The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-08

The advance scouts called upon them
to surrender their arms, which they did
willingly enough. Their rifles we
smashed and threw away their amihu-
nition We could not have held their
equipments as we We're already loaded
down with our own. We proceeded along
about five or six miles peering INTO
every shack we came across, being
careful not to leave any insurgents pe-
hind. fearful lest they should flank us.
Just as it was getting dusk we en-
tered a ploughed rice field. On the oth-
er side was a lot of bamboo brush ana
a sort of thicket. Our scouts Ventured
near the thicket and discovered d parry
of Filipinos there. One scout went TOO
near and a Filipino tried to run knlte
through him. The scout was too quick
for him, however, and shot him dead
before he could reach him with the
knife. That was the signal for the FIR
ing to commence, We had no shelter
in the ploughed field and the Mauser
and Remington bullets flew over our
heads pretty lively. The darkness
called a halt on the firing, but we re-
manned pretty much awake all nlshI'
in anticipation of an attack, which
did not materialize, however.
THE next morning we found that the
Filipinos had retTeated during the
night, and after a sumptuous repast of
bareback, raw pork and water, we
again took up the march. AS we are
not allowed to light any fires, we could
not cook our pork or coffee when in
the enemy's country; we must get
along the best way possible Early the
next morning we again met the same
scouting party of the Filipinos and had
a short skirmish with them, in which
we lost one man from our company and
had several narrow escapes.
I'VE plugged along the following day
and met a large force of insurgents
about nightfall and had quite a scrim-
mage with them. I was posted on the
first relief on the outpost guard that
night. ! tell you that it is an expert
ence to do night guard duty in the face
of the enemy You are continually eX-
pecting a night attack and are ordered
to keep Watchful eye on the enemy.
The moon rises in the thicket about
8 O'Clock at night and makes all sorts
Of fantastic shapes and shadows.
Without drawing much on your ina
gination. you think that the trees and
bushes conceal an enemy. You can
watch a tree for five or ten minutes
and think that the tree has turned into
a Filipino and that he is advancing
stealthily to your lines. You raise your
rife to your shoulder and get a care
full sight of the supposed enemy, when
y Ou set bAl ~ SCtA7 SiA etiAes ~ INV ANoA
ish you are.
Upon being relieved from guard, II
went to my bunk and endeaVored to
get few hours sleep. 1 had no sooner
reached there when / heard the old
familiar challenge: Who goes
there?" No one answered and a shot
was fred from one of our men and a
ven came from the outside. A fellow
in Billy Lynchs company had shot an
insurgent sharpshooter as he came
down from a tree. The fellow who
shot him is a Worcester fellow named
Cooney. When in Worcester he lived
at the north end.
Everything was quiet the remain
der of the night, and the next morning
we got up prepared for action, but
when we got started the insurgents
kept retreating before us, and we could
not get very close to them. They fired
upon us several times, but we We're
not allowed to return their fire until
we got the command from our com
nanding officers. We We're ordered to
advance and to keep under cover as
much as possible The insurgents
kept retTeating, and we followed as
close as possible. They left well-fOr-
titled trenches where they could have
made good stand. and left a good
deal of their equipments. As we are
loaded down with 200 pounds of ammu-
milton. CdnteeDS, haNerSdckS ana blan-
ket rolls. we did not try to take any
of the discarded equipments, having
enough to do to carry our equipments
through the swamps and marshy
lands
After we had gone a couple Of miles
from the entertainments, we captured
little town called Mariquinia, which
surrendered as soon as we came upon
it. We had to cross a river before
int TaD 70 h.
first soldiers that had struck that
town. and were the object Of much at
tention from the natives. The town
had been shelled the night before by
Dewey's fleet, and a couple of shacks
knocked over. our rations being all
eaten we had to out into the country
fofaging, and capture chickens and lit
tie pigs. We cooked them and enjoy
ed one of the best meals since arriving
on the island. One company succeed
ed in capturing three fine Jersey heif-
ers. but our major would not allow the
boys TO kill them.
We did some tall walking and fight
ing after that. and went up on the gen
eral firing line The next place we
struck was the penitentiary. which has
about 1900 Convicts, soldiers of all ma
tiOnalities. We were ordered back for
garrison duty after that and are safe
ly CHARTERED in Manila. We are liable
to be ordered out again soon, but that
is improbable. as we have probably
quit active campaigning, as the rainy
season is now on