Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-08-04
TEXAS NIGHTS ENTERTAINMENT
The Deserters of Mindanao and How
They Returned at Last.

TEXAS NIGHTS ENTERTAINMENT 7
The Deserters of Mindanao and How
They Returned at Last.
1t was the second night of the gath
ering in the palm shadowed patio a.
San Antonio of the tellers of mems
tales. Somewhere in the corridors OF
ira was playing. On the little wicker
stool in the centre of the group the
julep cups were set, the dew on theil
sides all frosty and inviting.
The army captain spoke.
"Skene here was telling us the 9TH
er evening about the strange effect OF
a Manchurian winter on a perfectly
sane American" he said. THAT was
a chilly picture he drew for us and
don't wonder that his friend the wal
! correspondent slipped his trolley over
the New York papers three months
old. But let me tell you little story
about the effect of the Philippines
weather on two Americans in partic-
ular, and half a hundred others Incl
dentally.
1T was down in Mindanao: l won't
be too specific on locations and names
and things, for 1 know that there are
several army men scattered around
the country who do not recall this in
cident with any too much pleasure
Just let it go that it was in Mindanao,
where on a clear day you could look
from the top Of a handy mountain of
to the south and see the purple out
line of the Borneo coast. There was
a company of the Umptieth Infantry
stationed in a little post there, anoth-
er company some seventy-five or a
hundred miles north and so on-all
strung out along the west coast.
Now it happened that in my COM
pany we had two perfectly sober and
enicient soldiers when we went down
to Mindanao for duty. They were
clean boys, knew no fear and each
wore a medal for craftsmanship.
both had been volunteers in the Span
isn war, as 1 remember, and had en-
usleu with the regulars after the hight
ing with Agulnaluo was over. One was
a third sergeant and one a private,
boon companions. steady men; l
never saw steadier.
well, we were having a regular
running warfare with the Datto Gum;
let's call him that. 1t was a wearing
sort OF business. We'd hike into the
push ana drive him away OH into the
timber and then in a week or so this
or that man would be found split
down The middle with a bolo cut a
hundred yards from camp. 1t got on
our nerves; that and the heat and the
strange noises OF the forest and the
terrible loneSomeneSS Of 1t all. l can't
tell you just how lonesome you feel
away OFF from nowhere in Mlndanao.
You feel as IL you were in America be-
tore Christopher Columbus discovered
1t and that Chris was never going to
come.
"rhese two boys Of my company,
Higgins and Hale will do for their
names, didn't show any more signs
Of the restlessness than any Of the
other men. They did their work
faithfully and well, until all Of a sud-
den both dropped out Of sight.
I'VE thought Of course that some of
the Datto's men had got them and we
beat around in the bush outside Of
camp looking for their bodies. But
we found no trace. Then in a week
we let it go; they were killed and that
was the end OF 1t.
However, about month from the
time Of their disappearance the Datto
began to sting us again; hard this time.
1t was bite, bite, bite in the jungle,
nil
of watching against surprise. No man
dared to go to the river swimming
alone; they went in squads Of threes
and fours, and while the bunch was in
the water one man sat by their clothes
with his Krag. Still the sniping went
on and the circumstance that impress
ed us as odd was that the Datto's men
seemed to have laid hands on some
guns and to be doing remarkable
shooting with them. One poor fellow
who was bored right through the
head we examined carefully. We
found a Krag bullet in his skull.
Then one day we forced an open
fight with the Datto's men. We caught
the old fox in one Of his high walled
mud forts and we had merry time
rushing the place and cleaning it out.
l will never forget that fight, not be-
cause 1t was so fierce but because of
the shock We fellows got after we'd
swarmed over the walls and were en-
filading the Datto's men inside.
1T was my lieutenant who saw 'em
first. He was the first man to the top
of the wall, and until we could rig up
a broken ladder to join him he sat
there, firing the Krags as fast as we
could hand them up to him. He hadn't
been there a minute, as cool as if he
were up for examinations at LeaVen-
worth, when he turned and yelled
down at us in the ditch:
Two white men' he shrieked. BY
God, it's Higgins and Hale!'
when we joined him on top Of the
wall and swarmed into the fort, chas-
ing the Datto's men out through the
back of it into the forest, that lieuten-
ant was white and shaky. None Of us
caught sight Of the two white men but
afterward he swore he'd seen 'em.
NAKED above the waist, with rags
around their heads was the way the
lieutenant described them. He said
that both Of the deserters had taken
one or two shots at him before they
lodged out the back Of the fort and
sneaked away with the rest Of the
Datto's gang.
"Of course, we believed him, though
lndl was the only Sl6Hl dHy VI lIc
company had had Of the two soldiers.
We tried to worm something out Of
the prisoners we took but not word
could we get. Then shortly after that
the Datto sent in word that he'd had
enough; he wanted to be a real amigo
and was ready to make peace at any
terms.
I'VE took him up on the PROPOSE
ton. The Datto came into the post
and surrendered himself and all his
men. When we asked the old turtle
face about the two white men he was
innocent as a child. No, he'd never
seen two white soldiers with Krags
among his following. He knew moth
ing. One of his men, however, squeal-
ed. He said that Hale and Higgins
had been with them, had married two
Of their women and become natives in
everything but color.
$50 there those two men were. out
casts in Mindanao. When the Datto
had surrendered they had taken to the
mountains, knowing well enough what
would happen to them If they surren-
dered to our men. They could not go
back TO the Datto's people, for he
Npnil1 hnua piuan thaf,n