Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-02-25
IN OTHER LANDS.
The Gipsies of. Cuba-The Gypsy Not a
Thievtng DOg-The Cuban POny-At
the Gfpsfes' Headquarters.

A few mornings since L was sitting IN the
| window of my quaint alcoba, which over
| looks both the old Plaza de San Francisco
| and the broad and beautiful bay of Havana,
| enjoying the strange and interesting scenes
beneath and beyond, when a chance meeting
of lowly folk down there among the carrete-
ros gave me more intense thrill of excite
ment, and q better reason for this chapter on
| a peculiar feature of Cuban life practically
unknown to Cubans themselves, than had I
| awakened that very morning to the cogni-
| zance of civil war throughout the fair island.
A SPANISH Gypsy.
A dark, 1.-THE fellow in rawhide shoes fash
| ioned like moccasins, leather breeehes, yell
| low sash and fierce machete, coarse linen
shirt and tremendous sombrero, in appear
ance the precise type of the inland guajiro or
Cuban countryman, had for long time been
| lying lazily against the massive wall which
separated the plaza and the harbor wharves.
Near him were two little jacas, or Cuban POI
| MES, and a donkey nibbling at scarce fodder
of cane-1eaves. The animals had been load
ed out of sight over serons rush blankets
| with gigantic pouches filled with fodder,
| fruit and whatnot from the country. This
| had already been disposed of by hawking;
and, as far as could see, and beasts
were resting little before the return home.
Directly heard the tink1e of latonero's or
| tinker's bell, and Immediately a swarthy
tinker came in sight The association of
scene and sound impressed me. But when
| the tinker moved straight along the plaza
| through ne carts and crowds to the recum-
| bent countryman, and saw too that the lat
ter was as attentive to the nearing tinkling
| as was to the man whose shoulders bore
the grinders wheel, all Cuba held not 1.-THE
| of the interest for me that then felt lay in
the meeting of those two men.
There was no special demonstration in it.
The tinker, by all the saints, simply babe
| the countryman good morning. and the coun-
tryman in the name of the virgin responded
right cheerily Then little chatting came
| which could not hear; but before the tinker
turned away for his final ''Adios!" he said in
| a tongue as ancient as that in which the
sacred precepts of Zoroaster were traced
upon the twelve thousand cow skins of
old: "Give to my pilgrim brethren pledge
of another pilgrims abiding affection!'
And then ne tinkled himself away through
the throng.
1 mad hardly lost sight of him he dis
appeared under the shadows of the ruined
old San franciscan church opposite, when
| swoke from the rush of swift flooding
memories of my idyllic days in many lands
with my loyal friends, the gipsies; and
with rush that startled the sleepy servi
tors of the old posada, I gained the plaza
and the side of the tired guajiro, who had
meanwhile resumed his seat upon don,
key pouch with his back against the mas
sive wharf wall.
| 1 had found live gitano, a genuine
lpeasant But that WIGS not all which
| must accomplish. He must be made tc
talk. He must be made my friend. A
| world of weird and to me priceless, infor
| nation lay behind that bronze human door
Had I the power to unlock it? I fear my
| contortions with the Spanish language were
| pitiable. I am sure my efforts at friendship
in speech and gesture were alarming. Wha
were his two jacas and the donkey worth
| He seemed about to call the police. Wa!
| his labor upon his sitio and his hawking il
the city proftables He instinctiyely searched
the rolls of his yellow sash for the safety o.
his greasy, deprecated Havana bank-bills
1 d
tent behind the hills? With a soowl hi
hand came threateningly near his fierce ma
| chete. On and on I stumbled and struggled
to gain the fellows human recognition. Il
| was useless. Then resorted to heroic tao.
tics and told him with much scorn that
considered him Romany Choir "a gypsy thief
| At the sound of his secret language re.
| markable change occurred. He sprang tt
his feet excited and alarmed; rushed to hi
| cattle, jerking the donkey into conscious
submission, kicking the ponies with resound
ing whacks away from the fodder; and as b.
was about to spring upon the back OF on
, turned to me with bewildered look of fear
| depreciation, doubling desire and half-deter
mined tolerance as pitiably silly as had beef
my own startling attentions.
MAGIC TALIsMAN.
) Instantly advancing with extended hand,
said most earnestly in Romany: "Save Al
labs slavel" This magic talisman brough
him from his pony in twinkling, heap o
ecstatic, hysteric adulations. For the frs
| time in my life was violently and persis
tently embraced by a man. had put to tes
in foreign land upon one of this wandering
3 race tbs three words my olden gypsy friend
had sworn to me would unlock to the inner
aost mysteries of this ancient race in an,
cline or land beneath the sun. They hat
not PLAYED me false From that momen
: this swarthy fellow was more than my friend
He was my loving slave. Could I go will
| him to his brethren in the mountains? Yes
O thousand times, yes; and all he had, did
: desire, should be mine All the world ma,
deem the Gypsy thieying dog. know bet
ter Do him kindness; prove to him you
Identification with him in the least of human
, ways that stand for true regard; let ther
4 | come into his inner heart the consciousness
!, that Won are tolerant of his race, forgiving o
. his history, generous towards that which h
l | holds as treasure in sentiment and trust; an,
. the whole world else cannot show his equa
, | in the highest and best in unending, unvary
ing trust and loyal friendship. I set TIL
down in this foreign land as truth whicl
t sometime shall be known in all lands.
A LIVELY RIDE.
tt would be difficult to tell which wa
most pleased and exuberant. It was agree,
| at once that we should go to his habitation
. | a few leagues inland. While Ignacio-fe
that was my gypsy friends name-agai
woke up the animals with sundry whack
l | and thumpinss I fastened to the money
} changers for pocketful of small coin fe
q the Gypsy ninas and muehachos of the band
and to the dulcero's for stores OF sweetm eats
4 | cheese and sausage for tickling the palate
9 and eladdening the souls of the whole gips
n crew; and shortly we set out through Have
mas crowded streets, Ignacio upon one pony
| myself astride the other and the donkey TO
z lowing with many an evidence of hilariou
r characterization. The control of this beas
by the gypsy is worth recounting. In tn
| main little attention was paid to his antici
q But now and then they brought woe. Q
these occasions Ignacio was off his jacas i
l. an instant A parting kick sent him shun
9 ing against my own pony, which he huge
y in mortal fear until his rider returned. Wit
O squatty, forward-bent posture, for all til
world like an American Indians, the gips
o would run with incredible swiftness to Ii
g sulking donkey, and, grabbing it by one
It its tremendous ears, fairly force the beast
t the ground. Then drawing his machete
y whose blade is fully two feet leng, the fs
70 side of it would descend upon the donkey
o skinny ribs with blows SO resembling thu
d the echoes rang and rang again between th
walls of the narrow Gales During the ell
tire fagsllation the gypsy emitted from b.
y tween his closed teeth series of sharp, his
,, ing ''S-s-s-sl"-uniIersal with the lowe
% | classes of Cuba as signal of alarm, a SCUM
g of reproof and the most intense threat {
u direst possibilities.
10 knew the way we took, for had trs
n | versed it not long before with my old FRIEND
1 H., ---k.< = II 81 n