The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-04-29
THINK OF GOING TO CUBA?

them better than the king, because fire.
que1itly even the trail is lost, and it is
necessary to go by topograp hical instinct.
A Cuban guide is as infallible as hunt
ing hound when he himself guide tho
stranger. but when he attempts to tell
the directions which must be followed and
| indicate the landmarks he is at fault
For those who are not going on pro-
speeding journeys into the country, the
volante is the most comfortable means of
travel, though it is quite expensive. The
| volanteS are not seen in Havana now nor
| in any of the larger towns. 1t was ex-
pected that the incoming OF the tourists
/ would bring them back on the streets.
| but this has not yet happened. Never
theless, there are many hidden away in
family stables, and usually one can be
had for journey. When Gen. Fitzhugh
| Lee visited the ProVidencia sugar planta-
| ton near Guines a few weeks ago he
| had his first drive in a volante. This one
| was IN use in Havana when the Infanta
| Eulalia visited the city, and she was
drawn about in it. Gen Lee found the
volante so enjoyable that he insisted on
being driven in it over the hills and
| through the valleys.
| The volante is the Cuban national
vehicle. 1t is one of the few things that
| are or We're genuinely characteristic of
the country. The Cubans themselves fire.
| Quently call it the quitrin The only diff
ference between the two vehicles is that
the quitrin has a top which can be low
cred, while the cover of the volante is
| 1mmovable. The volante is two-wheeled
vehicle, and the wheels are very large,
almost as high as those used for the OK
| carts. The carriage proper is slung low
down from the axle by leather straps.
me shafts are fifteen feet in length
Formerly the weight rested almost entirely
on the shafts. In the later makes it was
shifted more to the axle. The horse in
fhn boz g. 1>l
horse is harnessed to the carriage with
traces. Often a third horse is used and
is harnessed with traces in the same
manner The height Of the wheels and
the distance from the ground prevent the
danger of turning over 1t is surprising
to see the ease with which sharp corners
are turned, steep hills climbed and rug
ged descents made. All the while the
! occupants of the vehicle are comfortable.
| Some compare it to travelling in a ham
mock. A New England visitor who has
| made several trips in the volantes says
tney are hrst cousin to the one horse shays
| OF his grandfather's time. They have also
| been compared to the calastes or caleches
which the French in Quebec have pre-
served. This comparison is probably
made because the caleche and the vo-
lante are so different, except that each
! has two wheels. .f
The Cubans and the Spanish residents
!
cadence OF the qutrins and volantes
Ihey say these were indigenous car
| rlages, constructed before the age of
railroads and holding their own long after
the railways came. Twenty-Five or thirty
years ago victorias and cabs and coaches
OF various kinds began to supplant tn IN
I in the cities Nevertheless it will proba-
| bly, be a. long time before they disappear
! from the country entirely because it will
be a: long time until Cuba is traVersed in
all parts by good roads. Except on horse
back there is no ether rae MS 10 :.
in the interior of the island. On all the
sugar plantations tAe are volantes
! slowed away somewhere, and every
! Cuban family which has a country home
| possesses one. Some of them are very
| aged vehicles, yet they do not wear out
I as the one horse shay is said to have
done The position is usually a sedate
| colored man who has all the pride of a
| family coachman. He sits his mount with
| a grace and g. seriousness that evoke ad-
miration. To the ordinary ridor the short.
trot at which the horses drawing a vo-
ANTE move would be excessively uncom-
PORTABLE 1t is not so to the Cuban posti-
llon. AS ne joys along he seems a part
OF the lead horse. Sometimes in the hot
sun ne goes to sleep He is rarely the
vlctlm OF an accident. It may be that
tne enterprising American who is looking
TOT the chance to make money in Cuba
|
the tourist travel of the next few wears.
But ne will hardly be able to- corner the
postll1ons: They are family coachmen
and they do not take kindly to fnnoya-
| lions.
In the parts of the island where there
are caizadas, or macadamized highways,
travel by means of the carriages is pre-
1eraole to the railroads. 1t gives a much
better idea of the landscape and enables
one to see the country to advantage.
Some OF the vehicles are rickety and
asthma tic and the horses are survivals of
tne recommendation. Yet it is better to
take them and thus enjoy the Journey.
| me Cuban cabnen, whether in town.
city or country, are members of the uni
versal union of highway robbers. In
other respects they are obliging and good
Fellows, but they will overcharge NO one
should h1re one of their vehicles without
settling the price in advance. In doing
| this their first demand should never he
headed.
A pleasant day can be passed by TAX
ing the morning train from Havana to
Guanajay and then driving back in the
s a,' eernoon part OF the way to the city.
Inc cab driver will begin by asking two
centens. That is a little more than $40
IN gold. After half an hours souab-
Ding he will come down to S.. The
knowing traveller will stipulate that the
" shall be paid in silver Negotiations
VIII end abruptly. After a time the cab
driver will return and reproachfully ac-
cept the terms. He will 20 to the stable
10 change horses. The visitor will wait
Tor him. Other vehicles will be passed
before him in review. Finally he will be-
come impatient and ask what has hap
pened. He will be told that an accident
has befallen the horses. Then other
drivers will offer their services, first for
$40 gold, then So gold and finally the same
amount IN silver. When the disgust Of
the visitors has reached its height the
Chlnaman who keeps the inn will come
OUT, scold the robbers for their rapacity
ana tell the stranger to offer any one Of
tnem - Is the regular charge. The tariff
however, was not established until two
Americans had INDICATED their in
dependence and that of their coualtrynnen
mis- was months ago. Wearied with hae-
Cling with the hackmen who had begun
at $15 and in the course of an hour had
only gotten down to $40 these two visi-
tors calmly announced that they would
walk 1t was only a matter Of fifteen or
twenty miles anyhow, and they thought
It would do them good. This was ex-
pained to the rapacious hackman in
blunt Castilian and the visitors started
on their walk. The league OF cab drivers
and 'ne major part of the population
STOOD open-eyed and open-mouthed. ''Mire!
see the Americans will walk was the
cry. They We're hardly beyond the VII
lage when they were aovertaken bv the
best Of the rickety vehicles. It had been
sent after them by agreement among the
oener hackmen. It would take them for
g gold. MOI" Eight dollars silver
''Fo," Seven dollars silver" .sYes." So
tne americans rode and by that ride fix
ed the tariff rate for the drive from
GulanaJay to Martanao None OF their
countrymen need fear to insist on paw
, ing y. TOT the tradition is now strongly