﻿THE 
  LAND 
  OF 
  THE 
  BASQUES 
  

  

  75 
  

  

  This 
  requires 
  the 
  explanation 
  that 
  Bil- 
  

   bao, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  port 
  of 
  Spain 
  

   after 
  Barcelona, 
  derives 
  its 
  prominence 
  

   from 
  the 
  heavy 
  outward-bound 
  traffic 
  in 
  

   iron 
  ore 
  from 
  the 
  near-by 
  mines 
  and 
  the 
  

   correspondingly 
  heavy 
  imports 
  of 
  coals 
  

   from 
  Newcastle 
  to 
  furnish 
  fuel 
  for 
  the 
  

   many 
  Basque 
  industries. 
  

  

  The 
  iron 
  ore 
  is 
  loaded 
  with 
  modern 
  

   equipment 
  along 
  the 
  river, 
  but 
  the 
  coal 
  is 
  

   often 
  unloaded 
  by 
  hand 
  or, 
  perhaps, 
  to 
  

   be 
  more 
  explicit, 
  by 
  head. 
  Women 
  al- 
  

   most 
  exclusively 
  are 
  employed 
  in 
  this 
  

   dainty 
  occupation. 
  Every 
  day 
  a 
  contin- 
  

   uous 
  line 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  moving 
  up 
  one 
  

   gang-plank, 
  with 
  bushel-basket 
  in 
  hand, 
  

   and 
  down 
  another 
  to 
  the 
  coal 
  hills 
  -on 
  

   shore, 
  with 
  a 
  heaping 
  basketful 
  of 
  coal 
  

   balanced 
  on 
  each 
  head. 
  

  

  When 
  these 
  toilers 
  gather, 
  shortly 
  after 
  

   daybreak, 
  to 
  begin 
  work, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  

   row 
  that 
  has 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  preferred 
  places 
  

   in 
  the 
  line, 
  there 
  being 
  some 
  gang-planks 
  

   slightly 
  nearer 
  to 
  the 
  coal 
  heaps 
  than 
  

   others. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  coal-ships 
  along 
  Bil- 
  

   bao's 
  waterfront 
  are 
  also 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  

   freighters 
  flying 
  astern 
  the 
  red 
  and 
  blue 
  

   banner 
  of 
  Norway. 
  These 
  carriers 
  bring 
  

   immense 
  quantities 
  of 
  bacalao, 
  cod 
  pre- 
  

   served 
  in 
  great 
  chunks 
  like 
  salt 
  pork, 
  

   which 
  forms 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  articles 
  of 
  

   food, 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  Basque 
  provinces, 
  

   but 
  also 
  in 
  Asturias 
  and 
  Galicia. 
  

  

  A 
  MIDDAY 
  MKAIv 
  IN 
  A 
  PEASANT 
  HOME 
  

  

  I 
  remember 
  once 
  taking 
  a 
  day's 
  excur- 
  

   sion 
  on 
  foot 
  with 
  two 
  Bilbao 
  friends 
  out 
  

   into 
  the 
  beautiful 
  country-side 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   famous 
  Church 
  of 
  Begofia. 
  Past 
  midday, 
  

   after 
  a 
  morning 
  of 
  blazing 
  heat, 
  we 
  came 
  

   to 
  a 
  little 
  stone 
  farm-house 
  upon 
  a 
  pretty 
  

   green 
  hill. 
  

  

  The 
  omnipresent 
  iron 
  balcony 
  was 
  in 
  

   its 
  usual 
  place 
  over 
  the 
  front 
  entrance, 
  

   but 
  fastened 
  to 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  small 
  branch 
  

   of 
  a 
  tree, 
  indicating 
  that 
  refreshments 
  

   were 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  within 
  by 
  the 
  road- 
  

   weary 
  traveler. 
  

  

  Passing 
  around 
  to 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  

   house, 
  we 
  were 
  greeted 
  by 
  a 
  fine 
  old 
  

   Basque 
  peasant 
  and 
  his 
  seriora, 
  or, 
  as 
  he 
  

   would 
  call 
  her, 
  his 
  mitjcr 
  (woman). 
  We 
  

   were 
  seated 
  at 
  a 
  wooden 
  table 
  under 
  a 
  

   plum 
  tree, 
  and 
  there 
  ensued 
  what 
  to 
  me 
  

   was 
  an 
  unintelligible 
  conversation 
  in 
  

   Euskara. 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  Casa 
  Lux 
  

  

  A 
  PEASANT 
  WOMAN 
  OP 
  THE 
  BASQUE 
  

   COUNTRY 
  

  

  She 
  is 
  wearing 
  the 
  rope-soled 
  shoes 
  called 
  

   alpargatas. 
  

  

  While 
  we 
  awaited 
  results. 
  I 
  noted 
  that 
  

   the 
  ground 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  was 
  sur- 
  

   rounded 
  by 
  a 
  stone 
  wall, 
  open 
  at 
  the 
  back, 
  

   which 
  formed 
  the 
  support 
  for 
  the 
  second 
  

   floor. 
  The 
  ground 
  floor 
  was 
  the 
  home 
  of 
  

   the 
  steers, 
  pigs, 
  and 
  chickens, 
  whereas 
  

   the 
  human 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  lived 
  

   above; 
  but 
  the 
  small, 
  simply-furnished 
  

   rooms 
  of 
  the 
  peasant's 
  quarters 
  were 
  

   spotlessly 
  clean. 
  

  

  The 
  farmer's 
  son 
  came 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  

   fields, 
  walking 
  slowly 
  alongside 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  

   steers 
  harnessed 
  to 
  a 
  two-wheeled 
  cart, 
  

   the 
  popular 
  type 
  of 
  farm-wagon. 
  

  

  At 
  this 
  juncture 
  the 
  mujer 
  appeared 
  

   with 
  a 
  large 
  earthenware 
  dish 
  of 
  bacalao. 
  

  

  