FROM LIMASOL TO THE MOUNTAINS.
The barley harvest was in active operation, and the fields around our
camp were crowded with men, women, and children, all hard at work, but
producing small results compared with an equal expenditure of European
labour. Their sickles were large and good, but a great proportion of the
crops were either broken off by hand or were dragged out by the roots,
and the earth that adhered was carelessly dusted off by a blow against
the reaper's boots. In this dry climate there was no necessity for
piling the sheaves, but the small bundles were at once laden upon
donkeys and also conveyed in the two-wheeled carts to the threshing-
ground, upon which it would remain until valued for taxation by the
government official. In the dry atmosphere of Cyprus, Syria, Egypt, &c.,
the straw breaks easily, and beneath the sharp flints of the ancient
threshing-harrow in present use is quickly reduced to the coarse chaff
known as "tibbin," which forms the staple article of food for horses and
all cattle. Taking advantage of the numbers of people congregated in the
fields, some itinerant gipsies with a monkey and performing bears were
camped beneath the caroub-trees, about half a mile from our position.
The bears were the Syrian variety. Throughout Cyprus the gipsies are
known as tinners of pots and makers of wooden spoons, which seems to be
the normal occupation of their tribe throughout the world; they have
also a character for a peculiar attachment to fowls and any other small
matters that belong to private individuals which may be met with during
their wanderings.
The beans of the caroub-trees were already large, and promised a good
crop in spite of the dry weather. The roots of these evergreens
penetrate to a great depth, and obtain nourishment from beneath when the
surface soil is perished by drought. I have never seen a caroub
overthrown by the wind, although the extremely large head that is at all
seasons covered with leaves must offer a great resistance. The fruit of
this tree (Ceratonia siliqua) is already an important export from
Cyprus, and if the cultivation is encouraged there can be no doubt of an
enormous extension of the trade. The tree is indigenous to the island,
but in its wild state is unproductive; it simply requires grafting to
ensure a crop. The wild young trees are generally transplanted into the
desired positions, and then grafted from the cultivated species, but
there is no reason why they should not be grafted in situ. The olives,
which are also indigenous, might be treated in a similar manner to
render the crown-lands productive, which are now mere jungles of shrubs
and trees in their natural state. I shall reserve further remarks upon
this subject for a chapter specially devoted to "Woods and Forests."
The caroub at present commands an extensive market. The fruit is usually
known commercially as the "locust-bean;" the taste is a compound of
treacle and Spanish liquorice, and would generally be appreciated by
children, monkeys, pigs, and cattle. The Cassia fistula of Ceylon
resembles it somewhat in flavour, but the Ceratonia siliqua is free from
the medicinal properties of the former tree. Since the government
monopoly was abolished in 1827 the trade has received an impetus, and
this extension due to freedom is an example to our present government in
their relations to the oppressive system connected with the wine trade.
According to the consular reports the crop of 1872 was about 10,000
tons, which sold free on board at 4 pounds 10 shillings per ton. At that
time the chief purchaser was Russia, and the locust-beans were exported
to various positions upon the Black Sea. In 1875 England became a large
consumer, and I believe the well-known "Thorley's Patent Food for
Cattle" contains a considerable amount of this nutritive substance. The
influence upon the market of a demand from England raised the exports in
1875 to 18,000 tons. A fluctuation took place in 1876, and although the
crop was deficient, the prices fell to 2 pounds 13 shillings 6 pence per
ton free on board. This reaction was probably due to the large stocks on
hand in England, purchased at a high rate, from 4 pounds 10 shillings to
5 pounds per ton, which had driven Russian competition out of the
market; therefore the 1876 gathering found but few purchasers. In 1877
the yield was 13,500 tons, and the price rose from 2 pounds 13 shillings
6 pence to 3 pounds 5 shillings and at length to 4 pounds per ton, free
on board.
