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Show UMemais Uapderiis, ODD INCIDUNT9 OP KOKJ3ION TRAV13L. AND OBSERVATION London, March it,, 1893 If foreign travel lias lt sad and pathetic coloring, It It till! often enlivened with many diverting iltuatlons, amuilng Incidents awl genuinely humorous aspects Hut few ra of till cenUl sunshine fall upon the face of sunny Cuba To the mind and heart of the trivelerlt remains re-mains n toil of lerrnro eloloroso In perspective isavo for Its mitchtctt troplcjl beauty and the languorous beauty of lis women It remains plaintively plain-tively In the memor), altogether somber in tone and color. This observation will hold true of travel In nil countries hose folk are of tlio swarthy I-ntln lineage Horn many visits tothcbcautlful Island I can recall no more than three situations I where the foreign spectator might be beguiled Into mirthful emotions, and these possessed the quality of ridiculousness ridicu-lousness rather than humor. One of these 1 witnessed repelled!) late at night. It Is the outgrowth of surveillance of parents over daughters It Is the solitary midnight serenade, rime aftir time, on returning to my hotel from divers wanderings at night in the Cub in capital, have I passed these love stricken voutns, stationed opposite the I omes of their Inamoratas in all manner of ngonlicd attitudes, strumming strumm-ing de mullleil notes upon ancient t,iiitirs, and lifting their voices In I tsslonate though doleful petitions to the night, the moon, the suir. nnil all the salnis to aid them In reaching tl e ears and hearts o( llicir ueloraelis Hie" favorite, Indeed almost the universal, billadsung by these lovelorn Cuban )ouths Is I.n I unj," of which 1 recall one stana Mis perm rrnl f ttlgai, a no w puedon loous, 5e alcanwii unasaoiru HComo Us ous del miir Luru 1114 piotectori fso me nlrgues til lulcar Voy rn btttia de tin losoro voy en busoa de ml amor! My sorrows and languors Unntaasurabl portion Tley follow eacliodier As waves of lha ocean Sweet Luru, protectees Deny not ettutaence ror a treasure I m ward trig My dear lote 1 Indulceneel Nobody pas any attention to those who thus pour outtlielr souls upon the night. 1 lie intents who are used to it, simply turn In their beds with thanks to the saints that thiir doits ire massive andth windows are of iron Uclated mile passers cast sympathetic glances at lie lone troubudours, renumbering their own dismal ellorts in tliu past I veil the neighbors keep silence, and not 1 rock or hand household Implement is shot, as from some shadow y catapult, on disturbing mission through the bosky midnight nlr. 1 or hours of this sort of lugubrious vigil no reward Is sought or expected. Hut if tl e flutter of a dainty band, or the shimmer of delicate lices, is (or an Instant caught at the balcony of the lair one's alcoba, then is lite minstrel lover In an testae) of delimit. . , , , On one occasion I ome upon two of these amorous Komeos, sinking and plavlng In n sort of desperate rivalry beneath one balcony It was truly a dilemma both for the idondoand her lovers The litter were both singing ' l.l I una," otic in a frcmled falsetto, the other in n baritone, hoarse from Jeilous passion A pohle guardia civil unally relieved the dramatic tension of the situation by carrying ntvaj one at 1 time to a near bodega, thus preventing a tragedy securing Ills own hllof wine, and in a Un I ol rel iv t,lv Ing cadi smitten smit-ten troubadour n fair and equitable chance at the moon. Another situation illustrating Cuban sociological peculiarities, was lound in n railway trip across the island One of the passengers, an old senora, sneezed Instantly, and rcvercnlh, n score of pisseni,ers responded "J01 le guar-dial guar-dial ' ( God gtnrd theel ' ) blie sneezed agiln. Tills time the conceited ejicu-hllon ejicu-hllon was "Maria' ' faltc sure ml the third time This was followed by a cbotus of voices wlthr "Josef It is a universal Cubin custom and In its mother reminds forcible of the quite as universal German custom, when one sneeses to express klndlv concern by responding with the unctious and expressive, ex-pressive, ' GtiiiiiihtiV " Again, a voung fellow, passing a mother and radiantly beautiful daughter on his way out of the car, dolled his hit, stood strnight anil tall before the couple lie Inil never before seen, and with the dignity of a Don Quixote said in bpin ish ' Old woman, keep tint diughter of heavenly beiutv for the unworthy onebclorevout ' llien he strode aw iy and nobod) Insulted It tin 1 lie aged senora responded pleasantly, ' I will f tlthfully keep licit I'osslbly the sen-ora's sen-ora's Ian moved i little more rapidly nt tin compliment Hut nobody thought amiss of the episode, or for that matter an) thing at all about it, sav e in) self At one tliuu myself ami friends wero triv cling on horseback tho almost Impassable Im-passable country roads of the southern coast, In the vlcinlt) of Trinidad Along In the afternoon we suddcnl) heard a Meat rustling, Lalloplng and hillooing some distance in adviuce Our wise ponies Instantl) grew restive, and showed alum We bitted for a moment, the )eomen