The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-01-15

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the hot flags, motionless heaps of tat
tered clothing; and Il fourth, with the
blood trickling from him, and his face
gray like ashes, leaned back against
the wall, his head slowly dropping for
ward, and his limbs quivering beneath
him.
A howl of rage like the snarling ola
pack of wolves, a cry of deadly hate
that BODIED little good to the oppressors
when their turn came, rose from the
mob, and Marshall saw the stout colo
mel shudder as he listened; but the
glittering wall of steel met them, turn
which way they would, and they stamp
ed and fumed in impotent fury.
The American lost his head with
horror and Indignation, and, in the
most powerful Spanish he could mas
ter, cursed the colonel before all his
men, concluding: "Brutes d-blood-
ed murderers of unarmed men! A civ
ilized nation cannot look on and see
helpless peasants propped against walls
and shot like wild beasts. Wait lit
tie, and you will hear the roar of Ameri-
can guns, and see the Stars and Stripes
over Havana and Matanzas!''
A yell of "Bravo Americano!" rose
from the frantic mob; but the colonel
looked on unmoved "What does he
say?' he asked a lieutenant. "Ah, it
is so. All the English are mad, and
most of the Americans too"
Biting his lips, the journalist lapsed
into silence, feeling that at last he could
understand desperate men using dyna-
mite with awful effect on crowded troop
trains, and, when a sergeant of GAIA
dores gripped his shoulder, he turned
upon the man so fiercely that, unarmed
as he was, the soldier dropped his hand.
Then the colonel pointed with his
sword, and Marshall closed his eyes
when he heard hoarse voice say:
"Two files forward and finish the dogs"
and, in spite of his own peril, he turned
sick and faint as he heard long-drawn
"Ah!" rise from the crowd, and the
sharp clash of bayonets against the
stones-he knew what it meant, tor he
had seen such things before.
Side by side the two men walked for
ward at signal from an officer, and
when they turned in front of the church,
a sergeant came forward with cloths in
his hand, but the Cuban waved him
back.
"Good-bye, my friend. We have
fought a good fight togethcr-and to-
day we rest side by sidc-it is WE'LL"
said La Costa, as, after the manner of
the Spaniards, he threw his arm round
the Americans shoulder, then took the
| place poilteu OUT.
With dry lips and parched throat,
Marshall drew himself up and glanced
at the insurgent, who stood bareheadcd
in the sunlight, erect and proud, hold
ing the flowers lightly in his hand, and
his eyes filled as La Costa caught his
look and smiled. Then, with defiance
in his gaze, he turned and faced the
rifles. There was clicking Of levers,
and the empty shells ratified out upon
the stones; the breach blocks closed
with clatter, and for few moments
there was a narrowing pause, while the
troops waited the word to fire.
Suddenly Marshall felt the blood stir
madly in every pulsing artery, for
above the continuous drone of the or
gan rattle of rifery rang out, some.
where behind the town, followed by a
sound he knew so well, the continual
"rip-rap, rip-rap," of repeaters.
"Winchester rifles, thank Heavenr
he shouted aloud. "Must be the Mar
tinez column" then his voice broke of
suddenly, for he remembered that in q
few minutes more it would matter lit
tie to him whether the insurgent forces
arrived or not.
A confused murmur rose from the
crowd, which swayed to and fro like
the waves of sea; then there was 8
Gathering of hoofs down the stony
street, and presently two mounted Off
c,rs broke through the mob, striking
right and left with the flat of theil
swords to clear a passage, and reigned
in their lathering horses by the coloner>
side
A bugle-call echoed through the Pla
Il, the square of green uniforms broke
up and swung round, changing into 4
long line of fours; and, while the as
tonshed prisoners tried to collect thcil
scattered senses, the last files of the
Cazadores swung out of the Plaza at
the double, and, their footballs grow
ing fainter and fainter, disappearing
down narrow street.
Marshall rubbed his eyes to see ifht
were asleep, but there was no mistak
ing the ceaseless rattle of the Winches
ter repeaters smuggled over from the
United States for the use of the rebels
or the feeble return fire in the deeper
report of the Spanish rifles. Then q
great shout rose from the crowd: "J'iUd
ld Cuba! TiUa la rcuoIucion?'
1t was all so strange and sudden that
now, the peril was past, the American
felt as weak as a child, and dropped