Evening star., 1897-06-05
A Glimpse of the Life Of Soldiers in
Cuba.
"TRIP THROUGH PEACEFUL" COUNTRY
The Appearance Of the Trocha and
How It is Guarded.
A TR AIN GOLD E N T
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
GUANAJAY, Pinar del Rio, Cuba,

| May 80. 1897.
This letter will not be about the recon
centradoes By exercising a little care 1t
! is possible to go out from Havana into the
| country for a day and not see too much
| misery. You must lay out your route in
advance. be sure not to take the wrong
| branch of the railroad and not to go too
| far on the branch you do take, he careful
| not to turn aside from the main highway
after leaving the railroad, and the thing
may be done. In this way fresh fields may
be seen instead of desolation and a
] glimpse had Of the soldiers and Of the
| trocha. We know, for we have been from
Guanajay to Mariel and back.
While Mr.. Calhoun and Consul General
| Lee were working away on the Ruiz case,
| IN company with Secretary Fishback, l
| took this trip west. When we left Havana
| the clouds were hanging so low in the east
| that the tops of the hills were lost in them.
| The rainy season has pegun, and this
| meant we should have a chance to know
| what effect these downpours. which come
at frequent intervals during the day. have
| on the campaigning in the country. The
| soldiers, as ever, were with US. They were
| in their "blindodo." or armored car. A
''tlindodo" is in reality an armored cruiser,
| armored cars. the use of which makes
! travelling possible in the pacif1ed provinces
| of Cuba.
The crew today was a merry one. Il
makes this trip regularly and its men,
| bers have grown accustomed to the life,
| which is easier than in the field. They
sang songs of soldiers conquests and told
stories of their experiences, all Of which
| did not relate to hardships. They were
having q better time than their comrades
on guard at the culverts and bridges along
| the road. for they were sheltered. We
could not avoid seeing the watch towers
which dotted the fiat roofs of the insane
asylum buildings, and the sentinels who
paced the roofs, while others were scat
| tered through the beautiful grounds.
Picture of Prosperity.
We had heard Of the ingenio of Toledo.
1t Is one of the sugar mills that has cs-
| capped destruction by either insurgents or
Spanish troops. Looking across the minia-
ture valleys and the verdured slopes of
the hills, Toledo stood out to our view
picture of prosperity. Green cane fields
formed a foreground for it, while groves
OF royal pllns were grouped in the back
| ground. In the hollows were the salvas
or spreading elms. these trees would be
called in the states. There were also the
| nangces, their branches dropping under
| the burden of the ripening fruit. More
than all there was the sight of life, men
at work in the fields, oxen ploughing, and
cattle grazing, all reminders of what Cuba
was before war made it a desert. But
| since we are to see plenty of cultivation
today we need not feast our eyes too long
on the ingenio of Toledo
At RinCOu the tatton ia flJad with .oI
diers The stop is a long one, and we have
| ample time to see them. Most Of these SOL
diers are fresh from the field and are
waiting the train for Havana. Many are
| fever sick. Though the day is hot, they
have blankets drawn around tEeir shoul-
ders and are quaking with chills. One has
his head bandaged-a machete stroke from
an insurgent, besides the fever. Another
poor fellow has lain down on the rough
stone hagging, with his camp outfit for a
pillow, and his blanket spread over him.
All show the evidences Of rough service
Eheir straw hats are jammad back ON
their heads, their uniforms are soiled and
| torn, and most of them have swollen, sock
less feet in ragged shoes. They are all
SO young we wonder if Spain can spare no
seasoned veterans for the campaign in her
most precious possession. They are dirty,
too, and there is not much romance about
them.
One lad Is typical of many. He could rot
have been more than eighteen. He is not
among the sick ones. for he carries the
full outfit Of service in the field. and a
heavy load it seems. The belt strained
around him is sagging with the weight of
the cartridges and other ammunition.
machete~ bangles at his side while a long
knife or dagger is incased in his belt.
Across his shoulders is swung the blanket
and other soldiers belonging, a Seddlers
pack in size. A tin pan and a tin Gun COM
plete the outfit. This privates uniform ha.
been patched, and he clearly has a pride in
appearances, yet he cannot conceal the
bare feet which have worked through the
strips of leather that pass for shoes. He
Is leaning on his rifle when first See him
apparently entirely lost to his surround
tngs. Ten minutes later he is still there In
the same position and with the same for
gctfuiness OF what is going on around him.
We imagine him thinking of home some
where in Spain. while those at home were
thinking of him soldering in Cupa,
After leaving Rincon the journey west
"aro toward Pinar del Rio shows grow
ing roughness tn the land. The underbrush
40 oSAAS0 vi luC ulllSlQ6S, ana we getSan
Idea OF the protection it affords the fnsur
gents In their method of warfare. We are
travelling toward the section Of ,the island
where tobacco is the chief product. and we
see many fields Of growing tobacco. Do we
not find evidences that the country Is paci-
fed? That depends. There is more life.
more cultivation. than on the road east of
Havana. toward Matanzas. yet the land
scape is spoiled at intervals by those bird
cages of huts Of dismantled bohios, and we
can never be sure Of not seeing those
ruined walls of what were once substantial
buildings. And II we knew just when to
shut our eyes and avoid such sights, the
stencil which offends our nostrils would
compel Inquiry. It comes from the rottine
carcasses of horses. which lie in the road
They tell OF q brush between troops and
Insurgents. in which at least 4 score and q
half Of horses were killed. whatever may
have been the mortality among the men.
r could not have been 20 long ago, for
tho burning sun has not yet stripped the
fConffuued On Wfnhf III pDoo 1 -------