﻿THE 
  LAND 
  OF 
  THE 
  BASQUES 
  

  

  83 
  

  

  excellence 
  of 
  the 
  Basque 
  sportsman 
  lies 
  

   in 
  no 
  more 
  nor 
  less 
  than 
  playing 
  ball. 
  He 
  

   is 
  a 
  born 
  ball-player 
  and 
  knows 
  the 
  game 
  

   from 
  all 
  angles 
  — 
  factory 
  hand, 
  miner, 
  and 
  

   manager 
  alike. 
  

  

  Alas, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  baseball, 
  but 
  the 
  great 
  

   Basque 
  ball 
  game, 
  juego 
  de 
  pelota 
  — 
  

   democratic 
  and 
  popular 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  national 
  

   game 
  in 
  America. 
  One 
  sees 
  the 
  boys 
  in 
  

   the 
  villages 
  hard 
  at 
  it, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  cities 
  

   the 
  fond 
  Basque 
  parent, 
  like 
  the 
  Ameri- 
  

   can, 
  is 
  sometimes 
  caused 
  a 
  violent 
  shock 
  

   by 
  the 
  smashing 
  of 
  a 
  pane 
  of 
  glass 
  in 
  the 
  

   dining-room, 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  unwelcome 
  

   entry 
  of 
  a 
  pelota, 
  a 
  little 
  smaller 
  and 
  a 
  

   little 
  harder 
  than 
  a 
  baseball. 
  

  

  PELOTA 
  HAS 
  MADE 
  ITS 
  WAY 
  TO 
  SPANISH 
  

   AMERICA 
  

  

  Pelota 
  excels 
  in 
  its 
  professional 
  form 
  

   and 
  has 
  become 
  so 
  popular 
  that 
  games 
  

   may 
  be 
  seen 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  Basque 
  prov- 
  

   inces, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  Barcelona, 
  Madrid, 
  and 
  

   even 
  in 
  Havana 
  and 
  Buenos 
  Aires, 
  the 
  

   players 
  being 
  of 
  Basque 
  parentage 
  in 
  

   nearly 
  every 
  case. 
  

  

  The 
  game 
  is, 
  perhaps, 
  a 
  more 
  violent 
  

   form 
  of 
  sport 
  than 
  baseball, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  

   respects 
  closely 
  resembles 
  squash 
  rackets. 
  

   Only 
  four 
  players 
  are 
  engaged 
  — 
  two 
  on 
  a 
  

   side 
  — 
  dressed 
  in 
  white 
  trousers, 
  white 
  

   blouse, 
  and 
  white 
  shoes, 
  one 
  side 
  wearing 
  

   wide 
  red 
  sashes 
  of 
  silk 
  around 
  the 
  waist 
  

   and 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  blue. 
  

  

  The 
  courts, 
  called 
  frontones, 
  are 
  36 
  

   feet 
  wide 
  and 
  210 
  feet 
  long, 
  with 
  floors 
  

   of 
  cement 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  high 
  cement 
  wall 
  

   at 
  one 
  end 
  and 
  along 
  one 
  side. 
  

  

  Each 
  player 
  wears 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  cestus 
  on 
  

   the 
  right 
  hand, 
  firmly 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  fore- 
  

   arm, 
  which 
  constitutes 
  the 
  racket 
  or 
  bat. 
  

  

  The 
  ball 
  is 
  thrown 
  from 
  the 
  curved 
  

   cestus. 
  at 
  terrific 
  speed, 
  against 
  the 
  front 
  

   wall, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  usually 
  rebounds 
  at 
  an 
  

   angle 
  against 
  the 
  side 
  wall 
  before 
  touch- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  floor, 
  and, 
  as 
  in 
  rackets, 
  the 
  play- 
  

   ers 
  alternate 
  in 
  returning 
  the 
  throw. 
  The 
  

   game 
  becomes 
  so 
  rapid 
  in 
  action 
  at 
  times 
  

   that 
  the 
  ball 
  is 
  scarcely 
  visible 
  to 
  the 
  

   "pelota 
  fans" 
  along 
  the 
  side 
  line 
  and 
  can 
  

   be 
  followed 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  sharp 
  crack 
  with 
  

   which 
  it 
  hits 
  the 
  front 
  wall. 
  

  

  Each 
  failure 
  to 
  return 
  the 
  ball 
  counts 
  

   a 
  point 
  to 
  the 
  opposite 
  team, 
  but 
  they 
  do 
  

   not 
  call 
  it 
  a 
  point; 
  that 
  would 
  have 
  no 
  

   Spanish 
  touch; 
  it 
  is 
  called 
  by 
  them 
  a 
  

   tanto, 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  a 
  "so-much." 
  

  

  tograph 
  by 
  Casa 
  Lux 
  

   A 
  MEDIEVAL 
  CROSS 
  WITH 
  OLD 
  AND 
  NEW 
  

   TESTAMENT 
  CARVINGS: 
  DURANGO 
  

  

  The 
  quaint 
  old 
  town 
  of 
  Durango 
  is 
  situated 
  

   in 
  a 
  wide 
  upland 
  valley 
  inclosed 
  by 
  lofty 
  moun- 
  

   tains. 
  Its 
  chief 
  pride 
  is 
  this 
  cross 
  and 
  San 
  

   Pedro 
  de 
  Tavira, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  oldest 
  churches 
  

   in 
  the 
  Basque 
  provinces. 
  

  

  