The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1905-12-19

long that the watchers held their
breath and spoke no word.
"A-h-h-h! Cheerw
AS the water began to shoal the gun.
boat slowed her head around and wal
lowed in the trough Of the sea for q
moment, as II she would turn turtle
and then got her keel under her and
steamed out to sea. The scouts waved
their hats and cheered the man who
was holding the stem Of the boat
hardly more than a skin, straight fol
the beach at their feet They ran and
pulled down vine from a tree, form.
ed In line with the outer man up tc
his waist in the boiling foam, and
when the craft struck the first breaker
and was hurled end over end the
stranger was caught by the collar OF
bis jacket and drawn out of the grip
of the deadly undertow.
"Well done and thanks for it." be
said Ave minutes later, when he had
cleared his eyes and mouth of salt
water.
How came you afioat in that craft?''
asked the leader.
Il came from Key West to join you.
You are insurgents, l take it? Take me
to headquarters"
But you braved the gale in that
craft?"
Il scudded before it all night"
"And you-you have come to help US
fght?'
"Take me to headquarters" answer
ed the man. And he shut his jaws and
would talk no more.
A man was detailed to conduct him
to insurgent headquarters. What the
stranger said to the general never
will be known. Perhaps he told all;
perhaps he simply said that like many
another American free lance he had
come to help Cuba win her indepen-
| dence. Good men were too scarce for
any caviling. In two days the stran-
ger, who had simply been dubbed
Yankee" was scouting. He was ST.
lent and taciturn and made no friends,
but when 1t was found that he had
plenty Of courage the men rallied to
him and were led by him without
heartburnings or jealousies. They said
Of him to each other when out Of ear
shot:
He Is educated. He ls gentleman.
He has gone wrong somehow. Let It
be his secret, however"
Three months after the landing, Cen
eral Weyler had offered a reward for
Yankee. dead or alive He detailed
fifty scouts for no other purpose but to
look for him.
Day by day he rallied at them for
their want of success. One by one their
number dwindled away under, the bull
lets of Yankees little band of ten.
The Spanish tried bribery, but the in
surgents turned their backs on the
sums named. They set traps, but the
Cuban scouts scented them and refused
to walk In.
In six months hundred Spanish sol
diers owed their death to the little
band, and hundred night alarms could
be laid to the same cause Then there
came day when Spanish cunning pre-
vailed. Men were sent out TO be de-
feated and fall beneath Cuban bullets,
while those who lived fell back In seem
ing panic. The ruse succeeded, and the
ten, led by Yankee. suddenly found
| themselves surrounded.
1t was ON the edge OF an old sugar
plantation. When the leader saw that
retreat was cut off and that he was sur
rounded on all sides, he gave orders to
retreat to the engine house Of the mill
| 1t was q small brick building, and when
doors and windows had been barricad-
ed 1t made strong little fort. 1t was
SO strong that, although there were 400
Spanish infantry on the ground. they
dared not rush it. They simply sur
rounded 1t and sent for cannon to bat
ter down the wallis
The Cnbans were trapped like rats
They had neither food nor water, and
their cartridges were reduced to seven
per man. It did not take the slowest
witted man among them more than a
quarter of an hour to realize that the
engine house WAS death trap. All in
stinctively, gathered about the leader
No one asked question The posture
of each man spoke for him.
They are 400 to TO-" said Yankee as
he looked around him. I'VE have sew
enty bullets, ami sc 441si XII seventy
OF the enemy. After that
'What?'
we must die lighting with our ma
chetes. We will make rush for 1t
and die fighting"
But if we could send word to Co
mezT
He has 200 men with him" answer
ed the leader, with a laugh. If he
had thousand, who Of us is to pene-
| trate the Spanish lines and notify him ?
| A bird could fly over them, but fox
could not make his way through them.
No, my comrades, 1t is the end. We
have fought long and well. 1t only re-
mains TO die without shame. When
ever you see a target plant bullet
| into it. We must have seventy lives
for our ten. 1t will take them till noon
tomorrow to get a cannon here. Now
| to work"
| The Spanish maintained hot mus
kerry uEe al luc dltcIAOOup Dut their
bullets were thrown away 1t was
! more for moral effect than any hope
that the lead might reach any of the
defenders. On the contrary, the trap
ped men fired only when they had a
human target within range, and not a
bullet was wasted.
The night passed quietly There was
no earthly show for the Cubans to es-
cape through that Gordon, and men
were under arms all night to repulse a
sudden rush. When morning came the
fusillade recommended, and at IL
o'clock the fieldpiece arrived. There
had been no firing from the Cubans
for the last half hour. Their last car
fridge had been expended.
This will be the way of it." said
Yankee as the men gathered around
we shall first be summoned to sur