Show uE dl KJ a Oe J THO COULD fIGHT if TORY of o a Pomaded a tied Warrior a Who V o When T en the he t thed I II 0 3 Emergency Came ante Proved ro tie d That ha t All A His rs Chatter hat 1 o of Battle aft le Had ad the Real ea Courage Behind It If f t I I 1 V I I 1 I I l Copyright 1010 by br b tUo tho New Non York 11 era hI Co CA All Att n ru I r I I Ii i I It I l I I THIS IDS story sto P is told by a n man mon once surgeon in inI PI i I r tho time regular army who served for four fOUl years I in tho the Philippines during the tho Spanish War Wal WalI I I and subsequent troubles roubles and later Inter was attached f 1 to the tier Philippine Scouts For Tor obvious reasons I tho author desires to remain anonymous and f I i has hos concealed the tho names of or tho the officers con cou concerned coui conI I i corned For the thc rest he ho gives a C truo true account of or ofa ofa j j I a n remarkable character and n a great fight ti HEnE we were a company or of us tucked m i R away arras in Ill the tho jungle jangle at al Desmones Province of or orr I r THERE T Albay Island of Luzon surrounded by hills bills 1 II that tha t crawled cra with little brown men so frayed t j I in tho the nerves neres that We wo dueled ducked every er time a aj ai I i t c j stinging ln 0 fly buzzed buzed through the tho molten sunlight bt I i r thinking it to be a bullet bullett t J IZ I Now No i task ask you was Wl that a time tin e for lor soldiers rs to feel I I that they were commanded ed by n a nonentity a ap t I p i i Furi o In gold braid br ld and pomaded nuts mus mustaches r III I about It from I 1 Of Ot course courso the lieutenants had known j II I i the start and I T as s surgeon hid had II l hoard heard and amI seen scon I Ij I enough a n week after being assigned to the post But ut uti i T I the worst of or It was that hurt the tho men had bad heard the whis whispers I H I I i I pers An officer may mayr lack lacle all nil confidence In his su suo superior I r rT T I perlor believe him to be as hollow as ns a drum and still I i v do his duty Ho lIe has hns the time training anti and the tho tradition of oft cI ff t i the service to back bacle him If l nothing more But men l want to feel that they follow the orders of o a n captain 1 ft 1 who knows his business And when they cant they tic tl I go So to battle with yellow lips and n a i chill chili in tho the pits of oC 11 tJ I their stomachs i f And An besides this battle No 10 heat of oC action and fury of ot strife for stimulant while ve we sulked about l I iii lf lj our wretched barracks Corporal Dan was crossing ti 1 the street with a shouted jest to a n comrade on bin bIll bIllI I tongue when a dumdum whined in Ix ll the huts hut hutt r I 1 R t and his bis phrase ended In a gurgle The rho company bent beat t ti f q i 1 I the woods about until sunset and came shambling back to stumble upon the lime bodies of oC two of their com cont comrades contI comi i rades In a thicket they had passed passe stabbed and ripped j and killed with never a n cry cr That takes the starch 1 l i I out of the tho rank and nn file that sort of thing And AmI it I r Ln y calls for fur strong faith in Providence and the tho K 0 lacked I it iti r which latter we N I 1 i S Our K Ii 0 O was a volunteer The department in Its 11 v I Infinite wisdom may knot kno how he hC came to be In inI it I i i charge charse on Oll the borders of or the tho where LulI Luk Lul I don the wiliest and most dangerous of or robber chief chieftains I 1 11 rain a harried the tho country To T us who served Cle under tinder I him It Jt was one of or the freak casts of or evil ej fortune past tl h explanation t tI I 11 t Captain B s military experience up to the time tImo t 1 It be he received his commission had ha been gained as menu niem f I 1 ter lieI of a light artillery company in Florida Sounds y well ell It Spooling Speaking Sp of or light artillery you get geta i I I I a 0 mental picture of galloping steeds Jingling harness I pounding guns Uns and carriages all the dash and panoply pan panoply 1 of ot the most picturesque arm of or the service But e the tho Captains light artillery had been a very cry different r J r kind sort of nn an exclusive little club chub where popping e corks supplied the circumstance of or war and 3 t l i 1 y were promoted on the basis of the number of or quarts I I they could assimilate t i l Far Par from regarding this schooling as a n matter muller too toot t I r I Im trivial for mention In the tho midst of a deadly grin grim m r I campaign the Captain WitS was inordinately proud of It 41 4 It gave him material for endless anecdotes When I Iwas Ii it i was In the light sub suh was his r t l favorite clutch on the tho conversation It came to bo be 1 rt I sickening To see the tho man stand there teetering on f j it r his toes and throwing out his little pigeon breast and an 1 endlessly twisting nt at his perfumed mustache while j Ii he bo told us tales of drinking bouts and men menI C I i 1 picking us off oIT like cattle the tho while was enough to tomake tomake tomake make one want to start an a Insurrection of ones own t i 11 f ft His Toast to the Foe FoeL i l L l tl Well the long Ions and short of it was the men believed la l J the Captain to be incompetent and cursed cased him sul suI sullenly suli suIi i i 41 