A CUBAN CARNIVAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1155, 17 January 1874, Page 10

A CUBAN CARNIVAL.

By far the gayest region of the city during a carnival is the spacious square called the Piaza de Annas. Here are the Governor's house, the residence of Cuban Bolgravia, the cafes, and the cathedral. Myriads of masqueradera, in every variety of motley and domino, congregate in the plaza after their day's perambulations, and dance and sing, or bewitch each other with their disguises. There is a party of masqued and dominoed ladies : genuine whites all — you can tell it by tho shapo of their gloveless hands and tho transparent pink of their finger nails — endeavouring to hoax a couple of swains in false noses and green spectacles, both of whom have been already recognised. The perplexed youths try their hardest to discover their fair intorlocutora by peeping at their profiles through their wire masks, but in vain. At the next quiet tertulia these same ladies will have rare fun. "Within earshot of where I am standing are a small crew of ancient mariners, Britons everyone of them ; unless they happen to be Americans from Boston : it does not matter which to a Cuban. They belong to the good ship Mary Barker, lately arrived from Halifax, in quest of Cuban copper. Jack has come ashore to-night to see the sights and collect material for a new yara, which he will deliver at hia own fireside one of these odd days. Some

masker has approached the group and has brought them the astounding information that he — the unknown — belongs to the Mary Barker. Jack turns to his messmates with a bewildered air. Then, addressing the masker, " What, Joe V says he at a venture. " No, not Joe," says the man behind the mask, " try again." "Shiver my timbers!' exclaims Jack, " I give it up. Here, Tom," says he to a shipmate of that, name, "you're good at conundrums ; just step for'ard and tell this 'ere lubber who he is." Tom tries and fails, but arrives at the possible concusion that it is " some of them 'ere Cubeyans a making game of us." In a dark corner are seated a snug couple — lover and mistress to all appearance. The dominoed lady is extremely bashful, her replies are brief and all but inaudible. The fond youth has proposed a saunter into the refreshing air, where a moon bright enough to read the smallest print by is shining. His proposal is acceded to. His heart is glad now : but what will his feelings be when he discovers that the beloved object is a bearded brute like himself 1 — "The Pearl of the Antilles;' by Walter Goodman.