The sea coast echo., 1899-11-18
The
YOUNG VOLUNTEER.

With the intensity of tropical day
the sun seemed to expend it's entire
force of furnace heat upon the un-
she tered spot i'll front of Santiago
where lay a grievousty wounded
American soldier boy. The wide,
tortured eyes of the youth stared fear
fully upward to the glariug zenith,
past the foul birds watching his suf-
ferings with calculating vision aud
waiting for the human feast which
seemed sure to come. He thought
with sickening brain Of his northern
h0me-the green hills, the running
streams, the dear mother. Tears welled
up into his aching eyes. He did
not try to wipe them awav-he could
not. A mauser bullet had struck him
in the thigh, another in the right arm
and another in the left. He was help
less. But what matter! The dead
could not see, and the mother would
probably never know how he had
nobly fought even to the gates OF
death At his feet lay the dead body
Of a Cuban, slain by the bullet of a
Spanish sharpshoo;er. For these
Cubans he was dying For them he
had come to help free the island from
the tyranny of Spanish rule.
Then he recalled the events of that
dav at San Juan hill. The American
troops had been on their feet since
aaybreak There was a scanty break
fast, and as the men ate it there were
indications of the coming clash of
arms. The files on the march to the
tiring line were closed up: every sense
was alive. The bugIe sounded and
then came the order to advance. The
tempest of musketry and shrapnel
through which they moved forward
drove like storm Of steel into the
faces of the men, but nothing could
resist the imperious advance and the
first line of the enemy was swept
away.
The battle grew. Here and there
soldier went down, but the column
stood firm; the officers marched close
by the men. Sometimes, through the
smoke they caught glimpse of the
colonel leading oa in front.
The din increased; the earth seemed
yeeling under foot; she'll burst with
horrid shrek and flung out quick
death. Still the men pushed on. An
officer picked up the gun of man
who had fallen and spoke a CHEEKY
word.
The Spanish artillery end the far
reaching mausers swept within a GER
tian limit every inch of ground, but
with a firm and rapid step that un-
finching column moved forward.
Louder grew the tumult and thicker
came the angry messengers. A sharp
cry of pain and one of the men Is
helped to the rear. The bullets came
hotter and faster from the Spanish in
he trenches and from the blockhouses.
More comrades stretched ont quietly
with the death mark on their faces.
There was no time for words-only
mad swelling of the heart and a throb-
bing of the brain = a deadly thirst for
blood dried up all other feeling as
another man was lifted back.
Suddenly a cool voice they had
heard before rang out an order:
Come on, boys, CHARGE" and the thin
line rushed through the smoke and
advanced up the hill With cheer
they answered the fiery blast that
swept into their faces with sudden
Jury. The air seemed instinct with
eaden life, and volley after volley
oealed forth from the deadly rifles.
For one awful moment the men fall
tered! Groans of agony and hoarse
commands mingled, and all around
American soldiers lay down to die.
But the check was only momentary,
and on into the jaws of death the col
umn went Every man leaned for
ward as though breathing a heavy
wind. From right, left and front
hey felt the pounding of the enemy's
guns, and shrapnel swept through the
ranks like hail.
On the summit 2f the hill the block
house swarmed with the foe, dimly
seen through putting lines of smoke
from our guns. The Spanish were
acknowledgements in the open.
But never mind! Forward! And soon
The foreign foe was driven back and
the stronghold captured.
Half way down the slope as the vic
.ors pursued the flying enemy,
wi herring blast of mauser bullets
swept across the open ground, and the
boy who now lay dying in the open
space in the tall grass fell forward
with ball in his thigh. A comrade
ran to hi assistance and he made his
f,jF - L.
passed along another Spanish bullet
struck him in the right arm and pre-
seutly he was wounded in the left.
Then his day of battle was done, and
the black hours of unconsciousness
followed.
When reason returned the so1uds of
battle had ceased, and he wondered
where his comrades were We're they
all dead? Would they search for him?
He was alive, but he knew that death
would come in few short hours. How
hot the sun beat down! How still
everything seemed TO him-no whizZ-
ing of bullets i'll the air. nor shrek of
roaming shell. nor the yell of charg-
ing troors-nothi G but the silen of
an ocean OF G ass. There was a.
lead Cuban lying at his feet-a ghast-
iy bunch ,f mortality. How Big and
black he was! His eyes were staring
at him like balls of glass! What were
they staring at him for? The night
was coming on apace-would be have
to lie in the tall grass until the
morrow? He could not tell. And
shsn the dark sleud aasin settled Ger