After An Hour And A Half's Scramble We Turned To The Right Beneath A
Perpendicular Cliff Of Exquisite Colouring On Our Left, Combining The
Bright Red Which Denoted The Presence Of Iron, With The Dark Purple And
The Silvery Grey Of The Jura Limestone.
On our right was a deep and
precipitous ravine, sparsely covered with evergreen shrubs.
In this
spot, metamorphic rocks lay in rough and huge blocks of various shapes
and colours, and while examining these I was struck by the presence of
the rare and peculiar green marble known as verde antica. In the
immediate neighbourhood I discovered great masses of the same stone, but
minus the green base, exhibiting at the same time the characteristics of
irregular mosaic in the angular fragments of white, black, and various
coloured pieces which appeared to be artificially inlaid. These marbles,
especially the true verde antica, would be exceedingly valuable if cut
into slabs and exported, and there would be little difficulty in
constructing a feasible route for camels, which would convey with ease
large slabs secured in frames slung upon either side.
A few yards above this spot we arrived at a solitary cypress-tree, which
in density of foliage resembled a yew-tree in an English churchyard.
Close to this rare object was an aperture in the rocks upon the right
hand; a few roughly-hewn steps enabled us to descend into a narrow cave,
where water dripped from the roof, and formed a feeble stream, which was
led through crevices to a cistern some yards below. This cistern was
within a few feet of the cypress-tree, and accounted for its superior
growth, as the roots had been duly nourished. About a hundred feet above
this spot were the ruins of an ancient Greek church, that had no doubt
been associated with the holy dripping fountain, and the solitary tree
had been spared from the ruthless axes of the lime-burners through some
superstition connected with the spot. On arrival at the crumbling ruins
of the church, we dismounted from our animals, and put them in the rude
stable of the lime-burners who had located themselves among the walls of
the once religious buildings, which they had converted into huts.
Animals could go no farther; we therefore continued the ascent on foot,
to the delight of my dogs, who seemed to think it looked more like
business.
There was a large growth of the usual shrubs arbutus, mastic, and
dwarf-cypress, and the surface of the ground was so completely covered
with masses of rock that walking was most difficult. Notwithstanding the
apparent barrenness of the locality, we arrived at a tolerably even
surface of rich brown soil in a hollow near the shoulder of the
mountain; this had recently been cleared for cultivation by the
lime-burners to the extent of about two acres, and I remarked that both
pine-trees and cypresses as thick as a man's thigh had recently been
felled and burnt in spite of the government stringent regulations. In
these out-of-the-way localities the natives can laugh at laws and
special enactments.
Upon arrival at the crest of the mountain, which formed a shoulder for a
peak of silvery rocks, about 100 feet above me, my aneroid showed 1830
feet above Kythrea. From this point the view was superb, and extended
north and south from sea to sea. There was an extraordinary contrast
upon these two divisions formed by the wall-like Carpas range upon which
we stood: to the south all was brown and desolate excepting the few
miles of green belonging to Kythrea beneath our feet. The town of
Lefkosia stood out in bold relief, the cathedral and even the fortress
walls affording distinct outlines in the clear atmosphere; the
salt-lakes of Larnaca showed plainly in the distance, backed by the blue
sea, and the mountain of Santa Croce with the monastery upon its summit
was a well-known landmark. This side of the mountain range was not
inviting, and if it had been exhibited before the occupation there can
be little doubt of an unfavourable impression. We turned
"right-about-face" to the north. This was indeed a wonderful change of
aspect! We looked down from the picturesque and precipitous wall of
mountains which stretched far away to the east and west; the sides were
covered with evergreens, through which the bold crags protruded in
rugged points; the dark indentures upon the steep slopes marked deep
ravines in which streams of water now rippled, while all on the south
were stony and exhausted. The strip of land between the sea and the
northern base of the Carpas range was hardly three miles wide; this was
covered with well-rounded caroub-trees, whose dark green foliage gave a
rich appearance to the shore, broken by countless rocky bays and coves,
filled with the cobalt waters of the Mediterranean. This was a lovely
scene; I could not believe that I was in Cyprus--that
whitey-brown-paper-coloured, desert, smitten, God-forsaken isle! Upon
the left, about eight miles distant, lay the town and important port of
Kyrenia, with an apparently very little harbour, the houses surrounded
by gardens, and ornamented by date-palms backed by a perfect forest of
caroub-trees which extended for some miles. On the extreme summit of the
crags upon our left, overlooking Kyrenia and forming an unmistakable
landmark for all sailors, was the castle of Buffavento, cutting the blue
sky-line 3240 feet above the sea. Exactly opposite, at about sixty miles
distance, were the snow-capped mountains of Caramania, which in the
transparent atmosphere seemed to be within a day's long march. Far, far
away along the north-eastern shore, and also towards the west, all was
lovely: I could only regret that all vessels and strangers must arrive
in the unfortunate ports of the Messaria, instead of gaining such
favourable first impressions as would be induced by the lovely picture
of Cyprus from the north.
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