The average produce of a tree, taking the mean of all sizes, would be
about 84 lbs. or three-quarters of a hundredweight; allowing the mean
crop of five years to be 13,000 tons, this would give the number of
productive trees in Cyprus as 346,666, or in round numbers 350,000,
which, at eight trees to the acre = 43,750 acres of caroub-trees. I do
not think as a rule that a larger number than eight trees are to be
found upon an acre, as it is the custom to cultivate cereals upon the
same ground, therefore the caroubs are thinly planted. This calculation
cannot be accepted as exhibiting the actual position of the trees, as a
very large proportion are not planted in order, but grow independently
and promiscuously, and are productive simply as originally wild trees
that have been grafted. Should Cyprus belong bona-fide to England,
machinery for crushing and pressing the locust-beans will be established
on the spot, which, by compressing the bulk, will reduce the freight and
materially lessen the price when delivered in England. In travelling
through Cyprus nothing strikes the observation of the traveller more
forcibly than the neglect of tree-planting. The caroub is an indigenous
production volunteering its services to man, and producing an important
revenue; there are immense tracts of land which by their rocky nature
are unfit for the general purposes of husbandry, at the same time the
rich soil in the interstices is eminently adapted for the cultivation of
the caroub. Such lands are at the present moment abandoned to a growth
of jungle, among which this irrepressible tree dominates all other
vegetation, but in its wild state remains unproductive. The
neighbourhood of Limasol is for many miles richly ornamented by these
welcome shade-producers, and presents an example of what other portions
of the island might become.
During my stay at Limasol I was several times invaded by a crowd of
people from a neighbouring village, with complaints upon an assumed
injustice connected with their water-supply. It was in vain that I
assured them of my unofficial capacity; they were determined to have
their say, and, according to their threat, to "TELEGRAPH TO VICTORIA,"
unless they could obtain redress. I referred them to Colonel Warren,
R.A., the chief commissioner of their district, who had already been
sufficiently perplexed with their case. It appeared that a stream
flowing from the mountains had nearly two centuries ago been diverted
into an artificial channel by the inhabitants of Kolossi and others for
the purpose of irrigating the various lands in succession, according to
the gradations of their levels. This water had become a right, and the
value of all lands thus irrigated had been appraised in proportion.
According to their story, some years ago a Greek who commanded capital
purchased an estate at Kolossi; and having made a journey to
Constantinople, where he remained for some years, he took the
opportunity of bribing some high officials to obtain for him an irade
from the Sultan, giving him the entire right to the water-supply, which
had for so great a length of time been the acknowledged property of the
neighbouring landholders. This irade was issued upon the plea that all
natural waters (i.e. streams) belong to the Sultan. A wide field for
litigation was thus opened, and the Greek, having more than the usual
allowance of "the wisdom of the serpent," lost no time in investing
large sums in the corruption of all those who would be summoned as local
witnesses whenever the case should be brought before the ordinary
tribunals. The result was that after great expense in the costs of
litigation, an appeal to the superior court during the British
administration had been favourable to the plaintiffs, and the Greek
proprietor was held to be legally in possession of all water-rights, to
the exclusion of the original owners. He, however offered to supply them
with water for their farms at a fixed rate; whereas they had hitherto
enjoyed that free right for upwards of a century. This loss, or
abstraction, of so important a supply, upon which the actual existence
of the farms depended in seasons of drought, not only impoverished the
cultivators during the present year of famine, but reduced the value of
their land to an enormous extent, as farms with a water-supply are worth
more than quadruple the price of those which are dependent upon the
seasons. Of course I could not help the poor people; it appeared to my
uneducated sense of equity to be the maximum of injustice. The question
hung upon the Sultan's right to the natural water-supply, which I
believe has been officially declared invalid; by what other right the
monopoly of the water had been conveyed away from the original
proprietors I could not understand. The Greek was not enjoying his
victory in absolute peace of mind, as the neighbouring farmers avenged
their legal defeat by cutting holes in the embankments of his
watercourses, and thereby nightly flooding their own fields, which, as
the channels extended for many miles, would have required the presence
of more than all the police of the district to discover the offenders.
Upon one occasion upwards of forty of these people appeared mounted upon
mules around my camp, to urge my intercession on their behalf, declaring
their perfect faith in the honour and good intentions of the English
authorities, but at the same time lamenting their ignorance of the
native language, which threw the entire power into the hands of the
dragomans (interpreters), of whose character they spoke in terms which
it is to be hoped were highly exaggerated. The people begged me to ride
over to the locality, to see with my own eyes the position of affairs;
which I arranged to do sine die, and after advising them to exercise a
temporary patience, I got rid of the deputation without suggesting "that
under the existing agrarian dispute they should let their farms to some
enterprising Irish tenants from Tipperary."
I mention this incident, which is one of many others upon the same
subject, to exhibit the complications that have always arisen from the
contention upon water-rights, that will require some special
legislation. . . .
