 cried we2 but she was only suffering from a small digestive attack6 ,oh1 no1 replied ,antonio2 didn't ,i tell you that she had smallpox8 ,why1 a man died of it three doors down the street4 ,before we had quitted ,verdolay1 ,rosa 7,antonio's wife7 was well enough to be moved1 and ,antonio had brought her into the country to the ,count's country house4 ,she was spotted like a pard with large brown marks which ,antonio assured us would disappear with time1 leaving no pits4 ,illustration ,on another visit ,jan had gone into the shop of ,emilio ,peralta to buy some guitar strings4 ,the shop of ,emilio was not like that of ,ramirez in ,paris4 ,it was set in a canyon of a street so deep that the midday sun for one short hour or so shines on the cobbles1 so narrow that the carts which pass through it are permitted to go in one sole direction marked at the entrance by a pointing arrow4 ,ramirez had a workshop only1 but ,emilio had as well onhis working bench three brave showcases painted apple green1 one of which was filled with instruments--guitars1 lauds and bandurrias--with a drawer for strings1 capo-d'astros and other instrumental appurtenances4 ,of the two other showcases1 one housed the guitar-maker's tools1 the third having degenerated to a pantry1 and while one was buying strings from ,emilio1 his wife would be surreptitiously taking dishes of boiled garbanzos or of dried sardines out of the garishly painted frand4 ,the place was indeed workshop1 pantry and reception room4 ,a counter cut the place in two4 ,to the left as you entered ,emilio made his instruments4 ,to the right was a rough semicircle of chairs1 and here the aficionados#ai of the guitar came in the evening1 to play on ,emilio's latest creation4 ,to our dismay1 however1 we found that the intensely interesting music of ,spain1 the ,flamenco1 as it is called1 was somewhat despised in ,emilio's shop4 ,in ,spain1 music is divided to-day into the major divisions1 ,classical and ,flamenco4 ,classical includes anything from ,beethoven to ,darewski1 from ,sonata or ,symphony to ,fox-trot or ,polka4 ,the guitar-maker to-day says proudly3 ,i do not make instruments for ',flamenco1' mine are made for ',classical'3 and he but echoes the bad taste of the educated ,spaniard4 ,the ,flamenco1 the native music1 having perhaps a stronger character than any other ,folk music in ,europe1 is considered very vulgar2 it is called ,tavern ,music1 as still lives in painting are called ,tavern pictures4 ,nevertheless1 we were not to be seduced from our desire to study the ,flamenco1 and for the purpose of continuing that study ,i had been looking out for a laud which is peculiarly adapted to the music1 much of which was composed originally upon this instrument4 ,hitherto ,i had been unable to find an instrument which ,i had liked1 for the ordinary lute is queer in shape and rather harsh in quality4 ,but the plumber-maestro in ,alverca had lent me an instrument--a laud of simpler form and sweeter tone1 called a sonora--which pleased me4 ,jan going into ,emilio's shop had found there a newly completed sonora1 very like that of the little maestro's1 but better in quality4 ,he engaged ,emilio to keep it till we returned1 and ,emilio said he would bring the ,professor down to play it for us to show off its qualities4 ,on the evening of the day on which we came back to ,murcia we went to ,emilio's shop4 ,the chairs were all set in their prim semicircle and ,emilio1 round-shouldered and heavy-faced1 sat us down while he expatiated on the excellence of the workmanship and the beauty of the tone of his instrument4 ,he demanded sixty pesetas for the instrument1 but said that we might possibly come to some friendly arrangement over the price1 as he was trying to popularize this form of laud4 ,the little ,professor came in4 ,he was a strange man4 ,he was extremely emaciated1 with one eye destroyed and almost blind in the other1 dressed in outr style as though he were acting as jockey in an impromptu charade4 ,his flexible hands seemed almost translucent in their delicacy4 ,he at once addressed us with such rapidity of speech that we were unable to understand what he said 7though our understanding of ,spanish had made great progress71 and he was extremely irritable with us for seeming so stupid4 ,this frail1 delicate1 peering thing was a queer contrast to the burly1 almost clumsy form of ,emilio4 ,the little ,professor picked up the sonora1 and passed it backwards and forwards slowly beneath his short-sighted eye4 ,he sat down and played4 ,his nimble fingers ran up and down the strings4 ,we had almost decided to begin the delicate matter of bargaining when a fat form1 white-waist-coated1 straw hat perched jauntily over an ,egyptian face1 showed itself in the doorway4 ,it was ,blas4 ,and ,blas was drunk4 ,he bowed in an heroic manner to me1 shook hands in simulated affection with ,jan2 and1 his soul obviously consumed with jealousy1 greeted the little ,professor1 who returned his salutation with coldness4 ,go on1 ordered ,blas to the little ,professor1 play4 ,the little man put the sonora again on his thigh4 ,one could almost hear his teeth grit4 ,then he began to show off4 ,he possessed a very effective trick of playing intricate runs by the mere beat of the fingers of his left hand1 that is without plucking the strings with his right4 ,this he now exhibited to its full4 ,he was on his mettle1 ,greek and ,trojan were face to face4 ,blas1 seated on his chair1 his fat hands on his knees1 smiled a drunken and somewhat patronizing approval of his rival's exhibition4 ,illustration ,the little ,professor finished his exhibition1 which the gipsy did not attempt to rival1 for he played only the guitar4 ,for a moment there was an embarrassing silence4 ,the gentle art of bargaining was about to displace the art of music4 ,but we had reckoned without the half-drunken ,blas4 ,suddenly rising to his feet he faced ,jan1 and rubbing his finger and thumb together he exclaimed3 ,now comes the main point4 ,the brass4 ,now is the question of cashing up for it4 ,doubtless this was a frank statement of fact4 ,but three-quarters of life continues bearable enough because one does not put things frankly4 ,emilio changed colour and put on a sullen face1 ,emilio's wife looked alarmed1 ,jan was embarrassed1 the little ,professor seemed to wither into a crouching shape of half his normal smallness4 ,but ,blas went on in a breezy voice to ,jan3 ,come on1 come on4 ,what's the matter8 ,you suggest a price to him and he will tell you if it fits4 ,emilio's delicacy was quite revolted by this crude exhibition of gipsy bad taste4 ,he seized the laud from the little ,professor1 thrust it on one side and said loudly that he did not want to sell it at all4 ,unfortunately1 ,jan was afraid of offending ,emilio's susceptibility4 ,not knowing how to behave in the unfortunate circumstances1 he blurted out3 ,look here1 ,emilio1 you said sixty pesetas4 ,will you not come down a little1 and then we could settle the matter8 ,emilio was1 however1 extremely bad-tempered by the turn things had taken4 ,the ,spanish sense of decency was outraged4 ,at last1 with an evil look at ,blas1 he muttered3 ,well1 fifty-five pesetas4 ,not a penny less and no more bargaining4 ,jan1 to cut the scene short1 agreed4 ,the instrument was wrapped up in a paper bag4 ,while ,jan was paying over the money1 ,blas said3 ,and you will give five pesetas to this gentleman1 who is a poor man3 and five pesetas to me also4 ,he seized five pesetas of the money from the counter and pressed them on the little ,professor4 ,the latter1 with girlish giggles1 refused2 but ,blas1 with the insistence of a drunkard1 pressed his desire until1 to quieten him1 the little ,professor slipped the money into his waistcoat pocket4 ,blas then demanded his own commission1 saying that as he had been ,jan's ,professor1 and as ,jan had once mentioned the subject of the laud to him1 he was fully entitled to his claim4 ,but ,jan1 outwardly calm1 inwardly annoyed with ,blas1 would not give him a halfpenny4 ,at last ,blas was begging3 ,well1 at least give me a peseta to get a drink with4 ,you have had enough drink already1 said ,jan4 ,he picked up the laud1 and with farewells to ,emilio1 his wife and the little ,professor we walked out of the shop1 pushing our way through the crowd which had gathered at the shop door4 ,on the following day we returned to ,emilio's shop to apologize for the contretemps4 ,we found both ,emilio and his wife very disturbed by what had happened4 ,they said that their regrets were eternal1 and that it would have been better had we deferred the business matter until a better occasion4 ,it was a disgraceful affair1 said ,emilio1 disgraceful2 and to cap it all1 after you had gone1 ,blas was most outrageous4 ,we had actually to pay him two pesetas to go away4 ,we were afraid for our lives1 said ,mrs4 ,emilio4 ,he is a bad man1 and one never knows what rogues he might have brought upon us4 ,though ,jan did not believe much in the active danger of ,blas1 yet the terror of ,emilio and of his wife was quite evident4 ,so in the end he disbursed the five pesetas given to the little ,professor as well as the two given to ,blas4 ,so that our laud actually cost us sixty-two pesetas1 instead of the sixty for which we might have bought it without any bargaining4 ,with the little ,professor we had made an engagement for the afternoon4 ,he was to give me a lesson on which ,i could study while we were away at ,jijona4 ,he came1 feeling his way up our staircase4 ,he shook hands with us and said that the affair of last night had greatly oppressed his spirit4 ,i felt it much in my heart1 he said4 ,we explained to him that we were going away for a month1 but that we would return to ,murcia later1 and that when we returned ,i would take lessons from him4 ,my price1 he exclaimed 7all his speech was exclamation71 is one duro a month4 ,i am not one of those villains who charge one price to one person and a different price to another4 ,no1 my price is fixed and unalterable4 ,one duro1 five pesetas1 a month4 ,now1 although this little man was probably as good a teacher as could be found in the town of ,murcia1 his price averaged about twopence a lesson4 ,we discovered later that the laud suffers not only from a ban of bad taste1 but also from a moral one4 ,to-day its use in ,spain is almost limited to the playing of dance music in houses of bad fame4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ai3 ,lovers4 ,,chapter ,,xx ,,alicante ,our second experience in ,spanish village life was to be at ,jijona1 a small town in the country near ,alicante4 ,our friend had what he called a studio there1 and this was at our service4 ,luis said that there was furniture in the studio but no cooking utensils or bed4 ,after our packing-case bed in ,verdolay1 we determined to take with us nothing but a mattress and either to sleep on the floor or to buy planks locally4 ,so we had packed our trunk with painting materials1 crockery and clothes4 ,we had also made up a large roll of bedclothes and mattress such as emigrants travel with4 ,having risen with the dawn1 our preparations were complete by the time at which the donkeyman who peddled drinking-water about the streets of ,murcia called for us with his long cart4 ,he was not quite satisfied with our roll1 and with expert hands repacked it in a professional manner4 ,but his long water-cart would only take our trunk and the rolled mattress1 so1 burdened with rucksacks1 camera1 guitar1 thermos flasks and a rush basket containing crockery which would not pack into the trunk1 and the laud1 we walked the quarter of a mile to the station4 ,thus burdened1 we expected more staring and laughter than before from the ,murcianos1 but1 to our amazement1 the people looked upon us with kindly eyes and wished us ,god-speed4 ,thus ,spain reverses the manner of ,england4 ,illustration ,jan took his place in the ticket queue while ,i1 assisted by a friendly porter1 looked for seats in a third-class carriage4 ,the carriages were full enough despite the fact that we were in good time4 ,large numbers of children seemed to be travelling1 and many of the passengers were stretched out on the wooden seats1 taking a snooze before the train should start4 ,the divisions between the compartments were only breast high1 and already animated conversations had begun between the passengers who1 from different compartments1 shouted remarks to each other4 ,in our compartment were a sandalled peasant stretched at full length1 a bearded man with a huge brass plate on his breast and a shot-gun1 evidently a gamekeeper1 and a smart young man with patent leather boots and a straw hat4 ,the last was reading a hook4 ,on the platform we noted an important priest striding about1 his black soutane covered with a silk dust-coat1 and an old woman with a posy of bright flowers about twice as big as her head4 ,the train was the centre of an excited crowd1 the carriage full almost to bursting-point4 ,as the time for departure came near most of those we had imagined to be our fellow passengers got slowly down on to the platform2 all the children disappeared4 ,they had merely been taking advantage of the train's presence in the station to take a rest4 ,the three strokes on the bell1 which denote the starting of the train1 had sounded when our carriage door was flung open and a panting bundle of humanity was thrust upwards and amongst us4 ,as the train moved out1 it resolved itself into a small woman1 very loquacious1 carrying in her arms three babies4 ,talking very excitedly1 she laid her brood out on a wooden seat4 ,the woman was-black-haired and her jet eyes sparkled with excitement4 ,they are bandits1 she exclaimed4 ,yes1 bandits they are1 rushing about like that4 ,i was with my children in ,uncle ,pepe's donkey-cart4 ,then they come along4 ,of course the bullocks in the stone waggon in front wouldn't move quick enough1 and so they come tearing across the road1 flip us under the axle1 and over we all go into the dust4 ,uncle ,pepe strained his wrist and the shaft is broken4 ,and that's the way they treat us just after my poor husband has died of smallpox4 ,it's lucky that nobody was killed and that ,i didn't lose the train4 ,murderers1 that's what they are4 ,we noted that she and her babies were covered with dust1 and that she was dressed all in black even to her alpagatas4 ,while she had been talking so volubly she had been unpacking a basket which1 with the bundles1 had been thrust in after her4 ,she got out a bottle of water and a piece of rag4 ,with a moistened rag she tried to wash the babies1 but made rather a smeary mess of it4 ,the occupants of the other compartments were leaning over sympathizing with her mishap4 ,but1 as she had omitted the cause of the mishap1 somebody questioned her4 ,why1 motors1 of course1 she snapped4 ,it's murderous the way they go rushing about4 ,not caring for any one1 and not waiting to see what damage they have done4 ,as most of the carriage occupants seemed to be peasantry1 they agreed with her4 ,somebody went on3 ,and are those all you have8 ,the young woman drew herself up with pride4 ,no1 she answered1 ,i've got four1 and all men too4 ,the train was rolling with a determined manner down the ,murcian valley4 ,on one side the bills drew closer1 on the other they were receding4 ,we noted that all the carriage doors were left swinging wide open to admit as much air as possible4 ,presently there was a noise outside and the ticket-collector scrambled into the carriage4 ,he examined all the tickets in our coach1 and swung himself again out on to the footboard1 making his way slowly forward4 ,some of the passengers1 too1 who had friends in other carriages made visits en route1 scrambling along the moving train4 ,and the carriage doors had notices on them saying3 ,it is dangerous to put the head out of the window4 ,after an hour or more of sedate travel1 we came to ,orihuela1 which boasts a huge monastery on the hill and a broad zigzag road which looked like an engineering feat4 ,the station was like a flower shop4 ,vendors were running up and down the train thrusting elaborate bouquets into the windows4 ,some women dressed in royal blue satin came into our carriage1 they stuffed unfortunate live poultry and rabbits1 with feet tied up1 under the seat and covered the wooden bench of the compartment with magnificent flowers4 ,during the rest of the journey1 the monotonous flip1 click of their fans as they were opened and shut punctuated the conversation4 ,we passed through the famous date palm groves of ,elche and at last came in sight of the sea at ,alicante1 which was our terminus4 ,the journey of about forty-five miles had taken us nearly four hours1 and we were almost an hour and a half late4 ,time-tables are more or less ornamental in ,spain4 ,outside the station at ,alicante there was a horde of omnibuses surrounded by a fringe of touts4 ,they were conducting their chaffering for passengers with a reasonable quietness1 until they espied us4 ,but perceiving that we were ,english and1 therefore1 fair prey1 pandemonium broke out4 ,gradually the omnibuses filled and the babel1 for babel it was1 consisting of ,spanish1 ,valenciano1 bad ,french and worse ,english1 died down4 ,two omnibus touts1 however1 persisted1 and at last1 in order to prevent battle between them1 we chose our man for his looks4 ,he promised to take us to the fonda from which started the motor service to ,jijona4 ,we had been warned by our ,english friend that it was often difficult to get seats on the motor1 because the conveyance started from ,jijona and many of the passengers booked return tickets4 ,the omnibus tout added to this that there was a fiesta at ,jijona1 and that many people were going there4 ,however1 he said3 ,if there are no seats in the motor1 we will surely get them on the lorry1 which will do just as well and is cheaper4 ,the omnibus was full with an unsmiling family1 but we were crushed in4 ,we were dragged along beneath a magnificent avenue of date palm trees which bordered the deep blue expanse of the ,mediterranean1 and then into streets of modern and of bad architecture4 ,the family got out and paid the driver4 ,jan strained his eyes to see how much was the price1 for we had foolishly made no bargain with the driver4 ,as far as he could see most was paid in coppers4 ,we then passed up into narrow and steep streets and halted before a wide door4 ,the tout got down1 but returned almost immediately1 saying that the motor was full for two days4 ,the motor-lorry is better1 he said4 ,with some difficulty the bus was turned round in the narrow street and we went downhill again1 coming at length to the entrance of another fonda4 ,we passed through its broad entrance and at a small office window interviewed an old man who said that there was room in the lorry but that he did not know when it was going4 ,so we deposited our luggage in the wide entrance1 amongst packing-cases1 sacks of flour1 mattresses and japanned boxes4 ,we then asked the price of the bus from the tout4 ,seven pesetas1 he said4 ,the whole drive had not taken twenty minutes1 and ,jan was sure that the other family of four had not paid more than two pesetas for the lot4 ,after some argument and much blasphemy from the driver1 we paid five pesetas1 and the bus drove off vomiting curses at us from both driver and tout4 7,on the return journey from ,jijona we happened on the same bus1 but we made our bargain beforehand4 ,the same trip then cost us two pesetas1 and was accomplished with smiles instead of curses1 and both driver and tout clapped us on the shoulder and wished us3 ,vaya con dios47 ,this fonda was a typical peasant inn4 ,the entrance door which pierced through a block of buildings was big enough to admit a full-sized traction engine1 had there been such a thing in ,alicante4 ,this wide passage led into a big courtyard open to the skies4 ,on each side of the courtyard a staircase led to balconies from which opened the doors of the bedrooms1 below were the dark stables1 and the courtyard itself was filled with the large two-wheeled tilted carts which1 dragged by from two to eight draught animals1 keep up communications in ,spain wherever the railway does not penetrate4 ,to the right of the entrance was the fonda restaurant1 and also a huge kitchen with several cooking fires at which the traveller1 if he wished1 could cook his own meals1 and a long dining-table at which he could eat them4 ,we went into the restaurant1 for we were hungry4 ,to our table came an old couple4 ,they were at once friendly and told us that they had come from ,africa4 ,they were ,spanish but had lived more than thirty years in ,north ,africa1 and though the old man could neither read nor write he could speak several ,african dialects quite well4 ,they were making a pleasure tour of the south of ,spain for a short holiday4 ,they told us that the fonda was quite clean1 and that we could take a room in it without fear4 ,they added that though ,murcia was but a dirty village the fonda there had been clean also1 but that at ,guadix they had been eaten alive4 ,our dinner finished1 we sat ourselves down on a bench in the entrada and looked about us4 ,to one side of the entrance was a small stall which sold iced drinks4 ,men and women were sitting in after-lunch ease amid the boxes and sacks which lined the opposite wall1 on low chairs1 or on the bench with us4 ,a dog1 shaved all over its body1 partly because of the heat1 partly to keep off the fleas with which all ,spanish animals are infested1 was asleep on our mattress4 ,the proprietor of the fonda was standing in a lordly manner in the middle of the floor4 ,he was dressed in white shirt and flannel trousers1 and must have weighed almost sixteen stone1 although quite young4 ,he looked as if he had been inflated with air4 ,we had noticed1 though we have not before mentioned1 a curious illness which seems prevalent in ,spain4 ,in ,murcia were large numbers of monstrous children2 boys and girls had reached enormous proportions before the age of ten years old4 ,we came to the conclusion that it was a form of illness1 because1 though the children seemed healthy enough1 we have never seen this development of monstrosity elsewhere1 nor did large numbers of them appear to survive adolescence1 though there were a certain number of excessively fat girls4 ,the proprietor was such a monstrosity grown up4 ,his wife1 a dark-eyed beauty1 was sitting in a rocking-chair near the kitchen door and her baby of about three years old1 standing in its mother's lap1 was having a great lark1 pretending to catch lice in its mother's head4 ,thus do our ideas of innocent sports for children differ from those of other nations4 ,there was some coming and going amongst the fonda visitors4 ,the guests seemed to be all peasants1 the men in blouses1 the women in pale skirts1 black blouses and shawls of paisley pattern over the shoulders4 ,many had bundles of towels and of bathing dresses4 ,one group we heard saying that they had come down to ,alicante for a week's sea bathing4 ,as the afternoon drew on and the lorry delayed1 we again interviewed the old man1 who answered that probably it would not come that day4 ,accordingly1 we spoke to the proprietor1 who rather roughly said that we could have a room for two pesetas a night4 ,the room was small1 and the bed only just big enough for two4 ,there were two doors1 one leading into the interior of the inn1 one out on to a balcony4 ,the latter was half of glass and had no lock1 and as there was plenty of traffic along the balcony1 which was used for drying linen1 underclothes and bathing dresses1 one only had a chance of privacy by closing the shutters1 leaving oneself in the dark1 and no chance of sleeping with the window open despite the heat4 ,but ,spain does not believe in open windows or doors at night2 it has a robber complex4 ,we put our small luggage into the bedroom1 leaving the large trunk and the roll of mattress in the entrada4 ,we then went out to explore the town and to find a young painter to whom we carried an introduction from ,luis4 ,emilio1 for such was his name1 was one of the lucky ones of this world4 ,his parents kept a wine-shop which relieved him of a pressing need of earning a living4 ,he could thus study at his ease4 ,our investigations took us through a shop full of large barrels1 up some narrow stairs and on to a landing where two girls were working at pillow lace4 ,emilio received us with a brusque cordiality1 showed us some of his work1 which had talent1 came back