INTRODUCTORY 



provisions were buried beyond discovery beneath 

 bedding and paraphernalia of all sorts. Everyone 

 searched for his own particular trunk and suit 

 case and then for a place to stow them. Two dogs 

 belonging to the crew barked incessantly at 

 passing craft and dashed frantically fore and aft 

 in the discharge of their noisy sentinel duties. A 

 white bantam rooster, that had fallen into a pot 

 of green paint, scrambled over the peaks of dun- 

 nage seeking a haven of safety while marking at 

 every step our belongings with a green fleur-de-lis. 

 Boatmen with their little craft for hire ranged 

 alongside, not caring to leave so novel and amusing 

 a sight. Our native crew talked excitedly among 

 themselves using many gestures that to our 

 unaccustomed observation seemed very threaten- 

 ing. To extricate ourselves from this chaos 

 required two full days* labor. 



The Tomas Barrera is the prize member of a 

 large fleet of fishing schooners of approximately 

 similar design and interior arrangement. She 

 belongs to a class of boats known in Cuba as 

 viveros, which means that she is constructed with a 

 large tank or well occupying the middle portion 

 of the vessel and intended for keeping alive fish 



