The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-10-11
Tbe Drama Of a Tropical Night,

ma, by the old Gchened, time-stained wall
that crowned the waters of the bay whose
peace has given name unto an almost
limitless ocean, gazing idly and dreamily
at the lights swinging from the peaks ,of
the men-of-war at anchor, and enjoying
the cooling night-breeze stealing past To-
boga and Las Perlas with a signing tale of
the quiet Pacific in its lowly whispering
accents.
There were four of us, all Americans
Jack Desmond and Thorndyke, in the
Company's employ, and Bob Bfanscombe
and myself, junior ieutenants, if you
please, of the tight little sloop-of-war rid
ing at single anchor just clea: of the reefs
in the roads beyond.
'Thorndyke, you like this ancient Pue-
bla, eh, old boy?"
"Not at noon, nor when the festive bell
ringers run their daily races, but from twi-
light until ten in the morning tbs para
disc, and, qanien sabe, perhaps even then if
you are in love-" .. ..
"Who loves in Panama-or, rather, who
does not? Bosh, Thorndyke it is false
sentiment But, by-the-way, where are
the spooney couples, dstenuS and all2 They
walk not, neither do they spoon, as the
grarnmars say; the Battery is deserted,
and here we are SO wrapped in selfish
thoughts as never to have noticed it."
81 confess it," replied Thorndyke.
"What is up? Fiesta at Cathedral, ball
in the gardens, iberty-men ashore, or
doth the gloomy theatre tinkle with gui-
tar and snap with castanet. Where are
the queridoss You ought to know, Jack,
or you, Branscombe."
Simple enough; heard the consul say
that devil of Guitterez was adrift again,
and'-this soto uoce. for Branscombe knew
the people and the place "they do say he
threatens another outbreak-he intends
making, the beggar, what he dignifes as
a pronunciamiento."
"Pshaw! they can do no harm-at any
rate, not for long, for the Pichinchax Bat
talon is at Aspinwall, and it means at the
best forced levy, new deal of the polit-
ical cards, something to stir up the people
at Bogota, and in any event we are ex-
empt; los Gringos are sacred here"
"Not at all, my boy; that Guitterez and
his followers deem foreigners the bane of
the country, and if he does break out,
there may be mischief"
"Mischief and for how long?" returned
| Branscombe. with those ships lying
there, and the stout hearts that would
battle against such monsters, We need not
fear. He knows oar skipper, at least, and
the length of our guns. Besides"
"What is that?" and our voices were
hushed.
A sudden loud report, struggling and
re-echoing, then again others sharp and
rattling, multiplying echoes that moaned
and fretted amongst the houses till they
lost themselves seward, from the Plaza
evidently, and yet bursting without warn
ing as drops of sudden rain from the re-
gion around the railway station, the
sounds, certainly, of muskets punctuating
the sweet stiffness of the early tropical
night. Borah! barah! the volleys seemed
to sing, now drawing nearer and nearer,
until the whole town was the focus of a
wild, unexplained fusilade; cry Of vic
tory swelled and gathered volume, cry
of anguish swept in it's footsteps, and
from the throats of lichened, time-worn
steeples wild alarum- bells cried out to
the sky and bade, in 7arying voice, the
city arm if it would be saved.
We gazed at each other for moment
and with eager questioning in all our eyes
at the ships rocking at their buoys and as
yet giving no sign, and then Desmond
cried:
"Guitterez is loose; this is no place for
US. Cut"
Pimg-ing-ing! sang rife e-ball, passing
our startled ears screeching in the upper
register as it schooned over the water, and
from corner to leeward we deserted its
sender, black headed imp, deliberately
reloading his smoking piece, whilst he
: called his brothers Of the meet with the
view-halloo Of 'Death to the foreigners
{ This being the gentleman's shibboleth
there could be no disgrace in flight, even
from such ipveterate sportsmen, so heav-
ing at him convenient rock, we scurried
over the sea-wall, down a winding, goat
worn path, past the shingly, Shiny beach
and so to narrow street that led to the
Plaza beyond; fortunately, halfway to.
ward it, We met an English merchant-s
l gallant gentleman and courteous host
who cried out to us:
"Look to your selves, amigos MOS; the
r gentle Guitterez roams at large, and al
ready solaces himself with the Canldo, the
, Porroeka and TIA piszk and at ,,rps61if /!