The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-25
ONE DAY OF BATTLE,
Andrew Marker in Freedom" mana,
published in Manila.

AnureW Marker in Freedom" a DaDar
published in Manila.
There was a portentous flow along
the firing line; the big bounding
brown billows of men rolled steadily
onward.
All night they had lain bivouacked
upon their arms. inanimate and quiet.
nut alert and argus-eyed, waiting and
watching for the foe and the dawn.
ON! That unspeakable, obdurate slow
uaWn. It, was wonder that the eyes
OF some did not turn to glass balls,
from the unblinking fiXity of their
gaze, as they lay out there in the hot.
black night, with loaded guns and i'm
patience set at hair-trigger and stared
INTO the darkness until their optical
nerves were strained into vibrant
strings.
Now, at resonant bugle blast. as
from the touch of Aaron's wand the
lifeless line Of the night leaped into
sudden, enthusiastic, buoyant life,
thrilling with suppressed effervescency
and fire
All night the insurgents had punched
lurid perforatiOns into the darkness
with desultory, dribblng fire, but as
usual, their vengeful lead flew wild
and, after long, delirious flight
through infinite space, fell spent a long
way into the wilderness.
But now, as the regiment swept out
into the selvege of a more debatable
ground, like the rush of water through
an open lock, a seethng, swishing,
swirling salvo of infantry fire began to
sweep down upon them from the crest
OF long, low declivity. VengefulIy,
ike the red fangs of serpents, innum-
cradle ruby jets of flame could be seen
darting from the crest of the raise. ana
overhead was a continual drumming,
the Whirring wings of myriad singing,
steel-coated insects of death
As yet the insurgents could not he
seen; only the long gray embankments
indicated the presence of the enemy.
There was no smoke. Smokeless pow
der rendered the scene additionally
mysterious. 1t was like a battle with
a bit of charming scenery enigmatic-
ally potent for death. To every rifle
shot was lent the ominous quality
which belongs to secreSassassinations.
men were falling and only the sharp.
sibilant snap of the Mauser and the
sickening, shuddering "spat" of lead
marking a dele upon it's victim. in
dicated the mode of exit. They were
running into the teeth of a dragon.
Then suddenly every rifle i'm the FIR !
ing line seemed to go off of it's own
accord. AS if by instinct a thousand |
unerring rifles sprang up to adjust the |
sight to eager eyes squirting along |
their cleaning barrels, and. stimuli |
taneously, sheet of lambent lightning |
leaped from the leveled steel, and a
binding, blasting sickle of radiant de- |
struction skinned over the enemv's |
trenches, leaving them shorn of score |
of men and harvesting a terrible crop |
Of blood and doom.
The firing was the result Of an order. |
but few men had heard the order: in |
the main they had fired because they |
heard others fire, and their sense was |
so Quick that the volley did not sound |
too ragged.
The line now sounded like a grear |
machine set to running franticaly IN
the open air. To the measured "prutt" !
of the volleys was added the under |
chorus Of the clicking mechanism as |
the men unloaded and reloaded their !
pieces, as steady and swift as If the |
hand of one operator was controlling |
it all. 1t reminded one of great steel |
loom, clinking, clanking, blinking, |
plunking, weaving the red cloth of |
death
To the left OF the line, a red knoll
pushed itself up out of the trees as |
prominently as a policeman's club in /,
a public riot 1t was afterwards dis |
tinguished by the descriptive adjective |
bloody" 1t was bathed and bespat- |
tered baSmirched hasn,narad litarou,,
baptiscd i'm blood; cluttered with the |
of dead insurgents, mangled, |
lacerated and shot up as fine as a !
Scotch hageis; an absCess Of gore and |
terrible mortality. But Just now 1t
was pregnant with n nest of very live |
insurgents, ana nasty and obstinate
opposition
Manifestly, the insurgents had an
impreSnable position, and their output |
of bullets never ceased. But one might |
as well whisper to Niagara to cease |
falling, or counsel the resistless cy- /
clone i'm its Gyrating and terrible ad- |
vance tC have a care q rose bushes,
as to attempt TO stop an advance Of
American soldiers. When the Ameri- /,
cans decide TO advance, they advance. |
and squad goes over the ground /
next day and buries the many dead |
Of the opposition.
Running along the lines, an officer |
yells at the top Of his voice: "Fix |
bayonets!"
A moment Of uminous, metallic click |
ihg, and the cleaning barbs are fixed. |
The officer springs out upon the bank, |
waving his sword. Come on. boys! |