The Washington times., 1902-03-20

| sergeant turned to me and said: Il
! don't think We would show. up well
| at drawing room. Mys feart hled
| for these men when ! loof5sd at them.
Most of them had no shoos. ! Cut torn,
bruised. and dilapidated. they had marched
without murIuur for twenty nine days. and
ha wing accomplished what ma white troops
had done before they thought not of it.
but Of each other. They spoke of me, my
age and. TO them. the Well l-kflGwn injury to
my foot. and tney wondered how | had
stood it, My shirt was in rags my hat
was hat by courtesy. Torn as they
, were with eyes suffused with leech bites.
/ felt that appearances made no differ
ence: We were through. Arrived at Basey
at p. m. January 6. | reported to the
general. | sent a relief party under Lieu
tenant Day and DR.. Lung back to the
shacEs we had left, giving them a guide
| instructed them to camp and await me,
that | would follow as soon as possible
with men and stores. | got some neces-
sary articles of clothing from Tacloban
the followuc day. and on the morning OF
January S rent back to the shacks in the
mountains and joined the first relief party.
| remained out nine days searching for
signs Of Captain Porter. | passed beyond
the place where / last saw him. but there
was no sign. The floods were terrific
and had been worse. Several former camp
sites were many feet under water. The
men of the relief party began to break
down and | was forcd to return These
men went through many severe hardships.
and were a day without food. We brought
them in. reaching Basey on January II.
| reported my non success to the general.
! was taken sick with fever, and suffering
from an injured ankle at the same time.
| could do nothing more. Captain Por
ter's party was brought in by the Arayat
on January 90, and sent to the hospital. l
know nothing of the incidents of his march
to Lanang, except that ten men died from
exhaustion. Considering the march, its
object and result / have to say this
Results of the March.
First. AS a military movement it was Of
no other value than to show that the
mountains are not impenetrable to us.
Also, it proves what / have believed for
some time, and that is, that there is not
now, nor do believe there has been any
body of insurrectos in the mountains.
They cannot subsist any force there.
Second. The long looked for trail has
been found, but not where 1t is supposed
to be. There arc, in fact two trails, one
begins at the Cuevas de Sojoton. and the
other leads from LOag. The latter is the
one known to the natives. With my pres
ent knowledge having boats to meet the
party, the trip can be made from Basey to
Lanang Borongan in five days. AS the
rivers are largely used as the trail, wealth
er conditions enter largely into the calcu-
lation. We had nothing but rains and
floods, the river raising twenty feet above
the ordinary height. Small brooks that
might ordinarily be called part of the
trail became roaring torrents. Thread
merely dripping became dangerous falls.
Third. ! believe n wire could be run,
and that it would not be touched in the
mountains. The one menace there would
be the falling trees. The mere passing of
troops caused many rotten trees to fall.
The trail is good and wide; requires clear
ing. and the removal of trees. which have
fallen across it. Some of these trees bear
the sign, the triangle of the Katipunan
Society.
Entire Party Disabled.
Concluding the report, wish to say that
I have avoided the details of the hardships
endured by the officers and men, simply
leaving it TO be read between the lines,
and dismissng it with the remark that
out of seventeen in my party, / was the
only one able to move again on January
8. Captain Bearss is On duty. but the men
are not, even 10 thlS day. VI the other
column. ] can only remark that ten died
of exhaustion in the mountains. and one
died in the hospital at Tacloban after his
return. twenty-five per cert of the whole
force died. Ali OF the others, except Cap
tain Bearss, Lieutenant Halford. Lieuten-
ant Lyles, and myself arc or have been
in the hospital. That | returned into the
mountains is no indication of weakness
on the part OF the others. 1t was my
place to go, in fact | could not stay here. |
/ came back a wreck. and racked by fever
for days. My condition is known to the |
general To give a better idea of the to-
Biography of the country | append sec
ond map, which shows why l marched |
from Lanang instead of Hermann. as the |
general desired in the letter of December
]. 1901. The whole march of the marines
was about 100 miles. My own march go |
miles. Very respectfully,
LITTLETON w T. WALLER,
Major, L. s. NJ. G.. Commanding.
The senior squadron commander. Ca |
vite, =. ].