The weather was becoming warm at Limasol, the thermometer ranging from
70 degrees at 7 A.M. to 83 degrees at 3 P.M. There was a trouble in the
water-supply, as that for drinking purposes had to be conveyed by
donkeys from a distance of three or four miles. The market in the town,
although well arranged externally, was governed by peculiarly
restrictive municipal regulations; the price of meat and several other
articles being fixed at a common standard! According to this absurd rule
inferior mutton would fetch an equal price with the best quality: the
natural consequence ensued, that only inferior meat was introduced, to
the exclusion of all other. The supply of fish was extremely irregular,
and they were generally small and dear. Upon some occasions we purchased
good red mullet, also a larger fish of the bass species; but there were
only a few fishermen, who required an opposition to induce activity and
moderate prices. Their nets were made of exceedingly fine twine, and the
smallness of the mesh denoted a scarcity of the larger species of fish.
A number of Maltese settlers were arriving, to whom lands had been
granted by the government in the neighbourhood of Limasol; this
excellent arrangement will have the effect of infusing a new spirit
among the people by the introduction of fresh blood, and the well-known
fishermen of Malta will of themselves be a boon to the large towns,
where a regular demand may be depended upon at a reasonable price.
There was nothing to induce a longer stay at Limasol, and I resolved
upon Trooditissa monastery as the position for a mountain residence
during the summer months. Upon Kiepert's map, which is the best I have
seen of Cyprus, this point was placed among the angles in the various
crests and ridges of the Troodos mountain, and was marked by measurement
as 4340 feet above the sea-level. The new government road extended from
Limasol to Platraes, from which a good mule-path led to the camp
prepared for the 20th Regiment and the Royal Engineers at an altitude of
5740 feet. It appeared to me that in north latitude 35 degrees this was
an unnecessary elevation. My old residence at Newera Ellia in Ceylon was
6210 feet above the sea in north latitude 6 degrees 30', and in that low
latitude we had sharp frosts at night. Any heights approaching 6000 feet
in north latitude 35 degrees would, I imagined, become disagreeably
chilly in the morning and evening, at seasons when in the low country
the heat would still be too oppressive for a return from the mountain
sanatorium.
The mean temperature at Limasol from 1st May to 18th had been at 7 A.M.
65 degrees, at 3 P.M. 78.6 degrees, during which interval there had been
sudden variations of temperature, ranging from a minimum of 56 degrees
to 84 degrees. On the 11th May, having engaged twenty-three mules for
our tents, baggage, and party, we started from Limasol for Trooditissa.
The dog Merry, that had been bitten by the snake, had lain for days in a
state of stupor, black and swollen; I had poured quantities of olive-oil
down his throat, as he could not eat, and at length I gave him a dose of
two grains of calomel, with three grains of emetic tartar. After this he
slowly recovered; the ear that was bitten mortified, and was cut off,
but the dog was sufficiently restored to accompany us upon the march,
together with his companion Wise. We were now about to enter the great
vine-growing district of Cyprus, which produces the large exportations
that form the chief industry of Limasol.
At a distance of a mile from our camp we entered the new government road
which connected Limasol with Platraes, thirty miles distant. The country
quickly assumed an agreeable character; undulations and watercourses
were more or less covered with trees, and the road scarped out of the
steep sides exhibited the cretaceous formation similar to that between
Larnaca and Lefkosia. Wild lavender was just blooming upon many portions
of the way, while along the rocky courses of ravines the oleanders were
in the richest blossom. The road was furnished with mile-posts, and the
mules ambled along at a little more than five miles an hour. I found
considerable fault in the low gradients (one in thirty), which had
produced a road unnecessary for the vehicles of the country, at a
proportionate outlay; it was altogether too good, and would have been
excellent trotting-ground for a light phaeton and pair. As there was no
such vehicle in the island, the beautifully traced highway exhibited a
model of engineering that was scarcely appreciated by the natives, who
invariably took the short and direct cuts to avoid the circuitous
zigzags in descending the numerous valleys and in rounding the deep
ravines. After a ride of twelve miles through a beautiful country, well
wooded, and comprising a succession of wild hills and deep gorges, which
formed torrents in the wet season, we arrived at a river flowing in a
clear but extremely shallow and narrow stream beneath cliffs of
cretaceous limestone. The banks were richly clad with rosy oleanders,
myrtles, mastic shrubs; and the shade of several fine old plane-trees in
full foliage invited us at once to halt immediately upon the edge of the
rippling stream. This spot was known as Zigu, where an ancient stone
bridge, with pointed arches, crossed the ravine about a hundred paces
above the new wooden bridge erected by the Royal Engineers. This was a
most charming spot for luncheon, and the dense shade of the planes was
far more agreeable than the shelter of a wooden military hut that stood
upon the height above and by no means improved the beauty of the view.
