The herald., 1898-08-25


has come to anchor and the place OF en-
campment has been selected. two or three
big native scows or "cascas' are towed
alongside and the tedious process of hoist
ing boxes and bales from the hold OF the
ship and slowing them on board the scows
commences.
Most of the work is done by the soldiers.
as It saves time and is not much harder
labor than trying to explain to the native
crew would be. During the loading pro-
cess the crew takes station at either end OF
the scow and keeps up running fire OF
sort OF mongrel Chinese-Spanish, inter-
spersed with laughter, which seems to be
all at the expense OF the soldiers.
The loading OF these ''cascas' is quite
delicate operation, especially when the sea
Is at all rough. for they are very narrow
and fiat bottomed, and, were 1t not for run
ners of bamboo on either side, would turn
over at the slightest provocation.
After the property Of the companies to
be landed and the necessary supplies have
been placed on the cascas tug. usually
one of the captured Spanish revenue cut
tiers, but now wearing a semblance OF
American war paint, manned by native
crew and an American officer, whose chief
duty seems to be to swear at the natives,
steams up and the troops go, some aboard
the cascas and some aboard the tug.
Awkward Boatmen
The casca train, as II is called, then
starts for the shore. some two or two and a
half miles away. Travel would be slow in
any case, but the natives DO not seem to
power, and, instead of fastening the tow
ropes to the end Of the cascas, they are
fastened about twenty-five or thirty feet
from the end to one side of the casca. and
II one is lowed from the port side it Is al
most three chances to one that the one fol-
lowing will be lowed from starboard, maxi
ing the casca train long, Jagged line and
pulling In all directions.
Finally a point some two or three hun
dred yards from shore, where the water
Is not more than ten or twelve feet deep,
Is reached and the cascas arc set adrift;
then is when the natives really work. They
take long bamboo poles and shove the
casca along until 1t grounds. The ground
slopes very gradually and the casca usually
stops about hundred feet from shore,
and the orden is given ito get Off and
walk" The water is about waist deep, and
the appearance of the men as they emerge
is far from sold1erly.
Those who were fortunate enough to be
on the tug Jared little better TOR the
time being. The tug cannot go into the
shallow water. SO they are landed In row.
A,.k 40
manage to get their feet wet in getting out
Of the boat, unless they can get a native
to carry them. The natives seem to be
of the impression that every one who comes
from the tug is an officer, and crowd around
the boat. eager TO earn q few cents BY
carrying you to dry land, but they rarely
20 to the cascas, and an officer unfortunate
enough to be on casca usually fares no
better than the men.
This is the rainy season, and showers are
frequent, and lucky, indeed, is the land
Ing party that does not experience two or
three, and one Of the landings had the
pleasure OF witnessing was made in a con-
tinuous downpour.
However, the rain Is warm. One Is dry
almost as soon as the rain stops, and the
only effect Is the Inconvenience Of woYking e
In wet clothes or going without.
Making Camp
Getting ashore oneself Is the least OF the
difficulties OF making landing, for hard
ly Is one clear OF the water than the order
Is given to unload the cascas. Then fol-
lows scene that would be worth a for
tune to the biograph or kaleidoscope mana
gers. Arms are stacked and the equip
ment piled in as compact form as posi-
BILE and the mem dlvest themselves of va
rious articles of wearing apparel, and the
more modest the man the less he takes Off.
Tents, ammunition, commissary supplies
and anything else that may have been
brought from the steamer Is then carried
ashore. Now and then three or four men
will lift large box or bale, get 1t half way
to shore. then someone's hand will strip and
down will go the box into eighteen or TWEEN
ty inches Of salt water.
Possibly during the process Of unload
Ing 1t will commence to rain; then quickly
are the tents united and spread over the
things already on shore. and as more are
brought from the cascas more tents are
spread; and in addition to the rain, as was
the case with the scow in which the Astor
battery landed, the casca may swing
around sideways and I'LL with water In the
surf.
The food Is all packed In tin cans and
boxes, and consequently does not sufYer
from the wettng. but in many instances
blue and white clothes have been put In
the same case. and, Of course, the white
clothes are ruined.
A Damp Assembly
When at last everything Is ashore, assem-
bly, is sounded and the roll Is called to see
that all the men are present. The men line
up in whatever costume they may be in
when assembly Is sounded, and they pre-
sent truly ludicrous appearance. Here
VIII be man with wet blouse and dry
trousers, taken on when 1t commenced to
rain, and next him a man with an exact
reverse. and still a third may be attired
IN even less than is worn by the natives OF
Central Africa.
The last step Is the moving OF all the
goods to the place OF encampment ana the
pitching Of tents. This is all done by the
soldiers and b. hand. but time Is not 20