The record-union., 1898-07-23
inside, causing dreadful havoc

in the engine-room.
1t is thought that unless peace is
signed without further delay Manila is
a doomed city, for the insurgents are
closing in rapidly, and the city could
no more survive a big battle than a
house of cards could withstand a ty
phoon. Here is rich seaport, a
metropolis almost as large as Liver
pool; the majority of the buildings are
of a highly inflammable type; fires are
frequent in ordinary times, and little
shelling would burn the whole city to
the ground. Here is a population of a
quarter of a million full -blooded Ma
lays, ordinarily indolent but intensely
eXcitable on occasions, and capable of
such as the storming of the
city by their kinsmen under the in
surgents' flag.
Neither the place nor the people can
go through a week of what Paris had
to endure for six weeks. Yet the
Spaniards are as desperately unyielding
as the French were in 1870 as conf
dent in their unavailing valor, as ig-
norant of the irresistible forces they
defy.
Every day and all day there is an
exodus from the city, stimulated every
few days by some new scare. Large,
clumsy river boats, towed by steam
launches or poled by natives, start up
the river, conveying families and goods,
and come down again for more. Every
road leading out of the city is thronged
day after day with similar traffic, until
the roads are, one by one, declared
unsafe beyond stated points on ac-
count of the insurgents.
The first news Of Aguinaldo's ad-
vance on the city increased the refugee
but now he is reported with
in nine miles of the city limits, and
panic prevails. Soldiers are
being hurried to the front, and are
back horribly slashed with the
forester's knives of the natives. All
day long the wounded are fighting
through the streets, a pitiful process
sion after the bravery and trumpeting
that heralded their departure The
careless swagger and the naughty
strut which characterized the Spanish
soldiery in the streets of Manila have
given place to q weary shuttle and a
Sullen trudge.
1t is pitiful to see so many school
boys valiantly taking part in the war,
out of their native villages until now.
The boyish appearance is not lessened
by the uniform, which looks almost a
burlesque, a light straw hat, high in
the crown and wide in the brim, like
that of the typical stage brigand; blue
striped cotton clothes, a black leather
belt and footgear of many sorts. Many
Of the poor fellows have no shoes at all
and they get their feet shockingly lac
Grated in the country. 1t is said that
over 60 per cent. of the army hospital
cases are feet fostering from the thorns.
The Spanish army suggests comic
opera. They are burly Falstaff officers
swarming about the cafes and beer
saloons Spanish officers might at any
rate devote two or three hours per day
to the question whether there is any
thing in the world worse than an officer
asleep on beer shop lounge in the
forenoon when the enemy is at the gates
of the city.
The rank and file can only be pitied.
There are whole regiments of striplings
not long out from Spain, picturesquely
attired, ready and willing to do any
thing and never count the odds nor
finch from death. But they cannot
fight because they are not trained and
their leaders are incapable.
The Philippine native, like all the kim
dred Malay races, cannot do any fight
ing as a rule, except at close quarters,
slashing with his heavy knife. The
weapon is much the same, be it called
machete, or bolo, or kampilan, or pa
rang, or keys. The plan of action is
the same-to rush in Unexpectedly and
hack about without the slightest at
tempt at self protection.
The Mauser rifle, too, in hard work,
is found to be a mistake. 1t has a case
of five cartridges, which have to be
all used before any others can be in
serted. That is to say, if a soldier has
occasion to fire three cartridges he
must go on and waste the other two
or else leave himself to meet a possible
sudden rush with only two rounds in
his rifle. Perhaps it may be the fault
of the men, or their misfortune in be-
ing undrilled, but they are often knitted
while in the act of reloading their rifles.
Whatever the explanation, there is
something in troops with rifles and bay
onets being driven steadily back by ma
tives armed with knives. The insur-
gents have some guns, but most of the
wounded Spanish soldiers seen in the
streets have knife wounds.