The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-03-27

to be san after complicated by the danger
o. 4snhuscades. The insurgents visit the
psA0attons o. the coast plain chsecy On
m4rauding EXPEDITIONS, but establish their
inaccuracies higher IN. IN the deep. bush
eAfuuded ravinee Of the eisrras. that rise
tier above tier to the SUBMITS Of the Sierra
Maestro, or backbore range OF the Island.
Good roads traverse these mountains. hut.
like the highways Of the IncaA they lead
and as . Spanish artillery regiment tolls
up the wooded slopes with its howitzers
and ammunition wagons, its vanguard Is
suddenly greeted by . shower OF r1e balls
from the head Of . tangiewood gully,
where big lodges Of rock and the harricades
OF fallen trees form m esfectuA 6QlwArk
against counter attack
Forward, Push ahead all Won cam"
cries the commanding oficer after q brief
nat and hasty survey OF the situation.
Hurry UP. There comes another showers
More hail and no weAther she'd Car
raxo. those fellows have sharpshooters
and repeating riflesr"
The arsiilerymen close their ranks and
trudge forward across corpse4 and scat
tered baggage Till at a turn of the road
they are confronted by a barricade Of
felied trees. and the alternative of facing
about and gallcping their horses dowa
hill. or halting to be shot down Ike
wolves in a trap. Their pioneers try 10 re-
move the obstruction, but find that 1t will
be a work Of hours, and report accord
ingiy. while volley after volley rings out
from the rocks Above. tin the council Of
officers orders a retreat
Beside these tangiewood gullies there
are tree-shrouded ruins, and caves. often
groups of limestone caverns with connect.
ing tunnels and hidden outlets. where a
hundred sharpshooters can hold their own
against an army corps.
These caves that are found along the
slopes of the S:erras throughout its enor-
nous extent of 30 miles. afford the native
rangers welcome retreat from the show
ers OF the rainy season. while the lack
OF typographical knowledge often obliges
their enemies 70 hfvouac in the midst of
the dripping forests. where In the inter
walls of drenching rains mosquitoes de-
scend like q shower of hot ashes. while
ants and chigoes explore the undergar-
ments of the would-be sleeper.
The consequent disorders are aggravated
by the malarious effects of bad drinking
water. not to mention such ty'ifies AZ the
circumstance that mot less than fourteen
kinds of poisonous fruits and berries bear
close resemblance to edible varieties"
as the author of work on the fora OF
the VT Indies informs US.
No troops recruited among the natives
of the temperate zone can stand the hard
ships of a protracted campaign in coun-
try Of that sort, ard the average term of
endurance is about three months for the
hardy Catalan highlanders and four
months for the weaker but more sun-sea-
soned natives of Southern Spain.
The Cuban creoles. on the other hand,
actually enjoy their warpath outings. as
their forefathers enjoyed their campaigns
against the Spanish Moors ard the legions
Of the Corsican Caesar. They are. more
over. sustained by the sympathy of nearly
all their West Indian neighbors, and will
achieve their independence II one of their
revolts should ever. for a few months. be
aided by an uprising of the Spanish re-
publicans