THE CITY.
IT is a delightful trip. The weather is just cool enough for comfort,
and no one is seasick. The children are never tired of sitting on deck
and watching the views, changing hour by hour.
They are never out of sight of land, but sail along the shores of their
loved island. Here is a little village of palm-thatched huts, there a
grove of breadfruit or cocoanut trees; again one meets another sailing
vessel with all its men busy shark-fishing. The skin of the ugly
monster is valuable, as well as its fins and tail, which are prized as
food by many of the people of Porto Rico.
Looking down beneath the clear blue waters Dolores descries the rainbow
fish and claps her hands at its beauty. It is so called because of its
many beautiful colours.
And see! Here is a shoal of flying-fish darting over the waters. They
do not really fly, as some people think, but dart up out of the water,
with their long fins spread in such a way that they are carried through
the air for quite a distance.
Deep down in the water the children see a beautiful object. It is
moving rapidly, and its back shines like burnished gold, then changes
in the sunlight into many shades and tints of colour.
"Papa, do please come quickly, and tell me what this is," calls Manuel.
"That is a dolphin, my dear, one of the most beautiful of all creatures
living in the sea," says his father, as he looks over the ship's side.
"But he is always hungry, and if he sees those flying-fish ahead of him
it will be a sad day for them."
[Illustration: A STREET IN SAN JUAN]
At this very moment the dolphin seems to get a view of his favourite
prey. He darts to the surface of the water and leaps forward at the
flying-fish with the speed of a bullet; at least it seems so to the
watching children, who pity the little fellows with all their hearts.
When they discover their foe it is too late for them to escape, for,
although they flee with all their might, now in one direction, then in
another, the dolphin gains upon them and snaps them up one by one in
his great jaws. In their fright many of them throw themselves clear out
of the water with their fins spread, and are carried many feet on the
air. It is this that gives them the appearance of flying.
The voyage seems only too short to Manuel and Dolores. When they arrive
at San Juan there are so many new things to see that the days pass only
too quickly. They have never been in the city before.
The narrow streets, with the still narrower sidewalks, seem odd
indeed to these children used to plantation life. Sometimes they cannot
even walk side by side without one being pushed into the street. And
the houses, although many of them are built of stone like their own,
are so close together that Manuel says to his sister:
"I wonder how people can like being so crowded together. I should think
they would feel choked."
The friends whom they visit live on the upper floor of their house.
Although they are quite wealthy, they let the lower floor to a poor,
dirty, and ignorant family with many children. Such an arrangement is
often made in San Juan; but the two families do not mingle at all,
although living in the same house.
Balconies jut out from the upper story, and Manuel and Dolores like to
sit here and watch the passers-by.
It is so odd to see the milkman ride up to the house astride of his
donkey, with his milk cans jostling against each other between his
legs. Sometimes a cow is led through the streets, and her owner stops
at neighbouring doorways to draw the milk as the people wish. Dolores
thinks the milk must be much nicer when obtained in this way.
"But look, now, Manuel," she says, "at that poor mule! He is almost
smothered under an immense bundle of fodder; and, as though that were
not enough for the poor beastie, his master is riding on top of the
load."
Sometimes the children rise as early as five o'clock in the morning.
They like to go to the market held in a public square of the city. They
see people of all shades of colour selling their goods.
There is the baker with his bags of freshly baked bread and oddly
twisted rolls; there is the poultry man with wicker cages full of live
fowls hanging to the sides of his half-starved donkey; there, too,
is the butcher with sides of beef hanging by hooks from his horse's
harness; while crowded together are those who have brought their fruits
and vegetables afoot many a long mile in early morning.
There are great piles of yellow oranges; plantains, green, brown, and
yellow; pineapples, melons, onions, guavas, and lemons; while behind
them sit their owners, who laugh and joke and make love, and at the
same time are busy shouting their wares and making bargains.
Oh, but one must not forget the game-cocks fastened to stakes here and
there in the midst of the busy crowd. Many a trade is made, many a bet
laid on these ugly, skinny, but greatly admired cocks as they pull at
their stakes.
Later in the day no sign of this busy scene is left in the public
square. One notices for the first time that there is a band stand,
and when the evening comes, Manuel's father and mother are driven
with their hosts to this square. Many other carriages, filled with
richly dressed ladies and gentlemen, also arrive and take their places
at one side of the band stand. Here they sit laughing and chatting or
listening to the music; the ladies' black eyes sparkle as a favourite
tune is played, and they keep time by gentle taps of their fans.
