The record-union., 1893-01-28

y
in the courts, the whalers won their
cause, and the "lards'' have since been
compelled to content themselves with
the meager enjoyment of witnessing,
rather than prohting by, the hazardous
work.
When a drove of "ca'ing'' whales ap-
pear on the coast, the news spreads like
OF 81. Ives, Cornwall, goes mad when d
shoal OF pitchers is sighted. so does every
live Shetlander, desert every other voca-
tlon, even to a wedding, to join in the
drive" A rush is made by the men for
the boats, while the women and children
wildly collect guns, ammunition, har-
poons, scythes, lances, knives, and even
bags of stone; indeed anything portable
which may assist in the hoped-for de-
struction.
The whalers make all haste and splen-
did cunning in getting between the
whales and the open sea. Their fleet, of
all manner of craft, then gradually closes
IN upon the pack or drove" direct
ing, by the splendid maneuvcrs of the
different boats, the course Of the whales
to shallow bay. So expert are these
Shetland whalers in driving that a shoal
OF whales is seldom lost if time is given
Tor forming the drive" well outside the
drove" If the whales once enter the
chosen bay, their pursuers come TO close
quarters, and then the conflict begins.
Finding the water becoming shallow
the terrified whales endeavor TO make for
the open sea, but are met at every point
by perfect wall of boats, altogether
filled with hundreds, and sometimes
thousands, of men seemingly desperate
in their efforts at capture, and the howl
ing, shouting, screaming, lashing of the
water and rushing to and fro of the
equally desperate whales, form as excit-
Ing scene as one ever witnessed outside
a genuine field of battle. Occasionally u
few break through the line and escape.
AS a rule the school is doomed. Once
driven into shoal water where they can
only ffounder in mighty struggles, or
high and dry on land, where they often
toss themselves in their mad efforts to
escape their butchery, which is always a
savage and sickening sight proceeds
with wonderful dispatch. In their bloody
work the hardy and powerful Shetland
women take gleefuI and almost fren-
zied part.
The dripping thing they call a river,
the ManZanares, at Madrid, Spain. comes
down from the cold, gray nights to the
north, and winds half way around the
city from the northwest to the southeast
What water flows through it breaks in
sandy shadows, forming innumerable
islands, and curiouSly bounded strips of
land, all accessible at most seasons by
any barefoot hoy or girl, and it is an odd
fact that though there are two vast aud
pretentltlous bridges across it, the Puente
de Segovia. nearly 700 feet long, with nine
arches, designed by the architect, Her
rera, and the Puente de Toledo, nearly
400 feet IN length, crowned by the statues
of San lsidro and his holy wife, its sole
use TO the city of Madrid is that of an
endlessly-used and all-suflicient wash
tub.
Ten thousand women soak and splash
and Souse and beat tho linen of Madrid
within its scant waters every day. Not an
article of clothing is elsewhere washed.
No other than these Manzanares lavan-
deras are permitted to labor as laun-
dresses, and for three miles up and down
the stream, from opposite the Infantry
and artillery barracks upon the nights of
Montana de Principe, past the windows
OF the Queen Regents apartments in the
royal palace, and circling around away
beyond Toledo Gate, the moving dots of
red and blue, yellow and gray, comprise
this great army of Amazons with arms
and legs on them like tree trunks, with
voluptuous breasts and shapely necks,
hard-muscled and bronzed as Turks. the
most arduous toilers, the wickedest black
guards, and, withal, the sunniest tenn
pered souls in Spain.
There are three grades in this labor.
They are the mistresseS, or amas, the
overseers or ayudantes, and the laVande-
ras themselves. All are women. The
first are the agents who receive the work
from the hotels, great houses and the
city agencies, in huge lots, and are re-
sponslble for its safe return, The ayu-
dantas, or overseers, are really the fore
women of from Il dozen to a score of Law
anderaS each and they are responsible
for work placed in their hands by the
amas. At o'clock in the morning, win
ter and summer, the lavanderas will be
seen, many of them with children trund-
ling beside them, creeping along from the
city toward the Manzanares.
Near the river is an asilo, or asylum. a
refuge for their children. Here the Law
andera first deposits her charges where
they have food, care and training free,
until she returns for the little ones at
night, Then she saunterS to a Venta de
lavenderas, or cheap Washerwoman's inn,
and takes her copeta of brandy, or cup OF
coffee, and at once repairs to her own
banca, or little Washington, or station,
provided for each washer. By O'Clock
you might count from 5000 to 5000 of
these strange creatures at work.
The entire slOping sandy banks are COW
cred with drying poles. AT this time of
the year the water from the mountains is
of icy temperature. But it seems to make
there are huge caldrons of boiling wa
ter. From time to time trifle OF this is
poured in the little hollow where each one
tolls in the sand and water, but this
seems to be done more from habit than
necessity. Each lavandera brings her
own huge roll of bread, perhaps bit of
cheese, "a clasp-knife to prevent undue
liberties from the struggling soldiery
near, as we'll as to use in cutting bread.
and, just before noon, they breakfast in
huge wooden sheds on salt fish, potatoes
and coffee, with a measure of red wine.
provided by the anna, duplicating this
meal as dinner, at in the afternoon.
They eat like animals, and the moment
their food is disposed OF, the tinlkle of the
guitar is heard, and you, or any kindly
disposed paSSer, may dance with them. as
l did, until the thirty minutes allowed
them fer food and refresco have expired.
On these occasions every one dances.
girls of Is and women of 80 and the
scenes along Manzanares are very pict-
uresque and interesting. But when | tell
you that one ofthese iron-framed wenches
must wash and dry, ready for the
''starching," which is done by the cria-
das in the city, pieces OF linen equaling
the cleansing of seventy sheets, in order
to earn twenty-five cents a day, the poeti-
cal sense in it all is with the interested
on-looker, rather than with the drudging
lavanderas Of the Manzanares.
EDGAR l.. WAKEMAN
The Plain Truth
Is good enough for Hoods Sarsaparilla-