The Blue Van Was In The Middle Of The Crowd; The Oxen Answered To The
Inspiriting Shouts, And More Especially To The Ceaseless Pricks Of The
Driving Sticks, And Presently It Was Dragged Safely To The Level Of The
Opposite Bank.
A few alterations in the new road were necessary for the
larger gipsy-van, and taking the drag-shoe off the blue van, we were
thus enabled to secure both the hind-wheels for the steep descent.
By
careful management, after one or two narrow escapes from capsising, we
succeeded in landing the Noah's Ark safely by its fellow, amidst the
cheers of the good-natured crowd.
The delay had been great, and the evening was drawing near: we were
about seven miles from the upper portion of Kythrea, where we had
proposed to camp, and the route was partly across country, to avoid
layers of natural rock which in successive ridges made it impossible for
the vans to keep the track. Several deep watercourses intervened, which
required the spade and pickaxe, and it was quite dark when we were
obliged to halt about a mile from Kythrea.
On the following morning Mr. Kitchener, Lieutenant of the Royal
Engineers, called at our camp, and was kind enough to pilot us to the
celebrated springs about three miles above the village. This able and
energetic officer was engaged, together with Mr. Hippersly of the same
corps, in making the trigonometrical survey of the island, and they were
quartered in a comfortable house on the outskirts of the town. With this
excellent guide, who could explain every inch of the surrounding
country, we started upon a most interesting ride. The entire
neighbourhood was green with abundant crops of cereals, some of which at
this early season were eighteen inches high. The effect of irrigation
could be traced for several miles into the plain and along the base of
the mountain range, until by degrees the green became more faint, and
gradually but surely merged into the dead brown which denoted
barrenness, where the water-power was expended by absorption.
It was impossible to form any idea of the extent of Kythrea from the
outside view. A succession of large villages with fields highly
cultivated covered the surface at the base of the mountains, but the
true Kythrea was partially concealed by the curious ravine through which
the water of the springs is conducted by aqueducts until it reaches the
lower ground. For a distance of three miles this ravine is occupied by
houses and gardens, all of which are supplied by the stream, which turns
thirty-two water-mills in its course. The water-wheels in Cyprus are
horizontal turbines, and I have only met with one over-shot wheel in the
island; this is on the estate of M. Mattei at Kuklia.
The range of mountains exactly above the village exhibits a peculiar
example of the effect of water-wash for about two hundred feet from the
base. From the heights at Government House, twelve miles distant, I had
observed through the telescope a curious succession of conical heaps
resembling volcanic mounds of hardened mud; these rose one above the
other along the base of the hills like miniature mountain-ranges. Even
when near Kythrea I could not understand the formation, until we found
ourselves riding through the steep ravine which holds the watercourse
and ascending by a narrow path among the countless hills that I have
described. Both sides of the gorge, and also the deep bottom, are
occupied by houses with fruitful gardens, rich in mulberry, orange,
lemon, apricots, olives, forming groves of trees that in summer must be
delightful. Sometimes after clambering up steep and stony paths which
had originally been paved we entered into villages, the roofs of the
houses BELOW us upon our left, and the doors of others upon our right,
so close to the narrow path as scarcely to admit the passage of a loaded
mule. The water rushed along the bottom in a rapid stream, plunging from
the adit below one turbine to a temporary freedom in a natural channel,
from which it was quickly captured and led into an aqueduct of masonry
to another mill at a lower level. All the inhabitants had turned out to
see an English lady, and the usual welcome was exhibited by sprinkling
us with rose and orange-flower water as we passed; the omnipresent dogs
yelled and barked with their usual threatening demonstrations at the
heels of our animals, and some from the low roofs of the houses were
unpleasantly close to our heads. We were now among the conical mounds,
along the steep sides of which a path of about twelve inches width
appeared to invite destruction, as the loose crumbling material rolled
down the deep incline beneath the hoofs of the sure-footed horses and
mules. These creatures had a disagreeable habit of choosing the extreme
edge of the narrow ledge, instead of hugging the safer side; and
although no great precipice existed, the fall of thirty feet into the
rocky stream below would have been quite as effectual as a greater depth
in breaking necks and limbs. We again entered a village, where a large
plane-tree formed the centre of a small open space, faced on either side
by a cafe; the situation being attractive during summer from the dense
shade afforded by the spreading branches. There were many people sitting
in the open shed, who as usual rose and made their salutations as we
passed. The path became worse as we proceeded, and we at length emerged
from the long string of contracted villages and skirted the precipitous
sides of the ravine, which formed one of the innumerable gorges between
the conical mounds of marls and alluvium that had been washed from a
higher level and worn into heaps by the action of rain upon the unstable
surface.
About a mile beyond all villages we skirted the stream along a steep
bank, from which point we looked down upon the roofs of houses more than
a hundred feet below, and we at length halted and dismounted at a rocky
termination of the gorge, from whence issued suddenly the celebrated
spring of Kythrea.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 23 of 140
Words from 22527 to 23568
of 143016
