The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-01

graceful branches overhanging the
water and the dense masses of the
forest. On an elevation a mile up river
the. towers of Guadalupe church stood
out in distinct outline. The soft air of
the southern night was stirring gently.
Such a night as this was meant for the
music of guitars and the sweet voices
of pretty mestiZas, but not for the
strident Kissing of bullets and shell.
Captain Grant could not be moved
by the aesthetic unfitness of things.
He watched the moon rise until it was
well up in the heavens; then he called
his men to general quarters. There
was a great hurrying about the deck,
rolling up of blankets, getting out
ammunition-all the preliminaries of
The coming engagement. At last every
thing was ready, and the Laguna de
Bay slowly swung into the middle of
| the river, and, staggering under her
unaccustomed burden of guns and ar
NOR, headed up stream. The signal for
a general fusillade was to be the dis
charge of one of the navy guns on the
! lower deck.
AS at night the best place for seeing
what could be seen of the engagement
was in the turret with the Calling
guns, we took our station there and
awaited the signal. Slowly the steam
er advanced between the wooded banks
u.
! yet indistinct with heavy shadows. We
passed our own lines running down to
the rivers edge, a distinct line of fresh
~ heaped shining stones, and then a.
mass Of jungle, with fallen trees and
barricades, heaped up by the insur
gents to prevent any advance on our
part. Then came the insurgents first
line of defense. We could distinguish
no figures, but knew that the enemy
was there, from the occasional crack
of a rife. Just above this line we
backed water. Our forward gun was
fired. Everyone watched for the eX-
plosion of the shell, which followed al
most Immediately. and, from the fash,
we judged that the shrapnel had not
gone far from the mark. Then the
gunners in the turret, beginning their
work, turned the handles of the Cat
ling guns, and continuous flame
played from their barrels. AS the
Sunners swung them this way and
that, it was as if a hose was streaming
fire instead of water on the surround
ing woods. The guns doomed: the
shells Missed. Then we remembered
the doctors directions to put cotton in
our ears, keep our mouths open, and
stand on our toes. The din was aW-
full, shaking the iron plates all around
the deck like gigantic storm behind
the scenes of a Bowery melodrama.
Below. IL was regular pan1emOnlQm.
like being shut up in barrel with a
bunch of exploding giant firecrackers
AT first one did not notice the return
fire of the enemy; but soon. becoming
accustomed to the incessant thunder.
we noticed bullets striking against the
protecting plates of our gunboat. One
bullet, coming through the portfolio or
a gun. struck the barrel and glanced
into the hand of one of the gunners.
This mans name is Michael Shea, but
his comrades now call him "Rico-
chet."
For three-quarters of an hour our
little boat hurled incessant lead at hill
and wood, until we became convinced
that not even a grasshopper could es-
cape under such a fire. Then slowly
we drew down the river. and each man
threw himself upon his blanket and
slept. AS the night mists whitened
over the river and the sun gloriously
rose, biood-red. through the mists. the
corporal by my side stood up, stretched
his brawny arms, ana, facing the
glowing east, exclaimed, to my great
surprise:
Wake. For the Sun, who scatter'd into
flight
The Stars before him from the Field of
Night.
Drives Night along with them from
Heavn. and strikes
The Sultan's Turret with a Shaft of
Light.