The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1901-07-25

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
look of keen disappoin tment. "You
mean we've got to stay here and see
you fellows go imp"
"Only for 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 as 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 twitching 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. To save
his soul he could not quite suppress
the trembling of his knees; but, steady
ing himself by great effort, he contin-
ued: THE colonel says to commence
firing by volley the moment our bugles
sound the charge. Now 1 must get
back"
"All right, youngster. Tell the col
onel / savoy, and We'll 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
captain understands, sir And then
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 man, Pitch in!
Gray, we'll go with him"
All along the line from right to left
there ran the cross-country road con-
Meeting the broader highway, from Ma
late to San Rafael and Paranaque on
the west, and from Pace by way of Sin
gallon to Pasay. In front of the right
wing all was swamp, morass or rice
fields In front of the left wing all was
close, dense bamboo and Jungle. save
where the broad, straight roadway led
on past Block House Is, or the narrow
er cart track stretched southwark. over
arched i'll places 10y spreading branches
and commanded at its narrowest path
by the swarm OF dusky fighters in
Block House IA. A year before the blue
shirts stormed these forest strongholds
from the south, and took them from the
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-be
friend. Aguinaldo had bearded Uncle
Sam.
And while the volunteers and regu-
lars to the right could only remain in
support, it fell to the lot of the left
wing of this brave brigade to assault in
almost impenetrable position an enemy
armed with magazine rifles or breecb
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, crouching 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 bul-
lets swept the road. The earthworks in
the thlcket to the right and left seemed
tob crowded with running flame; 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. Venpe-
1uily now the "Krags" opened in reply
to Remington and Mauser. The blue
shirts struggled inch by inch through
the network of bamboo. Still the
storm swept up the roadway, and no
man could hope to face it and live. But.
little by little, the low-aimed, steady
volleys, driven in by squad and section
through the canebreak, or by company
and platoon across the westward
swamps, told on the nerve and disci-
pine of the little brown men in the
bamboo. Their shots few swift, but
via and higher. Then daring lad, in
the rough field uniform of subaltern
OF infantry, sprang like cat into the
nre-nashIng lane, and, revolver in hand
ana 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
MN and his heroic followers. One after
another three went down; but in an
other instant, the lieutenant leading,
they reached the block house and dart
eu through the open doorway, the last