The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1900-05-24
Vol. XIII.-NO. a..
@@@@@@d@
Hill "N@
i ON THE FEVER COAST.
'''':........::::::::D o.
~ssssssssssssssssssss

Written for The Prison Mirror.
was awakened by a touch on the
shoulder, and started up to see the
captain standing beside me.
"Look here" he said, "some one has
got.to 60 up with this train and get
the papers and the order for when the
next cargo is to CO."
"Train? ?" 1 queried, strain, what
train? Where did they get a train? I
thought all the rolling stock was tied
up at the capital in the hands of the
government troops"
"Well it is," he replied; "that is, all
that belongs to the main road. But
the stupid idiots did not seize the roll
ing stock on the branches running into
the plantations through the sugar
lands; and when the insurgents cap
tured the road they took this, and are
utilizing it to get their stores into the
hill country"
"Now it's just like this" he said sit
ting down and lighting cigar, "we've
got this ammunition and powder all
loaded on the cars, and want you to
go up with it and find out from the
general where we are to land our next
cargo. The headquarters are about
$50 miles up the line and it will take
you all night to get up there, and you
must get little rest up there, for it's a
tiresome journey, then start back to-
morrow evening and you will arrive
here in the darkness, then you can
show the signal and will send boat
to fetch you aboard. And for heavens
sake get through and back as quick as
possible, for the cruisers are as thick
as flies along here and they will stop
our little flibustering mighty quick if
they get hold of u.s."
Cali right 1 said, 81 suppose you
have got passport for us through the
lines between here and the main
army?"
eyes," he replied, "here it u.s." and he
handed me square of paper with
huge seal and written in scrawling
Spanish with the signature of the local
commandant.
snatched hasty meal and went on
deck preparatory to going on shore.
We were anchored in the mouth of a
sluggish river and our little steamer
was entirely hidden by the dense trop-
ical foliage and the railway embank-
ment was about the only dry land in
sight. Far away to our right and left
stretched the impenetrable swamps
sending up their stinking miasma and
fever vapors to the evening glow. The
sun had just set and darkness was
rapidly falling, for there is little twi-
light in the tropics.
The engine and string of cars were
standing on the main track and clus-
tered about them were little knots of
brown men dressed in the white uni
form of the insurgents, most of them
smoking cigarettes and talking vocif-
erously.
After 1 was put ashore stumbled
up the bank and climbing in the cab,
gave the engineer orders to pull out.
The engine gave a few preliminary
snOrts and buckled down to business.
The swamps rapidly slid away behind
us and the moon rose in all her glory,
illuminating the vast cane fields with
weird silvery light.
In the cab besides myself were the
engineer and peon fireman and a South
American, soldier of fortune who
was taking some kind of new dyna-
mite gun up to offer, or rather to sell
it, with his services to the insurgents.
His twinkling black eyes and goatee
gave him devilish appearance and 1
mentally dubbed him Mephisto. But
he was an entertaining fellow and