Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-08-07
DON MIGUEL.

1t was about fifty years ago, at the
close of one OF the many rebellions
which are continually taking place in
this beautiful island of Cuba. The in
surgents had been crushed by the
Spanish authorities, many of the leaders
had been captured and executed, others
transported TO old Spain for lifelong
Imprisonment, but the commander of
the rebel army, Don Miguel del Rosa,
had escaped and no trace of him could
be found. Before tho breaking out of
the war Don Miguel had been one of
the most popular men in Santiago.
Young and good looking, q colonel of
one of the Spanish regiments stationed
in the city, always ready for dance
or bull-fght he was much sought after
by the fair ones Of this old town. His
father had been Castilian, but his
mother was an American, and from
her he had inherited that love of JUS
tice and liberty common to the Anglo
Saxon race,
Trading back and forth between
Santiago and the ports of the United
States was New England brigantine.
Her captain and owner took with him
on all of his voyages his only daughter.
her mother having died early in her
childhood. With this captain and his
pretty daughter Don Miguel became
very friendly. He was always the first
TO meet them on their arrival in port
and had taken many jolly excursions
into the interior of the island and
around the shores Of the harbor to-
gether. The young people had, nat
urally, fallen In love with one another.
and the old captain, although regret
ting that Don Miguel was not q sailor
had rather encouraged them in their
love-making. He also sympathized
with Don Miguel in his plans for free
ing his island from the hated Spanish
yoke. And it was in the cabin of the
Foam" Gas the brigantine was called)
that Don Miguel, with his few COM
panions from the army, who sympa-
thized with him, and the leading men
from the people, formulated their plot
for a general uprising. The captain
himself did not take any part in the
conspiracy, nor did any of his crew.
He had brought on his last voyage
hidden away under his regular cargo
quite number of rifles and O quantity
of ammunition for the insurgents but
this, with his personal sympathy and
the use of his vessel for their meetings
was all he had done to aid the upris-
ing. The Spanish authorities, howev-
er, knowing of his friendship with Don
Miguel, had anchored an armed
schooner alongside of the Foam" and
had given the captain orders not to
leave his vessel, on the breaking out
of the revolution, suspecting that the
American was in some manner con-
nected with the plot.
The rebellion proved a short-lived
one. Don Miguers followers were
poorly armed, and miserably drilled.
Most of them had been brought up in
abject fear of the army all of their
lives, and it was next to impossible to
make such troops stand before the
steady advance of trained soldiers,
Notwithstanding the bravery of their
commander and his officers. They
were beaten in every pitched battle
and it was only in the mountain passes
when they could harass the marching
column from behind rocks and trees.
that they were at all successful. His
army gradually diminished in num-
bers, some were killed outright many
captured, but the majority. growing
disheartened, surrendered. Don Mi
guel at last found himself with only
fifteen or twenty followers, and they
were hunted to the deepest recesses of
the forests and mountains.
Finding themselves in such plight
all hope of succeeding as liberators
was abandoned, and breaking up into
small parties of two or three each,
they chose separate paths leading to
the coast where they hoped they
might hail some passing vessel, and
so escape from the island.
Don Miguel, with one companion,
resolved to return as near as possible
TO Santiago, and endeavor to establish
communication with Captain Standish,
of the Foam" With his cause lost.
the knowledge of the country and of
the water courses, which he had
gained in his hunting and fishing ex-
petitions, now stood him in good stead.
Taking 'unfrequented paths through
the forest they at last reached small
hut in which lived an old fisherman,
with whom Don Miguel had often
spent a night during his fishing expe-
ditiops This old man, although
friendly to Don Miguel, had taken no
part in the uprising, owing to his age,
for although able to paddle around
the bay in his canoe and attend to his
nets, he was hardly strong enough to
shoulder a musket and march across
the rough hills. and endure the hard
ships OF a soldiers life. His hut was
situated about mile from the mouth
of the harbOr on the opposite shore
from the Moro.
Don Miguel decided that the cave
at the foot of the cliff. although
the grim fortress rose directly
above, would be the safest place for
him to hide until he could concoct
some plan of escape. In the first
place the cave was seldom visited ex-
n.Lo.,s..u f.s.-I Il.