The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-09
ON 1HE S|BONEY ROAD
Which Was Cut Through
SaW-BIadeS and PitChforkS.
CORDUROY THROUGH MIND
Description of the Hideous
Man-Eating Land Grab.

] Santiago, July 23-It led only in one
! direction, and that was from the amulu-
milton pile on the beach at Altares to the
| firing line on the hills commanding Santi-
! ago. At first it was a mere tail though
the manfgra; then 1t was widened for
cannon and wagons. and became a we'll
marked road, rough and difficult, knee
| deep with mud in places, and crossed by
| streams which after a rain would sweep
your horse off his feet. Very much like
| it, I fancy. was that Adirondack path
( over which the loyal Americans pulled
their artillery from Ticoderoga wnen they
marched upon Montcalm. That path is
now a trail 70 tout-fishermen and SO
troublesome to follow that you are glad
when you reach the waterfall and begin
to whip the stream downward, up to the
neck in water sometimes, and sometimes
| crawling, with rod in one hand, along the
sheer face of cliffs. Natives say there are
tout streams by ths Siboney road, but
don't know-it is no place for spot while
! the blood of gooh Americans is brown on
the ground and while the earth is raw on
the graves of the slain.
Imagine an underground as th1rk as
hedge, in which the bush is chiefly one
that bears thorns an inch long, scarcely
hands breadth apart; then think of the
saw with pointed teeth; and you willk
unoccupied ground between the close-set
bushes being taken up with spreading
cacd, two feet high or more, every stiff
leaf edged with long sharp spurs, like d
saw with pointed teeth; and you will gain
some notion of the manigua, through
which our men had to yush afoot, against
hidden oarbed wires, to cary this road to
the heights Of La Cruz and clear it CT
ambushed Spaniards. AS you eft Siboney
and its pestiferous camp, where the talk
was allof the yellow fever terror, and the
pleaSantest spot was the hospital, where
surgeons were dressing red wounds on
men in pain, or cutting off the splintered
Limb of one insensibe, you turn down
around a hill. cross a bridge, and came
Gin the last days OF the seige) upon an
encampment Of natives and refugees.
squahd beyond anything the lower east
SIDE OF New I Ork can show
Their brown children walk about naked
and solemn and listless They never rur
or play, but look at you with joyless
faces, as If nothing mattered, nothing
whatever. You cannot like the little beg
gers, but you cannot help plying them
especially if you have just received, as 1
had, letter fom nice, optimistic old
"a oh cd 1a1 -,
about some New England boys and
cherry teee. Her neighbor (of course a
spinster) had completed an arrangement
whereby the boys of the place were TO
be kept away from a cherry tree. The
arrangement was that two OF the boys
should guard the tree, getting in payment
the fruit that dropped to the ground
Our tent awaited the next letter and he
oucome Of the arrangement with an IN
terest battles could not command. It came
presently, and in It quite incidently, as
If great human affair had been under
trial, was mentioned that Miss IS
cherry-teee contract had been unfortu-
nate, as the two little boys on guard
had not been equal TO their charge. but
had drawn other boys 20 the orchard,
and dropped cherries over the fence 20
them. until the tree had to be put under
the care Of a oliceman Now that was
the only bit of brightness our tent had
known that melancholy week. and II de-
lighted US immensely; so coming upon :he
Cuban boys, who never knew the delights
OF a forbidden orchard, everything grow
ing wild and free 10 their hand. I felt
more sympathetic and tried 20 fancy
there was nothing gross and savage Fl the
way their little bellies. stuffed with SOL
d!er's ratons, had in two days grown so
round and abnormal that the belts Of
their rnachetes could no- meet and buckle.
AL along the road shelters OF palm
branches were raised by the families OF
Insurgents and retugees-Women IN one
tstte7ed garment sitting IN the openings
with trays OF mangoss and cocosnuts
before them FOR sale 10 mule-drive-s and
struggling soldiers Towards TIE last -
tbs campaign. when * became unlikely
that the Cubans would be permitted 20
eater and sack the city OF Santiago. and
-un is government you heard excizna-
lions relative 20 Americans from thsse
vags6oun6s that were dtspa-sg ing and
insulting. and hats that used 40 be lifted
stayed su1euiy OF their owners woody
heads But me feature % ths road. al
ways, was the laa3-crsb. swaTmlzE ard
rafting continuously. + 5 4 hsastly red
and black tAluE. IKE : sea-eTA5. on,y
larger and hart3e--sael!sd ard Hvei.sr
Il has me markings q human racs
such as children crzw upon slzte- tn-
line representing The mouth beng curved
downward giving q tremendously ~1tE