The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-05-27
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forest road. There the shells were fall
ing and bursting among the trees, when
they had finished their shrieking fight
from the guns on the hill AS the staff
officer rode on his life was momentarily
threatened by Spanish sharpshooters in
bushy tree tops.
The battle had stubbornly ragged all
the morning, and now, when the trop-
ical sun was at height, the weary, per-
spring invaders Of the isle were pray
ing for night or else the command to
rush the trenches. AS it was they were
only grimly holding their own, scat
tered in long lines of skirmishers, hug
ging shelter, rained on by bullets and
shocked by shattering she'll.
The aIde-de-camp broke out of the
jungle strip again and gained the open.
Here he found himself several hundred
yards from his objective-a battalion
Of regular infantry. who were slowly
advancing up a hill, pouring in a hot
fire on the Spaniards, who held the en-
trenched ridge Their fire was heavy,
but the Spanish fire, backed by artil-
lery, was deadly one, and here and
there lay many blue-coated soldiers
stiffening in the long grass. The aide
charged through the hail and drew up
beside the major in cOmanmd.
The brigade generals compliments,
sir" he painted. cit is vital that you
keep the enemy busy at this poist for
at least another hour when the rein
forcements coming up will permit
general advance. The general desires
to know if you can do this with your
present force. He can i'll spare the
men, but if necessary you can have
another company. What shall 1 tell
HIN %
Tell him. said the major, coolly,
that company will make no differ
ence. I've men enough, l guess, but
wait moment please"
He walked along the rear Of the
skirmish line as calmly as if drilling
on the target range, and asked ques-
tons of a number of on-commissioned
officers and men, while bullets spat-
tered round him.
please ask the general to not mind
sending men, he told the aide, but, for
heavens sake, to send me ammunition
We don't average twenty rounds left per
man 1t he can :, why-I must fall back"
I can promise it in half an hour, said
| the aide. 1.-THE pack mules have arrived -
The battalion continued its dogged as
sault, creeping up by inches, the men
throwing aside one by one everything
they dared, to tighten them and make the
heat less intolerable. The minutes passed
until ten, fifteen, twenty had gone, and
at last the half hour. The major chafed.
Easy, boys, easy!' he cried. Don't
throw away shot. What's wrong, Cor
poral Eads?'
Not a cartridge left, SIR
The major fUmed.
IF I fall back" ne groaned, those
beggars will charge us and-ahi Is that
| them? YeS-gO it, boys, here comes more
ammunition Non-commissioned officers,
fall out and make ready to distribute am
munition"
At the edge of the jungle strip appeared
two pack mules Two men, mounted on
other mules, drove them forward. The
Americans cheered, but the sharp eyed
Standards also saw the newcomers. and
at once realized on what errand they
came The fire of three guns on the hill
was directed instantaneOusly upon the
mules, who were at once craZed by the
| shell and ShraDnel which screamed at
them, while every rifle in the trench
! seemed to be aimed at the devoted mule
! whackers.
One of the muleteers, a bearded,
| rOund-shouldered man, was white with
| the agony of his fear, but the other, a
! dark, cannon ball-headed young fellow of
! the bulldog type, was aroused bythiS dan
| ger to passionate wrath and utterly un-
I thinking reckleSSnesS. As the tornado OF
/ iron and lead broke upon him he yelled
/ to his comrade with CHATTER OF crowded
OathS to come on.
"You white-faced dummy cried he.
4 What are you shaking about? Round up
( that mule-get a move on yOu-them cart
ridges have got to get TO the major, see?
/ They've got to. Ram your heels into that
! brute of yours and follow me, or by the
! saints I'll plug you SO full Of holes folks
/ II take you for an open door. Come on!
| The towards weaker part was nearly
! the conquerOr. Every nerve in his body.
1 every instinct, prompted him to turn and
run to shelter. He was in exactly the
same deplOrable physical condition as he
was when. years agOne, he slipped away
| from the ranks, unnerved by the roar of
/ guns His face was wet with cold per-
! spiration; his hands were shaking; his
! knees gripped his mounts TANKS con-
! vulsiveiy. In another moment he would
| have abandoned his trust and added
greater disgrace to his name, when a good
/ angel whispered to him. He saw, by the
! light of one clear flash of memory, his
! village street. He saw himself passing,
/ through more than thirty years, dis
/ honored life. He felt again the slow tor
/ ture of shame He heard the hooking
voices of the children:
"Abel went to war one day,
/ Dropped his gun and ran away!