The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-10
CUTTING THE WIRES.

hours on the sunny side of an adobe
hut, where the warm sunshine and pure
air seem to bring back to his cheeks
some of the old color which suffused his
handsome face when we first went into
camp last May.
His wounds have apparently healed.
though he still complains OF the sore
places under his arms, and on chilly
nights when he coughs SO terribly we
are fearful that the wound will break
out afresh.
Today he seemed to want to talk of
Cuba the first time since his delirium
left him. SO / let him lead the CONVEX
sation as he seemed inclined. CHANGING
up at the mountains, he remarked,
Captain, the clouds floating over those
hills remind me of the day we moved
up toward San juan.
Cant you tell me something of that
campaign" l asked.
"Well l was thinking Of it, and I
might as well talk as to think. I still
dream about it, or rather I live it all over
in my sleep, and I begin to think it will
be my nightmare as long as ! live.
II always begin my dreams when we
laid down in a little open space in the
Jungle to let the rough riders and the
colored regiments pass. I stretched out
on my back and watched the clouds
float in from the ocean and roll up the
hill till they were lost in the forest.
'Capron's battery came by and turn
/ ed to the left to take position. watch
ed the horses straining at the collar, the
drivers cursing and the c~annoneers jolt
ing on the caissons, and it flashed
through my mind that they would soon
be in it, and here We lay like drones.
| Why didn't the call soand?
up ahead / could hear the contin-
uous crack of the Krag-Jorgensens,
and. gripping my old Springfield tight,
l breathed a silent prayer that ! might
use it.
st think we must have laid. there a
full half hour. To me it seemed an
eternity before the welcome bugle call
Fall int put ua all on u feet. We
dropped down into the ditch called a
road, and moved forward until we came
to a stream. No one thought of taking
off shoes or rolling up trousers. but with
blanket roll and rifle held at the shout
der we plunged in.
II heard the ping Of a spent rifle
ball, and saw the splash as it struck the
water. This was the first intimation !
had that we were within range of the
Spanish rifles.
.sAfter crossing the stream we OBJ
liqued to the right, through the cha
parral, and / could hear the bullets sing
ing their songs of death as they passed
over our heads, clipping leaves and
twigs. I am sure / was not frightened.
Fear had given place to the intense de-
sire to get into the fight.
"When we reached the open, the or
der TO lie down was repeated. and down
we went in the tall. wet grass. The
first of the wire entanglements was
about 800 feet ahead of us
"a rough rider passed us, going to-
ward the rear. He said not a word.
though his right arm hung limp and
the blood dropped from the ends of his
fingers.
SAT that moment a battery opened
to our right in the rear, but we heard
no response by artillery.
ssThe bullets seemed to rain down on
us like overripe fruit from a tree that
had been Jared by some heavy blow.
The enemy evidently had the range of
that hill and had seer us lie down, for
they were shooting low and the bullets
we're kissing their way through the
grass. Corporal Butler lay beside me,
and, leaning ever, he said, in his rich
Clare county brogue: 'Sargint, do yez
hear thin g~rasshopperss Well, mebby
there won't be miny a poor divil that'n
wisht he'd niver bin SO clost while they
wuz singin.' Poor fellow Hammond
writes me that a 'grasshopper' found
him not 30 minutes after ! left; not a
groan or a culver, his head simply drop
ping on his hands.
while the bullets hunted for us the
sun found us. The very earth steamed,
and we almost gasped for breath. My
thirst became something terrible.
1T makes me thirsty now to think
Of my awful desire for a drink of water
at that time.
"As we lay there a lieutenant of the
signal corps. a tall chap, who, as ! re-
member him, looked like you. came ont
of the jungle and, walking erect, went
abont so yards in front of us, where he
coolly adjusted his feldglass and in
spected the works on the crest of the
hill. What a target he was for those
Spanish sharpshootersl Yet the shower
his action called forth did not seem to
discomfort him in the least, and when
be had finished his survey he returned
the glasses to their case, swung on his
heel and walked back.
How I envied himi He was doing
something. while there / lay, doing
nothing but await orders.
General Wheeler came by as uncon.
cerned as though on the parade ground.
Looking along our line he saw my
chevrons and said, Sergeant, you take
ten men and remove that entangle-
mentl' Here was my chance. I sprang
to my feet and, selecting the designated
number Ct say selecting, because every
man wanted to go) we started on the
double quick. keeping q bodies bent
as low as possible. We were provided
with wire cutters, and I set the men at