Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1898-06-02
The Shadow FiIibuSter
By WALTER L. HAwLRY.


Rover" said an old sailor, who was talk
ing Of the Cuban war on the South
street pier. "Of course the hold was
full of dagoes-Cubans, i mean--90 Of
them all told, and we were .flibusters,
1T was the first year of the Cuban rev.
olutlon. The Rover had been running
light for month, picking up a tow here
and there, and failing to make expenses
She was a strong boat, and could do IL
knots an hour under pressure. Dan
Breen was captain, pilot and part
owner.
zone day the captain received an offer
from the Cuban agents to take cargo
OF guns and ammunition to the insur-
gents. There was big money in it for
all hands provided we landed the stun
and got away safe, The other owners
left the matter to Breen, and the cap
tain called the crew into the cabin and
asked them If they would 60 There
was double pay and share Of the prof
its for every man of us, and we all vol
unteered at once.
Next day the Rover cleared for n
southern port to bring bock tow, and
we got out beyond Sandy Hook with
out being followed by revenue cutter.
When night came we stood in toward
the Long Island shore, and about mid
night ran alongside schooner an
chored off one of the coves down there.
THE stuff we were to carry was on
the schooner, and 1t took two hours, the
Cubans helping, to get the cargo aboard
the tug. Daylight found us steaming
down the Jersey coast at ten knots an
hour. We had taken the 30 Cubans off
the schooner and whenever there was
another vessel in sight we were careful
to keep them below deck, where they
chartered in Spanish all day and most
of the night The voyage down was
without incident, because we had good
weather all the way.
According to the plans Of the Gu
bans who had hired the boat we were
to land our cargo and passengers at the
head of little bay, near the extreme
end Of the island, few miles north of
Cape MATS. A company of insurgents
was to be waiting for us, and assist in
the unloading. We went down through
the Bahama channel, keeping outside
the three-miie limit, until we were with
in 80 miles of our destination. The
captain had so timed the voyage that
we were to make the last lap after dark.
We had a Cuban on board who knew
every foot of the coast down there, and
was to act as pilot when we made the
run for shore.
"The sun went down in clear sky,
with light breeze blowing from the
southeast. Every man on board had
supper between shutdown and dark and
the captain warned them to eat plenty,
because there would be work to do be-
fore morning.
"As soon as it was dark the Cuban
pilot went up and took his position
alongside Capt. Breen at the wheel.
The engineer and fireman had their or
ders, which were to get every bit OF
speed possible. The Cubans came up
and lay about the deck, talking in whis-
pers. The Rover was headed for the
coast and went ahead at full speed. The
full moon rose an hour after dark,
which was in our favor, because it en-
abled the pilot to make out certain land
marks along the shore by which he had
to steer.
THE scene, MS we raced down the
coast was a grand one. On our right
rose the dense Cuban forest, black as
night, in the distance. To the left a
smooth sea stretched away to the horl-
ION, and under the clear moonlight 1t
looked like great lobe of solid silver.
The Rover was throbbing like thing
Of life, and we seemed to be flying
through the smooth water. Lookouts
were stationed fore and aft to keep n
watch for Spanish gunboats, although
the Cubans had assurances that this
part of the coast was not patroled, eX-
cept at rare intervals.
ut was nearly ten o'clock when we
entered narrow channel between the
mainland of Cuba and q low reef or
key. For few miles the vision Of
moonlit water was broken, and at times
we were blowing along in the very
shadow OF the trees on shore. Accord
ing to our charts and pilot we would
pass a narrow inlet at the end of this
channel. and five miles beyond would
enter the bay where we were to land
the expedition. The Cubans assured us
that if we got out Of the narrow and
dangerous channel safely we would
have nothing more TO fear.
I'VE were an hour making this in
shore tack to avoid the greater distance
around the reef. and when we reached
the open again the wind had freshened
Ond there was long, rolling swell com
ing in toward the shore. TO the right,
beyond the inlet we had to cross range
of low hills forming dark and grew
some background TO the picture around
US. A shadow from these hills seemed
10 be reflected back across the water
by the moonlight.
"When we were half way across the
inlet heard the Cuban pilot talking to
the captain in a wildly excited manner.
Before could gather what it was about
the captain called down to me from the
pilot house:
4 l.