Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1900-02-09
with Lieut.. Gray2"

Hes all right" would have been
promptly and sternly suppressed. But
the senior captain at their head we'll
knew the excitement tingling 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 grizzled face took on a
look of keen disappointment. You
mean we've got to stay here and see
you fellows go in?"
"Only for a few minutes, sir. The
colonel says that for you to charge be-
fore he's got onto their flank would cost
too many men. You'll get the word as
soon rs he's got the works."
well said, Billy boy! That sounds
almost epigrammatic. Hullo! You
hit? Stoop down here, man. Don't
try to get perforated"
My hat only" was the answer, as the
boy stopped quickly to hide the ire
pressible t%witching about the muscles
OF his lip. A Remington had ripped
from side to side, tearing a way through
the curly hair at the top of his head
and almost scoring the scalp. 10 save
his soul he could not quite suppress
the trembling of his knees; but, steady
ing himself by great effort, he contin-
ued: 1.-THE colonel says to commence
firing by volley the moment u bugles
sound the charge. Now l must get
back"
"All right, youngster. Tell the col
onel | savoy, and Well do our level best
only, let us into it as quick as you
can"
But Gray heard only the first part of
the sentence. He was painting when
he reached his placid, gray-mustached
chief, and could only gasp out: 1.-The
'" uAoSA hA0 o4 <1AN ocu
the regimental commander simply
turned to the battalion leader, stand
ing silent at his left in a little clump of
timber-another veteran captain grown
gray as himself in long, long years of
service:
"Now's our time. old mani Pitch in!
Gray, well go with him."
All alonr tho Hrn (poro ~l-lA a. la
there ran the c~ross-country road oon-
Meeting the broader highway, from Ma
late to San Rafael and Paranaque on
The west. and from Paco by way of Sin
gallon to Pussy. In front Of tho right
wing al was swamp, morHss or rice
1yktds. In front Of tho left wing all wa
aAose. dense bamboo and Jungle, eve
where tho broad. stralgiht roadway led
on past Block House II, or the narrow
er cart track stretched southwark. over
arched IN places by spreading branches.
and commanded at It's narrowed path
by tho swarm of dusky fighters IN
Block House II. Agar before the blue
shirts stormed these forest strongholds
from the south, and took them from tho
troops OF Spain. Now they were com
PEELED to turn and storm them from the
north; for, just as Stanley Armstrong
said at San Francisco, the Filipinos had
turned upon their ally and would-b
friend. Aguinaldo had bearded Uncle
Sam.
And while the volunteers and reRu-
lara to the right could only remain in
u,,r~~r< - foJI - III 1@& A. ~
wing Of this brave brigade to assault in
almost impenetrable 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 station, and, stepping
into the narrow pathways through the
jungle, orouching along the roadways
or crashing through the stiff bamboo,
the blue shirts drove ahead. Two, three
minutes and their purpose seemed I'M
discovered. Then suddenly Block House
IA blazed with fire and a storm Of bull
lets swept the road. The earthworhs in
the thicket to the right and left seemed
to be crowded with q running fame; and
down on their faces fell the foremost
soldiers. their gallant leader shot
through and through, plunging head
long. yet in his dying agony waving his
surviving men to get to cover. Vengo-
fully now the "Krags" opened in reply
TO Remington and Mauser. The blue
shirts struggled inch by inch through
the network of bamboo. Still tho
storm swept up the roadway, and no
man could hope to face it and live. But.
little by little, the low-aimed, steady
voneys, driven in by squad and section
through the canebreak, or by company
and platoon across the westward
swamps, told on the nerve and disci-
pnne of the little brown men in the
bamboo. Their shots flew swift, but
wild and higher. Then a daring lad, in
the rough field uniform of a subaltern
Of infantry, sprang like a cat into the
fre-aashing lane, and, revolver in hand
and a squad of devoted fellows at his
heels, dashed straight at the wooden
walls ahead. In frantic haste the &C.
cupants blazed shot after shot upon
him and his heroic followers. One after
another three went down; but in an