The record-union., 1898-07-11


me I saw the nose and tail of a very
little horse sticking out; this little horse
was carrying its own fodder. On top
of all the hay sat a man with black
velvet jacket, with little bells all
around 1t, and a big sombrero hat; he
had pistol in his belt, and a dirk. Il
was told he had come down from the
mountains :; he looked like a bandit. The
COWS are driven to the doors to be
MIXED, and SO your milk can't get all
the water in town in it. They wear a
bell which rings and tells they are COM
ing.
All houses are built round the court
yards, which are full of trees and flow
eTs. Cuban beds have no mattress ses;
they are of iron, with a sacking on
which you lie, and have a sheet, a pill
loW and a mosquito net tucked under
the legs of the bed to keep out taran-
tulas. Many bedrooms lead out of the
courtyard. Cuban houses have no cook
ing Stoves some have a kind of oven
in the yard. Cuban ladies do no house
work; blacks or coolies do it all. La
dies go right home from mass, but
many of the men drop right down on
the corners of streets and play domlnos
or cards-they are awful gamblers in
Cuba.
We ride in the odd volante through
the now deserted streets, past the con-
vent and prison, and down to the land
ing, where we take the boat and go to
the steamer, to stay till evening, when
We return to find all the people out
some riding, some walking round the
plaza, where the band plays every
night-and all the shops are now bright
ly lighted and we see the Shopmen
bringing out goods to the ladies to look
at. These ladies themselves look so
fascinating in their white dresses and
lace manltillaS thrown over their hair,
with a rose just over the ear, as we
see in pictures; and most of them car
ry large fans sparkling with jewels.
AS we walk along we can See into
all the houses, for they look exactly as
it the whole front of the house was
rolled UP, after they open the immense
windows, and in every house you al
ways see two rows of chairs arranged
opposite each other, and ladies always
sit opposite the gentlemen, never be-
side them, which would be considered
bad form. All business is suspended
for nap after noon. Everything is
done very early in the morning and in
the evening, and, in fact, l felt, after
being there a week, like proving all
might with the cats. l felt too langul1
to move after noon, and l soon found
out l could not do as l would at nome.
This is what will bother our troops; as
they cannot stand the hot sun they will
have to fight in the night.
Santiago has no drainage, and is
filthy. The better class go away in
the summer, just as We do, but the
nigs and coolies do not mind it.
AS We sat on Mr.. l. s piazza that ev-
ening, on the crest of the hill, and look
ed over the lovely harbOr and down
through an avenue of palms and ba-
mana trees waving in the clear moon
light, l thought, What a lovely land
this isl" but after walking down this
avenue to the landing across the little
railroad track which goes to his plan
tation, and getting into the little Uoat
to go out to the steamer, l saw big
sharks with their mouths wide open TO
eat me, and it did not seem quite SO
romantic, but / live to write this, al
though there was one particular shark
that stuck by, hoping / would drop into
his capacGous mouth, and / left him
gaping after US as We steamed from
Santiago for CienfuegOS.