It is needless to say that the young Russians were delighted with the
scenes that met their eyes in this fair southern land; and many of them
are found faithfully described in their journal. They noted the
picturesque dresses of the Pyrenean peasantry--so different from the
eternal blue blouse which they had met in northern and central France.
Here was worn the "barret," of scarlet or white, the rich brown jacket
and red sash of the peculiar costumes of the Basque and Bearnais
peasants--a fine race of men, and one, too, historically noble. They
saw carts drawn by large limbed cream-coloured oxen; and passed flocks
of sheep and milch goats, tended by shepherds in picturesque dresses,
and guarded by numbers of large Pyrenean dogs, whose chief duty was to
protect their charge from the wolves. They saw men standing knee-deep
in the water, surrounded by droves of pigs--the latter voluntarily
submitting themselves to a process of washing, which resulted in
producing over their skins a roseate, pinky appearance. It could be
seen, too, that these _pachyderms_ not only submitted voluntarily to the
operation, but with a keen sense of enjoyment, as evinced by their
contented grunts, and by their long tails, hanging "kinkless" while the
large calabashes of water were poured over their backs. Perhaps to this
careful management of the Pyrenean pigs are the beautiful "Bayonne hams"
indebted for their celebrity.
Further on, our travellers passed a _plumire_, or "hen-bath." Here was
a tank--another thermal spring--in which the water was something more
than "tepid." In fact, it was almost on the boil; and yet in this tank
a number of women were ducking their hens--not, as might be supposed,
dead ones, in order to scald off their feathers, but live fowls, to rid
them, as they said, of parasitical insects, and make them feel more
comfortable! As the water was almost hot enough to _parboil_ the poor
birds, and as the women held them in it immersed to the necks, the
_comfort_ of the thing--so thought our travellers--was rather a doubtful
question.
A little further on, another "custom" of the French Pyrenees came under
the eyes of the party. Their ears were assailed by a singular medley of
sounds, that rose from a little valley near the side of the road. On
looking into the valley, they saw a crowd of forty or fifty women, all
engaged in the same operation, which was that of flax-hackling. They
learnt from this that; in the Pyrenean countries the women are the
hacklers of flax; and that, instead of each staying at her own home to
perform the operation, a large number of them meet together in some
shaded spot, bringing their unhackled flax along with them; and there,
amidst jesting and laughing and singing, the rough staple is reduced to
its shining and silky fineness.
Still another curious custom was observed; but this was further on, and
higher up the sides of the mountains. Their observation of it was
attended with some degree of danger, and therefore came very close on
being an "adventure." For this reason it found a place among the events
recorded in their journal.
It should be remarked, that all three were mounted--Alexis and Ivan upon
stout, active ponies, of that race for which the Pyrenees,--especially
the western section of them,--are celebrated. Pouchskin's mount was not
of the genus _equus_, nor yet an _asinus_, but a hybrid of both
genera,--in short, a mule.
It was a French mule, and a very large one: for it required a good-sized
quadruped of the kind to make an appropriate roadster for the
ex-grenadier of the Imperial guard. It was not a very fat mule,
however, but raw-boned and gaunt as a Pyrenean wolf.
Of course these animals were all hired ones--obtained at Eaux Bonnes,
and engaged for the trip across the Pyrenees to the Spanish side--as
also to be used in any deviations that the hunters should think proper
to make, while engaged in the pursuit of the bear.
From the nearest village on the Spanish side, the animals were to be
sent back to their owner; for it was not the intention of our travellers
to return to the French territory.
Having crossed the mountains, and accomplishing the object for which
they had visited them, their course would then be continued southward,
through Spain.
Along with them--also mounted on muleback--was a fourth individual,
whose services they had secured. His _metier_ was manifold--on this
occasion combining in his single person at least three purposes. First,
he was to serve them as guide; secondly, he was to bring back the hired
horses; and, thirdly, he was to aid them in the "chasse" of the bear:
for it so happened that this man-of-all-work was one of the most noted
"izzard-hunters" of the Pyrenees. It is scarcely correct to say it
_happened_ so. Rather was it a thing of design than chance; for it was
on account of his fame as a hunter, that he had been engaged for the
triple duty he was now called upon to fulfil.
