Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-07
an AMERICAN AND HIS Gun
With Els Shooting Iron, q Yankee Bring
Spanish to Time,
STANDS OFF A BOAT LOAD OF PROUD DoNs
Incidents Connected with Cruise
Around the CHHaries While on
Voyage TO south
AfriCR.

The Spanish always had natural dread
OF the American gun" said d man from
abroad the other day at the close q
casual conversation regarding Lne late wal.
He is cutie II home with the sLllerJo or
amy kind Of q knife, but when il comes TO
a combination OF Yankee and his shoot
ing irons. the Don's courage oozes out a
his finger tips and the nearest way out suits
him the hest"
4 do not mean 10 say that all Spaniards
are towards" he added for those Of The
upper class are so full Of pride that they
would sooner die than yield but the ordl-
nary. everyday Spaniard is poor affair
believe me.
j remember" ne continued, in the year
30. on my way 10 South Africa an expert
ence We had with the Spanish police at
Las Palnas in the Cauaries, the memory
os which mas always led me TO look on the
whole tribe Of cutthroats with the most
sublime contempt. We were just week
sailing from Southampton TO Las Paluas on
Grand Caunaria and naturally enough We
felt inclined 10 20 ashore while the snip
was coaliug up and vary the mouotgry Of
q three weeks sea voyage by examining The
island and paying the Dons visit. our
ship the Garth Castle, carried the British
flag and most OF US were Of rhar persuasion.
bur we had on board one irrepressible Yank
ii the shape Of q Montana miner, who was
making his way 10 the Transvaal gold fields.
HIS name was Ransom, and every
body Oh board liked him, though
some who were not brought NJ 70
that sort Of thing had strong objections 10
MS walking around on open deck with 2
44-caliDer revolver protruding from MS hiT
pocket. In fact the first Officer one day
spoke 10 Ransom on the matter and affairs
were compromised .oy his promising 10 carry
the gun Uuloaded. He would feel TOO lone
some, ne said. il ne left it of altogether.
Took the Gun for Luck.
We'll. We anchored about mile from the
dock and when preparations were made for
going ashore Ransom was with the boys o:
course and as he was not 10 be caught
mapping in an unknown land. he TOOK the
western precaution Of slipping cartridge
into each chamber Of his beloved gun. OF
course We had TO he rUwed ashore and The
Spanish boaImen were thick around the
snip looking for job. We had been warned
by the captain that, though these men might
be reasonable enough in their demands oetoi
they got Us ashore. cases had been kuoWL
where prices underwent remarkable rlst
on the return trip, so We were on oul
]
and hagglIug arranged win one Eondolie'
10 take twelve Of Us there and back for hal
crown each about GO cents Of our money
He wanted The money in advance, but va
refused 10 pay cent ill We were safe o.
hoard again, wisely acting on the belle
iha, payment in advance was TOO strong
temptation toward breach OF contract 70
any ordinary Spaniard 10 resist.
We were landed about II O'clock n
ana had just five hours TO do the island
4 for the ship resumed its voyage at ?. IL
J so We let, ii boatman with strong in
. functions TO be in readiness al &c. and
hiring a couple Of carts we started on ou
tour Of iuvesri cation and, good Lord, " Id
/ curiosity shop! The a0origines mad ha
better luck than the Cubaus and had die
/ Of long ago. so everything was Spanish, an
we saw it all, for every blessed soul Jurne
I outdoors 10 meet Us. A Spanish compan
o. soldiers was going through some so-calle