Our dogs seemed to enjoy the change, and raced up and down the river's
bed, delighted with the cold water from the mountains, fresh from the
highest springs of Troodos Some cold roast pigeons, young and fat, and
some hard-boiled eggs, formed our luncheon, together with bread and
cheese. These were quickly despatched and the carpets being spread
beneath the trees, an hour's nap was good for man while the mules rolled
and then dozed in luxury upon the turf-like surface of the glen. I was
awakened by the clatter of horse's hoofs, and Mr. Allen, the chief
officer of the police of Limasol, appeared, having most kindly ridden
after us with the post just arrived from England. Unfortunately not a
crumb of luncheon remained, the dogs having swallowed our leavings. We
now saddled, and continued the journey upon the firm surface of the new
road.
When about fourteen miles from Limasol we entered upon a grand scene,
which exhibited the commencement of the wine-producing district. The
road was scarped from the mountain side several hundred feet above the
river, which murmured over its rocky bed in the bottom of the gorge. We
were skirting a deep valley, and upon either side the mountains rose to
a height of about 1400 feet, completely covered with vineyards from the
base to the summit; this long vale or chasm extended to the Troodos
range, which towered to upwards of 6000 feet, at a distance of about
fourteen miles immediately in our front. The vines were all green with
their early foliage, and the surface of the hill-sides was most
cheering, contrasting with the yellow plain we had left at Limasol.
The good road rendered travelling delightful after the stony paths that
we had traversed for some months in Cyprus, and the time passed so
rapidly that we could hardly believe the distance marked upon the
nineteenth milestone, where it was necessary to halt for the arrival of
our baggage animals. After waiting till nearly dark we found they had
quitted the new road and preferred a short cut across country, which had
led them to the village of Menagria down in the glen nearly a mile below
us. We walked down the steep hill and joined the party, pitched the
tent, and made ready for the night.
On the following morning, instead of adhering to the new road, we
descended to the bottom of the gorge and crossed the river near some
water-mills, as the bridge was not yet completed in the distant angle of
the glen. We now ascended an exceedingly steep hill from the river's
bed, which severely tried our animals, until, after passing a succession
of cereal crops and vineyards, we arrived at the summit, about 1200 feet
above the valley. From this point the view was magnificent. The
pine-covered sides of Troodos appeared close before us, and a valley
stretched away to our right richly clothed with trees below the steep
vine-covered sides of the surrounding mountains. Keeping to our left and
passing through several insignificant villages, we commenced a most
dangerous descent, with an occasional deep precipice on the right of the
extremely narrow path, until we reached a contracted but verdant glen.
This was a remarkable change: we had suddenly entered one of those
picturesque vales for which Devonshire is famous. The vegetation had
changed to that of Europe, as we were now nearly 3000 feet above the
sea. Apple and pear trees of large size were present, not in orchards,
but growing independently as though wild. Dog-roses of exquisite colour
were in full bloom, and reminded us of English hedges. Beautiful
oak-trees scattered upon the green surface gave a park-like appearance
to the scene, and numerous streams of clear water rippled though the
myrtle-covered banks, over the deep brown rocks of the plutonic
formation, which had now succeeded to the cretaceous limestone.
It was a curious geological division, limited by the glen: on the left,
the hills and mountains were the usual white marls and cretaceous
limestone; while on the right everything was plutonic or granitic,
including gneiss, syenite, and metamorphous rocks of various characters.
The soil of the glen was red, and the villages, built of sun-baked
bricks of this colour, harmonised with the dark green of rich crops of
wheat that had been irrigated by the never-failing water-power. We had
now rejoined the English road, which passed along the bottom of the
glen, and which was yet incomplete; several gangs of men were working at
intervals, and in the scarps, where deep cuttings had been necessary, I
remarked a considerable amount of ironstone.
A few miles through this interesting scenery brought us to the village
of Mandria, where a strong working party was engaged in erecting a
wooden bridge upon masonry piers. We now turned off to the left, over
rough but richly-wooded hills, leaving the English road, which extended
direct to Platraes, as our course was altered towards the large village
of Phyni, situated at the foot of the Troodos mountain. There could
hardly be a worse or more dangerous path over the high and precipitous
hills; these were once more cretaceous, and in wet weather must be as
slippery as soap. In many places the path was hardly nine inches wide,
with a deep gorge beneath for at least 150 feet. At length we passed
over the crest, and looked down upon Phyni, in the vine-covered dell
below. As far as the eye could reach upon all directions for many miles,
hill-sides, valleys, and mountains exceeding 4000 feet were entirely
covered with vines; not a yard of soil was unoccupied by this important
branch of cultivation. Immediately before us, on the other side of
Phyni, in the dark hollow, was the base of Troodos, from which the
mountain rose so steeply that it appeared impossible to ascend with
mules. A narrow line was pointed out upon the thickly bush-covered sides
of the mountain, and we were informed that we should reach Trooditissa
monastery by that path. I thought there must be some mistake in the
interpretation; however we dismounted, and preferred walking down the
steep zigzags that led to Phyni, half hidden in masses of bright green
foliage of various fruit-trees, now exactly at our feet.
