The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-01-04

''Better a live monkey ass a deadt
her," grunted Utter, digging his
elbows deep into the soft sand and
smoking away in complacent laziness.
"ls that so? Well, I'll have you
understand, you big, lazy Dutchman,
that / didn't enlist to carry either
ammunition or gun, aud ii I've got to
take the one, I'd just rs soon have the
other. AS for this idea Of turnin' the
band into powder monkeys, it's some
thin entirely new. Iu case of battle
it's generally the rule for Us to go with
the doctor as hospital corps"
mo, dot ISIS no rule. We is sup
posed to go NIT companies uud carry
guns, dot is vot We iss supposed to do.
I am we'll satisfied NIT dis arrange
ments. Idt gives ma longer to live"
II wish he'd put me in company,
then. This is such rotten job"
''You better shut up or te Adjudant
will see dot you carry oil tie guns you
like"
And after thai very little was said
1t was the 30th Of June, the day be-
fore the big battle of Santiago. The
--th Regiment vas encamped at La
Guasimas, and muster was just over.
The members OF the band had been
wondering what disposition was to be
made OF them. hoping all this while
they would be attached to the hospital
corps. But the Adjutant had set
their minds at rest this day by giving
them each one hundred and fifty
rounds of ammunition and telling
them that their dIty in case of battle
would be TO stay near their regiment
aud replenish any companies which
might run short OF shells. While
they outwar3Iy scorned the idea of
carrying t1it of cartridges without
gun, they were inwardly thankful that
they had not been given their rifles
and ordersd to companies.
1t was =: o'clock the next afternoon
that an orderly on horseback came
tearing Gown the road from the front
with orders for the --th baud to join
its regiment at once. Some com
panies were already without ammuni-
tion and others were very short.
Sap Juau Hill had been taken. Ell
CaneJ also was no longer in posses
sion OF the Spanish. From early
morn the din of shrieklng shot and
shell had been something beyond de.
scri ption. The til band had no
desire to approach the firing line
altar having seen the thousands Of
dead and wounded, some of tlo.a
horribly mangled, brought back from.
the front. When the order came to
take their ammunition to the regi-
ment they were thrown into a tenn
po1nry panic.
well, what are we to do?" said
Lem, ducking his head as a shell
shrieked past.
For n moment no one answered. All
stood with blanched faces listening to
tho roar OF the battle a mile away and
wishing they were mile further in
the rear. Utter hal been lying on
the ground smoking in his usual lazy
fashion, when the orderly came up
With an apparent effort, he rose to his
feet. and buckling on his belt of am
mutton said:
do? We obey orders, dots vot We
do. We go up ut vonce und give 'em
our ammunitions. Und vc got no times
TO monkey round. You see dot cav.
airy officers go by nit his troops shust
now? Veil, he comes back in five
minutes and takes US all up in front
und how you likes dot? Come on,
now, and make double times, too"
And Utter started off up the road at
good trot. He was imme diately fol-
lowed by the other men, who did not
know what to make of this speech
from tn . lazy, cowardly Dutchman.
Maybe We git chance to come
back vonce," said Utter, as the others
overlook him. "Some men git voun-
dedt. und We bring him to tie hospitals.
Dat takes time und so We may hafve
vone more day to live"
Suddenly shower Of bullets
whistled about the mems ears, and
they dropped to the ground and
crawled into the chapparal beside
the road with one accord.
Zip, zip, zip, came the bullets into
the bush necessarily.
1T say, fellows" shouted Lem,
''this is gettin' little too hot, don't
you think so?"
"You bet," came the hearty reply
from q dozen men.
1.-THE sharpshooters are pluggin' al
u.s." continued Lem, land l think
we'd be justified in skippin' out, if we
can git out without bein' killed"
''Vot's dotp Sharpshooters? Rot!'
and Utter jumped to his feet quicke,
Il l.
before. ''Dot ISIS only spent bullets
Come on quick, now, or dot cavalr,
troops"
1T don't make any difference abou
that cavalry troop, or whether thos,
bullets are from sharpshooters or not,
interrupted the Sergeant of the band
suddenly coming out of his dazed con
dition. "You lie down and shut you
trap or I'll put few holes into you
trap myself, just for practice" and h
toyed carelessly with his revolver.
''No one ISIS airaidt of dot pistols.
"Shrt up!"
"Lie DOWN.
"Go hang YOURSELF"
These and like expression wer
5AOutoN ny ihuiSbubU nCuuOto VI III
band who were anxious to follow Ler
and the Sergeant to the rear.
''See here, Utter" said Lem in q
exasperated voice, "what's the use {
us risking our lives to carry this littl
ammunition up there. What goo
will it do five hundred men? Why
they. amt six rounds apiece!'
''Vot's tie use, you say? Volts t.
use?" Utter was snorting with rag
now.
eff Custer hadt dthose few an
munitions tie Little Big Horn would
hsfve made different histories, dot
volts tie usel'
Up on the firing line, the Colon'
of tie til was racing along FROM on
trench 10 another, sweeping the e,
emy's lines with his glasses and swea
ing vigorously to himself.
''See here, Hume" he called e,