FILIBUSTERING EXPEDITION TO CUBA.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXII, Issue 139, 21 June 1898, Page 4

FILIBUSTERING EXPEDITION TO CUBA.

Sp&HOW THE INSURGENTS: WERE SM • - p SUPPLIED. V,.'-' '- , : . • '-'-'* p&A. 7 correßpbijdent oiy ,'*, Lewie's Y. f „. ^Veß>aii' acoonnt 6i a YrlicjfbnstorinE: expedition to the coast ; y .''"'pli'Cubti, Blowing, how tho introrip. genta Y'Hea kept supplied before the * /; '■! /'deoiaration ol'war by the .United /:>/.■. •Btfiteß'i-r"''"'--'-' " '" ' ■** V; ; ,'.Yju filibtiskering expeditione to ■-/"Jnlja the difficulty did not lie in ereoting the aotual landing, but in ;> •' ms^iiig the Btart. When once the '■:', .Cuban coast ia reached thoie is comparative.y Jittle 10 fear. The smiart little " filibuster is handel •wi"""- coolness and dash, and the men aboard 'her are hrimfnl of patriot-bin, arid so sure of snccess ' that it is no -wonder they nearly alwajs attain it. It was about two • o'clock on a brighbFebruary mdrning that our filibustering steamer picked up the members of the expedition, ih mid-ocean . s A tugboat ran alongside of us, and put on board some 70 ; mob. Then 'We • . Btai-ted . for another rendezvous, •where .we were, tp pick up the boxes "* of armS^and ammunition. It took ttßitwo days to reach tho spot, aud there a'disappoihtihent awaited us, fot'iot a boat was in' sight. ,11 w W^fltrained onr eyes and scrutinised the horizon J And,how many times ' p" soine f autaglic cloud was mis' akei. for our boat ! * But the : success of filibnstering 1 consists, in, being able to anticipate - all kinds of "contretemps. Something had evidently interfered with ohr abip reaching this point, or re- ' mainihg there if Bhe bad arrived ; and to, meet jnst such an emergency bb this, a second place of rendezvous bad been settled upon. And for; this „we started, everybody feeling that we should find our friends waiting for us: Great was the excitement pf all Pn f board WHen, elariy one morning, the., lpok-ont^man sang out, "Sail ahead 1" ■ ■ Haying already been disappointed, so'meof onr number were inolined to be pessimistic, but as we got within hailing distance, and our signals' were answered, a long 'hnif^weht 'np irom our deck. Otira .''alongside, the work of ; ttanafe^ribg 'th^ cargo was' soon began.'.-It-. -yyaa a fine sight to.see tho ardour and alacrity with which thisY,;h&afutpbf' "bandits," as the Spaniards .would call them, Bet' to" "Work. Yin reality our party were good representatives of the 'Oaban' upper .classes., DPctors; lawyere,icivil engineers, merchants, and an owner, of a sugar plantation •worked a*way, noi; only at transferring the cargo, but also at filling the coal bunkers, and all seemed to enjojr tiie'iiovel^ cif the experience. . By ; the.' following morning we had transferred to onr little filibuster a ; complete cargo of boxes of arms and ammunition, and, exchanging . Bdutek: with bur supply-ship, we Btarted fprpur (landing-place. / lit was early on a Sunday morn- •'.- ing when' we 'first sighted Cuba, 'The stea -was jlike a mirror ; the „. gorgebuft tinilß of.the dawn iningled with .'the azure of the ' Gulf water, and spread over it'a myriad colours. -, , In'^iKf-f .distance^ the gre«u coast lopmed.throngh a pnrple hazs. The , picture '^as^BO thrilling that all . danger Was forgotten in tbe rapture . of the adtfceV "'•';■ ' v ! o|' are :two Bailing vessels,' .bnt'oftfiese" we take no notice. The : orders are to get ready for the landing. While approaching the shore,' the look-out man reports, ". "Smoke on the ; starboard quarter 1" Instead of beating a hasty retreat, we wait to investigate, and- presently discover that the stranger is a merchantman, lo the boat is lowered >nd a^arty .volunteer' to go aßhore todrecohnoitr&^V^Y. ; InayeryflhStt time they come back aaid' repprt;ievery thing favo'ar- , »blo, andi.all .^tart ' lo busy them* Belvps; •fritKiunlbadiDgi the. preoious ■> cargo. YWhile the work is proceed!. ing, l 'a yoijie is, heard doming from the bushes on shore, with a shout of 'fyiva Cuba Libn.,". to which we answer' Cuba expeaicioneros, , At ■ .i4_''iKiiVf. ) '.._v_».f »«,•'•■■»•!-*'■"• , • onee .three coastgaaids mounted on little mustangs make their appear- ■ '• ■ , ance,' and <ti*e welcomed by us with -:. ,. aoh«u*of"7ivaCubalabre." . . OnejPf : the ; coastguards had .. Btart^U'pVjifpraa>,a -Cuban force, -, enc&niped ? oios6'by*i oi : the arrival of - the expedition; 1 Xhe steamer which we bfed' sighted while approaohing the' labd is by this" tiriae plainly, seen . to be an Knglish tramp as she comes close iti shore -to satisfy her \curioBity. ..GtieMing pur. mission, she 'boii^:j^'i>Jß6Wrß/-an^ saJuteß us with'thre^blaßte • of' ber , whistle, ~ . which; we promptly answer; One honr-fad-fifyy^minuteß after reaching , the coast the cargo has been landed, the boats ate'hoieted' and we sail away, amid the hurrahs of those oti . board, heartily \answered by those . who are left behind.- - ■ - • ' . "'''' • .— — . . ...n _