﻿THE 
  LAND 
  OF 
  THE 
  BASQUES 
  

  

  85 
  

  

  Another 
  popular 
  sport 
  in 
  the 
  Basque 
  

   provinces 
  is 
  one 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  iron 
  min- 
  

   ing 
  regions 
  — 
  that 
  of 
  stone-drilling. 
  Only 
  

   the 
  strongest 
  of 
  miners 
  are 
  physically 
  

   capable 
  of 
  engaging 
  in 
  these 
  contests 
  of 
  

   muscular 
  force, 
  and 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  many 
  

   instances 
  of 
  death 
  from 
  overexertion 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  these 
  battles 
  of 
  human 
  energy 
  thrown 
  

   against 
  large 
  blocks 
  of 
  rock. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  be 
  difficult 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  sport 
  any- 
  

   where 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  that 
  so 
  taxes 
  the 
  

   power 
  of 
  endurance 
  of 
  the 
  participants. 
  

   It 
  is 
  in 
  many 
  ways 
  a 
  cruel 
  spectacle. 
  I 
  

   once 
  mentioned 
  this 
  to 
  a 
  Basque, 
  and 
  his 
  

   scornful 
  reply 
  was 
  : 
  

  

  "Yes, 
  perhaps 
  ; 
  but 
  not 
  half 
  so 
  cruel 
  as 
  

   your 
  prize-fights 
  in 
  America." 
  

  

  HOW 
  THE 
  STONE 
  DRILLING 
  CONTESTS 
  ARE 
  

  

  STAGED 
  

  

  These 
  games 
  are 
  the 
  occasion 
  for 
  great 
  

   festivities 
  in 
  the 
  mining 
  towns. 
  The 
  

   champion 
  from 
  one 
  little 
  mining 
  town 
  will 
  

   be 
  sent 
  to 
  combat 
  against 
  the 
  native 
  son 
  

   of 
  another, 
  and 
  the 
  betting, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  

   feeling, 
  runs 
  high. 
  

  

  The 
  home 
  champion, 
  generally 
  a 
  giant 
  

   in 
  stature, 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  popular 
  hero 
  of 
  

   his 
  district 
  for 
  weeks. 
  In 
  the 
  Basque 
  

   mining 
  sections, 
  as 
  in 
  those 
  of 
  other 
  coun- 
  

   tries, 
  wages 
  are 
  high, 
  and 
  much 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  

   thrown 
  away 
  in 
  drinking 
  and 
  gambling. 
  

   Thus 
  it 
  happens 
  that 
  the 
  hero 
  spends 
  the 
  

   days 
  preceding 
  the 
  fiesta 
  in 
  consuming 
  the 
  

   fine 
  wines, 
  champagne, 
  and 
  heavy 
  dinners 
  

   thrust 
  upon 
  him 
  by 
  his 
  admirers 
  rather 
  

   than 
  in 
  intensive 
  training, 
  the 
  idea 
  ap- 
  

   parently 
  being 
  that 
  he 
  cannot 
  fail 
  if 
  he 
  

   has 
  been 
  generously 
  fed 
  upon 
  the 
  fat 
  of 
  

   the 
  land 
  for 
  a 
  sufficient 
  period. 
  

  

  The 
  day 
  arrives. 
  The 
  invading 
  barre- 
  

   nador, 
  or 
  stone-driller, 
  enters 
  the 
  town, 
  

   supported 
  by 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  population 
  

   of 
  his 
  neighborhood 
  with 
  pockets 
  full 
  of 
  

   duros 
  to 
  be 
  placed 
  upon 
  their 
  favorite. 
  

  

  The 
  town 
  dignitaries 
  appear 
  upon 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  balconies 
  of 
  a 
  prominent 
  house 
  on 
  

   the 
  small, 
  carefully 
  swept 
  plaza. 
  The 
  

   other 
  balconies 
  all 
  round 
  the 
  little 
  square 
  

   are 
  soon 
  filled, 
  chiefly 
  with 
  women, 
  while 
  

   the 
  men 
  crowd 
  onto 
  the 
  plaza 
  itself, 
  as 
  

   close 
  as 
  possible 
  to 
  the 
  rope 
  which 
  marks 
  

   off 
  the 
  rectangle 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  where 
  the 
  

   contest 
  is 
  to 
  take 
  place. 
  

