﻿THE 
  LAND 
  OF 
  THE 
  BASQUES 
  

  

  79 
  

  

  On 
  each 
  river 
  edge 
  

   is 
  a 
  great 
  tower 
  of 
  

   steel, 
  something 
  like 
  

   a 
  wireless 
  tower, 
  but 
  

   more 
  massive, 
  over 
  

   two 
  hundred 
  feet 
  in 
  

   height. 
  These 
  towers 
  

   support 
  a 
  light 
  iron 
  

   bridge 
  one 
  hundred 
  

   and 
  fifty 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  river, 
  under 
  which 
  

   the 
  largest 
  steamers 
  

   pass 
  and 
  repass 
  night 
  

   and 
  day. 
  From 
  this 
  

   bridge 
  is 
  suspended 
  a 
  

   "flying 
  ferry" 
  sup- 
  

   ported 
  by 
  a 
  network 
  

   of 
  fine 
  wire, 
  which 
  is 
  

   pulled 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  

   across 
  the 
  river. 
  It 
  

   hangs 
  to 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  

   feet 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  We 
  decided 
  to 
  cross 
  

   one 
  Sunday 
  when 
  

   there 
  was 
  a 
  festival 
  

   at 
  Portugalete. 
  Ap- 
  

   proaching 
  the 
  win- 
  

   dow, 
  we 
  demanded 
  : 
  

  

  "Un 
  billete, 
  to 
  go 
  

   and 
  to 
  return, 
  how 
  

   much?" 
  

  

  "Dos 
  perros 
  gor- 
  

   dos." 
  

  

  Two 
  "fat 
  dogs," 
  as 
  

   the 
  Spaniards 
  call 
  

   their 
  large 
  ten-cen- 
  

   time 
  pieces 
  of 
  copper. 
  

  

  Then 
  we 
  crowded 
  

   onto 
  the 
  ferry 
  with 
  

   some 
  seventy 
  laugh- 
  

   ing 
  men 
  and 
  women 
  bound 
  for 
  the 
  fes- 
  

   tivities 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  side. 
  The 
  whistle 
  

   blew, 
  the 
  bell 
  rang, 
  the 
  iron 
  gate 
  clanged 
  

   shut, 
  and 
  we 
  moved 
  smoothly 
  out 
  over 
  

   the 
  river 
  through 
  the 
  air, 
  as 
  it 
  were. 
  The 
  

   opposite 
  shore 
  was 
  reached 
  in 
  one 
  min- 
  

   ute, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  

   minute 
  at 
  that. 
  

  

  Portugalete 
  has 
  narrow 
  streets, 
  and 
  its 
  

   balconied 
  houses 
  stretch 
  picturesquely 
  up 
  

   the 
  hillside, 
  while 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  is 
  an 
  en- 
  

   chanting 
  little 
  Gothic 
  church, 
  which 
  is 
  

   always 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  Spanish 
  towns. 
  They 
  

   always 
  seem 
  to 
  cluster 
  around 
  a 
  church 
  

   or 
  two 
  for 
  protection. 
  Indeed, 
  in 
  Bilbao, 
  

   there 
  are 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  75 
  of 
  these 
  pro- 
  

   tectors. 
  

  

  Las 
  Arenas, 
  opposite 
  Portugalete, 
  is 
  a 
  

  

  

  )graph 
  by 
  Casa 
  Lux 
  

  

  A 
  MEDIEVAL 
  TOWER 
  IN 
  THE 
  BASQUE 
  COUNTRY, 
  WITH 
  MODERN 
  

   CORRUGATED 
  IRON 
  SHEDS 
  IN 
  THE 
  EOREGROUND 
  

  

  modern 
  village 
  of 
  seashore 
  villas 
  which 
  

   has 
  become 
  popular 
  as 
  a 
  summer 
  resort. 
  

   Here 
  the 
  Club 
  Maritimo 
  has 
  its 
  pleasant 
  

   club-house, 
  overlooking 
  the 
  harbor 
  en- 
  

   trance, 
  where 
  the 
  youths 
  of 
  Bilbao 
  go 
  in 
  

   the 
  afternoon 
  to 
  drink 
  chocolate, 
  dance, 
  

   and 
  play 
  at 
  caballitos. 
  which 
  is 
  better 
  

   known 
  by 
  its 
  French 
  appellation, 
  "petits 
  

   chevaux." 
  

  

  THE 
  KING 
  MAKES 
  AN 
  ANNUAL 
  VISIT 
  FOR 
  

   THE 
  YACHT 
  RACES 
  

  

  The 
  King 
  comes 
  nearly 
  every 
  summer 
  

   to 
  the 
  yacht 
  races 
  and 
  causes 
  this 
  little 
  

   outing 
  place 
  to 
  be 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  the 
  

   social 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  kingdom. 
  He 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  goes 
  over 
  to 
  picturesque 
  Portugalete 
  

   during 
  his 
  stay 
  in 
  this 
  section. 
  

  

  a 
  rather 
  delightful 
  little 
  

  

  