The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-27
WITH THE ASTOR BATTERY.
TWO LETTERS FROM a SERGEANT IN
MANILA TEL OF HAPPENINGS THERE.
T still Ar~t"-Chanees for n WidoawRks
Man with 4 sawmill-MosQuitoes and
Ants-Custom House Works and ChAme-

"The still Cha for q Widohwnke
Man with n sawmill-MosquitOes and
~Ants-Custom House Works and ChRme-
leons-The Depths of HomeSickness.
' The Aston Battery has not been heard from
over here for some time. but It seems 70 DO
doing what 1t has to do In Manila and produce
ing men Of al. trades when they are wanted.
Just as American armies have had q way OF
doing from tho beginning. How the battery
Is getting along Ia act forth with some humor
In a couple Of private letters from one OF the
Sergeants. who was once a Sergeant In the
Third New York Battery. His 6rst letter 10
dated Quartet de Malato. Sept g." That
seems q long while ago. and undoubtedly
things nave happened since he wrote; but 1t
must be remembered that our new posses
sions are nearly six weeks away from here.
Here are certain parts OF the first letter:
DO you know, you cantankerous old pair OF
scissors. you have driven me half crazy. unin-
tsntionally. OF course, but In the name OF all
that ia good and holy. whore did / put your
letter. I've looked In tho box where I keep
my other letters. In my knapsack. haversaok.
shoes. bed. under the pillow. through mk pock-
cts. In the monkeys cage. and oven searched
my bunky's kit. but that precious letter has
vanished without any apparent cause, like .
great many OF the eAi ckens In the Immediate
neighborhood. How I wish you could take
one Of our evening rambles with us and watch
the artistic tonoh OF yours truly in removing
the feathered fowl from their tfanciedl perch
OF security In a banyan tree. Never under any
circumstances must you allow your hand to
touch the festive bird In any place but the
neck. How many OF our boys have lost good
things through q desire to grab the part OF
the fowl that came handiest: this. my boy. Is
one Of the greatest errors possible. I could
write you q book on this subject. but. then. OF
what avail: you. living In the midst OF plenty.
have no need to study the still art I call L
the still art. for that is the main feature OF the
removing act II the bird should cock his
head on one side. he has o lamp pointed at
you-'keep still ! II there 10 q suspicious noise
keep still maybe the Captain is In the coopl
II you meet the owner IF the Game upon which
you have designs keep still and arrest him
as q suspicious person and 90 I could 70 on
but. on second thought. I'll keep still
W expect our discharges most any time
now. and surely We will receive them before
tho new year. Last n~iRht-hut. walt I must
prepare you for the ~shook-now. Ion Do
frightened or fall dead. but / saw q can Of
butter, even smelled Of II. and as Il was che nrst
sight and smell l have had since the 18th Of
June, / was nearly paralyzed at the unex-
pected light. Holy Mosesl II I could only
see a plate Of Ice cream ! would DO satisfied to
pass in my checks. A glass Of lemonade
c SSntd d sf n1 oa ERer lRddn Fop 81 sr lGf me y 8a ssr
has to be boiled, and such q dead. nat drink I
never want to get hold Of outside Of, Manila.
know what soda water Is IL the Ensifsa druus
s shsse' sell Tni sarsa Iy thf T 'bSt,I is = 10 n' Hons sS0 So SnS.
but, 1t is too much trouble for them to kSepit
soss t fad ness SO It saI L. !tstts sRs .. s%sisslsss- There
fresh aSnf Sre had ' / ssil ' So1 We T are l E1fGiI t sSe hn q
| maka nm for the atun ma have hRan com Dallad
to put up with. Nov. that Is ali over With. and
there is no danRerof 1t occurring again. why
rs hTsS q fact for days TsW we we're living on hsrdtSSE
and coffee. the latter having 70 be roasted In
cofiee. That is one Of the reasons for so many
OF our boys being sick now. They were SO
that GSsaks sRs fe tTG% strain sns Iae OK Il the n fsth n 8ss aG1a
used up about all the reserve energy they could
SSmm .96S in, and the conss9u enc , Is 2 mighty iShsy
rice n order to get something 70 eat; You
iihe stores was to load a small native barge and
the, waves az sA 6foH He' o Sea The The f 5srs sesn s S1i Mdns
IF the United States Go%vernment retains
these islands asaymill here yould:yield 2 for,
b, hand; Ore Of the, houses here costing
$l2.Q90 }Menicanl could be built In the States
f0r t iSe'qSH sn;d the Sa.f' b 81 shs hl Fheg pF have ee aIs.
giant heayy, wood here. but as yet l have been
marble SR1d E. % st tind g ana pr% 7, ,S fSr Il = L tough 4 so sad
harvest hsre: a. ths Easilsh%sSpa II ehsTSs q
shared %s { dsIIsE Neg. tF3e1 Fl /. How
know: and I win work some Of my still art
un, sssSi G sSen %rP two y s op th sSsF hours lsg syG nS oR an
Ing the inhabitants. Those tantalizinE things
sss IN j sysFyth %asoS syss In ~ tss . iE G4iIs ID t sbs
ti@id, ' essSEoi hS'4 JerssS; bird r. s,m @e n fae
nm n the same breath With the asCe-devlt
oae Of these fellows carries an empty tomato
can IN which to store your gore; In tho
house. But your Uncle Charles sleeps In q
bLrdeage. and they are too large to get through
The transporta are going of one By one.
carrying our letters and our hearts with them
sRoro 1ssfiGe h aSns 3 IL 'h sold iGssif boy Sis' f : a0f nS Ct
man Is very sick ana Eseps getting Eorss they
ago. to-day / am down II the sq59-cellar, very
l 4 ieI r9a s sdSE! !BFo sIsyT % fs!oa Fl. 4 bs svsF T. I hear ear
make him think. no is in the middle, Of .
would pull the wires and hurry our d isoharRes
along; In getting ANXIOUS for the sight ola
The second letter Is dated Around" tho
E Ss1Ies. hIHyi ,hs written written. as 81 he e, got E chance, Il
Mia, and continues In the dining room Of the
Hotel Espana, while the yriter 70 waiting for
In. the Custom House. Here tbs:
sheet has told you, / am Chief In Charge. De-
p9rtmsnt Of Textiles. Port Of Manila, appoint
i9 speciai Order No, SO have my Q IN suite
OF rooms and up to this evening had six EXPERT
native examiners; but having found two Of
them, CHASING silk yelling under a cotton tar
IN. thereby cheating Uncle Sam OF SO cents
pei, kilo (2h PoundsL / PROMPTLY landed them
equal rapidity landed them In jail. Ny enor;
nous salary Or communications Of rations and
Quarters is $35 a month. or $7S In Spanish
currency, and for that price ! can 1--we In grand
was with a determination to land something.
= "Anesthetics have not been used
In a single operation In this corps and the
sgonies of the men operated on have bee1
me agony and yet was nothing to that Of hun
dredS OF others. l had suPpuratiop from an
accidental innoculation. and they split my I'm
ger In half down TO the first Joint. scraped the
bone and nearly drove me mad s%yrinRing IL
out; but what must the agony have been to
the boys who lost their limbs by amputation2
'nn Won ~ nrn hAr TuhaN THAI xrarA Hin