The National tribune., 1902-04-10

Next to drill the natives were our
greatest study. We very soon ''sized them
up" as mo good" We discovered that
they were bumptious i'll the extreme; that
they were ignorant of the world and had
all the cOnceit and Obstinacy of opinion
that invariably accompanies Ignorance.
That they hated the Spaniards with an
intensity and persistence that meant muir
der was very apparent.
They continually assured us in the most
matter-Of-fact way that they were going
to kill all the Spaniards. Even little boys
would say, "Malos Espanolas," and make
a motion across their throats to show
what they were going To do when they
had the chance. We soon discovered also
that they were great braggarts. by the
use of signs and the limited Spanish our
boys quickly learned, they told us how
! they always whipped the Spaniards when
| they fought. They said they fell back Il
| little when the Spaniards charged, and
then hid in the grass. When the Spaniards
rushed up they jumped to their feet and
attacked them with bOlOs, getting in under
the bayOnets and cutting their legs and
stomach. All this was shown us with
eloquent gesture and flourish of the ubi
quitOus bolO, which was handled with Il
readiness and skill and quickneSs Of mo-
/ ton which lent color to their story. But
we discovered later that this was what
the F'ilipinos would like to do to the
! Spaniards, and not what they had ever
succeeded in doing.
We learned that whenever the Span
iards had ever come into actual collision
with the F'ilipinos in the field they had
driven them like sheep, and that the only
reason why the Spaniards never whipped
them so badly as the Americans have done
was because they never adopted the
American tactics of rushing them, but
were content to exchange courteous vol
leyS with them at long range.
So far as the Filipino and his bolo are
concerned, | will match any American SOL
dier with a club against two of them with
bolOs, and be confident of the outcome.
Every conflict where there has been Il
personal contact has shown that TO be a
safe proposition. The recent attacks by
! bOlOmen on detachments of the 9th Inf.
i'll Samar are illustrations of this fact.
Even with the advantage of a surprise
and the odds Of three or four to one, has
not been sufficient to make them stand up
to the work. Capt. Shocffe, with but IS
men, was recently attacked by more than
100 while out in the open and with no
defense but the fighting ability of his
men, and yet he beat off his assailants
and killed Il great many Of them. There
are other incidents by the score showing
the same lack Of fighting ability on the
part Of the Filipino when there is a per-
sonal collision. OF course, we did not
know this at first, and naturally accepted
with some faith the boasts of the natives
of what they had done and what they
We're going to do; but we gradually csti-
mated them nearer their real value, and
before we had been there three weeks il
was the general opinion of the officers of
my mess that it would be the unpleasant
task of the Americans before they left the
islands to be compelled to lick Il little
sense and mOdesty into these braggarts
We early arrived at the conclusion that
: it was the Filipino, and not the Spaniard
we were going to have to fight.
Letters written home very soon after
our arrival by myself and other officers
. expressed this opinion, an impression
which we seemed TO have formed long be
: fore the Government at Washington alb
sorbed the idea or made any preparation
whatever against the contingency.
LIFE IN THE WET SEASON.
We landed just at the beginning of tn,
rainy season, and it was well for us We
did, for if we had been co0ped up il
. Cavite during the dry season, With NJ
provision for bathing and procuring goot
water, our plight would have been bat
one. There were no wells or cisterns of an!
: capacity there, certainly not enough L
supply 5000 men, and we had to depend
upon the rain for cur supply of drinkint
water Nor was this easily Obtainable
) Our barracks were chiefly rooted with ii
, ling, and water that flowed from this was
not fit 10 drink, being contaminated by
the disease germs collected on the tiling
One building was rooted with zinc, and a
the corners wNe large zinc tanks, whicl
caught the flowN from the roof and in the
nam kept us Well supplied with pur'
water; water. 1t was tne of the greatest dill
{ culties We had to make the men appre