that the casual traveler should confine himself to the things that
were visible and that were near to the usual paths of travelers.
So until the beginning of the Cuban war for liberty no books could
be obtained which told the things which one really cares to know.
Picturesque descriptions there were, more than one, of
considerable interest, but the information was scattered.

Demand always creates supply, even if material is scant. When the
war began, the people of the United States wanted to know
something of the people who were striving for their freedom, of
their characteristics, their conditions and their personality.
Moreover, it was an immediate necessity to know the geography of
Cuba, its history, its natural conditions, its material resources,
and a host of things that unite to make a comprehensive knowledge
of any country. There were men who knew Cuba from years of
residence there in industrial and commercial enterprises. They
were drawn upon for their knowledge. Then the newspapers of the
United States gave another demonstration of their unvarying
enterprise and covered the points of interest in the insurrection
most exhaustively. Their correspondents shared the camps of
insurgent chiefs, witnessed the daring machete charges of the
Cubans, saw every detail of armed life in the field. Others kept
close watch of the movements of the Spanish forces in Havana and
the fortified towns, as well as in the field. One was shot in
action. Another was macheted to death after his capture, by a
Spanish officer who waited only to be sure that the prisoner was
an American before ordering him to death. Others were incarcerated
in Morro and Cabanas fortresses and in the other Spanish prisons
in Cuba because they insisted on telling the truth to America and
the world. They were the ones who told of the horrors of