oth coats, thick, high bombazine
stocks and cowhide boots, landed from their two-oared unpainted yawls,
and ascended the stairs with the air of an admiral of the blue.
Uniforms of Spanish, American, French and English navy officers were
thickly scattered amidst the crowd, and here and there, making for
itself a clear channel wherever it went, rolled the stalwart form of
the Yankee tar.

"This is a regular-built tower of Babel," said Langley, at last, "but
come, let's work out of 'em."

After some difficulty we gained the street, and our first move was to
a _pulperia_, where I treated our boat's crew, and bought as many
bananas, oranges and cigars as they could take down to the boat, to
send to my shipmates aboard. The second was to charter a volante, in
which we got under weigh for Mr. Stowe's house, which was situated
about a half a mile from the mole, in a retired street running
parallel with the Cabanas river, surrounded by a large garden, at the
foot of which was a summer-house, overhanging the river, to which led
a flight of steps. Upon our arrival we alighted from our vehicle, paid
our driver and rang the gate-bell. A gray-headed negro gave us
admission and conducted us to the house, where we were met by our
host.

"Ah! my dear boys," he cried, "I am delighted to see you, and so will
be Mrs. Stowe and the girls. They associate with the natives but very
little, and old friends like you will be a godsend."

Half an hour afterward Langley and I were as much at home as could be,
laughing and chatting with Mary and Ellen Stowe. Mary was a tall,
handsome brunette of eighteen, and my chum had always preferred her to
her sister, but my predilections were in favor of the gentle Ellen.
While we were children the elders often predicted that when we grew up
there would be a wedding some day, but her father had carried her with
him when he moved from Boston to the West Indies, and there seemed an
end to our intimacy. She was two years younger than I, and
consequently, at the time I saw her in Matanzas, about sixteen. I wish
I could describe her--perhaps I may be able to give you some idea of
her. She was of the middle height, and bade fair to be exquisitely
formed; her face was intellectual, a tolerably high forehead, straight
nose, a small mouth with pretty rosy lips, white, even teeth, small
and thorough bred hands and feet, and her eyes, which I have purposely
left to the last, are, notwithstanding Mr. Stewart's encomi