to the inn with us1 where he arranged for our transport by the lorry whenever it should arrive1 and said that he would also find a carter to take our heavier luggage out on a road waggon4 ,this readiness to help a stranger1 often at considerable personal effort1 we found characteristic of the parts of ,spain which we have visited4 ,emilio1 having an engagement1 left us1 and we strolled through the town4 ,to the east lies the older part of the ,port clambering up the rugged side of the steep rock1 at the top of which lies the castle4 ,the fishing village1 at the extreme end of ,alicante1 is beautiful with its small primitive cubic houses painted in garish patterns4 ,through steeply sloping streets we came to the beach4 ,here were ,mediterranean fishing boats drawn up in ranks2 then1 as we returned towards the harbour1 more open beach covered with people in gay dresses and children playing on the sands4 ,then came the bathing establishments built out on piles over the tideless sea4 ,the bathing establishments increased in luxury towards the town and were1 for the most part1 fantastic wooden erections of ,moorish design4 ,we came back to the broad double avenue of palm trees which faced the more luxurious hotels and cafs4 ,night came softly on1 and one by one amongst the palms the lights of the town threw beams over the chattering people who strolled in ever-thickening processions to and fro beneath the palm trees2 mingled with the conversation was the incessant click1 click of the fans of the girls and women4 ,we went back to the fonda for supper and afterwards returned to the sea front4 ,the cafs had spread tables beneath the palms1 and we sat down enjoying our ,blanco y negro1 an iced drink composed half of white cream ice flavoured with vanilla1 and half of iced coffee4 ,bands of musical beggars assailed us4 ,most of the mendicants were blind4 ,one group1 a veritable orchestra1 travelled from caf to caf clinging to the edges of a bass viol which the one seeing member1 the money collector1 dragged the way it should go1 by the peg-head4 ,there was an old guitarist who played and made queer noises through a small gazoo4 ,another orchestra of three1 guitar1 laud and bandurria1 the latter instrument a small cousin of the laud1 and in this case played beautifully by a blind boy of about nineteen years4 ,there were other beggars too1 but the devil of cheap ,european music had entered into them all4 ,not one played their own native ,spanish music4 ,i suppose nobody would pay to hear it played4 ,at the end of the palm avenue an artist had set up an easel on a raised dais4 ,his work was illuminated by a strong acetylene gas lamp4 ,the canvas was painted bright sparrow's egg blue and surrounded by a frame of staring gilt4 ,illustration ,on the blue canvas he was painting an imaginary landscape1 the blue serving as sky and for the waters of a still lake4 ,a drab woman was threading her way to and fro through the crowd which surrounded him1 crying out3 ,the numbers1 the numbers4 ,who would like to win a magnificent picture1 framed complete for ten chances a penny8 ,another crowd surrounded a buck nigger who1 displaying his magnificent and gleaming teeth1 was crying out the virtues of his dentifrice4 ,a third crowd listened to a quack doctor who1 backed by a large picture depicting the jungle1 was selling a specific called ,african ,tonic4 ,the tonic1 he said1 was derived from essences extracted at enormous expense from the tiger1 the elephant1 the monkey1 and from ,i know not what else4 ,from time to time he rested his voice by turning on a squeaky gramophone4 ,tired from our journey we went to bed betimes4 ,we got up early4 ,in the waggons1 which were lined up in the big courtyard1 the families which had slept in them were making their toilet4 ,in the entrada1 the old man of the inn1 aided by the stable boy1 was packing away the hammock beds slung from trestles1 on which slept those travellers who1 having no waggon1 did not wish to pay the expense of a bedroom4 ,we had noted small caf stalls near to the market1 so1 in order to see some more of ,alicante life1 we took our breakfast there rather than in the fonda4 ,the caf stalls were wooden box-like kiosks1 and they spread wicker chairs and tables over the open street1 and soldiers and workmen were sitting sipping their morning refreshment4 ,beneath the shelter of the kiosk a lad was making the day's supply of ice cream4 ,the cream is frozen by the amount of heat absorbed from it by the freezing mixture4 ,one might also say that the amount of refreshment to be derived from ice cream seems proportionate to the amount of energy absorbed from the lad who manufactures it3 it appeared a fatiguing business4 ,crowds of people on the way to market passed us1 and to where we sat came the cries of the market salesmen4 ,we were not stared at here as we had been in ,murcia4 ,strangers were evidently more common4 ,a small boy stationed himself near our table gazing longingly at a breakfast roll4 ,to all intents and purposes he hypnotized it from the table into his hand4 ,he broke into unexpected ,french4 ,his father1 like so many ,spaniards1 had been working at ,lyons during the war4 ,he deplored the fact that he had no education1 but said that he was trying to learn some ,english from the sailors who came to ,alicante4 ,he had begun with the swear words1 of which already he had a fair collection4 ,he said that his father was a bootmaker1 out of work1 and asked if we had any boots to mend4 ,he wheedled also some cigarettes and a few coppers from us4 ,emilio1 who had sent off our heavy luggage on the previous night as he had promised1 met us1 and together we went to a caf on the front1 where we wrote a letter to ,antonio saying that we had left our passports behind by accident4 ,in spite of this oversight we had decided to push on to ,jijona and to trust to luck4 ,after lunch we again sat down in the fonda wondering if the motor-lorry would come4 ,many peasants also were there4 ,motor omnibuses drove in1 but these were destined for other parts4 ,opposite the bus office was a gambling machine1 into which one pushed a penny and if one were lucky received back twopence1 fourpence1 sixpence or even tenpence4 ,but this machine had gone wrong1 and the bulky proprietor spent the greater part of the afternoon over it with a screw-driver4 ,a drunkard was staggering up and down1 now shouting1 now singing1 now dancing a few unsteady steps4 ,the stable boys were making a butt of him4 ,presently he sat down on a sack and fell asleep1 his head tilted back1 his mouth open4 ,the opportunity was too good to miss4 ,pulling out his sketch book1 ,jan began to make a sketch4 ,the old ticket-office man1 perceiving what ,jan was doing1 leaned over his shoulder1 and as the sketch developed began to chuckle4 ,soon there was a double queue of spectators1 giggling with suppressed laughter1 stretching on each side from ,jan to the drunkard across the width of the entrada4 ,when the drawing was finished1 the old man exclaimed3 ,but that is excellent2 will you not give it to me1 ,seor8 ,jan made of the drawing a rapid tracing which pleased the old man as much as the original4 ,i'll keep that1 said the old man4 ,illustration ,to our horror he walked across the entrada1 with a thump in the ribs awoke the drunkard1 and showed him the sketch4 ,gradually1 as he realized what had been done1 an expression of wrath grew on the drunkard's face4 ,luckily for us1 he became possessed of the idea that the drawing had been done by one of the stable boys4 ,no one undeceived him and1 amidst roars of laughter1 he addressed a long speech to the stable boy in question4 ,the rights of man1 said the drunkard1 are inalienable1 and of all the rights of man1 the greatest right is that of his person4 ,the stable boy has1 therefore1 transgressed against the most sacred of men's rights4 ,i could have excused most things1 went on the drunkard1 but this is inexcusable2 to inflict indignity on a man in his own person4 ,since neither the stable boy nor the spectators of this crime seem sensible of the enormity they have committed1 the only act by which ,i can express the contempt which ,i feel for the meanness of your natures is that of removing myself from the company of such low mortals4 ,having thus delivered himself with the air of a ,demosthenes1 he literally shook the dust from the soles of his alpagatas and staggered out into the street4 ,coincident with the departure of the drunkard was the arrival of the ,jijona motor-lorry4 ,the lorry was heavy1 with solid tyres4 ,michelin's motor guide had described the route as3 ,cart road bad and very indisposed1 and we wondered what the sixteen miles would value as experience4 ,we all scrambled in1 arranging our luggage as best we could on our laps or under the narrow wooden benches nailed to the lorry's sides4 ,the centre of the lorry was occupied with cargo1 in this case barrels1 some full1 some empty1 standing on end4 ,we thought that we had all fitted in so nicely1 but a wail from the courtyard drew our attention to an old woman who1 loaded with parcels and almost weeping with despair1 had failed to find a seat4 ,we said ,move up to each other1 but no moving up was possible4 ,the old man came out in anger from the ticket-office4 ,but this is ridiculous1 he shouted2 there is room1 there are so many seats on the lorry1 ,i sell so many seats1 therefore there must be room4 ,slowly the elucidation of the mystery dawned on us4 ,three of our passengers were of such girth that each ought in common fairness to have booked two seats for himself4 ,so with much effort we squeezed and shoved into the fat men until we gained a narrow slit of seat into which the little old woman was dropped4 ,but immediately the active pressure was released the resilience of fat reasserted itself1 and the little old woman spent the first part of the journey moaning out that she was being crushed to death4 ,most of the voyagers were peasants2 one or two were travellers going to the fiesta2 one was dressed in soldier's uniform1 but he seemed to be neither officer nor private4 ,we discovered later that he was a veterinary surgeon4 ,our musical instrument caused some attention and our fellow voyagers smiled at us with sympathy and kindness4 ,are you artists8 they asked4 ,yes1 we replied4 ,then we will come to your concert1 said they4 ,the road was indeed indisposed4 ,we rolled1 rocked1 and bumped along miles of dusty road1 by the side of which the trees were so drenched in dust that they were but ghosts of themselves2 the herbage below seeming like the delicate clay work of a magic potter1 having no hint of green for the eye4 ,nor can empty barrels be considered good travelling companions4 ,if the lorry were toiling uphill the barrels sidled down the floor with a seeming leer4 ,one snatched one's toes out of the way without ceremony4 ,on reaching the end of the lorry1 the barrels spread themselves sideways1 crushing the knees of the sitters4 ,when the lorry reached the top of the hill and began to thunder down the new slope the barrels bounced and bumped to the other end of the lorry1 bruising everybody in their passage4 ,finally the young soldier sat on one of the centre barrels and tried to quell their antics1 without much success4 ,the lorry climbed into the mountains1 round roads which curved like a whiplash4 ,at one spot the young soldier remarked3 ,the motor-bus fell over here once2 six of the passengers were killed4 ,the sun beat down on the canvas top of the lorry1 and the large white porous water-jug hanging at the end was in constant demand4 ,we halted at a small and lonely house where beer was for sale4 ,the passengers also bought beans pickled in salt and handed them to each other4 ,the dusty miles rolled off1 at one moment through grey cliffs which shone in the evening light1 and another over deep water courses1 along the bottom of which ran serried terraces of vines4 ,presently a pretty girl1 whom we took to be the daughter of a wealthy farmer1 and who had spent the better part of the journey flirting with the young soldier1 exclaimed3 ,mira6 ,shishona6#bj ,through a cleft between two mountains we caught a glimpse of distant houses clustered up the side of a hill towards an old ,saracen ruin which gleamed ochreous against the evening sky4 ,in spite of the presence of a couple of factories1 the entrance of ,jijona from the south is one of the most romantic sights we have seen in ,spain4 ,ancient ,spanish buildings sprang from the edge of a ravine covered with prickly pear1 and faced a steep cliff1 along the precipitous face of which ran water courses4 ,old houses stood step above step1 on a hill so steep that the roadways were all staircases and the houses had two entrances1 the front into the lowest story and the back into the upper1 and often the back-yard was higher than the roof4 ,a white stone bridge carried the road with a noble curve across the ravine1 and round this curve we swung1 the passengers waving hands and shouting greetings1 into the town4 ,our destination was a casa de huespedes 7half inn1 half boarding-house7 called ,la ,vinaigre1 and the name was not altogether unsuitable4 ,but our first reception was as cordial as we could have wished4 ,owing to our friend's mattress1 which the old hostess had recognized1 we were welcomed with open arms4 ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,jijona--,,the ,,fiesta ,the only fiesta we had hitherto experienced in ,spain had been a small peasant feast during an afternoon at ,verdolay4 ,we had gone to it2 but finding that we as foreigners constituted the chief centre of interest1 we had run away to the seclusion of our house4 ,at the big fiesta of ,jijona were so many strangers that we were almost overlooked4 ,illustration ,the family at the ,vinegar consisted of an old bent-backed father peasant1 sandalled2 a mother1 in black with black shawl2 several sons1 reaching towards mercantile gentility owing to the turron factory1 which was in the cellars of the house2 and several daughters1 most of whom had married personages of importance in the little town4 ,in fact the ,vinegar family was upon the up-grade4 ,they promised us a week of unparalleled amusement4 ,first1 they said the town was crammed with people--a most necessary concomitant to ,spanish enjoyment4 ,in no other country in the world is the gregarious nature of man so plainly exhibited4 ,the man who plays his lonely golf matched with an imaginary colonel would not be understood2 your solitary pleasurer would find no sympathizers4 ,crowds1 crowds1 form the oil in the salad of ,spanish amusement4 ,secondly3 that very night the priests were giving a free public cinema entertainment4 ,thirdly3 ,they will loose a cow on the streets to-morrow night4 ,oh1 it is precioso4 ,it is a wonderful diversion4 ,the cow gallops1 the men try to catch her4 ,they are tossed right and left1 others come to the rescue4 ,magnificent6 ,eh8 ,fourthly3 the old drama of the ,moors and ,christians was to be performed4 ,jijona lies in territory once captured by the ,moors4 ,they say that the original name was ,saracena1 and to-day locally it is pronounced ,shishona4 ,it owes its considerable wealth to the extensive terrace cultivation of almonds1 by means of which the hard-working ,moors converted the mountains from barrenness to fertility4 ,there is a castle of boards erected in the plaza1 said the ,vinegars2 this will be stormed first by the ,moors1 then by the ,christians4 ,it is very luxurious4 ,not so luxurious as last year1 perhaps1 because the captains of the fiesta are not so wealthy as those of last year1 and owing to the tobacco famine1 the ,contrabandistas will omit their drama of tobacco smuggling4 ,yet it will exhibit much lujo4#ba ,at supper we tasted for the first time the famous turron of ,jijona4 ,this was manufactured by our hosts4 ,it is a crisp1 dry1 almond sweetmeat1 probably ,moorish in origin1 for it is not unlike ,halva de ,smyrne and carries behind its almond flavour a queer but not unpleasant taste resembling the smell of an over-heated chair4 ,supper over1 we went out to the plaza4 ,the first need of ,spanish amusement had been fulfilled4 ,the streets were crowded4 ,a few of the more sophisticated visitors were even wearing hats4 ,at the far end of the plaza1 dimly1 could be seen the wooden castle1 in shape not unlike one of those quaint wood cuts from an old edition of ,froissart2 some distance in front of it1 high in the air1 was the sheet on which the free pictures were to be thrown from the topmost pinnacle of the castle4 ,as the time of the performance drew near1 the people came bringing chairs with them until both before and behind the screen the plaza was crammed4 ,the performance was not a success4 ,the illumination was dim2 the sheet stretched high above the people's heads4 ,in addition1 a young moon in its first quarter intruded from above the mountain-tops4 ,this intrusive crescent1 shining almost through the centre of the sheet1 sometimes took the place of the heroine's head1 sometimes of the hero's waistcoat4 ,after straining our eyes for a while1 having reflected on gift-horses and teeth we went back to the ,vinegars' and to bed4 ,as we went we wondered what those spectators who were on the wrong side of the sheet and who in consequence could not read the legends--if they were able to read--would construe out of those dim dramas4 ,we awoke on the morrow eager to see what the ,studio of our friend was like4 ,father ,vinegar had gone before us1 but ,mother ,vinegar took the road and showed us up through tortuous and romantic staircases of streets1 up--up--until we reached the highest level of the town4 ,but our friend's house was yet higher4 ,we clambered up a zigzag path over a widening hill-side to the crest of the ridge4 ,there on the top1 fronting the ruins of the old ,saracen fortress1 was our friend's house ,el ,torre de ,blay4 ,it was a long house of one story1 backed by a round tower of three stories4 ,the tower was claimed to be ,saracen in origin3 it overlooked a walled yard1 which was filled with chickens1 rabbits and turkeys1 for the ,vinegars were using the house during the absence of our friend4 ,a pile of almond shells was in the entrada and a back door led out into a terraced garden full of pomegranate1 pear1 fig1 almond and olive trees and grape vines4 ,old ,vinegar1 called locally ,pre ,chicot1 led us round1 discoursing on the beauty of the house1 which was indeed cool1 large and airy4 ,but the clou of the house ,pre ,chicot kept till the last4 ,with a gesture of profound pride he swung open a small door4 ,seor and ,seora1 he exclaimed1 ,i will warrant that there is not a ,w4,c4 to compare with this in the whole province of ,alicante4 ,mother ,vinegar1 talking in a high-pitched1 querulous voice1 was complaining of the rise in prices1 of the hardness of the season4 ,the garden of the ,torre1 she said1 was not worth looking after1 there were no grapes1 and as for the almonds1 she went on1 pointing to a small heap1 that was the whole crop for the year4 ,she added that only a little while ago somebody had broken into the yard and had stolen two hundred and fifty pesetas' worth of poultry and rabbits4 ,it occurred to us that some of her cordiality to us came from the fact that she looked on us to make up some of that lost money4 ,so ,i gently led her on to the question of ways and means4 ,she said3 ,oh1 ,el ,seor used this place as a working place only4 ,he lived and slept at our house1 and for that he paid ten pesetas a day4 ,now ,el ,seor 7our ,english friend7 had told us that he paid seven pesetas4 ,our suspicions were correct4 ,i am afraid that in the end ,mrs4 ,vinegar1 like the undertaker in ,tcheckov's story1 counted us amongst her losses4 ,her manner changed gradually from cordial to chilly3 she had promised to help me to shop1 but she put obstacles in my way and also1 ,i believe1 tried to prevent us from finding a servant4 ,finally we made an arrangement that ,mrs4 ,vinegar should supply us with meals at two pesetas fifty each4 ,remembering that ,elias had fed us in ,murcia for one peseta fifty ,i struggled to reduce the price to two pesetas for less food1 but ,mrs4 ,vinegar said that ,jijona was far more expensive than ,murcia 7as a matter of fact it was1 if anything1 cheaper71 and that the reputation of her house would not stand a lower price4 ,finally1 to her disgust1 ,i announced that we could not afford more than three meals a week at that rate1 and we were accordingly scrawled down1 heavily underlined1 with red ink1 amongst the stolen chickens and rabbits4 ,but the idea of the cow chase through the streets excited us4 ,as in the well-known story1 the cow turned out to be a bull2 nor was the chase to be in the narrow winding streets1 but in the plaza1 the entrances of which had been blocked up with extempore barricades of wooden beams4 ,the women and the less courageous of the men were to fill the balconies1 and places in a balcony had been found for us by the ,vinegar girls1 who were quite different in manners from their parents4 ,the bulls were stabled at the back of the town2 and1 like a wasp in a spider's web1 plunging at the ends of long ropes tied to its horns1 the bull was dragged to the plaza1 when it was insinuated into a rough bull-pen erected near the castle4 ,there were three bulls1 and a second was thus dragged up and penned in4 ,the third1 however1 was tied to a tree1 and pads1 like boxing-gloves1 were fixed solidly to its murderous horns4 ,then with some precautions the bull was loosened4 ,the game was a sort of ticky-touchwood4 ,home in this case was anywhere out of reach of the bull's tossing capacity3 open doors1 the ironwork of windows1 water pipes1 trees1 the barricades of the streets1 lamp posts1 a fountain--around which one could dodge--and a wall topped by a rickety pailing1 and the woodwork of some swing-boats near the castle4 ,jan had gone down into the plaza to get some photos4 ,from the balcony the game was exciting1 though not furious4 ,some of the boys showed considerable pluck2 and it was amusing to watch the strange concavities shown in the back of one running away who thought that the bull was close behind and who could feel in imagination those horns prodding his spine4 ,illustration ,but the fun was not furious enough to bear long watching from the balcony4 ,so ,i went down into the square and joined ,jan4 ,i had several reasons for this action4 ,i was bored1 and thought it would be more exciting below4 ,but the chief idea ,i had was that by this manoeuvre ,i would be able to introduce myself to ,jijona en bloc4 ,i should be universally known1 and would thus escape the continual shrieks and giggles with which strangers greeted my appearance4 ,so ,i went down into the plaza4 ,a loud gasp went up from the crowds4 ,some youths ran up to me4 ,seora1 ,seora1 they cried1 you mustn't stay here4 ,it is dangerous6 ,why8 asked ,i4 ,but don't you understand8 ,the bull6 ,he might get you4 ,but1 ,i answered1 he might get you too4 ,oh1 but we can run4 ,illustration ,well1 ,i can run also4 ,at this moment theory turned hurriedly into practice4 ,the bull came charging down upon us4 ,jan and ,i with a number of youths made a run for the wall1 clambered on to it1 and clung there1 hanging on its rickety pailings1 while the bull smelt our toes4 ,curse you6 ,curse you6 screamed out an old man who was dancing with rage on the other side of the pailings4 ,get down4 ,can't you see that in a minute you'll bring the whole place down8 ,get off at once4 ,but the boys merely gave him retort for curse4 ,the bull turned on to another baiter and dashed away4 ,this boy sprang into the branches of a young tree4 ,the bull1 going full speed1 hit the stern of the sapling with his forehead1 and the youth was shot off1 describing a graceful parabola1 and landing with a thump on to the ground4 ,gradually the game drifted to the other end of the plaza and we came down from the fence4 ,illustration ,seora1 said an anxious voice1 ,i have here a balcony4 ,it is quite respectable1 for my wife is there4 ,pray do not risk your life any longer4 ,the speaker was the husband of one of the ,vinegar girls1 one of the nicest men we met in ,jijona4 ,he was short and plump1 and even as he spoke to me he gazed anxiously towards the end of the plaza4 ,while he was still urging me1 the bull made a movement in our direction1 and he bolted4 ,this time we sought shelter in an open doorway1 accompanied by two priests4 ,one lad tripped and the bull rolled him over with its padded horns1 but