Show THEY WOR SHIP THE AMERICANS experience of our soldiers in a porto rican town overwhelming with attention and given the best of the land an englishman who has not heard his mother tongue in half a century he was overjoyed when the troops arrived ponce borlo rico aug cor of the associated the porto rican natives especially elbe poorer claasen cla ases have given us the most enthusiastic welcome they had dreamed for years of the time when the hand ot the oppressors conid be removed from their throats and now it has come with the exception of a few of the rich they beem to care little abent the independence of the island the old revolutionists ambitious for political power inquire anxiously if we will retain possession pos cession of the island and shout en but a great many care little tor independence apparently sure of the conviction that we came to drive oat the spaniards last tuesday the writer accompanied a expedition tion under gen roy stone ot 8 into the mountains north of ponce it wag remarkable in more ways than one gen miles had adecer bained that the position at aibonito Ai bonito was almost impregnable and be bad decided to turu the left flank of the spanish position and landine gen brooke at arroyo and moving bis column to cayey in the rear of the spanish position at Ai bonito the advisability ot a movement by our left flank was also discussed this could be done if the road across the mountains the coith coast was passable the reports were that there was a fine carriage road from to aibonito Ai bonito the only question was as to the character of the road tar as the former point general stone volunteered to make the he took with him EOV eral men ot the signal corps four lewd paper correspondents in carriages armed with tons and company 0 of the second wisconsin the start waa made at noon tho road led straight up to i the top ot the mountain for ten miles i and the infantry was soon far behind i tie carriages were drawn by ponies and went up the mountain on gallop except when the reckless drivers stood up to breathe the animals it was right into the heart ot the country the road rises to an altitude ot feet and goes right into san J uan ii is a marvelous piece of engineering at times it is hewn out of solid rock hang ing over cheer cliffs a thousand feet deep the scenery of the aibe aipe though bolder of course is not more beautiful everything Is covered with luxurious tropical verdure even the rocks brilliant flowering plants and trees splash the creek with vivid color once at the top the completed military road is ended and then we started on to adjuntas ten miles off the drivers drove like jehuda the vehicles have no brakes and the little ponies on the descent were on the dead run to keep away from the wheels bounding turning swaying now an inch from a preci pice on but two wheels and now swing 1 ing into the side of the clib the occupants holding on for dear lile the vehicles went at a terril lc pace as the drivers whipped their mad beasts one false step would have sent as whirling off into apace no other drivers could have accomplished complis hed this feat one more descent and we went tearing down into the town As rapidly aa had been growing the pace we drove on until at a gallop the women and children lining the bombarded us with boquete of roses and wild flowers while the men who formed the background cheered and cried down with spain A quaint latue town in the mountains hae a picturesque square where the people can gather to cheer and welcome they bad some american flags which were waved everywhere the alcalde welcomed general stone formally but the latter made the assembled populace from the verania of the town ball in their enthusiasm the people could not wait tor translation every sentence they cheered then they cheered the translation it aben the formalities were over and every citizen constituted a reception committee besieging the mem hereof our party with t dinner general stone finally accepted the invitation of a rich english 1 who had lived there fifty four beare ilia children spoke nothing bat spanish and frecci and the old gentleman was eo that he cm still speak english that he would not take no for an anscer 1 I was so afraid I 1 had forgotten my native language be eaid speaking eflowly as it groping tor bia words of cauree I 1 can read books but no one here speaks english and the words bound strange to me it Is like ft memory of existence to hear you talk but it is a pleasure I 1 thank god an speaking people hae come at last the correspondent insisted on goinz to the hotel taking with them a naif dozen natives who had been pressing their invitations and we had dinner with half the town at the doors and windows our guests wanted to drink our healtha at every in the conversation and several timea during each of the cou reee they appeared intensely grieved when we declined to sample all the different kinds of wine they offered ne after we had finished the natives began to show alarm they bad supposed that troops were behind us two hundred spaniards had retreated through the town in the morning and the natives feared they would return we informed them that our troops would be up in an hour or more though we knew they were miles behind after a council of war gen stone decided to suggest to the natives the advisability of their maintaining a line 0 outposts out poets around the city pending the arrival of our troops this they to do while we arranged our sleeping slee pine quarters but the enemy did not appear several times crowds came under our windows and awoke us with cheers |