Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-28

| like skill in concealment nothing could be
| seen OF their array. Over to the westward
| on the placid waters of the bay the huge
| Monadnock was driving shell after shell
| into the dense underbrush across the aban-
doned rice fields and the marshy flats that
| lined the shore. Over to the east resound-
Ing cheers and crashing volleys, punctuated
| by the sharp report of field guns, told that
the comrade brigade was heavily engaged
and, apparently, driving the enemy before
them. To right and left their volunteer
| supports were banging into the brush with
| their heavy Sprngfields; and still there
seemed no symptom of weakness along the
| immediate front, no sign of yielding. II
anything the fury of the inSurgent volley-
| ing increased as the sun climbed higher
and all along the bue-shirted line men
| grit their teeth and swore as they crouch
ed or lay full length along the roadside,
peering through the filmy veil that drifted
slowly across their front-the smoke from
the Springtields of the volunteers.
To lie there longer with the bullets buzz
zing close overhead or biting deep into the
low embankment, sometimes tearing a
singing path through human flesh and
bone was adding to the nerve strain of
the hours gone by. To rush headlong
across that Intervening open space. through
deep and muddy pools and stagnant ditch,
and hurl themselves upon the lurking
enemy in the bamboo copse beyond had
been the ardent longing of the line since
| daylight came to illumine the field before
them. Yet stern orders withheld: Defend.
but do not advance, said the generals mes
sage; and the whisper went along from
man to man. There is trouble in town
behind US, and the chief may need us
there
But as o'clock passed with no word of
uprising in the rear, and the cheering over
toward Santa Ana grew loud and louder,
the nerve strain upon the -teenth became
well-night fntolerable. For Gods sake
can't We be doing something instead of
lying here firing into a hornets nest?" was
the murmur that arose in more than one
company along the impatient line; and the
gruH voices of veteran sergeants could be
heard ordering silence, while, moving up
and down behind their men, the line Off
GERS cautioned against waste of ammuni-
ton and needless exposure. Lie fiat men.
Keep DOWN. We're the words 1--WE won't
have to stand this forever You'll soon get
your chance
And presently it came. The cheering that
had died away, far over to the left, beyond
the wooded knoll that surrounded Singalon
and Block House H. suddenly taken
up nearer at hand. Then crashing volleys
sounded along the narrow roadway to the
east, and bugle rang out shrill and clear
above the noise of battle; and then, closer
STILL though unseen in the gloom of the
dense thicket in which they lay. the men
Of the I'd Battalion, strung along a Fill
Pine trail that led away to the rice fields,
swung their big straw hats and yelled for
joy. a young officer. his eyes flashing. his
face flushing with excitement, came bound
ing out from the grove at the left of the
crouchtng line and made straight to where
the veteran battalion comma nder knelt In
rear Of his center. 1t was Billy Gray, adj
1Gtant of the Sd Battalion, acting that day
as adjutant to the regmental commander.
The bullets whistled by his head as he
darted springfngly along, and in their JOY
at sight Of him even old hands forgot the
reserve of the regular service and some
man shouted: Now we're OFF, and the
popular query, What's the matter with
Lieutenant Gray?
At any other time, under any other cir
hnt nd
dents who gleefully shouted Hes all
right" would have been promptly and
sternly suppressed. But the senior captain
at their head we'll knew the excitement
ungling In the nerves Of that long-suffering
line, and only smiled and nodded sympathy
He saw, too, that Gray was quivering with
pent-up feeling, as the boy halted short
saluted, and, striving to steady his eager
voice. said:
Captain, the. colonel directs that you
open sharp fire on the woods in your front
and occupy the enemy there. He is about
to charge with the third battalion and drive
them out of the trenches we've located over
yonder, and Billy pointed eagerly to the
left front-the southeast
The captains grizzed face took on look
of keen disappointment. you mean we've
in?"
only for few minutes, sir. The colonel
says that for you to charge before he's got
onto their flank would cost too many men
You'll get the word as soon as he's got the
works"
We'll said. Billy boyl That sounds al
most episrammatic- Hullo! You hit? Stoop
down here, man. Don't try to get perfor-
ated''
My hat only" was the answer. as the
BOY stopped quickly to hide the irrepressibIe
tWItch1ng about the muscles of his lin A
bennington had ripped from side to side
tearing a way through the curly hair al
the top OF his head and almost scoring the
scalp. To save his soul he could not quite
no h
sleadying himself by great effort, he con-
tlnued: The colonel says to commence
firing by volley the moment cur bugles
sound the charge. Now L must get back"
All right, youngSter. Tell the colonel /
savoy. and We'll do our level best-only let
US into it as quick you can
But Gray heard only the first part of the
sentence He was painting when he reached
ms placid, gray-mustached chief, and could
only gasp out, The captain understands
sir And then the regimental commander
simply turned to the battalion leader
standing silent at his left in a little clumn
OF timber-another veteran captain. grown
gray as himself in long, long years of serv-
ice:
"Now's our time, old man! Pitch in,
Gray. We'll go with him"
All along the line from right to left there
ran the croSs-cOuntry road connecting the
broader highway, from Malate to San Raj
ael and Paranaque on the west and from
West Pace by way of Singalon to Pasay
In front of the right wing all was swami
moraSs or rice fields. In front of the left
wing all was close. dense bamboo and inn
gle. save where the broad, straight road
way led on past Block House 49, or the
narrower cart track stretched southwark
oVerarched in places by spreading branch
es, and commanded at its narrowest path
by the swarm Of dusky fighters in Block
House IA A year before the blueshirts
Stormed these forest stronghods from the.
south and took them from the troops of
Spain. Now they We're compelled to turn
and storm them from the north; for lust
as Stanley Armstrong said at San Francis
co, the Filipnos had turned upon their ally
and would-be friend. Aguinaldo had beard
ed Uncle Sam.
And while the volunteers and regulars To
the right could only remain in support If
fell to the lot of the left wing of this brave
brigade to assault in almost mpenetrable
position an enemy armed with magazine
rifles or breech leaders, and entirely AT
home. The bugles rang the signal; the
officers in silence took their stations and
stepping into the narrow PATHWAYS through
the jungle, crouching along the roadways
or crashing through the stiff bamboo the
blue-shirts drove ahead. Two. three min
utes, and their purpose seemed undiscov-
cred. Then suddenly block house IA blazed
with fire and a storm of bullets swept the
road. The earthworks in the thickets 10
the right and left seemed to be crowded
with a running flame; and down on their