The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-17
spAN1sH LACK OF ENrERPRIsE.
tcontinued from First Page.)


 ican control over the Island, these peo-
 pie took the first opportunity of desert
 ing.
 A French ship captain, who was at
 Guanica when the first landing was
 made there, says he heard volunteers
 denounoing the American pigs that
 day with abundant Spanish profanity,
 who two days later were greeting our soldiers at Ponce with profuse protes-
 tations of friendship for us and male-
 dictions upon Spain and everything
 Spanish. These two faced Wretches are
 simply time servers. Many of the
 Spaniards of the better class make no
 such protestations, although they are
 genuinely glad that the end of Spanish rule, with it's eXactions and oppres- sions, is at hand. They do not forget that they are Spaniards, proud of a
 race whose achievements were so many
 and so great; and they view with grief the final rule of Spain's military glory. The writer lodged one night last week at the hacienda of a rich sugar planter, just outside of Juana Diaz. The plant CT was a Spaniard His wife and chill dren were born in Spain. They were rather frigid at first, but when they ascertained that the writer and his companion were correspondents, not of ficers, they gradually became more genial, and, after disposing of a bottle of fine old Madeira, the old gentleman actually Wept. It is not, he said, be- cause the Americans were to possess the fair island of Porto Rico. He had been in America and fully realized that with our conquest would come progress and many advantages to the inhabit- ants. He wept, he said, because the Spanish soldiers had basely deserted their flag and dishonored their country. To be defeated, to yield to superior force-that was honorable, but to flee that was dlsgraceful. Then, as his eyes lighted up, he said: But Otega and Macias will retrieve the national honor, they will fight They may die, but they will fight
 It was strange to hear the Spaniard, who honestly rejoiced because of the prospective American conquest, beWall the fact that thus far the invasion had been bloodless He desired to see the island conquered, but not surrendered. The Porto Rican natives, especially the poorer classes, have given us the most enthusiastic welcome They had dreamed for years of the time when the hand of the oppressors would be re- moved from their threats; and now it has come. With the exception of a few of the rich, they seem to care little about the independence of the island. ,trste Ri f0y political power, inquire anxiously if we will retain possession of the island and shout enthusiastically for Puerto Rico Libre,' but the great majority care but little for independence, perfectly satis- fled with the conviction that we have come to drive out the Spaniards Last Tuesday the writer accompa- nied a accommodating expedition under General Roy Stone of Pennsylvania into the mountains north of Ponce. It was remarkable in more ways than one. General Miles had ascertained that the eneny's position at Aybonto was all most impregnable and he had decided to turn the left flank of the Spanish position by landing General Brookes | forces at Arroyo and thence moving his column to Cayey in the rear of the Spanish position at Aibonito. The ad- visibility of a movement by our left flank was also discussed This could be done if the road across the mountains to Arecibe, on the north coast, was passable.
 The reports were that there was a | fine carriage road from Utuado to Are | cibo The only question was as to the character of the road as far as the for mer point General Stone volunteered | to make the reconnaissance. He took with him several men of the signal | corps, four newspaper correspondents l in carriages. armed with Remingtons, | and Company c of the Second Wiscon- | sin. The start was made at noon. | The road led straight up to the top | of the mountains for ten miles. The | carriages were drawn by native ponies and went up the mountain on a gal | lop, except when the reckless drivers | stopped to breathe the animals It was l right into the heart of the enemy's | country. The road rises to an altitude | of five thousand feet and is an exten- | sion of the military road from San ! Juan to Ponce, which cost 25, 900 900 Spanish pesos. Even to the top it is a marvellous piece of engineering. At ! times 1t is heWn out of the solid rock, hanging over sheer cliffs a thousand | feet deep At others it spans gorges | with stone bridges. The scenery of the | Alps, though bolder of course, is not more beautiful. Everything is covered | with luxurious tropical verdure, even
 the rocks. Brilliant towering plants | and trees splash the green with vivid l color.
 | Once at the top, the completed mill | tary road is ended, and then we start l ed on to Adjuntas, ten miles off. The | drivers drove like Jehus The vehicles 1 had no brakes, and the little ponies, l on the descent, were on the "dead rum | to keep away from the wheels. Bound- | ing, turning, swaying, now an inch | from precipice on but two wheels and l now swinging into the side of the cliff, | the occupants holding on for dear life. l the vehicles went at a tremendous pace, as the drivers whipped on their mad ] beasts One false step, a stumble, l would have sent us whirling off into ' space. Few western stage drivers | could have safely accomplished this 1 feat.
 After one more ascent we went tear 1 ing down into the town. Rapid as had been our progress, word of our ap- | proach had preceded us, and as we