The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-05-22

HAVING driven the cpuhlSH SaIIlsohs ou'
of the outlying towns with little loss 10
either side, the Filipinos were stopped in
their further progress by the defenses of
the city, as / have described On the
north they made their headquarters at
Malabon and Caloocan, on the east at
Pasig and on the south at Bakur. The at
tacks were made on the south, where
trenches were constructed some 500 yards
distant from the Spanish trenches. In
these were mounted the two cannon pre-
viously described, between the Canine
Real and the bay. In the day time these
trenches were practically deserted. One
swoop from the Spaniards at that time
would have captured the entire Filipino
line, cannon and all, but the Spaniards did
not swoOp.
1t seemed to be a mutually understood
thing that there should be no fighting IN
the heat of the day. That is the time for
siesta and cigaret smoking. Why should
sensible men go out in the hot sun to hight,
when they could do SO in greater comfort
at night and with less danger of getting
hurt? The Americans spoiled all this.
They introduced the utterly foolish custom
of lighting in the day time, and they also
introduced the novelty of killing the enc
my In large numbers. It took the Fill
pinos quite time TO realize what these
innovations meant, but when they fully
understood them they took to the woods,
and have not made genuine effort at
fighting since.
Early In the evening the soldiers, as
they must be called. lounged along from
their siestas toward the trenches and pre-
pared for business. When the officers
thought the right time had come they
opened the battle by firing a volley in the
direction of the Spanish trenches, by guess,
of course. since in the darkness they could
not see them. This was answered by
similar volley into the darkness IN the OPP
posite direction by the Spaniards, and the
battle was on. Each side lay close behind
the trenches, not verturing to raise the
head high enough to take aim, which, after
shooting had begun, would have been pos
sible, because the flashes of the guns
would have served as an object at which
to direct the fire. Instead of doing that
they loaded their guns, thrust the muzzles
over the top of the trench at arms length
and pulled the triggers. Away went the
bullets into the starry vault, coming TO the
earth anywhere from one to two miles dis
tsnt. according to the elevation of the rife
when discharged That was the range of
the Mauser Remington bullets went only
about half that distance. Rapid fire was
kept MP In this way sometimes for an hour
OF more hundreds of thousands of bullets
being fired and not q man hit on either
side, because not a man exposed himseif.
Occasionally a person was hit by spent
ball far In the rear of the lines on either
eide, but of the fighters themselves none
were injured that ! ever heard of in these
night contests. Certainly none were
brought back to the hospital at Cavite,
which was the only hospital the insurgents
he'd at that time. A few were wounded
and some killed in the preliminary fighting
In the capture of outside towns, l was
informed, and there was proof of it in
small number Of wounded men, both Fill
pines and Spaniards, In the hospital.
SPANISH BRAvos.
After we occupied Manila was in
formed by an Englishman who had been
In the city during the entire siege that the
Spanish officers never went on the firing
line during these contests, but left the
command of the men to the Sergeants, or
at best TO the Secundo Tenientes. He said
they conducted their men to the trenches
Ia the evening, and then returned to the
city to have a good time In the cafes and
restaurants. When the sounds of battle
were borne to their ears, they deserted the
cafes, went to their quarters and dressed
and armed themselves for the fray, and
then mounted their horses and went tear
ing through the streets amidst the braves
Of their admiring lady friends, waving
their swords and shouting:
Para Patria. Para Honora! Vive Es-
pana"
Reaching the limits of the danger zone.
if the battle were not already over, they
halted until the firing ceased, and then
returned TO the city in triumph to receive
the plaudits of the rescued for their gal
liant repulse OF the enemy. / do not vcuch
for this. except to aver on homer that IT
was told me for the truth by more than
one of the foreign residents. My own OBJ
servation of the peculiar quality of Span
ish honor and its satisfaction by appear
ances rather than by substance leads me
to believe that this narrative is something
more than merely an impressiOnist picture.
One night about week after we landed
at Cavite, about the hour of II o'clock,
while few officers, who had before their
eyes neither the fear of the commanding
officer nor the reputation they were get
ting at home from the letters written by
the men, were engaged in a little game Of
draw strictly by candlelight, for we had
no other luminant, and the rest of MS We're
discussing points in tactics and settling
the affairs of the Nation while lying on
our hunks. there burst upon our ears these
sounds of strife. The distance was about
five miles. but the night was very still and
the sounds were borne distinctly across the
waters of the bay. They sounded much
closer than they were. and we jumped Ia
our feet and thrust our heads from the
windows to listen Even the poker game
was suspended at this dread sound Of war.
the first we had heard during our service.
If we except the bombardment of the emp
~ stone fort nj Guam by the Charleston.
There was heard the steady rattle of
rifles, indicating several thousand in ac-
ton. with frequent louGer cracks of the
field Guns mounted on Fort Maimtc and an
"""sjvinnal dull boom OF the cannon tho
FilipinOs were using. We listened with
attention. We did not know what il
meant Every officer in the army, from
lowest to highest, took an interest in the
battle and had Il natural feeling that We
ourselves might IN some way he involved
in H. WHAT Gen. Anderson thought | dc
not F""w. hut / know that our own debat-
ing club nj the window discussed the pos
Sibility Of the Spaniards having made an
assault upon the Filipino trenches. W.
felt certain that if they did 50 there would
be no question about their capturing them
Already we had acquired as poor an opin
ion rs that Of the fighting qualities OF the
natives.
The next thing we considered was thu
possibility Of the Spaniards ADVANCING
along the bay road TO an attack upon II,
AZ C.Yitc. When We considered the fac
that this meant a march Of ~ miles. fol
that is the distance from Manila TO Cayitt
by land though but seven miles by water
and that The guns of the feet could pre-
vent them from crossing the narrow necl
of III" peninsula at all, we concluded tha
there WAS little chance for us TO be dis
fGrrir1 FINALLY tho sounds of cougipt dinf