La Junta tribune., 1908-08-08
FROM FOREIGN CLlMEs
BY R. ". PATTERSON
ora spse,AL eusopsan ceaesspeaDEnr

ter and which cannot be entered
when the wind is strong. II was
rough and we only entered by lying
flat in our canoes. The grotto OF
cave is not over two hundred feet
long. and probably forty feet high.
I The feature of this trip is the beau
tiful blue water in the cave. coiored
thus by the sunlight coming through
the water. Your bare arm thrust
into the water looks as bright As
polished silver. The sea was rough
and the ride from the steamboat to
the grotto was exciting and made
some uf our fair ones sick. One
rover refused To come out of the
grotto and demanded pay, but the
Yankee. Mr.. Bowen, after argu-
ment and persuasion failed. pulled
of his coat to fight the boatman
who seeing he could not bluff, row.
ed the boat back TO the steamboat.
Another fellow tried To hold up a
couple Of ladies', by refusing to re-
turn them to the steamboat and
rowed them about for a good while.
but the ladies held to their francs.
Nv man tried it on me. but | en-
joyed the ride so much that sat
and laughed and made much sport.
He dallied 50 long that the steam
boat moved away long distance,
and he found it too hard to row
against the wind after the boat. so
he finally turned about and rowed
me all the way back to the harbor.
which we reached before the boat.
For his trouble. gave him ten CEN
teSsimes two cents-the usual fee
for little services.
AT half past three we set sail on
our return to Sorrento and thence
to Naples. The sea was roaring and
covered with white caps. and rolled
and tossed like bucking broncho.
but not so suddenly. and about one
half or more of our party were sick
awful sick. some of them. en-
joyed it Thoroughly. for the troughs
were deep and the waves came roll
ing and swelling. swinging our boat
from side to side. and fore and aft.
just enough adventure to be a little
exciting. have never yet been af-
fected by the sea.
We left the lemon and orange
groves when we left Naples. The
first twenty-five or thirty miles We
passed through rich. smooth
country devoted to grapes. olives.
hemp, wheat. oats and some garden
ing and other fruits. then for forty
or fifty miles the crop was largely
wheat and oats. possibly rye and
barley and many fields of corn. in
fact. there is some corn all the way
from Naples. but it is the smallest,
finest stalks you ever saw. We
would not harvest it. 1t is grown.
however. merely for fodder. The
west stretch of country is rough.
with grain farming in small. irregu-
lar fields. and grazing in the mount.
aims. As we approach Rome. the
land grows smooth and fertile and
there are miles and miles of vine
yards and many beautiful olive
groves, with here and there a fed
of wheat OF corn and occasionally
plums, cherries, figs and pears Here
also saw few small watermelon
patches. Ii was beautiful or
rather interesting sight to see the
farmers at work. The women were
everywhere in the field. A woman
is often seen herding one COW or
two or three, sometimes a half
dozen goats. or one or two or three
hogs. poor and gaunt. burro or
two, or a horse or mule, or dozen
to twenty sheep. in the field Of stub
Bile, for the grain is cut. The cattle
are all white. have long horns. are
good size. but rough and bony. used
to give milk and to work, as sell
dom saw anything but cows. l saw
cows and burrows working togeth-
er, also. COW and "a mule and a
COW and horse. The fields were so
small it seemed impossible to keep
them out of the adjoining crop. In
the evening saw the women re-
turning from their work. all carry
ing loads on their heads. sheaves of