COUNTRY IN THE VICINITY OF SAN ROQUE--RUINS OF THE ANCIENT CITY OF
CARTEIA--FIELD OF BATTLE OF ALPHONSO THE ELEVENTH--JOURNEY TO
RONDA--FOREST OF ALMORAIMA--MOUTH OF THE LIONS--FINE SCENERY--TOWN
OF GAUCIN--A SPANISH INN--OLD CASTLE AT GAUCIN--INTERIOR OF AN
ANDALUSIAN POSADA--SPANISH HUMOUR--MOUNTAIN WINE.
The country in the immediate vicinity of San Roque is tame and
uninteresting; but, within the distance of an hour's ride, in whatever
direction you may turn your horse's head, it becomes agreeably
varied,--presenting wide, cultivated valleys, shady forests of cork,
oak, and pine, and wild and cragged mountains.
In the neighbourhood are many objects well deserving the attention of
the antiquary; amongst others, the ruins of the ancient city of Carteia,
situated on the sea-shore, within the bay of Gibraltar, and near the
mouth of the River Guadaranque. The walls may be traced very distinctly;
they enclose an amphitheatre, in a tolerable state of preservation,
reliques of baths and other edifices, and the remains of a small temple
of Corinthian architecture and most exquisite and elaborate workmanship.
This last has only recently been discovered. It was built of beautiful
white marble, and its columns, though lying prostrate, appeared to have
suffered little by their fall; but such is the want of antiquarian taste
in the Spaniards of the present day, that it is to be feared this fine
specimen of the arts has already disappeared, and is now only to be met
with in detached blocks, scattered throughout the neighbouring
farm-houses and walls.
The learned Mr. Francis Carter, whose interesting "Journey from
Gibraltar to Malaga" has, it is much to be regretted, been long out of
print, states, that Carteia was built on the ruins of a "most antique"
city called Tartessus, or Tarsis, from whence, "once in three years,"
the fleets of King Solomon "brought gold and silver, ivory and _apes_
and peacocks."[38] The Greeks afterwards called this city Heraclea,[39]
and in yet more recent times it received the name of Carteia.
The Carthagenians (on the authority of Justin) made themselves masters
of this place, about 280 years B.C., and retained possession of it
until they were finally expelled from Spain by Scipio Africanus, B.C.
203. It was one of the cities most devoted to the cause of the Pompeys,
and that to which Cneus fled for refuge after his defeat at Munda. On
the margin of the River Guadaranque, at a short distance from the walls
of the city, may be seen some remnants of its ancient quays, and about a
mile higher up the stream, other vestiges of antiquity present
themselves, which are supposed to be the remains of a Dock or Arsenal.
They consist of several moles constructed of stone and brick intermixed,
and held together by a very durable cement.
The Guadaranque (River of Mares) discharges itself into the bay of
Gibraltar, three miles N.W. of the fortress; and some distance further
to the westward, the Palmones, another mountain stream, also empties
itself into the bay. In the bed of this latter river may be seen the
piers of a ruined bridge, said to be a work of the Romans. It is evident
from these remains, that a great change has taken place in the character
of the two rivers: since the first can now be entered only by boats of
the very lightest draught, and the other is fordable immediately above
the ruins of the Roman bridge.
The plain between the two rivers is not devoid of interest, being
celebrated as one of the battle fields of the heroic Alphonso XI. (A.D.
1333) whose exploits, independent of his having been the most chivalric
monarch of the Castillian race, are particularly interesting to
Englishmen, from the circumstance of many of our countrymen having
fought under his banner against the Moslems, and particularly at the
siege of Algeciras: which place, notwithstanding the destructive
weapons[40] there for the first time employed against the Christian
army, was captured after a twenty months' siege, and in spite of the
repeated attempts of the allied kings of Granada and Gibraltar to
relieve it, A.D. 1344. In these various endeavours to raise the siege,
the plain extending between the Guadaranque and Palmones again became
the scene of fierce contention; of which a most interesting account will
be found in Villasan's Chronicles of Alphonso XI.
