ntains,
and the other keys along the coast. There is good sea-bathing here, and
excellent fishing not far away. A few miles down the coast the mouth of
the Maximo river is reached, where one may shoot alligators to his
heart's content, while along the shore of Guajaba Key the resplendent
flamingo may be brought down by a hunter who is clever enough to get
within range of the timid bird. Assistant Chief Engineer Neville was a
good flamingo hunter, and we occasionally dined off the big bird at the
officers' table.

One of the hardest workers in the colony was Jason L. Ratekin, who came
from Omaha, Nebraska. He was a man of marked individuality, and though
not overburdened with capital, was fertile in resources and full of
energy and determination. At first he performed arduous work for the
company in the transportation of baggage and freight from the port with
the bullock team, and later went into business for himself as a
contractor for the clearing and planting of land. He was enthusiastic
and progressive. Among all the colonists there was none more
public-spirited, and he demonstrated his kindness of heart on many
occasions. Once when the bullock team was bringing in a sick woman and
several small children, and the rough and wearisome journey was
prolonged into the darkness of the night, he distinguished himself by
carrying the ten-months-old baby nearly all the way in his arms and by
breaking into a consignment of condensed milk to save it from
starvation. Ratekin was a rough-looking fellow, but a more generous and
kindly nature is seldom met with.

The first banquet in La Gloria was held on the evening of March 26, in
honor of the fifty-second birthday of Col. Thomas H. Maginniss,
superintendent of camp, who was about to return to his wife and eleven
children in Philadelphia. M. T. Jones of Williamsport, Pa., was master
of ceremonies, and the occasion was highly enjoyable. The banquet was
served in a tent restaurant on Central avenue, and the guests numbered
about twenty, several of whom were ladies. The table presented a very
attractive appearance, and the menu included salads, sardines, salt
beef, smoked herrings, fresh fish, bread, cake and _lime_-o-nade. Among
the after-dinner speakers were Colonel Maginniss, General Van der Voort,
S. N. Ware of Wyoming, Jesse B. Kimes, Rev. Dr. Gill, D. E. Lowell, M.
A. C. Neff, H. O. Neville, John A. Connell, and James M. Adams. The
banquet was voted a success by all present.