230 CHAPTER IX.

A PERIOD OF SUSPENSE.

magic lantern was brought into use to show huge crowds pictures of Cuban horrors and of American ships and commanders, alternating with" warbulletins" displayed on the screen or on large boards. There could not have been more excitement if war had actually begun. One editor broke down under the strain, and wasremoved to a lunatic asylum, where he died in a few weeks. The wonderis, there were not more cases of the same kind. In the midst of the storm, though at a serious risk of losing popularity and circulation, some of the papers kept up the fight for peace, and did not stop their plea for it tillthe first shot was fired.

THE end of March sawboth Spain and the United States hurriedly preparing for war. On the morningof the 31st, Commodore Sclaley at Hampton Roads received orders to keep his squadron of swift cruisers ready to sail at a moment's notice. Some days before, Commodore Sampson, who had taken over the command of theNorth Atlantic fleet at KeyWest on account ofAdmiral Sicard's ill-health,had been directed to have his powerful battleships and cruisers put into fighting trim. In peace times United States warships are painted a brilliant white above the waterline and a pale salmon-red below it. The first step taken was to paint the hulls a dull grey, and the sailors cheered loudly as they saw the start made with the work of getting rid of the finery of peace times and replacing it with the less showy battle colour. At the same time all wood-work was cleared away from the upper works of the ships and sent ashore, for modern experiencepoints to the danger of fire on board inaction beingoneof the most serious risks to be facedin naval war. On the Spanish side the torpedo flotilla, whichhadreached theCanaries, received orders to proceed to St. Vincent in the Cape deVerde Islands,a stage nearer Cuba and yet in cable communication with Cadiz and Madrid.

In Spain the popular excitement developed on other lines. The finances of the kingdom were notoriously in a very crippled condition, and the people were called upon to raise a fund for the fitting out of the fleet. TheBank oi Spain headed the first list opened in Madrid with a cheque for100.000 pesetas(about On the last eveningin March there was a gala performanceat theRoyal Theatre of Madrid in aid of thefund. The Queen Regentpaid 50,000 pesetasfor her box. TheMarquis de Villamajor gave a quarter of a million pesetas for a single seat. Another noblemanpaid a thousand for a single place in the gallery,and, on hearing that seats were still in demand, gave the ticket to the fund to be sold again. Nor was this enthusiasm confined to the upper classes. A working manbrought to the committee, as the price of his ticket, 500 pesetas, the hard-earned savings of many years. The performance was made theoccasion of a greatpatriotic demonstration. The Queen Regent, the Ministry, the senators and deputies, officers of the army and navy, all the leading men of Madrid crowded the theatre, and enthusiasm rose to its highest point when at the close the curtain rose upon a scene that showed in the centre of the stage a pedestal on which stood a well-known actress holding aloft the royal banner with its ca-ties and lions, the emblem of Castile and Leon. Beside her a lion, with flashing representedby electric lights, rested a huge paw on a shield blazonedwith the royal arms. Beluv,-stood,a group of soldiers and sailors with fixed bayonets, and the scene behind showed the caravels of Columbus sailing westward to In New York the more bellicose newspapers were already producing " war editions," full of forecasts of the coming struggle, news of preparations,highly-coloured pictures of battles in the past, and imaginaryfights that were yet to come. One enterprising paper brought out a wonderful picture of the coming landing of United States troopsinCuba and the capture of Havana. Rumours multiplied. One day war wouldbe declaredbefore nightfall. Then a later edition told that Spain had given way, and peace was certain to be preserved. Next day war wasmoreinevitable than ever. There were stories of a coming massacre of Americans at Havana, and horrible pictures of the starving Reconcentrados, varied with caricatures of Spain as animpudent little boy defyingUncle Sam, or as a brigand,knife in hand,standing in front of apile of corpses,or again hanging dead from the signal-yard of an American battleship. At some of the newspaper offices every evening the