other lads ran up1 one flapped a handkerchief before the animal's nose1 another hung on to its tail4 ,somehow we could not help wondering what would have happened to the bull had twenty public schoolboys been loosed in that plaza6 ,at last the light faded4 ,first the bull1 then the boys grew tired4 ,the animal1 captured with ropes1 was led away to become meat for future ,jijona dinners--eating a playmate1 it seemed to me4 ,further north in ,spain they have a variant of this game4 ,a young bull is put into a wide circle formed of carts4 ,the bull's horns are not padded1 and this game is quite dangerous4 ,a ,polish painter1 a friend of ours1 once entered such a ring4 ,he was chased by the bull and to escape sprang for a cart4 ,he was not quite quick enough4 ,with the upward toss the bull thrust a horn through the seat of his trousers1 as the painter was in mid-air4 ,luckily the trousers were an old pair1 the seat came out wholesale and the painter tumbled head first into the cart4 ,he says that for the rest of the day he went about with his hat clapped behind him4 ,the bull-baiting over1 we called upon the doctor to whom we carried an introduction from ,luis4 ,then we scrambled up to our ,torre1 taking with us provisions and candles4 ,we made up our mattress on the floor and slept the more soundly for our hard bed4 ,illustration ,we had one joy at ,jijona--there were no mosquitoes1 and the nights were deliciously cool4 ,our windows were far enough from the ground to allow the most timid of ,spanish women to sleep secure from robbers4 ,the sun streaming in at our windows awoke us before six--we dressed and breakfasted1 looking down on the town1 which still lay in the shadow4 ,immediately beneath our windows were two hundred yards of stony hillside2 then began the houses1 small and closely crowded as though they feared the rough arid expanse of the towering hills of rock4 ,we looked down upon an almost ,moorish succession of flat roofs1 plunging downhill into the valley4 ,the surrounding country was like a rough sea suddenly frozen1 in front of us the mountains seemed almost to curl over4 ,a violet smoke was rising from ,jijona chimneys1 a smoke which drifted a sweet scent to our nostrils1 a scent of sage and of fir4 ,from the middle of the village the church tower covered with blue and white tiles suddenly chimed the hour with discordant bells4 ,mrs4 ,vinegar was to take me the round of the shops4 ,she had previously tried to impress me with the dreadful price of provisions in ,jijona1 and this time she prevented me from buying eggs4 ,the greengrocer's shop1 kept by a gay woman named ,concha1 was only an entrada filled with baskets4 ,mrs4 ,vinegar had refused to change a note of #ajj pesetas for me1 and we discovered later that notes of any magnitude greater than twenty-five pesetas are difficult to change in villages4 ,but ,concha changed the money cheerfully and earned my gratitude4 ,opposite ,concha's shop1 frowning on the main street with grated windows1 was the prison1 of which somebody said3 ,heavens6 ,the ,jijona men are so good that there hasn't been a soul in the prison for the last five years4 ,it is full of chickens and rabbits4 ,we bought a frying-pan1 having to choose between one very small and one very large4 ,the latter was thick in rust1 and must have been ,i don't know how many years on the shelves of the shop4 ,we chose it on condition that the shop man could get it clean1 and he at once put the whole of his family to work on it1 including a prospective daughter-in-law1 a ,french-,african girl just arrived from ,morocco4 ,the customers were whispering one to another1 and at last one more bold than the others addressed me3 ,i saw you yesterday go down amongst the bulls4 ,were you not terribly frightened8 ,i thought that my heart was going to stop4 ,we went to buy drinking glasses4 ,the china shop was deserted and we had to shout loudly before we could get anybody to serve us4 ,the woman did not know the price of the glasses4 ,but no matter1 she said1 you can pay any time you like4 ,and weren't you terribly frightened yesterday1 going down into the bulls8 ,i couldn't draw my breath when ,i saw you jump on to the wall4 ,there were children crowded at the shop door4 ,as we came out ,i heard murmurs1 which gradually we made out as3 ,la ,valiente1 ,la ,valiente1 ,la ,valiente6 ,i was known by this name during the whole of my stay in ,jijona4 ,on ,sunday we dined at the ,vinegars' and in the afternoon the doctor took us to the ,casino4 ,i believe there is gambling at these ,casinos1 but this takes place upstairs1 and on the ground floor they perform the function of the local club4 ,on ,sunday afternoons and in the evenings the aristocracy of the place collect here to sip ices while the local pianist rattles off the latest music which has reached the town4 ,after supper we walked through the streets1 feeling our way up and down hill1 for lights were few and the streets full of rocks and unexpected steps4 ,we heard the sound of guitars and at once climbed towards it4 ,at the top of a staircase we came to a shop in front of which a family was sitting4 ,a woman with a rough voice began to chaff us4 ,ah1 yes1 she exclaimed1 you are the ,english of the ,torre de ,blay4 ,and the lady is the valiant one who is not afraid of bulls4 ,ha ha6 ,what8 ,you are going to see the dancing--well1 let's all go4 ,the family heaved itself to its feet1 surrounded and escorted us down a narrow lane which ended at a platform which hung on the cliff's edge4 ,three men were sitting on the doorstep of a house1 two playing guitars1 one playing the bandurria4 ,a crowd1 young men in blouses and girls1 with light skirts and shawls1 were standing about or dancing4 ,three couples were dancing a ,valencian jota4 ,some of the movements of the dance seemed intricate1 but they danced with a fine natural grace1 and there was a beautiful balance of body which echoed the movement of the music4 ,a woman standing behind me said3 ,now1 ,seora1 ,i will teach you the jota one of these evenings4 ,and you will take my baby1 because ,i have lots and they say you have none4 ,illustration ,both on ,saturday and on ,sunday bull-baiting exhibitions had taken place1 but we had not gone to see them4 ,one day had been quite sufficient4 ,on ,monday morning we were awakened by the sounds of music4 ,the local band was parading the streets playing a queer semi-,oriental music4 ,as the morning advanced other bands came in until seven or eight bands were in full blast1 each playing a different tune and each trying to drown its rivals with sound4 ,gradually ,moors and ,christians gathered4 ,the ,moors came from the ,near ,east and from the ,far4 ,the ,chief and his immediate suite were ,bedouin ,arabs1 and there were ,turks1 ,saracens1 ,hindus1 ,chinamen1 negroes and some of uncertain lineage4 ,girls accompanied each group dressed in appropriate ,houri costume1 carrying bottles filled with a liquor which would have pleased ,omar rather than ,mahomet4 ,the ,christians included ,roman soldiers1 crusaders1 cavaliers and smugglers of #ahjj4 ,the latter were the chief ,christian and his retinue4 ,vivandires attended the ,christians with drink no less stimulating than that supplied to their ,moorish enemies4 ,moors and ,christians carried large blunderbusses of ancient mode1 and all day long to the sounds of indefatigable melody they paraded the town4 ,it appeared to be the duty of the ,moors to be comic2 they wore big goggles and many had huge imitation beards with which1 when the heat grew greater1 they fanned themselves4 ,they pranced and postured through the streets while the ,christians marched along in solemn ranks4 ,nor did the fiesta end with the going down of the sun4 ,with discreet intervals for refreshment1 marching and music continued till #b a4m41 at which time sleep and a blessed silence fell on ,jijona4 ,undeterred by but four hours' rest1 punctually at six the cacophony of brass began again4 ,by midday crusaders and bandsmen1 having exchanged helmets and caps1 were dancing jotas down the principal streets4 ,but a short siesta revived them for the principal work of the day3 the entry of the ,moors4 ,at about four in the afternoon the performers gathered at the picturesque southern entrance of the village1 thus symbolizing the direction from which the ,moors had come4 ,then group by group1 with blunderbusses banging off into the air1 the ,christians retreated slowly up the street1 going backwards4 ,last of all the ,christians went the ,contrabandistas1 and last of the ,contrabandistas the ,captain1 dressed in a wonderful ancient costume of velvet1 embroidered with gold1 silver and silk1 and a blanket striped in many colours4 ,facing him1 advanced with equal solemnity and noise the chief ,moor4 ,after some two hours of deafening reports the whole troupe was in movement1 some forwards1 others backwards1 and had arrived at the wooden castle in the plaza4 ,by seven o'clock1 at this funereal pace1 the ,moors were at last massed before the castle4 ,now for the charge and for some fun1 we thought4 ,but mounting a profusely decorated horse1 the chief ,moor began a speech4 ,the ,contrabandista1 evidently a man of deeds only1 had hired a real actor1 dressed in the costume of a cavalier1 to represent him4 ,for almost an hour exchange of dramatic verse continued1 after which the ,christians quietly walked out of the castle1 and the ,moors walked in4 ,good heavens1 thought we1 is that all8 ,with ears deafened from the guns we went home2 passing on the way a booth of green branches in which ,moors and ,christians1 overcome either by the heat or by the assiduous ministrations of ,houri or ,vivandire1 were laid out on sacks4 ,though officially the day was ended1 practically it was not4 ,those who had private stocks of powder continued the gunfire till midnight4 ,the bands1 their music becoming more and more incoherent1 played on till two o'clock4 ,we decided that we had seen enough fiesta4 ,we stayed in our castle and went out sketching in the country to avoid the appalling din which rose from the town to our windows4 ,at night there was a modest display of fireworks in the plaza1 which we were quite content to enjoy from where we were4 ,after all was over they said to us3 ,wasn't it a beautiful fiesta8 ,outwardly we were forced to agree with them1 but inwardly we recognized--perhaps with a sense of regret--that to enjoy these fiestas as they ought to be enjoyed1 that is1 as a ,spaniard enjoys them1 requires a sense of values and perhaps a nervous organism which we do not possess4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #bj3 ,look6 ,jijona6 ,footnote #ba3 ,luxury4 ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,jijona--,,tia ,,roger ,jijona lived on almond paste4 ,all around us the grey1 pallid or zebra striped mountains were terraced1 and wherever enough earth could be gathered together for an almond tree to grow1 there it was planted4 ,the turron of ,jijona1 which is made in perfection nowhere else1 is a very popular sweet meat all over ,spain and even is widely appreciated in ,south ,america4 ,in ,barcelona ,i have been greeted by turron-selling youths who addressed me as ,la ,valiente4 ,on the ,french frontier in a little village we found a turron-stall kept by a man in ,jijona costume of black blouse and pointed hat2 but he was a fraud3 he had never been near ,jijona1 nor could he speak the ,jijona dialect4 ,but the whole life of ,jijona was dominated by turron marzipan1 and the varieties of sweet meats made from almonds4 ,we arrived as the almonds were beginning to ripen4 ,out on the mountains one heard the thrashing of the canes amongst the branches as the peasants beat the nuts off the almond trees4 ,from the village rose up a sound like that of a gigantic typewriter as the women of the village sat in the streets in circles and cracked the almond shells4 ,in our entrada old ,pre ,chicot crouched most of the day on his haunches1 peeling1 drying and cracking the almonds from ,el ,seor's garden4 ,in consequence of the turron work we found it very difficult to get a woman to work for us4 ,life became difficult4 ,the conditions in ,jijona were not the same as those in ,verdolay4 ,in the latter place we could buy excellent charcoal1 but to our surprise we found charcoal difficult to get in ,jijona4 ,when we did get it1 from the proprietor of the local cinematograph theatre1 it was so hard that it would not burn4 ,pre ,chicot said gruffly1 ,what are almond shells for8 ,we then tried burning almond shells2 but they made a poor fire1 and an accumulation of shells soon put itself out4 ,we wasted one and a half hours trying to fry potatoes on an almond-shell fire4 ,so as long as we could not get a woman1 we had to live on cold stuff that we could buy from the shops3 ,dutch cheese1 and sardines1 principally4 ,at last ,i thought that ,i had found a woman4 ,i was perched on the watercourse which ran across the face of the precipice opposite the entrance of the town4 ,from this spot there was an excellent view of ,jijona in its most romantic1 but also in its most plastic aspect4 ,to me came a woman walking along the edge of the watercourse1 balancing on her head a large washing-basket4 ,she stopped to watch my work1 and as was the custom in those early days began to talk about the bull episode4 ,ah1 that was a terrible thing to do1 she said4 ,if ,i had gone down into the plaza1 my knees would have turned to water4 ,i then asked her how ,i could get somebody to work for me4 ,why1 she answered1 ,i'll come myself1 or send somebody else4 ,she then began to move along her way4 ,the wall of the watercourse was about a foot wide2 but ten yards further along it ceased to curve around the face of the precipice and sprang across a chasm over a narrow bridge4 ,the approach to this bridge was guarded by a large polished boulder about three feet high1 and to get on to the bridge one had to clamber over this boulder4 ,i had crossed it on hands and knees cautiously1 for there was a sheer drop of forty or fifty feet below4 ,the woman looked at this boulder and turning said to me3 ,that is a nasty spot4 ,i'll have to be careful there1 or ,i'll drop my washing4 ,with the basket on her head she walked to the boulder and began to walk up its slippery side4 ,balancing herself and basket in what appeared a dangerous manner1 giving little cries of ,aie6 ,aie6 ,i'm afraid ,i'll drop my basket1 she surmounted the obstacle and strode carelessly across the bridge4 ,my heart left my throat to regain its normal position and ,i realized that there is even a fashion in fear4 ,but the woman never came1 and for a week we were servantless4 ,the pretty girl who had driven out with us in the lorry1 and who we had imagined to be the daughter of a fairly well-to-do farmer1 was as a matter of fact our nearest neighbour4 ,she lived at the top house of the town4 ,her father was the village dust-cart1 and any day could be seen walking about the streets bent almost double beneath the weight of a huge pannier which he carried on his back1 into which he flung any object which had no permanent right on the high road4 ,her house was a small affair of two rooms only4 ,we put our difficulty to her as she was friendly1 and to our surprise she said that she would come and do it herself4 ,she did arrange that the goat with his milk should call upon us2 but the ,vinegars enticed her into their turron factory1 and again we were in despair4 ,however1 the girl had an idea4 ,why1 ,mother will do it for you1 she said4 ,mother was an apt-looking spouse for the dust-cart1 and was considered1 we heard1 the dirtiest woman in the village4 ,her foggy blue eyes showed white all round them1 and she threw up her lips like a biting horse when she spoke ,castilian 7which she did very badly74 ,i don't know why she made me think of the ,red queen in ,alice1 but her silhouette was not unlike1 and she had a queer trick of being in the house one instant1 and in the next of having quite vanished--which was ,red-queenlike4 ,she was called ,aunt ,roger in the village1 because of her ruddy hair4 ,aunt ,roger cleared up the mystery of the ,jijona fuel4 ,she made bargains with boys1 who wandered out over the hills1 and returned looking like walking haycocks under a load of branches of mountain pine and other coniferous shrub4 ,from then on we cooked over large bonfires built on the square hearth which was in our largest room4 ,tia ,roger was elusive in small matters1 as she was in larger ones4 ,she had a hasty ,spanish way of agreeing at once to save herself the trouble of understanding my language1 and we never knew whether she would come or no4 ,she drew our pay without demur1 but if an occasion offered for other employment she took it4 ,we would return home at eleven o'clock worn out with a hard day's painting1 to find the place uncleaned1 no fire alight1 no food either bought or prepared4 ,this would entail on our part a rush down the steep hill into the town1 to search for food4 ,probably on the way we would discover ,tia ,roger sitting amongst a circle of gossiping and pleased women1 industriously cracking almonds4 ,she would show no signs of conscious sin1 but would grin and nod at us as we passed4 ,then we had to scramble again up to our eyrie under the full heat of the ,mediterranean sun4 ,tia ,roger had many children4 ,her eldest daughter was married to a man who for some time puzzled us4 ,we first saw him wandering about the upper streets of the old town during the fiesta4 ,he carried an elaborate pair of sandwich boards4 ,on the front was the well-known picture1 ,st4 ,veronica's ,handkerchief1 and on the back an oleograph representing two conventional angels--golden hair1 nightdress1 and wings4 ,both pictures were surrounded by flat wooden frames fretworked in the hideous art-nouveau manner4 ,he wandered about thus1 enclosed1 as it were a slab of humanity between two slices of divinity2 but we could not imagine what his purpose was4 ,we imagined that he filled a semi-religious post1 something connected with the priests1 and their fiesta1 and their cinema1 and bull chasings4 ,but on the fourth day of the fiesta1 this wandering1 apparently purposeless man tripped over a washing-basket4 ,his language at once put to flight all our ideas of his religious functions1 it issued straight from a nature by no means purged of old ,adam1 despite its devotional enclosure4 ,later1 he fell over me as ,i was sketching1 and he cursed me with gusto4 ,i then saw he was blind4 ,this had not been apparent to us earlier1 for he took the rough and precipitous streets of ,jijona at an extraordinary speed4 ,one day we saw him still wandering to and fro1 but the pictures had disappeared4 ,a cage was on his back1 and in the cage1 balancing against the joggle and movement of his walk1 was an uncomfortable hen4 ,we had become more accustomed to the ,jijona speech by this time1 and the tickets which the pictures had hidden were plainly visible in his hands4 ,he was running a private lottery at three chances a little bitch4 ,i took thirty tickets for the hen1 and gave fifteen of them to ,tia ,roger1 but we pulled blanks4 ,his next venture was a bedroom looking-glass1 the stand of which stuck out from his back in an ungainly fashion4 ,it must have needed considerable ingenuity to keep his small village clientle sufficiently desirous to ensure for him any sort of a living4 ,his wife learned that ,i had put him into one of my sketches4 ,she hurried to the ,torre de ,blay1 carrying her child1 and accompanied by a horde of women friends to see ,the ,portrait4 ,her disappointment was great to find that he was but a minute figure in a street landscape4 ,she told me that her husband had lost his sight ten years before in a street quarrel4 ,his opponent had slashed a knife across his eyes4 ,for this the law exacted no penalty4 ,but she had drawn no lesson from her husband's misfortune4 ,her baby was in a bad condition1 flies1 dust and exposure to the sun were working wickedly on the child's eyes1 and even then early blindness appeared to be threatening4 ,but it seemed to us that many of the more ignorant ,spanish were careless of their children's eyesight4 ,blindness is rampant1 but blindness leads to beggary2 and beggary accompanied by blindness is a profitable pursuit4 ,possibly a woman may say1 ,little ,juan seems to be going blind4 ,well1 that's a comfort1 he will be settled in life anyhow4 ,jijona had two other blind men4 ,the one made a living by selling cigars from a glass case strapped to his chest4 ,we were sitting in the entrada of the ,vinegars' on the first day of the fiesta4 ,the curtain was pushed slowly aside and through the opening crept a pathetic figure4 ,it was that of an old man2 his eyes were sightless and suppurating1 a straw hat with a torn brim shaded his heavy face1 in one hand he grasped an aged guitar1 in the other a stick with which he explored the entrada for a chair4 ,jan quickly got out of his chair for fear that the blind man should sit down on his lap4 ,the man found the chair with his stick1 and trembling with the pain of movement took a seat4 ,adjusting the guitar1 with stiff fingers he rasped the strings which gave out a sound1 thin as though withered by extreme age4 ,with exercise his fingers strengthened1 until from the decrepit instrument he plucked a melody from which one might imagine that the blind in ,maeterlinck's play were dancing to solace their loneliness4 ,the almost macabre dance came to an end1 then striking out a new set of chords he broke into a ,spanish song4 ,his voice was an instrument as worn out as the guitar4 ,he ceased his heartrending performance1 collected his meed of halfpence2 ,i spoke to him1 and he broke into an hysterical laugh of joy4 ,you have returned1 you have returned1 he cried4 ,it is ,el ,seor that he takes you for1 explained one of the girls4 ,he was very good to him4 ,the old man recognizes the ,english accent4 ,we explained to him his mistake1 and the delight faded from his poor old face1 and the blank expressionless look of the blind came back4 ,slowly he turned to the entrance and his tapping1 which led him away down the street4 ,thus he pursued his trade1 feeling his way from door to door1 entering any one that was open1 seating himself upon the first unoccupied chair which he could find3 few could have been hard-hearted enough to deny his unspoken pleading4 ,one evening we met him in the upper town4444 ,an accident had happened1 and his guitar was opened out like an old boot2 it still held together at the handle1 but at the front of the instrument the soundboard and back had become detached from the sides4 ,in a clumsy fashion the hurt had been bound up with string4 ,we asked him what had happened4 ,he did not reply1 but cried out with a high-pitched1 half-crazy laugh4 ,then standing astraddle in the precipitous street he began to pluck at the strings as though the guitar could answer for him4 ,the thin voice of it had now sunk to a mere ghost of a sound1 the murmur of a summer freshet might well have drowned its plaintive whisper4 ,then turning he made his way downhill4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,,jijona--,a ,,day',s ,,work ,it was a toss-up which would arrive first3 the sun shooting its long level rays over the mountain-top through our windows1 or ,tia ,roger's daughter hammering on the door with the milk1 warm and frothy1 in a jug4 ,either the one or the other aroused us from our mattress on the floor--for we had dispensed quite comfortably with the complications of a bed4 ,possibly our night had been restless1 for inadvertently ,i had imported a host of fleas into the house4 ,they had come from the garden1 from a small spot near an outhouse door1 where there was a fascinating view1 and ,i had stood there one morning with bare legs and feet admiring the scene4 ,when ,i had returned to the house1 ,i had noticed a strange blackish discoloration on my ankles1 and stooping had discovered to my horror that hordes of hungry fleas were crawling up my legs4 ,i had jumped into a basin of water1 but many had escaped4 ,from that moment the house was never clear of them1 and our nights were sometimes disturbed4 ,we suspect that ,pre ,chicot kept his rabbit skins in the outhouse4 ,we got out of bed either at the call of the sun or of the milk2 and as we were dressing we watched the purple and green mists of night clearing off the valley and from the town below us4 ,breakfast was a simple affair--tea and dry bread and grapes4 ,spanish coffee is expensive and bad1 cocoa we did not