CHAPTER VII--THE HAVANA RACE COURSE
As the yacht danced on its way to Havana, the voyagers began to take arenewed interest in the cruise. At first the departure of four of theparty caused a dignified silence, particularly as Elizabeth Dalken'sgoing had been brought about by her recent disgrace and her father'sintense displeasure. It created rather an uncomfortable feeling when theguests all went on deck that noon.
John Baxter and his chum decided that this atmosphere must be dispelledimmediately, hence they began their self-appointed task and soon hadevery one merry and eager to forget the unpleasantness of the previousnight's experience.
Havana proved to be a great fund of excitement and fun for the youngmembers in the party; John Baxter had spent several weeks in thathospitable city and knew just where to go and what to see, hence the daywas given to every kind of sightseeing. That evening Jack returned hisparty to the yacht, and proposed another visit to the city on themorrow. Mr. Dalken listened.
"They're going to have one of their famous horse races at the big courseto-morrow, Dalky, and I told your guests that it would be well worthseeing. Even if they do not bet on the horses, they will enjoy seeingthe stunts the natives do in order to get in first. Let's tie up to thiswharf until to-morrow night, instead of going on our way to-night."
As the vote showed the majority were inclined to stop over for theraces, the Captain was notified that the yacht would not resume her tripuntil the next evening.
That night, after dinner had been enjoyed on deck, Mr. Dalken proposed astroll through the "White Light Way" of Havana. This was received withacclaim and in another moment the ladies were gone for their hats andlight evening wraps. Soon all were walking up the street leading fromthe pier, and eagerly discussing the change in the looks of the city bynight.
Half the people they met were visitors from the States, and most ofthose were from New York, or the large cities of the Atlantic coaststates. Everywhere on bill-boards, on walls of buildings, and up high onthe roofs of houses, the advertising of the morrow's horse racing wasposted. Now and then the men in the party were accosted and invited tobook their wagers for the races. But Mr. Dalkin shook his head andadvised John and Ray to refuse all offers to double and triple theirgains by booking that night.
After visiting many interesting places, the yacht-party entered a famouscafe for supper. Dancing in all of its wildest and most sensuous formswas demonstrated by Spanish beauties with little idea of propriety; thevery abandon of their poses and the flashing glances they sent theAmerican men in the visiting parties proved how faint were the ties thatheld them to respectability.
"Shall we try a dance?" asked Jack Baxter of Polly. She glanced at Mrs.Courtney with a questioning expression.
"Better not, Jack. These dancing girls and their Spanish cavaliers areonly too willing to pick an acquaintance with any one who appears tohave money. Dancing here might prepare the way for familiarity, for youactually descend to their plane in taking the floor while they are onit," advised Mrs. Courtney.
"That sounds a little far-fetched, Lady Fair, but I will abide by yourcommands," laughed Jack, though he was keen to get out on the superbfloor and dance to the inspiring music.
Not five minutes later Mrs. Courtney had her quiet little revenge onJack for his light laugh at her advice.
Ray and Eleanor had not waited to hear Mrs. Courtney's hint aboutdancing, and had enjoyed the waltz to the utmost till the orchestraconcluded the piece. An encore loudly continued induced the musicians toresume the waltz. But a handsome Spaniard approached Eleanor who wasstanding with Ray at one end of the hall, and bowing politely offeredhis arm to finish the dance with her.
Eleanor flushed confusedly and Ray haughtily stared at the daring youngman, then turned on his heel and tried to escort Eleanor to her partywhich was seated at one of the balcony tables. Polly, Jack, and Mrs.Courtney were watching the episode, and Polly murmured: "Glad I wasn'tin Noll's shoes! I'd have spoken my mind to the fellow."
No sooner had Eleanor found her friends than Mrs. Courtney got up andsaid: "Are we ready to return to the White Crest?"
And those who had witnessed the incident of Eleanor's experience withthe strange Cuban man instantly followed Mrs. Courtney's lead.
The next day proved to be one of almost unbearable tropical heat. Thetourists found it necessary to drive to the race-course in rickety oldcarriages, because Jack had forgotten to engage automobiles for hisparty and other American sportsmen had anticipated the demand and hadcommandeered every form of auto to be found.
Mid merry jests and amused calls to each other, the girls managed tofinally dispose themselves in the worn-cushioned, shaky seats of thecentury old victorias, and at last Jack decided they were ready tostart.
As these vehicles carry but few passengers at a time, it was necessaryfor so large a party to have four carriages, one after the other, as ina parade. The dark drivers grinned and displayed glistening white teethat the wind-fall which would come their way that day, in driving theseNew Yorkers to the races.
The Dalken party was rattled along under long avenues of bamboo trees;past crowds of native holiday makers dressed in all their gala finery,who waved and shouted joyously at every passing vehicle; through bananaplantations where the road led over slight knolls, or down through woodsto ford a stream where the wheels of the laden carriages threatened tosink to the hubs in sand; then up again and over a dusty road where theheavy hoofs of the lazy horses caused choking clouds of dust to settleupon the passengers crowded so uncomfortably in the small equipages.
