The Winslow mail., 1898-12-24


who kept his head fairly well, assured
the captain that if he kept straight
ahead to the point of land then visible,
and rounded that he would be in the en-
trance to the bay, where we were to
,and, and once in the shadow there
could give the enemy the slip.
Acting on this suggestion, we forged
ahead, and the Old tug went faster than
she had ever gone before. BY this time
the stokers knew that Spanish boat
was after US, and kept the boilers red
hot. The gunboat fired score OF shots
after US, but none of them came closer
than 100 yards, and it was soon ap-
parent that she was not more than a
ten-knot boat, and that we could out
run her.
''\Ve rounded the point that marked
the entnnce to the bay, with the Span
ish gunboat nearly three miles astern,
and were beginning to breathe easy,
when SERIES of yelis from the Cubans
on deck startled everybody. They were
crossing themselves and pointing off
tie port bow. looked in that direction
and III confess L felt a bit shaky for a
time, because l saw Two more boats
heading right into the bay, as if to cut
us off.
Boat off the starboard, sir! shouted
one of the crew on watch.
1.-TWO boats astern, sir!' cried the aft
watch.
For answer the captain began to
swear like pirate as he rang the bell
to slow down.
"'Boat dead ahead, sir! Three boats
of the port bow, sir!' cried the forward
watch,
by this time the Cubars were in a
complete panic. Some were crossing
themselves, some praying and others
swearing. The men of the crew badly
scared, but kept their wits well enough
TO obey orders.
The situation was certainly alarm
ing. We were now well into the mouth
Of the little bay, and, looking around,
we could see three boats on each side Of
US, two dead ahead and two astern, be-
tween the tug and the gunboat that had
been shooting at US.
"The strangest feature of the situa-
tion was that not one of the vessels
showed light, they had not fired shot
at US and all of them were apparently
regulating their movements by ours.
When the Rover slowed down they re-
duced speed. For five minutes we went
ahead at half speed, and there was no
hostile move on the part of the ten boats
that surrounded us.
Maybe they are for u.s. suggested
the Cuban pilot. See, they have no
lights
"'Oh, = it!' said Capt. Breen. 'Eere
goes to settle the business
with that he gave the wheel a turn
and rang the bell for full speed ahead,
and, reaching for the whistle cord, he
blew the siren such blast as I never
heard before. a thousand echoes Of
that blast seemed TO come back from
the hills on either side, until it sounded
as if great fleet of boats was playing
n concert in that dark Cuban bay.
ga few moments later bright blaze
of fire flashed up out of the forest at the
head of the bay.
"'That is the signal of our people.
They heard your whistle!' said the Gu
ban pilot.
"The Rover was now plunging ahead
at fulf7speed, ant~the boats around us
were doing the same. I looked aft for
the Spaniard that had been shooting
at US. He had been frightened off and
was heading out to sea at full speed.
"Another wild cry from the Cubans
on deck was the reXt startling demon
stration, and, looking around we saw
that the boats that a moment before
had surrounded us had vanished com
pletely. There was not a shadow left
and not a ripple on the smooth water of
the bay to show where they had been.
"Again the Cubans fell on their knees,
crossed themselves and prayed.
'Half an hour later we dropped an
chor in little cove at the head of the
bay. We were within 100 yards of the
shore, and in few minutes boat load
of Cuban soldiers were alongside the
tug. They had been waiting for us for
Il week, and no time was lost in getting
our cargo ashore.
'While unloading, the Cubans who
went down with us told those from the
shore about the mysterious feet
through which we had passed, and the
mystery of the affair was quickly ex-
planned. 1t seems that at a certain hour
on moonlight night there is a sort of
double or triple reflection on the sur
face Of that bay, caused by the shadows
from the hills on each side, and vessel
passing in or out is mirrored in these
shadows until it becomes a small fleet.
The mirage disappears at a certain
point as suddenly as it came into view.
'We landed our cargo safely, got our
pay and were safely out TO sea before
daylight We were not pursued again
by the gunboat or the shadow filibus-
ters."--St Louis Globe-Democrat.
Ocean md Earth.