The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-01-06

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Painter. of 1 company-and his gun
was taken by one of the rebel gang
His comrade. Morrow, stood over him
and shot two of the Moros, the others
running away.
Morrow brought his butchered com
panion-in-arms back to camp
| On the foreshore, about a mile below
| the camp, a number of small boats,
fused for transport purposes on the lake,
were beached. Near by a guard was
placed with a tent for the use of the
men off outpost duty. On the night
of November Is, the guard consisted o.
Sergeant J. G. Stephens and Privates
Frank Bowser. Elmer H. Burke and
Fernando Keithley. all of H company.
Keithley was doing outpost, his eyes
skinned for business-bitter experiences
1 had warned the little garrison of Ma
/, rahui that the work cut out for them
was no toy-soldiering. Stealthy foes
/ We're about in legion.
! 1t was after midnight when KeithIey
I mounted guard and a sky as black as
| VOLTS throat frowned overhead. The
moon would not come out until half
| past one. Now and then the phosphor-
| essence cleaned on the creStS of the
water, the waves FLASHED on the pebbles
of the beach, or a gloomy night-bird
raised it's dismal wall croaking. eYiily.
Beyond this there was neither light
nor sound. The moments sped toe
slowly for Keithley, and more than
once he looked to his krag. bayonetted
ready for action. He did not dare risk
the solace of the companionable weet
lights attract the lurking foe. He
glanced again and again at the place
where the moon was most likely to APP
pear with it's pale but welcome light.
He scanned the approaches to the tent
steadily and carefully. The process was
repeated several times. All was well.
KEITHLEY'S HEROIC FIGHT
Suddenly, his quick ear caught the
sharp sound of twig swapping right
behind him, He wheeled round with
his finger on the trigger OF his rifle:
as he did so, twenty Moros, all armed
to the. teeth, Sprang into view. He
was speared While shouting an alarm
to his sleeping comrades. He shot his
leading assailants. and rushed to guard
the &ntrance to the tent. The latter
was cut through by the fanatics, and
the sergeant's back was laid open by
the blade of campiIan (two-handed
bolo) before he could rise from his cot.
TWO pf1NaCeS, whose SluTlD2F was
thus rudely broken in upon, dashed out,
Krags in hand, to be instantly boloed
to pieces before their eyes We're fairly
open.
Keithley had been badly wounded in
the thigh by the first spearthrust but
he stood his ground manfully. He shot
and thrust his bayonet at the horde
around MIN (Which had gathered force,
considerably like Trojan. Many of
his foes bit the dust.
WOUNDED EIGHT TIMES.
Burke was being overpowered at the
y ater's edge when this brave private
soldier, scattering his assailants be-
fore him, like another Cyrano de Ber-
gerac, rushed to his aid, and succeeded |
in extricating him, for the time being, |
from his peril. Burke had lost mis- rifle |
in the unequal contest, and blood was |
gushing from a gaping wound. Keith |
ley stood over him, like lion al bay,
and dealt telling blows to right and |
left.
He was wounded in six places while |
thus defending his fallen comrade. |
Then the Moros made a vicious attack, |
the sharp edge of a campilan-which
has a longer reach than a rifle and
bayonet-cut through the wrist of his
right hand and his left forearm, and
while Keithley's attention was focused
upon his foes in front, others attack
ed from the water, gave Burke his NOR
tai wound, and boloed Keithley across
the region of the spine.
Then only, his comrades all slain, and
himself wounded in eight places, every
tut of an ugly sort, did he think of his
>wn safety. He rushed the gang of
'avages ranged around him, shot down
wo of them as parting touch, and |
made for the camp.
TERRIBLE FIGHT ENDS IN
DEATH
He had to fight every inch of the
'ough way for the better part of
nile, his pursuers masked in the black |
ali of the tropical night, hurting darts
nd spears at the pIucky fugitive who ;
lad put up such a gallant fight. When
lie reached the outpost of the camp |
lie fell fainting into the arms OF the
lrst sentry. He had received four
more wounds in his flight, and he was
literally bleeding all over. The first
lasp Of the arms of friend brought
i'm to. and in a few hurried words | t
e told what had happened. A force .
ushed to the lake, assisted by the
eeble light of the awakening moon
he Moros were scattered, and the bod
IS of the fallen soldiers recovered.
Had the garrison of Marahui been | r
Efficiently strong, the perpetrators OF /.
hat night attack would have been |
aught a lesson when dawn peeped | I
orth, next morning. The blood Of {
le'men was boiling-there are no cold | I
aet in the fighting Twenty-eighth- :
ut the weakness of the little force
cid the hand Of the commanding Of
Ger. 1t was a case of wait. They | a
id wait hoping that when their COM I
AIDES returned from their punitive ex- il