The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1899-05-18
Drawing Water Under Fire.

vi NhLcE OnueF rlF6s
The following breezy anecdote of
the Santiago campaign is sent by a
Rough Rider. He was wounded in
the blockhouse fight, but lives to tell
his story.
A fruitful source of suffering. and
one OF the principal causes of the dis
ease which later assaulted our ranks.
was the lack of good drinking water.
During the lurid first of July the San
Juan river, rolled and muddled by con-
slant fording, furnished our only
means of liquid refreshment; and in
deed it continued to be our chief
source of supply throughout those
weary days spent in the trenches, be-
fore the surrender of the city.
On the night of the first, under cover
of darkness, Spanish s~harpshooters
took UP commanding positions in trees
near all the principal fords, and made
the task Of filling canteens extremely
dangerous.
However, we of the Rough Riders
discovered a well heal the blockhouse
on the hill we had taken and were
holding, and from 1t we drew our sup
ply of water during the days we re-
manned in this position. The location
OF the we'll was an exposed one, and
was commanded by the fire of he
sharpshooters posted well within the
Spanish lines, where it was difficult to
dislodge them.
Already several men had been hit
while drawing water, so that when. on
the morning of the third, l was order
ed TO take a pail and a
colored trooper from the Tenth Ca
valry to he well, l knew l was setting
out on a rather hazardous undertake
ing. In the army, however, orders are
orders, SO | took my pail and started,
MY companion was a big, burly fell
low, black as ebony, but a brave SOL
der withal, as were all the men of
that famous regiment. We walked
along under cover Of the hill until
we had come to a point opposite the
we'll, when my comrado stopped me for
a consultation.
Der haint no use both we-uns
gwine up Their and gittin' shot at at
the same time" he remarked. and l
readily assented. We'll, den, Use
gwine up first n get my pail of
watah, and den you git yours"
agreed to this arrangement, and
we both started, crawling forward on
our stomachs ard trying to keep the
etone coping of the we'll between us
and where we thought the Spaniards
were posted. BY going slowly and
Keeping down in the grass, without,
so far as we knew, exposing ourselves
to view, we gained the well.
Then my companion sprang to his
feet, grasped the rope, lowered the pail
into the well, and began drawing it
up, filled. From the moment he
leaped up he was exposed to the plain
view of the sharp eyes across the val
ley, and in a moment a Mauser whis-
tied past. Nothing daunted, the
brave fellow kept at his task, despite
the fact that another bullet ;7histled
by still closer to him, until he had
filled his pail. Then he dropped down
beside me, and my turn had come.
Without waiting for the second
thought which always weakens a man
under fire, I sprang to my feet and
lowered away. "Z-s-s-s!' sang a Maui
ser, and I leaned a little lower down
the well. "Z-s-s-s!" Kissed another,
and l was tugging ut the rope like
mad. With hands trembling with ex-
element, filed my pail and dropped
down just as the third bullet went
over M head.
We had got our water, and all that
nov remained for us was to crawl