The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-23

hot day in the afternoon ship strange
in those waters crept closely in to the
Cuban coast. She steamed slowly along.
her bulwarks lined with watchful armed
men, whose wide, gray campaign hats
topped her sides. The silver beach
stretched. shining ribbon, along the
edge of the sea, and great clouds of
SURF spanked in the sun as the waves
broke on the coral9peefs a little out
from the ahore. The land within lay
like garden of the gods, as green, as
j fruitful, to all SEEMING as peaceful. A
net of jungle, of trailing, thorny vines
and tropical bush, with bamboos and
/ banyans and clumps of cocoa. palms,
reached back from the beach, rising
gently, until, some miles inland the
dark ridges of the hills doomed in the
| horizon. FL
No sound came from the land, no foe
showed himself as the ship drifted gen
! tly in, and then lay still, some hundreds
of yards from shore. Swiftly from her
sides two long boats We're lowered. and
each was filled with men with carbine,
ammunition belt ard pistol.
/ Lieutenant Parks viii take charge
of boat No. /, Lieutenant Owen of No
g" said the commanding officer. you
/ have your instructions, gentlemen. Good
luck to you. In an hour or two [ shall
expect you back with the information
and the Scouts
Boat No. ! was lying ready and i'm
patient when Mr.. Parks swung himself
| in the stern.
Give way men," sad he. "see if we
| can't beat the other boat ashore. Now.
! then" he added to the Cuban at the
tiller, look out for the reef. I'd as
soon get there dry as wet"
Where is No. %" a soldier queried,
as they shot forward.
Lieutenant Owen" said the COM
handing officer impatiently, what is
the matter? Your men are all in the
boat
a voice from the stern of the boat
spoke up gently, sedate and respectful
as need be, yet with a curious note
in -.
The things is all with me. lieutenant.
There's nothing left behind" it said.
Owen started at Spud s rebuke, re-
buke only to his ears, and. in his turn,
! swung over and seated himself in the
stern, close to his attendant
GIVE way" he said, but there was no
jolly appeal to- his squad to beat the
others. The men looked fretful as they
noted the start the others had
Them fellows has the luck" one
growled. They will be first ashore
Spud had a corner of his eye on
Owens face; in the crowded small
boat their shoulders touched. The Off
GERS face was gray; his form trembled.
This is black ruin thought Spud
BLACK ruin and disgrace for him and
the ward. If If l daredl'
He watched the men furtively. One
man nudged another and both looked
at Owen and sneered. Spud ground his
teeth and marked them for future
slaughter.
They know, they see it," he inward
ly groaned, and We'll be eternally dis
graced. Oh, Sammy, Sammy, if only
could give you jolly good hiding to
wake you up
He slipped a hand to a hip pocket,
and half drew something from it, but
showed it back again with great dis
tresH of face.
Whats to be done? On the Kid
doctor. Shall l burst the cure or-Oh,
this is the devil sure."
The other boat was drawing away
ahead, for their officer was cheering
the oarsmen on. He waved from his
place in the stern hand to Owen and
cried back, gaily: You're not in it.
Owen"
The men looked at owen. He made
no response. There was a certain honor
in being first TO set foot on the shore.
but the soldiers saw disgustedly that
their officer did not desire it. Danger
was there, and he-he funked it. That
was the sudden thought that sprang to
each mans mind, and they looked
blackly at him.
Spud moved in the boat, standing up
so that he hid the lieutenant while he
stopped on some pretense. He held out
a black bottle, and whispered, an
grily: