Evening star., 1896-12-25
IN A HORNETS NEST.

turned Dack.
IN HORNETS NEST.
Spanish Were Waiting for the Three
Friends.
The story of the fight sent by the New
York Herald correspondent corroborates
that cf the other correspondents He says:
The most famous of filibustering steam
ers. carrying an expedition which 1 accom-
panied, was fired upon by Spanish launch
| and Spanish gunboat while attempting
to land munitions of war at the mouth of
the San Juan river. between Cienfuegos
and Trinidad, at midnight of Saturday. De-
cember 10. The f1lbuster trained a r.
pound Hotchkiss gun the launch and
replied with shrapnel and a scattering rifle
fire.
The launch sent up rocket for assist
ance, and as the fflibusters steamed to sea,
hidden around point. and which ap-
peared few minutes after the launch
opened hre, gave chase, using her bow
gun evidently 12-pounder. The fill
the gunners did poor work in the uncertain
moonlight One shell passed over the fill
buster and plowed The water far ahead of
ner. me others went wide none taking
erect Shrapnel poured from the filibuster
and burst near the Spanish launch but
while L was watching from our pilot house
with marine glass 1 was unable to tell
whether or not it did any damage.
Surprise for the Spanish.
The roar of our Hotchkiss gun, giving
notice that the filibuster was ready to fight
as well as run, was undoubtedly a great
surprise to the Spaniards and no doubt in
creased our chances of escape The fill
buster fired only two shots from her cam
non. Her rif1emen were pretty busy while
the launch was within a thousand yards
but the light was bad, and the target by no
means plain, except when her gun flashed
The launch fired eight shots from her two
Founders, and the gunboat used her twelve
pounder three times.
The filibuster had expected to meet
strong detachment of Cuban troops at the
mouth Of San Juan river, and went straight
into trap instead. Had the launch been
better concealed, or had the moon been
hidden, the expedition would have met with
,ilsaster. the arms and ammunition would
nave been captured and the fifty men on
board shot
How narrowly we escaped l shall tell YOU
mere: This dispatch is to De carried back
oy the steamer which brings the expedition
20 Cuba, and long before ii is filed in Kew
West We shall have landed near Cieneeade
Zapata. for which place 1t was decided to
nead the ship after were forced to
doanaoh the original plan OF taking in Las
Guasimas.
Trying to Land.
The landing place, dark and quiet, in the
shadow of the coast range rising abrunt,v
above the waters edge, looked suspiciously
inviting, and every one who had glasses
studied it closely. The filibuster had shut
off her smoke, and when 400 yards from the
shore was still running at full speed Fifty
men leaning anxiously toward the shore
Kept watch in absolute silence. The moon
struggled through cloud and as the light
increased two men who had been on the
lookout forward-John J. German of the
4!th regiment, n. G.. S. n. Y, and an en-
gineer who left the Argentine cruiser
Nueve de Julio, to serve Cuba-hurried
back to the pilot house. The filibuster's
captain lowered his glass to hear what they
had to say.
What is it?" he asked.
There's a boat in the river" German
said Il see her smoke
Yes" said the engineer, She's trying to
hide"
The captain raised his glasses for a mo-
ment. Then he signaled the engine room
and in a minute We had swung round and
were steaming seaward There was no
movement in the river. 1 could make out
little smoke with my glass, but the hull Of
of the launch was hidden by bend in the
river. Then the filibuster's captain thought
possibly there was no real cause for alarm
and when We were six or seven hundred
yards out he stopped and began to back
toward the mouth of the river. Thus he
was able to run if necessary without vast
ing time In turning around.
In a Nest of Hornets.
The situation was thus: We were back
ing into nest of hornets. The f1libuster
had been seen from the shore. The Spanish
had planned to hide a launch about forty
feet long, with a two-pounder on her bow
in the rivers mouth. She was to lie quiet
till We had our boats down and then open
fire. At the sound of her two-pounder q
gunboat lying around a point to the east
ward was to run around and hem in the
steamer. Then there would be escape
and the expedition would be destroyed.
This was undoubtedly the plan. The
moonlight which showed us the smoke of
the launch changed everything. We were
backing in, but we had our eyes Open
When we were within 200 yards of the
rivers mouth the launch began to steam
toward us.
There she comes,'' said the filibusters
captain. and as he spoke he signaled Full
speed ahead"
In few seconds we were going seaward
once more. The men who had been ready
to step into the first boat began to load
their rifles. You see we had been steaming
and there could be no mistaking our mis-
sion. That we would be fired upon now no
one doubted.
At the rattle Of Remington breech blocks
every man who had rifle began to look for
cartridges A Cuban attacked pile of am
munition boxes with a pickax, and, ignor-
ing the danger of an explosion, worked
away till he had the cover off the top box
The men lined up and received twenty-five
rounds each.
Preparing to Fire.
AToo Mir oil ~