The San Mateo item. (San Mateo City, Putnam County, Fla) 189?-19??, 1908-11-14
Deer Stalking
In Cuba
Sports OF the Soldiers in the Jungle
Difficulties Of the Chase.
Observation-Disclosures sSai&A@S

The day was warm, and had jus
dropped languidly into the hammocl
fer an after.luncheon slesta, whei
one OF the men OF the house appeared
on the piazza with his rifle and am
munltion box. Instantly ! sat up
Where are you going?' | demanded
Deer stalking Tho soldiers get =
deer nearly every day Then ] an
going, too" | said. / looked away
across the railroad and beyond tho
old Spanish block house toward the
young American town OF Ceballos
and there up the dusty. red road came
several khaki-clad boys from the l4th
Infantry that Uncle Sam has station
cd here to "hold the lid down in
Cuba" "Oh, don't go with them. Let
me go. III be quiet" ! pleaded-and
] meant 10 be. So we started, the
man wit Is rifle over his shoulder
and | with a jarver-a basket made
of palm-hbre-and a machete for
wanted to get some ferns.
Down through our young orange
orchard we went to the dry bed OF
the tiny river-the river that dur
ing the rainy season runs flush. and
sometimes overflows. This made a
splendid path through the jungle, for
the bottom was hard sand and the
boughs overhead made nice. cool
shade, SO that walking was a pleas
ure, save when great dams OF drift
It, h. 4
underground on the banks Gladly
we would slide down into the sand
again, for the woods are a regular
jungle. a perfect network OF tangled
vines twining from tree TO tree, i'm
penetrable, save as one cuts a way
through with machete, or follows an
ancient Cuban path Parasites arc
these vines, and they in turn bear
up great masses OF parasites. 1t is
this, with the loads OF orchids on
the trees. that makes, for the north.
erner, the Cuban woods so marvellous.
Here and there, royal palms thrust
their slender, straight boles up, UP
through the tangled mass, TO the open
sky beyond, wave their tuft OF plumes
above the confusion and riot and give
character to the scene. Great trees
we passed loaded down with large
scarlet blossoms; mighty silk cotton
trees and forest giants in the deadly
grasp OF the creeping vine-that ter
rible parasite OF the Cuban jungle.
Like a bad habit, this vine has its
beginning in a small way. Pliablo
1t Is, but strong OF fibre. At first Il
simply clings 10 the tree, but gradu-
ally II winds itself about and climbs
and twists, until it's ever tightening
pressure chokes the life out OF its
victim; then with new roots that
1t has all this time been sending
downward II nourishes itself, until It
actually blends together around the
tree II has attacked, and throwing
out great branches, becomes itself a
monarch of the forest.
Everywhere one looks he sees para
site feeding on parasite; and II Il
were not so beautiful and strange II
would give one an uncanny feeling.
But uncanniness has no place here.
The sky is so gloriously blue, and the
sunlight filters down through the dense
foliage like golden shafts OF light;
a thousand indistingulshable odors OF
woody things MI the air. and the
faint perfume OF the wild orange
trees, that all along the bank hang
out their brilliant lamps, make too
much for reality to give place TO the
unreal.
Through the glory OF Il all we
ramped, seeing now and then great
masses OF deer tracks In the moist
and, but more often only trees and
ines and sky-and !, forgetting my
romise TO be quiet. talked and laugh.
d. until the swapping OF twigs and
81 rlaL A.. 1