The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-20

I"ng oSo tbe am had chased the morning
mists AVA and now II was beginning 20 Snow
what. kind Of shining "a telI-r'snen,ns sun
can do on "a fair day ~ South 'hilhrihss
II WINS o o'rlnrk when We started forward.
The insurgents disappeared from we nrs, me
OF hills ~ "" strung out on th' ruha anu not..lS
~ during the night but five men had been picked
out from each COMPANY ana sem a'"nh
~ scouts II began To ~, 'N,r'hlnHn nol,
A. W" ncarrd the little hill Oh IA" rlEi' one
company WA drplo, ed IN the thlvk lhl Hra,"
~ 40 around 1t and prevent n lNlnh a,'''h
Then another company was sem "u' ", go
over II and ChnNr ANY in'urf'if"- on 'Fhn-
pany was Also thrown unl on NE hl,'H 10 tir '"Ll
The rest of w. snt In The rOad and awaited de-
velopn"hts The %pulsatlng h"ht wave, iinde
the landscape liggl, before the ewes ana mar
the men sung on that n line OF i"nc" post"
down on the right was n skirmlsh me 81 H'lEllS
cOming In on our flank. Al, u" POM wh'rn
the road passed between the NUS on TlHht ana
left a little group Of Ms stood looking NJ n" pros
poet -lead when somebody down IN th' grass
let ~ n Remington. The bullet went singing
over our heads aud We Thought there, would
b." fun in a minute. But that was all The
valiente sOldado fired no more, ana none OF our
men took Ia" trouble to Try 10 answer INN,
From the point whore We now stood me coilii.
Try slOped Of gradually ON the right 10 a broad
swalnpN stretch two or three miles away wi'r"
IN" BiCOl River forced lis way through the water
logged lowlands. This low country waS COW
cred with II dcnsc growth OF tail rank grass,
much like the river bottom reeds A. home;
In spit" Of It's proximity Ia water the heat mad
turned II dnl! and brown. Be,ond n" rG'Gn
clump OF cocOanuts and other trees, ~ me cen
ire Of which rose the ron roofs OF "A cluster of
nu,ldi1gs IhiS was ne s,isar reba'" OF f,'"d.
with us on the transport from Manila u" sad
all the insurgents were the meancst kind Of
T nasiSss . and ss' e e .ar, u n vu Es'S baos SI prin,sd ' 5S
the Insurgents describing their arch enemies.
and. 10! Fesed's name led all the rest; To the
left the country ahead Of rs was all hills. nice
Ilnn innIA NIltI StnAt. EilnS VII mil
for friend or foe. The road led along the base
Of this row of hills and was lringed with a thick
growth Of small brush and punches Of tail grass.
LANE or iNsl RaEN1S IL The GRASS.
We stood there In the road and, saw a line 81
insurgents in the grass on the right half a mile
ahead. There was u bunch on every lnll In front
OF our men. Two of the men in u" grass came
out into the road and stood looking up at us.
Then two or three more came ON. The line
IN the grass stuck w their heads Ia see what
was going on and then began 10 sag SLOWLY
back. The conpany that had been dcplolc ed
on the right got around the hill and formed up
again in and near the road, The INSURGENTS
a small hiu' VIII tinha'S one Company diopioy@|dd
IN, the grass at the right and another ON the
hills at the left we went ahead. We had gone
\ perhaps POO yards when the finest chorus Of
bullets cane singing W the middle OF the road
! have ever heard, From the way the men
got OUT OF the, road and under cover, the IN
sllrgents must have thought they had Killed vs.
an, Even the ponies OF the chow carriers
were taken out Of the direct range. II wnS a
serious business to be haCk with the rear guard
then, Far safer were the men in front, They
were firing SO fast that il kept the insurgents
down pretty Close and the result was that their
lire was high and wild a. usual. The bullets
swarnled about the rearguard and filled the
road full Of dust spots.
That was the time when Mao aud decided
that ne hills We're inst made for the purpose Of
enabling US TO see a fight without getting IN il or
even under fire To an alarming extent, We
dragged our ponies along and made the cover Of
ne ilrst hill in record time, We found q fine,
ckAr spring with Il cOCOanut shell beside II and
filled our skins with water. Then We sat down
ana listened TO the popping Ot the Mat~cr bull
lets over our heads and Wondered what causes
the crack that sounds so much like the report
OF the rife that You are willing 10 swear there IL
"A beggar lust behind your back blazing N you
when you are not looking
in the road and of ~ the riEht our men were
advancing steadily. We concluded thar the top
Of the hill was the place from which 10 50" this
fight and scrambled up. ON the hills ahead
We're our men 4 second company was get
line Of hills ahead Of them were the Insurgents.
