Under the Star-Spangled Banner: A Tale of the Spanish-American War

by F. S. Brereton

  CHAPTER IX

  "THE EVER-FAITHFUL ISLAND"

  Dressed in a clean suit of white, with wide-open waist-coat and expanseof glossy shirt, the whole set off by a black evening bow, Mr. Brindlestalked moodily up and down the deck for several minutes, his handsthrust into his pockets, and his chin resting upon his chest. He wasevidently in deep thought, and Hal, with Dora and Gerald close at hand,watched him curiously, wondering when he would commence to speak.

  "It is hard to know exactly where to start," he said at last, coming toa stop in front of them, where he leaned against the ship's rail, andproducing a cigar, bit off the end with a nervous snap. "It isdifficult, I confess, to fulfill my promise. To begin with, I am shakenby the horrible calamity we have witnessed to-night. My grief is greatand heartfelt for those poor fellows who have been so ruthlessly slain,and loathing and contempt for the inhuman wretches who perpetrated theghastly deed are so much in my thoughts that I find it difficult to fixmy mind upon the subject before us, or grasp its details with sufficientclearness to narrate them to you in lucid form.

  "Still, a promise is a promise, and I will therefore do my best to tellyou why there is bad blood between Spain and America, and why I fear warin the immediate future.

  "Just fancy, this, the most beautiful, and once the most prosperous, ofWestern isles, is still known in Spain as 'the ever-faithful island ofCuba'! And yet there is scarcely a single Spaniard who is not conversantwith the true state of affairs, and is not very well aware that Cuba isin revolt, and has been so for close upon fifty years. Go to the countryof the Dons and question her lower classes--I mean the poor people whoexist by tilling the soil, or earn a livelihood in factories orworkshops. I will answer for it that hundreds, aye, thousands even,curse this fair isle, curse the government that rules it so evilly, andthe necessity that has called, and still calls, for their sons to goacross the seas and die, in the depths of jungle and morass.

  "Looking back as I do at this moment, I feel that all this suffering,all this misery and heart-ache, are Spain's just reward. The great manof Genoa, Christopher Columbus, who explored these Western seas in thefifteenth century, would have passed by the lovely shores of thisgorgeous island and refused to annex it for his adopted king and queen,if he had foreseen the future.

  "In those days a race of comely men and women, the Carib Indians,inhabited the land, and their descendants might be here to-day had notthe lust for gold and riches led Spanish adventurers to disembark in thehopes of satisfying their greed. As might have been expected, troublefollowed, and the better armed invaders hunted the Indians till theywere exterminated. That unnecessary bloodshed has cost Spain dear. Sheoccupied the island, and made it the headquarters of the African slavetrade. Little by little other people and races were attracted here, tillat the present moment the population amounts to about a million and ahalf. Of these a third are negroes, and the remainder anything youplease to call them. You can pick from amongst the populace distinctiveraces, whose color ranges from negro black to almost pure white. Of thelatter there are but few in the island, for even the proud old Castilianfamilies which came here years ago, and throve and made money by thesweat of these imported negroes, are now no longer Spanish. Scarcelyone of their descendants but has some trace of African blood.

  "Of white inhabitants there are few, I said, and these are onlytemporary residents. They come across the seas to Cuba with one objectin view, namely, to make money and return home at the earliest possibledate. They are mainly the military and officials, and it is from thisgreed of theirs, from the careless, thoughtless rule which has allowedmatters to go anyhow, and from the gradual fall from bad to worse, thatthe present trouble arises. Greed and the craving to be rich beyond thedreams of avarice, obtained for Spain this lovely island, to themisfortune of thousands of harmless Caribs; and the same vice has costher dear already in lives and treasure, and will demand much more, eventhe loss of the land itself.

  "What can you expect? Put a puppet in command, far from observation, andover a race which in his pride he deems utterly inferior to himself, andhe becomes a jack in office and an oppressor. I do not say, mind you,Hal, that all rulers here have been unscrupulous; but many have, whileothers who have been honest in their dealings have failed to bringcontent to the people through sheer incompetence. You cannotsatisfactorily rule a conquered people unless you study theirprejudices. Give them some liberty, respect their customs if possible,and their religion, if not harmful and barbarous, and you will make themwilling and contented subjects.

  "But you have the facts; the Cubans have been misgoverned. They havebeen fleeced and ground down by their rulers, both civil and military,and, as a natural consequence, they have become rebellious.

