Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-05-26
IN OTHER LANDS.

with the spanish Guard-A House
Raising In the COuntry-Fasciaating
Days In the Forests-valuable Woods
In Which Fortunes Are Concealed.
SAaUA LA GRANDE, Cuba, May 20.
To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
The winseme days passed at Don Manuefs
home among the old Cuban coffee plantations
were not only full Of dreamfu1 siesta, but of
delightful wanderings as we'll. Some of these
I took alone and afoot after my old gypsy
tramp fashion. But there is no precedent for
walking in Cuba. This has some pleasant
compensations, for there are no tramps. Ev-
srybody rides. Poor and in desperate dolor
indeed is the meanest guajiro who owns no
jacas or pony. This has some unpleasant
.compensations. There are brigands in Cuba.
But these harm no one not Spaniard. No
Cuban or American ever suffered from the
attentions of my friend Matagas, the terri
BILE, whose name is positive horror to eash
individual member of Spain's brutal stand
ing army il Cuba Brigand or planter, qua
iiro or montero, however, always has a ready
saddled pony at command. Like fash they
are into the saddle and away. And what
perfect riders they are They sit-not like
your park horsemen, who, ramning the POM
mel into the pit of his stomach, points to the
horizons with his trembling legs and exposes
the laughing sky between himself and his
saddle-straight as the wild cane, their knees
well forward, with leoss rein. and are part
of every movement Of the animal beneath
them. Everyone of them could pick his
sombrero from the ground at full run; and
because their perfect naturalness and good
sense in the saddle is as patent to their horse
ss to any onloeker, there is no bshest Of hu-
man making within brute comprehension to
which their ponies will not instantly respond.
These exhiIarating rides in valley and upon
mountains furnished many interesting obser-
vations upon Cuban yeomanry in this region,
of the espionage and public brigandage of
Spanish soldiery themselves, of Cuban deep
woods and their tenantry of beast, bird and
reptile, and of Cuban coffee lands and coffee
culture.
AN EXPERIENCE WITH TME UNcIyM GUARD.
So far as the Spanish soldiery are concerned
their maddening goading of Cuban people
is no better nor worse now than fer years
previous to the recent proclamation of mar
i
detailed by the Spanish authorities to incite
another revolution here is the guardia civil.
These prowl about the country in small
squads, on the pretext of searching for ban
dts and their harborers, perpetrating ali
manner of indignities and outrages upon
helpless and innocent people. / had per-
sonal experience of thsir delicate system of
collecting Spanish revenues. A party of four
Of US, mounted, were lessurely riding along
one of the Trinidad Mountain roada when
there suddenly emerged from behind thick.
ct of tamarinds trio of these guardia civil.
.sArtoi' (s'Haltl'D they yelled at us. We
at once stopped, when, with drawn revolvers,
they dashed down upon us.
'fWho are you.'' s'Where are you FROM"
"Where are you goings" they questioned in
q brutal manner. ALI this was most humbly
explained. But deserving an American
among the party, it seemed to become serle
Gus matter. My passport was demanded
threateninely. SHumph!" "Oho!" and an
hundred 'iCarambasi" followed its examina
ton. 1t was correctly vised. Everything
was as it should bs-save it stated that was
thirty-nine years of age. They did not be-
lieve it they asserted with dark looks. Some
thing was wrong. For moment it seemed
that arrest would follow. Drawing the in
Siignart Don Manuel aside, his brother whis-
pered in Spanish:
que nos dejen en- paz!"~ (''It is better to give
q doubloon and net be detained. y.
1t was done and we were permitted to go
our way But they glaredat Us savagely and
shouted, "Bien, tengan euidado" ("Well,
have a carel'1 as we thankfully left the COM
pany of these uniformed Spanish highway
men.
CUBAN HOSPITALITY.
During these rides the remarkable Cuban
hospitality of which I have already spoken
was again and again emphasized. It was
simply impossible to get past any habitation
from that of decayed but still well-to-do
planter to the humblest charceal-burner's
cabin without dismounting for light for-our
cigars or a few minutes chatter over the dol
orous condition of affairs in the island, dur
ing which 'tcoffee'' must be taken. This is
forever ready in every Cuban country home.
Neither coffee nor fire are ever out; and as
this was the coffee country of the island, the
quality of that usually offered ON these oeea-
sions is remarkable for its excellence. 1t is
| invariably taken without milk or sugar, and
fincessantly but sparingly, as is also true of
| the Cuban use of liquors. There being nelth-
or stoves nor freplaces in Cuba, the question
| of cooking-fres becomes an odd one. In the
cities all cooking is done on charcoal urns, in
| the larger establishments these often being
arranged in the form of massive charcoal
| ranges. But in these remote country places
| little pagoda-hke corner is built next the
| house, or q detached structure, not unlike an
| American farmers large smoks-house, is
seen. Here the fire is built squarely upon
/ the ground, or upon or within rude stone
bases, and the smoke ascends at will, usually
l finding vent underneath raised roofs. In
this primitive cociraa or kitchen, the guarda
candela Eterally candle sr fire guard) is al
ways smouldering. It is practically the fire.
place s'back-log" of our olden days to the
! Cuban country-hom If it should happen
| to go out, which is seldom permitted, as un-
/ happy superstitions attach to the fact, on
discovery it is instantly relighted from flint
and steel sparks struck into punches of corn
i tassels or dry and splintered leaves Of the
palm.
CUBAN HOUSE RAINING.
One of our oldest experiences was visit
to a genuine "cobijar," or Cuban "house
raising" couple had been married
About cabeIieria of land had been given
them by an old montero father, and planters
and yeomen alike, some from as far as TWEEN
ty leagues away among the mountains, hao
come to make a sort of festivity out of set
ting the queer home upon its legs. Over {
hundred men we've here, and their little po
nies were tethered for a half mile up an6
down the road. Two fat bulloeks had beer
| killed and roasted, and there was no end o.
roasted pigs and tender lambs from thu
mountains, with all sorts of unnamable Gu
ban country dishes. Perhaps score Of mel
! were employed in the cooking alone. Their
were casks of aguaridiente and fagons o
cheap Catalan wine, and these splendid swar
thy fellows made many picturesque group
among the laurels, palms, tamarinds ant
mignonettes which here grow to the heigh
of our own towering locusts. But to me tn
construction of the house itself, as it arose i
the wilderness garden under the lazy, "visi
tingn sort of efforts of the crowd was full
as interesting. It was built of guabrahac
|, (axe- breaker) wooden posts interviewer wit