The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-03-06
GRIM GIBRALTAR NESTLES
CLOSE By SPAIN OF DREAMS.
WOMEN AS ARULE SlNGULARLY UNL0vELY
Along the AndaIusian Valleys and Among
The Columns of the Ahambra Sacred
as an Unselfish Life Toiing
Amid Crashing Men.

day, Feb. 10Th, ut 6 in the morning
went up on the promenade deck Tor the
morning air and there Il few hundred
yards away repose the great Rock OF
Gibraltar that once marked the conilnes
of the ancient world and stands to-day
like some mighty Titan asserting the
world domination of the English race.
At first sight, | was disappointed. The
rock did not seem so high, nor so forml-
dable as its wide currency as inquire
of speech would justify. just then,
however. the sun rose over ats eastern
edge and / realized that / was looking
at :, from the west instead of the north,
the usual picture-view of 1t, The Al
ler'' was at anchor in Gibraltar Bay.
English warshils lay about LIS. A great
l. and %. steamer Was raising anchor
for Malta. and | saw with genuine
emotion the American flag flying from
the dispatch boat, Michigan. Across
the straits the faint outlines of Tarlffa
could be discovered whence issued long
ago the fierce pirates and the rapaclous
economic system bearing their name. An
amphitheatre of the Spanish mountains
formed a semi-circle of misty gray about
the blue waters and in the center of the
circle cleaned the white city of Al
giers. Far away to the south gloomed
the African mountains, sinister, fore
h0ding. mysterious, and as unknOwable
as they were when the Phoenicians,
standing. rs they fancied, upon the bor
ders o: Chaos, gaze.i Oh Their solemn.
heights.
One is apt to think of Gibraltar as an is
land in the SEA. 1t is not, however, but
simply a rocky promontory three miles
long from north TO south and about
seven miles around, connected at its
northern extremity by narrow strip of
sand with Spain. The town of Gibral-
tar lies. along its western slope. Gibral-
tar is not Il town primarily, but a port
though $1,000 people live there. We
entered under permits TO remain until
evening gIr-fire. Tt was easy TO see
that we had reached another world on
the very moment of landing. A solemn
looking bowzegged Moor in blae
burnoose Ia toga-like garment with n
peaked hood stood mt gaze, and a smart
looking Tommy Atkins was on duty at
the dock. Passing through the water
port we spent an hour or so in the forti-
fcation. after doing some rather useless
signing of our names somewhere. Up
IEtTCbW ways. 'iTGuSI lulllclS. i1drSllls
port holes bristling with mighty cannon
we went. until we reached the limit al
lowed us. Everyone knows how this
rock is honey-combed with cannon. and
at signal could rain death from every
square yard of it. The English seem
very proud of it and well they may.
There was suggestion to my mind OF
the Roman eagle in the lion flag of Eng
lapA Init frnf In oxI+c pu4i
SIN MT soldier. / wanted TO see life
not guns. so we took cab and rode
through the town slowly TO Alameda
square and the business streets and
later TO the neutral grounds and Span
isht )wn
The scene in Gibraltar is sort Of cos1
mopolitan panorama Mo0rs sondanese
negroes. Spaniards. iaunty English sol
diers pill bax or Ounce cap on head clean.
strong, a look of the conqueror in their
faces. pass before the eye.
Now squad of lads from
Yorkshire flock by on drill. Here
British officer with the most approyct1
"ube1amned air tits by and the SOL
diers on duty turn into stone and salute.
Everything is clean. The Knights Of
the OrHher of the Wash Tub hold this
spot. One can forgive the English much
when they are seen playing the con
querer. They do it to perfection. The
row Of English sentries ut the neutraI
ground stood at post spick and snan.
Hlean and shalvcn, almost ludicronsly
important. Across tho way | was oven
luckier than Mr.. Richard Harding Davis
in the dramatic contrast | found with
the Spanish. Smells begin. the roads are
bad. the Spanish soldiers. i'll clad. un
shayen. slliftless. | saw a woman in
one sentry box knitting. and in another.
a soldier lay curIed mp in a knot sleep
ing as sOundly as any night Waterman in
America. A young lady Of our party
took snap shot at a Spanish officer at
the very door of the barracks. He posed
for it. and smiled a Castlian smile
though he seemed n stranger to the time
honored soap of that name. 1t was like
Il row of leashed lions facing row of
lackalS. The English sold:ery-R udyard
hlplmgs far flung battle line" are the
Romans Of the modern world. After
gathering bits of rock and plucking flow
CTS winch were in bloom and doing other
a '., tourist things, the party from the
ai!vF hastily and feverishly purclas-
Ell ih-chOsen articles for the dear ones
at nome ana went over on steam tenders
~ 'n' Hnp fe'ldy To steam down the
coast TO Malaga Yc "a never land
from dock in the Mediterranean j,v
The way. The Mediterranean was in =
soft mood indescrbably blue and scaroo
~ wrinkling its smooth surface sbo+
through with the golden sunlight Tho
Sierra Nevada mountains kent me CON
pany all the way and Mt : oclocl, ~
saw Malaga forming white ark ~ +ho
ram OF the sea. We invaded Spain alto,
tea IN yawl boat rowed by two as sin.
inl looking individuals as ever smoked
large stunpy cigarettes and jabbered in
musical but impossible tongue. W.
We're turned loose at the dock after tho
usual row over prices and began onr
Eearcai Ter the sight. 1t seemed n rathe,
difhoult task until suddenly a guide
dropped out of somewhere and took ms