To Cuba 53 



I tried to arrange so the sections would be far 

 enough apart to allow each ample time to unload, 

 feed, water, and load the horses at any stopping- 

 place before the next section could arrive. There 

 was enough delay and failure to make connections 

 on the part of the railroad people to keep me en- 

 tirely busy, not to speak of seeing at the stopping- 

 places that the inexperienced officers got enough hay 

 for their horses, and that the water given to them 

 was both ample in quantity and drinkable. It hap- 

 pened that we usually made our longest stops at 

 night, and this meant that we were up all night long. 



Two or three times a day I got the men buckets 

 of hot coffee, and when we made a long enough stop 

 they were allowed liberty under the supervision of 

 the non-commissioned officers. Some of them 

 abused the privilege, and started to get drunk. 

 These were promptly handled with the necessary 

 severity, in the interest of the others; for it was 

 only by putting an immediate check to every form 

 of lawlessness or disobedience among the few men 

 who were inclined to be bad that we were enabled 

 to give full liberty to those who would not abuse it. 



Everywhere the people came out to greet us and 

 cheer us. They brought us flowers ; they brought us 

 watermelons and other fruits, and sometimes jugs 

 and pails of milk all of which we greatly appre- 

 ciated. We were traveling through a region where 



