The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-29
UNDER FIRE AT MANILA.
Sun CoRREsPoNDENTs TTSTT TO
THE INsURGENT TRETCHEG

needed By Fiiipinos' Hospitality, Which
Ipvoivcs the Consumption OF Much Garlic,
and Rice, and Cigarettes Innumerable-
There Are Also ExtempornrV Cooking
Mains 80 Spanish RTArksmanship In the
Philippines Worse Even Than in the west
y,sies-Mauser Bullets whistle Through
The Treetops while the Insurgents Smoke
and Chat in the Trenches Below.
c,vrTE. July 16,-There is q musical note In
tbe whistle Of a Mauser bullet through the air.
nsljghtly vibrant note with q carrying quality
that makes it distinGuishable at a considerable
distance. II It were not 80 one could not tell
much about the Spanish firing because the
bullets rarely come close TO the object aimed
Mt and IA the Mauser ammunition Is smoke
less one never can see whence the Are comes.
I have spent several hours in the insurgent out
posts in the last few days and have been literally
under Spanish lre-ita all went very high-long
enough to get pretty thoroughly familiar with
the sound Of It. The first sensation Of being
shot at Ia a little disconcertinR. II ones no.
tions of riIle-shooting have always been con-
nectcd with the idea OF sport. big GAme-deer.
bear. antelope-it is a bit startling to realize
suddenly that the whistllng bullet ono hears
go by was meant for himself. But IL you are in
an lngurGpnt JTp0Cn Una leellIlk bOOu pdbbcb ny,
as the bullet does. and one becomes like the
Filipinos. rather Indifferent to Spanish poor
craftsmanship. 1t is reported here that Gen.
shatter lost from 800 to 1000 men in an attack
on Santiago de Cuba. Ifthat Is so the Spaniards
have better rifemen there than here.
Going out to the 'front.' That has q warlike
sound about 1t. One involuntarily invests the
proposition with visions Of ounde men. field
hospitals. firing lines. men In action and all the
concomitants OF businesslike warfare. As the
troopships bearing the First Brigade Of the
Philippine expedition drew up to their anchor
age, with the ships OF Dewey's feet on June 80.
smoke was rising from many fires along the
shore both north and south Of Manila. and the
roar OF big guns and the th-r-r-ump Of machine
guns and volley fire drifted out across the bay.
It sounded like a big battle all along the
line, and those who had been here o
month or so told US that in fact n Great. fight
was going on. The firing continued for
an hour or two. At intervals in the night there
was more OF 1t, and daylight brought . sharp
rally. That afternoon word went around that
the Insurgents had taken Q water battery be-
tween Malabon and TambobonR. two native
towns north of Manila. That night there was
more shooting. the dull. distant boom OF can
non punctuating the rattle OF small arms. At
insurgent headquarters they answered our
questions with the polite response that they
had had no reports from the front. I have
learned since that they never do have them.
except when they are Of interest to the ipsur-
gent cause. but at that time that response was
complete II disappointing.
Every day as we were getting into quarters
ashore the firing continued and on the night OF
the Fourth there was q special celebration. as
II in honor of the day. The 9Th. 1t rained all
Aav and fhara UNA nn unNvauoanf hut
on the morning Of the 9th we started.
five newspaper men. an interpreter. and
"Col." johnson. an American soldier OF for
tune. who Is here as Aguinaldo's chief
OF ordnance. He ran q hotel-the Aston
House-in Shanghai for a while. and came
down here on a cinematograph proposition.
Now the insurgents are guarding his machine
in Lipa. and he is showing them how to handle
cannon here. We had with us
Mr.. Charvet. q Frenchman born in New York.
was Johnson's partner in the cinemato-
graph. He speaks Spanish f~luently. Early in
the morning the party started across the bay
from the feet to Paranaque. The American
flag few from our boat. which was pulled by
four Fillpinos. Parafiaque is within range of
the Krupp guns in the Spanish fort at
Malate. but the spaniards know that fir
ing on a small boat carrying the Amert-
can flag will provoke a bombardment OF
Manila. and so they do not try such
target practice. Paranaque is on both sides OF
the Parahaque River, into the mouth Of which
pulled. A hundred yards up the river it Is
crossed bya bridge OF bamboo. with the girders
bound on the under side of the strinRers by
bamboo thongs. and no apparent reason why
It does not come down forty times a day. The
flooring Of the bridge is OF bamboo. thin strips
woven into pieces about six feet square and
laid down on the girders. wherever there seems
10 be need of It.
When we had tied up at the bridge we first
conveyances to take US toward the
front. The natives are extremely friendly to
and will put themselves to no end
trouble and inconvenience for our pleasure
or profit. The first intimation OF what we
wanted sent a dozen men scurryinE after the
The only vehicle known to the Fill
Dino as a transporter Of persons is the caro-
meta. atwo-wheeled affair with springs and
axles OF prodigious strength, that will accom-
nodate two passengers Motive power is
furnished by Filipino horses. A Filipino
horse would be the dearest delight of
he average American boy or girl. It
stands from Ito II hands high-the 10-hAnd
fellows are exceptionally larRe-and weighs
rom 400 to $50 pounds. They are a little bet
shaped than the Shetland ponies. trimmer,
not so thickset or big boned. but very sturdy.
There are very few geldings: most OF the po-
lies used In caromettas are stations. and they
ire Of good mettle, tough and ambitious.
AVE seen one drag a heavy carometta with
our men In 1t. much more than his own weight,
learly four miles over the toughest sort OF
Dad. For comfort the carometta is worse than
IN Irish Iaunting car, but it does it's work. and
'ne cannot march over this country and make
distance or time.
our ONE engaged. we started for the
10 convent, where lnsurgent headquarters had
'een established. to call on the General COM
handing the forces at the front. Paranaque.
We understood. was very near the lines. Since
fight the insurgents had forced the
spanish steadily back through San Francisco
daIabon Cavit6 Viejo. Yuros. Bakor. Los Pinas,
,afahaque. and Malabai. and were now fight
ne In front OF Malate. the last outport but one
n front OF the walls Of old Manila. The guards
u the door OF the old convent presented arms
. we came up. and from some invisible
4ace inside a dozen or more soldiers
pFanR out 10 laad ua 10 Tho HooonoI