The age-herald., 1899-12-17
JOE WHEELER ATTHE FRONT
Some Vivid Pictures of Actual Life of Soldiers on the
 Firing Line,

yancing insurgents could be seen.
 The line is about a mile and half
 long, said the sentry on duty there.
 They opened up on the left. They must
 have crawled almost on to that outpost
 out there. Shouldn't wonder if they got
 somebody there. It's poor place for an
 outpost. Right out on the flat ground, and
 nothing to hide behind. We aint doing
 much yet. Just the outposts returning
 fire"
 There was pause, and then a bright,
 farlng line of fire and the noise of ripping
 canvas Listen to the Krags," said the
 sentry. We've opened on 'em out there
 now Now look at us singing it into 'em."
 Away over toward Bacolor came the muf-
 ned sound of volley firing. Then the firing
 nesap over in the direction of Betis Then
 We heard it down toward Guaga "Boom!
 Boon!' This from Guaga. The soldiers
 langhed. Listen to the gunboats And
 dhere goes the old coffee-mill! Oh ain't
 tney a-gettin' it! A steady roar, clatter-
 ing much like the noise of a mampoth
 Gohee-nlll, could be heard from Guaga.
 It was the Gatling guns on the gunboats
 Alter time the firing quieted down. It is very discouraging on a night so
 black that you can't see a man two feet away from you and Remington bullets are whistling and Mausers are popping over head and young recruit nearby is repeat ing over and over; They're a-shootin' AiD'ii SiiN hOuSSS! IIley re a-SnOOtln from the houses!" to find out that the grim wall which you supposed to be three feet thick and capable of defecting shrapne is mace or bamboo about half an inch thick, that
 even brickbat would go through as easily as It would bass Gru. General Wheeler ana two Of his aids went clattering by again as we walked over to the church. Its all right" said the general "They found us ready. I guess the rascas are sorry. Away out on the left there was snlIen boom, and then came the bloom a-room aroom a-room" of shrapnel The sound of some one running came | through the darkness
 "Ha1tl" commanded the sentry. "Who's l there?'
 Friend" came from the darkness in | breathless tones.
 | ''Oh!" said the sentry "cone in T | thought you was on outpost" A breathless i boy soldier appeared out of the darkness
 into the light that streamed out through | the church door.
 | Well, l was on outpost,' he said de- | fiantly.
 "Then, what are you doln' here?" de-
 manded the sentry. Don't you rockies
 know enough to stick to your posts?" 1 The recruit sat down and held his hands | together to keep them from shaking. "Oh, | well, l stuck as long as any man would | but good Lord. me and the feler that was | with me couldn't fight 800 men. We was | away out there in that rice field, and they l must have got within twenty-five yards of | us before saw them. I was asleep, and | Bill he kicked me and woke me up, and | just as I sat up they turned loose on us, | and the bullets hit all around us. Bill he | ran, and then l picked up my gun and | hiked out. We tumbled over rice dil0e : | next chance we got I got up and hiked in
 here, and you bet they can't get me out | there again"
 l You God-forsaken rocky" said the sen- l try. Do you know what you done? You l deserted your post, that's what, and | would sooner be out there now in the mid | dle of that road where the Remingtons are 1 striking fire from the flint at every jump l than to be in your shoes.'
 l The recruit looked like he as going to | cry. What else could I do?" he demanded l q couldn't stay out there and be killed" 1 "Why couldn't you?" demanded the sen 1 try. Somebody's fot to get 1t. You ain't 1 no better than them fellers lying over in | the rice field now that's a-holding 'em back | long before the companies got out. You l don't know nothing about the gabe That's | the trouble with you. But you're a poor, | misguided rookie, and you cant help it." | The rookie slid away. I heard the next | day that he was to be tried by courtmartial | I felt sorry for him. He had not learned ] that in war it is a maxim that few must l be sacrificed for the benefit of the many | The lonely little groups of three and four l men away out on the outposts mile from | their comrades are the few.