find1 and butter and jam were unprocurable4 ,for the boiling water we could not go to the trouble of building a bonfire1 so in spite of the expense of spirit we used a methylated spirit stove4 ,this ,jan had bought in ,murcia4 ,the shopman had ill understood ,jan's attempts to make his needs known4 ,lampara para alcool#bb had elicited no response1 but at last1 driven by repeated requests with variations1 explanations1 hand wavings1 and so on1 intelligence had brightened the shopman's face4 ,ah1 ,seor1 he had cried1 ,i understand you now4 ,what you require is a 'little hell4' ,so the kettle sang daily over little hell1 but this morning1 ,tia ,roger having forgotten to purchase alcohol overnight1 it looked as if we were to breakfast on goat's milk alone4 ,but an idea occurred to me4 ,el ,seor1 when he had transferred his major residence to ,murcia1 had left some furniture and much litter in ,el ,torre de ,blay4 ,amongst the litter were odd bottles which had contained toilet lotions1 one was half full4 ,was there not a chance then that it was alcoholic8 ,i routed out the bottle4 ,the smell told me nothing4 ,practical experiment was the only thing4 ,imagination was rewarded4 ,little hell worked as well on hair-wash as with any other fuel4 ,we ate our simple breakfast at an ancient refectory table1 the top hewn from the width of a large tree1 the legs curved and carved like those in ,viking pictures4 ,then we set to packing up paint and brushes1 and the preparing of sketch boxes4 ,leaving the things untidy for ,tia ,roger to clear1 we set off on our respective ways1 ,i down into the old town1 ,jan out across the mountains4 ,jijona was a maze of zigzag streets4 ,in the morning it was almost manless1 but women went to and fro on their household errands1 and the children followed me in swarms4 ,standing about in the streets were small coops1 enclosing either a chicken or a turkey1 while the queer lean ,egyptian cats1 with rat-like tails1 slunk along the walls1 vanishing like ghosts at any attempt to stroke them4 ,even the kittens of a few days old spat at a proffered pat as though at a dog4 ,i was bound for the street near the monastery which1 with its blue-tiled roof1 brought the eastern end of ,jijona to a full stop4 ,as soon as ,i had settled down the questions began4 ,they were the usual ,spanish questions such as one had heard in ,verdolay1 and many of the answers ,i knew now by heart4 ,but one woman behind me said something new4 ,it is an ,english ,seora4 ,she is painting4 ,all the ,english people paint1 for there have been other ,english here--,el ,seor1 and his friends--and they1 too1 painted4 ,it is strange1 indeed1 that a whole nation should be thus gifted4 ,also all the ,english are very rich1 for they come here from a long distance1 and they paint pictures1 and all that is very expensive4 ,another thing that ,i can tell you about the ,english is that they are all very tall4 ,every ,englishman that ,i have seen 7she had seen four7 is much taller than we ,spanish are4 ,it does not matter that ,i am saying this out loud because ,la ,doa does not understand ,valenciano4 ,while ,i was working this morning there was a continual sound of squealing pigs4 ,men's voices mingled with those of the pigs1 urging them to be quiet4 ,the sound came from a high-walled enclosure to which the entrance was an archway closed by a massive wooden door4 ,then along came a goat herd leading his flock4 ,but as soon as the herd came opposite to this door it refused to pass it4 ,with shouts1 curses1 and stones the man urged the goats along4 ,in little quick rushes1 thus urged on1 one by one the goats dashed past the door and on down the road4 ,but two refused the passage perilous4 ,they made sneezing noises of protestation1 but nothing would induce them to move4 ,in despair the man at last had to bring all his goats back and take them to the hills by some other route4 ,later ,i realized that the door which these intelligent animals would not pass was the slaughter-house4 ,old men1 dressed in the ancient ,jijona costume of black blouse and black velvet hat with turned-up brim and pointed crown--kept on to the head by an elastic at the back--would address me in a patois impossible to understand4 ,as the sketch neared completion my audience became excited4 ,ha ,pintado tod'6 tod'6 tod'6#bc they exclaimed4 ,they searched the picture for the smaller details1 the strings of red peppers hanging from the balconies especially delighted them4 ,indeed1 they gave my pictures titles because of some minute detail4 ,what is she doing8 a new-comer exclaimed4 ,the answer was ,the fig tree4 ,i was astonished1 because ,i could see no fig tree in the whole sketch4 ,at last one of my audience pointed to one tiny branch of green projecting over a wall4 ,jan had four directions to choose from4 ,north and south led him across a flattish plain seamed with deep watercourses1 east and west took him into the mountains4 ,to the east the mountains were grey bare stone1 almost uncultivated2 to the west the mountains went steeper and steeper1 ending in a high ridge1 at the foot of which was a queer leprous country1 the earth spotted all over with lichens and looking as though mouldy4 ,wherever he went were the terraces and almond trees2 and lonely little farms were perched high up on the slopes4 ,terrible little places those farms were for the doctor1 for1 if any one were ill in them1 there was often no means of approach other than miles of climbing on foot4 ,but all across the mountains1 incongruous enough in that landscape of primitive agriculture where the plough was but a stake with an iron spike1 and where no roads were1 went standards carrying wires of electricity4 ,on the standards1 deaths'-heads were painted to scare off the inquisitive child4 ,jan had not only to contend with sun and flies4 ,shadow was even more difficult to find at ,jijona than at ,verdolay2 the almond as a shade tree is negligible4 ,it was hot setting out1 but it was hotter coming back4 ,one did not delay much after half-past ten1 but1 whether the sketch were finished or no1 one packed up one's things and set off homeward4 ,as one walked one could feel the heat of the ground through the soles of the alpagatas4 ,there were reputed to be scorpions in the mountains1 and it was as well to be careful when taking a seat or when picking up some painting implement dropped to the ground4 ,but ,jan never saw one4 ,the peasants said that if he were stung the best thing to do was to plunge the stung part--usually a finger--into a raw egg2 when the yolk had turned black1 a fresh egg was to be substituted4 ,we were both back in good time on this day1 because we were to lunch with the doctor and his wife4 ,they had promised us a truly ,spanish meal4 ,here is the menu3 #a4 ,smoked uncooked ham4 #b4 ,hors d'oeuvre1 olives 7cured in anis and mint71 pink tomatoes 7a ,jijona speciality71 cucumber1 and orange-coloured sausage4 #c4 ,soup4 #d4 ,a stew of chicken1 potatoes and garbanzos4 7,garbanzos1 or chick-peas1 look something like dried nasturtium seeds4 ,they are cooked like haricot beans1 and taste like a blend of haricot bean and lentil4 ,they are a very favourite ,spanish vegetable47 #e4 ,cold fish and mayonnaise4 7,the mayonnaise was made from almond oil1 lemon juice and hard-boiled egg1 and was extremely delicate in flavour47 #f4 ,fried ham and grilled tomatoes4 #g4 ,turron and almond paste sweets4 #h4 ,yellow melon and muscatel grapes4 ,brandy4 #i4 ,iced coffee 7brought in by a boy from the ,casino74 ,the doctor's wife asked me if it were true that ,english people did not like questions4 ,i said personally we did not mind questions1 but that in ,england direct intimate questions were generally avoided4 ,but1 said the doctor's wife in amazement1 if you wish to find out something about anybody1 how do you do so8 ,and how do you carry on conversations8 ,the meal over1 we toiled slowly up again to ,el ,torre1 taking the hill in as leisurely a manner as we could4 ,tia ,roger's daughter was sitting on our doorstep eating grapes4 ,as we passed she held the bunch out to us4 ,les ,gusta8#bd she said4 ,buen aproveche1 we replied4 ,before their gateway1 the two aged men and the one old woman sat1 as they did from morning till night1 plaiting an everlasting rope of esparto grass4 ,we had acquired the siesta habit1 so lay down until four o'clock4 ,then1 as the dinner had rather disorganized our desire to paint1 ,jan and ,i went for a walk4 ,we clambered down through the town1 passed out by the southern entrance1 across the bridge1 and clambered up the hill opposite4 ,at a long open washing-place1 women were on their knees beating and scrubbing clothes with the ,spanish soap which will not lather2 amongst them1 working as hard as the rest1 was a child of five years old4 ,we skirted the line between the mountains1 and the flat and plain for about two miles1 then ,jan took a path leading away from the mountains4 ,we came out into the most fantastic scenery of its kind ,i have ever seen4 ,in the winter the torrential rains burst on the mountains and the water rushing down had scooped deep clefts in the earth of the plain4 ,the ground itself appeared to be in layers of various colours1 and these layers falling in one above the other had striped the sides of the deep canyon purple1 blue1 white1 orange and red4 ,the water had cut out of the clayey earth a hundred fantastic shapes--,i have seen photographs of the ,grand ,canyon of ,colorado1 this was like them on a small scale2 at one place the clay was harder and the water dripping down had carved the cliff-side like great organ pipes or like the columns of an ,egyptian temple4 ,in the deep bottoms of the canyon were vine terraces2 and further down flat1 irrigated fields of tomatoes1 of herbage or of vegetables4 ,little farm-houses sheltered under the mud cliffs1 and on the circular threshing floors almonds and red peppers were spread out to dry in the sun4 ,in one place a man had scooped his dwelling out of the cliff-side4 ,these cave dwellings are common enough4 ,at ,verdolay was a whole colony of them1 and the cavemen were reputed to be thieves and vagabonds1 and the members were despised by the peasants proper4 ,at the end of the ravine or barranca we came to a many-arched bridge which towered high above our heads1 and clambering up by a zigzag track found ourselves on the ,alicante road4 ,in appearance this country is very deceptive4 ,it appears arid1 almost desolate1 but the mountains are covered with almond trees1 which for all their scanty foliage bear valuable crops1 while the plain hides its richness in ravines a hundred feet or more below the level of its surface4 ,we arrived home to find a stranger dressed in black clothes1 but with an official cap on his head1 sitting on a stone seat before our door4 ,he was reading a book1 and as we came up he bowed and said that he hoped his presence was not distasteful to us4 ,we1 of course1 in the fashion of ,spanish courtesy1 put our whole home at his disposal1 and invited him indoors4 ,he demurred in the correct fashion1 but on a second invitation came in with us4 ,in the long entrada ,pre ,chicot was looking out through the back door and shaking his head at the garden4 ,there's another tree dying1 he said4 ,all the trees are dying1 and the vines won't bear4 ,you can't do anything without water4 ,but is there no water at all8 we asked4 ,ay1 replied ,pre ,chicot1 there used to be the right to two hours of water once a fortnight4 ,but the owners sold it4 ,they wanted money and it was worth many hundreds of pesetas4 ,our visitor was very interested in the house1 for he confided in us that there was a housing shortage in ,jijona1 like that in the rest of the world4 ,he was chief of the municipal officers1 dust-cart1 water-supply1 electric light and so on4 ,he had just come from ,toledo1 and the only place he could find in ,jijona was not nearly large enough for his family4 ,this would just suit me1 he said1 peering into room after room1 seven rooms2 and they say that ,st4 ,sebastian used to live here4 ,did you know that8 ,his eye was attracted by the guitar of ,el ,seor1 which we had brought with us4 ,and you an afficionado of the guitar1 he exclaimed4 ,i1 too1 have played in my time4 ,we pressed him to play4 ,no1 no2 indeed ,i would like to1 but ,i may not4 ,you see1 my wife's father died a week ago1 and it would seem very wicked if ,i were to play1 or to sing4 ,jan played him a farouka which he had learned from ,blas4 ,it seems a good guitar1 said the man4 ,he picked it up1 and fingered the chords4 ,then he went to the door and peered round it to see if ,pre ,chicot had gone home4 ,i might sing you something if you won't tell any one1 said the chief of the municipal officers4 ,but ,i will sing it in a very low voice1 so that it will be less disrespectful to my wife's father4 ,he sang1 in a hoarse unmusical whisper1 a guajiras4 ,i like the guajiras and also the tango1 said he4 ,you see1 ,i did my military duty in ,cuba1 and ,i learned many over there4 ,here are three of the songs he sang3 ,i will never marry1 ,for as a bachelor ,i am gay1 ,i have money to spend1 ,i live like a general all day4 ,and if ,i come to marry1 ,though ,i may be rich1 ,i shall have to lower my crest1 ,like ',barrabas' the cock1 ,but the bachelor is ,like ,god painted by ,peter4 ,on a serene night ,the sad lament was heard ,of a poor soldier1 wounded ,and covered with blood and sand4 ,for the ambulances were full1 ,and the ,red ,cross doctors were busy4 ,at the sight of his oozing blood ,the brave soldier prayed ,that death should overtake him1 ,for no one could assist him4 ,at breakfast one morning ,a wise man said1 sighing1 ,that women in weeping ,are false as are traitors4 ,this has oft been ignored4 ,but ,i've seen and ,i know ,that the tears of a woman1 ,as down they are falling1 ,make naught but deception ,for the man who supports her4 ,as he went on he began to forget his father-in-law1 and in a short while he was bawling indecent tangos at the top of his voice4 ,he showed no signs of departure1 so ,i began to prepare for supper4 ,i lit the bonfire which ,tia ,roger had laid in the wide hearth-place1 placed over it a three-legged trivet of iron and on the trivet our huge saucepan full to the brim with olive oil4 ,we then made use of a ,spanish custom4 ,we asked him to supper with us4 ,this he was forced by ,spanish custom to refuse1 and as we did not repeat the invitation he had to make his compliments--which he did with the greatest courtesy--and go home4 ,after supper1 as our bread supply was short1 we felt our way down the hill in the dark and down the staircases of streets to the shop of ,manuel ,garcia4 ,garcia and his wife sold bread at one fat dog cheaper than the other shops4 ,the bread was quite as good as any other1 it had a very white powdery kind of consistency1 baked in flat loaves with a very hard1 anmic crust4 ,the ,garcias had showed us one of the economical devices which were in current use4 ,we had for some days bought candles at this shop1 but ,mrs4 ,garcia said3 ,why do you spend all this money on candles8 ,here is a thing much better1 and much cheaper4 ,you first pour water into a cup or bowl until half-way up1 then fill to the top with olive oil4 ,float one of these on the top of the oil1 and set fire to it4 ,there you have a light at half the cost of candles4 ,the box she handed to us was full of pieces of cork through which a wick had been thrust4 ,on the top of the box was the name of the device little-lamps-little-boats and a picture of the ,virgin4 ,we stepped back in our illumination to the most ancient of methods--the old ,roman conquerors of ,spain must have illuminated their villas in this way4 ,little-lamps-little-boats had probably given light to the halls of the ,saracen castle which now was but a few crumbling masses of slowly disintegrating cement4 ,it was curious to think that one-half of ,jijona was lit by electric light1 the other by this antique device1 and that there was practically nothing between4 ,mrs4 ,garcia had urged us to the stewing of garbanzos4 ,the ,garcias were go-ahead ,spaniards4 ,starting from very small origins1 they had begun a small turron factory in a back room4 ,not content with making turron alone1 they had peddled it all over the ,balearic ,isles4 ,gradually they had prospered1 and the whole upper part of the house was now factory1 the entrance to the factory being higher up the hill in a back street4 ,yet they remained simple people1 sitting1 in the evenings1 on their doorstep gossiping1 while the flaxen-haired daughter1 sixteen years old1 painted with a toothpick dipped in dye eyes and noses on sugar pigs and cats4 ,we had a hard time at first1 said ,mrs4 ,garcia4 ,in ,majorca the people were very jealous of us1 and often very rude4 ,they would tell us to go back to our own district2 they used to laugh at our speech1 though ,god knows they can't speak proper ,spanish themselves4 ,this inter-district jealousy seems characteristic of ,spain4 ,the man from ,toledo laughed at the ,jijona people2 the people of ,jijona called those of ,murcia gipsies2 the people of ,murcia say that the ,jijona folk are mere uncultivated mountaineers2 ,catalan and ,castilian are in semi-enmity4 ,each person that one spoke to lauded the beauties and the food of his own district at the expense of other places4 ,all about ,jijona they would have nothing but malegueas and ,valencian jotas4 ,the other varieties of ,spanish music they were not interested in4 ,but the ,garcias were progressive people4 ,they had made a success of their ,balearic venture1 and now had a stall in the market of ,alicante4 ,this was kept by a sister-in-law4 ,garcia and his wife were making preparations to go to the great fair at ,albacete4 ,the shop was full of large bales done up in straw matting1 boxes and crates of sweets and of turron4 ,they would go by road1 for it was cheaper1 and only about a hundred miles away4 ,that is a queer town1 said ,garcia4 ,there are gates to the walls1 and at a certain hour they shut the gates1 and if you are outside you stay outside till the morning4 ,mrs4 ,garcia wanted me to paint her portrait4 ,if she would have posed to me in the ordinary1 peasant1 workaday dress ,i would have done it with pleasure4 ,but she had a fine fashionable modern silk dress of black and she wanted to pose in this4 ,i managed to put off the proposal until the time of her departure was too close4 ,she went away unsatisfied4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #bb3 ,spirit lamp4 ,footnote #bc3 ,she has painted everything1 everything1 everything6 ,footnote #bd3 ,would you like them8 ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,jijona--,,the ,,goatherds ,murcia could be counted as unmusical1 in ,verdolay one heard either a gramophone of the little ,seor1 or the piano banged by the girls who lived in the topmost house of the village4 ,in ,jijona1 on the contrary1 almost every evening could be heard the sound of the guitar or of that strange ,eastern singing of ,spain4 ,young men sat on the edge of the cliff below the ,saracen castle and thumped two or three chords from a guitar for half the night long4 ,it had a delight1 analogous to that which the tom-tom gives1 a delight drawn from the hypnotism of inexorable rhythm4 ,but save for the commandant of the municipal officers1 who was a stranger1 we had made the acquaintance of none of the musicians until one afternoon the goatherds perched themselves in the shadow beneath our walls4 ,we were taking a siesta when the sound of thrumming roused us from the half sleep which the afternoon gives4 ,jan exclaimed3 ,that music sounds quite near4 ,he jumped up and looked out of the window4 ,on a narrow ledge of flat rock at the foot of the wall three men were sitting in the shadow of the house4 ,two had guitars1 and all along the wall of the garden a number of goats were lying down or were browsing on the small weeds which sprouted between the rocks4 ,on the hill-side the kids were engaging one another in mock battle1 rearing up in feint1 with the most dainty of gestures1 or interlocking their infantile horns4 ,we slipped on our clothes1 and crawling out by the garden door1 the opening of which was only about four feet high1 we joined the goatherds in their patch of shadow4 ,buenos dias1 said ,jan4 ,i1 too1 love the guitar4 ,si1 ,seor1 answered one of the herds1 through the windows we have heard you playing4 ,illustration ,one of the men was thin but wore an enormous pagoda-like sombrero of straw1 one was a boy of eighteen with a huge moustache1 the third was an old man with a large nose1 the wrinkles on his face drawn more deeply than any we have before seen4 ,their guitars were poor instruments and the strings were broken and knotted together1 in consequence of which little bits of stick were tied across the arm of the instrument in order to clamp the strings down to the fingerboard below the knotted parts4 ,as the strings break and are repaired1 this stick is moved up the fingerboard until the strings are too short to play upon4 ,jan crawled through the small door and brought out the big white guitar4 ,the thin man handled it with reverence4 ,i know the instrument1 he said4 ,it is ,el ,seor's4 ,it is a good instrument1 but he has a better4 ,a big brown one which is a marvel4 ,he must be very rich4 ,they say he gave more than two hundred pesetas for it4 ,he played on it for a moment1 but soon handed it back to ,jan4 ,i'd rather play on my old one1 he said4 ,i'm not afraid of it1 and ,i can knock it about as ,i like4 ,all three were dressed in cotton shirts and pants1 tied at the ankle with tape1 over these they wore cotton coats and trousers2 when the weather was very hot they dispensed with the trousers4 ,their feet were bare of stocking1 but their shoes were heavy2 woven by themselves out of esparto grass1 very ,oriental in shape with turned-up1 pointed toes4 ,on their backs were sacks containing esparto grass and half-fashioned sandals4 ,each possessed a long1 heavy1 crook'd stick shod with an iron point4 ,all too soon they said that they must be moving on4 ,but come down to the street of the soap house1 top side1 this evening1 and we'll have a dance and singing4 ,i had sketched in this street4 ,it was on the steepest part of the hill and ran almost horizontally across1 so that the front door of the upper houses were on a level with the roofs of the lower ones4 ,the roadway was divided along the centre1 one-half being some twenty feet above the other2 a low parapet protected the drop4 ,it was lucky that the dwellers in the upper part of the street were sober ,spaniards4 ,illustration3 ,,girl ,,singing ,a ,,malague,a ,this type song is in #c_/d-time1 and is as a rule very melancholy4 ,it is very popular in the south of ,spain4 ,we found1 as usual1 the party seated on chairs in the middle of the street1 near a small electric light2 some of the men were sitting along the parapet4 ,we were greeted by an old1 but very large woman who groaned all the evening with rheumatism4 ,the girls were in their best dresses of pale coloured skirt and embroidered paisley patterned shawls4 ,a long silence followed our arrival4 ,we were waiting for a player who was the best in the village4 ,he could not come1 but sent his brother instead1 who played well1 but was left-handed4 ,three guitars and a guitarron formed the orchestra4 ,thrum1 thrum1 thrum1 went the guitars1 while across the deeper chords the little guitarron1 with its strange tuning1 threaded a shrill pattern of monotonous arpeggios4 ,the music of ,spain has something fundamental about it4 ,it has a hint of the heart-beat of the universe4 ,the rich1 pulsating rhythm of it seems to set the air flowing in waves like those in a disturbed pool4 ,it seems to speak of something ideally simple1 to create an harmonious forgetfulness4 ,a girl sitting amongst us threw back her head and sang4 ,her voice carried the sad minor cadences of the eternal ,east2 it was pitched queerly in the throat and wailed across the still night like the voice of a passionate soul4 ,when ,i am dead a hundred years1 ,and when the worms have eaten me1 ,the signs you find in my dead bones1 ,will show that ,i have worshipped thee4 ,when ,i am dead a hundred years4 ,the song began with a long-drawn-out aie-e-e1 which ran a gamut of strange1 almost creepy modulations1 the guitars slowed down their tempo1 but when the last echo of the song had died amongst the hills1 the instruments took up once more the remorseless beat of the malaguea4 ,again she sang3 ,new