This was a very peculiar village, as the broad flat roofs of the houses
formed terraces; upon these you could at once walk from the steep
hill-slope, into which the houses were inserted by scarping out a level
space for a foundation. The effect was remarkable, as the house-roofs,
in lines, seemed like flights of steps upon the mountain side. We halted
at the first decent-looking dwelling and rested beneath the shade of an
apricot-tree within a small courtyard. The people at once assembled, and
the owner of the house brought us black wine and raki of his own make;
the latter he was now engaged in distilling, and some pigs were
revelling in the refuse that had been thrown in a heap below the window
of the store. This man was proud of his wine, as it was tolerably free
from the taste of tar; the jars, having been more than fifty years in
constant use, had lost the objectionable flavour. We were thirsty and
hot, therefore the wine was not disagreeable, and we lunched beneath the
apricot.
After an hour's rest the real up-hill work commenced. We crossed a broad
channel of running water beneath groves of green trees, and entered a
path on the opposite side of the village; this skirted a deep and
precipitous gorge, through which the river flowed from the high and dark
ravine that cleft the mountain from the ssummit to the bottom. A
water-mill was at work below us on the right; and always ascending along
the side of the ravine, with the rushing sound of the stream below, we
arrived after half a mile at the base of the apparently impossible
route. Right and left, right and left, went the short and sharp zigzags,
the path covered with rolling stones and loose rocks, which clattered
under the feet of the tired mules and rolled down the steep inclines.
The sound of the stream below became fainter, and the narrow angle of
the deep cleft grew darker, as we ascended. We looked down upon the
rounded tops of various trees, including the rich verdure of planes,
which skirted the banks of the hidden stream, and we entered upon pines
rising from an under-growth of beautiful evergreens, including the
fragrant tremithia, the light green foliage of the arbutus, with its
bright red bark contrasting strongly with the dark shade of the dense
and bushy ilex. The mastic was there, and as we increased our altitude
the Pinus laricio and Pinus maritima varied the woods by their tall
spars, beneath which a perfect garden of flowers almost covered the
surface of the earth; these included the white and purple cistus, dog-
roses, honeysuckle, and several varieties unknown to me. Among the
ornamental dwarfs were a quantity of the Sumach, which is an article of
export from Cyprus for the use of the tanner and dyer.
The view became very beautiful as we ascended, until at length, after a
couple of miles of the steepest zigzags, we turned a corner of the rocks
and looked down the great depth at our right, below the path, upon the
long white thread of a waterfall, which for some hundred feet of a
severe incline, broken by occasional plunges, issues from the rocky
cleft, and forms the river in the ravine below. "There is the monastery
of Trooditissa!" exclaimed our guide. About 200 feet above our level,
snugly nested among splendid walnut-trees in the dark angle of the
mountains, were the grey and brown gables, half concealed by the rich
foliage of plane-trees, walnuts, mulberry, and other varieties.
About half a mile from this point of view the mules scrambled up one of
the worst portions of the route, and we arrived at a clear and cold
spring issuing suddenly from the rocks through a stone spout, protected
by an arch of masonry: this was received in a rude wooden trough formed
from the trunk of a hollowed pine, and overflowed across the path to
water some terraced gardens immediately below. A walnut and a fig-tree
intermingled their branches above the arch, and formed an agreeable
shade to shelter weary travellers, who might sit by the welcome spring
after toiling up the rough mountain side. About eighty yards beyond, by
a level path, we reached the widest-spreading walnut-tree that I have
ever seen; the new foliage was soft and uninjured by the wind, producing
a dense shade over an area sufficient for numerous tents. This
magnificent specimen of vegetation grew upon the edge of an abrupt
descent, perpendicular to a series of gardens, all terraced out to a
depth of about 150 feet, to the bottom of a narrow gorge; thus one-half
of the branches overhung the steep, while the other half shaded a
portion of the monastery courtyard.
We halted and dismounted beneath this grand old tree, where the
picturesque but not clean old monk, with some of his ecclesiastics, were
ready to meet us with a courteous welcome.