288 OUR HUMBLE HELPERS 



large pond known as the Valcares Pond. These re- 

 gions comprise the cultivated territory, the pasture 

 land, and the group of ponds. The first, running 

 the length of the two outlets of the Ehone, is won- 

 derfully fertile, being made so by the annual de- 

 posits of silt. Eich harvests gild these strips of 

 land along the river, the current of which prevents 

 the infiltration of salt from the sea. Going further, 

 one comes to the salt marshes, and finally, from the 

 center of the island to the sea, stretches the region 

 of ponds. This last is merely dry land in the mak- 

 ing, a plain in the process of formation, with the 

 river constantly adding its accretions of soil and the 

 sea forever washing them away. 



"In the portion devoted to pasturage roam thou- 

 sands of bullocks that have reverted to the wild 

 state, unprovided with shelter of any sort and free 

 from all surveillance except such as is exercised by 

 mounted keepers who, at long intervals, come and 

 round up the unruly herds with the aid of a trident. 

 Black, small, and stocky, with fierce eyes and menac- 

 ing horns, they have resumed the primitive charac- 

 teristics of the race. Bad luck to whoever should 

 come and disturb them at their sport among the 

 reeds. Only the herdsman, mounted on a fast horse 

 and equipped with a, trident for pricking the nostrils 

 of the beasts, can control the wild herd. In one par- 

 ticular alone are we reminded that they are still 

 man's servants, victims destined for his slaughter- 

 houses and sometimes also, alas, set apart for his 

 entertainment in the barbaric bull-fight: on their 



