Henry Cottrell Rowland

“ Dust flew from the top of the trench, and screams and groans came from all sides. Beside him a man doubled over on his face and twitching convulsively reminded Francisco of the Defeated Warrior in the cockpit just after he had gotten his mortal stab. Then came the crash of another volley, and a few more rifles were picked up by the reserve. The wounded were carried to the rear. The dead lay where they fell. ”

“ And then the wild clamor of voices, in which he could distinguish the yells of the Igorrote warriors, broke out again. The next moment dark, naked figures were leaping all around the hut. The challenge of his sentries was lost in the wild babel of cries in Spanish, Tagallo, and the dialect of the mountain tribes. Climbing hastily down the ladder, he met one of his men hurrying to the trench.
"What does it mean?" he gasped. "Who are these people, and what is that light?" ”

“ Arrived at his post, Francisco assumed command of his company with the easy superciliousness that the educated Oriental always extends toward the coolie class.
The company was composed of over one hundred men, only about forty of whom were armed with rifles. The rest, carrying only bolos and cane-cutters, were to distribute themselves with the riflemen in the trenches and stand by to pick up the piece of the nearest man who had no further use for it. All, however, wore the Filipino uniform, consisting of white blouses, white trousers, and in some cases grass sandals. ”

“ Francisco glanced down at his men. A soldier would crawl to the top of the bank, sight carefully, then close his eyes, contract his features, and jerk his gun violently upward as he pulled the trigger. The recoil generally kicked him back into the trench again.
"Why don't you hold your piece steady there when you fire?" he said to the soldier near him. "Every time you pull the trigger you spoil your aim." ”

“ During the march he had eaten two handfuls of rice and drunk a few swallows of tepid water from his bamboo canteen. When the column reached Dagupan that night, it had seemed necessary to his half-caste company commander to throw up a trench, of which, considering the time taken to build it, a squad of experienced sappers might have been justly proud. The trench was completed in three hours, leaving the company three more for sleep before reveille sounded. This was quite enough, sleep being at any time a much-desired luxury, but never an absolute necessity, to the Filipino soldier. ”

“ For perhaps one or two days during the whole season of the northeast monsoon the wind has been known to fall, and the big thundering billows that pile continuously over the gleaming beach subside into sleepy wavelets of innocuous size. ”

“ From the tales that he had heard his mother tell of the fights between the Spanish and the insurrectos, it was first necessary for the enemy to throw up trenches of their own, from behind which they might exchange shots indefinitely with perfect safety and to the infinite credit of both parties. That the Americans might land and assault the works under fire never occurred to him. ”

“ He picked up his rifle, gave a hitch to his trousers, and started towards the town that his company was now approaching.
Francisco tried to thank him, but his voice failed.
"Why did he give me the water?" he wondered. "I am his enemy, and surely he saw me shoot the Capitan." He could not understand it, and soon gave up the problem.
The slim youth stopped in front of the unconscious American, felt his pulse, and rolled him on to the stretcher. Then he turned to Francisco.
"Now," thought the boy, "I will be taken and tortured. It is better to kill and to be killed at once." ”

“ But these Americans seem never so happy as when there is some murder afoot. I have noticed that they complain bitterly when set to some light work about the barracks, but exclaim with joy when about to be led on a hard, hot march across the country with the chance of killing some of us. ”

“ In the meantime, however, many of the more industrious soldiers employed themselves in making the little bamboo thorn stars of sharpened splinters of bamboo bound together at angles to one another, which, strewn in the dust of the road, were almost impossible to see, and when trod upon would pierce the toughest sandal and inflict a punctured wound of the foot that would render the victim unable to march for many days. ”

“ It was very true. The recoil of a rifle adapted to the use of a man averaging one hundred and fifty pounds and more was a serious matter to men averaging about one hundred and not accustomed to their use.
The brown line continued to advance, but had not fired a shot. Now Francisco began to notice an occasional holiday in the ten-yard interval. They were within four hundred yards, when suddenly they disappeared behind a rice dike which seemed suddenly to become dotted with black spots. An aide of the General dashed by.
"Get down into the trenches!" he cried. "They are to fire in volleys." ”

“ You probably will not be attacked, as the Americans must cross the bar and come up the river to land, when they will be under the fire of our trenches, which are very strong. The enemy cannot land on the beach between here and San Fabian, or at the latter place, as the surf is always too high at this season of the year, so you will simply be held in reserve. ”

“ Now with us, when we kill it is for some good reason, because we have been done an injury or think that some one is about to do us one and we fear him. Or perhaps he may stand in the way of our advancement. ”

“ They profess with pride to being heretics, and loot our churches when opportunity offers; yet I myself have seen many wearing scapulars when bathing in the rivers. Also they say that we are immoral, shameless, and degraded—and they bathe naked before our women! ”