Finally the leading carriage in which sat Jack and Polly, with Mrs.Courtney as chaperone, reached a fenced in area where a number ofuniformed guards tried to keep peepers from securing their view of theraces for nothing. The darky driver knew exactly where to halt, and thenhe held out his hand for his fee.
"You wait here where we can find you after the races," said Jack,without a move to take any money from his pocket.
"Ah, no! You get drive here, me get money for it," retorted the driver.
"But I hired you for the entire afternoon! You have only fulfilled partof the contract. When you deliver us at the wharf I pay in full,"explained Jack.
Meanwhile Mr. Dalken had been having the same experience, but he paidthe fee without stopping to consider the reason for the untimely demand.Finally, Jack's driver capitulated and resigned himself to theinevitable, and his three passengers hurriedly joined the rest of theirparty.
Jack came up just as Mr. Dalken counted out the last bill.
"Good gracious, Dalky! Don't tell me you paid him!" called Jack,impatiently.
"The fellow was ready to call one of those ridiculous policemen over andarrest me," explained Mr. Dalken.
"He'd have done nothing of the sort! Now you will have to walk back orcrowd in with us. That rascal will hang about here until after the racesend, then pick up the highest bidder for his rickety old chaise back tothe city. If he had been made to wait for his fee he would have been tooglad to take you back as agreed upon."
"Never mind, Dalky, you shall sit upon my knee!" laughed Eleanor,teasingly.
"You may regret this kindly offer, Nolla, when the long dusty tripbegins," retorted Mr. Dalken.
But further argument on the situation was interrupted by a vendor ofcocoanut juice. Closely following this peddler came a bookmaker who hadbeen forbidden an entrance to the course. He was sent the way of thevendor of drinks; and then came a gayly garbed black who invited theparty to win great stakes at a new game--but it was merely a decoy of thethree-card monte gamble.
Accompanied on both sides by barkers for refreshments, by touts, and byevery sort of vendor of anything salable, the Dalken party finally foundit possible to reach the entrance gate. Soon after passing through here,the troublesome peddlers were left behind, but a new form of buzzardcame to annoy. These were the professional bookmakers and licensedgamblers who hoped to turn a dishonest dollar their way.
In threading a trail to the Grand Stand, Jack l
ed his party past familygroups that sat under the trees and picnicked gayly until the gongshould call all to the roped-off line that marked the course. The GrandStand, painted white and decked in many-hued flags of friendly nations,was reached after many side-steppings and turns. Here the girls foundarmy officers, professional men from Havana, and a tableau offashionably dressed women with fans and parasols galore.
As the horses were paraded past the Grand Stand, and their gayly deckedblack jockeys acknowledged the waving hands and applause of the ladiesto their favorites in the race, Polly turned to Eleanor and said: "Dearme, I wish I could bet!"
"You can," returned Eleanor. "Let's call Jack and tell him."
Jack heard and grinned. "Which is your favorite, Poll?"
"See this one on the programme--his name is Will o' the Wisp. Such apretty name!"
"Hoh, but he is absolutely no good!" declared Jack. "He's only enteredbecause they need filling the list on that race. No one will bet on him.The odds are ridiculous."
"I don't care what they say, I'm going to bet five dollars on him,"asserted Polly.
"But, dear girl, have you seen the scrawny beast! Look out there and seehim shambling along after all the others," argued Jack.
Polly looked. Yes, she admitted that he was a sorry-looking steed for arace, but still she insisted upon her choice. A man was found wholaughed scornfully as he took her bet--Polly would lose her five withouta doubt. But she shook her head and said knowingly:
"No, you will be the one to lose thirty-five dollars, I'm sure!" With asympathetic laugh the man went his way.
Eleanor's wager was almost as bad, because she chose her favorite onaccount of appearances. The horse was beautiful, to be sure, but he hadno record and consequently no bidding in his favor.
False starts were repeatedly made, and the impatient jockeys had to comeback and begin again. Finally the judge really dropped the flag and theywere off!
Then were heard excited calls, shrill cries from anxious watchers, and,as the horses circled the course, the tense urgings of men who hadstaked all on a favorite, became more thrilling until the home lap camein view. Then Jack's party were treated to a real Havana picture of arace.
The jockeys in purple and gold, green and red, pink and violet, andother combinations of colors, sat humped over their mounts and urgedthem to the utmost. Every jockey, as he neared the Grand Stand, shoutedexcitedly and switched his horse into greater effort. But all eyesseemed glued to a miracle!
Will o' the Wisp, pitied and ridiculed at the start of the races,carrying a faded-looking jockey who clung with his knees to the sides ofhis horse but used no whip, had crept up to his leaders before half thecourse had been covered. Gradually but surely he went on creeping upuntil he came beside the last horse in the string. But he did not stopthere. He crept on until he had passed that horse and then left him atthe very tail of the line. One by one he came nose to nose with and thenpassed all contestants in the race until he reached the leader of themall. Just as easily as he had crept up and passed the others, so he cameon and passed the leader, and finally let himself out on the home run.
