Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-24
LIFE IN THE AZORES.
Edgar Wakeman Plays a Solo on His
Chamber Furniture and
FILLS HIS HOSTS WITH ALARM.
Process Of Preparing Breakfast in Quaint
St. Michael.
HANDSOME MEN AND BEAUTIFUL GIRLS
IcoRREsPoNDENcE OF THE DrsPATcHI
81. MICHAEL, AZORES, October 30.
"Quero cantar a Saloia

IcoRREsPoNDENcE OF THE DIsPATcHI
81. MICHAEL, AZORES, October 80.
"Quero cantar q Saloia
ia que 0utra moda mao sci
Minha mai era SalOia
Eu com ella me crieiP'
This lugubrious song about Lisbon mar
ket-msiden awoke me from restfuI slumber
on the morning after my arrival at Ponta
Delgada. A young woman was singing in
the patio beneath, The wind, balmy and
warm as in our june mornings, pulsed into
and out of the old alcoba, swaying the cor
tinas pleasantly. It was queer place, but
dreamful and idyllic as one might wish to
know. found convenient for use water for
washing in q huge vessel of pottery such as
had seen on the strange craft from st.
Mary's in the harbor, wash bowl ofpewter,
centuries old, and coarse linen towel am
pie enough to have formed arespectable toga
in lieu Of other garments. The one chair,
or stool, of the room was constructed Of raw
hide thongs over o hollow framework so
ponderous that curiosity as to its possible
service as a drum possessed me. With my
two hobheeled shoes so well succeeded in
beating resounding reveIlle upon it, that
in twinkling Senior, Senhora, Senhorita,
and a delegation of wonderful numbers
from the street responded with great alacrity
and trepidation. In the name Of the Virgin,
was Senior in peril? No, only in good
health, and like the average American,
characteristically lively. They were re-
lieved and so was 1; they Of alarm, protesta-
tions and blessings, which, in the Azores
are delicious, cheap and musical, and my
self of small change as an agreeable back
door out of an embarrassing dilemma, which,
in turn, engendered much excitement in the
street below. But soon the maiden's song
about the Lisbon maiden was resumed; GER
tain odors stealing from the patio disclosed
that my breakfast was being prepared, and
other odors from the street told that the pop
ulace had invested my money in tobacco
possessing qualities of unusual Vigor and
penetration.
A GRoTEsQUE GROUP.
Both scenes furnished little Azorean
pictures in their way. Below the balcony
stood the aged Senior, Manuel, my host q
regular iarretta as to his old-fashioned dress.
and grandly conscious of his dignity in the
possession Of a genuine traveller under his
roof With Manuel score of swarthy ar
rielros or donkey drivers, and coeheiros or
cabmen, were humbly arguing and pleading
for opportunity of profit from his guest; as
many market women loitered to enjoy the
arguments and learn the outcome; while
double the number Of bright, happy, but
half-naked children squatted upon the
ground or grouped themselves in all manner
of unconsciously grotesque postures and
made merry comment upon the hidden
estrangeiro who carried thunder in his bag
gage and beat the timbales that he might
scatter money among them. Nearly all
were smoking odd-looking and vile cigar
cites, rolled in cornshusks, which, whenever
vehement periods of protestations or argu-
ment were being approached, were invari-
ably deposited with great dignity and pre-
cision behind their swarthy ears.
Opposite my chamber, along the shadowy
end of the court was the surest sign of equa-
BILE cline and summery days. That was my
breakfast cooking in the open air-not upon
a stone, nor in fire place, nor yet by any
of the ruder devices our American grand
mothers knew. Heavy fiat stones furnished
sort Of raised rocky eais as high as SEN
hora's knees. On this fufze fagots were |
burning in two tiny fires no bigger than your |
fists. Above one Of these on q triangular |
piece of iron something was grilling. Above /
the other, in a copper pot, held there from |
long distance BY a wooden pike beneath its |
bail or handle, something was stewing. Be
tween bars and snatches Of senhoritas's song,
the maiden with ample bust and hips, with |
arms akimbo and hands pressing against the |
sides of her scarlet bodice, converted herself
into
AHUMAN BLOW PIPE.
feeding the flame Of furze with such |
blasts from her powerful lungs as would for |
the time completely hide the two females in |
q kind of volcanic shower of ashes, the vol |
umes of smoke swirling away toward the |
clouds through the ever-open roof of the /
court. Thus for an hour came song and Il
smoke and strange dissolving views of |
breakfast, women and fire. when gray old
Manuel most ceremoniously conducted me
to my almoco or breakfast, set, was inter-
ested to find, in his songful daughters
boudoir, which, among other common OBJ
jects of use and decoration, provided room
in one pleasant corner for the family hen
roOst and fragrant bed Of rushes for sew
eral demure and grave-faced members of the
gentle herd Of family goats.
The table was bare Of covering, but
amends were made in dishes and their con-
tents. A tremendous frasca para vinho or
wine fsgon of glass with pewter goblet at
its side was suggestive of the lost vineyard
glories of the Azores. A brown earthen
|
ger eel of mighty proportions. A sweet po-
tato OF yam, big as a cuspidor, stood steam
ing alongside. A basin containing some
mysterious stew hanked the yam; and piled
before me in an actual recklessness of mu-
nifcence was mountain Of corn-meal bread.
yellow as saffron and hard as rock. Even
this sumptuous repast had its added little GER
emonial. Manuel filing goblet with the
"passado," or sweet wine of FaYal set 1t be-
fore me. Then he filed other goblets Of
pewter or pottery, and, handing one TO his
wife and another 70 his buxom daughter,
gave the toast, MAY the peace Of God rest
on this house for you, stranger and friendP"
I responded with hearty "Amenl" but de-
clined the wine, as belong to quite q
numerous alumni of honorable graduates as
wine drinkers; whefeupon my host ex-
pressed the greatest alarm regarding my
health, but was fully reassured before had |