The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-01
A FALsTAFFIAN TRAGEDY.
A Guides Tale of the Spanish Killed
in Pnradones Pass.

From Forest and Stream.
A correspondent writing from Cuba tells
| this incident of the famous Paradones
| Pass in the Cubitas mountains:
We discovered the pass without much
difficulty, and spent the remainder of the
afternoon in riding through it and gazing
upon its beauty and grandeur. 1t is a rift
| doubtless Volcanic in the solid marble of
which the mountains appear TO be COM
posed. 1t is a mile or more in length, and
Of width just sufficient for a wagon ROAD,
with a margin of few yards on each side.
Beyond this margin rise the sheer walls
Of marble to hight which will not at
tempt TO state, as we had no means OF
measuring, but 1t was a long way to the
-op. The margin on each side of the trail
grew thick with tropical vegetation, and
wen in many places along the vertical
rocks trees had succeeded In attaching
themselves to crevices. and while putting
stem and branches upward like ordinary
rees had also put vertical br anches dowa-
ward toward the ground. l suppose these
were of the nature of roots but they
ooked just like ropes, and taking 1t all
-ound the walls were In great part OBJ
scured with vegetation This greatly en-
HANGED the beauty of the scene, and we
all gazed with delight upon a sight the
like of which we had never seen before.
Twenty-Five years ago or Whereabouts. I'm
the Ten Years War, a Spanish column of
troops was surprised in this pass by Gu
ran insurgents. who lined the edges Of the
lifts and hurled down stones upon them
after the practice of the Moors and Span
sh in former days, as related by Irving.
There appears TO be no authentic accent
IF the number killed. but 1t may have been
considerable We interrogated our guide
about IL on the following day. He was
IN aged Cuban of unusual spirit and in
diligence, a master OF the machete and
4 thorough woodsman. He told us that
he tradition OF the massacre of the Span
sh was indeed true that he himself was
one OF the Cubans who had thrown the
stones, and that many Spanish
were killed. All this was ex-
tremely interesting to US; we had al
ways heard Of this massacre, and here we
were al last on the Very ground and talk
ing with one of the men who did It. We
pressed him for facts. particularly as TO
numbers killed. He replied in the Span
ism way. "Oh. many, many" asked
him II he thought a hundred. He said
probably more. and we let the matter
drop for the time being. The guide bore
The usual appearance OF poverty and des;i-
tuition, but on the strength OF his employ
ment as guide, which was doubtless I'M
usual, he had INDUCED in a bottle OF ia
maica rum, which he pressed on us with
great liberality, and OF which he partook
himself copiously. After one or two tum
blers OF the scorching beverage had been
turned down his aged throat. he became
more communicative and l asked him
again about the number OF Spanlards
killed ne now replied that II was over 200.
Later. about The time the rum was en-
tlrely consumed, he was again asked ana
he said more than 800" Finally on our
return TO camp. when we settled with him
for his services. we we're so pleased with
him--for he had really given US a most in
teresting day-that we gave him a dollar
more than his price and invited him to
dinner with us. This seemed to have COM
pletely warmed the cookies OF his heart,
and he showed his appreciation OF our at
tention In the only way possible 10 him,
viz by increasing the number Of Spanish
killed In the Paradoncs Pass, for on enc
OF the packers asking him about this time
at TO the number, he replied with great
glisto More than a thousand