The times., 1898-07-10

/ with its small thread of blue smoke float
| ing up into the clear morning
air. while the blue hills in the
| distance rose higher and higher.
and more and more blue. and dreamy.
and indistinct, until their rugged sum
mits could not be distinguished from the
clouds through the glimmering hot haze
| of the tropics.
by the mark seven sang out the
leadsman in the starboard chains. Quar-
ter less three respond he in the lar
board, showing that the inequalities of
the surface at the bottom of the sea.
even in the breadth of the ship, were "a
least as abrupt as those presented above
water by the sides of the natural canal
into which we were now running. BY
this time, on our right hand. we We're
within pistol-srot of the Morro. where the
channel is not above fifty yards across;
indeed there is a chain, made fast TO
rock on the opposite side, that can be
| hove up by a capstan until ii Is level
with the water so as to constitute an in
surmountable obstacle to any attempt to
force an entrance in time of war AS we
stood in the golden flag of Spain rose
slowly on the staff at the water battery.
and cast its large sleepy folds abroad In
the breeze but, instead of floating over
mail-clad men or Spanish soldiers In
war like array, three poor devils of half
naked mulattoes stuck their heads out OF
an embrasure under it's shadow. We were
mighty close to leaving the bones OF the
old chap here. hy-the-by; for at the very
instant of entering the harborS mouth
the land wind checked us off, and very
nearly hove US broadside on upon the
rocks below the castle. against which the
swell was breaking in thunder.
But the breeze coming in strong we
fetched away again. and as the cable
was promptly cut, we got safely off.
However. on weighing anchor afterward.
we found that the water had been so
shoal under the bows that the ship when
she stranded had struck.it. and broken the
stock short off by the ring. We
stood on. the channel narrowing still more
the rocks rising 10 height of at least 800
feet from the waters edge. Sharply
and precpitiausly as if they had only
yesterday been split asunder; the splin-
tered projections and pinnacles on one
side having each their corresponding fis-
sures and indentations on the other, as
II the hand of a giant could have closed
them togeter again.
Noble trees shot out in all directions
wherever they could find little earth
and c-evice to hold on by almost
meeting overhead in several places. and
alive with all kinds of birds and beasts
incidental TO the climate: parrots of all
sorts great and small, clomb and hung
and fluttered amongst the branches, and
pigeons of numberless varieties and the
gianeing woodpecker, with is hammer
like tap. tap tap; and the West India
nightingale and humming birds of all
hues while cranes black. white and
gray. frightened from their fishing sta
tions stalked and peeped about. as awk-
waTdly as warrant officer in his long
skirted coat of a Sunday while whole
nocks of ducks flew across the mast
heads and through the rigging: and the
dragon-likc guanas and lizards of many
kinds disported themselves among the
branches. not Iazily or loathSomely. as
we, who have only seen a lizard in our
cold climate are apt % p.cture but alert.
and quick as lightning, their color chang
ing with the changing light or the hues
Of the objects TO which they clung, be-
coming literally in one respect portions
of the landscape.
And then the dark transparent crystal
depths Of the pure waters under foot, re-
flecting all nature so steadily and dis
tiuctly that in the hollOws, where the
bushes darkened the scene. you could
not for your life tell where the elements
met so blended were earth and sea
at was now the evening near nightfdIl,
and we had none of US had time
to look at the splendid scene that burst
upon our view, on rounding a precipitous
rock, from the crevices of which some
magnificent trees shot up-their gnarIed
trunks and twisted branches overhanging
the canal where we were pulling. and
anticipating the fast-falling darkness
that was creeping over the fair face of
nature; and there we hoated in the deep
shadow of the cliffs and trees. Dragon
flies and watersprites. motionlesS and ST.
lent, the boats floating so lightly that
they scarcely seemed to touch the water,
the men rested on their oars, and all Of
US rapt with the magnifcence of the
scenery around us, beneath us. and
above us.
''The left or western back of the narrow
entrance to the harbor from which we
were now debouching. ran out in all its
precipitousness and beauty with its
dark evergreen bushes overshadowing
the deep blue waters, and its gigantic
trees shooting forth high into the glow
ing western sky. their topmost branches
gold-tipped in the flood of radiance shed
by the rapidly-sinking sun, while all be-
low where we lay was gray. cold shade)
until it joined the northern shore when
it sloped away gradually toward the east;
the higher parts of the town sparkled in
the evening sun on this dun ridge. like
golden turrets on the back of an ele-
phant. while the houses that were In the
shade covered the declivity with their
dark masses, until 1t sank down to the
waters edge. On the right-hand the
haven opened boldly out into basin
about four miles broad by seven long.
in which the placid waters spread out
beyond the shadow of the western bank
into one vast sheet of molten gold, with
the canoe tearing along the shining sur
face, and her side glancing in the sun,
and her paddles flashing back his rays.
and leaving long train of living fire
sparkling in her wake
1T was about 6 o'clock in the evening;
the sun had set to US, as we pulled along
under the frowning brow of the cliff,
where the birds were fast settling on
their nightly perches with small happy
owitterings. and the lizards and number
less other chirping things began to send
forth their evening hymn to the Great
Being who made them and US. and
solitary white-sailing owl would every
green tuft, across the bald face of the
cliff. to another, and the small divers
around us were breaking up the black
surface of the water into sparkling cir
cles as they fished for their suppers. All
was becoming brown and indistinct near
US; but the level beams of the setting
sun still fingered with a golden radiance
upon the lovely city and the shipping
at anchor before il, their sails, where
loosed to cry, glance like leaves of gold.
and their spars. and TaStS, and rigging
like wires of gold, and gliding their flags,
which were waving majestically and
slow from the peaks in the evening
breeze and the Notwithstanding steeples
of the churches were yet sparkling in
the glorious blaze, which was gradually