Photograph by L. F. Hurlong MAKING MUSIC IN MAJORCA of course. In Minorca there are still standing more than 200 of the talayots, taulas, and naus-stone structures generally supposed to have been used in connection with prehistoric religious ceremonials and the burial of the dead-and the cliffs and mountains are literally honeycombed with caves. Within twenty minutes' walk of Mahón there is a fairly wellpreserved talayot, a truncated cone of huge stones, probably 40 feet in diameter and 25 feet in height, with a large taula near by. Surrounding the talayot, and marking another age in Minorcan history, are the walls of a fort built probably of the stones of the talayot. The surrounding fields are strewn with fragments of pottery from prehistoric times. on down through the Phoenician, Grecian, Roman, and Arabic occupations, and the high stone walls over which one scrambles to reach the charmed hilltop are capped with other fragments laboriously picked from the fields by the island farmers (see, also, opposite page). The zombomba is an instrument made from a tin can, a stretched rabbit skin, and a bit of bamboo. In order to produce a note, the player wets his palm with sputum and rubs his hand up and down the bamboo rod, producing a sound that may be made by the lower tones of the cello. This instrument is played mostly during carnival season and the night before Christmas. It is also used to serenade a newly wedded pair when the couple consists of a widow and a bachelor or a widower and a maid. footwear from a feeling of local pride, or whatever the reason, the fact remains that Minorca wears shoes. PREHISTORIC PEOPLES LEFT THEIR IMPRINT ON THE BALEARICS The Balearics are rich in relics, from the days of the prehistoric inhabitants of the Mediterranean countries on down to modern times. Castles, churches, palaces, forts, and watchtowers are seen so frequently that they become almost matters On my first afternoon on this island my companion, a Mahón attorney, and I started out in an antiquated automobile and drove along the wind-swept northern shore toward the tiny fishing village of Fornells. A fine highroad ran through a country of rare beauty, which unrolled toward the coast in a succession of hills, some unkempt, some groomed to the point of dandyism, on which an ever-changing pattern was traced by Minorca's character istic whitewashed rock fences. The farmhouses, long, low, and white, with sudden ramifications here and there, constituted a lesson in the harmony of mass, of line, angle, and curve. I have said that we started out with Fornells, a fishing village, as our destination. On the day of this visit Fornells probably would have claimed to be "the fishin'-est village." Our arrival was simultaneous with that of a small boat, which bore into port the biggest fish, we were told, the town had ever seen. It measured more than 16 feet from snout to tip of tail. The whole town, headed by the village priest, had gathered on the tiny quay to gaze at the monster, congratulate his captors, and to speculate, for in all its fishing history Fornells had never seen the like of this fish; its species was a mystery. We left the natives cutting the fish into sizes convenient for transportation to the market at Mahón, and chattering excitedly. Photograph by L. F. Hurlong ROMAN VASE BROUGHT UP IN THE NET OF A DEEP-SEA FISHERMAN OF IVIZA Often the natives do not realize the value of such finds and many have found their way into the homes of private individuals. COVE CAVES PROVIDE A THRILL The deepest thrill for the visitor to Minorca is to be found in its prehistoric caves. A talayot, taula, or nau is an aweinspiring sight when one realizes what it stands for, but it has not the instantaneous effect on the imagination made by one of those cave homes of no one knows how many years ago. The Calas Covas, or Cove Caves, comprise a group in one of the many coves that indent the Minorcan shore, and certainly a better location from a dramatic standpoint could not have been selected by the cavemen. The cove is a wild, winding gash in the shore, descending sharply from the interior tableland to the sea. The approach to the caves is along a narrow path hedged by a matted scrub growth and by fragments of the cove walls, which during the ages have become dislodged and have crashed to the valley. At the water level these walls are high, jagged, and precipitous; the sea beats and snaps at them and the place itself compels awe. Wild deeds are plainly indicated. Add, then, to all this the effect of some forty black apertures extending from the water line to the tops of the cliffs-all made by man when the human forehead was lower and human life more precarious than it is now. It is a meager imagination, indeed, that does not immediately people the cove with small, active men, wide between the cheek-bones and