The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-09-05


toms column that had pushed so far into
the interior and captured the Filipino
Capital of San Isidro. They had trampeC
day after day in the furnace heat of 8
tropiCal sun. They had forded streams
and swan those too deep to be forded
They had not only done this, but they
had taken across deep rivers their entire
baggage train of heavy twO-wheeled carts
and water buffaloes repeatedly III most
laboriOuS and ingenius manner. They had
chased the FilipinOs across miles of rice
fields. through jungles of brush, up and
down steep hills and through deep can
yons. receiving a dozen bullets from a
concealed foe for every one they had been
able to shoot at seen one, and now they
had been ordered home TO be mustered
out.
The regiment that marched back to the
city resembled but little the one that had
gone out of it at the beginning of the
campaign. Its numbers had been reduced
by one-half by casualties sickness and de-
tail, and the remaining half was dirty,
ragged bewhiSkered, looking
crowd, still full of ginger, in high spirits
and as anxious as ever to get another shot
at the "Googoos."
Out in the bay lay the transport Han
cock, ready TO take the regiment home,
for. being the first regiment to go out to
first to return. The men had their chests
all packed with curiOS, trinkets, presents
for friends and extra clothing think l
see Il smile on the face of the old vet
cram of the civil war at the idea of u sol
der going home to be mustered out with
a wooden chest full of buds and plumber
and every man was in hourly expectation
of the order to embark and sail for home
Imagine the shock when an order came
for them to take the field again and make
another campaign.
The Hancock had lost a monkey
wrench or dropped a note off her steam
whistle, or some other disabling thing had
happened. and could not sail for a few
days, and Gen. Otis took advantage of
the unavoidable delay to get a little more
work out of the regiment. That was the
way it was given out, but the men took
little stock in the monkey-wrcnch story.
The truth was LawtOn had planned
campaign to drive Gen. Pho del Pillar out
of the Laguna region, where he had been
annoying the Washington regiment, sta
toned at Pasig, and the Colorado regi-
ment, stationed at the SantOlan Water
works. ever since the trouble began, and
he needed a regiment that had experience
in chasing Filipinos to do the work. He
had followed the OregOnS in a vain eff
fort to keep up with them for the past
month while they were in the chasing
business after the other Del Pillar, one
GregoriO, and he knew they could turn the
trick he was after.
So with many compliments upon the
value of its services in the past and upon
its superiority for the present work in
hand and with many regrets at the neces-
sity of calling upon it again after it was
all ready to go home, the Colonel was
told to march his regiment with three
days supplies to the SantOlan Water
works and report to Gen. LawtOn, being
assured positively that it would be or
dered back to the city again in three days
and the homeward voyage taken up.
it was a disappointed but still a jolly
crowd that marched out of the city that
hot afternoon, past the Santa Mesa,
where the brave Nebraska regiment had
been encamped the night they bore the
first brunt of the attack upon the city, a
regiment that was now CALAMITY holding
the extreme northern front at San Fer
nandO; across the San Juan del Monte
bridge, where the Nebraska sentinel had
fired that first shot of the war in defense
of his post; past the Pulyarine and along
that historic road, over which the Ne
braskas, Tennessees and Oregons had
driven the FilipinOs in that charge of
seven miles by which they had captured
the Deposito and the pumping station and
saved Manila's water supply.
They took little stock in the three
day promise. They had not been in the
field for nothing. They had not gone out
for a day or two and stayed out for a
month several times without learning the
uncertainties of a campaign and the easily
changed mind of a commander. So they
went along, joking each other about tele-
graphing their girls not to be at the train,
sending their wills home instead of their
chests, and tell each other to keep their
ears open for the fye-minute whistle of
the Hancock, or they would get left.
The disappointment of the Oregons Vas
general joke among all the regiments in
and around Manila, and every bunch of
soldiers passing by the marching column
lollied them in the same way They were
asked # they had any messages to send
home to friends; if they expected TO walk
home. and if they had lost the points of the
compass, and were frequently assured that
the Hancock was Just around turn in
the road and they would lose her if they
did not hurry up. All this chatting they
took in good part and sent back more of
ike sort, the burden of which was that
they had decided not to go home till they
had driven the tilipinos away so that
the rest of the army would not get hurt.
1t was after dark when the column
turned of the road about a mile back of
the pumping station and stumbled through
q rceheld TO camp for the night. 1t is
bad enough 10 tramp across a rlcehcid in
the daytime, but to attempt il after dark,
especially IN a marching column, is provo
cation Of worse language than the regu-
latIons indOrse. Every few yards is a
ridge from 10 TO 20 inches high, which
must be stumbled over, while the surface in |
the dry season Is as rough as field of |
broken lava. Rice land is heavy clay
soil. In the rainy season it is under water
and impossible TO all but animals. As it
dries. out the water buffalo tramps it full
Of hummocks, which dry in the sun as
hard as bricks. This was what we had
10 stumble over in the dark that night,
and by the same token it was what we
had for a bed 10 sleep on.
POElng around for soft places the best
We could III the dark and rain, for wet
drlzzle was giving US a gentle baptism as
an earnest Of the torrents soon to fall
when the rainy season began, each man
lay down, munched a bareback and COM
posed himself to sleep as soon as the
bugle sounded an early taps.
l remember in all my campaigning but
one more unpleasant night, and that was
only more unpleasant because il rained
harder. i have slept more than one night
on stone sidewalk and felt comfortable
compared TO sleeping upon these buffalo
wallOw bricks.
1t is remarkable into how many angles
the human body may be twisted to accom-
modate itself to i bed of this character.
/ had Just gotten myself into shape to
demonstrate almost any geOmetrical prob
lem with my figure, when | felt someone
kicking me on the foot. | inquired with
eXcusable crossness what was wanted,
only TO hear the soft, bland voice of the
battalion Adiutant say .sContain it's