  "That was the position in 1850, when, following the example set byMexico, Chili, and Peru, and other western colonies of Spain which hadsuccessfully revolted, the colored inhabitants of the island raised thestandard of revolution. They attacked their white masters, and galledthem by sudden and ugly rushes. When fighting in the forests and swampswhich are to be found everywhere, they poured a scathing fire into bandsof soldiers brought against them, and disappeared like ghosts, only toreturn and harass the foe at the next opportune moment.

  "How long this particular revolt lasted it would be difficult to say,but no doubt it dragged on for many months, subsiding here only to burstforth elsewhere with redoubled fury. But end it did at length, and theisland enjoyed peace for a time.

  "Then once more the natives took up arms, and, while Spain strove to putdown a rebellion at home, had things much their own way, for the mothercountry had her hands full. For ten long weary years that rebellionlasted, and many a conscript from the fair land stretching from Pyreneesto Mediterranean bit the dust in this far-away Spanish possession.

  "It is, perhaps, a coincidence that America in those days came intoconflict with Spain, so that war very nearly resulted, the cause ofquarrel being then, as now, aggravated and brought to a climax by an actof peculiar cruelty. For in those days the condition of the poor nativesaroused the sympathy of Americans, many of whom, moreover, had alreadysettled in the island. Their pity took the form of substantial help, forthey dispatched various filibustering expeditions to Cuba, and thussupplied the natives with arms and ammunition. Unhappily, a certain shipknown as the _Virginius_ was discovered attempting to land her cargo,and failed to make good her escape. Capture was inevitable, but beforebeing taken by the Spanish gunboat, the Americans on board managed toget rid of all their warlike stores. It made no difference, however, foronce landed at Santiago, little time was given for friends to intervene.All were condemned to death; and as a preliminary, a number of Cubanswho formed part of the expedition were shot, their heads being severedfrom their bodies by the mob, and paraded round the town. Fourteen wereexecuted on the following day, and others on the next, including thecommander of the expedition and other Americans. Then the butchery wasput a stop to by telegraphic orders.

  "But the mischief was done, and I ask you to think how you would havefelt had such a deed been perpetrated nowadays. I can assure you thatAmerica cried loudly for retaliation, and war was only narrowly averted.

  "For ten years the insurrection flourished, subsiding in the winter to amere nothing, for then the Spanish troops were able to take activemeasures to suppress it. In the summer, however, from May onwards, whenthe rainy season commences, the insurgents had the best of the fighting.Themselves immune from fever, and acclimatized, they could live andfight in the 'manigua,' as the bush and swamp in the interior are named,while the Spaniards were helpless. Drenched by constant tropicaldownpours, and plodding along a narrow, irregular track which was thickwith mud, they were fired upon by unseen foes from the trees and jungleon either hand. What use to charge into the thickness of the vegetation?It was sheer suicide, for they were at once separated and split intosmall parties upon which the Cubans fell with unspeakable fury, armedalways with a deadly chopping weapon, the 'machete.'

  "Cold steel did the grewsome work
silently and mercilessly, sending manya poor lad of Castile to his end.

  "Imagine the conditions for a moment, Hal, and you too, Gerald and Dora.You all know what a thick forest is like, for the 'Barn' in Florida isbuilt in the midst of the jungle. Think what it must be to be weary withtrudging along a path thick with mud; to be footsore, drenched to theskin, and hungry; and then to be wounded by some unseen hand. No wonderthat the Spanish troops died in their hundreds, poor lads! Scarcely ableto crawl themselves, was it wonderful that the transport of food andammunition was difficult? It was impossible, and I can tell you that,though the cruel machete accounted for many, exposure, want, and diseasekilled thousands more.

  "It was a wearisome rebellion, and it, too, died a natural death in1878.

  "And now to bring you and my tale to more modern times. Following peacecame renewed prosperity, and with it myself, for it was then that Ipurchased a plantation. As I became acquainted with the ins and outs ofthe island life, I learned that the appearance of tranquillity was falseafter all. Discontent was manifest everywhere, and matters werebeginning to wear an ugly look. Factions were openly at work stirring upthe people; and of these, one clamored for a system of home governmentunder Spanish guidance, while the other would have none of it, andopenly advocated a free Cuba--Cuba for its native people, exempt fromall interference.

