The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-07-13
N THE HEART OF CUDA
Experiences of an invaded
Americana.
CUBAN VERSUS SPANIARD
How Battles Were Fought Be-
fore Skaters Time.


and fever, may be not be much of an ad-
venture 20 read about, but 10 go through
with it is decidedly Unpleasant When my
GUIDE left me, after digging my grave in
the neighborhooI of San Jeronimo, to me
care of an old Hindu woman, VINO had
lived for thirty years in Cuba and spoke
only Spanish apd Hindustani, ne took
with him most Of the provisions. and
Ma'am Rachel hal very soon to make a
trip into the town to obtain supplies. Tea
she was unable 10 procure, but we mad
coffee in abundance. Meat, except of the
canned variety. could not be had, but
with the peevishness of an invalid began
to Impiore her to make ne some soup,
and finally she said she would.
After while smelt a delicious odor
from her fire, and in due course Sc served
me a most nutritious and appeuzing
soup. To a gourmet who dimes every day
at the Waldorf or Eelmonico's this might
not have tasted as good as it did TO me,
but it was better than the beef tea l had
ever drank. l asked Ma'am Rachel where
she obtained the beef, but all 1 could get
from her was the fact that Rama had
provided" In Christian countries when
anything of that nature happens we say
that hte Lord has provided. and are
grateful accordingly. When a similar
providential occurrence happens to Mo-
hammedan he puts it down to Kismet or
fate-something that was prearranged
long time before between God and the
Prophet; and If it happens to a Hindu.
then Rama, who IS the God of all good
things, is the deity whoreceives the
thanks Not being irreligious, but at the
same time of a somewhat sceptical dis
position with regard to the personal inter-
ference of the deity in matters of purely
sublunary kind, was grateful principally
to Ma'am Rachel, though doing consider
able wondering as to the way in which
she had succeeded in obtaining the meat,
Just before going TO sleep for the night,
she brought about a pint of warm liquid
jelly that tasted delicious 1 found after
wards that part of the ingredients were
from mangoes, but how it was made had
no idea at the time
The next day l began to feel strong and
hungry, and Ma'am Rachel had a most
appetizng breakfast prepared for me-a
tender, luscious steak, the merest suspi
cionof garlic and onion, sliced fried sweet
POTATOES, and good, strong coffee. After
eating it 1 felt once more a man, but soon
found that 1 lacked good deal of my
natural strength. ABOUT the middle of the
forenoon, while lying in my hammock,
trying to write, Ma'am Rachel brought me
a drink that, If it could be introduced TO
the cafes of New York, would, think, be
come the rage. Thesole ingredients were
the water of a very green cocoanut and
gill of Cuban distilled gin, of which
Ma'am Rachel kept a small but very
precious supply.
When Ma am Rachel did 'lay herself
out" to cook, she certainly succeeded in
giving me most delicious meals, and 10
my intense surprise. at dinner, 1 had
nice roast srloin, exquisiteiy tender-not
cooked in an oven, but roasted an dturned
before an open fire-well basted and done
to a turn, with sweet potatoes, such as
had never tasted before, roasted under the
meat with the gravy falling on them. As
a dessert had some more of the jelly
made the evening before which had
grown hard and tasted better cold than
warm.
The next day 1 asked after my horse
and found that Eugene, my guide, had,
thinking l was going TO die, taken the
horse and left me the mule, and that
Ma'am Rachel had killed the mule, as 1t
looked sickly." This explained the source
of the meat had been eating and found
so tender and delicious. Outof his hoOfs
Ma'am Rachel had made that splendid
jelly. At first l felt rather angry, but soon
I got to believe that it was all for the
best Maam Rachel had cut UP the flesh
in strips and made of it very excellent
dried beef, which hereafter may come in
very useful to me.
On the morning OF Tuesday, June g. as
l lonuged in my hammock wishing l had
a cigar, l heard VIVA sounded to me ike
The sound of the popping of iWnehesters,
and the somewhat louder pung % Reming
tons. 1 jumped 10 my feet and made my
way in the direction OF the noise, which
grew louder as 1 got nearer. and l soon
distinguished the dismal PAM Pah, Pan,
of the Mausers. 1 soon got to point
where 1 could see what was going on with
safety TO myself. (here seemed 10 be
larty Of about hundred insurgents, who
were we'll tntrenched behind trees on a
comparatively open woody hill, while the
Spaniards had probably some four hun
dred men. who were fighting al more or
less disadvantage in the open The iDsur
gents had all the best Of the position. and
for time did what damage was done,
but after shooting for over half an hour
the Spaniards, OF rather the officer u
charge. came 10 the very natural cOnc-u
sion that as his force far outnam5ered
that OF the insurgents, the best thing Tor
him to DO was to take their position By
assault, which he proceeded to DO. and
did wei. The Spania-ds fought braVe.s
under fire. and mus, have lost over thrifty
mem before the change IN tactics only
about one hundred and fifty yards separ
ated them from the insurgents. As soon
as the ocer in command OF the Insurgents
found that the Spsniards were going -
Try to take his position. ne gave them q
par,!ne volley and retreztsd- This he was
easily able 10 DO. SIS. a. the back q me
hi upon WhlcA he vas agaclng were thlck
woods TIE SpzEiards followed for
At,le while. and thsn came back. and
after picking Up their wounded and buy
ing their dead. marched OF il the direction
Of san Jeyoniulo.
After waiting for more than fifteen
minutes. I walked down % the sceae ot
the conflict Il vas surprising % ne iaat
the Spaaizrds had - long Eougng a. sgcz