﻿THE 
  LAND 
  OF 
  THE 
  BASQUES 
  

  

  87 
  

  

  Enthusiasm 
  is 
  at 
  high 
  pitch, 
  however, 
  

   during 
  the 
  last 
  quarter-hour. 
  The 
  com- 
  

   petitor 
  who 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  losing 
  is 
  jeered 
  

   by 
  the 
  adherents 
  of 
  his 
  winning 
  opponent, 
  

   while 
  his 
  own 
  villagers, 
  whose 
  combined 
  

   wagers 
  on 
  his 
  victory 
  may 
  aggregate 
  sixty 
  

   thousand 
  duros 
  (dollars), 
  hurl 
  vile 
  epi- 
  

   thets 
  at 
  their 
  now 
  disgraced 
  hero. 
  

  

  "More 
  force, 
  you 
  pig 
  !" 
  

  

  "May 
  the 
  thief 
  die 
  !" 
  

  

  The 
  contest 
  usually 
  ends 
  in 
  a 
  debacle. 
  

   High 
  words, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  a 
  free-for- 
  

   all 
  fight 
  ensues. 
  

  

  The 
  winner- 
  is 
  borne 
  away 
  on 
  his 
  

   friends' 
  shoulders 
  to 
  a 
  nearby 
  tavern, 
  

   where 
  wine 
  will 
  flow 
  freely. 
  The 
  poor 
  

   defeated 
  barrenador 
  slinks 
  off 
  alone, 
  anx- 
  

   ious 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  eye 
  of 
  man; 
  in 
  all 
  prob- 
  

   ability 
  he 
  will 
  never 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  village 
  

   where 
  yesterday 
  he 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  popular 
  

   inhabitant. 
  

  

  THE 
  ARRESKU, 
  THE 
  FAMOUS 
  BASQUE 
  

   DANCE 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  early 
  evening, 
  after 
  a 
  festival 
  of 
  

   any 
  kind, 
  dancing 
  generally 
  takes 
  place, 
  

   in 
  open 
  air, 
  of 
  course, 
  as 
  often 
  as 
  not 
  in 
  

   the 
  village 
  plaza. 
  The 
  students 
  and 
  other 
  

   youths 
  from 
  the 
  cities 
  love 
  to 
  attend 
  the 
  

   village 
  fetes. 
  Most 
  interest 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  

   the 
  arresku, 
  the 
  great 
  dance 
  of 
  the 
  Bas- 
  

   ques. 
  I 
  have 
  many 
  times 
  been 
  instinc- 
  

   tively 
  fascinated 
  in 
  watching 
  this 
  spec- 
  

   tacle, 
  which 
  slightly 
  resembles 
  a 
  Polish 
  

   mazurka. 
  

  

  The 
  sound 
  of 
  the 
  pipe 
  and 
  tabor 
  are 
  

   heard 
  in 
  the 
  lively 
  cadences 
  of 
  the 
  ar- 
  

   resku. 
  An 
  expert 
  dancer, 
  master 
  of 
  cere- 
  

   monies, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  advances 
  in 
  the 
  space 
  

   set 
  aside 
  for 
  the 
  dancing. 
  Throwing 
  his 
  

   boina 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  he 
  moves 
  with 
  a 
  

   series 
  of 
  minute, 
  rapid 
  and 
  intricate 
  steps 
  

   toward 
  the 
  woman 
  he 
  has 
  chosen 
  to 
  be 
  

   the 
  "queen 
  of 
  the 
  ball." 
  And 
  no 
  Basque 
  

   woman, 
  no 
  matter 
  how 
  high 
  her 
  social 
  

   standing, 
  will 
  refuse 
  this 
  honor. 
  Senoras 
  

  

  of 
  noble 
  rank 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  taking 
  part 
  

   in 
  this 
  ceremonious 
  dance 
  opposite 
  to 
  

   peasant 
  and 
  sailor. 
  

  

  The 
  arresku 
  is 
  all 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  intricate 
  

   movements 
  of 
  feet, 
  body, 
  and 
  arms, 
  even 
  

   the 
  fingers 
  playing 
  their 
  part, 
  the 
  partic- 
  

   ipants 
  advancing 
  and 
  retreating. 
  Always 
  

   the 
  man 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  foreground, 
  and 
  he 
  sim- 
  

   ply 
  seems 
  to 
  talk 
  with 
  his 
  feet, 
  while 
  

   scarcely 
  the 
  finger 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  partners 
  

   touch 
  during 
  the 
  whole 
  dance. 
  

  

  SAN 
  SEBASTIAN 
  LACKS 
  BASQUE 
  

   ATMOSPHERE 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  "New 
  England 
  

   of 
  Spain" 
  some 
  mention 
  must 
  be 
  made 
  of 
  

   San 
  Sebastian, 
  the 
  second 
  city 
  in 
  the 
  

   Basque 
  provinces, 
  but 
  the 
  least 
  Basque 
  

   in 
  characteristics. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  modern 
  town 
  

   on 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Biscay 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  

   from 
  the 
  French 
  frontier, 
  the 
  summer 
  

   residence 
  of 
  the 
  royal 
  family, 
  and 
  the 
  

   most 
  popular 
  of 
  Spanish 
  resorts. 
  It 
  has 
  

   a 
  fine 
  casino 
  and 
  an 
  unrivaled 
  bathing 
  

   beach. 
  Indeed, 
  in 
  many 
  ways, 
  San 
  Se- 
  

   bastian 
  is 
  a 
  serious 
  rival 
  of 
  Monte 
  Carlo. 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  night 
  of 
  my 
  last 
  visit 
  to 
  Spain 
  

   was 
  spent 
  at 
  this 
  famous 
  watering 
  place. 
  

   It 
  was 
  in 
  winter 
  ; 
  hence 
  many 
  shops 
  and 
  

   most 
  hotels 
  were 
  closed. 
  The 
  casino 
  of- 
  

   fered 
  the 
  only 
  amusement, 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  

   two 
  friends 
  playing 
  at 
  "trente 
  et 
  quar- 
  

   ente" 
  who 
  attracted 
  my 
  attention 
  — 
  one 
  a 
  

   Castilian 
  from 
  Madrid, 
  the 
  other 
  a 
  Cata- 
  

   lan 
  from 
  Barcelona. 
  

  

  Even 
  in 
  the 
  excitement 
  of 
  gambling, 
  

   the 
  marked 
  regionalism 
  of 
  Spain 
  could 
  

   not 
  be 
  forgotten. 
  They 
  would 
  play 
  a 
  

   while, 
  then 
  retire 
  to 
  the 
  "bar 
  Americano" 
  

   to 
  quench 
  their 
  thirst 
  and 
  to 
  enter 
  into 
  a 
  

   loud 
  discussion 
  as 
  to 
  why 
  or 
  why 
  not 
  the 
  

   government 
  should 
  grant 
  "autonomia" 
  to 
  

   the 
  provinces 
  of 
  Catalonia. 
  Their 
  dis- 
  

   cussion 
  was 
  much 
  more 
  heated 
  than 
  their 
  

   cognac. 
  Then 
  they 
  would 
  lock 
  arms 
  and 
  

   return 
  to 
  the 
  gambling 
  tables. 
  

  

  INDEX 
  FOR 
  JULY-DECEMBER, 
  1921, 
  VOLUME 
  READY 
  

   Index 
  for 
  Volume 
  XL 
  (July-December, 
  1921) 
  will 
  be 
  mailed 
  to 
  members 
  upon 
  request. 
  

  

  