The National tribune., 1902-11-20

ordered me to proceed forthwith with the
guard to the place of the combat. to arrest
and bring away our men. if any were I'M
plica ted | arrived in the middle OF
very lively scrimmage, and L succeeded
in eXtricating our men, who were belnS
pretty well mauled by the sailors, from the
melee. from which came out with black
eye. broken sword, and u feeling OF haV-
ing many more bones in my body than
necessary. One of our men was badly
hurt, having sustained a fracture of the
right kneecap, and had to be carried to the
cars Mai Brown, meeting the carriers,
asked one of them, ''Was this man hurt in
the fracas?" to which he received the re
ply: No, sir; he was hurt in the knee"
ACROSS THE IsTHMUs.
During our transit by rail across the
Isthmus one Snyder of our company jump
ed from the cars during a temporary stop
and disappeared in the high jungle sur
rounding the Chagres River. This deser-
ton was the fOrerunner of many more
to be recorded i'll due sequence. AS the
train could not be stopped for so insignifi-
cant cause, no steps were taken to recap
ture the deserter, who, L afterward learn
ed from reliable sources, managed to make
his way down TO Guatemala, where he es-
tablished a bakery and prospered.
We observed with some establishment the
scarcity of clothing INDUCED in by the ma
tives, full grown young and very pretty
girls included. These surrounded the cars
at every stopping place, offering for sale
sweetmeats, cigars and cigarets of good
quality at astonishingly low prices.
We were greatly amused by the appear
ance of the Colombian soldiers drawn up
in line on each side of the train when il
reached Panama. They wore dark blue
tunics with yellow facings made of heavy
cloth, and wide red trousers; these habil-
iments were almost without exception i'll
fitted and much mended. l think they
were discarded uniforms of the French
infantry of the line. A stiff, snow-white
KEPT or shake topped the heads of these
warriors, whose compilations varied be,
tween the color of new leather and dark
mOlasses, with here and there a sprinkline
of chOcolate-brown and lamp-black. The
most ridiculous feature of their looks, how
ever, consisted in the circumstance that
these SLOWLY dressed and multi-cOlOred
soldiers were, with the exception of the
somewhat dandified officers, all barefOOted
STORMY VOYAGE.
The transfer of the army-chests, baggage
| provisions, etc, delayed our progress fol
nearly a whole day, during which we en-
ioyed a good view, from the harbOr, of the
palm EMPOWERED city of Panama. SoOr
| after our start thence rough weather SCI
| in; the steamer cut all sorts of capers
everything had to be fastened tight Il
something of a stable nature, and tn,
much-crowded decks We're strewn all ove
| with men suffering from seasickness, caus
ing many and Eepeated visits to the railin,
to relieve the rebelliOus stomachs of thei
contents. Mrs. Wilson, being in great dis
tress sent for me and set forth her pitia
BILE condition in a manner that would have
moved a stone to cOmpa Through
the kindness of Capt. Brown was enabled
to procure for the suffering woman sOm'
ice, brandy and lemons, all of which tend
ed to Tighten her sufferings and to increas'
our friendship.
/ knew English pretty well by this time
and discovered now, to my great astOnish
ment, that our pseudo-laundress was wei
posted in classic literature, being able +
quote Shakspere by the hour, and not Onl
to quote it, but to render the lines witt
all the feeling incident to q perfect dra
| matte understanding.
DEsERTIoNs.
After a teinpestuous but otherwise MI
interesting voyage, we arrived at Sal
q Francisco, and were marched at once (
, the military post called the Preside, wher
we took quarters in the ugly wooden ban
racks of those days about Nov. 20. Her
= it became soon manifest that great nun
Der of our men had simply enlisted for tn
purpose of obtaining free passage to Ca
: lifornia, even then 1.-The land of great prom
0 ise,' with the intention of deserving thei
, colors as soon as possible after their al
O rival. We had started with a full con
plement of about 80 enlisted men to eac
o company. This number was now soon RI