﻿THE 
  LAND 
  OF 
  THE 
  BASQUES 
  

  

  81 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  few 
  harbors 
  more 
  beautiful 
  

   in 
  setting 
  than 
  this, 
  with 
  one 
  breakwater 
  

   of 
  stone 
  stretching 
  far 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  sea 
  

   from 
  the 
  Portugalete 
  side 
  and 
  another, 
  

   of 
  equal 
  length, 
  from 
  the 
  Las 
  Arenas 
  

   side. 
  Within 
  the 
  breakwaters 
  are 
  vessels 
  

   riding 
  at 
  anchor 
  on 
  the 
  deep 
  blue 
  water, 
  

   a 
  few 
  steamers 
  and 
  many 
  small 
  fishing 
  

   schooners, 
  for 
  the 
  fresh 
  fish 
  of 
  the 
  

   Basque 
  Sea 
  are 
  numbered 
  high 
  in 
  the 
  

   record 
  of 
  fish 
  excellence. 
  

  

  the: 
  sardine: 
  women 
  make 
  a 
  striking 
  

  

  PICTURE 
  

  

  The 
  sardines, 
  according 
  to 
  local 
  repute, 
  

   are 
  better 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  Bordeaux, 
  and 
  I 
  

   am 
  not 
  inclined 
  in 
  this 
  instance 
  to 
  ques- 
  

   tion 
  the 
  correctness 
  of 
  local 
  reputation. 
  

   One 
  of 
  the 
  unique 
  little 
  pictures 
  of 
  the 
  

   Basque 
  towns 
  on 
  the 
  sea 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   barefooted 
  sardine 
  women, 
  walking 
  with 
  

   infinite 
  and 
  unaffected 
  grace 
  through 
  nar- 
  

   row 
  streets 
  of 
  stone 
  flagging, 
  with 
  great 
  

   square 
  wooden 
  trays 
  balanced 
  on 
  their 
  

   heads. 
  On 
  the 
  trays 
  are 
  hundreds 
  of 
  sil- 
  

   very 
  fresh 
  sardines 
  laid 
  out 
  in 
  neat 
  rows. 
  

   And 
  the 
  women 
  cry, 
  "Sardinas, 
  sardinas 
  

   vivas 
  !" 
  indicating 
  that 
  their 
  wares 
  are 
  

   still 
  alive. 
  

  

  They 
  tell 
  a 
  story 
  in 
  Portugalete 
  about 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  visits 
  of 
  the 
  royal 
  family 
  at 
  

   yacht-racing 
  time, 
  when 
  a 
  large 
  crowd 
  

   was 
  watching 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  their 
  popular 
  

   King 
  and 
  Queen. 
  Suddenly 
  some 
  one 
  

   shouted, 
  "Viva 
  el 
  Rey 
  !" 
  

  

  "Viva 
  ! 
  Viva 
  ! 
  !" 
  echoed 
  the 
  crowd 
  in 
  a 
  

   mighty 
  voice. 
  

  

  The 
  yell-master 
  continued, 
  "Viva 
  la 
  

   Reina 
  !" 
  

  

  "Viva 
  ! 
  Viva 
  ! 
  !" 
  came 
  the 
  answering 
  

   volley 
  from 
  a 
  thousand 
  throats. 
  

  

  The 
  leader 
  then 
  submitted 
  for 
  ap- 
  

   proval, 
  "Viva 
  Espana!" 
  

  

  "Viva 
  ! 
  Viva 
  ! 
  !" 
  came 
  the 
  prompt 
  reply. 
  

  

  At 
  this 
  juncture 
  a 
  sardine 
  woman 
  

   turned 
  the 
  corner. 
  Her 
  voice 
  had 
  the 
  

   same 
  quality 
  of 
  carrying 
  powers 
  as 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  popular 
  yell-master, 
  as 
  she 
  cried, 
  

   "Sardinas, 
  vivas 
  sardinas!" 
  and 
  before 
  

   the 
  excited 
  throng 
  could 
  restrain 
  itself 
  it 
  

   had 
  roared 
  forth 
  its 
  approving 
  "Viva 
  ! 
  

   Viva 
  ! 
  !" 
  

  

  Each 
  of 
  Spain's 
  49 
  provinces 
  has 
  its 
  

   distinctive 
  individuality 
  

  

  For 
  administrative 
  purposes 
  Spain 
  is 
  

   divided 
  into 
  forty-nine 
  districts 
  or 
  prov- 
  

  

  inces. 
  Regionalism 
  is 
  so 
  strong 
  that 
  one 
  

   may 
  almost 
  continue, 
  and 
  state 
  that 
  there 
  

   are 
  also 
  forty-nine 
  national 
  languages, 
  

   forty-nine 
  national 
  costumes, 
  forty-nine 
  

   national 
  dances, 
  and, 
  last 
  but 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  

   least, 
  forty-nine 
  national 
  dishes. 
  

