Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-02-22
SIGHT SEEING IN SPAIN.
dipsies In Their Native Lair A Char
acteristic Dance.

the absence OF fellow tourists. The
nectar of romance and adventure
has not all been drained by our curious
Americans and disconnected English
and one finds the people as musical.
picturesque. and unclean as could be
wished. The local coior and life have
withstood the comparatively little iu-
vasion Of travel. and though Granada
with its incompatible Alhambra has
been the goal of more curiosity and
sight seeing than other Spanish cities,
1t retains many of its purely cliarac-
teristic and delightful features One
of these is the gypsy camp in the out
4 skirts of the city. We drove there
late one afternoon aud saw the gypsy
in his native lair. .Cervantes alone
describes the people as, Just as God
made them and oftentimes worse "
Education has never laid her rule or
ferule on them; honesty and morality
have passed them in despair, and if
the proverb affirming the proximity
of cleanliness and goodness is true
the gipsies are "way of" 1t has
been enough Tor them that they live
and they have never asked those enig-
NAUTICAL questions whence, why,
and whittier. Their houses are caves
and we were allowed to go through
one. The first room was the kitchen
and the last and choicest one the
abode of the pigs. There were many of
these compartments about the size of
a steamer state room, and as one CROP
ed his way by the aid of a small can
die into the depths of thehill, the smell
became painfully prominent. The
pigs, though, like the gipsies. were
contented and the fact of being kept
in the parlor or spare room added no
arrogance to their amiable manners.
| Evidences of certain luxurious tastes
were to be seen in the cave such as a
piece OF carpet before each bed on the
earth floor, and a stovepipe running up
from the kitchen hre place. Indeed
artistic taste was also manifest, for
hanging over the bed in one OF the
rooms was highly colored advertise
| ment IF a Gertnar heer
When we left the cave we were told
that we cou see the real and genuine
gypsy dance for the modest sum of
seven dollars, but we declined. Our
interpreters after consultation with
the gipsies told us that our econ
omy would be respected and the dance
given for FIVE dollars. AS we again
drove regretfully away we were again
informed that though it was a great
sacrifice and altogether unparalleled
in the annals of history we might see
it for three dollars. We accepted this
proposition though it developed that
we really paid four dollars, the last
one being in redemption of a counter
| felt dollar that had been substituted
for the good one we had given The
coin was probably product OF gypsy
ingenuity and SO far as l know, the
transaction may be one of their estab-
lished ways of making an honest dol
lar, so 10 speak The dance, however,
was quite worth the experience. Ac-
mpanied by our two guides and two
policeman who, it was explained
were necessary for our safety and
who only added to our general feeling
of insecurity, we went up dark alley,
darker fight of steps and into tiny
room where the orchestra and dancers
were assembled. The orchestra con-
sisted of three men who played the
guitar, mandolin and tambourine
The dancers were four ugly women
and pretty one all generously array
ed in black calicoes and with artif-
cial flowers in their coarse dark hair
The services opened with frightiul
song that nearly deafenedthe audience,
which on account of the size of the
room was within two feet of the sing
ers. Then the women danced togeth-
er-an active, spirited dance such as
Kiralfy labors in vain to get. This
was followed by sort of aanse dn zen
ire There were several graceful fig
ures danced by the women and then
one. "Lo Hata" by the tambourine
player and the pretty girl which was
qnite the prettiest of all, and would
compare favorably with the best dane
es on the American stage. During
the performance wondered that some
enterprising American had not i'm
ported them all to America and made
his fortune by putting them on the
stage. One does not find such aban-
don, animation, and natural grace in
the dancers who learn on chalked
squares while they count one, two,
three, one, two. three. The pretty
woman had four months old baby in
the room and the little creature act
ually waved its arms when the mother
danced as though already interested in
its future employment. The father
had been sent as soldier to Cuba the
mother cheerfully explained and the
cares of maternity and widowhood sat
lightly on her mind. 1t was only
another demonstration that women
don't always weep while their hus-
bands war, and her devotion to the
tanbourine player led me to think she
might be preparing for the future If
the worst should come to the worst"
in Cuba.
4 We escaped from this place with our
lives and we were not robbed; the lat
ter because we decided to give them
all that we had and save them the ex-
ertion of taking it. AS we drove
away looked among the the children