The mirror., 1920-01-08
One incident of a pleasant six month

OF how to see the Island. In company with
other officers, was once sent out into the
Island to investigate the killing of police
man by soldier who had deserted. By
automobile, and through the courtesy of a
great sugar Central who gave us freight
train, we reached depression in the hills
called Cold Hollow. Rain set in and signals
got mixed. Instead of five ponies to carry
us up the dark mountain and across fords,
there were only two. The case is of no i'm
portance here nor are our muddy expert
ences. 1t was necessary for me to wait there
at Cold Hollow while the others went up
the mountain to look over the scene of the
shooting. The train pulled back, the other
English-speaking members of the party dis
appeared round bend, and darkness set in
over the little cane-loading station. A lad
of seven drove team of four oxen out at the
end of the day and laboriously united their
massive horns from the cross-bars. A come
ly lassie, passed by, unhesitatingly wrapping
her dress about her waist as she forded the
small, rapid stream. A plodding workman
came down the narrow-guage track, gave
me pleasant "Buenos Noches" and lum-
bered, barefooted up the trail my party had
taken. Two lads, of perhaps six and four,
the youngest naked, appeared from some hut
which l could not see and waded into the
stream with small buckets to get water for
supper. | was shivering in the rain, we'll
dressed and with rain-cape completely pro-
tecting me, but the naked youngster padded
into the cold water, slipped, fell, and rose
gleefully, his naked body shimmering in the
fading light. Yet two others came past !;
young men who had just escaped the draft.
After watching me pace back and forth in
an attempt to get warm and pass dreary
evening more quickly, they paired off and
showed me how they could drill, counting
Zone, two, three, FOUR" in the only English
they knew. There is Porto Rico, if you
please, just as truly represented as in the
highroad scene mentioned earlier.
'Porto Rico is an island of the West
Indies with an area of 3,435 square miles
and a population in 1910 of 1,118,O12,"
says Government report. Friar Las Casas,
who accompanied Columbus on his second
trip, made his report to the King of Spain in
these words:
porto Rico is as full of people as a
beehive is of bees, and is as beautiful as an
orchard"
The traveller who plans to see some of
his own lands while Europe is preparing for
the old-time tourist business will be inter-
ested in knowing that the three chief cities
of San Juan, Ponce, and Mayaguez have a
population of about 100000, while the aver
age density of the Island per square mile is
325 or considerably more than that of any
other island of the Greater Antilles. If it's
local color you wish, there's no lack of it.
Another Government report has it that the
chief industries are the production of sugar,
tobacco, coffee, fruits and cocoanuts. A
drive almost anywhere in the rural districts
of Sunday evening may convince you that
the chief avocation is cock fighting If you
have guide who will put you next to wha,
it is that those jibaros Chill people, carry SC
tenderly in burlap bags.
From the mainland, there is direct and
satisfactory passenger service only from New
York-the New York and Porto Rice
Steamship Company, and the Red D Line
The best ship requires four days and hall
to make the fourteen hundred miles and the
slower one gives you six day sail that is :
continuous Joy. The former line lands yol
at San Juan, circles the Island, and returns
, to New York. The Red D steamers 60 or
to other ports in South America and ther
stop when returning. On the Porto Rice
boats it is possible to make "tour" covering
only the time necessary for the boat to visi
| its potts of call on the Island. Don't d.
that. Porto Rico is worth more.
OF the hotels already established in Sar
Juan, the new Palace, the Eureka, and tn
Plaza will satisfy, according to your prefer