The Portland daily press., 1896-03-19


tropical MONDAY. No one spoke. With
moving and to watch for the thorns and
sharp stones in the road, which might
tear open the sores on his bare and
bruised feet
No halt had been made for three hours.
The canteens were drained of their last
drops. Longing eyes were raised occas-
ionally for some signs of refreshing
stream, but only to drop again to the
heels of the man in front, watching the
pace and catching the binding cloud of
dust they raised.
Half league ahead was thicket of
brush and stunted verdure. Except a
few towering solitary royal palms.
brandishing their huge ostrich-like
plumes as il In remonstranoe to the with
ering south wind, this wooded strip
through which the road ran for 200 meters
was the first grateful shade that had fall
en- on their path.
Half an hour later the column halted
within a few hundred meters of the
woods. The advance guard approached
it cautiously, experimenting possible
ambush. Satisfied with the reconnoiter,
the column advanced and in a few
delicious shadows. Some dropped ex-
hausted. Others sat and rubbed their
aching feet Canteens were again up
turned for drops that possibly remained.
Few fell to talking and then only of
the weary leagues that remained before
MORE should be reached, or of the absence
of the rebels, for none had been seen all
day. despite the rumor that Delgado's
band Of 500 had, the night before, gone
out from Gomezinto in the direction of
Tejar.
I'VE are going into MORE empty hand
3D." said Lieut. Martinez.
"And lucky to do that" grumbled
Sergt Guerra. "Ten leagues is long
days march under such sun as this
, And when Martinez did not reply, he
added: SIT is hard enough on niggers,
and II the men drag themselves there be-
fore midnight there won't be a blanket
or kit left in the outfit Some of those
fellows were loosening their cartuohos
Cartridge cases) until 1 caught them
at it. Boys Boys That's what they
are sending here to fight these black
devils-'
s"Listen.''
"Only sgustsa of wind. These palms
are noisy in the dry season. When I WAS
here in the long war we had men, not
boys; and even then the trees seemed to
bear two Cubans to every ole we killed
Nothing, nothing, only the wind-and
We had battles then. Now it is only
marches to Moire today, back to Tejar
tom orrow-empty-ha always; Tut
God knows Cuba's graves are not. A
hundred { .,aniards die in days like this
who haven't shot Mambi. These days
are our Cuban battles, where we suffer
all the. losses. The Mambis never fatigue
where they are at home. Why, I've
SEEM
A tumult of voices drowned the rest.
With the suddenness of lightning and
with an uproar of tornado the woods
seemed to belch forth mad, plungiDg,
bowling throng of horsemen, riding furi-
ously upon the prostrate men. What or
ders were given were unheard. It was
too late for preparation, and impulse
alone led every man to throw himself
upon the ground and begin firing against
the advancing force.
But it was too late.
''Machete Maohete Machete p'
ourIoAou, aS IL WIFI b00 VOICES OF a GDOuS-
and hyenas, drowned almost the crack of
the rifles as the overwhelming and rest
less band dashed onward, firing not a
shot. but every rider whirled the terri BILE
maoheue with skill which only Cuban
its master, can exhibit.
In one instant all was over. They had
ridden on to the Spanish line, broken it
and gone over it. And as quickly as they
had come they were away. still screaming
with the voices nf Indians.
"Machete''
The enormous sword-like knives had |
done their work. The dead and wounded |
lay everywhere. Bodies had been cleft |
il twain. Some had lost arms, some legs. |
some were pierced through. A few had |
been trampled to death by the horses. |
When the cries of 8" Machete!" ceased, it |
seemed as If the silence of the dead had |
settled over the scene as suddenly as de- |
struction had fallen.
Then, from the direction tho Mambis |
had taken, came scattering shots. 1T was |
evident they had made stand, and the |
Spanish line which had been formed out |
Of the wreck prepared to charge upon
them. The firing quickened as the Span |
ish moved. but hardly ten PAGES had been
taken when upon their back came an
other band of horsemen, and the trap |
was sprung.
Voices giving command were drowned |
in the panic that followed. The sounds |
that filled the air were the horrifying,
ohoruses of "AIaohete!'' |
the thunder of hoofs and the cracking of |
Spanish rifles
But again the line was cut through,
and Spanish square was broken. Then |
fleeing as rapidly as they had come, the |
Mambis swarmed onward in the direction |
the first band had taken.
There was no effort made to follow
them. Squares we're formed again, and,
for what seemed to them an eternity, |
the men who were left waited for the |
attack. But the time had come |
when more blood would have to be shed |
than Cubans ever count on losing in a |
battle and the attack never came.
Hours after, when the burying of the
dead was finished. the remnant of the |
San Quintin battalion moved again |
toward Moire-not empty handed. There
was one Mambi with the score of Spanish |
W ho xvera carri ad into ho oirv