The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-12-15

lllEuliN.
From q dream of tinl<limg sleiShhalls,
the sound of sled IL ON the frosty
road and the merry cheer of u ciNiliZet.
Christmas il America my uNerheated
imagination turned to the contein-
plution of II red no, Santa Claus pour
ing molten lead into q ten foot stock
ing of asbestos. Then l awoke.
1t was sitting hot in the cabin, this
Christmas eve, 1896. The closed port
holes shut out what little sea breeze
was stirring in the tropical night i'll
the Caribbean sea.
The screw Of the heavily loaded
steamer pounded .lway steadily and
from the doors OF the staterooms OPEN
ing into the cabin sounded the sroans
of the sea sick Colombians as the boat
lurched sogsily in the swell. Christ
mas eve in the tropics, minus all he
Yule tide cheer to which the aNerage
American is accustomed, made he
world seem Il mighty drearE place just
then. The misery OF the passengers,
however, in a measure afforded Il good
deal of satisfaction. AT least If others
We're unhappy, there waa comfort in
the thought.
At Santa Marta that day there had
come abroad the Saga. Il steamer owned
by a South Dakota company which had
a land grant in Nicaragua, II dozen
passengers bound for Rio Hacha, II
hundred miles down the Colombian
coast. III the party were six bull tight
crs from Cartagena, en- route to Rio
for a fight scheduled for Christmas:
a couple of Colombian generals or col
onels or majors-eNerE South Anaeri-
can official has Il title of some sort:
two red sashed natives who carried n
sack of fighting cocks under their
rms and, last of all, Jose DANES, adj
miral of the Colombian navy.
Getting out Of the cabin, went on
deck 70 find the admiral had not re-
tired that night. BY the light of the
ship lantern, he presented a fine APP
pearance in his immaculate suit of
duck, as he paced h deck with the
easy roll of Il sailor. Unlike his coun-
try1nen. his skin was white. He looked
the patriciun Castillian he undoubtedly
was, a rarely In his country where the
mixture of races has blottcd out the
Spanish type. leaving iii it's stead,
composite Observation-Disclosures
Spanish, being known to most foreign
ers as Il "greaser."
Tall, we'll formed, with a comedy face
from which dark Eyes looked kindly,
wearing a dark beard trimmed in
Partisan fashion. Danies was undoubt-
eddy a handsome man. In deep thought
he kept up his steady pace apparently
oblivious to his surroundings.
Dawn was slowly breaking. The
tropical sky glowed duly and the stars
became fainter. OF a sudden the shrill
cry Of a fighting cock rose from the
forward deck, followed an instant later
by the drumming OF Il guitar. Then
the voice of n of the Catagena bull
fighters rose in II love son of old
Spain. Admiral Danies stopped and
leaned against the rail, listening to the
song. He turned slowly.
"Buenos dies" he said, then speaking
in English, Il wish for you what you
call il in America, merry Christmas"
: or all the Colombians the admiral
seemed to know what was fitting and
right.
Merry Christmas, admiral" l re-
piled.
DANES had been absent from Colon.
bia n year. He had spent the time
in Paris and other European capitals
studying and sight seeing. Now, he
said, he was returning home to Rio
Hacha.
Il believe it makes 40 differences from:
what country man halls he continued
socially. speaking With Il Spanish ac-
cent, but last year ! spent Il sad
Christmas, yes, ever in gay Paris. for
it was not home. l can sympatnize
with one away as you are. Come and
~ NV
There was evidently something
weighing on the admiral's spirit.
Perhaps | may not be there" he
added, and there was prophecy in his
words. as after event proved. You
see, I find much to sadden my home-
coming. My unhappy country. a land
Of revolution, believes me a traitor.
Ambitious enemies at Rio have under
mined me with the president. They
lle."
The admiral stopped. evidently re-
GREETING he had said as much.
Il beg you to not repeat what little
l have said, but ii anything should
happen, you will know" he added
hastily. as he walked away.
Off to the west the light from The
Rio Hacha cathedral tower shone dim
ly in the growing dawn. 1t guides the
seamen IN a tortuous course through
a long line of sandbanks running out
to sea ten miles. 1t is . possible
to I'M near the town and ships usu-
pocket G shallow water, surrounded
by. s~andbanks and reefs. Transporta-
ton to shore is by lighters or huge
canoes, known as ~.'cuyuccas,' large
tree trunks followed out by hand.
The town looked more u@ninvitins
than usual that Christmas morning. Ii
lay above n narrow strip of beach on
> IAN oolA cdl = "d1y III liSIl
making il necessary to anchor the
cuyuccas rods from shore. the boat
men then carrying their passengers
"piggy-back" through the boiling surf
to the beach,.
From the shore came the sound OF
the cracked cathedral bell-welcomine
Christmas morn. Presently the Gus
ON house boat, loaded with officials,
bobbed across the waves, coming to
look for c~ontraband, the constant dread
of the government. Rumors of revo-
luton, ever rife, We're more insistent
than usual, and the officials, when
they caught sight of DANES, the al
legged traitor, We're more thar ever
suspicious.
In charge of the boat was Pedro
Roderiquez. second in of the
customs house at Rio Hacha, a slen-
der, ark-skinned man, and one whose
integrity among the sea faring folks
was above that Of the ordinary GUS
toms officials. 1t was said of Pedro
that smuggling had become an almost
unknown art since he was detailed to
the Rio customs house. Some of the
other officials hated him on thai ac-
count, for III Colombia, as elsewhere
smuggling is done with the c%onnivance
and consent of the officials themselves
RoderiqueZ could not speak English
Or II he did he was too cautious to lie,
the fact be known.
AT the ship ladder, Admiral DAME.
met Roderiquez. They clasped hand.
n embraced each other in Latir
fashion. while the other officials stooc
by and watched. Sly and significant
chances passed between them 40 ths