A SOLDIER IN THE PHILIPPINES

 BY

 N. N. FREEMAN

 (PRIVATE, U. S. A. )

 [Illustration]

 F. TENNYSON NEELY CO. 

 114 Fifth Avenue NEW YORK

 96 Queen Street LONDON

 Copyright, 1901, by D. L. FREEMAN, in the United States and Great Britain. 

 Entered at Stationers' Hall, London. 

 All Rights Reserved. 

A SOLDIER IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

CHAPTER I. 

Needom Freeman, in the United States regular army during the years1898-1900, was born in the quiet little country village ofBarrettsville, Dawson County, Ga. , on the 25th of September, 1874. 

Many things have been said and written of army life during theSpanish-American war, but usually from the officers' point of view. As amatter of fact the ideas of a private if spoken or written areunbelieved simply because the prestige of office was not attached, andreceives but little credit. 

The early part of my life was passed in and near the little village ofmy birth. Working on the farm and attending the village school a fewmonths during the time when farming operations were suspended, consumedabout all my time. My father being a poor man with a large family andunable to give his children the benefit of any advanced education, itfell to my lot to receive but little instruction. I was the eighth childin a family of thirteen--five sons and eight daughters. 

Having attained the long awaited age of twenty-one, when most young menare buoyant and full of hope and ambition, I turned my thoughtswestward, where I hoped to make my fortune. I gathered together my fewpossessions and proceeded to Texas, arriving at Alvarado, Texas, thesecond day of November, 1895. 

Obtaining employment on a farm, my old occupation was resumed foreighteen weeks, but finding this too commonplace and not fulfilling mydesires nor expectations, the farm work was once more given up. 

I obtained a position with a wrecking crew on the Santa Fe Railroad. Fortwelve months I worked with this crew, then gave it up in disgust. 

A few weeks' employment in the cotton mills of Dallas, Texas, weresufficient to satisfy me with that sort of work. 

I next obtained employment with the street railroad of Dallas, fillingthe position of motorman, which I held for three months. One night, while with several friends, the subject of enlisting in the army wasdiscussed; this strongly appealed to me, and studying the matterfurther, I became enthused over the idea. I determined to enlist atonce. My position as motorman with the street railroad company was givenup. My salary was forty-five dollars a month, as against one-third thatamount in the army, but this made little difference to me. I was anxiousto be a soldier and live the life of one. 

I proceeded to the recruiting office in Dallas to stand an examination, was weighed, then measured all over, every scar was measured, mycomplexion was noted, my age, place of birth and all about my peoplewere taken. My fingers and toes were twisted and almost pulled off. Itoccurred to me that possibly my examiners thought my fingers and toesmight be artificial. After part of two days' weighing, measuring, fingerpulling, toe-twisting and questioning I was pronounced subject and sentto the St. George Hotel, in Dallas, to await further orders. Of twelveapplicants who were standing the same examination I was the onlysuccessful one. I enlisted under Lieutenant Charles Flammil for aservice of three years, unless discharged before the expiration of thattime. I was to obey all the orders of my superior officers, which meantevery officer from corporal up. 

From Dallas I was sent to Fort McIntosh, south-west of Dallas, on theborder of Texas and Mexico, on the Rio Grande. My long cherished hopewas now being fulfilled. I had from a mere boy had a desire to be one ofUncle Sam's soldiers and fight for my country. I had now entered theservice for three years and will let the reader judge for himselfwhether or not he thinks that I should be satisfied with the service andexperience of a soldier. 

Fort McIntosh is in Laredo, Texas. Here I was assigned, upon my arrival, to Company A, Twenty-third United States Infantry. I had only been therea few days when Company A was ordered out on a practice march of onehundred and twenty miles. Of course I wanted to go, thinking it would bea picnic. I only had a few days' drilling at the fort, and that was allI ever had, but I was anxious to go on this march with my company, andGoodale, called "Grabby" by the men, had my uniform and necessaryequipage issued to me and let me go with the company. I learned duringthe first days' march its object was not to have a picnic, but just totry us and prepare us for the service we might at any time be calledupon to perform. We were to get hardened a little by this practicemarch. 

The second day out we were halted every hour and rested ten minutes. During one of those rests I pulled off my shoes to see what was hurtingmy feet. I found on each of my heels a large blister and several smallones. A non-commissioned officer saw the condition of my feet andordered me into the ambulance. I was afraid the soldiers would laugh atme for falling out. First I hesitated, but very soon I had plenty ofcompany in the ambulance. 

