gives back the prisoners they hold, in exchange for their own soldiers
who are held by the other side.

Brigands, bandits, and rebels are not considered prisoners of war, and
when captured are treated as criminals.

Up to the time of the capture of Victoria de las Tunas, the Spaniards
utterly refused to exchange prisoners with the Cubans. They have
insisted that the Cubans were rebels, and have shot their captives
without mercy.

The Cubans have tried in every way to get the Spaniards to treat them
fairly and acknowledge their rights as a nation at war, but have been
unable to do so.

Now the situation is changed, and Spain has at last acknowledged the
belligerency of Cuba to a certain extent.

When it was found that Las Tunas could hold out no longer, an unarmed
officer was sent out to parley with the Cubans. He said that the
commander would surrender if the Cuban General would consent to spare
the lives of the garrison, and grant them their liberty in case an
exchange of prisoners could be arranged.

General Garcia was only too pleased to agree to these terms, and the
forts were delivered over to him.

Eighty-seven Spaniards were afterward exchanged for an equal number of
Cubans.