  

  Great 
  excitement 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  as 
  the 
  

   last 
  bets 
  are 
  placed. 
  Two 
  pairs 
  of 
  large 
  

   oxen, 
  straining 
  at 
  every 
  step, 
  slowly 
  drag 
  

  

  into 
  the 
  open 
  space 
  enormous 
  blocks 
  of 
  

   stone, 
  leaving 
  behind 
  them 
  tracks 
  of 
  

   heavily 
  packed 
  earth. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  diversion 
  of 
  primitive 
  nature, 
  

   probably 
  so 
  popular 
  because 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  

   spectators 
  are 
  those 
  who 
  are 
  faced 
  with 
  

   the 
  dire 
  necessity 
  of 
  earning 
  their 
  daily 
  

   bread 
  by 
  the 
  hardest 
  sort 
  of 
  physical 
  toil. 
  

   To 
  give 
  "tone" 
  to 
  the 
  occasion, 
  there 
  is 
  

   first 
  a 
  short 
  contest 
  of 
  wood-hewers, 
  

   called 
  in 
  the 
  Basque 
  tongue 
  aizkoralaris, 
  

   who 
  chop 
  through 
  logs 
  laid 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  

   plaza. 
  This, 
  however, 
  is 
  merely 
  an 
  hors- 
  

   d'oeuvre. 
  

  

  Then 
  exclamations 
  of 
  excited 
  antici- 
  

   pation 
  are 
  heard; 
  the 
  crowd 
  presses 
  a 
  

   little 
  closer 
  to 
  the 
  roped 
  arena. 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  contestants 
  appear 
  and 
  are 
  

   loudly 
  applauded 
  as 
  they 
  remove 
  caps 
  and 
  

   alpargatas 
  and 
  as 
  each, 
  barefooted, 
  climbs 
  

   upon 
  his 
  block 
  of 
  rock. 
  

  

  Each 
  rock 
  has 
  marked 
  upon 
  its 
  top 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  eight 
  rings 
  to 
  indicate 
  where 
  the 
  

   holes 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  drilled. 
  The 
  contest 
  lasts 
  

   two 
  hours, 
  and 
  the 
  winner 
  is 
  he 
  who 
  either 
  

   has 
  completed 
  the 
  perforations 
  of 
  the 
  

   eight 
  holes 
  or 
  who 
  has 
  advanced 
  farther 
  

   toward 
  that 
  end. 
  

  

  The 
  barrenadores, 
  standing 
  upright 
  on 
  

   the 
  blocks 
  of 
  stone, 
  place 
  their 
  heels 
  to- 
  

   gether, 
  the 
  feet 
  forming 
  a 
  right 
  angle 
  

   close 
  to 
  the 
  indicated 
  marking 
  on 
  the 
  rock. 
  

   Between 
  these 
  bare 
  feet 
  the 
  heavy 
  iron 
  

   bar 
  in 
  their 
  powerful 
  hands 
  must 
  rise 
  and 
  

   fall, 
  each 
  stroke 
  deepening 
  the 
  hole. 
  

  

  The 
  slightest 
  deviation 
  in 
  aim 
  of 
  any 
  

   stroke, 
  with 
  the 
  Herculean 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  

   barrenador 
  behind 
  it, 
  would 
  surely 
  de- 
  

   stroy 
  a 
  foot. 
  Little 
  fear 
  of 
  such 
  an 
  acci- 
  

   dent, 
  however, 
  for 
  their 
  arms 
  move 
  up 
  

   and 
  down 
  with 
  the 
  precision 
  of 
  a 
  ma- 
  

   chine. 
  

  

  CONTENDERS 
  ARE 
  COACHED 
  BY 
  "GOD- 
  

   FATHERS" 
  

  

  Each 
  of 
  the 
  contenders 
  chooses 
  a 
  friend 
  

   or 
  two 
  to 
  act 
  as 
  coaches. 
  These 
  "god- 
  

   fathers," 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  called, 
  stand 
  near 
  

   their 
  champion, 
  moving 
  their 
  bodies 
  up 
  

   and 
  down 
  like 
  a 
  pump 
  handle, 
  serving 
  as 
  

   a 
  pendulum 
  to 
  regulate 
  the 
  strokes 
  of 
  the 
  

   steel 
  bar. 
  They 
  signal 
  each 
  blow 
  with 
  a 
  

   "Haup 
  — 
  haup." 
  

  

  They 
  tire 
  sooner 
  than 
  the 
  barrenadores 
  

   themselves, 
  and 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  replaced 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  times 
  during 
  the 
  monotonous 
  two 
  

   hours. 
  

  

  