t
and the whole of the night, the harsh, complaining note of a certain
bird who seemed to be eternally unreconciled to the departure of day. I
think it was a bird, but it may have been the wail of a lost soul.

It was lonesome there in the wilds of Cuba in those early days of the
new colony, and doubtless there was some home-sickness, but the reader
should not gain the impression that the pioneers were downcast and
unhappy. On the contrary, they were delighted with the climate and the
country, despite the difficulties encountered in entering it and the
deprivations which had to be put up with. From the first, the colonists,
generally speaking, were more than cheerful; they were happy and
contented. Buoyant in spirits, eager to explore and acquire information
concerning the surrounding country, they enjoyed the pioneer life with
the keenest relish. They laughed at the hardships and privations, made
friends with each other and with the Cubans, and tramped the woods and
trails with reckless disregard of mud and water and thorny underbrush.
The men were astonished to find themselves in such excellent health; the
more they exposed themselves, the more they seemed to thrive, until
nearly every man in the colony was ready to say that he was better
physically and mentally than when he left home. It was the same with the
women, whose improved health, entire cheerfulness, and evident
contentment were a revelation to the observer. There are many women who
take as readily to a pioneer life as do the men. This was notably the
case in La Gloria.

The colonists had not come to La Gloria in search of a health resort--at
least, the great majority had not--but that is what they found. Scarcely
had we set foot on the soil of Cuba when those of us who had
catarrh--and what Yankee has not?--found that we no longer suffered from
the affliction. This cure, which proved permanent, was something the
majority of us had not counted on. Nor had we counted on the entire
freedom from colds which we enjoyed in the island. But the cure of
catarrh was of small importance in comparison with the sudden and marked
improvement in those who suffered from nervous diseases. It is not too
much to say, that many found the soothing Cuban climate a specific for
such disease which they had not dreamt of in their philosophy. Those
with kidney ailments and rheumatism reported themselves improved, and
there was not wanting evidence that persons with consumptive tend