The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-10

tai is a SORT OF "best room" at the little
towns on the firing line We did not be
lieVe there would be an attack IN the
morning so We uudressed 70 90 10 De1-
] Undressing on the firing line means TAX
ing of your shoes So we undressed and
lay down on the bamboo floor A tree
frog sang under the house and away OF
a night bird screamed. I drifted on TO
sleep and woke as man always does on
the firing line-as vide awake as though
he hac taken a plunge into cold bath
There was the steady roll Of heavy voiey
firing. Outside the window a bullet Whis-
tied past and a Mauser popped somewhere
over the horse. y horse came galloplng
down the road IL stopped ana heard
its rider throw himself of and jump up
the steps of the Co.oneHs house and rap,
rap rap. on the door Some voice away
off was shouting: X Company, fall ia!
X Company. fall I'M"
The insurgents were firing heavy vol
leys. As theiF bullets struck the bamboo
and the roofs Of the houses IL sounded Ike
The swishing Of rain against the windows
Our matches were wet. We struck five,
and each one went out. Then one famed
up and the steward lit the candle
seized the other correspondent by the
shoulders. I shook him until his teeth
ratified Get up; this place isn't safe
He turned over drowsily.
rs il a sure enough attack, or are they
just firing on the OutpostsT A terrih,
vorey came from the insurgents just as 4
crashing filed our ears, and ! felt splin-
ters ny against my arm. Anybody hurt?'
shouted the steward The room was so
filled with dust that we could see nothing
for a moment, and each thought the other
correspondent had been killed, as he made
no answer.
We went over to the church. From the
tower the flashes Of the rifles Of the ad
vancing insurgents could be seen
lin. IL oh. NIL Ia md
long" said the sentry on duty there.
''They opened up on the left. They must
have crawled almost on to that outpost
out there. Shouldn't wonder If they got
somebody there. It's a poor place for an
outpost. Right out on the fiat ground,
ami nothing to hide behind. We amt
doing much yet. Just the outposts re-
turning fire"
There was a pause, and then a bright,
flarng line of fire and the noise of rip
ping canvas. Listen TO the Krags," said
the seEtry. "We've opened on EN- out
there now. Now look at us singing it
into EN-" Away over toward Bacolor
came the mUffied sound OF volley firing
Then the firing began over in the direc-
ton of Belts. Then we heard il down to-
ward Guaga. Boom! Boom" This from
GIaga. The soldiers laughed Listen
to the gunboats And there goes the old
coftee-milll oh, amt they a-gettin' ttP'
A steady roar. gathering much like the
noise of mammoth coffee-mill could be
heard from Guaga. 1t was the Calling
guns on the gunboats. After a time the
firing Guieted down.
1t is very discouraging on a night so
black that you can't see a man two feet
away from you and Remington bullets are
whistling and Mausers are popping over
head and q young recruit nearby Is repeat
ing over and over: They're a-shootin'
from the housesl They're a-shootin' from
the housesi" to find out that the GRIM wall
which YOU supposed to be three feet thick
and capable of DETECTING shrapnel is made
of bamboo about half an inch thick, that
even a brickbat would go through as easi-
" as il would a bass drum. Gen. Wheel
er and two of his aids went gathering by
again as we walked over to the church.
"It's all right" said the General. ''They
found US ready. I guess the rascals are
sorry" Away out on the left there was
a gullen boom, and then there came the
boom a-rooCn a-room a-room' Of shrap-
mel
The sound of some one running came
through the darkness.
"Haltp' commanded the sentry. who's
there?"
FRIEND" came from the darkness in
GREATNESS tones.
"Oh." said the sentry, come in,
thought you was on outpost" breath
less boy soldier appeared out of the dark
ness INTO the nSuL lldi btIedulcu puN
through the church door.
well, I was on outpost" he said de-
family.
''Then what are you doin' here?" de-
manded the sentry. Don't you rockies
know enough to stick to your posts?"
The recruit sat down and held his hands
together to keep them from shaking. "Oh,
well, 7 stuck as long as any man would,
but good Lord, me and the Teller that was
with me couldn't fight 500 men. We was
away out there in that rice field and they
must have got within twenty-five yards of
us before we saw them. l was asleep and
Bill he kicked me and woke me up, and
Just as / sat up they turned loose on us,
and the bullets hit all around US. Bill he
ran and then l picked up my gun and
hiked out. We tumbled over a rice dixie.
next chance we got l got-up and hlked IN
here, and you bet they can't get me out
there again"
You God-forsaken rocky" said the SEN
try. do you know what you done? You
deserted your post, that's what, and
would sooner be out there now in the mid
die of that road where the RemingtOns are
striking fire from the flint at every jump
than to be in your shoes"
The recruit looked like he was going to
cry. What e'se could I do?" he demand
ed. Il couldn't stay cut there and be
killed"
why couldn't you?" demanded the SEN
try Somebody's got to get it, You amt
no better than them fellers laying over in
that rice field now that's a-holding 'em
back long before the companies got out.
You don't know nothing about the game.
That's the trouble with you. But you're
a poor, misguided rookie, and you can't
help it."
The rookie slid away. I heard the next
day that he was to be tried by courtmar-
tai. I felt sorry for him He had not
learned that in war it is maxim that a
few must be sacrificed for the benefit of
! the many. The lonely little groups of
three and four men away out on the out
posts a mile from their comrades are the
! few.
Failed to Keen Up to Date.