The march was through a rough country, the roads were very bad, andtravel was difficult. Twenty miles a day through chaparral bushes andcactus is a good day's march for soldiers, with all their equipage. Theinfantryman carried a rifle, belt, haversack and canteen. Tents werepitched every night and guards stationed around the camp to keep awayprowling Mexicans and others who would steal the provisions of the camp. Tents were struck at morning and everything put in readiness for theday's march. The company was out fifteen days on that practice marchacross the plains. Four days, however, were really holidays. We spentthem hunting and fishing. Fish and game were plentiful. A few deer wereto be found, but ducks and blue quail were the principal game. Thecompany returned to Fort McIntosh on the third of December. 

I had to be drilled as a recruit; never having had any militarytraining, everything was new to me. I was drilled hard for a monthbefore I was assigned to the company for duty. That month's drill wasvery hard. 

After I was assigned for duty I learned something new about militaryaffairs every day for a year. The manner of all the drill masters wasvery objectionable to me at first; I did not like the way they spoke toa soldier and gave commands, which, if disobeyed, punishment wasinflicted. The month I drilled as a recruit by myself I was underSergeant Robert Scott of my company. During that time I thought SergeantScott the most unkind man I had ever seen. He looked ugly and talkedharshly. I thought he meant every word he said. After I learned how thecommands were given and was taught how to execute them, it seemed verysimple and then I was assigned for duty. 

When my time came to serve on guard duty I did not understand the"general orders" and "special orders. " I went on guard perfectlybewildered with the instructions given me about my duties. 

I did not know what to do. I watched for the officer of the day to makehis round and give orders every day and night. 

Two hours' duty on post was the time we stood guard before beingrelieved by the proper authority. If a man is caught sitting down whileon duty he is severely punished by being placed in the guard house, andsentenced to hard labor for a long time. Sometimes the labor sentenceruns as high as six months or more, according to the gravity of theoffense. 

I was very careful not to get in the guard house or miss roll call, having to pay fines or working hard all day with a sentry over me. 

Every soldier had to be on his bunk at eleven o'clock at night; hischeck was taken and delivered to the officer of the day. Nine o'clockwas bed time, but the checks were not taken up until eleven. The firstcall of the morning was sounded at a quarter before six, when we mustanswer to reveille, followed by a drilling exercise of fifteen minutes. After breakfast every soldier had to sweep under his bunk and prepare itand himself for inspection, which took place after drill hour, which wasfrom eight to nine o'clock. 

A gymnastic drill of thirty minutes each day, except Saturday andSunday, was given the company for a month, then for three months thiswas omitted, then another month's drill was given us, and then the sameintermission; thus we had them alternately the whole year. 

The Sabbath receives but little notice in the army. All duties went onjust as any other day. 

Several hours every day were unoccupied by the soldier's duties. The mencould amuse themselves during these hours by reading newspapers andbooks, as a very good library was at hand. Aside from reading were suchamusements as billiards, cards and music. These became monotonous anddisgusting to me, and in less than two months I would have gladly givenup my position, but I was in for three years, and had to stay and makethe best of it. 

CHAPTER II. 

The Christmas holidays were delightful indeed for soldiers, no tasks toperform for one whole week, except guard duty. The week was spent ingambling and revelry. 

All other holidays meant hard work all day for soldiers; usually theywere days of celebrating some event in the history of our country orsome man must be honored, and homage paid to his memory. The soldiers onthese occasions had to parade and march along the streets all day. Everyholiday, except that of Christmas, was a dreaded day to soldiers. 

April first, 1898, my company was ordered out on the target range forpractice. We had had but little practice, only being there six days whenorders were received to prepare to leave our post at a moment's notice. Those were memorable days. History was being added to, or rather made, almost daily. Every one was talking of war with Spain, its results andpossibilities. Our camp was in a commotion, expecting war to be declaredat once. Everything was put in readiness for marching. In this conditionwe remained until April seventeenth, when orders came at last for theTwenty-third to proceed to New Orleans. 

The city of Laredo gave our regiment a grand banquet before we leftthere. Every man, woman and child, apparently, who could get out to seeus off, turned out. 

