Evening star., 1909-07-18

tive, vigilant energetic Esteban Huertas, gen.
eralissimo of the Panama forces, boyish in
wears, in face, IN stature, and IN bumptious-
ness: Manuel Espinosa, calm, dignifed, reso-
lutte Frederico Boyd. triple compound of
Irish American, and Spanish. These and few
Others. including one American whose name
never figured in the news of the day, faced
the necessity of doing to-day what had been
put off till tomorrow.
Huertas was for fighting. His soldiers could
easily dispose of the Colombians, he said. Be
sides, the three gunboats in the harbor would
assist, their commanders had promised. be
tranquil Let the Colombians come!
Then up spoke the American. =" If you have
any fighting and boodshed, you'll queer the
whole business. The United States won't
stand for it. Congress will meet in few weeks,
and if you are having any fighting here then, 1t
will abandon Panama in disgust and go to
Nicaragua for canal!'
At that Huertas shrugged his chubby shoul-
ders and went off to put on his full dress UNI
form and go to meet the Colombians.
Other counsels were offered. One suggested
the possibility of a railroad accident" which
should derail the coming train and block the
line. Another that Amador's daughter.
Mrs. Ehrman should give a breakfast to the
Colombian Generals at which their coffee
wine should be laden with knockout drops:
that when they were insensible they should be
locked up, and that their leaderless troops
should then be turned back to Colon.
With these and other proposals the time was
the approaching train was heard telling that the
Colombian Generals had arrived. The council
quickly dispersed without having decided upon
any plan of action leaving A1nador to manage
affairs as opportunity might make possible and
as his Judgment might suggest.
Arrival of the Gen rails
HUERTAS and his staff were at the station
II to meet the Co1ombians in full dress and
blazing with bullion and medals The train
stopped and there alighted from the single car
General Tovar General Castro, General Alban
and General Amaya, with eleven staff officers
likewise all in full dress and blazing with bullion
and medals. In addition, they were brlstllng
with all the weapons that etiquette permitted
to be borne by officers of SO exalted rank.
There was cerenonlous but not uncordlal
greeting, and then the glitterlng company made
its wav across the city to the military head
quarters on the Plaza Chiriqui, while revolu-
tionarv conspirators watched it from behind
closed window blinds and wondered what
would happen next. The Colombians seemed
suspicious, as well they might be. They had
expected to find a revolution in full blast: In
stead the city was tranquil to the point of SOM
nolence. Along the Gale Real, in the Plaza de
la Cathedral and in the Plaza Chiriqui there
was no sign of trouble The quiet was ominous,
thought General Tovar, and it would be pru-
dent to take prompt precautions against a
surprise So he requested Huertas to take him
and his companions at once to the batteries on
the wall.
That ancient wall overlooked the whole
city. Its summit accessible in only three
or four places. 1t provided with several
good rapid firing guns. These fifteen Colonl-
bians. if once they got up there could hold it
for hours against the whole city until the
troops got through from Colon to assist them.
Perhaps the Colombians had such thought
in mind but perhaps they had. Anyway,
Huertas too was suspicious, and would not run
the risk.
" But" he expostulated, "my valiant COM
rades in arms, it is nearly noon. The
breakfast hour is at hand. and after that the