Evening star., 1899-07-29

April II was far worse than anything I
ever experienced in Arizona. and then old
SOL began 10 get in direful. though not
ceadly work. Heat prostrations were many,
but l heard Of fatalities. We used 10
strip the caves of the banana tree and put
them IN our campaign hats with a fall"
down the back of the head and neck. They
served US Wei. but all the same the eX-
posure was great. April is the hottest
month OF the year In and about Manila,
and where We were serving, up the PasIg
and where Lawton and Macarthur were
hammering at AguinaldO's field works on
the lines of the RaChaE. the Quingua and
the Rio Gr2nde Ge PampanEas the sun
beat down untempered by the breezes from
the bay as in Manila. and there was no
lodging II. Foreign residents, YOU know
and even the natives, shut UP shop every
day and retire indoors and stay there until
the sun is well down in the west: but no
such shelter could our fellows seek The
sun by day, the dews by night and the ex-
halationS Of the rice feds at all times had
they to stand as best they could. and stand
II they did gallantly and uncomplainngly.
What is more, | believe they would gladly
stand II all again II by so doing they could
stand OFF, the drenchIng rains that cool
the air for an hour so each day now, and
then turn all nature into a steam bath until
sunset and all the fields to flood Without
dry stitch on them, perhaps. the s;alwart
fellows stretch themselves on their rude
hunks at night and sleep as only tired SOL
diers can, yet thousands Of them seem 10
mind II as little a mild shower. They
are near,y all vigorous young fellows, who
were sound to start with.
Small Percentage of Sick
OF course, VIC hear of hundreds Of officers
and men physically broken down and re-
turned to the states. hut the percentage IL
slight as compared with the war Of the re-
beliion, and very many men are simply
tormented to sleeplessness by an annoying
skin disease-an iJch-that is obstinately
prevalent around Manila. yet Yields TO
treatment after a few days at sea, and Is
gone entirely by the time the patient sees
the Golden Gate. Once last winter there
cause for anxiety. The smallpox Is
said TO be endemic in Manila, and the
native takes it lightly and soon RECEIVERS,
but it is oddly fatal when 1t strikes the
Anglo-Saxon, and there were grave faces
everywhere when We heard Of Its appear
ance in the ranks Of Funston's gallant regl-
ment, the Goth Kansas. Yet so promptly
was the matter met, so complete was the
isolation enforced and so strict the quar-
antine established. that the malady never
spread beyond the battalion In which II
first appeared. and in less than month it
was stamped out entirely.
An Active Foe.
Now as to the FilipinOs. l know nothing
of the people except the insurgent tribe
the Tagals-and most active and enter
prising foe they make. Their leaders are
skilled. and. as a rule, highly educated men.
They themselves have all attended school
officials and Filipino authors declare that
of them can read and write.
They are superstitious. They are suspi-
cious of everything Spanish or American.
and credulOus to the verge OF idiocy where
Aguinaldo's prowess or personality is con-
cerned They are fanatiCal and die brave
ly. Yet on almost every dead or wounded
soldier our surgeons found the amulet. war
ranted to render them buiiet proof. Devout
Catholics they are. too. Cleany are they
in their ways. but most ingenious and plaus-
ible liars. Incompatible sneak thieves and
uneXcelled cock fighters. About their
homes they bow and scrape and do homage
to the American soldiery, declaring them
selves "MuchOs Amigos" but look out for
a shot or stab in the back the next minutei
In the field they have the patience and
stealth of the Apache. Even old Indian
fighters found themselves ambuscaded and
surrounded by the little warriors on more
than one occasion last spring. A flag OF
truce means no more to a Tagal than to a
Modoc and, take him by and large. as our
sailors say. he is pretty much what KiplinG
described him-'half devil and half child
"a creature who respects nothing less than
force and strong governmental people that
must be soundly thrashed for their treach-
cry and utterly subdued before peace can
be possible for a moment.
The Newspaper Correspondents.
AS this letter is closed / an shown the
round robin" of the press correspondents
at Manila and asked to say what i think
of it,
Newspaper corres pondents played the
mischief with the cause of the Union the
first two years of the war of the rebellion
and gave more aid and comfort to the
eremy' than the southern victories at the
two Bull Runs. Our great and successful
generals-like Grant and Sherman-muzzled
or expelled them. Gen. Otis. At Manila.
with the most trying, difficult task before
him-that of bringing the insurEent TaEals
to terms-has exercised an undoubted right
In maintaining censorship over the dis
patches of a large array of correspondents
Of the press. but that he has ever sup
pressed important facts or deceived his
superiors at Washington | cannot for a
moment believe. Some of the corresDon-
dents sent fair and honest reports. Others
did not-but. at ell events. If they cid not
like Otis censorship. all they had to do
was to send their copy to Hong Kong-siNty
hours away-2Ed have It wired from there.
CHARLES KING.
Rr.Eadior General, L. s. v.