White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-02-11


moving ever forward until the enemy
broke and fed before us.
We took an advanced position upon
another lateral ridge, and prepared
for the next attack. Behind us the
field was covered with dead, but for
every PROSTATE bravo there were two
of the uniformed men of Spain. Scarce
two hundred of our men survived, yet,
resting on their arms, they laughed
and TESTED among themselves, and told
one another how many Spaniards they
had killed.
Then in one concerted movement the
Spaniards attacked all along the line,
but Paez held, and the British legion,
though called upon to withstand the
shock Of the bulk of Spain's soldiery,
gave no ground; and the center of the
enemy line rolled back even as the
right wing struck US again.
The Apure braves fred almost into
the faces of the soldiers, after which
they leaped to their feet to meet the
Spaniards in hand-to-hand fighting.
There was frantic heroism about
their ardor, wild enthusiasm.
maniacal lust for killing that must
have terrified the uniformed soldiers,
who outnumbered us two or three to
one, for they broke in dismay, leaving
us again in possession of the tiny Sec
tor that we had been directed to hold
at any cost.
And the COST indeed, had been a
| grievous thing, for less than half of
my braves remained; l knew that the
| next charge of our enemies would find
where Colonel PM, with more than
| six hundred mounted men, waited for
us to fail, and hatred for the man
filled my soul.
body of soldiers disengaged itself
from the British legion and, under
command of captain whose head was
swathed in crimson bandage, came
toward us on run.
"Monahan," cried, 'all honor to the
British legion!''
He grnned. "That's the way we did
| the French at Waterloo, son. They
charged and broke against our squares
| and charged and broke again, and old
Bony's heart broke with them. It's
easy when you know how"
He considered Pini's force a scant
half mile behind us, and swore softly.
whats the colonel waiting for,
Garde?"
For the break my friend, then he
will gallop forward and win a glori-
Gus victory. These hundred men are
sent to me?"
"Sure if you hadn't held their right
wing we could not have held the CEN
| ter. Those braves of yours have stood
like a rock, an unusual thing for ma
tive troops"
"And have died." said sadly, "hold-
ing"
$50 Colonel Macintosh offers his
compliments-and this hundred men
and he directs me to tell you that you
have put the white mans logged hero
ism into the red mans heart
This from Macintosh, grizzed war
rior Of many battles, was sweet music
! to my ears.
The veterans of the British legion
had already been distributed among
my braves, so, renewed in strength
and spirit, we waited for the next at
| tack. 1t came too slowly to suit us,
so we went out to meet it-went
blithely, wildly, white man and brown
with eager cries upon our lips and
| the consciousness of imminent victory
| in our hearts.
After the first volley we met them
standing up, arm to arm, eye to eye,
and the clatter of conflict filled our
| little world with noise.
| That mixed command of mine fought
it's way through the first Spanish line,
then we drove ahead to meet the next
one, paying no heed to anything be-
hind us. On our right the British le-
gion, having abandoned it's defensive
tactics, moved slowly against the CEN
ter. Evidently it, too, had broken
through the first line From the east
came wild cheering from the soldiers
Of Paez.
'We win, think" said Monahan.
1--WE could not lose, my friend; vet
they move back slowly, in good order.
What we should have is rout-an
overwhelming victory"
''In that case" said the Irish SOL
der, 1--WE need the mounted llaneros."
That must also have been Bolivars
thought, for body of horsemen, NOV
ing swiftly through the center, passed
the British legion and hurled itself
upon the enemy, throwing the line into
confusion. The six hundred mounted
llaneros of Colonel Pini's command
roared by us, and we waved our arms
and cheered them on.
'''There he goes,' cried Monahan,
with short laugh, ION to victory!"
The right wing Of the Spanish army
crumpled under the charge of Pini's
horsemen, crumpled and fled in wild
confusion. The desperate battle az