  

  This 
  would, 
  perhaps, 
  be 
  a 
  slight 
  exag- 
  

   geration, 
  but 
  the 
  fact 
  remains 
  that 
  the 
  

   inhabitants 
  of 
  each 
  district 
  differ 
  notice- 
  

   ably 
  in 
  characteristics 
  from 
  all 
  the 
  others. 
  

   A 
  man 
  from 
  Barcelona 
  is 
  first 
  a 
  Catalan 
  

   and 
  second 
  a 
  Spaniard. 
  Likewise 
  an 
  in- 
  

   habitant 
  of 
  Coruna 
  is 
  less 
  Spanish 
  than 
  

   Gallego, 
  and 
  a 
  person 
  from 
  Bilbao 
  places 
  

   his 
  Basque 
  nationality 
  before 
  his 
  Span- 
  

   ish 
  adherence, 
  and 
  so 
  on. 
  

  

  Thus, 
  the 
  Bilbaino 
  holds 
  that 
  no 
  dish 
  

   can 
  equal 
  in 
  excellence 
  his 
  bacalao 
  Viz- 
  

   caino, 
  and 
  the 
  citizen 
  of 
  Vigo 
  turns 
  up 
  

   his 
  nose 
  at 
  all 
  foods 
  except 
  his 
  own 
  native 
  

   pote 
  gallego, 
  a 
  concoction 
  of 
  potato 
  and 
  

   cabbage 
  boiled 
  in 
  water 
  with 
  lard 
  and 
  

   eaten 
  with 
  bread 
  and 
  garlic. 
  The 
  Valen- 
  

   cian 
  has 
  his 
  arroz 
  valcneiano, 
  which 
  is 
  

   really 
  excellent 
  — 
  rice 
  cooked 
  in 
  oil, 
  to 
  

   which 
  tender 
  bits 
  of 
  meat 
  and 
  sweet 
  pep- 
  

   pers 
  are 
  added. 
  The 
  proud 
  Castilian 
  

   sticks 
  through 
  thick 
  and 
  thin 
  to 
  the 
  

   puchero, 
  the 
  Sevillano 
  to 
  his 
  beloved 
  

   gazpacho. 
  

  

  THE 
  BASQUES 
  ARE 
  GREAT 
  BALL-PLAYERS 
  

  

  NOT 
  BASEBALL, 
  HOWEVER 
  

  

  This 
  spirit 
  of 
  regionalism 
  must 
  at 
  one 
  

   time 
  have 
  divided 
  in 
  slight 
  degree 
  even 
  

   the 
  three 
  Basque 
  provinces, 
  the 
  smallest 
  

   in 
  Spain. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  olden 
  days 
  

   the 
  men 
  of 
  Vizcaya 
  wore 
  blue 
  caps, 
  those 
  

   in 
  Guipuzcoa 
  preferred 
  red 
  ones, 
  whereas 
  

   the 
  men 
  in 
  Alava 
  were 
  often 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  

   white 
  headgear, 
  the 
  caps, 
  or 
  "boinas," 
  in 
  

   each 
  case 
  being 
  precisely 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  style 
  

   and 
  shape. 
  In 
  recent 
  years, 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  

   this 
  distinction 
  has 
  entirely 
  disappeared 
  

   and 
  blue 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  dernier 
  eri 
  as 
  to 
  

   color 
  for 
  men's 
  headwear 
  in 
  all 
  three 
  

   provinces. 
  

  

  Among 
  other 
  qualities 
  of 
  excellence, 
  

   the 
  Basques 
  are 
  the 
  leading 
  athletes 
  in 
  

   Spain. 
  They 
  supply 
  a 
  goodly 
  number 
  of 
  

   torreros 
  for 
  the 
  bull 
  ring, 
  and 
  no 
  one. 
  I 
  

   believe, 
  will 
  dispute 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  even 
  a 
  

   bull-fighter 
  must 
  be 
  an 
  athlete 
  in 
  prettv 
  

   nearly 
  the 
  pink 
  of 
  condition. 
  Basque 
  

   prowess 
  in 
  the 
  arena 
  is 
  placed 
  first 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  of 
  its 
  preeminence 
  as 
  a 
  sport 
  of 
  the 
  

   Spanish 
  nation, 
  but 
  the 
  really 
  noteworthy 
  

  

  