The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-28

eosA oSuSii. ~ wan just y u ClpSh III tuc
afternoon of Juno II that the dispatch
boat Premier hove TO iu Guantanamo
bay and at the sight os tho officers Ind
men of. thu marines quietly cs}oyina
themselves In tho water It WAS snail
wonder that thrcc Of the passengers
hustled themselves into sinall boat In
order to set foot on Cuban soil and at
the samc time to become literally In tho
swim. A drowsicr, more peaceful sccno
could not be imagined. There lay the
emp. ~ white tents glistcning in tho
s.llight hundred yards above the sea
level. aud the winding path which led
mp the hill to Il was Uttered with boxes
Of ammunition and ali Forfs and condi-
items Of camp provisions and parapher.
nalia. II was tho first lull n, the days
work, and, barrin: the scptries, who
were tramping rp and down their beats,
every man in caup was taking advan-
tcge Of IT, while as FOR those great chap
grral covered hcights which surrounded
the tiny camp 10 seemed as though
nothing shcrt Of the crack of doom itself
could ever awaken them to life. Sud
denly single riflo shot was heard. II
came from somewhere up in the second
ridge Of bills. The 100 men In the wa
ter started and glanced toward the camp
apprchensivsly. Fer couple Of min
utes everything was perfectly still.
Tho swimmers began to sport about
again. 10 was an accident. Evidently
some green hand on outslsirt duty had
discharged bis rife by mistake. But the
lie was given 10 this idea anomcnt
later, when, with piff, paff. pin, paif,
each individual hill surrounding the
camp soc,ncd TO belch forth flamo. A
wild rrsh fer the beach ensucd, hut
what followed must be told moro from
inference than actual knowledge. There
isn't q nnan in Camp McCai;a today
who cun tell you exactly how he man
uged to get 60 the top ct that hill. Un-
Ger ordinary circumstances Il is good
six minutes climb, aud IL blows the
average individual at that But that
day IN less thsn ti'rco minutes every
rYnn who had been IN the water was
grasrin8 bis RHO and lying fiat on his
STOMACH on the brow Ct the hill. 1t was
distinctly stampede dccollcte. Perhaps
40 Of tho r:cn 2anaged to get their
trousers en-; tho rest mcrcly ran. And
1t is worth while noting at this point
that if tho SEaniords score no other
triu1phs st GuaItanamo they certainly
captrrcd very hnc limo Of r,nscplinc
lingerie that nfternocu. The Premiers
pnrty is still moaning tilc loss Of one
truly surcrfino pink silk undershirt.
The iustant tho rash was over Major
CccIirnro stood up in tho middle Of the
camp, ead after handing the noncom-
tatants guns he scid Look here, boys,
don't you 10 ashamed "a duck when the
bullets axe flying. Therc'snothing infra
dig. about e. ] InIwAys do 10 myself.
Down on Jour stomach. every man Of
your
The few mon who were standing
when tho major spoke laid themselves
out nat They were just in time. A Sec
ond later the steel STORM started. 1t
seemed 10 come from heavy clump Of
trees On tho second ridge Good marks
men could havc asked for no moro stun
ming brllscyc From that ridge so feet
abosc the camp--it eecined as though II
must simply TO case Of pulling the
triggers CT tho Mauser rifles In order to
mako human bullseyc, but though
the fire was terrific and lasted nearly 20
minutes not living soul on the hill
was struck. II Is true that two scouts On
picket duty werc- killed Ia the action,
but they were beth killc,l ia the woods,
short distance from rho Spaninrds'
rendezvous The camp was still III its
infancy, SO fur tisat no trenches had been
made. OF course thcrc wcro various dc
grces in tho coolncss Of tho ccn, but
there was no exhibition ef stage fright.
Every man sifnply lay down and seemed
to take matters in matter Of fact sort
of way. A few chattcsl, Lut mort OF the
men were silent, nrl every now and
then careful observer colld notice
head ostrichlike trying to barrow its
way littlc further into tho hillside.
johnson, tho stalwart mate Of the Pre-
inicr. who srnol.cd his good old cluy
pipe noncbalantly during tho whole en-
gagement, managed to construct n slight
fortification out Of four planks, and be.
hind this lay Johnscr and the reporter.
In 20 minutes tho firing ceased; the
scouting parties began to come In hot
and swearing Justify at their failure to
locate tho spaniaris. Tho nonoomtat.
ants from tho Premier wcro told that il
was now safo for them TO row out III the
hsrhor, 30 they started for tho dispatch
boat each greatly clated that he had
actually taken part IN a battle. and yct
each down in bis heart disappointed at
tho very uncmoticnal methods which
had characterized tho whole n5fair
Not ono, 20 far ~ they knew, had
boon killed or even wonhdcl. This wae
certainly something to 10 sincerely
thankful for. but II certainly wasn't
dramatic. a conscientious student of