I Much Regretted That We Were Unprovided With Candles; One Of The
Turks Lighted A Match, But It Only Served To Increase The Uncertainty Of
The Surrounding Darkness.
This must be a similar cave-refuge to that we had passed about four
miles distant when on our way from Lithrankomi to Gallibornu, and it
deserves a minute investigation.
As I could see nothing beyond about
thirty feet from the window, owing to the darkness, I cannot give any
account of the actual dimensions, which may be much inferior to the
unlimited descriptions of my informants. Upon my return to camp I had
the benefit of my interpreter, and the story was repeated that no one
knew the extent of the excavations, either of these galleries or those
we had passed during our journey. I have never seen a very large natural
cave in Cyprus, although the caverns beneath the superficial stratum of
sedimentary rock are so general. The presence of these hollows, and the
soft nature of the calcareous stone, has suggested artificial caves to
the ancients, both for tombs and for places of refuge. Before the
invention of gunpowder it would have been impossible to reduce a fort
such as I have described, except by starvation. A mine sunk vertically
from above would in the present day destroy the subterranean stronghold
at the first explosion.
It rained more or less every day during our stay at Gallibornu, and
thunder rolled heavily in the neighbourhood; but in the narrow valley
between lofty hills the sky view was so limited that it was impossible
to judge of the impending weather. The earth was too slippery for
camels, which I had engaged with an excellent Turk, who for some years
had been a zaphtieh, therefore it was necessary to wait patiently until
the surface should become dry. I amused myself with wandering over the
hills with my dogs, examining the rocks, and shooting sufficient game
for our own use. I could generally bag enough for my lad to carry home
conveniently over this rugged country, and a hare or two in addition to
partridges were more appreciated when stewed than when carried up the
precipitous hills. I never tasted any game so delicious as the Cyprian
hares; they are not quite so red or curly as the European species, but
the flesh is exceedingly rich, and possesses a peculiarly gamey flavour,
owing to the aromatic food upon which they live. It is difficult to
obtain a shot in the thick coverts of mastic bush, and without dogs I do
not think I should have shot one, as they were generally in dense
thickets upon the mountain sides, through which beaters could have
hardly moved.
The high cliffs above us formed an excellent example of an old
sea-bottom, showing--the various strata of sedimentary deposits at
different periods. I made a collection of fossil shells, which were in
great numbers but in limited variety, and chiefly bivalves.
Although the village of Gallibornu was more important in size than many
we had passed, there was a total lack of supplies. It was impossible to
purchase bread, and we were obliged to send messengers to considerable
distances to procure flour, which we subsequently employed a woman to
bake. The people generally were very poor throughout the country, and
the cultivated area appeared insufficient for the support of the
population. Every yard of land was ploughed, but the entire valley of
Gallibornu was fallowed, and did not possess one blade of corn, as the
soil required rest after the yield of the previous season. None of these
people have an idea respecting a succession of crops in scientific
rotation, therefore a loss is sustained by the impoverishment of the
ground, which must occasionally lie inactive to recover its fertility.
There is absolutely no provision whatever for the cattle in the shape of
root-crops or hay, but they trust entirely to the bruised barley-straw
and such seeds as the cotton and lentil. At this season the Carpas
district possessed an important advantage in the variety of wild
vegetables which afforded nourishment for man and beast; the valleys
teemed with wild artichokes and with a variety of thistles, whose
succulent stems were a favourite food for both oxen and camels.
The leaf-stems of the artichokes were peeled and eaten raw by the
inhabitants, but as these people are accustomed to consume all kinds of
uncooked vegetables and unripe fruits few civilised persons would
indulge in the Cypriote tastes. We found the artichoke stems uneatable
in a raw state, but remarkably good when peeled and stewed, with a sauce
of yolk of egg beaten up with oil, salt, pepper, and lemon-juice; they
were then quite equal to sea-kale. There is a general neglect in the
cultivation of vegetables which I cannot understand, as agriculture is
the Cypriote's vocation; it can hardly be called laziness, as they are
most industrious in their fields, and expend an immense amount of labour
in erecting stone walls to retain a small amount of soil wherever the
water-wash from a higher elevation brings with it a deposit. The
insignificant terraces thus formed by earth caught in its descent while
in solution appear disproportioned to the labour of their construction,
and the laborious system would suggest an extreme scarcity of land
suitable for agricultural operations. I believe this to be the case, and
that a serious mistake has been made in assuming that the Crown
possesses large areas of land that may eventually become of great value.
There are government lands, doubtless, of considerable extent, but I
question their agricultural importance, and whenever the ordnance-map of
the island shall be completed a wild confusion will be discovered in the
discrepancy of title-deeds with the amount of land in possession of the
owners. I have, whilst shooting in the wild tracts of scrub-covered
hills and mountains, frequently emerged upon clearings of considerable
extent, where the natives have captured a fertile plot and cleared it
for cultivation, far away from the eyes of all authorities.
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