Numerous other points in the neighbourhood of San Roque are equally
worthy of observation; but these I shall not detain my reader longer to
particularise, as other opportunities will present themselves for doing
so more conveniently, in the course of our travels; it being my purpose
to make San Roque a kind of "base of operations," upon which I shall
from time to time retire, for a fresh supply of notes and sketches. I
shall now therefore direct my steps due north, through the lonely and
almost boundless forest of Almoraima, towards Ximena.
The forest consists principally of cork, oak, and ilex; but, in the
marshy parts of it, (called _sotos_,) ash, willow, and other trees to
which such localities are favourable, grow very luxuriantly.
The owner of this vast domain is the Marquis of Moscoso,--who derives
from it a revenue totally disproportioned to its value and extent; and
what little he does get, he squanders nightly at the gaming-table. The
principal source of revenue arises from the numerous herds of swine and
other cattle, that are driven from all parts of the country to feed upon
the acorns, herbage, and underwood, scattered throughout the forest; the
fine, well grown trees with which it abounds being turned to no better
account than to furnish bark and charcoal.
This is entirely owing to the want of means of conveying the timber to a
market; for not even to Gibraltar--in which direction the country is
level--is there a road capable of bearing the draught of heavy weights.
Of course the ruinous passion that swallows up all the proprietor's
resources prevents any attempt at improvement in the management of the
estate; and thus, whilst huge trees, stript of their bark, lie rotting
in some parts of the forest, in others, the underwood is set on fire by
the peasantry--to the great detriment of the larger trees--to improve
the pasture for their cattle.
The ride through the forest is delightful, even in the most sultry
season, the wide-spreading branches of the gnarled cork-trees screening
the narrow paths most effectually from the sun's rays. The gurgle of the
tortuous Guadaranque,--which, escaped from the mountain ravines that
encircle its sources, here wends its way more leisurely to the sea,--may
be heard distinctly on the left, and now and then a glimpse may even be
caught of its dark blue stream, winding under a perfect arbour of
woodbine, clematis, and other creepers, and spanned here and there by a
rustic bridge. The single stem of a tree of which these bridges usually
consist is readily enough crossed by the practised feet and heads of the
swineherds and foresters; but to strangers unskilled in the art of slack
rope dancing, the passage of the stream, like that of the bridge leading
to the Mohammedan's paradise, is a feat of no very easy achievement.
Occasionally, wide, open glades, carpeted with a rich greensward,
present themselves in the very heart of the forest, to diversify the
scenery--giving it quite the character of an English park; and from
these breaks in the wood a view may generally be obtained of the
far-distant towers of Castellar; the mountain fortress of the master of
this princely domain, now inhabited by his _Administrador_, or Agent,
his gamekeepers, and other dependents.
The forest abounds in deer, wild boars, and wolves; but, excepting the
first named, these animals seldom venture to descend into the level
parts of the forest in open day, but confine themselves to the thickly
wooded glens, that furrow the mountain range bordering the right bank of
the Guadaranque.
Permission to shoot in the forest is never refused to the British
officers and inhabitants of Gibraltar. Indeed, excepting for the _caza
mayor_,[41] the ceremony of asking leave is not considered necessary;
and in the winter season the _sotos_ afford good sport, woodcocks,
ducks, and snipes, being very plentiful.
Turning now away from the Guadaranque, and leaving a spacious convent
that gives its name to the forest, about half a mile on the left, the
road inclines to the eastward, and soon reaches a large solitary
building, the Venta _del Aqua del Quejigo_, but known more commonly
amongst the English by the name of the Long Stables, and distinguished
as the scene of many a festive meeting, and many a bacchanalian orgie,
being a favourite place of rendezvous for a _Batida_.[42] My head aches
at the very recollection of the nights passed within its walls. We will
therefore pass on, and again plunge into the forest.
After proceeding about a mile, the road divides into two branches. That
on the right hand is the most direct way to Gaucin, whither I am bending
my steps; but the other, though little known, is the best, and offers
more attractions to the lover of the picturesque. I will therefore take
it, in the present instance, and advise all who may follow in my wake to
do the like.
