f dry
land and the camp. We had crossed two small creeks and seen a few
unoccupied native shacks. No part of the land had been cultivated. Many
of us had seen for the first time close at hand the majestic royal palm,
which is deservedly the most distinguished tree in the island. It is a
tree without branches, crowned at the top of a perfectly straight shaft
with a bunch of long, graceful, dark green leaves. The royal palm rises
to a height of sixty, seventy, and even eighty feet, its symmetrical
shape and whitish color giving it the appearance of a marble column. It
bears no fruit, and affords little shade, but it is highly ornamental
and forms a striking feature of the landscape. The tree often lives to
be two hundred years old; it has twenty leaves, one of which is shed
about once a month. It has been stated that the seeds from a single
tree will support one good-sized hog.

As we approached our destination we passed two buxom women sitting on a
huge stump. They were clad in shirt waists, belted trousers and
leggings, and wore broad hats of a masculine type. We silently wondered
if this was the prevailing fashion among the women of La Gloria, but
soon found that it was not. Even the pair that we had first seen came
out a few days later in dainty skirts and feminine headgear. Indeed, we
found La Gloria, in some respects, more civilized than we had
anticipated.

It was late in the afternoon of Monday, January 8, 1900, that the one
hundred and sixty members of the first excursion to establish the first
American colony in Cuba, reached the camp which occupied the site of La
Gloria city of to-day. We found about a dozen tents, and as many more
native shacks occupied by Cubans who were at work for the company. The
Cubans numbered about fifty, and the American employes nearly as many
more. There were also a few Florida and other settlers who had reached
the spot early. Altogether, the population just before our arrival was
about one hundred, seven or eight of whom were women.

[Illustration: COL. THOMAS H. MAGINNISS.]

The white city grew rapidly after we appeared on the scene. The company
had tents, which we were obliged to put up for ourselves, and it was
several hours before we had opportunity to even partially dry our wet
feet and shoes. All that evening little groups of barefooted men could
be seen gathered around camp-fires, drying themselves and their
clothing. The distribution, location, and erection of the tents