Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-07-10
PORTO RICAN KITES,
Men and Women as Well as Boys Inter-
ested In Flying Them.

ested In Flying Them.
On the long slopes of brilliant green
grass that stretch away from the walls
of Cristobal Colon and dwindle down
into the city of San Juan, Porto Rico,
q great crowd of curious and noisy
men, women and children stand every
morning, gesticulating half madly at
one another, talking very fast and oc-
casionally breaking up into little
groups, more excited than the rest.
Above their heads there is always a
fotilla of big kites, ducking, diving,
floating upward and performing queer
tricks as they hirt and play with the
ocean wind billowing inward from the
southern sea.
One great red paper monster darted
swiftly upward above the others on
one occasion. Then shout went up
from the crowd. 1t seemed to be
having race with blue one sailing
dangerously near. A hundred trem'
bling arms with outstretched fingers
were raised frantically in the air,
shaking five and ten peso notes, offer.
ing bets on the red. The champions
of the blue made verbal pools, and SC
the betting went on amid tremendous
excitement, more noticeable than 9
public demonstration in honor of the
Governor-G General.
Suddenly the flyer of the blue, a
dirty little Catanian, unwound several
yards of string that guided his air.
ship. Its tail was long, striped like
the hide of zebra, and loaded with
strips of cardboard all along its grace
full length. Little American flags
foated from the edges of the kite and
the end of the tail, for this Porto Ri.
can was diplomat, like his brothers.
And when he unwound the guiding
lever, at once the blue shot up, hud.
died close beside the red for a mo-.
ment, and then at once, with an in,
comprehensive movement, it darted
across the face of its antagonist and in
moment the latter was floating
downward uncontrollably toward the
ground. The sharp, curved knife
with which the blue was burdened
had severed the string of the red, and
the latter had lost and the victori.
Gus kite flew upward like a newly
liberated bird.
The knife is q necessary and legiti-
mate burden of every kite that enters
the betting ring, and this seems to
enhance the uncertainty of the sport,
and it requires magnificent display
of skill to avoid the blades or to at
tack an antagonist. The skill which
men and even boys display in this re-
spect is sometimes almost astounding.
In q country where cock-fghting is
national sport, and where bull-fght-
ing would be in vogue if the American
authorities would permit, where gam
bling is the chief pastime of both men
and women, it is somewhat surprising
that so mild practice as kite flying
should hold the attention with the
power that it does. The element of
chance, however, and the right to un-
limited and unrestricted betting, has
carried it swiftly into popular favor,
and so it remains to-day.
In Porto Rico Laurie, now moved
to Havana, was for years the potentate
of kites. He used to sit in the sun
there under the soft blue sky, way up
on the hill near old Cristobal Colon,
and he had his colored paper spread
about him, with little heaps of long,
slender sticks carved from the big
redwood tree. His pastepot stood
beside him, as he whitfield with long,
keen blade like machete.