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CHAPTER XI

TRUE STORIES OF SMUGGLING

NE of the most interesting men I ever met on

my travels was a native of Santo Domingo who was a fellow passenger aboard ship. He was a stout, broad-faced, swarthy-skinned fellow with fiercely-curled mustache which was belied by his smiling mouth and twinkling black eyes; an agreeable, friendly, easy-going chap, and one who thoroughly enjoyed a good joke. He was, I learned, returning to his native land after several years of enforced exile owing to the fact that he had been a prime mover in an abortive revolution. Now, however, his party had succeeded, the government had been overthrown, and the exile had been summoned to the island where he was to become a cabinet minister, a position of power second only to the presidency. In short he was to be, and had been duly appointed, Secretary of War.

And thereby hangs the tale, the story of the insurrectors' beans which, after we had become

good friends, El General Don Miguel Fables related with the greatest gusto. At the time I took the story with a grain of salt, as the saying goes, but later I found, when I mentioned it to friends in the customs force then administered by Uncle Sam, that Don Miguel had not only not exaggerated, but that he had not told the half of the tale.

Soon after Don Miguel's revolutionary movement had ceased to move, and to save himself a summary demise at sunrise he had fled the country, the United States took charge of the republic's finance which had become sadly involved. European creditors were clamoring for a settlement; the Dominican treasury was as bare as the cupboard of the nursery rhyme, and the greater portion of the island's revenues found their way into the native officials' pockets. Like a good friend, Uncle Sam thereupon stepped into the breach, guaranteed the payment of the republic's debts, and, with the latter's consent, took control of the country's revenues and installed American customs officers. Also, realizing that insurrections were the curse of the land and that there could be no prosperity or financial recovery if the country was torn by revolting factions, our government undertook to prevent uprisings by keeping arms and munitions out of the Dominican Republic.

And most successful we were, for a time. Coast guard boats equipped with quick-firing guns cruis

sed the waters. American officials were stationed at every port. The Haitien border was patrolled, and every ship, each member of its crew and every passenger was searched for weapons and munition. Of course, now and then, a pistol or a few cartridges got in, but they were too few to jeopardize the peace of the country, and that the dead line on fire arms was most effective was proven by the fact that a single pistol cartridge was readily saleable at from one to three dollars, and any old revolver would bring twenty-five to fifty dollars.

But wily, good-natured Don Miguel still had dreams of power and of seeing his old political enemies humbled. The question was, how? He had ample funds; he was a wealthy man and had seen to it that his money was safe in a foreign land where it would be available in case of just such an emergency as had occurred, and he was financially in a position to equip a force quite capable of upsetting the existing government in fine shape. But he had no intention of using his gold to purchase the sinews of war only to have them confiscated when they reached his beloved land. But such little matters as customs officers, coast-guard gunboats and revenue officials could not long baffle the merry-eyed aspirant to a ministry in Santo Domin

go.

And presently, in the island, the officials began to wear a worried look and the "colorados," as Don

Miguel's adherents were known, held up their heads and smiled knowingly, and began to hold juntas and meetings as if the world were going very well indeed with them. And it was. Somehow, by some mysterious means, ammunition was being brought into the island, for pistol cartridges had depreciated in value from a dollar or more to a few cents each; rifle cartridges were worth little more, and there was so much powder to be had that the natives were actually using it to hunt birds and game. And with ammunition in their hands the insurrectors might start trouble at any time. Guns and pistols were of far less importance, for nearly every native was known to possess some sort of firearm,-though carefully concealed, -and the Remingtons that had been used by the defeated insurrectos in the last uprising had never been captured or accounted for. The officials were at their wits ends, and the president and his adherents were getting nervous. But nothing could be done. The leak could not be stopped, for the simple reason that no one could even guess where it was.

Thus matters stood when a steamer arrived at one of the island ports and commenced discharging cargo. Among the other merchandise was a large shipment of canned beans consigned to several merchants. And as the cases came swinging in and were dumped unceremoniously, and far from

gently, upon the pier, one of the boxes, as often happens, burst open, spilling the tins. As the Jamaica negro stevedores gathered up the scattered tins, one of the blacks decided that baked beans would make a very welcome addition to his midday meal, and surreptitiously pocketed a tin.

A little later, safe from detection under the dock, the fellow, grinning in anticipatory delight at his good fortune, deftly sliced off one end of the tin with his machete. The next moment his eyes were fairly bulging with amazement and he seemed absolutely transfixed as he gazed into the opened can. Instead of the lucious beans the label had led him to expect, the tin was filled with rifle cartridges closely packed in black gunpowder!

Quite oblivious to any reprimand or penalty that might be his lot for his theft of the can, the Jamaican hurried with his find to the nearby customs. officer. And quite naturally the latter forgot all about the temporary delinquency of the negro, and instead of punishing him rewarded him generously, so intense was his delight and so tremendous his surprise at the accidental discovery of the long sought leak.

Very promptly the rest of the consignment of beans was transported to the inspector's private office and each can hurriedly opened.

And then, to their intense chagrin, the officials discovered that their discovery was not such a dis