The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-10

and the dewbeu were no more beautiful
than the faces of the women who bent
over them. Little silver bells that tinkled
with every step We're bound about their
feet, golden chains laid about their necks-
Gay ribbons were often intertwined with
their feathers to highten If possible the
effect of natura. hues. The garden con-
fines were marked by. lattices painted
white. Behind these the birds strutted,
the male displaying all his gorgeousnes9
of color to his humble mate.
In less than twenty-five years from this
time there was not wild peacock about
Santiago But the gardens were filed with
them, and at the lattices the cringing poor
or the idle sodiery might stand and watch
their unfolding beauty. Naturally, it fol-
lowed that in land where native birds
are few and not of brilliant color the pop
ular mind conferred its interest in bird life
on the confined peacocks. Then, too, there
was something in the gorgeousness of thar
bird that spoke of the Spain thai Span
ard always dreams of, speaks of, writes
of, but never creates. Simple folk began
to weave tales among themselves about
the bird. In time they consulted it as
they would oracle.
Should a simple fisherman be so FORUM
ate in passing the gardenway of a grandee
as to catch a glimpse of pied or white
peacock, his catch at the next throw OF
the net would certainly be thrice what it
had ever been before. If it was not, the
rare white peacock was not to blame, but
some evil spirit of the sea. Was a father
or sweetheart tOiling life away in the curs~
ed copper hole of FL Cobre, up there by the
Maestro range, the Haunting of such ana
such a peacock's tail on such and such n
saints day meant his freedom in twelve
month.
Did a male bird with deep, lustrous blue
upper wings and golden-green about the
neck savagely attack his grayishwhlfa
mate on the bright dawn of holy day,
then evil betide him who did not imme-
diately pray. If prayer were offered at
once, then harm could not come of the
vixen sDitework of the proud male bird.
thousand and one things were invent
ed as the years passed to give the bird a
| higher standing in the minds of the peOp'e.
Idle jest did part of it, and design on tho
part of those who control by superstition
aided. Father passed the tales to child ara
child to his child, and so on down through
the generations, until fable seemed to be-
come fact. The peacocks of Santiago be-
came portentiOus powers, capable of over
throwing all the effort of man, if not prop
erly consulted and rightly needed when
| giving warning. The dlscordant, ear-spil-
! ting cry of these vain birds became a song
ana their tail feathers panoply Of divine
beauty All this in four centuries wine
| Santiago de Cuba was rising to the doom Ok
! to-day.
The beaus of Santiago WOO with pea
cocks feather in their hand, so light
! thing Is love there. The bellies hide glances
/ of affection behind the glitter of a Pea,
cock fan, so slight a thing may oihi
| warm eyes. Curious, though, the na'l'o
! Cubans, the men with Garcia at Manzan-
| lilo thirty years ago, with Gomez to-la3'
/ have no love for the peacock. The aIe
tons is all to be found in the Spanish bi9"i
on the island. The native Of CUBA Whei
| the son of Columbus came to the T. .''
worshpped the sun and the stars ana o.
| iieved in a supreme being. The emblem "
! the native Cuban, wherever in four cen
| turtles one has been used, has been a sld.'
/ sometimes increased in size until it re-
| sembled a sun. In strange contradisulr
tlou the emblem of the SDaniard OF oa"-
| tlago dc Cuba, is a 2eacock.
! Cervera at bay in the harbor Of SANTA
| go. the gunners back of the ruined IoI 10
| the soldiery battling with the insurse.,s,
can hear with little effort the call OF ~
! poacocks Of Santiago, can finger IN the 30
| SHINE by the flowery gardens ana see a.
| lridescent fash in the heat of the ar,
noon. In that there may be com-9rt, ga
| for once and all time the day OF the sa.- eo
! bird OF the ill-fated city is drawing 10 ~, o.
| end The star of cuba Libre IS I'm
above the CLEAN Of the peacocks Ie''1
| ers.