The National tribune., 1899-05-18

This young man lives on the other side oi
the river" he explained, and he knows
lust where those two chaps are going tC
camp this night; the Spanish rangers had
a bivouac on RanaS Greek, these last
three days, and they aren't likely To leave
it before morning. Let's start right now;
We can go by my ranch and take few
punches of grapes along"
How would it do to tackle those Dons
in camp suggested Lieut.. Sriinez, as
we hurried along our guides private trail
through the river willows.
We did talk that over said Capt.
Holgar r; but the trJuble is that we can't
reach them bef,rs sundown, and it would
be too risky to give them chance to
make Il rush into d; mess. No, no; we
have to catch the whole gang, or might as
well give up our camp and be done. Wen
attend to them in the mt rling when they
come though the woods i'll RanaS Val
ley.
There have been lawsuits fer the real
estate foundations of city wards, but Mr..
Lopez had helped himself to a whole
settlement, an abandoned shanty town,
whtre planter Of the palmy ante-bellum
days had been lodging his brigade OF
poems. The Zampos, casucha had crlgi-
naIIy been a more huddle OF weather
boGris and sun-Cried bricks, but had
been enlarged at the expense Of neighbor-
ing structures till its architectural merits
rivalled those OF a New England goat
stable. Trick wall, marking the site Of
d Cry ing house, was covered with a
81 r I'd of wilGering grapes OF a taste re-
sembling that of our Southt rn musca-
dines-"b blue Cherries as they call them
in Jamaica.
Now, let's keep in his trail" said our
guide, when we had filed our pockets;
those rascals might be watching from
the ether shorc, and we mustn't give
~ a oh, m, ont nj Ginj1t 1f
We crossed the river few hundred
yards east Of a sharp bend with trees
enough on both sh,rS to screen the view
from the San Carries fcrd, and then
headed our way to the top Of "A hill COM
manding a view OF the valley for miles up
and down.
SIGHTING OUR QUARRY.
Yes, | thought so; they're still in
camp said our guide, pointing to haze
of blue wood-smohe; that's their bivOuac-
fire, and there's no danger now OF their
giving US the slip. They will camp here,
though they might leave at daybreak to
get a good start in the cool of the morning"
| RanaS Creek heads in a tamarisk
swamp some eight miles northeast OF the
Val de Gallo, and we had planned an
| am buscade at point where the old
| Bayamo overland road leaves the creek
10 avoid the lagoons that skirt its fOunt-
aims. Hurdles Of brushwood, piled up by
the road-buildcrs, and now intertwined
with creepers, offered a ready-made barri-
cade, and in the marshy ponds all round
d hOrSeman would have got mired in d
minute, II our Feninsular friends should
attempt to escape by any deviations from
the waflie-road which we intended to
block north and south.
The moon was past its first quarter, and
we reached our hiding-place by trails
undreamt OF in the bivouac where El
Chato was probably now impressing his
guards with the importance OF his rcvela-
tiOns.
"This is a famous old outlaw-roost !"
said Capt. Holgar; "all the wilderness
between here and the Mayo Mountains
was one time refuge of runaway slaves,
and in the higilInds there were still a
few scattered wigwams of the aboriginal
savageS. White desperados afterwards
joined them. It's the highest land this