Behind " "A bunch OF a dozen Or 30 OF our men
were painfully following the advance. Beng
on the rear guard in the hills IL no fun ON our
left flank aud in the rear little groups of bOlOnen
and ~fieCheros bObbed M now and then on Il hill
top. grimly suggestive Of what would happen TO
any fellow who Eel out and was not picked mp br
the rear guard. There was a good deal of firing
going on all this time, and enough bullets came
over the hilltOps TO keep one from forgetting how
how they sound both near and far. 1t was eN-
tremeiy firing. especially for III" men ON ia"
hills. where the slopes were so slippery that one
travelled three times as far ms he advanced
On an advanced hilltop We found the Colonel
with some other officers and a llttl" bunch of
men taking a long Look over the fed VIII strong
IN the hills. Mead they we're a little lower. and
gradually run down oa little valley whore Was
stream Beyond this they rose again, blum
and tall. Along the stream. which apparently
ran INTO the river down IN the broad valley.
there was a thick growth of brush and some
trees, Atthe right a trail led out across the VAL
lev toward the hacienda Of the hated FpScd on
the other side OF the river. Now we could SEQ
men going along this trail IN both directions.
some were hurrying away from the front and
toward q little cluster Of hutS that stood near thr
river. Others wer" coming out of the gra~~ and
going toward the stream ahead. There wa- a
harricade OF some sort IN III" road that blocked
the way TO the crossing. Over on the other side
Of the river there seemed to be considerable CONE
motion, for there was much running about. In
the brilliant sunshine the who'll" thing was
spread ont before rs on the hilltop with piano.
ri" in thick clouds from the ]cocoanut grove
across the river. and We knew that that wa- the
last of fesed's hacienda.
AGooD FIGHT TO WATCH
Becaus" OF the eNtrcu" heat, and because he
did not want TO expose his men nesdle~sly. TIA"
Colonel was advancing slowly and with great
caution, II was the first fight had been in
where. there was much OF a chance 10 stop and
consider what was happening whil" II was hap
penlng. Also II was possible for the first time
to see the whole field and note The movement,
on both sides. Bur II wa heart breaking work
getting over the hills in the fearful heat nm
take many a cup of the forbidden wine 10 drown
N" memory Of tins lnsOleuC". said Mac, his face
the color OF u fine, rip" cherry. The night had
given us understanding Of what il Is 10 be- cold,
now thc day Wa, showing MS heat. and with II
thirst, and VearinoSS to the point of exhaustion.
On the last row Of hills but one before va
came Ia the stream W sat down to rest aud
incidentally TO shoot the insurgents of the next
lin" Of CreStS. Down In the road and on the other
side Of L our line coming along AZ the old steady
pace shot them ont OF their little brea-tWOrk
and chased them back through the brush and
across the stream. ON our left and in the rear
Of II several punches Of holo men cam" shopping
along. Once n dozen or fifteen Of them stood
on The. sky line on a nearby top and watched
US NItting there with curious gaze. II would
have been perfectly easy to kill them. They
were not more than half range away. 4 volloy
from three sections would have knocked down
every man of them. But what was the uSef The
M, too near Inspection of their position 10y n
little bunch of men who came up on the hill be-
hlnd them This bunch included one man on
horseback, whom our men took to be- an officer.
The squad were Wing down and apparently the
lnS,lrrcCtOS did not See them prepare to fire.
IL was a single volley The man got or his horse
and one or two Others fell too. The rest dis
appeared. and after that there was greater
ClrCumNpeCtiOn in III" study OF our line from
the rear.
the hlll> INTO the road, and IN the shade OF the
brush sat down 10 got something 10 eat
Many OF the mon were too tired TO eat. They
got INTO shady places and went to -lceu on the
instant There WIS a little village on the other
sid" ~ IN" creek. We strung out through II, and
soon ia" tires were going and ihcro was bacon
and coffee, Not n man had been hit, and when
the check was taken not n man was missing.
II wd' n wonder in that heat and with the men
20 worn 3ut ~ they were by their long. hard