  "I need not tell you that the haughty, careless officials who had comefrom the home country formed another party, which sneered at all thingsnative, and, mindful of the fat purses to be made from their severalappointments, cried loudly for military rule, less consideration andless conciliation, and, as a change, a tighter grip of the hand whichhad already cost Spain so dear.

  "It is wasting breath to recount what happened. Of course, discontentgrew to active rebellion, till the island was once more swept by fireand sword. To describe every detail of this new insurrection would bewearisome, for it has dragged on ever since, and not once has there beenanything in the way of a battle. Minor skirmishes have been the orderof the day; in fact, it has simply been guerrilla warfare.

  "On the Spanish side the main scheme has been to divide the island intothree parts, and so separate the rebels. For this purpose two continuouslines of forts, called 'trochas,' have been constructed. They stretchfrom north to south, cutting Cuba into three long strips. You will seeone as we drive from Santiago to our destination, but I may tell youthat they are of enormous strength, that a double fence of barbed wireprotects a road cut through the jungle, and that along the latterinnumerable forts have been erected, while a railway stretches from endto end.

  "But these trochas have proved almost useless. The enormous force at thedisposal of the general is swamped in garrisoning them, while themortality is very high. And the insurgents are more active than ever.Trains are blown up with dynamite, the trochas cut, and the men in theforts forever harassed.

  "And now I come to the stage in the rebellion which is the real cause oftrouble with America. Determined to conquer, the insurgents have adoptedthe custom of burning the villages, so as to force those who werewavering, or who were faint-hearted, to throw in their lot with them. Inaddition, they have taken to destroying plantations, thus depriving theworking classes of the means of livelihood. This naturally led to muchmisery and hardship, but the condition was as nothing when compared withthat produced by the Spanish general, Weyler, who now came on the scene.Finding that the peaceful laborer of to-day was the insurgent ofyesterday, he ordered all living in the country to come into the towns,a concentration order excellent in its intentions, but heartlesslycarried out. Thousands were congregated together and starved--literallyand actually starved. There was no method in feeding them and lookingto their well-being. The Spanish authorities had made utterly inadequateprovision for them, and as a consequence they sickened and died in theirthousands.

  "And there you have the cause of trouble between Spain and America. Myadopted brethren have warm hearts beneath a calm exterior, and theirsympathy for the poor Cubans is deep. They resent this perpetualbloodshed occurring so close to their coast as a slur upon theirhumanity; and they demand, for the sake of all, that it be put a stopto. Correspondence has passed between the governments, and seeing thatAmerica means business, Spain has promised to amend, and do her utmostto end the sad condition of affairs. As an assurance of the truth of herwords and the honesty of her intentions, she has dispatched a warship toNew York, and the unfortunate _Maine_ was here on a similar friendlyerrand.

  "And she was blown up by a mine. There were two definite and distinctexplosions: the first produced beneath the keel of the ship, and thesecond in her forward magazine. That is my opinion, and others share it.I am sorry even to think it possible, and I say now, that it is my firmbelief that Spaniards in general are too honorable, too chivalrous toattempt such a dastardly deed. But there are black sheep in every flock,and some inhuman scoundrel has this night sent numbers of his fellow-mento an untimely end, and at the same time has, in all probability,plunged two countries into war, the ultimate consequences of which onecannot even dream of."

  "But why should you think so, Mr. Brindle?" Hal asked eagerly. "I knowthat the blowing up of a steamer is an unusual occurrence, but still ithas happened before to-night, and why not again? Accidents come whenleast expected."

  "True, Hal; but in the chapter of mishaps likely to befall awar-vessel, explosion of the magazine is almost unknown, save inbattle-time. What are the conditions now? We are at peace, and I whoknow the spirit of discipline in the American Navy can tell you that thesame careful look-out and the same precautions are taken in everydaylife as during a war scare. It is a strict rule of the service that theofficer on watch shall inspect the ship at a certain hour at night, andreport all lights dowsed, and magazines in a safe condition. It was donethis very night, you may be sure; and see what follows! The men we haverescued say that they were awakened by a violent shock, and that asecond and more powerful one threw them from their hammocks. We, too,noticed the same, and I can swear to it that the first sent a column ofwater into the air, while the second shattered the forward portion ofthe _Maine_ to fragments.

  "I fear it must be the case," said Hal, after a few thoughtful minutes;"and I suppose that the next item of news will be that war is declared."