The mobs were breathless. Not a hurrah or cry of encouragement soundedwhile Will O' the Wisp nosed ahead of the favorite in the lead, but whenhe loped out ahead of them all and stretched his neck to widen thedistance between the favorite and himself, the excited crowds gave ventto one long shrill yell of delight! That was a race worth seeing, nomatter how many dollars were lost on the books!
Polly seemed to be one of a very few who had wagered anything on Will o'the Wisp, but her friends declared she must understand horseflesh betterthan they to have so quickly picked the winner.
The bookmaker who had felt sorry for the misguided girl, now came overto pay his loss, but he wore a far different expression than one he hadexpected to wear. Polly accepted her winnings with a serious manner, butonce the bookmaker was out of hearing, she said, "I really cannot keepthis money because I think it is wrong to gamble on horses that way, soI will donate it to the Havana Hospital when we get back to town."
As Jack had feared, when they came out of the Grand Stand and emergedfrom the race-course, the jehu whom Mr. Dalken had paid off had found analluring fare to take home, and the three who had come out in thatvehicle found it necessary to accept the hospitality of their friendsand crowded into the already crowded surreys. However it made the rideto the yacht all the merrier, and once the pier was reached the driversfound it feasible to collect heavy toll for extra passengers they hadhad to carry.
The tax was paid, but Jack said angrily: "I never did see such graftersas they have in Havana. One can't lift an eye-lash without being made topay for it!"
That evening the Captain continued his course along the coast of Cuba.The wonderful air, laden with sweet perfumes of the tropical plants thatcaused the indented coastline to look like a fringed garment upon thesmooth silvery waters, made the tourists feel languid and only toowilling to loll upon deck and watch the swiftly passing panorama of theisland.
The Captain planned to pass between Cuba and Hayti, to reach the harborat Kingston, Jamaica, the next stopping place for the travelers. But theyounger members in the party clamored for a sight of Port au Prince andits motley citizens.
"You'll find that Island anything but a desirable place to visit,"objected Mr. Fabian, when he heard the plans.
"So Tom Latimer said, but we want to see the worshippers of the sacredserpents," said Eleanor.
"You won't see anything of the sort," remonstrated Mr. Dalken. "Theykeep all such performances secret from civilized people. About the onlything you will find, however, is a city rich in vice and unhealthy withfilth. You'll see blacks and half-breeds mince along the streets dressedin the very latest Parisian fashions, with the manners of westernoutlaws, and the morals of a dive dweller."
"In other words, my girls, a place we cannot allow you to visit," wasMrs. Courtney's conclusive remark. So that settled all hope of visitingHayti.
Long before the yacht reached Hayti, however, the younger members of theparty were anxious to reach Kingston, where Jack described such alluringattractions. Little coaxing was necessary to persuade Mr. Dalken toanchor at Kingston for a few days in order to give the tourists ampletime to visit all the places worth seeing.
Then, at last, the White Crest passed within a stone's throw ofPort-au-Prince, and leaving the Island of Hayti behind, made a straightcourse for Jamaica.
Skirting along the low-lying, palm-treed shores of this beautiful isle,the watching group on the yacht found it rather warm pastime on deckwith the tropical sun burning blisters on the hand-rails of the boat,and reflecting in all its power the burning rays as they struck thesmooth, mirror-like sea.
Suddenly, without warning of any kind, a darkness fell and the sundisappeared. Down came the rain in a regular deluge that sent everyonepell mell into the saloon for shelter. The waterfall continued for aboutten minutes, then abated and suddenly, once more, the sun shone forth ashot as ever.
Exercise was intolerable in this climate, and the guests on board theWhite Crest found the only agreeable pastime to be a comfortable chairon deck where one could watch the flying fish, the pretty littlenautilus gliding past, and the dolphin play and jump in the transparentdepths of the sea. At times a hungry shark would follow the boat,looking for the garbage thrown out by the cook.
That night there was the last of the full moon, but what a differentmoon from that as seen in New York! A few hours after sighting thelighthouse on Morant Point, the watchers saw the first peaks of the BlueMountains. The yacht sped past sugar plantations, low-roofed,silvery-white houses, glistening roads--glistening in the moonbeams--andwonderful groves of cocoanut or banana palms whose tall fronds waved awelcome to the girls.
Passing along six miles of the coral ridge one does not realize how nearis Kingston, hidden by the strip of reef, until, quite suddenly, youdiscover the town. It is entirely hemmed in by its mountains, and ononly one side approached by the beautiful lagoon through the wa
ters ofwhich the White Crest now danced to reach the mystical-looking placesituated about six miles away, at the end of the harbor.
That night the yacht made fast to a wooden quay where black-faced,white-teethed men awaited the coming of the rich quarry. Not often didthey have such a fine craft come to Kingston, and each and every son ofthe soil planned how to fleece the members of the party. But all weredoomed to disappointment for that night, as the time being almostmidnight, Mr. Dalken said no one would go ashore, until the morning.