| CHAPTER I. | PAGE |
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Departure. — On Board Ship. — Arrival at Nassau. — Capital
of the Bahamas. — Climate. — Soil. — Fruits and Flowers.
— Magic Fertility. — Colored Population. — The Blockade
Runners. — Population. — Products. — A Picturesque Local
Scene. — Superstition. — Fish Story. — The Silk-Cotton
Tree. — Remarkable Vegetation. — The Sea Gardens. — Marine
Animal Life. — The Bahama Banks. — Burial at Sea. — Venal
Officials. — Historical Characters. — The Early Buccaneers.
— Diving for Drinking-Water.
| [1] |
| CHAPTER II. | |
|
Among the Islands. — San Salvador. — A Glimpse at the Stars. — Hayti. — The
Gulf Stream. — The Caribbean Sea. —
Latitude and Longitude. — The Southern Coast of Cuba. — A
Famous Old Fortress. — Fate of Political Prisoners. — The
Oldest City in Cuba. — The Aborigines. — Cuban Cathedrals.
— Drinking Saloons. — Dogs, Horses, and Coolies. — Scenes
in Santiago de Cuba. — Devoured by Sharks. — Lying at
Anchor. — Wreck of a Historic Ship. — Cuban Circulating
Medium. — Tropical Temperature.
| [24] |
| CHAPTER III. | |
|
Doubling Cape Cruz. — Trinidad. — Cienfuegos. — The Plaza.
— Beggars. — Visit to a Sugar Plantation. — Something
about Sugar. — An Original Character. — A Tropical Fruit
Garden. — Cuban Hospitality. — The Banana. — Lottery
Tickets. — Chinese Coolies. — Blindness in Cuba. — Birds
and Poultry. — The Cock-Pit. — Negro Slavery, To-Day. —
Spanish Slaveholders. — A Slave Mutiny. — A Pleasant
Journey across the Island. — Pictures of the Interior. —
Scenery about Matanzas. — The Tropics and the North
contrasted.
| [46] |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
|
The Great Genoese Pilot. — Discovery of Cuba. — Its Various
Names. — Treatment of the Natives. — Tobacco! — Flora of
the Island. — Strange Idols. — Antiquity. — Habits of the
Aborigines. — Remarkable Speech of an Indian King. — A
Native Entertainment. — Paying Tribute. — Ancient Remains.
— Wrong Impression of Columbus. — First Attempt at
Colonization. — Battle with the Indians. — First Governor
of Cuba. — Founding Cities. — Emigration from Spain. —
Conquest of Mexico.
| [70] |
| CHAPTER V. | |
|
Baracoa, the First Capital. — West Indian Buccaneers. —
Military Despotism. — A Perpetual State of Siege. — A
Patriotic Son of Cuba. — Political Condition of the Island.
— Education of Cuban Youths. — Attempts at Revolution. —
Fate of General Narciso Lopez. — The Late Civil War and its
Leader. — Terrible Slaughter of Spanish Troops. —
Stronghold of the Insurgents. — Guerrillas. — Want of
Self-Reliance. — Spanish Art, Literature, and Conquest. —
What Spain was. — What Spain is. — Rise and Fall of an
Empire.
| [88] |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
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Geographical. — A Remarkable Weed. — Turtle-Hunting. —
Turtle-Steaks in Olden Times. — The Gulf Stream. — Deep-Sea
Soundings. — Mountain Range of Cuba. — Curious Geological
Facts. — Subterranean Caverns. — Wild Animals. — The
Rivers of the Island. — Fine Harbors. — Historic Memories
of the Caribbean Sea. — Sentinel of the Gulf. — Importance
of the Position. — Climate. — Hints for Invalids. —
Matanzas. — Execution of a Patriot. — Valley of Yumuri;
Caves of Bellamar; Puerto Principe; Cardenas.
| [102] |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
|
City of Havana. — First Impressions. — The Harbor. —
Institutions. — Lack of Educational Facilities. — Cuban
Women. — Street Etiquette. — Architecture. — Domestic
Arrangements. — Barred Windows and Bullet-Proof Doors. —
Public Vehicles. — Uncleanliness of the Streets. — Spanish
or African! — The Church Bells. — Home-Keeping Habits of
Ladies. — Their Patriotism. — Personal Characteristics. —
Low Ebb of Social Life. — Priestcraft. — Female Virtue. —
Domestic Ties. — A Festive Population. — Cosmetics. —
Sea-Bathing.
| [125] |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
|
Sabbath Scenes in Havana. — Thimble-Riggers and Mountebanks.
— City Squares and their Ornamentation. — The Cathedral. —
Tomb of Columbus. — Plaza de Armas. — Out-Door Concerts. —
Habitués of Paseo de Isabella. — Superbly Appointed Cafés.
