El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-09
eos
Or. The of
An Elton Boy.
ny JAMES GRANT.

one chapter all that relates to my
visit to Matanzas.
Our run through the gulf was de.
1ightful, n on the 10Th of January
just as a osy tint was stealing ove1
the sea and the rocky shore of Cuba
after he sun had set beyond the wa
tiers of the Gulf of Mexico, we saw Ha-
vana light, bearing south by west, and
distant about fourteen miles. So we
passed in the night the wealthy CAPT
tai Of Cuba, so famed in the annals of
our victories-La Habana, or the har-
bor-of which, from our being so far to
seward, we could see nothing but the
the great revolving light which burns
so brightly on the high rock of the
MORO. or CASTILLO de los Santos
Reyes; and before dawn we deserted
the light Of Santa Cruz on our water
bow.
Weston drew my attention to it, add
ing, THAT is the beacon which so
scared me when it shone through the
stern windows Of the empty polacca
brig"
Next day, after e~ncountering a head
wind, against which we tackled fire.
Quently between the Pan de Matanzas
and the wooded point Of Sumberella,
at 10 o'clock in the morning a Span
ish mulatto pilot came on board and
took h brig in charge.
We ran safely into the harbor, and
by IL O'Clock came to anchor at a place
recommended by Antonio, half a ca
ble's length from the castle of st. Sew
erino. In half an hour after the sails
were all unbent and slowed below. and
preparations were made for "breaking
bulk"-tou unload the vessel. whose ear
go, I have stated consisted of steam
machinery and Goals for the sugar and
coffee mills.
Gangs Of Spanish mulattoes. negro
porters ana jumpers, In req shirts and
wh1te drawers, with broad straw hats,
and nearly all with rings in their ears, |
came on board in quest of employment. |
n then all was confusion, garlic, |
sinka1a bberi4F jig Sganishaemg cigar
1 was now at liberty to go ashore,
after the first hustle was over
Weston left Hislop in charge of the
brig and accompanied me. Matanzas
presented nothing new to him, but 1
surveyed with interest, not unmixed
with wonder, the new world in which l
found myself.
The city of Don Carlos de Matanzas
occupies a gentle eminence between
the Rivers San Juan and Yumuri, which
roll into the bay from the mountain
GUS ridge that traverses all Cuba. Its
name, MatanZas, signifies the place OF
murder, because in that bay some of
the Spaniards of Columbus were slain !!
by he native Indians.
Most of the houses are built Of good
stone, but have all their
i~ron-barred without and b~arricaded
within, for the population (of which
our shipmate Antonio was a striking
specfmen) consists of about thirty
thousand o~live-skinned Spaniards and
double that number Of slaves and free
mulattoes, all loose, reckless, fiery and
apt to use their knives on trivial oc-
cas1ons.
There was not a ship lying there
for England. or any other craft by
which Weston could have sent me
A Spanish steam-packet was
on the eve Of departing for Cadiz, but
being wearied by the monotony of my
LONG voyage, I was scarcely in a mood
for the sea again, and wished to spend
a little more time on shore instead of
leaving with her.
However, I wrote to my family by
the Spanish mail, acquainting them OF
my safety, with the strange incident
which had so suddenly torn me from
them, and adding that I would return
by the first ship bound for IN part OF
England; if possible, with the Eu-
genie, which would probably be
%freighted for London
After the packet sailed with my let
ter in her capacious bags, l expert
enced an emotion of greater happiness
and contentment than I had ever done
since leaving home. for the sorrow
which I knew all there must have SUI
fered, and would still be suffering,
hung heavily on my heart
AS we were returning to the brig,
which had now bee warped alongside
the mole, when passing through the
street which contains the great hospi-
tai, we heard the sound of trumpets,
and saw the glittering OF lances with
long streamerS o the heads OF a
dense crowd of people Of all shades OF
color-black, yellow and brown-and
we had to doff our hats with due re-
spect Is they passed, for in the midst,
surrounded by a staff of officers, epau-
letted and aiguletted, their breasts
sparkling with medals and crosses, and
each of them riding with a cooked hat
under his left arm, came the present
Captain General Of Cuba, a marshal of
the Spanish army, Don Francisco Ser
rano de Dominguez, attended by an
escort of mulatto lancers, all mounted
on Spanish horses
He was a fine-looking man, and al
though aged, had all the bearing OF
what he was, or, 1 should say, is
a grandee of old CASTLE ]