Continuing two miles further through the impervious forest, the road at
length arrives at the brink of a deep ravine on the right, when a lovely
view breaks upon the traveller, looking over a rich valley watered by
the river Sogarganta, and towards the mountain fortress of Casares and
lofty Sierra Bermeja. The road, hemmed in by steep banks, and still
overshadowed by the forest, descends rather rapidly towards the before
named river; and this narrow pass, being the only outlet from the forest
in this direction, has, from its celebrity in days past as a place of
danger, received the name of the _Boca de Leones_--mouth of the lions.
On emerging from the pass, a wide and carefully cultivated valley
presents itself. The river which fertilizes it, here makes a
considerable elbow; the chain of hills clothed by the Almoraima forest
checking its southerly course, and directing it nearly due east towards
the Mediterranean. To the north, the valley extends nearly ten miles,
appearing to be closed by a conical mound that is crowned by the old
castle of Ximena; the town itself being piled up on its eastern side.
The road to that place (eight miles) keeps along the right bank of the
Sogarganta, which winds gracefully through the wide, flat-bottomed
valley; but the track to Gaucin crosses by a ford to the opposite side
of the stream, and, after advancing about four miles, inclines to the
right, traverses a low range of hills, and comes down upon the river
Guadiaro. This is crossed by means of a ferryboat, and leaving its bank,
and proceeding in a northerly direction, the road passes over a gently
undulated country for several miles, and then begins to ascend a high
wooded ridge on the right hand.
The ascent is long and tortuous, but tolerably easy, and the view,
looking towards Ximena (distant about five miles) is very grand and
imposing. The castellated crag, so proudly conspicuous an hour before,
is now, however, shorn of all its importance; the superior elevation of
the point from whence it is viewed, as well as the magnificence of the
mountains that rise to the westward of Ximena--which now first burst
upon the sight--making it appear but a pebble at their feet.
But scenery of a more varied and yet more magnificent kind awaits the
traveller, at the pass by which the road traverses the ridge that he has
now been nearly an hour ascending.
The lovely valley of the Genal[43] is there spread out to his enraptured
gaze. On the left, embosomed in groves of orange, citron, and
pomegranate trees, and shadowed with clustering vines, stands the
picturesque town of Gaucin,--its boldly outlined castle perched on the
crest of a rough ledge of rock that rises abruptly behind.
Stretching some way down the eastern side of the cragged mound, the
advanced battlements of the Moorish stronghold terminate at the brink
of a frightful precipice, which not only forbids all approach to the
town in that direction, but threatens even some day to close up the
narrow valley it overhangs.
Of the little stream that flows in the deep and thickly wooded ravine,
an occasional glimpse only can be caught, as it turns coquettishly from
side to side; but its general direction is marked by a succession of
water-mills, as well as by a belt of orange and lemon groves, whose dark
green foliage is easily distinguished from, and offers a pleasing
variety to, the more brilliant tints of the surrounding forest. Beyond,
however, where the valley becomes wider and more open, the stream may be
distinctly traced lingering over its pebbly bed, and finally forming its
junction with the Guadiaro.
The steep but graceful slopes of the mountain ridge that bounds the
valley to the east are thickly clothed with cork, oak, chesnut, and
ilex; whilst the rugged peaks of the Sierra Cristellina, in which it
terminates towards Gibraltar, rise so precipitously as seemingly to defy
even a goat to find footing. Over this chain may be seen the distant
Sierra Bermeja, celebrated in Spanish history as the last refuge of the
persecuted Moslems, and the eastern roots of which are washed by the
Mediterranean.
Half an hour's ride brings the traveller from the pass to Gaucin,--the
descent being but short, and very gradual. Gaucin is a long straggling
town, of semi-circular form, and is built partly under the rocky
eminence occupied by the castle, partly on the southern slope of a
narrow gorge that connects this stronghold with the more elevated
_Sierra del Hacho_. The principal street, which traverses the place from
west to east, is wider than most one is accustomed to see in old Moorish
towns, and cleaner than any I have met with in modern Spanish cities.
But nature has all the merit of endowing it with the latter virtue;
having supplied it with copious springs, which, in their downward
course, carry off all the usual impurities of Andalusian streets. The
houses, though not good, are clean, and are decorated with a profusion
of flowers of all sorts, that give out a delicious perfume; and in
various parts of the town, a vine-clung trelliswork of canes is carried
quite across the street, affording at the same time an agreeable shade
and a pleasing vista. The first impression made by the town is therefore
decidedly favourable.
