The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-05-12

on the DIX am OF CnducE lnEN
are happy. Old and young are ma
tural gamblers. They are not loo
young and don't get too old TO
play the game" The natural
scenery Of the country is wonderful.
Royal palms. bamboo. many varie-
ties OF trees and shrubs. as well as
flowers grow in greatest profusion.
The roads are good. many are hard
surfaced and others OF the native
coral formation make wonderful
highways. There is much develop
ment going or particularly adjacent
20 Havana. The language of course,
is Spanish. however there is a ma
tive lingo which we are only able
to describe as a jabber. The peo-
pie enjoy wild gesticulations
in speaking and their c~ountenances
are rather sullen. They are per-
haps in the best of good humor
most OF the time but when they
converse. they talk so rapidly and
gesture so much that to an out
side observer. IL looks like a free
for-all fisticuff Is about to take
place. II those people were sud
denly deprived OF their hands and
arms they would surely retrograde
into a ace OF mutes. They couldn't
talk without their hands. We
learned a few of the most familiar
expressions and gestures such as
Hello. how are your" Goodbye"
etc. and II seemed to please them
greatly when we attempted 10 dis
play our Spanish" We wondered
II our good old English. butchered
as II is by most of us. sounded as
odd to them as their lingo sounded
to us. We couldn't grow accust-
omed to that 'jabber" and not be-
ing able to make ourself under
stood. II was like being in bedlam.
particularly at the games of 'Jai-
tai" (Hi-Lil where r~ed-capped book
ers, by the dozen made up the
bets on the game. They bet on
everything in Cuba. "Jai-lai'' is
played by opposing teams on a
court. similar to a tennis court, ex-
cept that 1t Is walled on the side
and the ends and is about ESQ
feet long. A ball. similar to a
baseball. Is thrown against the wall
and Is caught either directly or on
first bounce, in a sort of elong-
ated wicker contraption about a
yard long. which curves in at the
edges like an automobile casing and
fits with a glove-like hold on the
right hand. The ball is caught
In this receptacle and returned.
When IL hits outside the lines or is
missed in the catch, the point is
lost. II Is a wildly exciting game
very like our baseball games. The
betting goes right along with the
game. The din Of the bookers and
Of the fans Is deafening. About
ten thousand attended the game
we Witnessed. There Is perhaps
much that might he said concerning
Cuba but WI have tried To give n
gist OF IL all. II is a great place
for sightseeing but we should not
care to live there. The old u. S. A..
IL good enough for us and we are
sure that feeling was shared by all
OF our party. We enjoyed every
minute of stay but when the
word was given that It was time to
say goodbye" and set sail for
home we couldn't sing with any
degree OF enthusiasm, I'VE hate
TO leave. w do by GOSH" in fact,
we realized the good time could
not last always and we were willing
to give our good friends across the
sea The glad hand. thank them for
A most delightful stay on their
shores with a hope TO meet again
at a not too remote time in the
future. We lifted anchor and set
sail amid cheers and farewell sa-
lutes. The voyage homeward was
uneventful. We sailed about noo
reaching Key West In the evening
thus giving a daylight trip. The
passage was very smooth and cross
ing the Gulf Stream with the cur
rent, very little unpleasantness was
felt from seasickness. Whale and
%porpoise were sighted and schools
Of flying fish made an interesting
sight. H~ydroplane passenger service
between Key West and Havana
tempted some of US. particularly
those who suffered severity from
seasickness going over. to try the
air coming back but, on second
thought, and perhaps after inquir-
ing the cost for the flight, all de-
clded to stay with the ship. A
passenger hydroplane passed us.
however, on the return and flew
80 close TO u ship that greetings
were exchanged between the bird
men and u party. The plane
flew along gracefully only a short
distance above the water, like a
mammoth bird, alighting on the
water and rising again to the air
It Will. Arriving at Key West our
party virtually disbanded for. while
We travelled by special train as far
a. Jacksonville, after leaving Key
West, yet the trip was made at
light and many transferred along
he way, returning home by diff
rent routes. practically all
' ~annnrninn nnl ON Ihnir WAY n Ihnir