Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-08-20

it must have been agony Tor him.
We'd roll over, and then we'd lie still
awhile, getting up nerve to do it again.
Every move the chap made forced a
groan out through his clinched teeth
but we got together. put part Of
the blanket over him and we lay spoon
fashion for warmth. My face was
turned away from him, and we didn't
say anything but I Iguess we both did
mighty lot of thinking. lay there
awake, listening to the poor fellows
groaus but, by and by he quieted
down, and I thanked God he'd fallen
asleep, and wished I could manage
it myself.
eat last 1 did drop off, and didn't
waken until morning. My bedfellow's s
arm was across my shoulder, and
squirmed away very gently so as not
to waken him, and turned over to look
at him. 1 needn't have been so care
full. He was stone dead and smiling
as though he'd never known a pain"
The lieutenant knocked the ashes
out of his pipe and reached for his
tobacco pouch.
"Well, we regulars are only hired
men and nobody makes much fuss over
us but reckon we showed the Span
iards what kind of men Uncle Sam
hires. The volunteers were hot stuff,
particularly those Rough Riders.
Those chaps were unique in war histo-
ry. Nobody ever saw troop like
them, and nobody but an American
could understand them. We western
men were sort of dubious about the
experiment. I've been stationed out
west all my life, and 1 know the sort
of men who were the largest element
of the Rough Riders nightly we'll.
Those fellows are the coolest, most
reckless set of daredevils that ever
lived. We all knew they were game,
through and through, and they'd risk
their lives as readily as cent, but the
army men all shook their heads and
said the Rough Riders wouldn't stand
discipline and stick together.
"You see, when those chaps get into
scrap out west, every man pulls out
his shooter or knife and gets out of
the hole the best way he can, without
looking for any help. They are law
less and hotheaded, and I confess l
thought they'd break all orders and
20 in, every man for himself, and the
devil take the hindmost; but l was all
wrong. Every one of them fought
like the devil, but their officers had
them in hand, and they were as SOL
dierly and we'll disciplined as regulars.
"They did get little excited and
hilarious sometimes. After I was hit
lay where I could see the Rough
Riders position. They were lying
down on the ridge, under fire, and
every once in a while one would pop
up, throw up his hands and drop again.
Then another would do it and another.
| I couldn't make it out. With the first
one thought it might be death leap,
but I decided they wouldn't all be
dying the same dramatic way. By
and by a wounded man came dragging
back from the front, and I said to
him:
"sWhat makes those Johnnies jump
up and throw up their hands and
drop?' I asked.
"He grinned through the blood on
his face and said 'Oh, the darned foels
are so full of ginger they just can't lie
still, and every once and while one
of them just jumps up and gives a
Comanche yell, to let off steam
"There was nothing the matter with
our men at Santiago and Guasimas
but, I'm telling you, we had the kind
of officers a man would follow to hell, "
and the man leaned back on his pill
lows, looking as though he had at least
been to the outposts of the region
mentioned.
"The Spanish sharpshooters did as
much damage down there as the big
guns, and they took pains to pick out
the men with stripes. suppose they
thought they were the fellows we val
ued most That accounts for the
number of officers wounded and dead.
But, bless you, there was no use pink
| ing one of our leaders. They had to
plug him through the lungs or shell
off leg to stop him. I saw any num-
ber of them badly wounded, but pay
ing no attention to it at all. The doc
tors couldn't keep them at the rear if
they were able to toddle. Why, our
lieutenant, Byram, got bullet through
his head, in at the temple and out at
the top-an eighth of an inch swerve
would have settled him. He plunged
right ahead with his men but some of
them got hold of him and forced him
to 90 back to the rear. The doctor
saw to him, bandaged him up, put
him down on a blanket, and told him
he mustn't stir. He waited till the
doctor was out Of sight, then he made
sneak through the brush, caught up
with his men, and went to fighting
again as though his head wasn't all
tied up in bandages. He kept it up
like good one until he began to stag
ger and lurch and could't keep his feet
and then he was swearing mad because
the men made him 60 back to the
doctor. That's the kind of men we
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