1 lenly and the thought they knew the Cup Cap Captain 1 tain tamn was a fool or worse and prayed he hie might I get in the way of one of those whining jungle mis missives ii i i i gives Looking back on It I can sees see that the tue post was waa well ordered and maintained throughout though 1 no one could have made me acknowledge It at nt the mil 1 I milI i time We had ba our opinion of Captain B founded h on our observation of 0 him find and nothing he lie did dill was II I r tight right t His brisk Insistence upon discipline line we re rc regarded A as its a n sham SHIlI and his high respect for or himself 3 and Us his abilities as ns offensive affectation H The first lint incident that might have served to en on enlighten I f t I lighten us happened on a n breathless hot bot night when r r T I four tour or five fire of ot us its had ba gathered at the toe Captains Captains quarters on the second s ond floor of a decaying shack I above tho We Ye had come through no friendship for the Captain but as a concession to toI I monotony and a case of beer lI r which he had hall managed I li i to get through somehow The Tho shades s to lo all the win windows I i dows doves were thrown wide and an we wc sprawled In ouri our i r g chairs coats loosened and collars off of gasping for the j breeze br o that never came The beer was warm arm and nud flat Onto everything was wis sticky and humid and our tem tent tempers J pers vcrs were raw edged So we sipped and grunted and I eyed each other suspiciously mind suffered as we wo had l learned to suffer in the steaming Jungle jungler r i j The Captain alone remained chipper and satisfied G N He tie had the floor fl oar to himself and aud an he be went bubbling ti i i alone in his usual way during moments of relaxation i I tion Wo No were not very Yel attentive tentie a I am nun afraid we r yawn yawned eti at him Wm When he rose by the tho table glass in Hj l hand under the swinging lamp and proposed a toast t we Ve glowered unresponsive Gentlemen he be began basan when I was In the light r S r t Our groans roans if it not audible were heartfelt H It used to be bC the custom to drink to the enemy In I 1 those days the enemy was uh rather a u Joke time I joke jok But subs stilts though he be is IR s su no no nor r I e Joke Joice jokel at nt present prest nt MI l rii gl Something hummed through the i window gj There Thero was the be sharp crack crock and of broken glass glassand and a d way off oIT on the tho hillside the t sharp m report olt of or a u rile rille l 1 We e a heard beard the tho nervous challenging of the guards be bo bot t low Tho The Captain wag w still standing there with its his n hand band upraised Little rivulets of beer were trickling e ii down his sleeve and dripping from his elbow The Tho Th bullet had bad sliced the top to p ot off Ills hula IHM t gloss glass leaving caving lea the UH base lIase lIaset III f t I and n a nn an InCh or r two or of o rIm in m hla his grasp SP W We e stared at nt atH 1 him He Ire was smiling a It little he be H as twisted ll his mus f 1 tache daintily with his ILg hL left hand It II li I and all d lu though h he be hen apparently has no mind to be so 80 tI t favored I must flutist insist upon the ceremony c Subs the f ti ie enemy a brave brae and ond worthy worth one w we e c must admit 7 Ho lie finished as ns evenly as us he ho had begun anti and a rill without f 71 Ir art hits his position he hc ed tile the fow drops t Jh the bullet lu a d l eft t him r 1 I 1 t S J 1 1 I dont know whether any nn of ot us gave the word WOl or 01 not but hut I do clo lo know that wo we e all nil sprang sprang to out our feet and amI drank with him It was only onty lutes latel when Vc uve we broke up lip for fOl the tho night nl ht that we began to ll cast around for ail n adjustment of or what we wo had witnessed Daunted Damned little coxcomb grumbled Lieutenant F to mo me as ns we wo crossed the tho street Just some more of his infernal posing Yes YS I agreed but It It was pretty nervy dont you rou think Nervy Ncr nothing snorted F fi The thing hud had happened I ed it And ho he hurt No lie he me Just JURt saw sa w a n chance to show what an ironside ho was and ho he played up to II it On t Wheels Such was the opinion of or the company when hen the matter flintier was noised around The Time time had passed d when the mens mells conception of the Captains charac a a 1411 i I ter tN could be lie altered by such It t was agreed I that he had hud done the tho thing for 01 effect to make mike out hes lies a sou of n gun r ron nu on wheels said Davis DaIs the lanky Inn private from Tomb Torp Tombstone Tombstone stone And the phrase se went time the rounds Another occurrence not long lont after confirmed impression and gave us many opportunities for fut fur further ther titer scorn and mockery mocker of our commander The Thu wet wel season was WIS upon us ns and nn for or all 1111 our preparation we began beun to run out of o dry wood It rained l ceaselessly and we lived iu In a n constant bath hath The condition was serious Bellous We Ve e could do 10 no cooking and anti that Brat meant cold food and bad water with wilh fevers and mill dysentery at n t the tho end The Captain hail had sent a requisition for stove store wood to the adjutant of a u post four miles distant