Unless The Present Oppressive System Shall Be Abolished The Wine Trade
Of Cyprus Will Languish, And An Industry That May
Be profitably extended
to an important degree will share the fate of a commercial and
agricultural depression which has resulted
From the vague conditions of
the British occupation, and from which no recovery can be expected until
confidence in the future prospects of the island shall be established.
CHAPTER XI.
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.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 325 of 524
Words from 88411 to 88697
of 143016
