Waterbury Democrat., 1901-06-28

aDOdTu lN1Al luC Farallones and Honolulu were given over to the writing of urgent letters to friends and kindred and certain state officials, calling on them to see to it that he was appointed to the colonelcy of one of the volunteer regiments being raised on the Pacific coast, for that could be done by a governor whether the war department liked it or not and might insure his being ordered back to San Francisco. The list of casualties among the officers Of the regulars at San Juan Hill came just in time to put him out of all conceit with the idea of heading a company in an attack on the walls of Manila, still bristling with Spanish Mausers. Everything toward securing that appointment man could do in the few days left him before put ting to sea Nathan had conscientiously done, leaving to his lieutenant the duty of preparing the battery for the voyage and the possible campaign.
 There was no cable to Honolulu, but there the fiotilla had to stop four days for coal, and while there the O. and O. liner came after them with letters. "All we'll" wrote Mrs. Nathan's kins- folk We have the governors posi- tive promise that you shall be made lieutenant colonel at least, but we've had to buy off Bent, to whom it was promised, and to touch dozen other fellows. We cannot buy off the colo nel. Arrange to wait ten days at Hon. olulu, and the commission and order will reach you" Nathan knew that the corps commander would be along with in that time and that he would never approve his detachment to the com mand of volunteers. Moreover, every officer and man might be needed for the fight at Manila. To appeal to the battalion commander or to Melville, the general at the head of the expedi- tion, would be equally useless. The game was to appear to be full bent on going with the command, but to balk it somehow at Honolulu. Per mission could not well be refused him to go ashore, since so many officers and men were accorded that privilege. He secured charming quarters at the Roy al Hawaiian and gave a toothsome din- ner to a jovial party of his cronies, but the general, who was bidden, pleaded previous engagement. The chief sur geon, another officer included in the list, marveled for moment at the un- expected courtesy, for he had very gruf1y secuted Nathan's tentatives at Frisco when consulted as to the possi- bility of his getting a few weeks sick leave or at least permission to delay, but the general showed his grim Scotch medicine man paragraph from a let ter just received from the commander of the forces, by this time himself on the way from the Golden Gate: "It is understood that Captain Nathan is moving heaven and earth to get com mission in the volunteers who are to remain in camp here. He may endeav- or to be left behind on account of SUD- posititious illness at Honolulu, in which case let your chief surgeon examine him. Sawney will stand no nonsense. Captain Nathan should not be permit ted to shirk this expedition"
 'eHe won't be- said the brigade com mander placidly as he refolded the let ter. And when it was found that Ma than was ordering an undue quantity of his luggage ashore the battalion com- mander as placidly interposed. A tall, spare, almost saturnine veteran was the major, soldier who had shoulder ed a musket with the very first and best of the state regiments that in 1861 were rushed to the defense of Washing ton, man with the genius of a general bottled down for generation under the strap of a lieutenant, a soldier in whose hands Nathan had about as much chance to shirk as he had to fly. The captains shore leave expired at dawn, and the flotilla was to sail at noon the following day. The captains dinner went off in style, with much na- tive music and no little champagne and then in the wee sma' hours, after the guests had been whisked away in Hon. olulu "fiies," the night clerk was sum- moned to the captains room and bid den to fetch a doctor in haste, and local practitioner came and found the officer in we'll simulated agony and pre- scribed according to his lights and the captains liver. He was amazed to re- ceive a visit at breakfast time from a Scotch surgeon in chief and a stocky little adjutant, who demanded sight of and speech with his patient, to the end that Nathan was bidden to arise, quit his bed and go to the dock and thence to the ship. There was nothing the matter with him, said Major Sawney. A dose of salts would set him to rights, and Nathan's pains and preparations went for naught. He and his luggage were on the ship and off for Manila be- fore the setting of the sun, but there, there did triumph await him in the shape of dispatches from the States to the effect that he was commissioned lieutenant colonel Second Columbias, and on acceptance, which he cabled at once, directed to report for duty with his regiment at San Francisco. The battalion went into the muddy trenches and the assault of Manila minus one ablebodied captain, who minded net the dollars it cost him to fit at once to Hongkong and thence by an o. and O. liner back to the States.
 Not until among the last regiments to reach the islands did the Second Go lumbias appear along in December and were pushed forward to the eastward suburb in support of the First brigade, for insurgent cannon drowned from new made redoubts and bore full upon