Evening star., 1918-02-24

and Pinar del Rio were practlcaiiy
dead These three were skeletons
picked bare of flesh by Weylers beak
The Jucaro- Moron trocha had been
greatly strengthened since Campos
day. 1t followed the line of the trans
insular railway. Dotted at every
quarter of a mile along the grade were
little forts connected by telephone and
telegraph lines. Between these forttnas
were sentry stations of logs or railroad
ties. The jungle on either side of the
right-of- way had been cleared, and
from the remaining stunlps and posts
and fallen tree trunks hung maze of
harbed wire through which man
could scarcely crawl, even in daylight.
Eyes were keen, rifles were ready.
challenges we're sharp, and counter
signs were quickly given on the
Jucaro-Moron trocha.
In O'Reilly's party there We're three
men besides himself-the ever-faithful
Jacket. wrinkled old Camagueyan.
who knew the bride trails of his prov
lair. and a silent suajro from farther
west. detailed to accompany the eXpe-
dition because of his wide acquaintance
with the devastated districts. Both
guides. having crossed the trocha more
than once, affected to scorn its terrors.
and their easy confidence reassured
o'Reilly in spite of Esteban's parting
admonition.
The American had not dreamed Of TAX
ing Jacket along. but when he came to
announce his depart ure the boy had fatty
refused 10 be left behind. Jacket in fact.
had taken the matter entirely into his
own hands and had appealed directly to
Gen. Gumez. To his general the boy had
explained teareuIy that patriotism was a
rare and an admirable quality. but that
his love of country was not half SO strong
or 50 sacred as his affection for Johnnie
oReiily. Having attached himself to the
American for better or for worse. no hu-
man POWER could serve to detach him. so
he asserted. He threatened. moreover.
hat Ief Yn esfIffe
benefactor to go alone into the west he
would lay down his arms and permit Gen.
Gomez to free Cuba as best he could.
Cuba could go to hades. so far as Jacket
was concerned-he would not lift a finger
to save it. Strangely enough. Jackets threat
of detection had not appalled, Gen. Gomez.
In fact. with dyspeptic. gruffness char
acteristic of him. Gomez had ordered the
boy off. under penalty of a sound spank
ing. But Jacket had a will of his own,
likewise temper He greeted this unfeeling
rage. grief and defiance. Stamping his
bare feet. sobbing and screaming. the boy
finally flung himself upon the ground and
srnote it with his fists. while tears stream
He maintained such a hideous and sur
prising uproar. answering Gomez's stern
commands to be silent with such
maniacal howls, that the old soldier
incidentally consigning the rebellious
youth to that perdition with which he
had threatened Cuba.
Having won his point, Jacket regain
cd his composure with suspicious sud-
denness and raced away to triumph
over his beloved O"Reilly.
Fifty miles of hard riding brought
the party to the trocha, they neared it
on the second morning after leaving
cubitas. ard sought secluded camp
ing SPOT Later in the day Hilario, the
old Camagueyan, slipped away to re-
connoiter- He returned at twilight, but
volunteered no report of what he had
discovered After an insistent cross
examination OReilly wrung from him
the reluctant admission that everything
seemed favorable for a crossing some
time that night, and that he had select
ed a promising point Beyond that the
old man would say nothing. Johnnie
asked himself uneasily if this reticence
was not really due to apprehension
rather than to sullenness. Whatever
the cause. it was not particularly re-
assuring. and as evening came on
Johnnie found himself growing decided
ly nervous.
Supper, a simple meal, was quickly
disposed of. Then followed long,
dispiriting wait, for a gibbous moon
rode high in the sky and the guides
refused to stir SO long as it remained
there. 1t was a still night; in the
jungle no air was stirring. and dark
ness brought forth a torment of mos
quitoes. AS day died. the woods awoke
to sounds of bird and insect life:
strange, raucous calls pealed forth,
some familiar. others strange and un-
accustomed. There were-thin whistlings,
hoarse grunts and harsh cacklings
high pitched elin laughter. Moving
bodies disturbed the leaves overhead; |;
from all sides came the rustic and stir
of unseen creatures; sudden disputa-
tions were followed by startled silences
Sitting there in the dark, bedeviled by
a pest OF insects, Knocked at by these
mysterious voices, and looking forward
to hazardous enterprise. OReiIly be-
gan to curse his vivid Imagination and
to envy the impassiveness of his COM
panions. Even Jacket. he noted, en-
dured the strain better; the boy was
cheerful, philosophical. quite unim-
pressed by his surroundings. When
the mosquitoes became unbearable he
put on his trousers. with some reluc-
tance and much ceremony.
1t seemed to OReilly that the moon
foated motionless in the sky, and more
than once he was upon the point of
ordering a start. but he reflected that
its radiance out in the open must be
far greater than it seemed here under
the dense tropical foliage. After
time he began to wonder IL his guides
were as loyal as they should be, if
Hflario's strange reticence. was caused
by sullenness, by apprehension, or by
snruefbine alfopefber aiEoran%