pain drives out old pain1 ,new grief drives out old grief1 ,one nail drives out another nail1 ,but love to love gives no relief4 ,new pain drives out old pain1 ,aie-e-e4444 ,once more she sang3 ,your eyes like double evils are1 ,black as is the dark of ,hades1 ,and you have to cover them ,the ebon thickets of your lashes4 ,your eyes like double evils are4 ,the guitars beat up the rhythm once more and then a man began to sing3 ,in your eyes there is a sky1 ,your mouth with heaven itself can vie1 ,a garden blooms whene'er you smile1 ,but in your breast's a crocodile4#be ,in your eyes there is a sky4 ,again he sang3 ,the only love which ,i discovered1 ,like black gunpowder reacted2 ,fire1 explosion1 light2 then after 444 ,followed ashes1 silence1 darkness4 ,the only love which ,i discovered4 ,by this time a large number of men and of girls had gathered4 ,vamos6 they cried4 ,let's have a jota4 ,come on1 ,perico1 play something that we can dance to4 ,the guitar-players changed their tempo1 the little guitarron beat out with a more insistent though more flexible rhythm4 ,the jota has a beat which is partly the beat of the bar1 partly that of the phrase4 ,this is common in ,spanish music and has points of resemblance with early ,european music generally4 ,three girls and three of the youths lined up face to face1 and soon the dancers were swinging to and fro over the uneven roadway4 ,there is an agile grace in the jota4 ,we watched it with delighted eyes4 ,but the old rheumatic woman did not look pleased4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,valencian ,,jota ,,danced ,,by ,,three ,,couples ,that girl1 she muttered to me1 nodding her head at one of the dancers1 she has no right to dance4 ,she is apunto4 ,you know1 she went on1 noting my perplexed expression1 she is expecting a baby soon4 ,it is very wrong of her to dance4 ,the dancers moved with flexible rhythm1 snapping their fingers with the music1 and their shadows1 flung on the wall by the dim electric light1 caricatured their movements4 ,the guitars beat on1 creating an atmosphere of careless joy which seemed to bring us into more sensitive contact with the ,spaniards than ever we had been before4 ,we wonder if civilization has anything to give to these people4 ,they live simple1 straightforward and pleasant lives1 tempered1 it is true1 by sickness and pain and sometimes by privation2 but it would be a rash man who would promise to give them greater store of valuable things than they already have4 ,the fact that most cannot read does not hamper them very much4 ,they have wisdom stored up in a thousand witty proverbs1 and for their leisure they have the guitar and their songs4 ,what a wonderful instrument the guitar is6 ,the simplest of all instruments for the learner1 a few days' practice makes him so that he can play as do the generality of these herdsmen4 ,then one can hypnotize oneself with the sonorous rhythm of repeated chords4 ,but if one wishes to go further1 the range and variety of the guitar is inexhaustible4 ,it has as many moods as nature and is as difficult to conquer4 ,sarasate1 they say1 gave up the guitar because it was so difficult4 ,but the guitar in the hands of the master is the finest of all instruments4 ,of single portable instruments it alone is complete2 it alone is fully satisfying4 ,we ,english do not know the guitar4 ,outside of ,spain it has never been played4 ,and the ,spanish music made for the guitar 444 like life itself with its interwoven themes of sadness and of joy2 with mournful melody accompanied by strange gay accompaniment1 the words often in strange contrast with the melodic theme4 ,there is no native music in ,europe which has the range1 the variety1 and the depth of feeling possessed by that of ,spain4 ,we tore ourselves away while yet they were dancing2 for we remembered that #e4cj was our rising time4 ,the thin goatherd1 who wore the enormous hat in the daytime1 took us into his house and gave us a drink4 ,the baby was in its cradle1 its face carefully tucked under the sheet4 ,the aguadiente which he poured out for us was strong and harsh to the taste2 and one was grateful for the glass of water which it is customary to drink afterwards4 ,as we were getting ready for bed1 we could still hear the sounds of the guitars and the cries of the dancers on the calm air of the night4 ,the goatherds used to come almost every afternoon to the foot of our castle1 and we gave up the siesta habit in their favour4 ,i made the acquaintance of one other goatherd in ,jijona4 ,i was painting in a street near the ,garcias' shop4 ,when the picture was nearly complete1 ,i wished for a figure and asked an old man to pose for me4 ,he was nearing eighty1 and his face was a map of wrinkles1 with a mountain of nose and chin and a valley of toothless mouth4 ,his clothes were a patchwork of different materials4 ,the study which ,i made of him delighted him so much that he begged for it4 ,he would pay me1 he said4 ,the price does not matter1 he exclaimed1 if only ,la ,doa will put in a goat also4 ,for he owned the flock which he led every day into the mountains4 ,i made him a copy of it1 and all the other goatherds trooped up to the castle to see ,tio ,pepe's portrait4 ,ay1 there's ,pepe1 they cried1 slapping their thighs2 there he is with his patches1 and his crook'd stick1 and his sandals and his old nose and all4 ,tod'1 ,tod'4 ,it was near the time of our departure from ,jijona4 ,tio ,pepe in vain tried to press on me a few pesetas for the portrait4 ,he searched his old mind for a means of showing his gratitude2 and just as we were leaving he found a solution4 ,at five o'clock in the morning1 as our trunk was leaving the house on the shoulders of ,tia ,roger's strong young son1 up ran ,uncle ,pepe with a large can of goat's milk1 all of which we had to drink on the spot2 or he would never have forgiven us4 ,the night before our departure we had packed1 for we had to start early to catch the motor-bus4 ,then we had gone to bed4 ,we had just snuggled down beneath the blankets1 for the nights were getting quite fresh1 when ,i heard the sounds of a guitar4 ,the sounds drew closer4 ,they were coming up the hill4 ,a suspicion grew to a certainty4 ,jan1 ,i cried1 those goatherds are giving us a farewell serenade4 ,we hurried into our clothes4 ,the goatherds had sat themselves down on the stone bench at the front door and were singing lustily at the moon4 ,i don't know what the ,spanish etiquette in such matters is1 but we went out and took part in our own serenade4 ,it was a lengthy affair4 ,the time crept on1 and we1 shivering somewhat1 for the night grew quite cold1 sat ungratefully thinking of the sleep we were missing1 and wondering how we were to awaken ourselves at four o'clock4 ,at two o'clock they went away1 and we rushed back to bed to seize the two hours of sleep which remained for us4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #be3 ,crocodile is ,spanish slang for a false lover4 ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,murcia--,,autumn ,,in ,,the ,,paseo ,,de ,,corveras ,we came back to ,murcia1 to our headquarters in the ,paseo de ,corveras1 at the beginning of ,october4 ,though the town was so far south1 the cold weather had well begun4 ,in the daytime the sun seemed as fierce as ever1 but the dust that had lain inches deep during the summer was now an equal depth of semi-liquid mud1 and the house1 without fireplaces or any means of creating artificial warmth1 had in it a faint though insidious chill4 ,save in the hottest weather1 stone or cement floors are comfortless to live with4 ,marciana1 the woman whose services we had shared with ,antonio during ,rosa's smallpox1 returned to us4 ,she was a woman of sixty years1 bulky in figure1 dressed in black of an eternal mourning1 and was mother of the most talented sculptor of ,murcia4 ,she was an illustration of the inter-provincial jealousy of the ,spaniard4 ,she came from ,don ,quixote's country1 ,la ,mancha1 and was never weary of chanting its praises4 ,ah1 ,seora1 she exclaimed1 that is a wonderful land4 ,corn1 oil and wine in abundance4 ,dancing and singing in the villages all night long4 ,and what a wonderful people are those of mi pueblo4#bf ,my two sisters1 they each weigh at least twice as much as do ,i4 ,and then we are a civilized folk there1 ,i can assure you4 ,you saw how they treated it here when ,rosa had the smallpox4 ,no precautions1 even though one died of it a few doors down the street4 ,now in mi pueblo they stretch sheets in front of the doors of warning2 the necessaries of life are put on to the doorstep1 and the money to pay for them is dropped by the hands of those who are in the house1 and who are not allowed beyond the sheet1 into pans of vinegar1 so that they may be purified of the disease4 ,now that is real cleanliness4 ,but1 thanks to ,god1 ,seora1 ,rosa is much better4 ,the spots are disappearing1 she will not be marked1 and she has given birth to a son4 ,it was a most divine birth4 ,of course it was fear for the son that made everybody so anxious4 ,marciana was a dilatory servant4 ,nothing was ever ready up to date1 and she invariably drowned all my commissions for the market with a flood of words4 ,she would wait all the morning in the queue which gathered at the ,government ,olive ,oil depot1 to buy olive oil for me at a few centimos cheaper than she could buy it from the grocers2 and no explanation that she wasted more of our pay than she gained in cheapness convinced her4 ,antonio greeted us with delight1 as did ,emilio1 the guitar maker1 whom we went to visit on the first day of our return4 ,each1 however1 was in a different mood4 ,antonio1 in spite of the joy caused by his new son1 who he said had been born most preciously1 was in a rage4 ,he was in trouble with the local authorities about his taxes4 ,it appears that there is a factory tax which does not depend upon the size of the business1 but the mere fact that there is a business4 ,thus ,antonio1 with his three or four girl helpers1 was condemned to pay the same sum as a factory employing a thousand hands4 ,it is impossible6 shouted ,antonio4 ,we are thus crushed out of existence4 ,i may be able to arrange it1 but1 if ,i cannot1 then it is no use my going on4 ,all the profits are swallowed up in one gulp4 ,i shall shut down1 and sell up everything4 ,emilio1 on the other hand1 was flushed with unsullied delight4 ,a pompous man was sitting in his shop with a guitar across his knees4 ,now and then he drew from it a flourish of arpeggios1 very technical1 but rather meaningless4 ,emilio stood over him1 his eyes sparkling at the guitar1 which appeared to be exquisite in tone and strong in volume4 ,aha6 my friends1 congratulate me1 cried he4 ,i have surpassed myself4 ,permit me1 ,seor4 ,he took the guitar from the pompous man1 and handed it reverently to ,jan4 ,try it1 only touch it and see what a quality it has4 ,see how the bass note rings out1 and how well-balanced to it is the treble4 ,i had no more than set the strings out on to it when ,don ,feliz1 the little maestro whom you know1 came in4 ,he played upon it1 and so full was my heart with the perfect tone of it1 and with the thought that ,i1 ,emilio ,peralta1 had made it1 that the tears came running down my face4 ,i wept1 ,seor1 to hear it4 ,all night long ,i could not sleep for fear that the tone might alter1 as sometimes it does4 ,sometimes1 indeed1 a guitar newly made sounds of no value1 but in a few days or weeks even it may become first rate4 ,but this was good from the beginning1 and it has remained so4 ,the pompous man took a stately leave of us4 ,emilio was so excited by his new achievement that he went on talking3 ,one does not come to make guitars like this easily4 ,how many are there alive in ,spain to-day who could do it8 ,only one1 and ,i am he4 ,arias is dead1 ,raminez also1 though ,i have not seen a ,raminez to equal this one4 ,for ,i will warrant that there are few better guitars than this in ,spain4 ,unluckily1 it was sold before it was completed1 or ,i would scarcely have let it go4 ,it was ordered by a colonel in the ,army4 ,play on it1 ,seor1 but do not play ,flamenco1 for you must not tap upon the soundboard1 or you will injure the varnish4 ,this is built for ,classical4 ,jan played1 and it gave out a sonorous arid clear melody4 ,from whom did ,i learn1 ,seor8 ,i learned from nobody4 ,my father was a guitar-maker1 but a poor one4 ,he taught me nothing4 ,indeed1 ,i was married before the desire came to me to make fine instruments4 ,then how ,i worked1 ,seor6 ,i had an idea of the perfect guitar in my head2 but between idea and accomplishment what a gap6 ,i could not cross it4 ,of two guitars1 made equally alike1 one would be good1 the other useless4 ,when this happened ,i would take them to pieces to search for the reason4 ,for years ,i have lived in poverty1 spoiling good wood which cost me all my earnings4 ,i have not studied the guitars of others4 ,always in my head ,i carried the idea of the perfect instrument4 ,slowly ,i have struggled towards it4 ,now ,i know4 ,but at what a cost have ,i acquired knowledge6 ,jan touched a chord on the instrument in his hands1 and as it throbbed out its deep responsive note he remembered the saying of ,chopin3 ,nothing is more beautiful than a good guitar2 save perhaps two4 ,emilio promised to send ,professor ,feliz to us as soon as he came in2 and we walked back to the house through the ,murcian mud1 which1 soaking through our shoes1 made us modify our previous eulogy of the alpagata4 ,on barrows in the street they were selling the first culled clusters of dates of the season2 we bought both pale and dark varieties1 but they were hard and tasteless4 ,with the dates on the barrows were the orange fruit of the persimon4 ,while we had been away at ,jijona a cat had taken possession of our house for the purpose of kittening4 ,how she had got in was a mystery1 for the windows and doors all had been tightly sealed up1 but we had discovered her with her family at the bottom of the packing-cases which had formed our bed at ,verdolay4 ,we had heard strange faint sounds as though of mice on the evening of our return4 ,the noises1 however1 did not cease for all our presence4 ,we had gone to explore2 suddenly1 a noise like a boxful of exploding matches had burst up from under our noses1 and something black dashed across the dimly lit room and out through the window4 ,there were two kittens at the bottom of the narrowest of the packing-cases4 ,we had moved them to a large box near to the window4 ,that night there had been a fearful noise of yowling and squeaking4 ,in the morning we found the kittens back in the box from which we had moved them4 ,the cat was quite unapproachable4 ,she burst out into a fury of spitting whenever we came near4 ,then with one final explosion hurried from the room4 ,these wild cats were the pest of ,murcia4 ,one could leave no window open but they poured into the house4 ,all food had to be securely shut up1 the marks of their dusty paws were everywhere4 ,when we returned from ,emilio's we found that our presence in the house had been too much for the cat's nerves4 ,she had disappeared from her box and the kittens were gone with her4 ,don ,feliz1 the half-blind guitar teacher1 came in the evening4 ,he again said he was an honest man1 and that his terms were five pesetas a month4 ,he was delighted to hear that we both were to be his pupils4 ,part of his delight came from the money he would earn2 but some of his delight was due to the fact that he had ousted ,blas as ,jan's teacher4 ,i do not think we have met anybody more inappropriately named than ,don ,feliz4 ,if ,mr4 ,shandy's theories have any foundation he was cursed from his christening4 ,he was not a ,murciano1 but a ,castilian1 and1 in consequence1 depreciated the people he lived amongst and was in turn not appreciated by them4 ,he lived constantly torn by jealousy of the other guitar-players in the town4 ,tell me1 he exclaimed1 what do you think of the playing of ,don ,ambrosio8 ,don ,ambrosio was the pompous man we had met in ,emilio's shop4 ,technically1 excellent1 but rather frigid1 we said4 ,yes1 exclaimed ,don ,feliz1 that is it4 ,frigid1 yes1 frigid6 ,nor is ,don ,timoteo a good player1 and as for that ,blasito1 that gipsy--pah6 ,you see1 he has never learned music4 ,so that1 if he does get a good melody from somebody else1 he cannot harmonize it4 ,and his ,flamenco is of the taverns4 ,it is low1 common music4 ,now ,i play ,classical4 ,have you heard my piece which represents a battle8 ,how ,i imitate the mitrailleuse on the base string8 ,now that is quite different from anything which that fellow ,blas can play4 ,of course ,i regret that you wish to learn ,flamenco4 ,but that which ,i will teach you will be a classicized ,flamenco4 ,i have made it into music4 ,you see1 ,i have been in a conservatoire in my youth4 ,that puts me on a different level from all these other players4 ,so ,i have made of my ,flamenco something more refined4 ,it is no longer your tavern monstrosity that ,blas plays4 ,personally we preferred ,blas as a player1 and the music of ,blas as music4 ,but ,don ,feliz was somewhat better as a teacher4 ,his conservatoire had taught him at least the names of the notes4 ,but he was very irritable4 ,poor fellow1 at twopence a lesson1 he had to give a round of thirty lessons per day to make a bare subsistence4 ,sometimes he said that his pupils were so dense that he could teach them but three or four consecutive notes per day4 ,once we heard him debating with a possible client whether it was worth while or no to walk two miles in order to get three lessons in the same house4 ,our consciences--concerning sweating--pricked us and we paid him double fees4 ,in consequence of his gratitude he came to our house last of all and gave us lessons of four times the duration of any one else4 ,after he had gone1 we were still playing1 when ,marciana came in with some parcels4 ,aha6 she cried4 ,that is a jota4 ,it is the music of mi pueblo4 ,la jota1 ,la jota4 ,she put down the parcels2 spread out her arms and with a balance and elegance extraordinary in one so bulky began to dance4 ,after twenty bars1 however1 she stopped4 ,ei1 she sighed1 how sad it is that one grows old4 ,how sad that youth passes all too quickly6 ,that night a terrific thunderstorm broke over the valley4 ,the thunder crashed1 the lightning flared and the rain came down as though pouring from a gigantic hose4 ,in the middle of all the noise we heard a strange sound4 ,wah6 wah6 wah6 ,squeak6 ,squeak6 ,the cat had come back2 but with only one kitten4 ,the next morning we stayed in the house4 ,from the windows we could mark the change which autumn had brought over the ,paseo de ,corveras4 ,the dust was no longer blown along the road1 which was now a still river of liquid mud4 ,the town dust-cart1 a donkey with panniers1 no longer promenaded the street2 no longer did we hear the cheerful blasphemy of the dust-boy who1 stooping to gather up some refuse1 found that his dust-cart had impatiently trotted on4 ,in its place were the exhortations of the pig-drivers1 who urged hordes of monstrous black pigs through the mud4 ,some of the porkers were1 however1 so heavy on their feet that they had to be brought in carts4 ,the squealing of them filled the morning air4 ,the fruit merchants1 also with panniered donkeys1 no longer called out ,melacotones1 peras6 but ,uvas6 ,uvas6#bg and a man wandered about with a huge basket of snails4 ,the maize fields in front of the house were cut and stacked1 and in the fields queens of ,sheba were dragging the primitive ploughs1 while men behind them beat to powder the lumps of baked earth which were turned up4 ,instead of the almost dead silence which greeted the strengthening sun1 people moved about all day2 parasols had given place to flirting fans4 ,the country girls wore bunches of flowers in their hair1 some even put one tall blossom sticking upright from the coiffure1 where it nodded and bowed with the movements of the wearer4 ,in the fruit garden the lemons had quite fallen1 but the oranges were beginning to become a livid yellow on one side of the bush1 while the dates had passed from a pale to a deep golden hue4 ,i went about with ,luis exploring balconies for views1 and finally decided upon a view of ,murcia from the tall campanile of the ,cathedral4 ,when ,i got back ,i found that the cat once more had decamped1 taking the kitten with her4 ,the second kitten had been lost4 ,in the afternoon ,luis came in4 ,he brought an invitation from some friends for me to play the piano at their house on ,saturday evening4 ,that evening ,don ,feliz exclaimed3 ,i have an old guitar4 ,it is a unique instrument1 none other like it has ever been seen in ,spain4 ,i bought it1 at a bargain1 for thirty pesetas2 but ,i would sell it to a friend for the same money4 ,now you1 ,seor1 have no guitar of your own4 ,this is a veritable instrument for a museum4 ,come and see it on ,sunday morning4 ,i will show you the way4 ,we dined at ,elias'1 as was our custom1 and trudged back through the mud4 ,on the darkened stairs of our house we heard a wailing and almost tumbled over the spitting cat1 which had brought back the kitten once more4 ,we gathered up the kitten and1 followed at some distance by the suspicious cat1 put it back into the packing-case4 ,all this while we were rather short of electric lights in our house4 ,antonio had borrowed most of the light-bulbs to decorate a shrine which he had erected in one of the churches4 ,the candle which the righteous once offered up to ,god is going out of fashion4 ,nowadays1 instead of burning so many feet of bees-wax1 one turns on so many volts4 ,lamb has drawn a picture of two priests disputing as to which should offer up a blessing1 with a final compromise that neither should do so2 and the disappointment of the defrauded ,god4 ,to-day he could go further1 he could depict the deity being forced to go to the factory chimney for the scent of his burnt sacrifice4 ,a ,spanish writer1 ,pio ,baroja1 in a novel proposes a society called the ,extra-,rapid to ,heaven ,assurance ,society4 ,the insurer pays in a sum1 and on his death hundreds of gramophones are turned on chanting prayers for his speedy deliverance from purgatory4 ,god1 says the author1 is so far away1 that he will not notice the substitution4 ,this is1 of course1 a satire on the modern habit of replacing candles by electric lights1 but the satire is no more absurd than the actuality4 ,alongside of the bridge was a tall shrine built into the side of the house and lit up thus at night with electric light4 ,the image was covered with a large sheet of plate glass1 and ,i said that it was a sculptured figure4 ,jan1 on the other hand1 insisted that it was a painting4 ,we had an argument about it and on the next day returned to verify together4 ,it was1 in fact1 a painting4 ,but at night1 returning from ,elias'1 we looked up at the shrine by chance1 and stopped1 astonished4 ,if it was a painting it was most realistic4 ,we looked more closely4 ,the more we examined it1 the more did it seem sculptured4 ,then the explanation dawned on us4 ,it was sculptured1 but during the daytime a painted curtain was drawn down in front of it4 ,at luncheon next day we were disturbed by a hullabaloo from the attic4 ,the wretched cat had taken her kitten up there1 to look for peace from those meddlesome humans4 ,that night we were awakened again by terrible noises from under our bed4 ,the cat was still wandering like a lost soul looking for peace4 ,daily the kitten appeared and disappeared with exasperating irregularity4 ,at last1 however1 we managed to tame the cat so that we were able to stroke her4 ,then the animal burst out into the strangest of noises1 like a small badly oiled circular saw4 ,it was purring4 ,from that moment it took possession of the house4 ,all its shyness vanished4 ,it tucked up its sleeves and turned out of the house any other feline intruder4 ,one afternoon we were awakened from our siesta by a furious cat fight underneath the bed4 ,the black cat and a ginger-coloured female were locked in combat1 and making a noise like a hundred siphons4 ,the battle continued across the sitting-room1 the ginger cat giving ground4 ,finally she retreated to the balcony1 where there was for a while armed neutrality1 both singing war songs quite ,spanish in their intervals4 ,then the black cat sprang4 ,ginger backed to avoid the rush1 but backed too far4 ,she toppled over into the street1 fell with a thud on to the mud pavement1 gathered