however : be sure and tighten the head by screwing down 
the nuts or cap screws just as soon as the engine has 
run a few minutes. Should your inlet or exhaust valves 
at any time show the appearance of rust, look for water 
leaks, for this condition always is positive proof of com- 
ing trouble. 
A Week on the Cuban Coast. 
We had intended starting on this trip some months 
before, but had been delayed by many causes, chiefly 
by the non-arrival of our power dory, which had been 
contracted for a July i delivery, but which, owing to 
the failure of the boat-builder and his dishonest at- 
tempt to swindle us, only arrived at the end of Sep- 
tember. 
On Thursday, Oct. 8, we finally left the town of 
Guantanamo, situated some fourteen miles north of the 
bay of the same name, by rail, to join our squadron, 
which was waiting for us at Caimanera, a small village at 
the terminal of the Guantanamo railroad, over which all 
the sugars made in this district, some 40,000 tons last 
year, are shipped. 
The squadron consisted of the flagship, a 25ft. sloop, 
Soledad (described in Forest and Stream, Dec. 21, 
1901), the aforesaid power dory fitted with a 1^ horse- 
power kerosene engine, made by the International Power 
Vehicle Co., of Stamford, Conn., and a 13ft. tender. 
The party consisted of the Madame and myself, the 
captain; George, the colored cook and factotum; 
Modesto, a Spanish sailor, who composed the crews 
of the three ships, and Esperanza, a colored carpenter 
off one of the sugar estates, whom we took along to put 
up camp and to keep us provided with fresh meat with 
his gun. We took along two wall tents and two shade 
tents, for down there the sun is somewhat too much 
in evidence most of the time. All the ice, food and 
drinks was packed away, the tender put on deck, and 
with the dory at the end of the tow-rope, we raised the 
mainsail and started at exactly 3 P. M., almost no 
wind. After a few minutes, wind dies out and dory 
brought alongside; Captain jumps in and starts getting 
the engine ready. Now the dory is ahead and the 
sloop at the other end of tow-rope, being pulled along 
at about 2*^ miles. At this point we look like a cup 
racer being towed to the line. In this fashion we cover 
the few miles to Fisherman's Point, near the entrance 
to the bay, now famous for the fighting there during 
the war, when the marines beat off the Spaniards 
after repeated attacks. Here now are a few houses be- 
longing to the pilots, and a cable station. We anchored 
here to wait for the land breeze that almost always 
blows at night, to continue our outside trip. We 
whiled away the time by preparing and eating dinner. 
In due time, soon after dark, our breeze arrived, but 
on trying to raise the anchor we found we had caught 
the cable. However, after some doss of time, we 
cleared it and got under way, this time towing the dory. 
Wind, fresh from the N. for the 3-mile run to the light- 
house at the entrance to the harbor, which we quickly 
made, then flattened sheets for a close-hauled sail up 
the coast, to the once famous "Puerto Escondida," 
which was the home port of all the pirates and buc- 
caneers in the days of the Spanish Main. This bay is 
an ideal spot for camping, and is well named "Hidden 
Bay." The entrance is very narrow and full of reefs 
(see photograph), and high hills hide the masts and 
sails of any ship once inside, and one can easily 
imagine the old-time men-of-war passing and repassing 
along the coast looking for the pirates and not seeing 
any trace of them! There are no inhabitants at all on 
this part of the coast which is quite wild, and, of course, 
there are no charts, nor buoys, nor lights anywhere 
between Guantanamo and Maisi, and one has to know 
the channels to get into any shelter. 
We were making good time in spite of a lump of a 
sea which kept pounding us continually and soon made 
all hands, barring Captain and crew, most uncomfortable, 
some one remarking that the ocean was no place to 
cruise on anyhow! By 3 A. M. we were opposite the 
entrance, and as it was a very dark night, we decided 
to lower sails and start the engine in the dory for a 
tow in, for any attempt to beat in against a head wind 
in the narrow channel on a dark night would probably land 
you on a reef, of which there are many along the chan- 
nel. We had selected a small beach of clean sand that 
runs out into the bay about a mile inside the point 
for our camp, and toward this the dory was steered, 
once clear of the reefs. This beach slopes off rapidly 
into deep water, allowing the sloop with her spoon 
bow to run right on to the beach and to tie up to land 
while still in deep water, and enables one to walk 
ashore from the bows without even a plank, as may be 
seen from the photograph. 
Our tents were soon up and everything snug by 
4 A. M., and all hands turned in for a short sleep. 
Soon after daybreak came hot coffee, and then Esper- 
anza was started inland with his gun after meat, and 
the Captain took the dory to go for fish for break- 
fast. A few minutes trolling at half speed at the en- 
trance to the bay provided a couple of Spanish mack- 
erel, one about 20 pounds and the other 16 pounds. 
These are caught here with a light hand line with a piece 
of mullet for bait, and they put up a good fight, and 
plenty of skill is necessary to bring them in. A novice 
will not only lose the fish, but also the line, and will 
have his hands badly cut. By 8 o'clock the Captain 
was back, quite satisfied with his day's work. Soon 
after a yell was heard inland, and Esperanza appeared, 
staggering under the load of a fat cottontail deer, 
which he had killed half a mile back of the camp. Es- 
peranza and his deer were photographed in the shelter 
tent; then the deer was cleaned and cut up, and what 
could not be eaten fresh was salted down for future use. 
Fresh meat will hardly keep twenty hours in this cli- 
mate, so the natives cut it into strips, put some salt 
on it, and hang it out for a couple of days in the sun 
to dry — then it will keep a couple of months. Later, 
bathing suits were donned, and a swim along the beach 
indulged in; but one has to keep very close to land, 
for these waters are full of sharks and other fish, that 
will take a bite out of one if they get a chance. Nothing 
much was done for the rest of the day, and as soon as 
it was dark, at low tide, we went for lobsters. This 
js how they catch them here, You take a torch, and 
