Evening star., 1896-02-29

| human prey. o9
Bathing Is not a feature of life along the
| ture OF death-when an unfortunate sailor
| rails overheard or d boatman is unlucky
enough to be out when gale blows up.
Years ago there were no sharks in Cuban
ana soothing surf to their hearts content.
Columbus told how those he saw spent
much OF their time romping in the shallow
| water along the coast.
| But the slave trade began, and the sharks
| from africa followed the ships across the
ocean to devour those unfortunates who
were fortunate enough to die on the way.
And thus did the iSpaniard cause the land
and the sea to becoihc inhabited by lovers
| OF human prey. II
| Ell Caamito.
1t was one league to- Ell Caimito. The road
was about three feet wide most of the way,
out the short trees came close together at
the top, and now and then you were COM
| pelied to duck" to escape ENHANCEMENT in
some OF the crawling vines overhead. But
! there was little to complain of. The earth
was generally quite dry, and there were no
rep1'ies neid It % ABOUT. Plenty of MOSQUITOES hum
med general and monotonous lullaby. Oc-
caslohaliy c!umps of fine palm trees would
pe passed Here and there bird perched
| position
| Your correspondent was in the vicinity of
| III Caimito some time ago. He did not ap-
pToach the village or learn what it was like.
Had ne. this visit would have been out of
the question. One daylight view of Camito
| Is all ordinary eyes can bear.
| II IS rebel town. The Spaniards do not
want 1t, and the Cubans are satisfied there
a. Ior; notwithstanding it's many draw
| packs' Calmito Is an important point being
at al the entrance of the best road into the
Clenagait is hard for one who has traversed
that road to believe such a statement, but
| the rebels say SO, and they evidently know
| G n
other people.
It is really astonishing how many colo
nels there are in the rebel army You meet
| one at every turn and sometimes between
| turns. Kentucky cannot hold a candle to
| Cuba in this respect
| mere Col. Bascon presented himself, and
| called for rebel passports.
| My Cuban passports are in the hands
| OF the government at Havana. but 1 am
! an American newspaper correspondent and
told Gen. Gomez 1 would like to visit the
Slenaga de Zapata, and he said. Go
| well. you are crazy" was Bascons re-
| joinder.
Caimito is a place of about 100 people
me me nol ses are all old and built Of stone.
| Many of them are tumbling down, but the
| people hercabouts don't mind little things
iike that and SO long the big church is
kept IN sood condition all is well. Near
| the churoh is large wooden building, cali
ed the hospital militar, a very warlike AMI
| Sntned name for harmleSS-un!ess it
| falls ln-old building.
Here We're about thirty seriously wound
eu men VINO this same day were to be
taken into the Cienaga. The escort had not
yet arrived, but was shortly expected, ana
| a1ter having breakfast they would start
ON the return trip.
| In the meantime the village could be
! !ooked over. 1t was evident from the first
that spanish troops had never caused
M lu,r'e IN the surroundings of this queer
! old place. Beyond the town miles of
swamp land intervened between it ard the
| 1ertile lands of two provinces-Matanzas
and Havana. The population of the Mace
was was supported by the rebel army. and the
sole topic OF conversation was the hospital
service. Even ths girls of the place-some
very pretty onesHin1eng them-talked only
of "the poor satige." and of bandages.
and and OF of, the asdin into the cienaga
Al about II o,Nock part of the com
MISSION from 's7th,p the Cienaga arrived
They were sorsy looking lot. There was
about forty In the first batch. Later on an
other party came; AMI still later at intervals
other tions, until nearly 300 had arrived
| TO carry the wounded into the hospitals
| The sight of these Elen was enough to dis
courage the most determined seeker of the
curious. They wore heavy shoes. but no
| STOCKINGS, and only the most abbreviated
Fantaloons-like SCOTCH Highlanders, their
legs We're mostly keSr. From head to foot
sneb she men en- ggg nsse edssSa with mud-not msi
With on the country roads, hut soft, sticky
| suit of mail. ~ 80
Does. everybody look that way after MAX
ing the trip?" 1t was very natural oues-
| tion.
often much worse than that" was the
| encouraging answer
| 1t was some time after the noon hour ha
| fore the wounded were rolled in light canvas
| Blankets, placed in hammocks and the lat
| ter tied to poles, the ends of which rested
| on the shoulders OF two men. About a dozen
| wounded were carried in the first section
Seventy-two members of the commission
and your correspondent accompanied them
! Col. Bascon explained: 1T would never do
! to leave our wounded at Caimto, for when
| there was large number. say seven or eight
| hundred, the Spaniards would think the
| place worthy Of an attack and they would
| take many prisoners. AS it is. the rebel
leaders march to Caimto, leave their
| wounded and are away again to the fighting
| grounds. The sick men are only kept a day
or two at Caim;to. being cent back into the
swamp hospitals"
| The Journey.
For couple of miles the road was fairly
| good. 1t was not hard or macadamizad to
be sure, but the mud was not more than
a foot deep In most places, and good pro-
| gress was made. Six men were with each
| of the wounded-two to carry and the ether
| Iour 10 De always ready as reilefS. 1t is
| unnecessary TO state that changes were
made about every one hundred rods, but
| no delays were occasoned thereby
''Why do we take such care of our
| wounded?" said Col. Bascon, repeating a
! question. "I will tell you. The leaders
| nave studied this matter pretty thor
| oughly, and find that a wounded Cuban be-
| comes more determined, and is by far
| better fighter after he has once felt the
| pang Of the bullet saher. The Spanish
| soldier when injured applies for his dis
| charge, and is happy when he gets back
| home again. Not SO with our men. After
| becoming strong in the C:enaga, and hav-
| ing good rest they are more anxious to
| face the enemy and are not possessed of
| the same fear Take Gen. Maceo, for in
! stance. He is literally covered with scars.
and he cares no more for saber slash
| than ordinary people do for the scratch of
| a cut"
| BY this time the beginning of the swamp
| was reached. The road was much in the
nature of narrow canal On either side
| the banks rose from oae to three feet above
| the level of the mud. Thick bushes grew
| luxuriantly, and long tropical grasses mat
| ted the shady regions in all directions
On went the little train. Some were far
ahead and others far behind, and most of
! them out of sight, hidden by the low trees
and shrubbery that followed the winding
way. 49,.
Thank goodness there were no snakes
T such UeJ;eF tn l,a toJ<l H.. -