The Anaconda standard., 1899-03-14
AN OLD cAMPAIcNER'S WAY.
Health and Labor Saving Tricks Taught
by Reyular

The volunteer had been telling abou
his Cuban experience when some on
put in a word about the regulars.
Il went through the Santiago cam
paign' said the volunteer, "withou
putting in day in the hospitals, and
attribute my good fortune to the fact
that / was always ready to take TIL,
tips of the old-timers among the enlisted
men of the regulars. You see, I was 8
raw recruit and not an old natona
guardsman, and I was ready and anX-
ious to follow the advice of any level
headed man who had seen real cam
paigning.
THE day of the fight at Las Quasi
mas my regiment was ordered out in
support. We didn't get within hearing
of the engagement, but we went
through day of toll that would have
tired out a government pack mule. II
was blazing hot and we were ordered
out in heavy marching order. We
scrambled up the biggest and steepest
hill l ever tackled with a load on my
back. And then we went at a keen
gallon for three or four miles Then
we stretched ourself out under the
burning sun and painted and let our
tongues loll out of our mouths like so
many dogs in August. Finally we turn
ed around and marched briskly back to
Siboney. All this in heavy marching
order on the hottest day 7 saw in Gu
ba.
Our captain evidently sized up the
situation pretty accurately and made
up his mind that the men wouldn't
stand much campaigning unless their
loads were reduced. So the night be-
fore we started to march to Sevilla he
assembled the company and told the
n hny iyht hnir n
ment about Tightening their loads, leav-
ing behind blankets. shelter tents or
anything they chose, except, of course,
ammunition, rifles or rations.
4 tell you it was a big temptation to
dump the heavy blankets and shelter
tents. Nine out of ten of the men did
so without moments thought or hesf-
tation. The days work had taken all
the tuck out OF me and I was a very
weary Willie, indeed. But I had seen
some western and southwestern camp
life, and some way the idea of throwing
away shelter and bedding didn't seem
to appeal to me. l had all night before
me, so | made for camp of regulars
where | knew an old western campaign
er. l found my man and stated my
case. l had rugged myself up in heavy
order, so that he could judge
the situation accurately. The regular
sized me up and asked me how much
I weighed stripped. l told him 145
pounds.
well he said, you should be able
to tote that loud easily if it was packed
on you so that it would ride. You see,
the way you've got it strung onto you
makes you drag it instead of carrying
it. If you've got a blanlled pound Of
the whole load over your center of
gravity or your backbone or your hips,
I'll eat that pound. even if it's cart
ridges. II you start out that way in the
you'll trot all day with your
head and shoulders a foot and pa half
ahead of your hips, like a volunteer
fireman dragging a hose cart. Dump
the load and I'll reload you
Il didn't need second invitation.
First he cut my heavy blanket in two
and threw onehalf away. Then he be
gan to throw superfiuous toilet articles
in all directions. He showed aside big
bulky, sharp-edged half-gallon can of
tomatoes. l remarked that our captain
had ordered US not to throw away ra-
tions.
DON'T. he replied. Swap that man
killer for rice with some fellow who
doesn't like rice but does like a load
Before tomorrow night he'll throw it
away for you. Ten of those cans would
cut pack mule. to pieces
FINALLY the regular came to my cart
ridges. There were 100 rounds. If l
rightly, there were 60 in my
cartridge belt and the other 100 We're
dumped in my haversack. That haver-
sack weighed a ton. During that day
the strap of it had cut a furrow in my
shoulder an inch deep. The regular
took broad strip of heavy canvas and
cut it to the shape of a sort of jacket
like WomanS corset cover. He cut it
full of Sits and poked the extra hun
dred cartridges into the slits. Then he
laced the Jacket snugly around my
chest with stout cord. To my surprise,
found that the entire 100 cartridges
didn't seem to weigh pound.
Now, my boy said the regular,
you've got a coat of mail and you
weigh 50 pounds more than you did. but
your load weighs 80 pounds less. Your
are part of you and ride
.venly over your hips
Next my military mentor showed me
low to make a snug. easy-riding roll
If my blanket and shelter tent. And
1e completed the job by transforming
ny havarsack into a knapsack SO that
t rode snugly on the back of my neck
1t the apex of my backbone instead of
dangling and Topping on narrow
strap that would saw a hole in one
shoulder. These little changes enabled
me on the following day to march from
Siboney to Sevilla and thence to an out
post under boiling sun without scri-
0us fatigue. In fact, I neglected to
take advantage of some of the rests
by sitting or lying down, and that
night had half of blanket and a shell
ter half to roll up in. And the follow
ng day, when the afternoon rain came,
blessed that regular for my shelter
half.
While we were on outpost duty near
SeVilla we found our first mangoes.
They We're unripe. The medical staff Of
he regiment promptly warned the men
hat either green or ripe, the mangoes
were deadly. We We're given to under
stand, in effect, that one mango meant
L case of yellow jack. One day while
;kirmishing on the outskirts of our
amp I came across my friend of the
egulars. He was up in a mango tree,
knocking down the green fruit. l in
luired whether h. proposed to commit
uicide by eating the things. He said
certainly, he proposed to eat them | |
old him about the warning of our sur
ICONS and that the mangoes were
;reen.
My friend said the regular. "a green
pple will give a small boy the collie, |
Won't il? RUt when you