The times., 1899-09-24


between the two vehicles is that the quit
rim has top which can be lowered, while
the cover or the yolante is immoyabie
Inc volante is a two-wheeled vehicle. and
the wheels are very large almost as high
as those used for the OK carts. The car
rage proper is slung low down from the
axle by leather straps The shafts are ff
teen feet in length. Formerly the weight
rested almost entirely on the shafts. In
the later makes 1t was shifted more to the
axle. The horse in the shaft is led by a
postillion, whose horse is harnessed to
the carriage with traces. Often a third
horse is used and is harnessed with traces
in the same manner. The height OF the
wheels and the distance from the
ing over. 1t is surprising to see
the ease with which sharp cor
ners are turned, steep hills climbed. and
rugged descents made. All the while the
occupants of the vehicle are comfortable.
Some compare it to travelling in a hammock.
New England visitor who has made sew
eral trips in the volantes says they are first
cousin to the one-horse shays OF his grand
fathers time. They have also been COM
pared to the calashes or caleches which the
French in Quebec have preserved. This
comparison is probably made because the
| caleche and the velante are SO different, ex-
cept that each has two wheels.
The Cubans and the Spanish residents
who talk of the old times mourn the deca-
| dence of the guitrins and voiantes. They
say these were indigenous carriages, con-
structed before the age OF railways and
holding their own long after the railways
came. Twenty-Five or thirty years ago VIC
! torias and cabs and coaches of various kinds
| began to supplant them in the cities. New
| ertheless, il will probably be a long time
before they disappear from the country en-
L..
| Cuba is traversed in all parts by good roads.
Except on horseback there is no other
means of travelling in the Interior of the
| island. On all the sugar plantations there
are volantes slowed away somewhere. and
| every Cuban family which has country
! home possesses one. Some of them are very
aged vehicles, yet they do not wear out as
| the one-horse shay is said TO have done.
! The position is usually sedate colored
j man who has all the pride OF a family
! coachman. He sits his mount with a grace
| and seriousness~tha evoke admiration To
/ the ordinary rider the short trot at which
the horses drawing volante move would
| be excessively uncomfortable. 1t is not so
| to the Cuban position. AS he jogs along
/ he seems part of the lead horse. Some
! times in the hot sun he goes to sleep. He
! is rarely the victim OF an accident II may
be that the enterprising American who is
looking for the chance to make money in
| Cuba will corner the volantes with view
! to the tourist travel Of the next few years
But he will hardly be able TO corner the
positions. They are family coachmen and
/ they do not take kindly to innovations.
| In the parts of the island where there
are calzadas, or macadamfzed highways,
| travel by means of the carriage is prefer
/ able to the railroads. 1t gives much bet
| ter idea of the landscape and enables one
| TO see the country to advantage. Some Of
the vehicles are. rickety and asthmatic,
/ and the horses are survivals of the recon
centration. Yet it is better to take them
and thus enjoy the journey. The Cuban
cabmen, whether in town. city, or country,
are members of the universal union of
highway robbers. In other respects they
are obliging and good fellows, but they will
! overcharge. No one should hire one of
| their vehicles without setting the price in
advance. In doing this their first demand
| should never be needed.
| A pleasant day can be passed by taking
| the morning train from Havana to GUIANA
jay and then driving back in the afternoon
/ part of the way to the city. The cab
| driver will begin by asking 2 centens.
| That is little more than $40 in gold. AZ
| ter half an hours squabbling he will come
down to $S., The knowing traveller will
| stipulate that the SIS shall be paid in silver.
| Negotiations will end abruptly After
/ proachfully accept the terms. He will go
to the stable to change horses. The Wis
itor will wait for him. Other vehicles will
be passed before him in review. Finally
he will become impatient and ask what
has happened. He will be told that an
! accident has befallen the horses. Then
| other drivers will offer their services, first
for $40 gold, then $S gold. and finally the
same amount in silver.
When the disgust of the visitor has
reached its height the Chinaman who keeps
the inn will come out, scold the robbers
| for their rapacity, and tell the stranger
to offer any one of them 81 in silver for
! driving him TO Marianao, which is the sta
ton where the train is taken for Havana.
This is the regular procedure, and 81 is the
regular charge. The tariff, however, was
not established until two Americans had
vindicated their independence and that OF
their countrymen. This was months ago.
Wearied with haggling with the haekmen,
who had begun at SIS and in the course OF
an hour had cotton down only to $40,
these two visitors calmly announced that
they would walk. 1t was only matter OF
fifteen or twenty miles, anyhow, and they
thought it would do them good. This was
explained to the rapacious hackmen in
blunt Castilian, and the visitors started on
their walk. The league of cab drivers and
the major part of the population stood
open-eyed and open -mouthed. "Mirei see
the Americans will walk, was the cry.
They were hardly beyond the village when
they were overtaken by the best or the
rickety vehicles. 1t had been sent after
them by agreement among the other hack
men. 1t would taken them for IS gold
moi" Eight dollars silver" No. .
Seven dollars silver. Yes" So the
Americans rode, and by that ride, fixed
the tariff rate for the drive from Guanajay
to Marianao None OF their countymen
need fear to insist on paying 81, for the
tradition is now strongly rooted that all
Americans will walk rather than pay more
| than that amount sJ
In a few places in Cuba II is possible to
take journey by stage. All the highways
running out from Havana, of which there
are four, have stages which carry passen-
gers TO the different villages. These are
IN reality omnibuses and are not specially
comfortable or uncomfortable. j. Further
out in the country, where the roads are
not good yet where they are not so BAG
as to entirely prevent travel, the real old
fashioned country stages are met with
Some of them look as though they haC
been sent to Cuba after half century ol
more of service in the United States. This
is not the case. They are, like the volan.
ties, indigenous. Ali their service has beer
over Cuban roads. Most of them were hid.
den away during the insurrection and tht
war. Now that travelling in the country
has been resumed, they have been brought
out again. Their long rest does not seen
to have made them more comfortable Oc-
casionally journey may be taken in some.
thing that resembles the old DeadwOo(
coach. Inasmuch as the brigands used tC
step the stage when business was duil il
the way of kidnapping rich sugar planters
the similarity is not confined to the appear