The wood was overdue and the Captain was nas In a fret about It Jt all tiny day la About midnight he broke out with witha a roar mud dashed lashed Into the clerks quarters where the Ute telephone tele lIone was A lute Hue had been Installed to the post Iu lu question and he rang the bell furiously Tin The clerks quarters It Jt should be he said consisted of a cubbyhole in the time barracks and the clatter of the limo bell woke woi the time whole company out of Its beauty sleep Tills This was what they the heard at the telephone Hello lo hello bello hello helIo hello helIo Get the adjutant Yes the adjutant Captain B ll That you Adjutant A Now sub stilt where in hell Is Ls Ismy Ismy my stove stoe wood Hey Coming Damn Daun It Jt all nil suit sub Its been coming comins these foty roty hours I want it ll you yon you hear me nie sub suh that Dont Dout like Damn It nil all sub suh that to me Suh Sub I 1 have havo the honah to lo ask fisk you rou to repeat that suh Back Bad to bed hed I believe bellevo you ou said sub suh Very Ver good sub suh Now you listen to tl mo mc Owing to our position I am unable to proceed in iii due duc form Wo Yo will waive the ceremonies stilt suh At six Ix o pre precisely you ou will mount your our horse bOle I will do o the same saute Service suh suit We Ye will ride toll tod each ench on the road and begin tiring firing at nt sight That should be he sat satisfactory suit suh Do you rou agree suit suh Hello hello Damn the man luau hes lies gone The wood arrived arr before dawn the Die following wing worn morn morning lug ing but we wc gave gae tho the Captain none of I he the credit for its appearance Wo Yo too busy commenting upon ullon his pompous absurdity the guerilla had hind been Jeen doing about ns as he lie pleased In iu the tho province of North mud and along llong the lie border of or Albay Alba lie llo about this lime by bya J Ja a strange of or the error authorities Proclamation wits was made mud that 10 16 l would bo ho paid pai fur for every gun surrendered dered ered by a u native The TIte idea was that the time Insurrectionists would bo he unable to resist so 80 good a bargain and would woul bo he willing to lay lar down their arms anus for fOl the price named All that Tul on did was to turn In to the United States Slates a choice lot of ol ancient mus muskets muskets rind and worthless wort II less riles rifles a picturesque que lot of old junk lie ne received the tho money rid and an promptly used it through secret agents to lo purchase n a shipment of The rIll not net result was to strengthen hint him enormously There came cane a n 1 native to our camp one day who demanded to be he led before the time commander ier er Tie lie In Informed Informed lie formed the tho Captain that lie he wu u an emissary from From Prom his story It IL appeared that lint the tho bandit chief was tired of o resistance and aid had It In mind to surrender Desiring to open negotiations he lie had hall sent Kent to our JC IC 0 O Ho Iio would wait up tip iu In tho limo hills he ho said and yield himself to any force led lell in iu pem person ou by time tho Captain Questioned as to why should picked out a post iu lu Albay wherewith wIth to his Lis peace l i CUI the Ule messenger we s nger answered that Luk on hud had budr r fought so often orten with the troops In North lMh marines Cn On that ho lie thought it fitting to seek icel a leader lender who had never opposed him In battle hittle hl t The Principles of War Tills This was all very ry well but most unlikely As S a dodge dod e It was wis w not worthy worth oaf df of the sly sl Insurgent ent mud and 1 think that that hunt thought was ns uppermost in the Cap Captains Captains as us he lie fumed over Oer thee the t e message Damn It all nil sub sull lie he lie kli said cant these rascals construct a better hotter yahn However he announced that flint night to our great grent astonishment that t we wo would march the next day u with fifteen men Lieutenant F Ji undertook to re with him diplomatically Its a trump trill Captain he Bald Of O cose it iL is IH bellowed the tile IC 1 0 O Dont I know its a n trap Do you ou think I dont know the principles of or wah suit suh Why when Iwas I 1 WH a n In the time light we WI discussed all 1111 those these matters The was WitS a 11 problem expounded C d What ha t should hould be done If Ie the enemy took to tiring L shells And tic the answer was suh sub to beat heat him 1 at his own game and use foty rod whiskey Beat ea l him hint aL at Ills hits own game ga me sub salt Luk olI will think were fooled fo lcd and so we will bo be until he trios tries to spring the trap Then hell know hee hec caught caig tt a suh n Well perhaps that send Lieutenant F Fa away a with a hem fn his bis ear enl lie Hc threw up both hands According to 10 him the Captain WitS bent upon the de destruction tien of ol the command Led on by his bis conceit and amI vanity this graduate of or the Hie light artillery thought that fighting u tl Filipino i c chieftain was as us oay ealy eaF its lis let leL leti k J J i of o him At every cerr step stop you felt the slimy soil soli sliding a n way away under taller one foot toot and amI recovered only to plunge hen lIy to the time dike as ns the other slipped from the lire path Walking the tho slack wire had hod nothing |