listened, and directly cried out eiclttdlvi ' Ah, hlene un toro Imvo! ' (' Here comes n wll I bulll ) The words were not out or his mouth before his feet struck the ground Whlpilng out his machete he cut with Incredible speed a wiy through the hede,e It was notn moment too soon I huudering nround 11 sharp corner In the road came n wild bull, her pursuing rider yelling, ' Tcrigan cuidado con el toro! ( ' 1 00k out for the bulll ) The brtili calchlng sight of , pur group charged madly upon us, and , It would have surprised our anise seed foi hunters to have seen the vaulting through and over tint hedge as the learning horns whisked b our ponies winkling heels, while, true under all circumstances to the universal principle of Cuban politeness, the vanishing van-M van-M a,uero turned In his saddle, removed his f sat and with the bow of a courller sang I nit after our Hying squad I "I erdonemen, nmlgos p-ro he tenldo I ildltblo con este torol ' ("Your par- I Ipn, my friends but I am having a devil I )fi time with this bulll ( " I The going to and coming from Turone on the great ocean liners provide an endless vatlety of ludicrous Incidents because on every steamer passengers to n largu proportion ore new to the prcu lar and Irrevocable sltuilion found ty can by no menu bo uninterruptedly sustained, Individuals, character and station are brought Into close, sharp and most striking contrnsts and all social distinctions are liable nt any moment to total obliteration In the common und often grotesque mler) of sea sickness T mo or three meals al fitthest sponge the banquet olrs from the citbiri tables The ship's commander. Ill in I as a bar-tender bar-tender in pott, has, hidden himself from view, rhepurscrs window Ushiitaslf hermetically sealed The ship s doctor his retired behind the strictest Internre tation of hours and rules rhe chief and assistant stewards, to whom your great fee his already gone fir ichoi seat at the Hble, refuses to recognise ) ou our room stew inl e cs ) ou w 1th n look ol slurp suspicion nntl close anah sis Will you give him muih trouble, and will )ou fee generou-ly? comprises his uttermost Interest Hut he will permit no eaithly famlllnrli) The stew ardess daunts her w hlte capped head, plainly saying, "1 h-re arc char tc lers h on this 'etc vessel aside my h ow n to sustain, sill The boatswains, whose frlulcd, fatherly faces on the first day f;ave promise of sea yarns and ocean oie revelations, are us stolid as bronzes or brass The sergeants at arms and deck steiv arils walk around )ou look )ouuinnd do-Ail, over and around fore and nit, statboml and port, as if to remind sou tint deck rules are deck law, sir I lie bell bo)S, those little dried up old com modorcs of tho jnssai.es, library ond 1 miotics, regard you from beneath beetling brows ns with snvige nuvince protests against possible requests for favors Winder where )ou miy 011 jour steamers decks or within her splendl I cabins, )nu find I tit savagery, selfish preoccupation and despiir. And how it levels the proud and great! Look at them sprawling in their chairs, hundreds of them under the lee awi lnt,s, hope, pride, scorn, hauteur, nil flown like the flush of Hie shriveled (lowers below lint pompous old fellow fel-low who candrivvhls cluck for aool mlhon, ami who, on shire, reckons hlmscll a boy of forty, )oti know, is stretched there like n drunkard, holding his twosets of fdse teeth in his nerve less hand with the most familiar abin-doi abin-doi He recks not those who see. he sees not those who reck Here is n erind dame, as easy 1 sulject of stud) Iter wig Is Isphceil, tlio powder and color havu been sponged from ono side of her lieu b) some atlcntlvo stewardess, stewar-dess, her laces, flounces and silks are disheveled she is snoring dlverstlicd by snorts and palate il staccatos 6ee this erst peerless New ork belle! 1 aim. powder and bilgewater arc lilcrts ded In 1 dirty I rench i,ray upon her leathery countenance 1 he fog has deposited de-posited a clammy rime upon this. Strands of her now waveless hair are Muttering stickily within I cr open mouth Her c)csscem to have Lone Into her bead nn Inch and are closed beneath dnt) je'llow lids Amid this wreck of beauty there is une bit of color. It Is in her pink), pointed nose It would hive pirnl)zed Iter to have worn n 35 cent Inthlng bit at sea So from undvr the edge of her fii hat Iter sea blistered nose rises rare and red like some hectic beacon light looming above dreir, d ink, dolorous isles In a few days more the lung abused cuticle will peel from this little nose In tenacious swirls and cm Is, and as she steps upon the stiglng at I Iverpool ihe rude customs Inspectors wilt pronounce her nn "II'Aincrlcaii h objeck A voluble Inly sitting In her deck-chair deck-chair and undergoing the premonitory qualms of mat dc mtr, remarks to thu unhappy group about hen ' II I j,et sei sick like the rest of these people I shall just give up my reason altokcther, to I shall " Whereupon a blull old part) awakens from bis stupor long enough to retort spitefully. 