THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. 310 system had quite broken down. And the strangest point of all was that, with insurgent bands under Garcia holding points of vantagein the hills of the Santiago district and hundreds of active sympathisers with the movement in the city itself, no reliable information was sent to the United States fleet for days to come, and yet all the time there lay the great warships in sight of the city, and the Governments of Havana and of Madrid hadpublished the tidings of their arrival to the world. It wasnot till the 24th— five days after Cervera's arrival— that the WashingtonGovernment felt assuredthathe was reallyat Santiago. Till then they doubted that he had everbeen there, orsupposed that he had at most madea visit of a few hours. As late as the eveningof the 23rd it was supposed he was somewhereoff the south coast of Cuba, between Santiago andCienfuegos.

which had been sent to keep a watch on Santiago and the Windward Passage.

All day the Spanish fleet was busy taking on board coal, provisions, and fresh water. The general impression in Santiago was that the Admiral meant to get away. Santiago, though strong against attack, was not a good place to be caught in by a superior fleet. For though it wouldbe easy to keep an enemy from getting in through the narrow rift in the cliffs, it was also easy for the hostile fleet to watch and concentrate its guns upon that one narrow pass. All Tuesday the Spanish fleet had steam up, and the destroyers were just inside the harbour mouth. It was aday of heavy tropical rain,sometimes almost blindingin itsintensity, and it would have been just the time to dash out, engage the American cruisers, and sweep away under cover of the driving rain-squalls. Next day occurred an incident which in itself was enough to make the friends of Spain in Santiago despair of the Admiral ever doing anything effective. It had best be told in the words of Consul Ramsden's diary, which gives the impression of the moment.

These days of uncertainty were a precious opportunity for the Spanish admiral, but he showed himself strangely inactive from the moment that his cruisers ran into their landlocked harbour of refuge. To his intense disappointment, he found that supplies of all kinds at Santiago were scanty. The Spanish Admiralty and War Office had failedto realise the possible importance of the place, and while they had been hurrying men, guns, and stores to Havana in the weeks before the war, they had done nothing for the eastern capital of Cuba. There was a weak garrison, which had its pay in arrear and its magazines half empty. Food was dear, and there was no large reserve of coalin the port. Alittle energy wouldhave remedied this last deficiency, for there was no blockade as yet, and steam colliers for the fleet were actually in West Indian waters. On the Saturdayevening,the second day after the cruisers camein, the merchants of the city gave a banquet to the officers, and there was a scene of great enthusiasm and confident predictions of victory. So far the only sign of the Americans had been a cruiser which steamed past the harbour mouth well out to sea, in the early part of the day, and was apparently watching the port. On the Sunday the cruiser appeared with another consort,and lay in sight of Morro for hours;but there was no firing. If Cervera had had a little more dashhe would have sent his torpedo boats to attack these isolatedscouts of his enemy as soon as evening came on. On the Monday a third cruiser appeared, and a fourth came in sight at noon.

They were the ships of Schley's squadron.

" At daybreak three steamers were signalled outside the port, and soon after they (i.e. the Spanish signallers) put out the signal, 'The enemy is giving chase to a vessel,' and later on,'There is one of the enemy's ships outside.' There are probably more than one, but there is so much haze, owing to the rain, and it is so thick, that the}' cannot possibly see any distance. The vessel chased by the enemy is probably an English steamer bringing 3,000 tons of coal for the Spanish navy, and the Cristobal Colon got under weigh, and it was supposed that she would go out and prevent her capture by the Americans— probably an easy matter, since her (the Colon's) speed is overeighteenknots, and theAmerican steamers are said to be simply mail steamers, fitted with guns. The Colon, however, simply went down the bay and anchored near the entrance The two destroyers were also down near the entrance. The flagship, at midday, went down to Cajuma Bay, and has anchored there; and another ironclad, either the T'izcaya or the Oquendo, has taken her place at the Juragua wharf, and is taking in water. It is said that the Americans have taken their prize, whatever it is, and have carried her off. It seems incredible that this should have been allowed right in front of the port, and the squadron inside with steam up. It looks as if the fleet