The National tribune., 1902-10-02


promptly for it. When he got to his feet
"You fool! Don't you know this is a
Volunteer corps over here? You keep your
tongue still about Volunteers if you want
to remain in good health"
REGULARS VERSUS VOLUNTEERS.
I had several conversations with Regu-
lar officers who had been in Cuba on this
subject. They admitted that the Volun-
teers in the Philippines were better
troops than the Regulars that had just
come over, having been in the service
longer and had actual campaign expert
ence. But instead Of admitting that this
proved that Volunteers could become first
class soldiers under proper circumstances,
they still clung to the Regular army faith
that Volunteers are inherently poor sol
diers, and asserted the proposition that this
was an entirely different class of men from
those Of the East who went to Cuba, and
began to talk about the superior sturdiness
and fighting qualities Of the men Of the
West.
| l told him that was nonsense; that the
American fighting stock was very much
the same all over the country; that our
regiment, which he admitted was as good
as any, if not the best, was composed Of
men born in nearly every State in the
Union; that myself was born and reared
in Illinois, my First Lieutenant in Mime
sofa and my Second Lieutenant in Penn
sylvania; that I formerly belonged to the
LIST ILL.,, which had been In Cuba, and
brother Of mine went with 1t as an officer;
that one of our best regiments here came
from Pennsylvania, and that our own regi
ment, so far from being wild and woolly."
| composed Of the best class of men, half
of them from cities-men as well educated
and refined as volunteered from any sec
ton Of the country. The fact that the
Volunteers in the Philippines constituted
such a splendid army Of fighting men did
not so much prove their superior personnel
as it did the fact that Volunteers can be
under proper conditions and after a suffi-
cient length Of time in the service. These
necessary conditions were absent during
the Cuban campaign and were present in
the Philippines.
This was too practical a way to look
at the matter for men saturated with Reg
ular Army prejudices and ancient military
theories, and they only shook their heads
in dissent. Perhaps the fighting the Beers
have done may have done something to
change their ideas on this subject. OF
course, 1t was pleasant thus to be made to
believe that was sort of superior being
and better fighting stock than the mass Of
| NY COuulIy meu III Iu0 GdSIt Out nave
never dared tell my brother who went to
Cuba how much better my family is than
his for purposes OF war.
THE BULL TRAIN.
As our regiment moved out to the front,
behind us groaned long train Of ox-carts,
moving slowly and relentlessly along like
a very car Of Juggernaut. have describ-
ed this cart and its patient beast, the wa
| ter buffalo, the beast of burden and indus
try throughout the entire tropical Orient.
For the lazy and contented Oriental he is
well enough, but he can never fill the place
Of the army mule with the American, who
tion of q mule. The best these animals
can do dragging a cart is about eight miles
| a day, and to that speed was the army linn
tied In its marches. The "bull-carts" were
in very fact impedimenta. An army
tied down to them was not very mobile.
We did not carry any pianos or cooking
ranges with US, as the British are said to
have done in Africa, but we could have
done SO without lessening our speed in the
least. A few more carts would have been
the only penalty.
The carabao is called a water buffalo
because Of Its habit Of remaining much in
the water and Of its inability to go long
without both drinking it and being soaked
in it. He will wallow in a creek or slough
all day long leaving little but his nose and
horns out Of water, thus escaping both sun
and flies.
One Of these animals enjoying himself
in the tide creek just south of the wall in
Manila was one night mistaken for
stealthy, advancing Filipino by a sentinel,
who demanded that It halt and respond
to challenge. Getting no satisfaction he
fired, and the advancing object disappear
ed and all was still. He reported the mat
ter to the Corporal Of the Guard, and the
Corporal reported to the Sergeant. In
the morning another Corporal reported
that there was q dead buffalo out In the
| creek. and the Quartermaster had 10 lose
buffalo in action, or clear his papers in