The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-06-10
Gales, ghtttbes, 5netNotes, tt.
From the Philadelphia Sunday Mercury
How Dan Mccormick Ran for His Life,
BY A. MAQUINISTA.


BY A. MAQUINIsTA.
Dan Mccormick was a great, tall, six
foot two inches, raw boned Scotchman.
His head was as red as red could be,
beard and face TO match, and with
warm, social heart, fond of glass, full of
| good nature, strong as a horse, courageous
as lion, his elbow is it, mon a. and
cordial grasp made him a great favorite
among the engineers.
Dan had been sent out to Cuba by an
engineering firm of Glasgow to put up
steam engine and sugar mill on the "Lou-
isa, sugar plantation near the town of
Bemba, some twenty miles above Carde.
mas, and finding the situation. 80 far as
pay was concerned, much better than
Scotland, be concluded to stay and "take
off CROP" so as TO have something 'scan>
ny" when he got back to the "Land O.
Cakes''
Now it happened that though the pay
was good on the "Louisa," yet there
were some very serious drawbacks of
which Dan was ignorant, and which made
this plantation very dangerous place to
live on. The ''people'' numbered about
four hundred, nearly all native Africans,
of the Lucumi tribe, and the most attract
able slaves on the Island.
The Lucumis are large, finely formed
men, strong, courageous, revengeful, and
intensely black. Constantly chatting the
bit of slavery, they are always trouble
some, SO that the planters do not care to
| have many of them on the same estate.
Dan got along very we'll with his work,
having an administrator who spoke Eng
lish, and in about six weeks had bis en-
giue up and grinding. Things went along
smoothly until the Christmas holidays,
when the usual stoppage was made and
all was quiet for several days. On Christ
mas day Dan borrowed a horse from the
sugar master and rode down 10 Bemba,
two leagues away. Here he met with
several of his countrymen, engineers on
adjoining platations, and with them passed
a pleasant day.
1t was nearly midnight when Dan got
back-a cool, calm, delicious night, a
tropical moon Lighting up the roads all
most as bright, but much more pleasant
| than the broad glare of noon. He rode
on to the place, feeling pretty good, hav-
ing discussed several bottles of mountain
| dew with his friends at Bemba, and as he
dismounted found himself rather unsteady
in gait, which fact he attributed TO his
not being accustomed to long rides on
horseback; as it was he found his room,
and was soon dreaming of the blue eyed
laSsie in the far-of old country.
1t was nearly two in the morning when
Dan was awakened by a most internal
screeching, accompanied with beating and
kicking against his room door. Aroused
out of sleep, it was some time before lie
could realize the situation, but few sec'
onds served to dispel his illusions, and
rising hastily, he was about to open the
door, when fortunately recollecting a eau
tion given TO him that day in Bemba, be
paused to listen. ''Kuera ell Ingles, '(kilI
the Englishman,) was plainly to be heard,
and though Dams knowledge of the Span
ish language was very limited, he under
stood what that meant, and it was lucky
be did, had he opened the door they
would have made mince meat of him.
Standing upon bench, he looked out
through a crack above the shutter, and
his red hair Strengthened out in horror
the dwellings, the engines and sugar house;
were blazing, and suspended from the bel
post hung the bodies of the administrator
and the Mayoral, surrounded by a crowt
of furious blacks, hacking the lifeles
corpses with their matchetes, and howl
iug like fiends.
Dan at first considered himself gone
Scot, and wished he had never left hi
three and sixpence in Glasgow for Sc {
day and his throat cut in Cuba.
Jumping down he felt for his boots, bu
only found his stockings, and drawing
them hastily on, crept to the door which
yet resisted the blows of the raging mob
Dams heart throbbed painfully as he stoot
there with nothing but a thin plank be
tween him and massacre. At length ht
heard the cry, "Bu-n the Ingles," "smok'
him OUT" and felt his time was come. -
He at once determined to throw open th
door, and, if possible, break through tn
crowd and run for his life, Dan boastet
of his swiftness of foot, and knew tha
with anything like fair start he coul'
J beat any Lucumi on the place, and in hi
: tight fitting knit drawers and undershirt
} just as he had sprung from bed, Dan wa
in good running costume, though not ex
actly presentable to polite society.
Uttering a short prayer, and nervln
! himself for the effort, he threw open tn
door, and with yell that appalled, tn
negroes, sprung out among them despair
added to his strength, and the very mum
ber of his assailants was In his favor, an
in their insane eagerness to cut him dow
they only gashed each other, and in les
) time than it takes to tell it, Dan had ru
the gauntlet, and with a few slight wounds
was speeding towards the avenue leadin
g out into the main road.
a With a howl of disaopointment, tn