Many of these fans are very beautiful. Manuel's mother has one made of
the feathers of humming-birds. It is brilliant, even in the soft light
of evening, and the dear lady herself looks very charming with a lace
mantilla drawn over her head, its point reaching down over the forehead
almost to her nose. To be sure, her cheeks are heavily powdered, but
that is the fashion of all the ladies in her land, and so it seems
quite natural.
The rest of the square is filled with the crowd of poorer people who
cannot afford to ride. They walk slowly about, and seem to enjoy
the music and each other's company as much as those who sit in the
carriages.
There are many street processions in San Juan, and the children are on
the lookout not to miss them. These processions are in honour of some
saint. Dolores is out on the balcony one morning when she hears music.
It is the voices of children singing.
"O Manuel, Teresa, mamma, do come and see the pretty sight," she calls,
as a procession draws near.
People dressed in the costumes of different lands come marching by;
then follows a cart, decked gaily with flowers, and in it stands a
little girl dressed to represent the virgin mother of Jesus. There is a
band of music playing sacred airs.
The children take their hats and follow the procession to the public
square, where the little girl in the flower-decked carriage recites a
poem written in honour of the day. All business stops in the stores
near by. All vehicles give way to the procession, and the passers-by
stand still to admire and listen.
It seems strange to the children to see the red, white, and blue of
the American flag floating over the city, instead of the colours of
Spain--the red and yellow they were formerly taught to love.
"But this new flag means friendship, you know, Dolores," says her
brother. "The poor will not be taxed so much as they used to be, and
the good Americans will not allow any other people to harm us. At least
father says so, and he is very wise. Dolores, he has promised to take
us sometime to that wonderful city, New York, where we shall see so
much we have never even dreamed of. I hope the time will come soon, for
I want to get acquainted with my American cousins in their own land,
our own land, now."
THE LITTLE COUSIN SERIES
The most delightful and interesting accounts possible of child-life in
other lands, filled with quaint sayings, doings, and adventures.
Each 1 vol., 12mo, decorative cover, cloth, with six full-page
illustrations in color by L. J. Bridgman.
Price per volume $0.60
_By MARY HAZELTON WADE_
=Our Little African Cousin=
=Our Little Armenian Cousin=
=Our Little Brown Cousin=
=Our Little Cuban Cousin=
=Our Little Eskimo Cousin=
=Our Little German Cousin=
=Our Little Hawaiian Cousin=
=Our Little Indian Cousin=
=Our Little Irish Cousin=
=Our Little Italian Cousin=
=Our Little Japanese Cousin=
=Our Little Jewish Cousin=
=Our Little Mexican Cousin=
=Our Little Norwegian Cousin=
=Our Little Philippine Cousin=
=Our Little Porto Rican Cousin=
=Our Little Russian Cousin=
=Our Little Siamese Cousin=
=Our Little Swiss Cousin=
=Our Little Turkish Cousin=
_By BLANCHE McMANUS_
=Our Little English Cousin=
=Our Little French Cousin=
_By ELIZABETH ROBERTS MacDONALD_
=Our Little Canadian Cousin=
_By ISAAC HEADLAND TAYLOR_
=Our Little Chinese Cousin=
_By H. LEE M. PIKE_
=Our Little Korean Cousin=
ANIMAL TALES
By Charles G. D. Roberts
ILLUSTRATED BY
Charles Livingston Bull
as follows:
=The Lord of the Air=
(THE EAGLE)
=The King of the Mamozekel=
(THE MOOSE)
=The Watchers of the Camp-fire=
(THE PANTHER)
=The Haunter of the Pine Gloom=
(THE LYNX)
=The Return to the Trails=
(THE BEAR)
=The Little People of the Sycamore=
(THE RACCOON)
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Realizing the great demand for the animal stories of Professor Roberts,
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* * * * *
Transcriber's Note:
Page vii, Table of Contents, Chapter VII's page number was misprinted.
"30" has been changed to "50" to match the text.
Page 33, "themseves" changed to "themselves" (they themselves sit)
Page 42, "hall" changed to "ball" (great round ball)