Year: 1874

all, but they dd the result wouiu DC Tue saio iuo
middle OF the river is the frontier and the boats
have only to keep the Spanish side to be beyond
French Jurisdiction Nor could the fort OF run


fire into them without their shells falling into the
town OF Benobia or Hendaye. The commandant at
Irun might however, very easily prevent this by
keeping small post OF soldiers stationed at the
bridge. This, with the apathy which marks all the
actions OF the Spanish oricer. he has not done up
10 within the last few days, and the result Is that
shells and cartridges have all along been brought
in BY the Carlists under the very muzzles Of MS
cannon.


THE SITUATION AT THE FRONTIER.


Crossing the river by the Cariist ferry you find
yourself at the foot Of q steeD rocky, woody noun
taln along whose base and the river bank leads a
good macadamized road in the direction OF Vera.
You follow this about quarter OF q mile and then
take 70 the mountain by apath 50 steep that un-
less you have strong horse or mule you Will
probably find 1t desirable to dismount and elm
up, hanging to the animals tail. Up you 90, some
times over rocky shinglc, sometimes through
bits OF wood and little forests Of chestnut trees,
until half an hours ascent brings you to the top OF
the mountain, which Is long sharp ridge running
parallel to the river ana covered with heather.
Proceeding along this for . quarter of . mile you
come to the mountains brow. where it breaks
suddenly on, and you ind yourself on the edge OF
an almost perpendicular wall looking down on the
town OF Irun lying at its foot You have q birds
eye view here OF the town, and can almost see
down its chimneys The Carilsts' outposts are here
within 800 yards OF their enemy. The Serranost
soldiers can be seen lounging about the streets;
around the outside OF the town. on the land side
sentinel here and there; to the lett the woody
mountains and little valley through which you
Will have to pass in making your detour around
the town; beyond the bay, half shut in by rocky
promontory, extending out into the sea; to the
right the little valley OF the Btdassoa, the towns
OF Behobia, Hendaye and Fontarabia; in the dis
rance St. Jean de Luz and Biarrltz. and beyond
and behind all the mighty ocean, extending to the
horizon, blue and silent and beautiful. 1t Is
scene such as those who follow the roads only can
never behold.


From here you turn ana 60 down the mountain
side. and soon find yourself in delightful, SHADY
little valley, or rather dell. There is smelt.
ing furnace here not IN operation. The fires are
out, and instead OF the roar and flame and smoke
and noise tnat usually reign In such place, there
is only silence The whole place Is embowered in
trees, and looks least Of a things like an iron fur.
mace, while the little railroad connecting it with
lruu is overgrown With grass. as though no train
bad been over it for a long while. We follow
the wlndings OF this little stream that
goes brawllng through over the rocks for short
distance, and then, leaving 1t. soon commence as
cending hillside. In a few minutes We are again
In sight Of Irun, now not more than half q mile
distant The Carlists hold the country around
right up to the town, and we might approach still
nearer were we so disposed, without riskng any
thing more than chance shot from an evilly dis
posed sentinel. The country here is beautiful and
rich, and, although very much broken up by hills
and holows, is covered with orchards and corn
fields Maize, or corn, as usually call 1t in
America, Is cultivated throughout this part oil
Spain very extensively and with very fair success.
We cross another low, woody hill and in half an
hour more come out on the high road leading from
lrun to Tolosa having been two hours in making
o distance we might have accomplished in half an
hour by the road, Twenty minutes march on the
road bring US to Oyarzun. 1t is village OF per-
haps 1000 inhabitants, but about one-fourth Of
the houses were standing in ruins. having been
burned by Santa Cruz In an attack he made here
upon the Madrid troops. 1t is held by two
battalions or Carlist soldiers, who are here to
watch the garrisons at lrun and Hermann. Three
miles further on we are again obliged to leave the
road IN order to pass around Hermann. This detour
proves to be much longer and the road very much
worse than the last The mountain here Is cov-
cred with woods but Is very steep, and IN many
places the one narrow path, owing to the ireauent
springs, is quagmre. Alter two hours march
we descend into the valley. or rather hollow Of
the Urumea, which nows into the sea at st. Sebas-





tumbling over a very rocky bed. and we prefer
fording it to going mile around TO an old stone
bridge that exists higher up. 1t iH a wid, savage
looking DELL and the three four houses / saw
here among the trees we're IN runs, having been
burned-some OF them BY the Carsts, some BY
the repubucans-in the early days Of the war. We
met here squad OF soldiers, with wounded
man. They carried him on a litter on their
shoulders. taking turns to relieve each other.
<oib
ing and laughing nosLy; but they were very
gentle with the sick man nevertheless, and al
ways took care to turn the litter head feet FORE
most according as the path led them up or down
the mountain side. Half an hours steep ascen:
from here brought us in sight of the Fort OF Her.
nan 1t Is partly stone, partly of earth, and built
on the top OF very sreep rocky hill, will prove an
exceedingly hard nut for the Carlists to crack.


rhe road here led about IN a very tortuous
manner, sometimes between small cornfelds and
orchards, again through woods and trees which
completely cut OF the view, and sometimes 1t was
cut SO deep In the earth as to completely hide Us.


FIRED UPON.


had stopped here at an open spot to survey
the fort, little more than o mile distant as the
crow fies, when suddenly there was dash on the
parapets and few seconds afterward came the
shell seething through the air toward VI as
though mad for blood. II passed over our neads
and exploded hundred yards from us, heaving
up the earth IKE a miniature volcano.
My party had been increased by the addi-
tion OF dozen heavily laden mules, whose
driver had dropped into q line behind us, and we,
therefore, we're numerous enough TO attract the
attentions OF the gunners OF the fort. who prob
ably took US for q convoy with Carist munitions
OF war. And, indeed, for all know TO the con-
trary, they were right. The mule drivers now
hurried their beasts forward to place where the
banks on each side of the road were so high as to
AFFORD ample protection, and we waited to see II
they would fire any more. They gave us one or
two more shots, but as we were completely
covered BY the bank and were besides hidden BY
trees and brushwood, their shells went far astray
and they soon turned their attention elsewhere.