tain and the purser were the only two who did gamble going
over, and they were very fond of poker. So my partner and self
sat in, and we played four-handed all the way over. We realized
about $1,300, which paid our expenses and a few hundred dollars
besides.

About six of us agreed to go over to Metamoras that night and spend
the evening. The young man said to me that he would like to go
along. I said "All right," so we all started, and we had a fine
time drinking wine and pony brandy. We went into a gambling-house,
and the roulette wheel was going, and a lively game at that. There
was one man who was playing very high, and I asked his name. They
said it was the Mexican General Cortenas, who was in command of
Metamoras. Well, I took out a twenty-dollar bill and laid it on
the red, and it came red; I let it lay, and it came red again. I
took the $80 and put it over on the black and it won again; so I
picked up the money and walked out into the bar-room, and called
up every one in the house. At that time a Spaniard would run a
knife through you for a dollar, if he caught you in the dark; and
a man was not safe to step outside, if they knew he had money on
his person. He wanted his pistol in his hand.

Well, the young man was delighted with my playing, and said: "I
wish you would play again. I want to put in with you and take half
your game." "All right," said I; "after a while." I wanted to
get a few more ponies into him, for I was sure he had the money.
So I changed the drinks to wine, and I could see his eyes snap at
every glass. At last I said, "I guess I will make another play."
He stepped back into another room, and came to me, and handed me
a brand-new one-thousand-dollar bill that had never been crumpled.
I handed it back to him, and told him I would put up $500 of my
own, and for him to put his money back; that if I lost, he could
get it changed and give me $250. "All right," said he; and I bet
$100 on the black, and won it. I bet the same on the red, and it
came black again. Then I bet $200 on the red, and it came red.
The result was, I played along see-sawing until I was $400 winner,
and I quit. I handed my friend $200, and told him I was too tight
to play with good judgment.

We had our fun out, and got over to Brownsville about daylight in
the morning. We all slept that day, and went over that night again.
We did not gamble any that night, but drank wine and smoked our
Havanas, and ha