We--(I ought by the way to have stated before now, that the party with
which I travelled on this occasion consisted of _four_)--we therefore, I
repeat, had to traverse the town from one end to the other, to arrive
at the _posada_; which was indicated only by the short,
inorthographical, but otherwise satisfactory and invigorating
announcement, painted in large black letters on the whitewashed wall of
the building--"_Aqui se bende vuen bino_."[44]
A cockney could not have managed to make more mistakes between his _v's_
and _w's_, than our _Andaluz Posadero_[45] had succeeded in compressing
into this pithy advertisement;--hoping, however, that he held his
plighted word in greater respect than the rules of Castillian
grammar,[46] we spurred our horses through the half-opened _porte
cochère_, and, _à l'Espagnole_, rode at once into the principal
apartment of the hostelry.
The interior was far from giving the same cheering assurance that good
entertainment was to be had for money, as was announced externally of
the sale of good wine. I was as yet (I speak of my first visit to
Gaucin) but a novice in Spanish travelling, and thought I had never seen
a more wretched, uncomfortable, and in every way unpromising, place. But
the day was already far spent, and the chance of our finding better
accommodation by proceeding further on our journey was against
us;--moreover, we had been assured (which by experience I afterwards
learnt to be the case) that this was the only _Parador_ fit for
_Caballeros_ between San Roque and Ronda.
It consisted of one long, windowless apartment, that from the number and
variety of its inmates gave no bad idea of Noah's ark. Three fourths of
the dark smoky space served as a stable, wherein four rows of quadrupeds
were compactly tethered; and, impatient for their evening meal, were
neighing, braying, and bleating, with all the powers of their respective
lungs. Amidst the filth and litter that covered the pavement, lay
numberless pigs of all sizes, and every condition of life; some
squeaking for mere squeaking's sake, others grunting in all the
discomfort of repletion. On the rafters overhead some scores of
gallinaceous animals had congregated for the night; adding,
nevertheless, their quota of noise to that of the lower region, whenever
one of their number was abducted from the roost, to be hurried out of
its peaceful existence, into a greasy olla. The remaining portion of the
apartment served both as a refectory and a dormitory for the
_arrieros_,--owners of the tethered quadrupeds--and also as a kitchen,
where their various odoriferous suppers were preparing.
The mistress of the mansion--as wrinkle-visaged an old harridan as ever
tossed off a bumper of _aguadiente_--assisted by her two daughters, was
busily employed, plucking, drawing, dissecting, and otherwise preparing,
divers rabbits, chickens, and other animals, to satisfy the craving
appetites of her numerous guests; and cats innumerable were in close
attendance, clawing and squabbling for the offal, which, to save all
further trouble, was thrown to them on the floor.
The prospect was any thing but inviting; but, as I have said before,
there was no alternative;--so, begging the _Posadera_ to draw near, we
requested she would inform us whether we could be accommodated with a
lodging for the night. Having deliberately scanned the party, and
ascertained to her satisfaction that it consisted entirely of
Englishmen,--whose pockets Spaniards are apt to consider as
inexhaustible as the mines of Mexico and Peru,--the old beldame, oiling
her iron features into a species of smile, assured us we could be lodged
_con toda comodidad_;[47] and screeching to her daughter _Mariquita_,
she desired her to hand over the rabbit she was skinning to her
_hermanita_[48] _Frasquita_, and show the _Caballeros_[49] to the
_Sala_.[50]
Mariquita led us forthwith up a narrow rickety staircase, which,
situated in a dark corner of the room, had escaped our observation; and
into a small room, or rather loft, where she assured us we should be
very quiet and comfortable; adding that it was always reserved for
_gente de pelo_[51] like ourselves.
The only comfort apparent was the undisturbed possession of a space
twelve feet square, enclosed by four bare walls: for of bedding or
furniture of any sort it was quite destitute. We submitted with as good
a grace as possible, but, after some persuasion, succeeded in procuring
four mattresses to spread on the clay floor; as many pairs of clean
sheets and pillows; and some pie-dishes to serve as wash-hand basins. We
then descended, to have some further conversation with our hostess
concerning supper.
