The Republican journal., 1901-03-21
Pharmacists of Belfast

France. 1t is a place of great antiquity
and contains some Moorish remains, -
but we could not tarry to see them. At
every league we encountered pair of
civil guards, the national military police
who are kept busy in this district watch
ing for smugglers and protecting the
road from highwaymen. Now and then
we would overtake a score of more
of donkeys, laden with charcoal and
plodding along Indian file, their owner,
stretched out, fast asleep, upon the pan
niers of the last one These always
misused animals are indispensable for
the transport of merchandise through
the mountains of Andalusia. and move
fearlessly over paths where the less sure
footed mule will not venture. They are
preceded by a trained leader, which
wears bell and seems to be conscious
of the dignity of his position, for, if one
of his companions try to pass him he is
as quick with his heels in stinging kick
aimed at the offenders ribs as the may
oral is with his whip. Guided by the
shrill cries of the drivers, the leader
turns to the right, or the left, as direct
ed; and on arriving at the gates of a
town halts the whole file until he has
orders to proceed.
Just before sunset we entered ROnda
through a Moorish gateway ianked
by two circular towers, and clattered up
the main street with grand parade,
amid a storm of curses delivered by the
conductor and zagal, who had been saw
ing their wind for an hour with view
to this crowning effort. How shall one
describe the strangest and most pictur-
esque city of Europe? 1t stands on
steep rock, encircled by the Guadalevin
river, which foams and dashes through
narrow gorge, seven hundred feet be-
low. This stupendous rift in the noun
tains, which looks as if cut by the scim-
etar of Roldan to render impregnable
the favorite stronghold of the Moors,
is crossed by two bridges-one over a
century old, the other of much greater
antiquity. The town, built on both
sides of the chasm, is surrounded by
triple walls and divided into three wards,
each of which is separately walled and
constitutes small city in itself.
Projecting over the rushing stream are
several stone mills, erected during the
dominion of the Moors. which from the
dizzy heights above look like children's
building blocks, and the men passing in
and out with sacks of grain and -four
on their shoulders seem ''scarce so gross
as beetles The greatest curiosity of
the Tajo, as the rent in the hills is call
ed, is the gallery, or tunnel, known as
LA Nina del Moro" cut down through
the solid rock to the river by Christian
slaves at the command of Ali Abou
Melic, in the year 1912. The passage is
five feet wide by seven high, and trav-
erses the perpendicular precipice zig gag
fashion. 1t is very steep and by no
means safe, the steps being rudely hewn,
slippery with moisture and often lndls-
tinguishable, as light comes in only at
intervals, through apertures pierced in
the rock on the river side. But OF course
you must go down it, whatever the risk
At the bottom is large tank, where the
captiyes filled their water jars and then
bore them up the weary ascent on their
shoulders. Scourged at every step by
their cruel masters, half starved and
otherwise brutally treated, many of them