Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1902-08-14

unteer supports were banging into the
brush with their heavy Springfields;
and still there seemed no symptom of
weakness along the immediate front.
no sign of yielding. If anything the
fury of the insurgent volleying in
creased as the sun climbed higher. and
all along the blue-shirted line men grit
their teeth and swore as they crouched
or lay full length along the roadside,
peering through the flmy veil that
drifted slowly across their frOnt-the
smoke from the Springfelds of the VOL
unteers. To lie there longer with the
bullets buzzing close overhead or Bit
ing deep into the low embankment,
sometimes tearing singing path
through human flesh and bone. was
adding to the nerve strain of the hours
gone by. To rush headlong across that
intervening open space. through deep
and muddy pools and stagnant ditch,
and hurl themselves upon the lurking
enemy in the bamboo copse beyond.
had been the ardent longing of the line
since daylight came to illumine the field
before them. Yet stern orders with
held: Defend, but do not advance, said
the generals message; and the whisper
went along from man to man: "There
is trouble in town behind us, and the
chief may need us there"
But, as eight o'clock passed with no
word of uprising in the rear. and the
cheering over toward Santa Ana grew
loud and louder. the nerve strain upon
the tenth became well-nigh intolera-
bic. For Gods sake. can't we be doing
something instead of lying here firing
into a hornets nest?" was the murmur
that arose in more than one company
along the impatient line: and the grutf
voices OF veteran sergeants could be
heard ordering silence, while, moving
up and down behind their men, the line
officers cautioned against waste of am
munition and needless exposure. "Lie
fiat, men. Keep down." were the
words. eve won't have to stand this
forever. You'll soon get your chance"
And presently it came. The cheer
ing that had died away, far over to the
left beyond the wooded knobs that sur
rounded Singalon and Block House ~,
was suddenly taken up nearer at hand.
| Then crashing volleys sounded along
the narrow roadway toward the east,
and bugle rang out shrill and clear
above the noise of battle; and then
closer STILL though unseen in the gloom
of the dense thicket in which they lay,
! the men of the Second battalion, strung
! along a Filipino trail that led away to
| the rice fields, swung their big straw
hats and yelled for joy. a young Of
| ticer, his eyes flashing, his face flush
ing with excitement, came bounding
out from the grove at the left of the
crouching line and made straight to
where the veteran battalion command
er knelt in rear of his center. 1t was
Billy Gray, adjutant of the Third bat
talon, acting that day as adjutant to
the regimental commander. The bull
lets whistled by his head as he darted
springingly along; and in their joy
at sight of him even old hands forgot
the reserve of the regular service and
some man shouted: Nov we're off,
and the popular query: "What's the
matter with Lieut.. Gray?"
At any other time, under any other
circumstances, both questioner anC
respondents who gleefully shouted
Hes all right" would have beer
promptly and sternly suppressed. But
the senior captain at their head wei
knew the excitement tingling in the
nerves of that long-sutfering line, anC
only smiled and nodded sympathy
He saw, too, that Gray was quverins
with pent-up feeling, as the boy halted
short, saluted, and, striving to stead,
his eager voice, said:
, Captain, the colonel directs tina
| you open sharp fire on the woods il
your front and occupy the enemy there
He is about to charge with the Thir,
battalion and drive them out of tn
trenches we've located over yonder;
and Billy pointed eagerly to the lef
! front-the southeast.
r The captains grizzled face took on
look of keen disappointment. "Yo
mean we've got to stay here and Sc
; you fellows go in?"
l "Only for a few minutes, sir. Th
, colonel says that for you to charge be
fore he's got onto their flank would cos
too many men. You'll get the word a
soon as he's got the works."
> well said Billy boy. That sound
almost epigrammatic. Hullo! 70
hit? Stoop down here, man. Don
: try to get perforated"
: MY hat only" was the answer, as tn
boy stopped quickly to hide the ire
: pressible twitching about the muscle
: of his lip. A Remington had rippe