herself together and with a scream of disappointed fury dashed through the nearest open door4 ,to our amazement all the occupants of the house1 a young man1 an old woman1 a girl of seventeen and one of six hurried into the street1 their eyes wide open with terror4 ,what is the matter8 we shouted to them4 ,a cat with rabies has just rushed into our house1 they cried in answer4 ,the fear of rabies is very prevalent1 and with reason4 ,one does not pat stray dogs in ,spain1 nor does one make advances to unknown cats4 ,any animal which can bite is under suspicion4 ,it is lucky1 indeed1 that fleas can't get rabies4 ,one ,saturday ,i began sketching in the ,cathedral campanile4 ,the ascent of the tower was not by means of steps but by sloping lanes which travelled all round the inner walls4 ,i had chosen my view from the belfry4 ,on each side of me were small bells1 and as each in turn clanged out the half or quarter hour according to size ,i stopped my ears4 ,suddenly there was a deafening crash4 ,before ,i realized what had happened ,i had fallen from my seat1 the easel had gone spinning 444 almost fainting from the shock1 ,i looked about me4 ,over my head an enormous clapper was swinging4 ,unconsciously1 ,i had seated myself almost inside one of the biggest bells in the south of ,spain1 and it had rung4 ,the clapper again swung itself with force against the side of the bell1 and in spite of my protecting hands the sound burst through my head4 ,for ten minutes afterwards my hand was shaking too violently to allow me to paint4 ,the view from the tower was exquisite4 ,immediately below me were the blue glazed cupolas and the arabesques of the cathedral facade on which little stone saints gazed out over the town4 ,then came a large square centred on a circular garden of flowers--edged on one side by the pink front of the ,archbishop's palace1 many windowed4 ,from the end of the square narrow sunless streets led into the town1 which gradually became a patchwork of flat roofs on which smaller buildings were erected4 ,the huge square block of red brick of the ,reina ,victoria ,hotel stood out over the sinuous river1 on the banks of which stood the red pepper mills and beyond which showed the huertas stretching out to the mountains4 ,red1 ochre1 yellow and green were the chief colour notes1 while blue and purple shadows gave relief and solidity to the whole4 ,in the evening ,i played the piano at the house of ,luis' friends4 ,here was a typical ,spanish bourgeois interior4 ,every resting-place was crowded with cheap bric--brac4 ,the chairs were draped with velvet and silk hangings and antimacassars2 the walls hung with enormous photographic enlargements1 from the decorating of which ,flores made some of his living4 ,card-racks covering the interspaces of the walls were filled with coloured picture postcards4 ,we have brought you here1 said ,flores1 because it is just opposite to the ,circulo des ,varios ,artes4#bh ,the pianist of the ,arts ,club is very conceited4 ,we want to take him down1 by showing him that a ,seora can play better than he does4 ,illustration ,i was rather annoyed2 but could not draw back4 ,so ,i put my best into the music4 ,grieg 7pronounced by them ,hriech7 seems to suit the ,spanish temperament3 so ,i played ,the ,wedding ,march1 ,papillion and the ,carnival4 ,there was a pause4 ,then faintly as a retort1 from the ,circulo des ,varios ,artes1 came the easiest of ,grieg's lyrical pieces played carefully by the maestro4 ,as if he would say1 ,i too can play ,grieg4 ,on ,sunday morning we set off with ,don ,feliz to see the old guitar4 ,it is in the house of my novia1#bi whom ,i shall be delighted to introduce to you4 ,we were amazed4 ,until that moment we had imagined ,don ,feliz to be quite an old man1 but looking closely at him one could see that he might be within the limit of thirty to forty years4 ,on this second visit to ,murcia the people were not so strongly affected by my appearance in the streets4 ,for my part ,i no longer wore a hat1 but carried a parasol2 ,i had exchanged my ordinary dress for an ex-munition overall1 which people said was muy elegante4 ,but we penetrated into a new part of the town1 then was some staring and some pointing4 ,i mentioned this casually to ,don ,feliz4 ,do not fear1 he exclaimed1 you are safe with me4 ,i have a terrible reputation in these parts4 ,i am known as a bad man4 ,if ,i get into a rage1 my anger is terrible to see 444 terrible4 ,the children slink away in the street at my coming4 ,this was not the estimate we had formed of him1 from his encounter with ,blas in ,emilio's shop4 ,poor ,don ,feliz1 like so many others he had formed a dream self which contained most of the qualities in which he was lacking4 ,i fear that only his illusive self was terrible1 and that none but dream children ever shrank at his passing4 ,the house of his novia bore on its weather-beaten front the arms of some bygone hidalgo2 now it was an apartment house4 ,we clambered up staircases of black wood1 into one of the few dark-coloured interiors we have seen in ,spain4 ,the guitar was of a strange form and with a scrolled head1 the curve of its shape having some of the beauty to be found in negro sculpture4 ,jan seized the bargain1 and carried it home4 ,no sooner had he the guitar in the house than he tuned it1 and crashing his finger-nails across it1 struck out a rasped chord4 ,he quickly followed it with a shout of dismay4 ,from out of one of the big holes had crept a startled bug4 ,after my experience with the church bell ,i could sympathize with the insect1 weeping perhaps walrus tears upon its death-bed4 ,but the problem of how one could disinfect a guitar was worrying4 ,the case had no cracks for vermin-harbouring1 so we shut up the instrument2 and after some indecision ,jan decided to trust to luck and leave it alone4 ,on ,sunday night we gave a party to ,emilio1 his wife1 the little ,professor and other afficianados of the guitar4 ,we played to them selections of genuine classical music1 ,bach1 ,beethoven1 ,handel on the gramophone4 ,don ,feliz sat by himself in a corner1 his head in the air1 tapping his foot to the metre4 ,all that1 all that ,i have heard before1 he said4 ,emilio listened with delight on his rugged face4 ,every few minutes he whispered to his wife3 ,shut up talking4 ,this is worth listening to4 ,then we tried an experiment4 ,we had just received from ,el ,seor a plate of ,stravinsky's ,oiseau du ,feu4 ,we put it on to the machine4 ,the audience kept an intense silence4 ,but that is marvellous6 they exclaimed as soon as the record was over4 ,play it once more1 ,seor4 ,seor1 said one of ,emilio's friends1 what can ,i do for you8 ,have you any milk--no8 ,he ran downstairs and out of the house4 ,in ten minutes he came back1 thrust a milk-can into ,jan's hands4 ,there6 he exclaimed4 ,and if you want any more cow's milk1 come to me4 ,i keep a milk-shop1 you know4 ,then he went on more seriously3 ,but you are indeed lucky to have bought that old guitar of ,don ,feliz4 ,he would never sell it to me4 ,i have offered a hundred pesetas for it2 and there are others who have offered more4 ,this left us with a problem in psychology to work out for the next few days4 ,why had ,don ,feliz sold ,jan the guitar8 ,we put the question to ,luis4 ,oh1 he answered1 probably ,don ,feliz found the ,seor ,juan sympathetic4 ,but this did not satisfy us4 ,don ,feliz had made much of the fact that we were leaving the country3 that we were going far away4 ,at last we worked it out thus4 ,don ,feliz had bought his novia a laud4 ,he was short of money to pay for it4 ,this1 however1 would not have been enough reason in itself1 but he was also jealous of the other players in the town1 and by selling the guitar definitely to ,jan he would first allay the temptation that he might sell it locally4 ,he put the price low1 because he knew we were badly off2 but some of the wrench of parting with the instrument--of which he was very proud--was eased by knowing that it was going to be taken to the grand cities of ,london and ,paris1 where its uniqueness would be valued4 ,but we think he would have died of starvation rather than allow one of his local rivals to possess his old guitar4 ,when ,i was not sketching in the campanile1 ,jan and ,i went to the cafs and drew the people sitting about us4 ,this gave delight to the waiters4 ,one morning while we were at one of the caf's facing the river ,blas came up4 ,he passed over the fact that we had quarrelled1 and that ,jan had dropped him for ,don ,feliz4 ,draw me6 said ,blas4 ,the result was that one by one all the richest gipsies of the town came and posed to me at the caf tables4 ,this was1 in fact1 the gipsies' caf4 ,they were on the whole a handsome set of men1 very intelligent and shrewd in expression and of prosperous appearance4 ,most of these carried the indefinable touch which makes an internationalism amongst those who are interested in beasts of burden4 ,they are reputed to be expert cattle and horse thieves1 and are still to some extent despised by the ,spaniard4 ,but our first impressions were not unfavourable4 ,illustration ,illustration ,the autumn seemed to be a period of fiesta4 ,we had luckily just missed the great fiesta of ,murcia which culminates with a huge procession out to ,fuen ,santa in the mountains4 ,but often we were awakened at three in the morning by a series of alarming reports and explosions in the street outside4 ,there was a large church at the end of the ,paseo de ,corveras1 and it seemed as though guns were going off all around the walls4 ,the first time we heard this we sprang to our windows1 for we had heard something of the quarrelsome nature of the ,murcians4 ,but the explosions were up in the air4 ,rocket after rocket soared up into the air and exploded with a loud crash1 then large zigzag crackers were thrown down into the street4 ,grumbling at the noise1 we went back to bed4 ,next day we found out that it was a fiesta1 the rockets sent up by the priests2 and often after that we were awakened in the dead of night by these almost ,chinese religious ceremonies4 ,we had heard much of the quarrelsome nature of the huertanos4 ,luis and ,flores had both told us tales of quarrels amongst the cultivators4 ,both at ,verdolay and in ,murcia we had seen small bands of young men wandering about at eventide with guitars and songs4 ,they were hunting for trouble1 and if they should meet another band1 then a fight ensued1 ending with broken instruments and possibly a stab or two4 ,one afternoon ,jan was walking homewards from ,emilio's1 where he had been buying guitar-strings4 ,he was close to the ,paseo de ,corveras1 when a young man rushed round a corner and cannoned hard into him4 ,jan stumbled and to save himself clutched the man by the coat4 ,it was a corner around which youths were accustomed to lark1 and ,jan1 believing this to be a piece of horse-play1 decided1 while yet stumbling and clutching1 that the horse-play was too rough4 ,so dragging at the blouse of the man1 who struggled to escape1 ,jan exhorted him to come back and to explain himself4 ,while he was still holding on to the man1 a crowd burst around the corner and flung itself on to the presumed joker4 ,jan's head was in a whirl4 ,one man leapt fiercely on to the joker's back1 wrenched his arms behind him and grasped him4 ,the struggling crowd swayed to and fro and suddenly lurched sideways through the door of a tobacconist's shop4 ,two women in the shop began to shriek at the upper pitch of their voices4 ,the turmoil quietened4 ,a furious talk began in the shop4 ,the young man who had pinioned the joker1 trying to explain1 loosened his grip to use his hands conversationally4 ,at once the joker leapt for freedom4 ,he ran1 panting like a dog1 out of the shop1 the crowd bellowing1 amid screaming1 at his heels4 ,the man was chased into an ironmonger's1 where he took refuge behind the counter4 ,the crowd blocked up the doorway4 ,jan1 who had joined the crowd in dismayed curiosity1 then began to pick up detached words3 ,asesino1 ,asesino 444 asesinato4 ,good ,lord6 said ,jan to himself4 ,i don't want to get mixed up in a murder trial4 ,as he turned away1 two gendarmes1 with the ridiculous schoolgirl hats on their heads1 led the murderer away4 ,during this time ,i had been at home4 ,a sudden outburst of noise dragged me to the window4 ,down the street1 a man was running4 ,he went in a queer way1 holding himself between the legs with his hands1 and sometimes stumbling1 sometimes leaping as one does in dreams of pursuit4 ,carts were driven furiously after him4 ,he was shouting out in a voice1 full of surprise and of anger4 ,after a moment ,i made out the words3 ,catch the man who has murdered me6 ,catch the villain who has killed me6 ,he stumbled once more and fell4 ,men jumped from the carts1 lifted him into one1 and drove him away4 ,i ran downstairs4 ,antonio's gaunt mother-in-law was standing in the doorway4 ,it is an assassination1 she said4 ,i doubt that the poor man will live4 ,he was stabbed in a ticklish part4 ,i wonder where ,jan is1 ,i said to myself2 and at that moment saw him coming along the sidewalk4 ,i ran to him4 ,jan1 ,i cried1 a man has been murdered4 ,i know1 he answered2 ,i unwittingly caught the murderer4 ,the ,paseo de ,corveras must have more than its fair percentage of fat old women4 ,they all stood on their doorsteps talking in awed tones of the tragedy4 ,then with a ludicrous unanimity each pushed her skirts between her legs with a dramatic hand and holding herself so that she plainly illustrated her meaning exclaimed1 ,ei6 el pobre6 ,y en un sitio tan delicado4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #bf3 ,my village4 ,footnote #bg3 ,peaches1 ,pears6 but ,grapes6 ,grapes6 ,footnote #bh3 ,the ,arts ,club of ,murcia4 ,footnote #bi3 ,betrothed4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi ,,lorca ,we still had money for another three weeks1 although we had been four months in ,spain4 ,the weather in ,murcia was very cold2 damp1 chilling winds blew down the valley4 ,we decided to go westwards1 to explore ,lorca1 which we had heard was both fine pictorially and also which was called the ,city of the ,sun4 ,on suggesting the idea to some of our ,murcian friends1 they advised us not to go4 ,it is a town of bad people1 they said2 they are all gipsies4 ,we had heard before of these towns of bad people4 ,one lay on the far side of the ,murcian valley2 a village which clustered round the foot of the peak of rock on the top of which was a ruined castle4 ,these people had the reputation of chasing out intruding strangers with sticks and stones4 ,antonio1 fishing in the vicinity of this village1 had once been maltreated4 ,the villagers were proud of this brutality4 ,yes1 they would say1 we are brutes4 ,we are uncultivated4 ,we are the biggest brutes for fifty miles around1 and we mean to remain so4 ,other people had said that ,lorca was charming4 ,so we decided to find out for ourselves4 ,we hoped to find rooms in a posada1 and we reduced our luggage to moderate dimensions2 most of it we put in the van1 leaving ourselves only the guitar and the laud to look after4 ,the train left early in the morning1 and stopped at the first station1 where we had to change4 ,we rushed across the line1 having to clamber under a long train of waggons which blocked the way1 and won corner seats4 ,a lanky boy of eighteen1 dressed in a long white travelling ulster1 with a bret on his head1 took most of the other seats in the carriage1 filling them with packages4 ,the young man seemed very familiar with railway travelling3 he called all the porters by name1 and exchanged smokes with the engine-driver4 ,but the train did not move4 ,presently the youth came back and said3 ,the engine is a bad one4 ,it won't start4 ,they are sending to ,murcia for another4 ,he went away once more4 ,a luggage train rumbled into the station4 ,this brought our boy back with a rush4 ,here1 he cried1 spread out1 spread out as much as you can4 ,it's an agricultural train1 and we shall be swamped with labourers4 ,he pushed his boxes and packages more widely over the seats4 ,his prediction was justified4 ,a horde of unshaven men1 carrying sacks and implements clambered up the side of the train and peered with round eyes into the windows4 ,no room here1 no room here1 cried the youth4 ,but there is nobody in the carriage1 protested one of the agriculturists4 ,they are in the fonda1 said the youth4 ,in spite of the energies of officials accommodation could not be found4 ,soon the agriculturists were wailing their protests1 wandering forlornly up and down4 ,at last the heart of our youth was softened4 ,here1 he cried4 ,room for two4 ,got to let some in1 he added to us in an undertone1 or they'll push the lot in on us4 ,the two who accepted the invitation were very subservient1 almost cringing1 and we stowed their sacks and other luggage between our legs4 ,they talked together in hoarse whispers4 ,in time most of the peasants were placed1 but one man who carried an enormous sack of potatoes seemed to be unplaceable1 for he refused to be parted from his sack4 ,the officials said the sack was too big for carriage traffic3 it ought to go in the van4 ,but no protestation moved the owner4 ,he was determined that1 come what might1 he and his sack would never part4 ,eventually1 as usually happens in ,spain1 he was allowed to do as he liked4 ,he and his sack were crushed into another carriage4 ,then ensued another dreary wait1 and at last1 three hours late1 the train drew out of ,alcantarilla4 ,as soon as we were well under way1 the youth said3 ,i'm off to a second-class carriage4 ,he opened the carriage door1 got down on to the running board and clambered off4 ,after half an hour he returned4 ,they collect tickets round about here1 he said4 ,sure enough within ten minutes came the ticket collector4 ,the train stopped at a station4 ,the youth got out on to the platform with a carriage whip and a square parcel1 which he handed to a waiting man1 for which service he received money4 ,this he did at other stations1 and gradually we realized what was his occupation4 ,in one part of ,murcia we had noted shops which called themselves ,agencies4 ,they had large notices saying1 ,commissions for ,lorca1 for ,barcelona1 for ,zaragoza1 etc41 etc4 ,we had not understood their purport1 but by some jump of intuition connected the youth with these shops4 ,he was the only ,spanish substitute for the parcels post4 ,at ,totana two gipsy women came into the carriage1 very friendly and talkative4 ,at the next station the two workmen left us4 ,in the carriage they had appeared good-humoured1 inadequate morsels of humanity4 ,but they descended into the bosoms of their family4 ,wives and daughters crowded round them and seized and shouldered their bags1 packs1 sacks and implements4 ,the men seemed to swell out like a dry thing cast into water1 blooming like a dead sea lily as they stood receiving the caresses of their womenfolk4 ,the last we saw of the more insignificant of the two was a picture of him striding like a king along the dusty road to the village with his family in humble though happy procession behind4 ,well does the ,spanish proverb say1 ,it is better to be the head of a mouse than the tail of a lion4 ,illustration ,two gendarmes--greenish khaki in uniform1 with the schoolgirlish helmets--armed with rifles took the place of the peasants4 ,the younger gipsy woman addressed them4 ,one of the gendarmes grunted1 the other glared his eye round and said nothing4 ,again she made a remark1 and again there was no reply4 ,then she said3 ,but it was you who arrested ,jos4 ,well1 answered the gendarme with a beard1 what of it8 ,but why did you arrest him8 said the gipsy4 ,he was innocent4 ,he did not murder ,ramon4 ,so you say4 ,but it is true4 ,he is a cousin of ,conchita here4 ,he was at her house that evening4 ,there is no evidence4 ,there was enough to get him arrested4 ,but that was all made up4 ,you see1 ,esteban hates him1 and ,esteban got up that false evidence4 ,you look up what ,esteban was doing4 ,i don't say that he was the murderer1 but he knows something about it4 ,yes1 he knew that ,jos did it4 ,but ,i tell you ,jos was with ,conchita here4 ,well1 tell that to the ,judge4 ,it is nothing to do with me4 ,i was told to arrest ,jos and ,i arrested him4 ,hum--he looked at ,conchita--,i suppose she is going to see him now8 ,yes1 we are going to see ,jos4 ,poor fellow1 and him innocent4 ,well1 if his defence is all right1 he'll get off4 ,if it isn't1 he won't--that's all4 ,we did not think that ,jos's neck was in any danger4 ,we had gained an impression that the average sentence for casual murder in ,spain is about two or three years' imprisonment4 ,this conversation went on for some time4 ,the gipsies talked round the subject1 over it1 under it1 twisted it inside out and outside in4 ,with all these variations it lasted till we arrived at ,lorca1 when we all1 gipsies1 gendarmes1 agency boy and ourselves1 got down from the train4 ,we put our luggage into the luggage-room and set out to look for the town1 which we had learned by experience would be found at some distance from the station4 ,a boy who carried a rope over his shoulder accosted us1 but we declined his services4 ,we strode out into a dusty road1 and there stood undecided1 for there were two paths to choose from4 ,the boy with the rope1 who now had a huge box on his shoulders1 came up1 and saying1 ,follow me1 ,seores1 walked on4 ,we looked at him and realized that here again we had touched the ,east4 ,here was a cord porter straight out of ,the ,arabian ,nights4 ,the rope was round the box and he held it to his shoulders4 ,with his rope he earned his living4 ,we followed him1 asking him for some place where we could eat4 ,he named the dearest hotel at once4 ,we declined1 explaining that we wanted the cheapest possible1 that is1 as long as the cooking was fit to eat4 ,i understand1 he said4 ,follow me4 ,the long avenue of lime trees came to an end--and our first view of ,lorca was opened out4 ,the town was almost like a mathematical line1 length without breadth4 ,it skirted the foot of a hill for three miles1 almost one long street1 which we were looking at end on4 ,spires towered into the air1 and on the top of the cliff the walls of a great ,saracen ruin overlooked the town4 ,the whole hill-side1 between town and castle1 was covered with the grotesque foliage of the prickly pear4 ,the cord porter took us down to the river1 which was crossed by a plank1 then up into the town4 ,he led us through small streets which fringed the great main street1 put down his box at a corner1 led us up another street and stopped at a high barricaded gate4 ,two filthy children were playing on the step4 ,the cord porter rapped with his knuckles4 ,there was no answer4 ,he rapped again loudly4 ,a hoarse voice cried out in questioning reply4 ,it's ,paco1 shouted the porter4 ,i've got two customers here4 ,a quarrel ensued through the keyhole4 ,there was a sound of a rusty lock and the door swung open4 ,a woman heated with cooking and with annoyance began to curse the cord porter4 ,why couldn't you bring them to the proper entrance8 she cried4 ,but she let us in1 took us through a yard in which huge stew-pots and frying-pans were cooking over a wood fire1 and ushered us upstairs1 past rooms filled with workmen diners1 into a long chamber lit by a window at one end1 with bullfight posters on the walls4 ,she brought us a plate of stew and wine4 ,we asked for bread4 ,why didn't you bring your own8 she said4 ,we did not know1 we answered4 ,oh1 all right4 ,i'll give you bread this time4 ,but1 next time1 bring your own bread with you4 ,we thought1 ,lorca is a rough place4 ,there was a sound of loud chaffing1 and in walked our agency boy of the train4 ,hullo1 he exclaimed to us4 ,are you here8 ,yes1 we answered4 ,and1 now we see you here1 we are sure this is the best place4 ,he grinned1 chucked the waitress under the chin1 and ordered a complex meal4 ,as soon as the staff perceived our acquaintance with the agency boy1 their manners changed4 ,they became charming1 inquiring after our need with a lively solicitude4 ,we asked the diners about a posada4 ,a bluff man1 with a walrus moustache1 seated at the same table1 said the posada at which he was staying was comfortable4 ,when you have finished your meal1 he said1 ,i will lead you there and introduce you to the proprietor1 an excellent fellow4 ,but you come unluckily4 ,to-day is market day4 ,there are many farmers in from the country1 