CHAPTER II
CROSSING THE ISLAND

THE trip from Cap Haitien on the north to Port-au-Prince
in the south of Haiti, a distance of 180 miles, is one of
the most interesting in the world. It has only been
during the last two years that the American military forces
have made the trip possible except on horse back. It was a
very doubtful enterprise which a Secretary of Commission on
Training Camp Activities and I set out to accomplish in his
Ford car. Reports had it there that it was very dangerous,
if not impossible, for two reasons, the bad roads and the
"Cacos" as the Haitian bandits are called. Loaded with extra
tires and other repair material for the machine, a couple of
Smith and Wesson forty-fives and a good shot gun, we left
Monte Cristi, D. R., on a Friday morning. A two-hour drive
brought us to the Masacre River, the dividing line between
the Dominican Republic and Haiti. At the river side we found
the interesting town of Dajabon, and one of the prettiest open
air markets that I have ever seen, with all kinds of tropical
fruits, including the ever present mango, the aguacate, the
plantain, and many others that I had never seen before. It
is a real international exchange as the Haitians come across
the river to buy and sell, expecting the same thing of the
Dominicans on their market day in Quanaminth, on the follow¬
ing Tuesday.

We found the river was up higher than it had been known
to be for a long time, due to a very heavy rain the night before.
Our first impression was that it would be impossible for us
to cross, but the obliging lieutenant of the Dominican "guardia
nacional" (the national police force organized by the Marines,
in which Dominican privates are officered by marines detailed
for this duty), assured us that the natives could push the car
through, if we would get out of the way all our baggage that
we didn't want wet and stop up our engine to keep the water
out. After waiting for a couple of hours t6 let the river drop a
bit, which it Was doing very rapidly, I tddk tht baggage across
in a row boat and the chauffeur guided the faithful flivver
into the muddy ^tid rushing waters, while Utk husky Haitians

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