presented...." In his mind the thing was
certain to come. It had already come, and only awaited disclosure and
recognition. Remember, too, that of all men of his time Mr. Cleveland
was one of the most opposed to "jingoism," and meddling with the affairs
of other lands; while to any suggestion of conquest and annexation of
Cuba to the United States he would have offered the most resolute
opposition of which he was capable. In view of those facts, that
utterance in his message was of epochal import. It foreshadowed
precisely what did occur less than a year and a half later. It was in
effect a declaration of intervention and of war with Spain in behalf of
Cuban independence, made more than a year before the steamer _Maine_
entered Havana harbor.

CHAPTER VI

We have said that the death of Antonio Maceo moved Cuban patriots to
redouble their efforts to atone for the grievous loss which their cause
had thus suffered. Unfortunately not all of them were capable of so
doing, while those who did so were unable to make devotion and zeal take
the place of consummate military genius. In consequence, despite the
utmost efforts of Gomez and his colleagues matters went badly for the
revolution through most of the following year. Gomez himself indeed felt
that he had lost his right arm. He was at La Reforma, near Sancti
Spiritus, at the beginning of 1897, and he summoned the other
revolutionary leaders to meet him there, to concentrate their forces,
and to plan a new campaign. They came promptly and eagerly, some of them
unfortunately thus leaving without protection important strategic points
and centers of revolutionist industry, which were pounced upon and
captured by the Spanish. When the patriot forces were thus gathered it
was expected that there would be immediately undertaken a general
advance westward, into Matanzas and Havana; for which it was believed
the Cuban army was strong enough, and which the Spanish were not
believed to be able to resist.

Instead, Gomez decided first to effect the reduction of Arroyo Blanco.
This was a small and unimportant town in the Province of Camaguey, near
the Santa Clara border; containing a Spanish garrison under Captain
Escobar. Gomez first summoned Escobar to surrender, in order to avoid
the destruction which would be caused by the bombardment of the place
with a dynamite gun, which he threatened to begin forthwith. Escobar
defied him, and the bombardment was undertaken, but prove