and it is possible that you will find difficulties4 ,as we went out the waitress came running after us4 ,you have left your bread behind1 she cried4 ,with our new friend we went off4 ,but the posada was full for the night4 ,there is another one1 we will look at that1 said our guide4 ,if the other is full also1 you shall have my room1 and ,i will find a bed somewhere until a room is free4 ,tomorrow the place will be emptier4 ,on the way to the second posada1 we fell in once more with the cord porter4 ,you are looking for rooms1 he cried4 ,why didn't you tell me before8 ,i know of a splendid place4 ,i will lead you there4 ,illustration ,perhaps that will be better1 said the man4 ,i do not think the other posada would really suit you4 ,they say it is the meeting-place of loose women4 ,you understand8 ,the cord porter took us to a house outside of which were about ten hen-coops4 ,in the midst of the coops an old woman was sitting on a low chair4 ,she was an extraordinary shape2 like a ,chinese lucky image1 ,hotei4 ,her knees were perched on the rung of the chair1 and so large was her stomach that it rose in front of her like a balloon1 coming in its highest part well to the level of her chin4 ,she looked dingy and unwashed1 but we could not well draw back1 for the cord porter had told her our needs4 ,the obese woman stood up1 balancing her fantastic stomach by a backward bend of the spine4 ,she had two rooms1 one with a single bed1 one with a couple4 ,the single bed was small1 the ceiling looked as if it were not innocent of vermin4 ,we chose the double-bedded room after the conventional bargaining4 ,you will indeed be better there1 said our friend4 ,two beds are better than one4 ,the cord porter was commissioned to fetch our luggage and we went off with the other man4 ,we had invited him to take coffee with us4 ,he preceded us to a small buvette1 and the waiter showed us into a room partitioned into private boxes by means of canvas screens4 ,here one is at one's ease1 said our acquaintance4 ,we told him that we were painters4 ,i am a zapatero1#cj he said4 ,i have been here some weeks looking for work4 ,my proper town is ,aguilas1 though ,i was born here4 ,but ,aguilas is not large4 ,there was another zapatero in the town4 ,the people all took their work to him4 ,they said1 ',he is a fool1 but you are clever4 ,therefore he can make a living only where he is known1 and where folks sympathize with him2 while you can easily make good elsewhere4' ,so ,i had to come away4 ,but times are bad4 ,they say that there are too many zapateros in ,lorca already4 ,times are so bad in ,lorca1 he went on1 that ,i don't expect you will do the business here that you hope4 ,now1 if you are the painters you ought to be1 ,i have a proposal to make4 ,you come with me to some towns ,i know of down the coast4 ,you will put up your easel in the main street1 and will paint1 and ,i will sell lottery tickets at three goes for the real4 ,we will do a splendid business4 ,i can assure you that4 ,had the offer come at another moment we would have jumped at the chance of the fun4 ,but we had a ,london ,exhibition hanging over our heads4 ,we dared not waste the time4 ,this we explained to the zapatero1 adding also our regrets and how well the idea would have gone in the book we were projecting4 ,his expression altered at once4 ,books8 said he4 ,you are book people8 ,yes4 ,but1 he persisted1 you don't mean to say that you are that kind of persons8 ,not with those books that ,englishmen come selling4 ,you are book people--his voice rose with indignation--you have to do with those ,bibles6 ,shades of ,borrow6 we roared with laughter4 ,somewhat reassured the zapatero resumed his seat4 ,we explained4 ,ah1 he said1 ,i did not think that you could be that sort of persons and yet 444 ,you are ,english4 ,i1 he added proudly1 am an ,atheist6 ,of course ,i let my little boy read that book1 one has to learn to read somehow4 ,but ,i say to him1 ',don't believe it4 ,use it if you like1 but don't be taken in by it4' ,we went back to the house to find that our luggage had arrived4 ,a button was coming loose from my boot1 so the zapatero borrowed needle and cotton and sewed it on professionally4 ,then1 as he said he liked the guitar1 we took out our instruments and began to play4 ,the female ,hotei ran into the entrada waving her hands4 ,oh1 oh1 she cried1 you mustn't play here6 ,you mustn't play here6 ,the owner of this house died three days ago1 so we cannot allow any music here4 ,it would show the greatest disrespect4 ,we said au revoir to the zapatero1 and went out to examine ,lorca4 ,the houses on one side of the long street had swelled up the hill towards the ,saracen castle4 ,through this we went clambering upwards4 ,in appearance it was the oldest town we had seen4 ,the houses were of all shapes1 but of a uniform colour1 like yellow rust1 and the earth was of the same tint4 ,the houses piled themselves up in fine shapes1 but ,lorca suffered from the same drawback as ,murcia1 a drawback we had feared3 it was too big4 ,had we attempted to sketch in the streets we should have been swamped by people as ,i had been in the market-place4 ,the streets were full of men sitting in groups making alpagatas4 ,they called out after us as we passed4 ,the songs were different from those of ,murcia or ,jijona4 ,here is one1 a guajiras which a woman was singing3 ,love is an insect ,which enters the body1 ,and no rest is left there ,when it takes possession4 ,it gnaws like a wood-louse ,the tree where it burrows2 ,and in time it devours ,volition and strength1 ,leaving only desires ,for the one who is worshipped4 ,we scrambled up to the castle and from thence found a view of the surrounding country4 ,on the south there was a passage not unlike that of ,murcia1 a flat cultivated valley2 but to the north it looked as though giants had been at mining operations4 ,the hills looked not like the result of nature but of artifice1 they appeared to be huge mine dumps and slag heaps4 ,it was fantastic and unpaintable4 ,the town itself was too much like the conventionally picturesque mud coloured compositions of ,southern ,europe that every painter brings back from his travels1 and we decided that ,lorca was not a painting ground for us2 and that we would go back to ,murcia on the following day1 looking for some suitable spot at which to paint on the homeward route to ,barcelona4 ,we came down by a different path1 passing a cluster of seven white hermitages built on a square plateau4 ,they were small box-like structures1 and once1 we believe1 hermits did live in them1 but now they are deserted4 ,we reached ,mrs4 ,hotei's house both tired and hungry4 ,a crowd of women in black had just returned from the landlord's funeral4 ,they consented to boil us some eggs for supper1 which we ate under ,mrs4 ,hotei's piercing eyes4 ,from the ceiling of the supper-room hung clusters of quinces1 and on the mantelpieces were some interesting specimens of antique ,spanish pottery4 ,we went to bed early1 and to our dismay found that one of the beds had been taken away4 ,there was no washing apparatus in the room1 and the window looking on to the road was curtained by an old dirty sack4 ,well1 said we1 we are in for it4 ,pray ,heaven that there are no bugs4 ,as we were about to undress we heard scuffling and giggling which drew our attention to another drawback1 one to which we would not submit4 ,there was a second door to our room1 half glazed1 and the glass was covered by a hanging drapery4 ,but this drapery1 which was outside the glass1 had been pulled aside1 and a row of faces of curious children were staring in on us4 ,we rang the bell4 ,the daughter of ,mrs4 ,hotei was half surprised at our objection to publicity and that we were so squeamish about undressing as a popular spectacle4 ,but we persuaded her to pin up a pink shawl on our side of the door1 and we then went to bed4 ,to bed1 but not to sleep4 ,the bed was distressingly narrow4 ,we could remain in it by clinging together1 but if we loosened our grip1 one or the other began to roll out4 ,after some while ,jan had ideas of getting out and of sleeping on the floor1 but the floor was of stone and the only mat in the room was small and circular4 ,our determination to leave ,lorca strengthened as the night wore on4 ,at last we found a partial solution1 we lashed ourselves together with the blankets4 ,when sheer weariness was making us doze off1 a man upstairs began to take off his boots4 ,the floors were thin1 and he seemed to be a centipede4 ,boot after boot he hurled into a corner1 but even his feet were not inexhaustible1 and at last we slept fitfully4 ,we awoke very early1 grateful at least that no bugs had disturbed us4 ,in spite of the many warnings we had had of the verminous condition of ,spain1 it has not been our experience to encounter in the provinces of ,murcia and ,alicante even as much insect life as one might easily find in ,chelsea4 ,fleas1 of course1 there are1 but in a hot dusty country fleas are to be expected4 ,washing things were brought on demand1 though ,i think they had expected us to wash at the public sink in the outhouse4 ,then we breakfasted on bread1 coffee and grapes1 while ,mrs4 ,hotei sat by resting her stomach on the edge of the table and chanting in a hollow voice a pan of her own virtues4 ,it ran somewhat thus3 ,i am la gorda1 ,the fat one of ,lorca4 ,my stomach is ill4 ,of an illness which makes it ,swell up like a football4 ,but my heart has no illness2 ,it is sound1 it is loving1 ,and makes no distinctions ,between different peoples4 ,i am la gorda1 ,the fat one of ,lorca4 ,my home is well known ,because of its cheapness ,and the love of a mother1 ,which ,i shed o'er my lodgers4 ,nowhere else will you ,find meals of such richness ,or cooking so luscious ,for people whose purses ,are small in dimensions4 ,i am la gorda1 ,the fat one of ,lorca4 ,my house is so loved by ,the folk of the district ,that my bedrooms never ,one moment are empty4 ,i'll give you an instance3 ,last night1 for example1 ,each bed carried double ,and would have contained more ,could one but compress folks ,to smaller dimensions4 ,i am la gorda1 ,the fat one of ,lorca4 ,those who once come here ,come back again1 always4 ,my card ,i will give you ,that you may remember ,that ,lorca possesses ,a kind-hearted mother1 ,or1 anyhow1 one who ,will fill that position ,as long as you settle ,the bill she presents you4 ,in this plain song she explained both the disappearance of our second bed and the centipedal man upstairs4 ,when she had finished we broke to her the news of our imminent departure4 ,we lunched once again at the eating-house1 which this day was full of peasants4 ,three women in black who might have stepped out of the pages of the ,bible faced us4 ,they were not friendly in manner4 ,a small soldier1 half tipsy1 came in and1 soon after him1 the agency youth4 ,the latter began to tease the tipsy soldier1 and in a short while both had pulled out knives and were threatening each other in mock earnestness4 ,but one could see that it needed little--an accidental word1 a sentence misunderstood--to swing the drunken soldier over from joking to earnest4 ,we took coffee at a caf in the central street4 ,la gorda rolled up the street1 came to our table1 and accepted a glass of anis dulce for the illness of her stomach4 ,we set off to the station followed by a small boy wheeling our luggage on a barrow4 ,as ,i went people shouted after me3 ,sombrero1 ,sombrero4 ,the train was1 of necessity1 late4 ,we sat down in the station hall1 and the gipsy woman who had come from ,totana joined us4 ,a blind woman led by a child took up her position at the booking-office exit1 cunningly begging from the folk as they were handling their small change4 ,the small child had one bad eye and was wiping both eyes with the same handkerchief4 ,one could see that she1 too1 was threatened with blindness4 ,the zapatero came1 having dined at a friend's house4 ,a good deal of farm produce was being prepared for the train4 ,there were crates of chickens1 which were thrown about from hand to hand2 but some unfortunate turkeys were not even as lucky as the hens4 ,about twenty of them were packed loosely into a large net bag4 ,the porter picked up each bag and1 the turkeys squeaking loudly1 pitched it up to a man who was standing in the truck4 ,the bags were packed one on the top of another with a total lack of consideration for the turkeys' feelings4 ,there is no ,s4,p4,c4,a4 in ,spain4 ,jan told the zapatero that if he were coming to ,murcia he could give him an address which might be useful4 ,he then wrote ,antonio's name and direction1 which the zapatero accepted almost with reverence4 ,jan went off to the ticket-office1 while ,i1 aided by the zapatero1 found a carriage in the train1 which had just arrived4 ,the gipsy woman came with us2 and an old man also got into the carriage4 ,up and down the platform a hawker was walking with a broad basket over his arm4 ,he was selling thin circular cakes4 ,i bought five1 one for each person in the carriage4 ,the old man accepted the cake which ,i offered him1 took a large bite1 ruminated for a moment over it and remarked3 ,these cakes value nothing4 ,the zapatero and the gipsy woman each took a bite4 ,opinion seemed unanimous4 ,i then bit in my turn4 ,the cake had a queer taste3 it was something like a thin cold muffin flavoured with cayenne pepper4 ,the gipsy woman collected the cakes1 each with a bite out of it 7like the mad hatter's saucer71 and put them into her basket1 saying1 ,oh1 the children won't grumble at them4 ,but ,i was determined that ,jan should have the experience4 ,as he came out of the ticket-office he was intercepted by the cake-sellers1 who said to him3 ,seor1 you have a wife1 who is a remarkable woman4 ,the old man turned to the zapatero4 ,who are these people8 he demanded4 ,the zapatero began to give an account of us4 ,they are painters1 he said2 they travel about the country making pictures with paint and brushes1 not with a machine4 ,not content with that they are amateur musicians1 and can play4 ,there are their instruments4 ,but better than all this they can read and write2 and what is more ,i can prove it4 ,with an air of pride he drew from his bosom the card on which ,jan had written ,antonio's address4 ,the old man took it4 ,he perched a pair of horn spectacles on his nose and read the address through from end to end4 ,then he handed the treasure back solemnly to the zapatero4 ,and very well done too1 he said4 ,we said good-bye to the zapatero1 and the train drew out of the station some two hours late4 ,gradually the night darkened4 ,there was a long wait at ,alcantarilla1 and we arrived at ,murcia within the four hours' limit which one must place on the ,spanish time-table4 ,we left our van luggage to be collected in the morning1 and carrying our instruments in our hands walked back to the ,paseo de ,corveras4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #cj3 ,bootmaker4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii ,,murcia--,,last ,,days ,next morning we sent ,marciana to tell ,jesus1 the water-carrier1 to bring our registered luggage from the station4 ,after a long delay she came back saying that no luggage with a number corresponding to that of the receipt was to be found4 ,we set off through the mud to the station1 and after having suffered from some lack of courtesy on the part of one or two of the clerks we were able to convince ourselves that ,jesus had spoken the truth4 ,our luggage1 consisting of a suit-case1 a rucksack and a hold-all1 containing all our warm clothes1 our painting materials1 all our drawings of the past five months1 was missing4 ,we were assured that we had nothing to be anxious about4 ,the next train from ,lorca would arrive about six-thirty1 and the things which must have been left behind at ,lorca would come on by it4 ,but the ,spanish reassurances had no foundation1 the baggage did not come1 and the baggage officials confessed themselves astounded4 ,such a thing1 they said1 has never happened before4 ,the station-master1 a short1 portly1 grumpy fellow1 at first refused to listen to our complaints4 ,when at last we compelled him to do so1 he shrugged his shoulders and said1 ,it is a fatality4 ,after some pressing1 however1 he consented to telegraph to ,lorca1 and to telephone to ,alcantarilla1 the junction4 ,the next day no news was forthcoming of our luggage1 and the station-master was hostile4 ,he saw in us persons who were troubling the peaceful round of his easy duties4 ,the other station officials said plainly the baggage had gone to ,madrid by mistake1 or perhaps to ,carthagena4 ,but neither ,lorca1 ,alcantarilla1 ,madrid nor ,carthagena would confess knowledge of our errant luggage4 ,we were indeed in rather an awkward situation4 ,we had reserved just enough money with which to travel homewards1 but were now faced with the prospect of a long stay in ,murcia waiting till our luggage was found and1 if it continued missing1 with the purchase of many necessary articles which we now lacked4 ,for instance1 we had no boots1 having made the journey in alpagatas4 ,by this time1 of course1 ,antonio1 and indeed1 through the agency of ,marciana and of ,jesus1 the whole quarter had learned of our misfortune4 ,antonio arranged for a meeting with a clerk of some commercial firm4 ,this clerk's chief occupation seemed to be the pestering of the ,spanish railways for lost objects1 and he entered with gusto into our affair4 ,he made us work out a list of our losses and added on a thousand pesetas to our total1 which he said was ridiculously underestimated4 ,then we went1 backed by ,antonio1 to the railway station4 ,what do you want8 snarled the station-master1 as he saw us appear once more4 ,these ,seores have come to make a claim1 said ,antonio4 ,ha ha6 said the station-master1 grinning4 ,they won't be able to do so4 ,they are foreigners1 and will not be able to write it out properly4 ,pardon me1 answered the clerk4 ,i am here to write it properly in their names1 and they will sign it4 ,this will be sufficient4 ,after a short argument the station-master gave way4 ,he took us into an office and spread out before us a large book4 ,it seemed that the railway companies had made ample provision for recording losses4 ,the clerk opened it1 tucked up his sleeves1 squared his elbows1 and in careful orthography began to shape on the page a complex document1 full of ,spanish equivalents for whereas and wherefore4 ,when the signing was completed we went home4 ,i have given them a week in which to find the luggage1 said the clerk4 ,after that delay is over1 they will have to pay you4 ,even if the luggage is recovered the day after the week is up1 you may refuse it1 and demand the cash in its place4 ,we went home to count up our diminishing resources3 ,here is a week1 said we1 here are two pairs of boots4 ,we had heard rumours of boats which travelled round the coast1 and understanding these to be cheaper than the railways we made inquiries2 but ,murcia was just too far from the sea to be interested in shipping1 and we had to give up the idea of reaching ,france by this means4 ,murcia was bitterly cold during those days of waiting4 ,our warmer underclothes were lost with the luggage1 and our friend's house1 wonderfully cool on the hottest day of summer1 was frigid in the damp1 rainy autumn4 ,we had nothing to do1 for all our materials were missing1 and one could not make excursions on foot1 because the roads were deep in mud4 ,so we waited1 shivering1 until we could escape from a country which had no suitable appliances for warming its chilled inhabitants4 ,we at last came to the end of the week's grace1 and the luggage had not appeared4 ,so1 finding that the process of extracting payment from the railways was going to be a long one1 we decided to give ,antonio a power of attorney to manage the affair for us4 ,we were assured that payment would certainly be made eventually1 though with a little delay4 ,antonio took charge of arrangements to draw up the necessary papers1 while we set to packing what remained to us of luggage1 including the large ,sevillian basin given to us by ,la ,merchora4 ,at last everything was ready2 on the following day we were to sign the papers in the presence of a lawyer1 and the next day we were to set out for ,alicante by the morning train4 ,on the morning of the last day1 while we were sewing ,la ,merchora's ,sevillian basin into a huge rush basket which was to protect it from damage on the journey1 we looked out of the window and saw1 somewhat to our dismay1 a fat1 familiar figure strolling along the pavement4 ,the bootmaker had arrived from ,lorca hunting for work4 ,in spite of a feeling of gratitude which we entertained towards him for the help he had given us at ,lorca1 we could not but wish that he had come at some other time4 ,our day would be as full as we could well manage4 ,the complications which might be added by having to dance attendance on the zapatero filled us with dismay4 ,to our relief the bootmaker sauntered on towards the town4 ,selfishly we hoped that he would leave us alone4 ,we had told ,antonio about him1 and both ,luis and ,flores had promised to help him to find work when he arrived4 ,commissions called us into the town1 and we slunk along the streets1 spying for a portly form4 ,but upon our return we met it1 coming out of ,antonio's house4 ,our ,fate could not be avoided1 so we asked him in to a simple lunch1 at which we put before him1 amongst other things1 a large dish of especially selected olives which we had bought to take back with us to ,england4 ,the zapatero approved so much of our taste in olives that1 to our dismay1 he almost finished up our store2 and in consequence we had to waste more of our precious time in buying a new supply4 ,we might indeed have saved ourselves the trouble3 we were fated to reach ,england without olives1 for the bottle holding them was afterwards forgotten and left in a railway waiting-room4 ,after lunch we dismissed the zapatero1 hinting to him as broadly as we could that we now had a lot to do1 but that we would be delighted to see him at about seven o'clock1 by which time our business would be over4 ,however1 when at three o'clock we called at ,antonio's house to bring him to the lawyer's office at which the power of attorney was to be signed1 the zapatero was sitting comfortably in one of the rocking-chairs awaiting our arrival4 ,we suggested to him that we had business to attend to4 ,he replied that he would accompany us into the town4 ,so ,antonio1 the clerk1 the zapatero1 ,jan and ,i set out for the lawyer's office4 ,we had expected the bootmaker to leave us on the threshold1 but he stalked gravely in our rear1 and introduced himself to the lawyer's clerks as a friend of the family4 ,the lawyer's office was a large apartment with a black and white tiled floor1 at one end of which was the clerk's table and at the other that of the lawyer4 ,he was a thick-set man covered with a huge golfing cap in loud checks4 ,over his head was suspended from the ceiling1 with outstretched wings1 a stuffed and dilapidated eagle from which generations of moth had stolen all hint of beauty4 ,we discovered that this eagle1 in some form or another1 is the recognized trademark of the lawyer4 ,one is tempted to wonder if this bird of prey hovers thus emblematically over the head of the man of law as a sort of symbolic warning to the simple-minded peasants4 ,the legal preliminaries were brought to a stop by the discovery that ,jan had forgotten the passports2 so1 while he set off in a hurry to get them1 we sat around in an uncomfortable circle4 ,meanwhile the chill from the tiled floor crept upwards through my feet4 ,to break the silence the lawyer began to pay me the usual compliments on my ,castilian4 ,immediately in came the zapatero4 ,she is a talented lady1 he exclaimed4 ,not only does she speak ,english in addition to our language1 but she can paint pictures1 and play on musical instruments4 ,these ,i have seen and heard myself4 ,furthermore1 she has other talents3 she can read and write1 and so can her husband4 ,in case you do not believe this latter statement ,i can prove it4 ,illustration ,whereupon he pulled from his pocket the address which ,jan had written for him at ,lorca and1 unfolding it with some solemnity1 placed it on the lawyer's desk4 ,the latter1 perceiving nothing humorous in the zapatero's action1 read the writing gravely and handed it back with expressions of approval4 ,but the arrival of ,jan