as agile as monkeys. We can conjure up the picture and see them leaping among the crags to their eerie homes, chattering and bickering and certainly ready to make it most unpleasant for foreign invaders such as ourselves. I longed to explore each separate cave in the hope of finding some reminder of those dim times in the form of a crude weapon, utensil, or tool, such as I had seen in the collection of my companion, a recognized authority on the prehistoric remains; but we had come unprepared to reach any but the lower recesses. Leather soles afford too insecure a footing to reach even those of the middle tier, while those high in the rock must be approached from above by means of rope and tackle. The arched roof of the typical cave dwelling is sufficiently lofty to permit a man of average height to stand upright beneath its highest point, its embryonic columns or supports extending from the walls at intervals. These are large at the point of juncture with the ceiling and taper toward the floor, giving the impression of a partition dividing the cave into two or more chambers. In some caves there are several chambers and even indications that there were two floors. Practically all these rock abodes had two entrances. With a foe entering by one door, it was convenient to have an unobstructed exit ! One of the surprises of Minorca is the sudden change of character in the short ride along the mountainous spine that connects Mahón with Ciudadela at the western end of the island. One leaves Mahón spotless, white, English-Spanish in character, and unexpectedly rolls into a Spanish-Moorish Ciudadela, somnolent in brilliant sunshine, gaudy in red, blue, pink, and green houses, dusty and dry, slightly down at the heel and not concerned about it, with no very definite plan for the next moment and not anxious to make one. Its claims to distinction are: Minorca's only cathedral, one of the finest naus in the island, and half a dozen house fronts and street corners worthy to be set in platinum. The peaks of Majorca are plainly visible across the channel, and when I sailed for Alcudia in a toy steamer, there were among my traveling companions five cows, a pony, four crates of chickens, and fifty sheep, all protesting loudly against the voyage, which was far from tranquil. In the emission of horrendous groans a seasick sheep has no competitor. PALMA IS WELL AWARE OF ITS CHARMS Palma, the principal city of Majorca, is snugly situated at the central point of a magnificent horseshoe bay. Like all the other waters of these remarkable islands, the Bay of Palma could supply half the colors of an artist's palette. The left-hand prong of the horseshoe shore, as one steams toward the city, was the scene of the first fighting between Don Jaime I, the Conqueror, and the defending Moors in 1229 A. D., and it is on this prong that Palma's fashionable tourist section has sprung up, with stately Bellver Castle, built by Jaime II, overlooking it from the top of a handsome wooded hill (see Color Plate III). The remains of the old city wall, the Lonja, or Exchange, and the Cathedral, all architectural gems, are just ahead on the water front, and from the gaily colored bulk of the city project the spires of a number of churches, landmarks in history. Palma itself is a country village of 100,000 people and of considerable commercial importance. Some years ago it awakened to the realization that it had natural endowments in the form of great scenic beauty, perfect climate, and historic interest that assured it a place in the sun if properly exploited. It heard the clink of gold in the tourist's pocket and, rubbing the sleep from its eyes, stepped forth to attract travelers. This is said in no spirit of disparagement; the island was born to be opulent, as hundreds of thousands will testify. Handsome hotels have sprung up; public service is furnished; roads are being improved; automobile registrations are well up in the thousands; there are cinemas, theaters, and concerts, and Palma is even talking of a golf course. There are points of interest almost The metropolis of the island of Iviza is most alluring at a distance when its pure-white buildings shine like jewels against the green and blue of field and sky. This photograph was made in early morning before the daily summer wind had begun to blow. ALONG THE QUAYS OF VILLA CARLOS This is a suburb of Mahón, the principal city of the island of Minorca. The bay on One of the most charming places on Majorca is this tiny village, a haven for artists. which it is situated is bordered by cliffs that in places tower abruptly to a height of 1,000 feet. Similar in some respects to the prehistoric relics of the Stone Age found at Stonehenge in England, the taulas of Minorca were probably used as altars. They are usually surrounded by stone walls (see also illustration page 201). |