The National tribune., 1902-11-06


earned the name of the "Oregon Gray
hounds" from Wheaton because of their
speed and endurance in following the
enemy, and he had complimented them
by calling them his Regulars and by rec
danger requiring the highest soldierly
qualities, saying that if any troops in the
world could do the job the Oregons could.
They were proud of their record and what
they had accomplished, and would have
been willing and eager to do more if they
had been treated right or they could see
that their labor was being made produc-
and few of them re-enlisted.
RETURN TO MANILA.
That morning, May 20, the regiment
took up its march along the right bank of
the Rio Grande towards the railroad sta
ton at Calumpit. Following the sinuosi-
ties of the stream, we passed splendid
trenches We saw at every bend of the
river and running at right angles far out
into the adjacent fields, if put together end
to end would make continuous breast
work of 10 miles in length. Yet all that
defense work was for nothing. 1t was all
abandoned without firing a shot, except at
one point were a launch with a gun on
or two in response to a few rifle-shots. 1t
was typical of the wasted energy of the
insurgents, which would have meant thou
sands of dollars if expended in productive
pursuits. LuZon Island is scanned and
Scared with intrenchments the builders
made no serious effort to defend.
As the men marched on this first home
ward stage they were in unusually good
spirits. In spite of the intense heat they
sang and joked as they had been ac-
customed to do before the fatigues of the
campaign took some of the ginger out of
them.
We passed in succession little villages,
named San Pedro, San Simon, San Luis,
San Juan and San Jose. About this time
it was to Calumpit. "O," said another,
I'VE are only half way. We have only
passed Six of the II apostles"
That night we camped in one of these
apostolic villages, and the Surgeon was
in great demand. We had found so many
mangOes during the day, many of them
not entirely ripe, that gripes were rreva-
myself, eating mangOes being my weak
ness. The Surgeon had little but sympathy
he could give. The campaign had ex-
hausted his stock of medicines, and as for
whisky, none was to be expected in
regiment returning from the field.
Some time before the medical stock had
been reduced to two kinds of pills, black
and white. What they contained do not
know, and possibly the Surgeon did not.
However, he kept up the sick call in the
morning and the custom of feeling the
pulses and examining the tongues of sick
men. Then he gave them pills, no mat
ter what the complaint. 1t was two blacks
and white, or three whites, or two whites
and a black. Mathematically there was
infinite variety to be prescribed. Faith,
that JUNCTION that makes most medicine
effective, must have helped those blacks
and whites to do the varied assortment
of work laid out for them. One morning
l was lying in the shade when / heard
one of the men singing some words to the
sick call that had Just been sounded. They
We're:
Get your pills,
Black and white.
They're just the same you had before
Get your pills,
Black and white.
If they don't do any good, come and get
some more"
At another time I overheard one of my
men exclaim as he returned from the hos
pital corps quarters after sick call:
"Well, for Gods sake, wouldn't that
jar you? Say, Bill, look at them pills.
Amt they the same Doc gave you yes
terday for the fever?"
stretched palm, three blacks and two
whites"
"Well. he just give 'em to me for the
rheumatic"
The second. day we reached Calumpit,
and saw the heavy intrenchments the
Montana and Kansas boys had captured
a few weeks before, and crossed the Rio
Grande to the south side by working our
way over the dilapidated railroad bridge
and ferrying our wagon train on a bamboo
raft. The next morning we took train for
Manila, picking up the four companies that
had remained as railroad guards at Bocaus
were in our old quarters sgain at the
Cuartel de Espania, joyously welcomed by
the inhabitants of that section, who were
not very enthusiastic friends Of the regi-
ment that had taken our place on the pro-