Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-07-31

act sn3 says that it is contrary to
ordo~ or the evening before smokes
Were sighted,
Ashes to Ashes.
/ 81. u the orders. want the
othCr~ ~ see"
The others come-and see. The
hard .,ed captain gives some sharp.
tone orders and the muu)ated
Corps.> are quickly inferred where
they lis, At the conclusion q man
has Is chill, and after the chill he
raves Two men carry him bound to
stys.lAor until he is able to walk
again
, The cultivated fields are passed,
then SAC road dips through a thickot
hetor. .omjug out upon the town lto
whic. Che soldiers have como at the
presses call Of the prosidentel.
, Here the Jungle advances impene-
| trahlE thick as fog, darker than the
/ fore>, ror the light that they have
just left
The last squad has entered, when
a rushing arises from the creepers on
both sides the rustling Of an ana
: Conda rs it unCoilS; the rustliug OF a
king COBRA as. with sihilaut hiss, it
raises its head to strike. 1t smites
4 first the ears Of the captain
Lie down."
Many have ohcycd before they
hear the order The Jungle spouts
flame There follow parahouc flashes
of light and the CLINT of spear and
baroug kris and holo. as the thickct
swarms with life; foul, fostering
life, such as only a tropic sun can
| spawn.
A child to-day is the same as a
child Of 5000 years ago; yet see the
difference in tho man. That is to
say, civilized educated man lives
5000 years in thirty. Truly we are
very old,
Living in Memory of Past,
Yet sometimes we bark back along
the trail until we reach point that
! comedies with our Cnvironment-a
point where the treatment Of prim-
! tive condition will not be warped by
a misapplicd modernism.
So it is with the company. Each
man thinks of the headloss Corpses
on the mountain side; each man is
! living in the glamour of late impress
sion. They have been savage sights;
they have eaten the food of sayages;
they have thought savage thoughts;
the cries of savagCs are ringing in
their brains. In all their surround
ings there Is not one single object to
remind them that they belong TO an
era of civilization. Their lust of
slaughter is rejecting from the faces
of those around them. They crave
slaughter moro than food and sleep.
Inconsistencies and fever, sun and
treaChery, have broken down their
few centuries of civilization.
The fight is over. A score of dead
men he grotesquely as they fell. A
score of prisoners stand sullenly, sur
rounded by their captors. The cap
tain gazes on them moodily and tugs
his long mustache. The men, pant
ing and dripping sweat and blood,
watch the captiyes as terriers sur.
round a rat-trap. A beardloss boy
with the bar of lieutenant pinned
to the collar of his flannel shirt
steps to his commanding officer
What shall we do with them?"
he asks, nodding to the scowllng
group of natives.
The captain looks at his dead and
wounded. New lines seem to furrow
his careworn face.
Bring them along. Make them
carry the dead and wounded"
The column is again in motion,
slower than before In silence they
enter the silent village, now deserted
They reach the market place.
Halt"
Preparing to Shoot.
Line those niggers up against that
wall
Scowling and sullen mutterng and
watchful of a chance, the bolomen
are iostled into place.
Fall in"
The weary men shuttle to their
places.
"In two ranks, Form compan,i.e!
March"
Front rank-kneel"
"Load,"
The boyish lieutenant turns to his
captain. Both mems faces are pale
beneath their tan.
care you going TO shoot them, sir?
Will it,"
con, my God--what's the use-what |
else is there to do?"
one Of the wounded men upon a !
bamboo stretcher groans, grips his
abdomen, shrieks and drops back |
dead
A "hange comes over the face OF
tho |F,utapan+ IIa faIlg harL IN lig |