'Judging from my own experience, )ou will give tip far more than that, madamel On the other side of the ropes where the steerage pisscngcrs are herded like cattle, you will see them walking the deck as If at wager, with occasional quick recourse to the aide rail for relief I lie) are immeasurabl) blighter, sunnier and lighter hearted in their misery than the more comfortable cabin passengers. While they are pounding cheerily aliout deck)ou ma) approach and sympathetically sympathetic-ally accost an emigrant with, Well, my boy, how do ou find yourself your-self this morning? ' ' Me health s all right, vcr honor ' (n plunge to thu side rill), Is tho sturdy rejoinder I hen, with 11 twinkle In his blood shot c)es, ' but, faith, me licttlt sleeiagel" Tho occin liner Is never without Its ferret, who Is sometimes n divinity stu dent, ' broadening his ringe of ohscr vatiou and study,' frequently the ) oung reporter honestly desirous of acquiring even thing possible tu le learned on shipboard In six days' effort, and often a female who his broken loose In search of a ' career " 1 heso human intcrro gallon points usually have (.old rimmed e)e glasses, Invulnerable assurance, and notebooks which are drawn on victims with the celerity of genuine dcadl) wetpons They are abroad for Information, and they get it Cornering the ship s commander com-mander on the subject of sea sickness, they f nd ' ' Dear sir, or madam, I hive followed the sea for twenty fivu years, and have put mure In than I ever took out of itl ' I rom grim old trivehrs they learn 1 This Is my hundred and fortieth passage, sir, or madam Though I h tvo taken every meal on shipboard, I have frequently missed them!" Irrcpresslblo they still are when the set and tho storm pound the waves and the fog upon the distracted passengers wl lie crossing the Newfoundland hanks, and there Is not life enough left In the objects In the deck chairs to quicken even profine response It Is then they espy a solitary being, on Its legs in 1 lue and ,old, nwiy out forward The) sidle, slqi and slide up to it 1 he I clng pruves 10 be a ships oflicer first, second third or somewhere along the lute Hut it is alive, Ins hearty low Is, n big paunch, and hoping these! bespeak gentility, the) timidly address It ' Ileg pardon, oflicer, but are these fogs alwajs to be found here en the banks? ' The being Is a blue, gold and bronze statue for a long long tune I Inall) as they despair and are about to turn aw a , I h re I hr I .. , 1, I irm. 1 trie ruiuil and they mvol 1 itar l listen I r Its click Then, Its cavernous toral mouth expands frlghllully w Into the being roars, Owthe llooily ell do II I kno , II I doant bide eeiel I 11 111 Scotland the grlmncss and , qualntness of humor In speech and anecdote, rather than In reioinder or situatlun Is to the traveler nn endless ilppl of sunshine serosa the stern felt ures of Scotland s folk and land At Galashiels of a Sunday mi rn ng I came upon two lids savagely deputing where their best interests should lead them to Sunday-sehool The lesser of the two a run -headed little fell tw closed the controv etsy and set the pace with ' Loom nwa cnomawa Ilstnaistfor naithing we II get at the 1 ree Mrkl I witnessed n fisherman s lrl le leaving leav-ing hrr old home for the new it Oban A sharp tongucd neighbor gave her this gri-1) god speed Join buck tooth tho' scare )enre w el busked nntl klsted (well dressed an 1 provided), but the dell isnawaur liuid uglier) thin th' auld bclk that owns )e'' Ihondvcntnf Iherloctor vvhennnew "alv arrrves In lowlv homes as the I'll) man usutlly brings currant ban no ks nr buns, called curnte barnies, wi h wlurht 1 divert the attention of the cl Iren is a supreme occamun in child life xpirlence 11 ol 1 heard n wee hsslo of I.din burgh old town relating to her big e)ed cumrds In the shadows of a narrow it th I'ochter hrocltt us n in w I urn th mornln ' An a inurkte i.uld dochti-r he is " Then after a long and I1111 res ive silence An he brocht a curnle bannlc an an' n sponge, tac Kidmr along the v.atllsle and Glasgow roadman old trap driven by a serious vouili 11 lined Andrew, Ihe horse shied, khked the dashboard In pieces, stopped stuck still, und turned and looked at Andrt w I uir heastlcl pulr beistlcl ' said Audiew so tlhingly Then he dlsinoiin ted and plucked n tuft of griss which hegivelottm animal, with Ihe rumiii alive remark " e II gie t a bl c o girse (grass) t 1 h ft (the vlciousness) out 0 us held! ' An intelligent traveler coull fll n volume with ihe se quaint s.i)lngswnhln his own heariui, A crolter who pulled me out of a si nam Into which I had unwittingly un-wittingly I ilk 11 closed the narration to lis Ineii Is of his g llaiu rescuu Willi. ' Oh, a), I brocht the une 00 Yonkeeoer the heckle p m sairl) A Highland l,iil I w lie predict! I tut diihculties in climbing lien tvevi-, h) remarking, 'tell nee I pit n M ot he irt le th' sty brie, while 1 canny and cnictlold bookseller of I erth, w I en ruin tiling me for my limited knowiedke of the Seot tish people, gave bis own count!) men the exquiste bit of satire of, 'Wll nc cr rlkhtl) ken a Smtelmion till ye ken him f or n 111011 that kee s ihe saw 1) 11 h an' all else he can li) his Iwa hands oopoill' 1 III VK I WVKKMAN |