The four travellers, then, all mounted as we have described, were
ascending a very steep declivity. They had left the last hamlet--and
even the last house--behind them; and were now climbing one of the
outlying spurs that project many miles from the main axis of the
mountains. The road they were following scarcely deserved the name;
being a pack-road, or mere bridle-path; and so sleep was the ascent,
that it was necessary to zigzag nearly a dozen times, before the summit
of the ridge could be attained.
While entering upon this path, and near the base of the ridge, they had
noticed the forms of men far above them, moving about the summit, as if
engaged in some work. Their guide told them that these men were
faggot-cutters, whose business was to procure firewood for the towns in
the valley.
There was nothing in this bit of information to produce astonishment.
What _did_ astonish our travellers, however, was the mode in which these
men transported their firewood down the mountain, of which, shortly
after, they were treated to an exhibition. As they were zigzagging up
the mountain-path, their ears were all at once saluted by a noise that
resembled a crashing of stones, mingled with a crackling of sticks. The
noise appeared to proceed from above; and, on looking up, they beheld a
number of dark objects coming in full rush down the declivity. These
objects were of rounded form--in fact, they were bundles of faggots--and
so rapidly did they roll over, and make way down the mountain, that had
our travellers chanced to be in their track, they might have found some
difficulty in getting out of the way. Such was their reflection at the
moment; and they were even thanking their stars that they had escaped
the danger, when all at once a fresh avalanche of faggots was launched
from above; and these were evidently bounding straight towards the
party! It was impossible to tell which way to go--whether to rush
forward or draw back: for what with the inequality of the mountain-side,
and the irregular rolling of the bundles, they could not tell the exact
direction they would take. All therefore drew up, and waited the result
in silent apprehension. Of course they had not long to wait--scarce a
second--for the huge bundles bounding on, each moment with increased
impetus, came down with the suddenness of a thunderclap; and before the
words "Jack Robinson" could have been pronounced, they went whizzing
past with the velocity of aerolites, and with such a force, that had one
of them struck either mule or pony it would have hurled both the
quadruped and its rider to the bottom of the mountain. It was only
their good fortune that saved them: for in such a place it would have
been impossible for the most adroit equestrian to have got out of the
way. The path was not the two breadths of a horse; and to have wheeled
round, or even drawn back upon it, would have been a risk of itself.
They rode on, again congratulating themselves on their escape; but fancy
their consternation when they found themselves once more, and for the
third time, exposed to the very same danger! Again came a set of
bundles rolling and tearing down the slope, the billets rattling and
crackling as they rolled; again they went swishing by; again, by the
merest accident, did they miss the travellers, as they stood upon the
path.
Now, it might be supposed that the faggots were being launched all along
the ridge of the hill; and that, go which way they might, our party
would still be exposed to the danger. Not so. The bundles were all
rolled down at one particular place--where the slope was most favourable
for this purpose--but it was the zigzag path, which every now and then
obliqued across the line of the wood-avalanche, that had thus repeatedly
placed them in peril.
As they had yet to "quarter" the declivity several times before they
could reach the summit, they were more careful about approaching the
line of descent; and whenever they drew near it, they put their ponies
and mules to as good a speed as they could take out of them.
Though all four succeeded in reaching the summit in safety, it did not
hinder Pouchskin from pouring out his vial of wrath on the heads of the
offending woodcutters; and if they could have only understood his
Russian, they would have heard themselves called by a good many hard
names, and threatened with a second pursuit of Moscow. "Frog-eating
Frenchmen!" was the very mildest title which the ex-guardsman bestowed
upon them; but as his Russian was not translated, of course the phrase
fell harmless--else it would have undoubtedly been retaliated by a taunt
about "tallow."
The "izzard-hunter" swore at them to more purpose; for he, too, having
undergone equal risk with the rest of the party, had equally good
reasons for being angry; and giving utterance to a long string of
execrations with all the volubility of a Bearnais, he further threatened
them with the terrors of the law.
As the woodcutters, slightly stupefied by this unexpected attack,
submitted with tolerable grace, and said nothing in reply, the
izzard-hunter at length cooled down, and the party proceeded on their
way; Pouchskin, as he rode off, shaking his clenched fist at the staring
log-choppers, and hissing out in angry aspirate another Russian
shibboleth, which neither could nor should be translated.