The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-03
THE FIGHT OF THE MARINES.
STEPHEN CRANES DESCRIPTION OF
THE ENCOUNTER.

Lee HulIets-Trap Shooting With
Spaninrds as the Observation-Disclosures
of Insurgents.
Extract From stephen Cranes Cuantana-
mo Letter In tie New York World
Finally the word was given. The men
arose from the grass and moved on around
the foot OF the ridges. Out at sea the Dol
phin was steaming along slowly. Presently
the word was passed that the enemy were
over the next ridge. Lieut.. Lucas had
meantime been sent with the first platoon
of Company c to keep the hills as the main
body moved around them, and We could
now see his force and some Cubans crawl
ing slowly UP the last ridge.
The main body was moving over a lower
part Of this ridge when the firing broke
out It needs little practice to tell the DIFF
ference III sound between the Lee and the
MSuser The Lee says "Prutw It is a fine
note, not very metallic. The Mauser says
"Popr'-plainly and frankly pop, like a
soda-water bottle being opened close to the
ear. We could hear both sounds now in
great plenty. rut-prut-pr-r-rut-pr-r
Pop-pop-poppetty-po
It was very evident that our men had
GoiAt UPON tlle CiitlLiS anu NtAS oAue jus
away for all they were worth, while the
spaniards were pegging away to the limit
To The tune of this furious shooting capt
Elliott with Lieut.. Bannons platoon of C
Company scrambled madly up the HILL
tearing themselves on the cactus and fight
ing their way through the mesquite. To the
left we could see that Capt. Spicers mon
had rapidly closed up and were racing us.
AS we swung up TO the crest we did not
come upon Lucas and his men as we ex-
pected. He was on the next ridge or rath-
er this ridge was double-backed, being con-
nected by a short transverse. But we came
upor Mauser bullets in considerable num-
bers. They sang in the air until one
thought that a good hand with lacrosse
stick could have bagged many
Now the sound made by a bullet is IA
vorite subject for afternoon discussion and
1t has been settled in many ways by many
and eminent authorizes. Some say bullets
whistle. Bullets do not whistle, or rather
the modern bullet does not whistle. Tne
old-fashioned lead missile certainly did
toot, and does toot, like a boy coming
home from school; but the modern steel
affair has nothing in common with it.
These Mauser projectiles sounded as If
one string Of a most delicate musical In
stTument had been touched by the wind
into a long, faint note, or that overhead
some one had swiftly swung a long, thin
dashed whip. The men stopped as they
ran TO join Lucas.
Our fighting line was in plain view about
100 yards away. The brown-clad marines
and the Whitehead Cubans were mingled
in line on the crest. Some were fat, some
were kneeling, some were erect. The ma
rines were silent; the Cubans were cursing
shrily. There was no smoke; everything
could be seen but the enemy, who was
presumably below the hill in force.
1t took only three minutes 10 reach the
scene of activity, and, incidentally, the
activity was considerable and fierce
The sky was speckless; the sun blazed
out Of it as If It would melt the earth.
Far away on one side We're the white wa
tiers of Guantanamo bay; on the other a
vast expanse of blue sea was ripping in
millions of wee waves. The surrounding
country was nothing but miles upon miles
of gaunt, brown ridges. lt would nave
been a fine view if one had had time.
Then along the top of our particular
hill, mingled with the cactus and chapar-
raj, was a long, irregular line of men fight
ing the first part of the first action of the
Spanish war. Toiling, sweating marines;
shrin, jumping Cubans officers shouting
out the ranges. 200 Lee rifles crashing
these were the essentials. The razor
backed hill seemed to reel with 1t all.
landmark you--a spruce young sergeant
of marines, erect, his back TO the shower
ing bullets, solemnly and inrentely wig
wagging 10 the distant Dolphin!
1t was necessary that this man should
stand at the very top of the ridge in or
der that his flag might appear in relief
against the sky, and the Spaniards must
have concentrated a fire of at least twenty
rifles upon him. His society was at that
moment sought by none. We gave him
wide berth Presently into the din came
the boom OF the Dolphin's guns.
The whole thing was an Internal din.
One wanted to clap ones hands to one 5
ears and cry out in Gods name for the
noise to cease; 1t was past bearing. And
look-there fell a Cuban, a great hulking
negro shot just beneath the heart, the
blood staining his soiled shirt He seemed
in no pain; 1t seemed as IL he were sense
less before he fell. He made no cutlery;
he simply toppled over, while comrade
made a semi-fute grab at him. Instantly
one Cuban loaded the body upon the back
OF another and then took up the dying
mans feet The procession that moved off
resembled a grotesque wheeluarrow. No
one needed 1t much. A marine remarked
well, there goes one of the Cubans."
Under a bush lay a D Company private
shot through the ankle. Two comrades
We're ministering to him. He, too, did
not seem then in pain. His expression
was of a man weary, weary, weary.
Marines drunk from the heat and the
fumes Of the powder, swung heavily with
blazing faces out of the firing line and
dropped painting two or three PAGES to the
rear.
And still crashed the Lees and the Maus-
ers, punctuated by the roar of the Dol
phins guns. Along our line the rife locks
were clicking. necessarily. as if some giant
loom was running wildly, and on the
ground among the stones and weeds came
dropping, dropping a rain of rolling brass
shells. And what was 200 yards down the
hill? No grim array, no serried ranks.
Two hundred yards down the hill there
was "a thickct "a thieket whose predomi-
nant bush wore large, oily, green leaves
II was about an acre in extent and on
level ground, so that its whole eNpanse
was plain from the hills. This thicke,
was alive with the loud popping of the
Mausers From end 10 end and from side
to side 1t was alive. What mysterious un-
derbrush! But-there-that was a bit oi