Henry Adams 



man was only old enough and ugly 

 enough, and wore a red bandanna 

 round her head, King was sure to 

 be in her cabin, drinking coffee, and 

 talking negro-Cuban dialect that was 

 invented for the occasion, and getting 

 from her all the views of creation 

 in which she was rich. 



This sort of social dissipation was 

 not so safe in Cuba then as it may 

 now be. In the province of Santi- 

 ago in those days, among the coun- 

 try-people, one was sure of finding 

 only two settled principles, — rebel- 

 lion and brigandage. King did not 

 object to rebellion, but he adored 

 brigandage. Within ten days he 

 knew all the old negroes in the dis- 

 trict, and began to go off at night to 

 their dances, and bring back tales of 

 the old rebellion, and mutterings 

 of the coming one, besides stories 

 of the brigands who still held out 

 against the government, and arrests 



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