The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-03-04
USEFUL INFORMATION IMPARTEn
BY A REGULAR.

bOr-Saving Tricks-Points for a
soluteefS Before Santiago a. to
Carrying His Outflt-Uses Even for
Green Mangoes-Wild Cherry But
r. ter-How to Curry Water, Though
Not ON Both shoulders-Campin
, Arrangements. -
The volunteer had been telling about his
CUBAN experience, when some one put in
word about the regulars. -.
went through the Santiapo cam.
paign," said the volunteer, "witho1t put
uns IN day in the hospitals, and I at
tribute my good fortune to the fact that
was always ready to take the TIPS OF
Inc ~ oio-rlmers among the enlisted men of
uhe regulars. You see, was a raw re-
cruat, ana not an old National Guards
man, and was ready and anxious to fol-
low the advice of any level-headed man
VINO mad seen real campaigning. +
me day OF the fight at Las Guasimas
Ivy regiment was ordered out in support,
we didn't get within hearing of the en-
gagement, but we went through a day of
to'l ttlat would have tired out govern
ment pack mule It was blazing hot and
we were ordered out in heavy MARCHING
order. we scrambled up the biggest and
:s1eepest hill ever tackled up with q
!oad on my back And then we went a t a
Keen gallop for three or four miles. Then
we stretched ourselves out under the
burning sun and painted and let our
tongues loA out of our months like 50
many dogs in August. Finally we turned
around and marched brisl<ly back to sib-
oney. All this in heavy marching order
on the hottest day ever saw in Cuba
Our captain evidently sized I'D the sit
uatlon pretty accura tely, and made up his
nina mat the men wouldn't stand much
campaigning unless their loads were re-
uuceu. so the night before me started to
march to Sevilla he assembled the COM
pany and told the men they might use
tnear own Judgment about tightening
tnear loads, leaving behind blankets. shell
ter tents or anything they chose, except.
OF course, ammunition, rifles or rations.
teii you 1t was big temptation to
dump the heavy blankets and shelter
TENTS Nine out of ten Of the men did so
without hesitation. The days work had
taken the tuck out Of me, and T was a
weary, weary Willy, indeed But T had
seen some Western and Southwestern
camp life" and some way the idea of
throwing away shelter and bedding did
not appeal to me. had all night before
me, SO made for a camp of regulars
where knew an old Western campaign
CT; l found my man and stated my case.
! mad rugged myself up in heavy march
ing ORDER so that he could judge the stu
atlon accurately. The regular sized me
up ana asked me how much weighed,
stripped. told him 143 pounds.
We'll, he said, you should be able to
tote that load easily, If it was packed on
you SO that It will ride. You see, the
way you've got it strung onto you makes
you, drag it instead of carrying It IF
you've got a BANKED pound OF the whole
load on your center of gravity or your
backbone or your hips, I'll eat that pound.
Even Eve. II us cartridges. If you start out
rhat way IN the morning, you'll trot all
DAY with your head and shoulders a foot
ana a half ahead Of your hips, like a VOL
unteer fireman dragging hose cart.
DUMP the load and I'll reload you
didn't need a second invitation First
ne cut my heavy blanket in two and
threw one-half away. Then he began to
throw superf1uous toilet articles in ali f1i.
rections. He showed aside a. big. bulky.
sharp-edged can of tomatoes. I rema rkex1
unat our captain had ordered us not to
throw away rations
''Don't! he replied. Swap that man.
Killer for rice with some fellow who
doesn't like rice but does like a load.
Before Tomorrow night he'll throw II
away for you. Ten Of those cans would
cut q pack mule to, pieces
FINALLY the regular came to nv cart
ridges. There were 100 rounds. If I re-
mem Der rightly there were sixty in my
cartridge belt and the other 100 were
dumped In my haversack ok. That haver-
sack weighed a ton. During that day the
strap of 1t had cut furrow in my shout
der an inch deep. The regular took a
broad strip of heavy canvas and cut it to
the shape of a sort Of jacket like a wo-
mans corset cover. He cut it full OF
Sits and poked the extra 100 cartridges
into the Sits. Then he laced the Jacket
snugly around my chest with stout cord.
1e0 cartridges didn't seem to weigh a
pound. '
Now, my boy said the. regular,
you've got a coat of mail, and you
weigh Thirty pounds more than you did,
but your load weighs thirty pounds less.
Your cartridges are part OF you, and ride
evenly over your hips
Next my military mentor showed me
how to make snug, easy-riding roll of
my blanket and shelter tent. And he
completed the job by Transforming my
haversack into a knapsack, so that it
rode snugly on the back of my neck at
the apex of my backbone, instead Of dang
ling and Topping on narrow strap that
would saw hole in my shoulder. These
little changes enabled me- on the follow
ing day, to march from Siboney to Sevilla
and thence to an outpost under a broiline
! sun. without serious fatigue. In fact, ]
| neglected to- take advantage Of some OF
the rests by sitting or lying down. and
that night had half of blanket and a
shelter half to roll up in. And the follow
| ing day, when the afternoon rain came,
blessed that regular from my shelter half
While. we were on outpost duty near
| Sevilla. we found our first nangoes They
| were unripe. The medical staff of the
regiment promptly warned the men that
either green or ripe, the n1angoes were
deadly We were given to understand, ir
| fact. that one mango meant a case Of vel
| low jack. One day, while skirmishing or
the outskirts Of our camp, came acros.
my friend OF the regulars. He was up II
a mango tree, knocking down the greer
fruit. There was a gunnysack under the
tree. inquired whether he proposed tt
commit suicide by eating the things HI
said. certainly, he proposed to eat them
/ told hdm about the warning OF the sur
geons. and that the manages were green
Ny friend said the regular, a greer
apple will give small boy the collie
1 won't It? But when you were small
boy did you ever eat green apple sass
/ You did! And you are still alive? Well
you turn in and help me gather thes'
mangoes. Then take some into camp ant
plenty OF sugar. You will find that thee
make bully good green apple sass, ant
| you don't get scurvy, which ~. about a!
bad as dysentery, giess.'
1T followed hls instructions and twenty
four hours later saw one Of our doctor,
eating green mango sauce. This incdden
reminds me Of another story. It wa
beginning to sicken In whole squads B:
this time the mangoes were thorough.
ISfipe, hut hard to ind The doctorl an
hospital corps were being worked t