— Gambling. — Lottery Tickets. — Fast Life. — Masquerade
Balls. — Carnival Days. — The Famous Tacon Theatre. — The
Havana Casino. — Public Statues. — Beauties of the
Governor's Garden. — The Alameda. — The Old Bell-Ringer. —
Military Mass.
| [144] |
| CHAPTER IX. | |
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Political Inquisition. — Fashionable Streets of the City. —
Tradesmen's Signs. — Bankrupt Condition of Traders. — The
Spanish Army. — Exiled Patriots. — Arrival of Recruits. —
The Garrote. — A Military Execution. — Cuban Milk Dealers.
— Exposure of Domestic Life. — Living in the Open Air. —
The Campo Santo of Havana. — A Funeral Cortége. — Punishing
Slaves. — Campo de Marte. — Hotel Telegrafo. — Environs of
the City. — Bishop's Garden. — Consul-General Williams. —
Mineral Springs.
| [166] |
| CHAPTER X. | |
|
The Fish-Market of Havana. — The Dying Dolphin. — Tax upon
the Trade. — Extraordinary Monopoly. — Harbor Boats. — A
Story about Marti, the Ex-Smuggler. — King of the Isle of
Pines. — The Offered Reward. — Sentinels in the Plaza de
Armas. — The Governor-General and the Intruder. — "I am
Captain Marti!" — The Betrayal. — The Ex-Smuggler as Pilot.
— The Pardon and the Reward. — Tacon's Stewardship and
Official Career. — Monopoly of Theatricals. — A Negro
Festival.
| [184] |
| CHAPTER XI. | |
|
The Havana Lottery. — Its Influence. — Hospitality of the
Cubans. — About Bonnets. — The Creole Lady's Face. — Love
of Flowers. — An Atmospheric Narcotic. — The Treacherous
Indian Fig. — How the Cocoanut is propagated. — Cost of
Living in Cuba. — Spurious Liquors. — A Pleasant Health
Resort. — The Cock-Pit. — Game-Birds. — Their Management.
— A Cuban Cock-Fight. — Garden of the World. — About
Birds. — Stewed Owl! — Slaughter of the Innocents. — The
Various Fruits.
| [200] |
| CHAPTER XII. | |
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Traveling by Volante. — Want of Inland Communication. —
Americans Profitable Customers. — The Cruel National Game.
— The Plaza de Toros. — Description of a Bull-Fight. — The
Infection of Cruelty. — The Romans and Spaniards compared.
— Cry of the Spanish Mob: "Bread and Bulls!" — Women at the
Fight. — The Nobility of the Island. — The Monteros. —
Ignorance of the Common People. — Scenes in the Central
Market, Havana. — Odd Ideas of Cuban Beggars. — An Original
Style of Dude. — A Mendicant Prince.
| [219] |
| CHAPTER XIII. | |
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Introduction of Sugar-Cane. — Sugar Plantations. — Mode of
Manufacture. — Slaves on the Plantations. — African
Amusements. — The Grinding Season. — The Coffee
Plantations. — A Floral Paradise. — Refugees from San
Domingo. — Interesting Experiments with a Mimosa. — Three
Staple Productions of Cuba. — Raising Coffee and Tobacco. —
Best Soils for the Tobacco. — Agricultural Possibilities. —
The Cuban Fire-Fly. — A Much-Dreaded Insect. — The Ceiba
Tree. — About Horses and Oxen.
| [236] |
| CHAPTER XIV. | |
|
Consumption of Tobacco. — The Delicious Fruits of the
Tropics. — Individual Characteristics of Cuban Fruits. —
The Royal Palm. — The Mulberry Tree. — Silk Culture. — The
Island once covered by Forests. — No Poisonous Reptiles. —
The Cuban Bloodhound. — Hotbed of African Slavery. —
Spain's Disregard of Solemn Treaties. — The Coolie System of
Slavery. — Ah-Lee draws a Prize. — Native African Races. —
Negroes buying their Freedom. — Laws favoring the Slaves. —
Example of San Domingo. — General Emancipation.
| [260] |
| CHAPTER XV. | |
|
Slave Trade with Africa. — Where the Slavers made their
Landing. — An Early Morning Ride. — Slaves marching to
Daily Labor. — Fragrance of the Early Day. — Mist upon the
Waters. — A Slave Ship. — A Beautiful but Guilty
Brigantine. — A French Cruiser. — Cunning Seamanship. — A
Wild Goose Chase. — A Cuban Posada. — Visit to a Coffee
Estate. — Landing a Slave Cargo. — A Sight to challenge
Sympathy and Indignation. — Half-Starved Victims. —
Destruction of the Slave Ship.
| [282] |
| CHAPTER XVI. | |
|
Antique Appearance of Everything. — The Yeomen of Cuba. — A
Montero's Home. — Personal Experience. — The Soil of the
Island. — Oppression by the Government. — Spanish Justice
in Havana. — Tax upon the Necessities of Life. — The
Proposed Treaty with Spain. — A One-Sided Proposition. — A
Much Taxed People. — Some of the Items of Taxation. — Fraud
and Bankruptcy. — The Boasted Strength of Moro Castle. —
Destiny of Cuba. — A Heavy Annual Cost to Spain. —
Political Condition. — Pictures of Memory.
| [300] |