The landlady's reply to our first question, "what can we have?" was
gratifying in the extreme--viz. "_lo que ustedes gusten_"--"just what
you please." But, discovering by our next, more explicit demand, "what
can you give us?" that we depended upon the resources of the _posada_
for our evening meal, her astonishment knew no bounds, and her doubts of
the Potosi state of our purses became very evident. Leaving, therefore,
the delicate affair to be explained and settled by one of our servants,
who, being an old traveller, understood how to negociate these matters,
we proceeded to examine the ruined castle, ere the sun had sunk below
the horizon.
A rugged zig-zag pathway--along which, at stated intervals, are
represented the various sufferings and indignities endured by our
Saviour on his way to Mount Calvary--leads to the summit of the rocky
ledge. The fortress that crowns it must, in the days of the Moors, have
possessed great military importance, as it completely commands the
valley, and consequently all the roads leading through it, towards the
coast. It is now merely a picturesque ruin; its Artillery being
dismounted, its wells choked up, and its battlements overgrown with ivy.
A chapel dedicated to the _Niño Dios_[52] is apparently the only thing
within its precincts deemed worthy of preservation.
The view from this spot is very extensive and beautiful, but hardly so
fine as one (which will be hereafter noticed) that presents itself some
miles higher up the valley, when the castle itself becomes one of the
principal features of the landscape, whilst the distant scenery remains
the same.
Returning to the Posada, we lighted our cigars; and, feeling sensibly
the change in the temperature of this elevated region, we joined the
natives assembled round the fireplace, who, with the courtesy natural to
all Spaniards, immediately rose and offered us the seats of honour.
The portion of the apartment allotted to the human kind had now become
crowded with persons of all sorts and conditions; for the animals being
peacefully engaged at their evening repast, their owners thought it time
to be looking after their's. Some, indeed, had already satisfied the
cravings of nature from their own wallets and _pig_-skins, and, taking
time by the forelock, were stretched full length on the floor; their
_Mantas_ and _Capas_ serving them for mattresses and coverlets, their
saddles and _alforjas_ for bolsters and pillows. Others, seated on low
stools composed of junks of cork, had resolved themselves into
committees, to discuss the merits of a _Gazpacho caliente_,[53] or
direct their inquiries into the hidden treasures of a savoury _olla_.
Some were assisting the hostess and her somewhat pretty daughters, in
their culinary operations; and many were assembled round the wide
chimney piece, drinking, smoking, manufacturing _papelitos_ for the
morrow's consumption, and relating their adventures.
Here also were seated several of the village magnates, who repair
nightly to this convenient rendezvous, as well to indulge a natural
propensity to gossip, as to hear the news from _La Plaza_, and negotiate
with the arrieros for their contraband cottons and tobacco.
The whole presented an interior quite suited to the pencil of a Teniers.
A bright wood fire sparkled on the wide hearth, shedding a brilliant red
light upon the group of animated figures assembled in its immediate
vicinity, and here and there also picking out some conspicuous figure
from the more distant parties. The back ground was in deep Murillo
shade, excepting on one side; where the flickering flame of a solitary
lamp, contrasting its pale light with that of the fire, cast a yellow
tinge on the squalid features of the hostess and her helpmates, round
whom the eyes of some dozen of cats danced like monster fireflies. A
well polished _batterie de cuisine_; sides of bacon; ropes of onions;
platters; goblets and tobacco smoke, were not wanting to fill up the
picture. But it was perfect without the aid of such accessories; the
spirit and expression of each actor in the Spanish scene, and the
diversity of costume, giving it a decided superiority over a picture of
the "_Flemish School_;" in which foaming pots of beer, and a melting
_frau_, must needs be introduced, to extract animation from the stolid
features of the assembled boors.
The lower order of Spaniards have a great deal of racy humour which
renders them admirable _raconteurs_. The _arrieros_ assembled round the
fire on the present occasion were relating some story of the barbarous
treatment received by a good Capuchin friar, at the hands of some wicked
_ladrones_,[54] who, finding he possessed nothing worth being plundered
of, had bastinadoed his feet until he could not walk, tied his hands
together, enveloped him in a goat skin, fastened a pair of ram's horns
on his head, a bell to his rosary, and suspending that from his neck,
had left him to crawl as he best could, to the nearest village.
