the province,
the others coming from small towns and villages. Most of them had served
in the Cuban army--the "Army of Liberation", as it was called. Though
these men had but few comforts, they appeared to be happy and contented;
they were almost invariably peaceable and good-humored. The Americans
liked these "Cu-bi-ans"--as some of the colonists persisted in calling
them--and entire harmony prevailed. It was amusing to me when we first
arrived to hear some of the Western colonists inadvertently speak of
them as "the Indians", owing, I suppose, to their primitive mode of
living. Columbus called them by the same name when, on the 28th of
October, 1492, he landed on the island at a point not twenty miles from
what is now Port La Gloria,--but within the last four hundred years the
appellation of "Cuban" has become well known throughout the world. The
Cubans must work out their own destiny, but I am satisfied that they
will steadily progress in the scale of civilization.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER IX.

STEPS OF PROGRESS.

The opening of the month of February found the colonists in excellent
health and good spirits, and hard at work on their land or for the
company. The La Gloria post-office had been established, church services
were held regularly in a large tent, and the La Gloria Pioneer
Association had been organized and held its regular meeting on Saturday
evening of each week. Town lots were being cleared, gardens planted, and
pineapple plants set out as fast as the land could be prepared and the
"suckers" obtained.

Through the active efforts of General Van der Voort, a United States
post-office was established immediately after his arrival. The general
held the commission as postmaster, and selected for his assistant, Col.
John. F. Early of Wilber, Nebraska, who had been postmaster of his town
before coming to Cuba. The general being otherwise engaged, most of the
actual work of the office fell upon Colonel Early, who was well
qualified to perform it. Some months later, Van der Voort resigned the
postmastership, and Early was promoted to the head of the office. The
post-office first occupied a small space in headquarters tent, but was
soon moved to a tent by itself near at hand. Here it remained until the
fall of 1900, when it was moved into a new wooden building constructed
for it on Central avenue. From the first the office did considerable
business, which steadily increased. The colonists wrote and r