Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-02-20
INSECTS IN CUBA.
MEN BATTLED FOR A WHOLE DAY
WITH THEM.

venon,ous spiders Make Their Homes On
Fruit Stsamers-D Don't Go LOoking for
an Angry TaraniulA-Hclp Comes to
the Rescue.
Joseph Mabry, who has papers to
show that he was q member Of Geor-
gia company during the Spanish war
and that he was In Cuba, tells this
story:
II Joined a company Of Georgia vol
unteers and went of to camp. We did
not get to 90 to the front, and after
the protocol was signed and friend
Of mine from Kentucky decided that
II we could get over to Havana we
would probably be able to get IN on
tho ground floor. We got our dis
charge and we went to the coast, TAX
ing q boat for Havana. We wore our
army uniforms. and as soon as we
reached Havana We were told that we
must leave. We were laboring under
a grave mistake, thinking that the
United States had some authority
there in the fall before the peace treaty
was signed. We were put under a
guard and ordered to leave on the first
boat. as our presence in Havana might
be dangerous to the peace and safety
Of the community.
"A British boat touched at Havana,
bound for New Orleans with load Of
tropical fruit. We tried to get pass
age on the boat and were refused point
blank, as the boat did not carry pas
sengers. Our guards gave lis to un-
derstand, as we thought that we must
leave or 20 to Jail. We decided to
leave. Before the boat sailed we man
aged TO slip aboard by brlbing cou-
pie Of sailors. We were told that we
could climb into the bins where ba-
nanas were stored and that the sail
would be a short one to New Orleans.
The sailors promised to smnggle food
to us on the journey, and they fas-
tened us Up in the bins Of bananas,
closing the hatchway. We turned In
on a pile Of straw and slept soundly
till nearly morning Of the following
day, when was awakened by my
friend calling to me.
"'What is that?' heard him ask.
1.-THE light was dim. and I could
barely see the outline Of his form near
me.
~ do not see anything I replied.
"T thought you were tickling me
with a bundle Of straw said he.
az did not wake till you called to
me- was my reply.
at guess It was q rat, said he, and
We both dozed of.
Shortly afterward I was awakened
by q shrek from my friend. He had
Jumped up and was staring at black,
fuzzy object In the straw. recognized
It at once as q tarantllla. The light
was not good, but that much was plain.
Soon It was Joined by another, and In
a few hours we were surrounded with
tsrantulas on every side. The big
spiders regarded us as intruders. for
they seemed bent on attacking us. We
stamped on them, killing many, and
fought them with all our might.
"Did you ever see an angry taran-
tula? II you never did. don't go look
ing for one. and II you find one, don't
look for a hundred ! suppose 1t Is
no exaggeratlon to say that we were
faced by hundreds OF these angry in
sects They spring like rats or frogs,
and all Of a sudden black object
would come whirling through the air
and nine chances out Of ten, 1t would
strike some unguarded spot and inject
It's venom. was bitten in half doz-
en- places on the face, and as many
more on the hands and arms and the
insects would crayl up the legs of our
pautaloons to bite us, Both of us were
horribly bitten all over our persons
1.-THE fight with the insects lasted all
day long. and though we were both
strong sound men. when we went on
the boat, by evening we were almost
ton exhausted to stand up, We called
for help. We shrieked, yelled and cried,
and no help came We were faint for
want Of food and dying from thirst. IT
was a day Of horror for both Of us.
Our wounds were swelling and our
throats were parching for water. Az
ter continuing to fight the tarantulas
and shrieking for help, we finally at
tracted attention, and some Of the
sailors came to our rescue, Whether
Il was the sailors we had bribed who
came 10 ia or whether Il was some one
attracted by our cries don't know. !
was then in delirlum and my eyes were
swollen closed. New York World.