The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-10-29

in the Islands most everybody knows them
as pair of the very wickedest little Moro
devils especially everybody that had ever
been near Lanao.
Back couple of years ago in Moro
province, district of Lanao, the second
squadron of this regiment was pushed over
from where we was garrisoned at Jolo to
tend to their needs, for they was runnin'
things with high hand among the cottas
and rancherias of the amigo Moros. was
duty sergeant then in B troop. Booney
was corporal in E, same as now.
Them days / had expert rifeman's
rating, with two bars on my badge-Ive
lost it all since I've got into this headquar-
ters' work and my speciality was estimatin'
distance. Corporal Booney hadn't got any
higher up than sharpshooter, his weak
points bein' one thousand yards slow fire
and two hundred rapid. Now, his strong
point, too, was the estimatin' distance test
The squadron took up the chase in the
north OF the province near Iligan and began
pushin' south through the jungles and hills.
We'd got halfway down to Mataling Falls
when bad Moros commenced developin j,
and the senior captain, actin squadron COM
mander, set trap.
Now, Booney and me, havin' long since
passed the age of twenty-one, besides bein'
skilled marksmen, was assigned to cossack
post on long wooded swale, while the
squadron made detour, leavin' outposts
here and there. The movement would take
up about two days, the captain said
:" Be careful, men-keep your eyes open
and don't engage any large force he told
us.
"'Yes'ir,' said I, feelin' quite bit hurt
that he hadn't left that entirely to us, our
judgment bein' good.
So Booney and me borrowed all the
tobacco we could and hid out in clumpet
of wild rice behind fallen mahogany. We
had fine conlmandin' view of the country
below and all we had to do was keep sharp
lookout, talk, and chew tobacco. Nice de-
tail that. But, naturally, sittin' around got
to be hard work after a few hours.
Believe I'd rather be hikin' with the
squadron, was sayin' at four o'clock
Oh, II some of our Moro friends would
only shove into sight; my patience is get
5 tin strained. This is as unexcitin' as bein'
lookout in a faro game Booney was reply
! ing, when the answer to his prayer came
I saw them first.
"sThere they are for you them says I
: pokin' him.
Six hundred yards, was his amazin
i reply, as cool an calculatin' as if the
natives had been in view right along ane
!. we'd been discussin' the range.
There was two of them, half-naked little
! devils, with krises and Remingtons, as
t made out through my binoculars. They'e
just crept out from the tangle and wa
. pryin' around.
Five hundred yards and not incl
t more, protested, since the subject hac
t come up. / could see Booney had over
estimated the range.
50 Six hundred yards! he insists.
Now, I've always blamed myself for on
thing, that | didn't make out from thei
actions they was concerned about the safet,
: Of more hides than their own. You see, tw,
e men will skulk along and keep out of sigh
/. the easiest way. An advance party, on tn
other hand, will poster around and pr,
every which way. This particular pair wa
pesterin' around and lookin' every whicl
! way. But my deductin' faculty WASH
: workin' good just then, suppose.
E - Five hundred, Booney, told him will
7 emphasis. 1t annoyed me little to have
S mere sharpshooter contradiction my judg
5 ment an expert rifeman with two bar
: on my badge.
e Six hundred, and not foot less anc
S I'll bet my badge on it against half
plug of tobacco - and here goes, growl
u Booney.
u 81 looked at the man. He was settin hi
h sights.
What the deuce began.
t "'I'll show you, says he; there's onl,
n two
a @Then's when / ought to have asserte,
r my judgment. was going to object. But
e for fact, there was just only two of then
and I was now mad at my judgment bein
e disputed by mere sharpshooter.
y "'Well, then, you'll clip twigs behin
o them and I'll get 'em, says l, THROWN M
E, leaf up to five hundred yards peep.
j Booney crowded clip into his maya
zine and begun studyin things through M
! glasses. Two points right windage fo
y mirage he droned, and twenty-five yard
ar lecS elevation for lioh+ and haa+,