The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-12-10
RdMBLES IN SPAIN,
Notes OF II Trip from vigo to the Tomb OF 81
Jnmes In CompostclIa.


bers by the thunder of cannon from Fort do
Castro. on the hill above us. announcing the
birth OF u royal infant. People those at least
well affected toward the reigning dynasty-lis-
tened nnxiousy TIL they had numbered 81.
Then there was n dead silence. Ii was only u
Princess! Had 1t been a Prince. 10l wouldhave
been the number of guns fired. No one was
more disappointed than the soldiers them
selves. The birth of n Prince would have short
encd their term of service by twelyemonth.
am writing this from near my open window
overlooking the beach. where sit and work in
the open air tho whole day. Beneath IA I
write. II half dozen Galcan peasant girls are
collecting at low tide the scaweed left on rock
and sand by the retiring waves. They wade
into the water with long handled rakcs or era
dies. singing merriy al the while. One takes
up n lively ditty. eNtcmporizing very often. and
then all tho others join in. carrying II on in
unison. and ending In long drawn, nasal
trll like the drone of a Scotch bagpipe. 1t
sounds tn one like the iet'd ch0rdo, Of the an
cient Dorinns-a few simple notes rcrrria,ed.
with varied and harmonious rhythm When
they have done they burst into u merry peal OF
laughter which echoes along the shore. while
their hoad coverings of bright red. yellow. and
blue give q vivid coloring to the white sands
ana tho grccn-hrown rocks OF the beach. All
this, with the yerdant slopes Of the mountains
enclosing tho bay TO the north would make one
believe that we mr." rather in soft and sunny
April than in mid November
This portion Of Gulicia IL well called the Bay
Country. because ot the succession Of deep and
broad estuarcs, which from Nigo to torcubion
ana beyond Corunhn seem To- invite the lees
tho broad neck II land separating the Bay Of
Pontcvcdra from that Of Arosa. the broadcast
and most magnificent of all these estuaries. the
excellent carriage road runs through country
70 all outward appearance an earthly paradise.
Even IL our own country this great highway
would be considered to be an admirable one.
II Is. however. only one ct many public benefits
conferred on his native, prov nee by Sebastian
smooth road. with the luxuriant maize fields
n neaeSes of srS ys v nal on ST hd sunny
slopes and ar"qnd every, white farm,
house You n.y., Tsh thst the road were
in the MONDAY sun is in,oierabc. and the dust
which every puff Of wind raises in clouds about
the fect Of your 20 i've ii led noiseS prevents You
e ,Sm fni ln af into H HiGM h YG n
provided in his day. The oldest inhabitants Of
these parts remember the time when the road
in its entire length wa shaded by double row
Of gigantic trees. the boUGh s of which inter-
twincd overhead. and made tina drive from
PoEtctedra g. the banks Of tho river lila cool
and plea SAINT for both walking and riding. But
amid Inc revolutions and disturbances OF the
last nifty or sixty years this great highway, like
all public lhiu..-. began to lie neglected. Agri-
culture declined under the enormous load Of
taxation. and the farmers along the
road were taught to believe That the
roots OF these great trees penetrated into
their fields and gardens. absorbing the fat Of
the earth. while the broad shade cast by the
sranSISs pE5Ngrt Hy and f hM from
destructive warfare on the lorliy trees cutting
ring Of bark FROM each trunk. and lenvn: the
crosby q, tho Archbthop was defeated by' Tie
very persons whom he wished 20 benefit. Still.
n YOU proceed. in spite oi san and dust, you
vi, be enchanted by ne grand scenery.f this
litue-kuown portion Of the peninsula. Now to
your right and presently t. N"ur left. rise ny
mountain masses with cultivated slopes M To
whore n broad belt # vivid green pin" and dark
fir begins, and abov" tina; th" dcnu'iri and pie
turc-quc granite crcs,s soar into the clouds 1iS-
cry now and then you have GLIMPSE OF some
narrow valley, with its white farm house, and
IN hunh!e Vitae church nesting IN "a" en-
brace Of the guardian mountains. delicious
dusty highway.
logs for nci:hborin. saw mill For some
time ere they come in sight our ears are
offended by u loud crcnking noise. Every cart
has two low. heavy wooden Wheels. So adapted
to the wooden axis that they creak rs loudly a-
possible. This music. the coachman Will tell
oxen that they absolutely refuse To pull when
their cart does not give forth these delectnh!e
81 bpoken son. aestpsd 10 Tep sTp err err r@d
These are driven hy girls with the bright rcd
and yellow kerchieis OF the country tied round
thrown over their black hair and tied under
the chin. on" Of them wears necklace of
i've gold earrings TO match.
But OF sudden. n turn in tho road brings
US to quarry quite rear ns at tho foot Of TIE
slope. The men are blasting the gray granite
masses. Some twenty or thirty women youn.:
and old are seated little lower down. each 10y
the side Of II heap Of broker. stones. hammer
in hand. breaking the large fragments before
them into small pieces while an overseer,
TannS or s st2gt s,ick , Is snry w,i"hnS
on We meet three carts linden with broken
stone. and drawn each by four or nye young
We are borne along TN exclamati9ns of de-
light. from our fellow travellers make
s S S"f sh an" Of the d Ss.Tfa sun under sxh
islike vision Of the Land I the blessed; the
molten gold dotted with island masses. rising
purple md silver from tie deep. and further
still where earth and ocean meet the high
lands reaching out on the western horizon like
wall OF blue cloud.
Borne 10 these shores by some trader, from
Tyre or Sidon, familiar with these waters like
their fathers before them tradition says that
81. James the Elder came soon after the usccn-
among the Celtic, populations TO the north and
south. placed bishops over tho church societies
founded by him, and then returned 10 the
the Acts OF the Apostles When his prominent
zeal and active prqselytism had drawn on him
to faith in the Master some thirteen Of his dis
cillcs di,nterrrd his body and brought ii back
a2 aInrs al sSey .c5
up the broad waters OF the Bay II Aro-a
up the daep and broad stream 81 tie | LA to the
lovely valley where shall presently sec the
town OF Padron. There they landed with their
charge. bearing ii further inland among the
mountains, and buryIpE il in n cave on the
face of II hillock, and amid Il dense growth of
forest tr"es. In that same cave. IL few years
later, two OF these disciples after CARRYING on
in Galicin the work begun by James were also
buried. The cave itself amid the wild sur
rounding forest solitudes became "a remem-
hrance chapel, freGuen;cd by the prosecuted
Barbarian invasions driving the Christians
before them further into the mountains
Thus with the lapse Of centuries. and through
the calamites of the times. the situation of
the cave WAS forgotten. Still n certain
veneraton chung to the locality in consequence
OF the dim carly traditions. A town Of some
four or five hundred souls hud arisen quite
near the hillock. and was known - san Fins
de Lovio. 1t was dependency OF the neigh
boring Episcopal see Of Iria Flayia n Roman
municipium. which st. James in his lifetime
would have made one Of the centres OF his
apostolic labors. There, in the year s73 when
the Christian populations OF Galicia and tho
Mohammedan conquerors Of Spain. the inhabl-
preternatural apparitons Of light among the
which they then called Monte Burgr de Iibre-
don. The hish2p Of Iria tehcld these arpa;
rtions with his own eyes and ordered
u solemn isst, and public prayers TO Oh
tain divine guidance. One light in particular
l,..alI