The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-20

over the trail to take caro- Of the strag-
glers, and the next morning he did propose
1t to Gen. Lawton. but Lawton had other
need for his men, and, besides, he believed
that the exhaustions were not of serious
nature. and that the men would be able
to look out for themselves after they had
had little rest. This view proved to be
correct for the men ali showed up in Ma
Mia ultimately, having formeA,little squads
and travelled back over their outgoing trail
together.
UNITED FORCE ADVANCES.
1t was about three o'clock when Lawton
and Wheaton started out together, heading
toward the road to Las Pihas and followed
by Capt Andrews and his two batteries.
The batteries were soon left behind, and
the two Generals and their STATS, with
Stewards troop. were way out in the lead.
There had been considerable long-range
firing during the morning. and we had seen
: good many insurgents hiking swiftly to
the rear. 1t seemed now as II we had sure
ly made roundup, but when. soon after
we left the resting place. we began to see
more and more huts with white flags in
the windows, 1t looked as II the enemy had
there are no white flags In the country
when the insurgents are In possession. No
matter what the inhabitants think about the
insurrection, they are all supporters of
the cause while the rebel troops are about.
If they were not, they would be very likely
to be unable to support any cause So when
we saw the white flags. we Immediately
concluded that the insurgents had run SO
fast in the morning that they had got away.
We had been going about an hour In the
afternoon, when we came to a little wooded
stream, which we had to ford. Gen. Law
ton was in the advance with his staff
around him and his orderlies following. He
always carries his flag with him in the
field. Wheaton stopped at the ford to see
that the troops got across In good shape
and without delay. Lawton went on
with his STAFF. orderlies. and the
mounted troop. Beyond the ford there
was q stretch Of rioe-nelds. perhaps. half
q mile across. Two other newspaper men
and myself were riding with Lawton and
his stan. At the ford. two Of US stopped to
see whether the water was good to drink
or not. One held the horses and the other
took the canteens down to the water. AS
they rode out into the rice-flelds beyond the
ford, Lawton was saying:
you won't find any enemy here, there
are too many white flags"
THE ENEMY OPENS FIRE
The man came back with the canteens
and reported that the water was salt We
had Just mounted and were starting for
ward on the jump to catch up with Lawton
when, without the first warning a red-hot
fire opened up from line of trees about
three hundred yards on our right. At the
very first volley there occurred the most re-
markably sudden. precise, and simultaneous
movement on the part of a number Of men
that l have ever seen. AS l rose up on my
own left leg to swing out Of the saddle, saw
about a hundred men few yards ahead Of
me, every one in exactly the same position.
The next instant they were all down on the
ground. and the Filipinos must have thought
for a minute that they had made a great
killing. But 1t was only for a moment that
they were able to entertain any such no.
ton. The next moment the dismounted ca
valrymen were at them with Krag velleys,
and they had business of their own to at
tend to. The horse holders got the ponies
of that troop out of the way in amazingly
short time The orderlies and most of the
stan, II the truth must be told. were also
very quickly in places OF safety. But Law
ton sat on his big horse out in the open
looking at the place from which the fire was
coming, and bowling out orders for troops
to come up and drive them out of that
had lovely place in big ditch that ran
parallel with the line on which our men
would go in, and across the field of FIRE, 80
that could take In the whole thing with
out getting taken in myself on a stretcher.
which helps to prevent palpitation OF the
heart, even II 1t Is not dignihed.
Wheaton was at the ford hustling the
troops UP. He has voice like a Block ISL
and fog-horn. and he was roaring with 40
900 horse-powe energy at the Colorados
who were coming through the ford on the
keen run, whooping and yelling and grin
ming at the chance of getting at the enemy
after all, that day. At the same time Major
Reagan was taking q battalion Of the Ninth
in behind the ford to q place where they
could get a fair crack at the insurgents.
As the first of the Colorados got across the
stream and ran out into the open field the
Ninth men behind the bamboos let go q
volley that sounded like one gun. The Colo
radios responded with yell and ran all the
harder to get into position Col. Mccoy was
hot after the first company, urging them
on. and swearing that II they didn't hurry.
the niggers would all get away. The Colo
RADIO men all got into line in much less time
than 1t takes to write 1t down. but they
had gone In behind Stewards men, and had
to advance their line to his before they
could open IRE. All this time the Ninth
were pouring In terrific volleys from behind
the ford, and enflading the enemy. The in
surgents were in good trenches, as 1t after
ward developed, across the river. south of
Las Pinas. They were not more than three
hundred yards from our men when they
opened up, and that was no doubt what
saved us from a severe loss. for when they
shoot in the open the safest place is usually
up pretty close to them. their fire is so
high. Wheaton had come across the ford
when all the Colorados were over, and now
sat nm his nonY yelling across the field to