The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-02-12

get puSy, you one
eyed banshee!" only should nave
landed US in Els.
perando. Our Jonah swallowed the
bad credit of it with appealing frank
ness, but that scarcely lessened the
h%ardships our cause was made to suf
fer.
AT last one afternoon we steamed
into the calm estuary of the little Rio
Escondido. Three miles up this We
crept, feeling for the shallow channel
between the low banks that were
crowded to the edge with gigantic trees
and riotous vegetation. Then our wills
tie gave Il little foot, and in five min
utes we heard a shout, and Carlos-my
brave Carlos Quintana = crashed
cap madly for joy.
"A hundred yards away was his
camp, where 800 chosen patriots of Els
perando were awaiting our coming.
For a month Carlos had been drilling
them there in the tactics of wal and
filling them with the spirit of revolu-
ton and liberty.
My captain-cOmpadre mio!' shout
ed Carlos, while yet my BOAT was be
ing lowered. You should see them in
the drill by companies-in the column
wheel-in the march by four-they are
superb! Also in the manual of arms
but, alas, performed only with sticks
of bamboo. The guns, captain-say
that you have brought the guns
ga thousand good rifles, Carlos
called to him. And two Gatlings.'
"'Yalgame Dios!' he cried. throwing
his cap in the air. We shall sweep the
world!
AT that moment Kearny tumbled
from the steamers side into the river.
He could not swim, so the crew threw
him a rope and drew him back aboard.
| caught his eye and his look of pa
thetic but still bright and undaunted
consciousness of his guilty luck. | told
myself that. although be might be a
man to shun, he was also one to be
admired.
Il gave orders to the sailing master
that the arms. ammunition and provi.
PiCllo WIZ " bC ldANlCu at OllNt. L Id
was easy in the steamers boats, eX-
cept for the two Calling guns. For
their transportation ashore we carried
a stout datboat.
in the meantime | walked with Car
los to the camp and made the soldiers
a little speech in Spanish. which they
received with enthusiasm, and then
had some wine and a cigarette in Car
los tent.
'"Fhe small arms and provisions were
already ashore. and the petty officers
had squads of men conveying them tc
camp. One Calling had been safely
landed. The other was just being
hoisted over the side of the vessel ms
we arrived. | noticed Kearny darling
about on board, seeming to have the
ambition of ten men and to be doing
the work of five. | think his zeal bub.
bled over when he saw Carlos and me,
A ropes end was swinging loose from
some part of the tackle. Kearny leap.
ed i~mpetuously and caught it. There
was Il crackle and a hiss and a smoke
of scorching hemp, and the eating
dropped straight as a plummet through
the bottom of the hatboat and buried
itself in twenty feet of water and five
feet of river mud.
Il turned my back on the scene. |
heard Carlos loud cries as il from
some extreme grief too 20 gnant for
words. | heard the complaining muir
mur of the crew and the maledictions
Of Torres, the sailing master. ! could
not bear to look.
by night some degree of order had
been restored in camp. Military rules
were not drawn strictly. and the men
were grouped about the fires of their
several messes. playing games of
chance, singing their native songs or
discussing with voluble animation the
contingencies of our march upon the
capital.
ITO my tent, which had been pitch
ed for me close to hat of my chief
lieutenant, anne Kearny, indomitable.
smiling, bright eyed. bearing no traces
of the buffets of his evil star. Rather
was his aspect that of a heroic mar
tyr whose tribulations were so high
sourced and glorious that he ven took
a splendor and a prestige from them.
"'Well, captain said he, Il guess