| Show OUR OAR SOLDIER BOYS CHRISTMAS i Lookin Forward With Pleasant Antici Anticipation I pation oIn In Luzon tito to the Advent of tile the Is a of change In the tho fact when everything I Is consIdered T air Manila at the present cannot but appear wonderful l Every Everyl very l time Once moro more the broiling sun aun day fresh evidences bob up to J la Is steeping the streets and the shoW that these thes native Insurgents lira are rice flats The rhe city quivers In Urn from diseases to an extent or of the again the rains mills undreamed of oC In the American camps 5 have ceased to deluge the country and They have little or no medicine their the wagon roads are slowly but surel surely food Is poor floOr and scanty scant their hospitals drying up are filthy And vilely managed and they I has hall the habit or of making are b by the dozen and not on n a athe the things commonplace In battlefield either Tune Time after aCter time timea B a very short time the most moat outlandish our men JUen have captured stores and customs lore 1010 their 8 TM Tho arms and from the ene American soldier has hils come to look upon m my In that must have hae most ot of tilt the strange sights EIghts and scenes been 1 a severe revere blow to them But Dut ButIn In this strange lend land os as the thu merest come com such lIuch Is the tho nature of the l Filipino Yet there thero is Ia much still In and the present war that the struggle the Philippines to be seen and heard continues continue and not for one moment does that Ie h most Interesting and Ind surprising General Otis find tt possible as the year car carIn In the tint first place the renewal of ace ac drags on to relax his vigilance or think t hides against Aguinaldo and his men of at draw ng oft at hIs men coca for the sake of at has bas many fresh examples of at ng Christmas In the good old daring adventure and bravery among fashioned American style And speak both men and officers In our ranKs The Tho Ing or of Christmas reminds me that I a roads are now passable for wagons and number of the men out here have ale al i o es r t Sd 4 t tJ k j r rI rs rn y J If I J JI J s I i n P I II I L Lr 1 ita a it r fi w 1 L t r 1 J Ji 1 i i it t ir r rf t It S 5 r i ii iJ J i 1 S 1 i 11 4 f r J kP 11 jl i ik l 1 k CHRISTMAS DA DAY IN CAMP CAMPa a artillery artiller and Luzon Is no longer a land landof ot of mud and rain The old eternal chase chue after AgUinaldo the has bas started up again In full Cull earnest and andr while many ot of the officers r here are ure hoping that the Insurrection Q I will be put down b by Christmas time from present appearances It looks as It If the campaIgn could not draw to a close a before a 11 complete American cordon has bas f a ben been drown drawn about the entire Island eland of oC Luzon ant and then slowly concentrated on ont t the ubiquitous general of at the Filipinos 1 4 Time afler after time the news has gone 1 thrilling through that Aguinaldo i I had been surrounded and that a day or two would see e his finish Just when we were gel getting ready rendy to see him led captive into Inlo the streets ot of Manila the news has hns come caine of oC his escape LACK Each n time he Ie has done act with astounding celerity and ond left our men wondering whether he were a o the or a living man When 1 General Young loung effected his Junction with General When Wheaton ton and the three I armies under MacArthur Lawton an and Wheaton thought they had th the insure gent leader and his main force hemmed t In before them somewhere and St Jean de Guim l j ha ba there thero was much disappointment l 1 i i when It was learned that the tho enem enemy I had escaped and had In all ull probability 1 j l m made It its wa way In force torce to the mountains The pertinacity of oC the Filipino In ij ready rendy received bozo from home hom sent early In tho season I so as not to meet with on any delay on n account ot or belated transports and lardy forwarding am of l cers These luck lucky fellows are the ene en vied or of their camp QS as ma may be well imagined Some of at these boxes and arc carefully marked To De Be Opened on Christmas Morning and these as al a rule have bave been duly looked over and Inspected and smelled nt at b by the entire company compan with many wild guesses as to their con contents contents tents There are hampers too loa for bo boys who are aro tar far distant on the I firing tine line and who dill probably not have It h chance to o open en them until long after Christmas has come and gone Two do days ago a 11 bIg box came for a private In ono one of oC our western com eom panics It t was marked with the In Open on Christmas Eve Ee It will never bo be opened on Christmas e ere because eo tM the poor fellow fello was wal burled nt at St Isidro three e weeks ago I The men and officers who have been arriving at Cabanatuan from General Lawtons force torce describe the campaign I during the fast few Cew weeks as one ot of great hardship The Tho roads Inland arc an I I Millor at least at that time a terrIble condition Many men who dropped lr behind pick had to be left at different towns along the line or of m reh In n a grant groat number of at co cases these sick had tobe left with inadequate supplies and attendance though some somo ot of them It is III true struggled back heroically and desperately through the mud and swamps General Lawton foresaw that this campaign would involve loud ous hards hardships and almost Insuperable obstacles but It had been determined at headquarters that the war must be brought to n a speedy and end and It was not for him or IUs men tp question why I 1 have not been wIth Lawtons slon sion