The herald., 1897-12-19
BLOOD-BOUGHT
WAR DISPATCHES

per, and If l were going to be shot did
not want it to be while was in such an
undignifed attitude. Then, too. want
ed picture Of the scene. So hurriedly
took my camera from its case and
snapped 1t twice at the puffs of smoke.
A moment later q crash of musketry
came from the ironclad car next to the
engine of the train. Our escort had at
last gotten into action-just too late to
do any damage to the rebels. l craned
my head out of the window to see the
fun, but was called back to realization
Of my whereabouts by feeling hand
laid on my shoulder. / turned back and
saw a big Spaniard in the uniform Of a
captain, his clothes still dusty and dirty
from the floor, where he had been lying
until the danger was past. Then he had
gotten up to interfere with me. He
wanted to know whether / had per-
init to take photographs, and. as I had
none (having been refused one in Ha-
vana two weeks before), the cOnversa-
ton was short and disastrous. On the
arrival of the train at Sagua an hour
later was arrested and marched off to
the police station.
A NARROW ESCAPE
OF course, it was all my own fault
my own folly, rather-and I had no
right to complain. The soldiers were
perfectly courteous, being very differ
ent from our policemen in that respect,
but they were decidedly peremptory. 1t
was just dinnertime, and it was hard
to find any official to whom my case
could be submitted. In New York /
should simply have been locked up until
morning. In Cuba was taken to three
men in succession before one would take
jurisdiction of the matter. The second
was General Montaner, the commander
of the district. Unfortunately General
Montaner had just arrived in town him
self from the scene of a severe defeat
inflicted upon him by the insurgents.
His horse had run away with him. stum-
bled and fallen downhill, bruising him
considerably. He was not in the best
humor, therefore, and when l offered him
my papers, a passport and a pass from
General Ahumada, he waved them away.
"Oh," said he take him to the Jail for
tonight. Well look at his papers in the
morning" However, he modified this
afterward and sent me along to the mil
tary chief of the city, who consented to
consider the case. After hearing the
various statements, made on my part
through q very laborious Interpreter, he
demanded the plancha." The interpreter
did not know what a "plancha' was,
and neither did J. So we both hunted
through my valise to find it. Several
volunteers assisted in the search. FL
nally it dawned upon me that he wanted
n tho n11tn which tho mir %
of the firing had been taken.
The situation had become decidedly
thrilling. If I shoNd open the camera
the chances were that he would see the
letters concealed in it. If he did, there
was little doubt about my fate. A firing
squad and coffin in the early morning,
or. at the very least, long term of i'm
prisonment, would have inevitably fol-
lowed
In this emergency I braced up and
tried to assure him that my pictures
would be ruined IL I should open the
camera, and l reiterated that there was
nothing to be seen until they should
be developed. added that whole dozen
of films would be destroyed if 1 should
show him what he wished. All in vain.
He was polite but inexorable. and,
trembling in my shoes, I opened the
camera a little way and drew out the
film. The letters lay there in the bottom
of the box, plainly visible If any one
should look. But no one did. All eyes
were fixed on the mysterious roll; I am
certain no one present had ever seen
the like before. The chief took out a
magnifying glass and commenced to
scrutinize it, and I seized the oppor-
tunity to close the camera, and drew a
long, free breath once more.
At last the chief, finding nothing on
the roll, told me that I was free to go,
but added that he did not want to see
me around town the next day. I was
very willing to get free on these terms,
closed up my camera and started away.
He called me back and pointed to the
ruined film. which I had abandoned. I
tried to explain that did not want it,
but he insisted. So as did not dare to
reopen the camera to replace it. took
1t away in my hand.
(To be continued.)
The Bosses and Their Followers
The ignorant, the needy, and the