  "Yes, almost without doubt; and it should be so, then all my plans willbe altered. I must get through to Eldorado, to see that the plantationand hacienda are safe, and then I shall probably send Dora and Geraldback to Tampa. No, don't try to dissuade me," he cried, lifting awarning finger as they both began to expostulate. "I shall take time tocome to a decision, and it must be considered as final.

  "And now let me tell you of another matter which concerns you, Hal, morethan the others. You bear the mark of a bullet on your shoulder, andshall learn what I have hitherto kept from you. The scoundrel whom youheard addressed as Senor Capitan is no less a person than Captain Josed'Arousta, a gentleman of very evil reputation. I may inform you that hecame to the island many years ago--quite twenty, I should imagine--whenonly a lad; that his father had a position under the government; andthat the man of whom we are speaking first disgraced him by his riotousliving, and then broke his heart by marrying a half-breed girl. Poorthing! she was too good by far for such a reckless fellow. She owned aplantation, and I need scarcely tell you that he quickly ran through herready money, and then all that could be possibly raised upon the estate.What happened to her later I do not know, but he became captain of anirregular Spanish band near Santiago, and rumor reports that hiscruelties made him hated by insurgents and friends alike. I know that heburnt down plantations wholesale, and that if one wished to escape, itwas necessary to bribe him with large sums of money. I paid heavily atfirst for my immunity, and then, tired of his constant threats, I oneday horsewhipped him before all the hands, and afterwards defied him;but I was careful at once to organize a band of armed men, to keep awatch over the plantation and house.

  "Money seems to Jose d'Arousta a dire necessity, for that is the classof ma
n he is. He even thought it worth his while to come to Tampa,knowing well that he would not easily relieve me of my valuables in theisland. You foiled him, and I warn you solemnly, Hal, beware of thefellow. He possesses that love of vengeance and ferocity common to hisrace, and he will surely repay you when he has an opportunity. Thereforetake care, and as the times are unsettled I advise you to arm yourselfat once with a revolver. Carry it in a hip pocket, and use it if yourlife is threatened."

  "I will," Hal answered quietly. "I am not afraid of the fellow, but helooked a nasty customer, and it is always best to be on the safe side.If he happens to knock up against me, he will be less inclined toquarrel when he sees that I am armed."

  "Quite so, and I am glad you fall in with my views," said Mr. Brindle."Gerald, too, while at the hacienda, had better carry a weapon, while Iam sure that the three of us will be easily able to defend Dora from allharm."

  "That we will!" Hal blurted out enthusiastically; and then, seeing Mr.Brindle smother a knowing smile, he became suddenly silent.

  But Dora heard, and presently, when her father's head was turned, sheflashed our hero a grateful glance from her eyes, which seemed to say,"Yes, I am sure you would do all that was possible"; a message which Halmust have appreciated, for he tingled strangely from head to foot.

  "By George!" he murmured, as he lay back in his chair and conjured upthe dark, forbidding features of Jose d'Arousta, "I would smash thebeggar into little pieces if he even attempted to harm one of myfriends." Then his lips tightened, and his fingers gripped the arm ofthe chair.

  "Thinking of our acquaintance, the railway thief, I'll be bound," saidMr. Brindle suddenly, looking critically at Hal. "All the better, myboy. Take my warning to heart, and beware of the Spaniard as you wouldof the plague. He is a rogue, and is not to be trusted. If you shouldchance to meet him, and see him put his hand in his pocket, cover himwith your revolver. And if Pedro, his accomplice, is with him, be doublycautious; for here, in Cuba, they are capable of any atrocity, knowingwell that, owing to the unsettled condition of the island, they can defythe law. Indeed, I more than suspect that they are the head of a gang ofdesperadoes who rob both insurgents and Spaniards, and care for one sideas little as they do for the other. But, dear me! this has been a verylong yarn, and I am tired. What do you all say to a short rest in ourbunks? Dawn will break in a couple of hours."

  He yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes, as if to drive the sleep out ofthem.

  "Come," he continued, "we have done all that is possible for these poorfellows from the man-o'-war. Let us sleep and prepare for to-morrow."

  Hal, Dora, and Gerald also were feeling tired and sleepy; therefore,rising from their seats, they took another look at the wrecked andhalf-submerged _Maine_, which was now burned at the for'ard part to thewater's edge, while sheets of flame still belched upwards from theafter-decks, and sent columns of dark smoke into the air. Then, with asigh for the poor lads who had met their fate that night, they shookhands silently and descended to their cabins, where all four were soonwrapped in sleep.