The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-10

alonS the thOroughfares to and from the
country, the only means of freightaIe:
While each donkey and cart is ACCOMPANIED
by more able-hOdled. eveT-yelling muletperS
ana caTtmen than necessary TO convey every
ounce OF produce ana merchandise TINS
dispoSed upon their own backs.
Water Is brought Into Lisbon in one of
the worlds greatest aqueductS the Aque-
duet OF AgoaStlOTes, fr IN the mountain
YlIIsge OF BeilaS, ten miles distant 1t eX-
tends across the near valley Of Alcantara
upon series of thirty arches, I07 feet from
pier 10 pier, the point of the highest arch
rising 264 feet above the valley bed. The
water IS poured from this aQueduct into an
immense covered reservoir, and is from this
conveyed 10 tie many ChafdTlZ, or public
fountains 9t the city. From these fOun-
taiuS, since the time of JOaO ', nearly
all private houses, public buildings and
shops nave been supplied By Water-carrlerS.
men and women. Most of these, partlcu-
larry the men, are thus solely employed.
Many OF the women are simply house and
shop servants Of the peasant class; and
probably the most interesting studies for
tourist, writer or artist are to be found
among these iOWlv folk beside the fountains.
At every one OF these moSS-covered JettleS
groups of barefooted men and women are
constantly gathering. What muscular,
SWaIthy fellows are the men, and what
grace al attitudes and pOsipEs they unCou-
scIous-y assume as they loiter bit for
CHATTER AND GOSSIP
Before they shoulder the huge wooden
casks and trot gayIy aWay with their
mighty loads "Wnat splendid types of
Portuguese are theSeP you will exclaim.
BuI they are not Portuguese. They are Gal
lPgau~, from the ancient sovereignty Of Ga
Hcla, comprising the four nurJhweS IerumOst
provinces Of Spain, named Lingo, COruua,
0rena and PUnteVeda, with a population Of
IF Ea tfra
nun her are continuously servants in Spain
aud Portugal; perhaps 100 QUO IN Portugal
alone, and more than 5000 are wateT-carriers
here IN Lisbon. l know them well in their
northern homes or choZas and IN their
southern work and ways; and they are
lOvable for their matches do cility and
fidelity, one and all.
When the Gallegan youth has arrived at
The age OF IS be goes 60 his drudgerv at sea,
in the army, or rs the city meniaI. BE suf-
ters every conceivable ndIgnlty without
resentment. "GaileEan dog" is the Eild-
est universal epithet applied to him. Kick
HIM aud be vii not even crluEe. No power
can tempt him to resent insult, or break law
but 10 deprive him of his earnings. He
viii not SQuuudeT dozen refs iu a whole
year lie Viii starYe 10 save. He viii do
anything tut rob OF murder while at sery-
Ice TO Increase lis hoard and though his
Inconsistencies Tor his mountain duIclnea,
peTrO and g2ita are so often SO deSpaTing
that he dies of heaTtaChe and longing, he
never viii return to his beloved Gallcla
until he has earned enough e. possess his
own chCZa and patch of ground. This is
his only earthly ambition, and he seldom
fails Of its rea Station. Thousands Of others
gain this accomplishment as segadorS or
TraVeTs. When The southern fields are Iipe
whole armies If
GAILEGAN REAPERs
Set out from their mountain homes armed
with the short hCZ or sickle. their wooden
shoes slung over their shoulders, something
as the West Of Ireland men annually set
forth for the English harveSt-Geds, and
carrying also their gajt3s wItn them. pipe
their way to the south, where they reap the
grain for the INDECENT farmers # CASTLE
and Portugal Returning on foot as they
went, they wake wild and baTbaric echoes
through the Sierra de ia Culebre, Sierra
de BauaGeTlO ana the fair MOutanOS de
Leon. The Glliegan women meantime
have cared for their own little harvesls,
and from autumn until SpTinE-tIme. save
for the occasional drOuing Of tie b1-uig g,
the crack Of the TetaCU or biuudtTDU~s, a.
the wU.hSh barking Of the mountain dog,
SOdQen silence and llIeleSs sleep seem t.
kuI5 all GIlicta into tOTbild.ug and
gloomy web Of leaden and obduIate rep Sc.
But see those maiden Water-Carriprs Of
Lisbon, prettlest Of all women in the an
Client city with great dancing eyes. pGut-
ups FRFi i'ttl LfilE Al biA At.EitiE W lltC
teeth, their tongues ceaSelesSy running
in musical StacCato. and their supple
forms ever in rIepre>sible movement
from the boundless life Within them
Their short skirt disclose limns which
ogtrlval the Venus of Cos in delicate SYM
metrY. Their smart bOdic-s yainly hide
bust> of marvellous TOuudnes~ and ampli-
tude, with full archug neck barred above,
and GROWING 1t such dainty and dimpled
hin as even Tuscany cannot match; while
the line from up of little finger up their
brown round arms 20 beyond the dimp Ell
elbow is marvellous study il ma
lures only perfect mobile bronze. But
they have dalHed a1d Chatted long enough,
With q whisk little p ID IF PUSHES or cloih
is slapped on their dainty. shapelv heads {:
in a tWiukiing the great c2sk, najf aS tail
and quite as big as th-y, is resting on the
pad, and with a song or roguish laugh they
are away, tripping b mawaTd as daiatiiy
and airliy as IN measures OF the coutradanza
or waltz. EDGAR L. WAkENAN.
C7plrtgt.. I9F2