with the passports by no means seemed to satisfy the lawyer4 ,he turned the papers over and over and said that with these nothing could be done4 ,after much difficulty we discovered that no justice could be claimed in ,spain unless one were registered at the municipal offices4 ,the tax for registration depended upon one's station and possessions4 ,there was just time1 with luck1 to get ourselves registered before the offices were shut2 so1 fearful that we should miss another day1 we hurried through the narrow ,murcian streets1 led by ,antonio and followed by the bootmaker4 ,on the way a sudden doubt attacked ,jan4 ,his passport name is ,godfrey ,jervis1 but he generally signs himself by his pen-name of ,jan4 ,thoughtlessly he had signed the claim in the station book ,jan and was afraid that if this name was not entered in the other papers a legal flaw might be entailed4 ,the municipal registry office was a long1 dark passage pierced with small1 square1 deep-set pigeon-holes and about large enough to admit the passage of a head4 ,through one of these holes we made our claim1 asking for tramps' certificates--the cheapest of all4 ,my municipal paper was filled in easily enough1 but we had a tough struggle to induce the official to alter ,godfrey ,jervis to ,jan4 ,at first1 as is official habit1 he was hidebound1 but in ,spain by persistence one can achieve anything4 ,in turn ,jan1 myself1 ,antonio and the zapatero1 thrust a head through the hole adding urging to expostulation4 ,luckily the passport name was not very clearly written1 and at last the official admitted a compromise3 he put ,godfrey ,jan1 and our spirits rose once more4 ,back we went to the lawyer's office1 where1 with some delays1 and the expenditure of eighteen pesetas1 we turned ,antonio into our representative against the railway companies4 ,we may add that one year and six months have passed since then2 we have since paid twenty-two pesetas more for another document2 and a few months ago we were informed that possibly our case would come up for settlement next year4#ca ,before the night was over we also learned to our satisfaction that ,luis had found a job for the zapatero1 and that ,antonio had got him a bedroom at the small confectioner's in a street close by4 ,,footnotes3 ,footnote #ca3 ,at the time of going to press we have just received a message from ,spain4 ,the ,spanish authorities announce a happy ending to the trouble4 ,our luggage has been discovered at ,alcantarilla1 four miles from ,murcia1 where it has been all the while4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii ,,the ,,road ,,home ,we set out on our journey home next morning4 ,the bootmaker1 who arrived at the house almost before we were dressed1 came with us to the station1 where he presented us with a large packet of angels-hair cakes as sustenance for the journey4 ,this favourite ,murcian delicacy1 made from the inside of a gourd1 has a stringy consistency and a sickly flavour4 ,the zapatero had secured them on tick from the confectioner's where he was lodging4 ,as we take leave of him1 we may summarize his subsequent history as we drew it by hints and half-made revelations from ,antonio and his companions4 ,i am afraid that the zapatero's account of his departure from his village may have been invention4 ,in ,murcia he revealed himself as a man who was work-shy4 ,he borrowed money to get his tools1 he got advances on his wages1 he arrived late to work1 he ran up a large bill at the confectioner's2 and then1 one fine morning1 decamped4 ,this much we gathered4 ,antonio would never tell us1 but ,i believe that he himself paid the confectioner's bill after the zapatero's disappearance2 but to what extent our friends had suffered we could never learn4 ,as we had just finished breakfast we put the angels-hair cakes into our haversack4 ,but under the strain of travel the flimsy paper bag in which they were packed went to pieces1 the angels-hair spread itself in fibrous stickiness all over the contents of the haversack4 ,we felt no gratitude to the zapatero for his parting gift4 ,our resources1 despite an extra hundred pesetas borrowed from ,antonio1 were at a low ebb1 and1 after some tedious searching of a ,spanish railway guide1 we had decided to make our way home up the east coast of ,spain to ,barcelona and thence to ,paris4 ,this route was cheaper than that through ,madrid4 ,in addition1 we could travel by night1 spending our days in the towns1 and thus dodge the expenses of hotels4 ,we travelled1 of course1 third class because of cheapness1 and because of the interest which was always to be found amongst one's fellow passengers4 ,the journey was cold on account of our thin clothes1 and in spite of our hopes the carriages were so full and the interchanges of passengers so frequent that we could get no sleep4 ,after two days and nights we reached ,barcelona worn out1 having passed through ,alicante1 ,valencia and ,tarragona1 but too weary to get interest or amusement from any of these towns4 ,we arrived at ,barcelona on a chill morning and set out from the station to look for the ,british ,consul1 whom we wished to consult about our lost luggage4 ,barcelona is large1 and we waited for a tram4 ,a passer-by told us that our waiting was vain4 ,there was a traffic strike in progress and neither tram1 omnibus nor cab was to be had4 ,we would have to walk4 ,bad luck seemed to have reserved her efforts for the last few days4 ,we do not think that ,england realized the great interest excited all over the world by the sufferings of the late ,mayor of ,cork4 ,while his fate hung in the balance people would stop us in the streets of ,murcia1 or even in the outlying villages1 to ask us if we believed that there was a chance of his recovery4 ,he had died shortly before our homeward journey began4 ,the ,northern parts of ,spain see a parallel between their position and that of ,ireland4 ,indeed1 the parallel is not exact2 rather one might compare them to the position to which ,ulster fears to be relegated4 ,the fact remains that ,catalonia and the ,basque countries1 the hard-working1 commercial parts of ,spain1 object to the domination1 laxity and misrule of the ,government of ,madrid4 ,i believe that the party which wishes independence1 the ,spanish ,sinn ,fein1 is very small2 but it has become mixed with socialistic propaganda1 communism1 and so forth4 ,at any rate1 ,barcelona1 combining as it does the excitable nature of the ,spaniard with the organization of a working community1 provides the field for a series of extremely unpleasant strikes1 riots and demonstrations4 ,the transport strike was an illustration of this4 ,during the two days we were in ,barcelona1 three employers were shot in the streets by employs4 ,to return to the ,mayor of ,cork4 ,his death was the signal for a typical demonstration in ,barcelona1 in favour of the ,sinn ,fein and of the ,irish ,republic4 ,england was far enough away to remain undisturbed4 ,the ,english ,consul was at hand4 ,when we reached his house we found that all his window-glass had been smashed in sympathy for ,irish freedom4 ,at a first glance ,barcelona does not seem to be a ,spanish town4 ,there is something ,germanic about it4 ,sitting in the main square and watching the people pass by1 one could well imagine oneself in some town on the ,german border of ,alsace4 ,we remained in ,barcelona two days1 recovering from the fatigues of the journey4 ,on our last afternoon1 as we were strolling through a narrow back street1 our attention was caught by a window full of small figures1 baked in clay1 highly coloured and gilt4 ,the figures were all those of saints and biblical characters1 not depicted in the formal manner of religious moments1 but in a familiar and homelike way4 ,we went into the small shop and asked their purpose1 and were told that these figures were for ,christmas decorations4 ,we bought two--one of the ,blessed ,virgin hanging on a line a chemise which she had just washed1 the other an incognita lady saint with a distaff and a cat4 ,we had taken up our quarters at a small1 disreputable lodging-house opposite the station1 where they charged us the exorbitant fee of two pesetas a night each4 7,we suspect that the real price was one peseta74 ,the night-watchman got us out of bed at three o'clock1 as our train left at half-past four in the morning1 and the preliminaries to ,spanish travelling are complicated4 ,to our surprise we found but a small queue of people waiting at the ticket-office4 ,our immediate neighbour was a shabby man in a bowler hat from beneath which showed the curly black hair of an ,italian4 ,he was accompanied by a middle-aged bustling bourgeois4 ,the bourgeois took a ticket1 which he handed to the ,italian4 ,we then demanded tickets to the ,french frontier at ,cerbere4 ,we cannot book you to ,cerbere1 said the clerk2 the railway bridge between ,figueras and ,port ,bou has been damaged4 ,it will not be passable for three days4 ,we thought drearily of having to return to the lodging-house1 of three days more in this large1 transportless town of ,barcelona1 of again getting up at three a4m4 ,at this moment the ,italian came to our aid4 ,from ,figueras1 he said1 there are motor-cars which will carry the passengers over the frontier4 ,you can get along that way easily4 ,so we booked to ,figueras4 ,the ,italian accompanied us and revealed his history4 ,he was wandering about1 looking for work4 ,he had crossed the frontier on foot from ,france4 ,his papers were in a queer condition1 and some of them he had had to leave in the custody of the frontier officials as a guarantee4 ,but there was no work in ,barcelona1 so he was going back once more4 ,the bourgeois was an employ of the ,italian ,consulate1 who had come to the station to pay his fare and to see that he really left the town4 ,the train rolled along through that rich ,catalan scenery depicted in the landscapes of ,jos ,pujo1 and at about ten o'clock we reached ,figueras4 ,with some difficulty we found a boy and a hand-cart1 by means of which we could transport our luggage to the diligence office4 ,the road was uphill and deep in a clayey mud4 ,the poor boy tugged and pushed1 and ,jan had to go into the slime to help him4 ,through a long1 narrow1 old-fashioned street1 ,figueras opened out into a plaza planted with tall lime trees1 the fallen leaves of which made a sodden carpet on the ground4 ,the dead leaves seemed to give the dominant note of ,figueras1 a note of exhausted melancholy4 ,misfortune1 as has so often been said1 is sometimes good luck in disguise4 ,more get on or get out passengers had forestalled us with the car1 notably a fussy man who1 dragging with him two or three musical instrument cases1 was loudly informing everybody that he had a concert engagement somewhere in ,france and that his career would be blasted if he did not fulfil it4 ,there was no seat left for us4 ,we turned to the boy and asked him to find us some sleeping place for the night4 ,there is the ,grand ,hotel1 he said4 ,do not talk to us of grand hotels1 we answered4 ,grand hotels are institutions which level humanity to a dead datum of boredom and mulct it of expensive fees in the process4 ,claro1 responded the boy4 ,take us to some local pub1 we continued1 where the stranger rarely intrudes4 ,the boy1 forcing his cart uphill1 led us down a side street to a small wine-shop1 the woodwork of whose windows had recently been painted a gay violet hue4 ,we pushed our way inside4 ,a man with beady eyes1 who might well be called black-complexioned1 curtly demanded our business4 ,on our request for a bed he scanned us from head to foot4 ,we were indeed somewhat respectable1 having travelled in our best clothes for fear of another accident to our luggage1 wishing1 if such occurred1 to save the best we had4 ,the dark man turned to a woman who had a kind of hard1 crystalline beauty1 and consulted with her4 ,at last the woman said in a coarse voice3 ,they can have a room if they will take their meals here4 ,to which we consented4 ,the ,italian had been following us1 vainly begging us to walk over the frontier with him1 but as we had still a trunk1 two rucksacks1 and the large ,sevillian dish in its basket1 his suggestion did not seem feasible4 ,so we finally said good-bye to one another1 he setting off again on foot for ,france4 ,we were sitting over our coffee after lunch1 when the black-eyed host came near1 drew a chair close up to us1 stared at us with perplexed brows for a moment1 then said1 suddenly3 ,i know why you have come here4 ,we have come because the bridge is broken1 we said4 ,he waved this aside4 ,you need not mince matters with me1 he answered4 ,i can see1 ,i have two eyes4 ,i have plenty of opium upstairs4 ,opium8 ,yes1 you can smuggle it over to ,france quite easily from here4 ,but we are not smugglers4 ,i'll let you have it cheap1 answered the host1 closing one eye4 ,we again protested the entire innocence of our trafficking1 but obviously did not convince him4 ,he knew that people in our condition did not come to his shanty for nothing4 ,he renewed his attack after supper4 ,why have you come to my dram shop8 he asked4 ,because big hotels are dull1 we answered4 ,he shook his head4 ,you have some reason for wanting to get to ,france secretly1 he persisted4 ,your papers1 for instance1 are not in order4 ,we protested that they were4 ,you need not be afraid of me1 went on our host4 ,i am quite trustworthy4 ,we replied that in spite of the high opinion he had of us we had done nothing to deserve it4 ,let me see your passports1 said the landlord4 ,i knew it1 he went on1 as soon as he had examined them4 ,you have not been visd at ,barcelona4 ,you will not be able to get over the frontier4 ,they will turn you back4 ,we had understood that no vis was necessary to get back into ,france4 ,he said that we were mistaken4 ,this is where ,i can aid you1 said the host4 ,i can get you over the frontier1 so that you need not pass the customs or the passport office at all4 ,i have a special route by which ,i pass ,french deserters to and fro4 ,of course1 as you are not really dangerous1 ,i would only charge you a small sum--say forty or fifty pesetas apiece4 ,for the deserters the charge is considerably higher1 as the risk if caught is considerable2 while if you were caught you would only be sent back again into ,spain4 ,one of my men would drive you up at night1 and then at about four o'clock in the morning you would dash over the frontier4 ,i have sent hundreds to and fro4 ,we must confess that the adventure attracted us4 ,we had just enough money left to pay for the passage1 but one thing deterred us4 ,we had with us all the pictures which we had painted in ,spain4 ,if we were captured these would possibly be confiscated1 and this was a risk we could not cheerfully face4 ,we told our host that we would take a day to think it over4 ,the next day we decided that if the bridge were repaired within two days we would go to ,cerbere and try the normal course1 but that if the delay were longer we would take the deserters' route4 ,that day at ,figueras was so tedious that we mutually shortened our probation by a day4 ,on the morrow1 however1 we heard by chance that the bridge had been reopened and that a special train would pass through ,figueras at eleven o'clock4 ,it was then half-past ten4 ,jan rushed to pack1 while ,i hurried to our host to find some means of transport4 ,i found him giving his small child a ride-a-cock-horse on his foot4 ,to my news he answered that it was impossible1 that we could not reach the train1 that it was a train-de-luxe and terribly expensive1 and so on4 ,after a long and aggravating demur he suddenly turned to me4 ,all right1 he exclaimed4 ,if you will do it1 it shall be done4 ,he hurried me round a series of back streets1 routed out an old man and a donkey-cart1 and in a few minutes the luggage was packed and we were off to the station4 ,it was a close race4 ,jan ran on to get the tickets4 ,i remained with the old man and the donkey4 ,we had been told to pay the man a peseta2 but he expostulated at the wage1 demanding three4 ,we held firm1 however1 and at last1 with sighs and groans of despair1 the old fellow was going off1 apparently as heartbroken as though a near and dear friend had died4 ,we called him back and added twopence-halfpenny to his shilling4 ,he immediately broke into wreathed smiles and patted us cheerfully on the back1 wishing us a good journey4 ,at ,cerbere our passports were refused4 ,we had to go back to ,port ,bou1 where the ,french ,vice-,consul stamped them and1 with the loss of another day1 we were once more on our way to ,paris4 ,the night journey from ,cerbere to ,paris was terrible4 ,owing to the loss at ,lorca we were in thin summer clothes1 the temperature was three degrees below freezing point1 owing to some defect in the apparatus the carriages were not heated1 and a bulky market woman thrust her hand through the glass of the window2 so that for twenty-three hours a freezing draught searched every cranny of the carriage4 ,amongst our lost luggage had been our winter hats1 and we landed in ,paris1 much to the amusement of the ,parisians1 wearing ,panama hats in the middle of ,november4 ,,the ,,end ,,the ,,spanish ,,series ,edited by ,,albert ,f4 ,,calvert4 ,crown #hvo4 #gs4 #f;d4 net each vol4 ,,murillo4 ,a ,biography and ,appreciation4 ,illustrated by over #afe reproductions from photographs of his most celebrated pictures4 ,,spanish ,,arms ,,and ,,armour4 ,a ,historical and ,descriptive ,account of the ,royal ,armoury at ,madrid4 ,illustrated with over #cjj reproductions from photographs4 ,,the ,,escorial4 ,a ,historical and ,descriptive ,account of the ,spanish ,royal ,palace1 ,monastery and ,mausoleum4 ,illustrated with plans and #bgh reproductions from pictures and photographs4 ,,cordova4 ,a ,historical and ,descriptive ,account of the ,ancient ,city which the ,carthaginians styled the ,gem of the ,south4 ,by ,a4 ,f4 ,,calvert and ,w4 ,m4 ,,gallichan4 ,with #afj ,illustrations4 ,,the ,,prado4 ,a ,guide and ,handbook to the ,royal ,picture ,gallery of ,madrid4 ,by ,a4 ,f4 ,,calvert and ,c4 ,g4 ,,hartley4 ,illustrated with #bbj reproductions from photographs of ,old ,masters4 ,,velasquez4 ,a ,biography and ,appreciation4 ,illustrated with #adb reproductions from photographs of his most celebrated pictures4 ,,leon1 ,,burgos ,,and ,,salamanca4 ,a ,historical and ,descriptive ,account1 with #dfb ,illustrations4 ,,valladolid1 ,,oviedo1 ,,segovia1 ,,zamora1 ,,avila ,,and ,,zaragoza4 ,a ,historical and ,descriptive ,account1 with #cij ,illustrations4 ,,royal ,,palaces ,,of ,,spain4 ,a ,historical and ,descriptive ,account of the ,seven ,principal ,palaces of the ,spanish ,kings4 ,profusely ,illustrated4 ,,valencia ,,and ,,murcia4 ,a ,glance at ,african ,spain1 with #cde ,illustrations4 ,,catalonia ,,and ,,the ,,balearic ,,islands4 ,a ,historical and ,descriptive ,account1 with over #bej ,illustrations4 ,,sculpture ,,in ,,spain4 ,with #afb ,illustrations4 ,,the ,,spanish ,,royal ,,tapestries4 ,with #bgg ,illustrations4 ,,john ,,lane ,,the ,,bodley ,,head ,,ltd41 ,,vigo ,,st41 ,w4 #a ,,the ,,spanish ,,series ,,extracts ,,from ,,the ,,opinions ,,of ,,the ,,press ,daily ,news4-- 444 ,lovers of ,spain will be grateful to ,mr4 ,,calvert for the work he is doing in such volumes as these to provide a worthy monument of the greatness of its manifold appeals4 ,every volume has taught us to expect a high standard of excellence from the editor1 ,mr4 ,,albert ,f4 ,,calvert 444 ,sunday ,times4--,this is an extraordinarily cheap and attractive set of guide-books which ,mr4 ,a4 ,f4 ,,calvert is editing4 ,this ,spanish ,series is an excellent idea1 and it deserves the compliment of imitation4 ,british ,weekly4--,the ,spanish ,series provides an indispensable set of guide-books for the ever-increasing company of tourists in the ,peninsula4444 ,these handsomely produced volumes may be recommended to students of ,spanish history and art1 and to every intending traveller in ,spain4 ,queen4-- 444 ,mr4 ,,calvert',s purpose is to make readily available to the ordinary ,english reader and traveller information which guide-books necessarily do not supply4 ,the work involved in the collection of data must have been very great4 ,he utilises his material with real literary skill1 and there is not one of these books which is not equally pleasing and instructive to read4 ,but their dominant feature1 which puts them above and beyond all others in interest and educational value1 is the wealth of their illustrations4444 ,no country has ever been illustrated so completely4 ,the richness of ,spain in ,moorish and ,gothic monuments is incredible1 and ,mr4 ,,calvert has made them his special study4444 ,sketch4--,these volumes1 handsomely bound in the familiar red-and-gold colours of ,spain1 are calculated to give ,english readers a most comprehensive survey of this fascinating land1 and to convey a clear idea of its historic greatness4 ,the get-up of the books is in every way worthy of a series of this magnitude--a series which1 as one reviewer has said1 could not have been carried out by another living author4444 ,liverpool ,courier4--,mr4 ,,calvert1 who is responsible for this curiously interesting series1 is doing a remarkable work for ,spain4444 ,he is a good1 honest craftsman1 with a fine enthusiasm for his subject1 and he is content to set things before us in a straightforward way4 ,his writing is always readable1 so that the service he does in describing for us the treasures of ,spain1 and that nation's great personalities1 is really very considerable4444 ,,john ,,lane ,,the ,,bodley ,,head ,,ltd41 ,,vigo ,,st41 ,w4 #a ,,spanish ,,galicia4 ,by ,,audrey ,f4 ,,bell1 ,author of ,in ,portugal1 etc4 ,illustrated4 ,crown #hvo1 #gs4 #f;d4 net4 ,an interesting account of a little known part of ,spain4 ,,madrid4 ,by ,mrs4 ,,steuart ,,erskine4 ,with numerous illustrations in half-tone4 ,crown #hvo1 #gs4 #f;d4 net4 ,almost the only book giving a description of the ,spanish capital with chapters on its art treasures4 ,a book which should be in the hands of all travellers4 ,,siwa3 ,the ,oasis of ,jupiter ,ammon4 ,by ,c4 ,,dalrymple ,,belgrave4 ,illustrated in colour from the ,author's original drawings1 and from photographs4 ,demy #hvo1 #aes4 net4 ,a description of this wonderful and little known desert town with its unique rock dwellings and an account of the habits of its people4 ,,adventures ,,in ,,bolivia4 ,by ,c4 ,h4 ,,prodgers4 ,illustrated with sketches in colour by the ,author1 and with photographs4 ,with an introduction by ,r4 ,b4 ,,cunninghame ,,graham4 ,demy #hvo1 #abs4 #f;d4 net4 ,an account of expeditions in search of ,inca treasure said to have been hidden by the ,jesuits1 and rubber concessions in an almost unknown part of ,bolivia4 ,told with the navet and directness of a man who has done things4 ,,bygone ,,days ,,in ,,india4 ,by ,,douglas ,,dewar1 ,author of ,indian ,birds1 ,birds of the ,indian ,hills1 etc4 ,illustrated4 ,demy #hvo1 #ahs4 net4 ,a brightly written account of ,anglo-,indian life in the days of ,john ,company1 illustrated from contemporary pictures4 ,,john ,,lane ,,the ,,bodley ,,head ,,ltd41 ,,vigo ,,st41 ,w4 #a ,,the ,,adventures ,,of ,a ,,tropical ,,tramp4 ,by ,,harry ,l4 ,,foster4 ,illustrated4 ,demy #hvo1 #abs4 #f;d4 net4 ,south ,american ,life from a new angle--one of those rare books of travel--a record of experience that is fresh1 vivid1 and interesting4 ,a ,,tenderfoot ,,in ,,colorado4 ,by ,r4 ,b4 ,,townshend1 ,author of ,lone ,pine1 a ,girl from ,mexico1 etc4 ,illustrated4 ,demy #hvo1 #abs4 #f;d4 net4 ,a ,,son ,,of ,,the ,,middle ,,border4 ,by ,,hamlin ,,garland4 #gs4 #f;d4 net4 ,a ,,daughter ,,of ,,the ,,middle ,,border4 ,by ,,hamlin ,,garland4 #gs4 #f;d4 net4 ,two fascinating books of autobiography forming a continuous story of pioneer work in mid-,western ,america4 ,a ,daughter of the ,middle ,border has just been awarded the #ajjj-;dollar ,pulitzer ,prize for the best biography of the year #aiba4 ,,three ,,travellers ,,in ,,north ,,africa4 ,by the ,hon4 ,e4 ,,ward4 ,illustrated from ,photographs4 ,crown #hvo1 #fs4 net4 ,truth4--,written in a vivacious and entertaining manner1 and illustrated by some capital photographic reproductions4 ,,historic ,,paris4 ,by ,,jetta ,s4 ,,wolff1 ,author of ,the ,story of the ,paris ,churches4 ,illustrated4 ,crown #hvo1 #ajs4 #f;d4 net4 ,pall ,mall4--,the scheme of the book is admirable1 and it is the best guide of old ,paris we have met4 ,,john ,,lane ,,the ,,bodley ,,head ,,ltd41 ,,vigo ,,st41 ,w4 #a