The Glenwood post., 1907-02-02

enty oullets, and we must kill seventy
Of this enemy. After that
N"What?"
I'VE must die fighting with our ma
chetes. We will make a rush for 1t
and die fighting"
But If we could send word to Go
mez"
He has 200 men with him." answer
ed the leader, with a laugh. III he
had q thousand, who Of US Is to pene-
trate the Spanish lines and notify him2
A bird could hy over them. but q 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 4 cannon here. Now
to work"
The Spanish maintained q hot mus-
kerry fire all the afternoon. but 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 II
human target within range, and not u
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 q
sudden rush. When morning came the
fusillade recomnenced. and at IL
O'Clock the deldpiece 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:
I'VE shall first be summoned to sur
render. II any one or all of you want
to take advantage of that. well and
good. You will probably be shot with
III half an hour. but there is bare pos
sibility that the Spanish may keep faith
with you. Any one want to try it?"
There was murmur Of dissent from
every man.
Very well. We will reject surren-
der. They will then open fire. Wheth-
er they use solid shot or shell, they will
batter down these walls like paper
Get the barricade at the door ready to
throw down when give the word, and
then we will give our old battle cry for
the last time and have at them. Your
firing was so good that l have scored
Off seven for each man, but we can get
one more apiece in the rush. We shall
60 under. but we have comrades who
will know how we died.
Under a flag of truce they were sum-
moned to surrender. but the ten an
swered with cheers Of defiance. Then
the cannon opened fire. and at tho
third discharge the barricade was
thrown down, and there was q cheer
and a rush. The useless guns were
left behind. 1t was a rush, a melee. q
mad whirl of fighters, and then all was
over. The ten had got another man
apiece and more. Their comrades back
In the thickets heard the tale days aft
er; we read of 1t in the papers after
weeks had gone by. All of Us said
the same. 1t was the way to die for
Cuba.
Where the weeds grow rank and the
hideous land crabs scamper about un-
checked and unafraid there ID q crave
for nine. Some strange fragment of
sentiment caused the Spanish COM
mander to give the tenth man a grave
by himself. Had he finished his work
by erecting a hsadboard he might have
written thereon, Here lieth q man
who went wrong, but in death he
atonsd for it." But a week later NO
wolf could have found the spot.