A
The natives of La Gomera can carry on long-distance conversations by whistling. For ordinary conversation they speak Spanish. But when they need to speak over a distance and ordinary speech is impossible, they use the silbo. This is the name of a whistled form of speech.
La Gomera is a small island. It is very mountainous, for it was once a volcano. The island is almost circular in shape, with a high peak in the center. From this peak, deep, narrow gorges, separated by rocky ridges, run down to the coast like the spokes (轮辐) of a wheel. So in
spite of the island's small size, walking from one place to another may be a slow and difficult job. That is why the silbo is so useful to the natives. A message can easily be whistled over a couple of miles, while to travel that same distance on foot might take an hour.
A good whistler, or silbador, can be heard and understood five miles away. His whistling can be heard even farther away when conditions are favorable—when there is little or no wind. It was said that the record is about nine miles. Anyone who has heard a firstclass silbador will agree that this figure is quite possible.
Not only does a whistle carry farther than a shout, but it is easier to understand. When a person shouts, he cannot pronounce his words well. But in whistling, this problem does not exist. If a whistle is heard at all, it will be heard clearly.
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