This tale, though not addressed to him, was evidently intended for the
ears of a monk of the same mendicant order, who, pale and trembling, sat
in one corner of the chimney place, listening, with open-mouthed
attention, to every word the _arrieros_ said; at the same time counting
his beads without intermission, and crossing himself devoutly at the
relation of each fresh act of barbarity practised on his unfortunate
brother.
From the significant glances that from time to time passed between the
narrators,--for several of the assembled group came forward to vouch for
the truth of the story,--and latterly between them and ourselves, when
they saw we were aware of the drift of their joke; it was evidently all
fiction; but the tale was told with such minute details, and its
veracity maintained by so many asseverations, that any one, not seeing
the by-play, might easily, like the unhappy monk, have been made the
victim of the hoax.
"_Caramba!_" at length exclaimed the _Alcalde mayor_[55] of Gaucin, who
occupied one corner of the fireplace--"_Caramba!_ this is a strange
story! and it is most extraordinary, that in my official capacity"--this
was said with a certain magisterial air--"I should not have been made
acquainted with it. Pray tell me; _when_ did this happen? and what
became of the pious man?"--"With respect to the time," said another
muleteer, taking up the story, "I cannot precisely inform you; but that
matters little; be satisfied that, in the narration of the story, _no se
salga un punto de la verdad_.[56] As for the friar, he crawled to the
nearest village, driving before him all the cattle he encountered on
the road, like mad things--asses braying--dogs barking; and cows with
their tails in the air as erect as palm trees. The inhabitants took the
alarm; and, snatching up their _niños_ and _rosarios_, scampered off
without listening to what the _Padre_ was crying:--indeed the louder he
hallooed to them to stop, the faster they ran; for they all thought it
was the devil that was at their heels."--"And I believe think so to this
day," joined in another arriero, taking his cigar from his mouth, and
rolling forth a long cloud of smoke--"for at last, the village priest,
seizing upon a crucifix in one hand, and an _escopeta_[57] in the other,
and repeating a heap of _Ave Marias_, _Pater nostres_, and _credos_,
went out to meet the beast. On getting within gunshot, he presented the
_escopeta_ (for I saw it myself, though he said afterwards it was the
crucifix,) upon which the figure fell prostrate on the ground. So then
the _Cura_ went up to it, and, after a few minutes, beckoned the people
forward, and told them how he had cast a devil out of a good Capuchin,
and showed the skin and horns he had kept as trophies. The skin was cut
up and sold to the bystanders for charms against the evil one; and the
friar was placed on an ass, and conveyed to the _Cura's_ dwelling, where
he remained until his feet were healed. He then returned to his
convent, telling every body that he had been assailed by devils in the
form of contrabandistas, and that a miracle had been wrought in his
favour."
Here all crossed themselves--arrieros inclusive.
Others of the muleteers were bandying compliments with the crabbed old
landlady; one swearing that her wine was as sweet as her face; another
that her breath was more savoury than a _chorizo_;[58] a third that his
chocolate was less clear than her complexion: all which jokes she bore
with stoical indifference, returning generally, however, a Rowland for
an Oliver.
At length our supper was announced, and we betook ourselves to the loft,
where we found four chairs and a low table had been added to the
furniture. Our meal consisted of a stewed fowl, that had been pulled
down from the roost before our eyes, not an hour before; an omelet
abounding in onion and garlic; and, what we found far more palatable,
ham and bread and butter, which we had taken care to come provided with.
I must not, however, omit to do justice to the Gaucin wine, which is
excellent, and has much the flavour of a _sound_ Niersteiner. The best
is grown on the side of the _Hacho_, or peaked mountain above the town.
All the wine of the Serrania is good, when not _flavoured_ with aniseed;
but it must be "drunk on the premises;" for the vile habit of carrying
it in pig-skins is sure to give it some bad taste--either of the skin
itself, if new, or of its preceding contents, (probably aniseed brandy)
if old. I tried in vain to get some pure Guacin wine conveyed to
Gibraltar, but it had always a "smack" of the unclean animal's skin.