THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. 342 craft might raid the fleet under the cover of darkness. only Spanish fleet that was free for such an enterprise was completing its equipment and engaging in occasional target practice at Cadiz. But it wasremembered that wdaen Cervera was reportedto be at Cadizhehad suddenlyappeared in the West Indies,and it was feared that his colleague Camara might play the same trick with the second squadron.

The courselay along the north coast of Cuba through the channel between the island and the GreatBahamaBanks,andthen by the Windward Passage to Santiago. The weather was fine, with light breezesand a smooth sea, which was fortunate for the troops packedinthetransports. The voyage, even with these favourable conditions, lasteda week. It wasintensely hot, and after theirlong stay at Tampa the men werenot in the bestof condition for such an experience. Typhoid broke out on board of some of the ships, and measleson one transport. But there were not very many cases. The four-footed voyagers suffered more than the men. Alarge number of mules and horses died on the way. At first the voyage was a novel and welcome experience to the troops,but this feeling soon gave way to impatience for the moment of disembarkation, and all weredelighted when at last on June 20th thetransportfleet joinedSampson's squadronin the watersof Santiago.

It was not till late on Sunday, June 12th, that the authorities at Washington felt thatit was safe to give the order for the fleet of transports to sail. The horses and mules had been brought ashore, as they weregetting outof condition on board the steamers, andMonday was takenup withre-embarking them. On Tuesday, the 14th, the transports steamed out to sea, quietly, and without any demonstration on shore. Some fifty correspondents of American and European newspapers were distributed throughout the fleet, and onboard the transport Seguranca, whichconveyed the staff, therewere a number ofofficers of foreign armiesand navies deputed by their governments to follow and report upon the operations. Great Britain was represented by Captain Lee of the Canadian army.

The sailors on the warships cheered as the longprocession of transportspassed the flagship; and Admiral Sampson went on board the Seguranca to make final arrangements for the landingwith General Shaffer. The first destination of the transports was KeyWest, where they were to be joined by a powerful squadron of fighting ships destined to serve as their escort during the voyage to Eastern Cuba. The squadron had for itsflagship the battleship Indiana,commanded by Captain Taylor,who actedas commodoreof the expedition. He had withhim five cruisers, sixarmed liners, and three torpedoboats. These with the transportsformed a fleet of just fifty ships, most of themlarge steamers. But some of them were deficientin enginepower,and as throughout the rule was kept of running no risks, the whole armada had to keep together,so that the speed of all had to conform to that of the slowest tramp steamers in this new armada.

The Spaniards in Santiago had marked the arrival of the new fleet, and rightly judged that the crisis of the war was approaching. " Yesterday,"wroteConsul Ramsden inhisdiary on the 20th," there were seventeen ships. This morningthereweretwenty-one at daybreak,and at eleven o'clock thirty-nine more appeared, making sixty vessels of all kinds. This lc.oks like business, and now there is no doubt that they mean to landand take theplace."

Santiago was in no condition to make a prolonged resistance: The situation as to supplies is thus described by Ramsden under date of June 18th, two days before the transports arrived:— On getting out to sea from Key West the transports were formed in three lines, a little more than half a mileapart, withthreecables,or six hundred yards, betweeneach transport. The Indiana led the way with the swiftest cruisers scouting out ahead, and on either quarter. The torpedo boats acted as messengers. At night the transports were ordered to cover all lights, only carrying a shadedlight astern to enable the next ship to follow and keep her station. The warships kept their electric searchlightsat work, special attention being paid to the sea in the direction of Cuba, lest some Spanish torpedo " People are nowbeginningto diein the streets of hunger, and the misery is frightful in spite of so many having gone to the woods. There is no bread, and, what is worse, there are no plantains or sweet potatoes, nor yams, and, of course, no foreign potatoes. There is plenty of rice, owing to the fortunate chance ol the Pilaria having been obliged to leave here her Havana cargo. Were it not for that, the troops must starve. This latter is what the civilians will have to do, because, of course, there will be no giving in as long as the troops have