The Sauk Centre herald., 1899-07-06

II Which Goes to Show That the
n spaaiard VIII Still BE Behind m
w the Times In the Coming Con- ~
= tury. n
&ea aESxs G@9ES3s
Lieutenant Jose Baquero y Ordonez
Of the navy Of his Catholic majesty Of
Spain stroked his long white beard
and decided on brilliant and great
action. From the decks Of his little
gmboat he looked once more-"Who
knows" thought he. ''but it is for the
last time"-on the sleepy cove Of Tu-
riguano, that had sheltered his craft
SO long and well from the prowling
Yankee feet. Then sharp orders were
given. and the white, shining ship
moved swiftly out Of the tiny Cuban
harbor and stood for the open sea.
On the shore there was strange COM
motion as she went. 1t came from
Spanish loyalists, who had fed her
crew and officers for years and sup
piled the vessel with material, and
their emotion was vivid, for Lieuten-
ant Jose Baquero y Ordonez Of the
navy Of his majesty of Spain had omit
ted the formality Of paying the bills.
Lieutenant Ordonez had things more
weighty than mere bills to consider.
After long reflection he had decided on
q stroke that would end an imperish-
able glory for him and his --or annihila-
tion. He had decided to run the fierce
blockade and enter Havana; to force
his way through the enormous steel
fieet Of the, enemy. to defy battieships
and torpedo boats and cruisers and TO
do a deed that would re-echo in Spain.
He did not aspire to the empty glory
Of sinking q Yankee ship. and. inciden-
tally, being sunk himself. The Lieu
tenant Ordonez would have dared that,
too. for it would have been a chival-
rous thing to do, and he lived for chiv-
airy. But that ripe reflection to which
he had become prey taught him
that, If we were sunk, the Yankee pigs
never would give credit to him and his
crew for their glorious blow for Span
ish arms.
And, then. where would be all the
good effect of his enterprise. as far as
the fame of Spain Was concerned? Mo-!
The Lieutenant Ordonez saw clearly
that he could nerve the Spanish arm
and force the worlds acclaim for the
valor Of his Land best by entering Ha-
vana and flashing the news around the
globe that Spanish warship had brok-
en- the boasted blockade. "On, then,
my brave onesw cried he. Fear not!
Honor and cigarettes and senoras
smiles await us! And if you see a
Yankee pig boat, do not hesitate to let
me know in ample season" he look
ed enthusiastically on his crew, crew
any commander might be proud to
have-all old. white haired men, who
had served in the Spanish navy for
many, many years.
Intrepidity that was the Inheritance
OF the Lieutenant Ordonez did not in
terfere with his sound judgment. Care
fully, though bravely, he steered along
the coast, and at every sign of smoke
or sail on the horizon he felt his re-
sponstbilfty for the care of his ship and
men keenly enough to suppress his
natural desire for battle and to lie
hidden in a snug harbor till night
made 1t safe to venture on again.
And so making port wherever a de-
serted bayou or bay was to be found.
the little gunboat San Jago worked
her way along the north coast Of Cuba
night after night, giving wide berth
to harbors like Sagua la Grande and
Cardenas, where the enemy might be
In force, till at last, on the midnight
of the seventh day after venturing out
Of their port, the brave Spaniards crept
In sight Of their goal.
Now there was intense excitement
on the little ship. The men lay down
by their guns and whispered what
they had to say to each other. The
officers crowded together and strained
their eyes through the gloom for the
dusky shapes of the American ships
that must be within few miles at
the most. And softly the engines
worked and every moment the coast
loomed more plainly. Still there was
no sign Of foemaa. No pencil of wav-
ering, cropping light was to be seen
anywhere on the rolling sea to betray
an American ship with her prying
searchlight.
1t seemed almost too good to be true,
and the Lieutenant Ordonez and his
men began to suspect a trap. They
redoubled their watchfulness. and
more than one sailor muttered a hur-
ried prayer In wise provision for a
possible emergency when he might
not have time to commend his soul to
his patron saint But still there was
no sign Of an enemy's craft. and finally
the ship opened up the entrance to
Havana harbor without having met q
single obstacle,
Then an involuntary exclamation Of
surprise came from the watching men.
Havnna was dazzling with illun,tna-
lions. The waters Of the bag were
bright ~ day. with the hasheg o& elec-
tric lights. and from "a paris q ths
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