Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1899-11-02
ward Of three months time. Though

ward OF three months time. Though
availing myself Of railroad and steam
boat facilities whenever practicable,
by far the greater part Of my journey
was performed either on horseback OF
by volante. The latter method OF trav-
cling was much the more preferable,
for the two-wheeled ~conveyances in
question are constructed purely with
an y to solid eomfort-an element
which cuts a large figure In the life OF
the average well-to-do Cuban,
After completing my work in Cuba
I sailed from Santiago de Cuba on
board a Spanish steamer for Porto
.Pico by way OF Santo Domingo. One
o. my fellow travellers on board this
steamer was Miss Gomez. a daughter
OF the famous Cuban general, who vas
on her way from Havana to her faith
er's home in Santo Domingo. Miss Co
mez Was a good English scholar. and
in the course OF our voyage we grew TO
be very good friends, which fact subse-
quently proved e fortunate for me.
At the time we touched Santo Domingo
a rebellion had Just started, but, in
blissful ignorance Of this fact, / lefs
the steamer. in company with a chance
German acquaintance I had scraped up
Managing to elude the custom-house
inspectors, the pair of us wandered up
the main street with III cameras. We
had taken some half dozen views when
two guards touched us on the shoul-
ders and gave us to understand that
we were under arrest. In vain we pro-
tested. We were taken TO a miserable
little Jail and locked up, and there we
stayed for fully ten hours before I
could secure an interpreter. Finally,
however, a native was admitted to my
cell who could speak a little English,
and / persuaded him 10 convey a note
TO Miss Gomez, with the result that the
young lady in question az once inter
ested herself in our behalf and secured
our release. 1t appears that we were
arrested purely on suspicion. on ac-
count OF the unsettled state OF affairs.
and but for the intercession of Miss Co
mez we might have been held indef-
nitely pending our investigation. As
1t was, upon being released we were
ordered to go aboard our vessel at
once. We could o obey this man
date any too promptly, for our steam
er's twelve hours sop was just draw
ing to a close and by the time we got
aboard she was ready 10 sail. As we
were leaving the harbor I secured a
picture which | prize as n OF the
most valuable In my collection. 1t is
a photograph OF the late President
Heureaux going aboard his beautiful
yacht. Space will not admit Of my re-
counting the various adventures incl
dental to my six weeks tour OF Porto
Rico. Suffice it to say that at its ex-
piration / had entirely exhausted my
1000 dry plates. out OF which, thanks
to the excellent weather that had IA
vored me throughout my trip. II
transpired that s64 came up to the
standard of acceptance by my EN-.
ployers.
The trip as a whole, however was
by no means the sinecure | lad at frs
dreamed of. 1t required a deal o.
close figuring to cover it within the
specified limit. not to speak of a ST,
months diet the staples of which were
cocoanuts and baked frijoles, or my
frequent bivouacs among the haunts o.
a million land crabs.
w. B. TOWNSEND.