for some fome time past but those men mennow mennow now In Manila who have hae latel lately return returned ed from up country the comb condl Lion ot of many of Lawtons men In very very i pitiful language A great number of oC oCth th the horses horse have died and ipen and cers could be seen pushing on over the terrible roads and through the tho Jungles looking more mor like savages than soldiers ot of Undo Sam Many 1110 hud had th their lr clothes literally torn to pieces In mak making In ing their way through the jungles of oC that rough district and some somo of at them have been reduced almost to breech breechcloths cloths and aoel nothing more H Hundreds or of them were barefooted having Worn orn their shoes out anti and often orten their diet Illet has been bananas and caraboa meat ineat provisions lons being scarce meat b by the tho way Is 1 a del delIcacy delicacy unknown to most Amerl Americans nn The caraboa Is the Filipino name for tor the water buffalo The They are arc abundant In parts of at I am told and Luzon N Negros gros and Mindanao The natives catch them when young and tame them usIng them as beasts of oC burden when the they cnn can be sold for anything ranging from to 10 to ZO 30 the price depending de pending on the local demand The Tho 1 FI 1 method of stalking the Wild water The go co out on moonlight nights tensing tame for dc decoys os Behind th these e tame animals they creep up to their game and then hamstring them with two to quick blows blown of oC a Now Not al although although though the caraboa Is an unconscionably ably slow and sloth slothful Cui anImal tit at most times ho he Is n a dan dangerous erous toe foe when he has hut but one leI leg wounded EO co the Filipino who does not get et In his work at Just the right moment Is likely to pay for tor his bungling with his hll life So ns as food the water buffalo Is not the most mOlt delicious thing that can be imagined Ilk HIs favorite pastime Is wallowing In the filthiest mud mild bath he can find for himself and this naturally when hn remembered at a meal of at his flesh does not exactly whet the ape ap petite of at the consumer And tough and tasteless his flesh I Is sinewy and al ai almost i most revolting to th he civilized palate though the natives nathu are Vcr very fond of oC such meat Speaking ot of this animal reminds me that some of oC our officers here have at attempted attempted tempted to make use of at the caraboa as asa a 11 mount b but l have not b been en altogether his lUs peculiar disposition In the first place makes hint him a rather unreliable means ot of cone con anted 1 though he can go tirra no horse would woul J he Is us slow as molasses In winter and p i most un uncomfortable comfortable brute to sit lilt astride Re De Resides sides this h he has hall an Inborn prejudice against white men can enn scent them thema n a ratio mile away aWny and usually runs like n a Filipino when ho sees on an American 10 also declines to work In the middle ot of the day when the sun lIun Is hot It If goaded on he will forward at such uch a time at a snails pace pae Until he sees some Bomo Inviting mud puddle There ars IU pt plenty nty of oC these In Luzon just at the tho present time as ono one or tw two ot of our officers om cers Il have ve found to their sorrow when their cavalry mounts have suddenly bolted and lunged over feet of l mire before the said had even time to fling themselves from the backs back or of their thelt buffaloes Ono One of at the Interesting features of arm army life In the Philippines toda today Is the army chaplain It ma may sound surprising InK ing bUt blit the tha chaplain Js Is the most moM popular individual In his come com compan pans pan That Is III I think because the American army chaplain is II something now nev In his way a and is nearl nearly B a good fellow da well as a good god Christina For e l the tho Rev Henry Swift chaplain o tM the Thirteenth regiment nol at al Is not going gain out Ind taking part In life liCe He HeIs Heis Is always ready rendy to give a helping band to any soldier bo boy In distress I making himself as useful on the tho other six she days das of f the tho week ns as he Is 19 necessary on Sun Sundar Sunday day dar In tact fact Is generally ob observed served here nil all stores and saloons salons are kept most strictly closed Only drug stores and restaurants can be found open on that day and the trim native police and the provost guard ot of soldiers sea seo that the Sunday rule Is strictly enforced Some o of the chaplains with our arm army here do not affect the clerical costume but don the tho uniform of the soldier and go about with a pistol in their belt and anda a Bible DIble In their or of the thee e little Ironies ot of martial life liCe Such a chaplain lives with the soldiers find and nil as one ot of them Ile He Is a thoughtful t fellow llo and In his hili kit ho he carries paper and envelopes and wrIting materials and the boys always know to whom to tofO togo go fO when they want to write home When the day ot of r rest st com comes he usually ally s service In a hearty voice something like Well boys this is III know do you sll shy I Ito to having a together I In the trench t or under some Jomo shadowing shadow Ins ing tree or In the tents or of Uncle Sam the tho ceremony takes place some simple old home hymn often otten bringing tears to the e eyes es or of those stout men who are battling so tar far from home Sometimes too the service Is Interrupted b by the whistle of at a few bullets ac accepted as n a rule b by both the chaplain and his congregation as 09 n a disagreeable bat unavoidable nuisance re n WALTERS Manila |