The Twenty-third Regiment had been stationed at Laredo for eight years, and during this time great attachment had been formed between thesoldiers and citizens. From Laredo to San Antonio was a long run, attended by nothing of interest. At San Antonio the citizensdemonstrated their patriotism and hospitality by having a grand banquetawaiting our arrival. Every man seemed to have a good time while there. Before our train left, the citizens put several kegs of beer in everycar. This was appreciated very much, as beer seems to be a soldier'sfavorite beverage, and one that he will have if he has money and iswhere it can be bought. A soldier rarely refuses beer when offered tohim. 

From San Antonio a run of forty hours carried us into New Orleans onApril nineteenth. 

For a month we were there on guard duty. The majority of the regimentseemed to enjoy their stay in New Orleans, but for me it was anythingbut enjoyment. 

The citizens were very kind to all soldiers, and seemed to regard themvery highly; when one went into the city he was generally given all thebeer he wished to drink, and made to feel welcome. 

Soldiers care very little for anything, and do not seem to care verymuch for themselves or for each other. They know that the responsibilityrests upon the officers, and that food and clothing will be furnished aslong as they are in the army. When a soldier draws his pay, usually thefirst thing he looks for is some place to gamble and get rid of hismoney in a few minutes, then he can be content. He is restless as longas he has a dollar, and must gamble or take some friends to a saloon anddrink it up, then go away drunk. 

If one man has any money and expects to keep it he must not let othersknow of it, for they will expect him to spend it for all. Generally whenone man has any money it is free to all, and it is enjoyed as long as itlasts. Soldiers are very generous and good-natured men; if not that wayat first they become so before a service of three years expires. 

Army life is dangerous to the morals of many young men. They will takeup some bad habits if they have not power and determination to controlthemselves. It is very easy for a man, especially a young man, to takeup some bad habits and lead a different life altogether in a short timeafter he becomes a soldier. A man soon learns to drink and to gamble, although he may have known nothing of these vices before his enlistment. I thought that a soldier's life would suit me, but after a service ofthree years I can truthfully state that it was not what I desired. Lifein camps at one place a little while, then at another place, winter andsummer, rain, sleet and snow, with twenty men in one wall tent, is verydisagreeable, unhealthy and unpleasant. I spent one month in camp in NewOrleans during the hot weather, and all the pleasure I had there wasfighting mosquitoes. We had a fierce battle with them every night. 

My regiment had all the service at New Orleans they wanted in the lineof guard and special duty. Four hours of hard drilling five mornings ineach week, special duty in the afternoon, then half of every nightfighting mosquitoes. May was very hot. I believe that the battalion andskirmish drills, without stopping to rest or to get water, were veryinjurious to the soldiers. 

I know that they injured my feelings very much. 

I was a private in Company "A, " Captain Goodale in command. I thought agreat deal of my captain; he was a good officer, and was soon promotedto major of the 23d Regiment, and commanded it for several months. Hewas then promoted to a lieutenant-colonel and assigned to duty with theThird Infantry, then in the Philippines. After he set out to join hisnew regiment I never saw him again. He was the first captain I servedunder. 

Soldiers who served under good officers were fortunate, but if they hadbad ones they were soon in trouble and had a hard service. A son ofLieutenant-Colonel Goodale, who was a lieutenant, was placed in commandof Company "A. " He, like his father, was a good officer, and soon wonthe confidence and esteem of his company. 

After the declaration of war between the United States and Spain, the23d Regiment was recruited to its full quota of one hundred men for eachof twelve companies. Four new companies had to be formed, which werecalled, at first, skeleton companies, because they only had a few mentransferred to them from the old ones. 

Non-commissioned officers were transferred to the new companies andplaced in charge of the recruits, to drill and prepare them for duty. 

Drilling recruits is hard work, and all the officers avoided it as muchas possible. From the 20th of April to the 24th of May we had nothingbut drill. 

When Admiral Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, orderswere sent to the 23d Regiment to proceed at once to San Francisco. Itwill be remembered that we had gone to New Orleans under ordersdirecting our regiment to Cuba, but everything had changed so suddenlythat we were ordered to San Francisco to be in readiness to go to thePhilippines. 

The orders from the War Department were received by Colonel French onthe night of the 23d of May. 

The following day everything was put in readiness for leaving for SanFrancisco, but to hasten preparations all our tents were struck at 4o'clock in the evening. Soon afterwards it commenced raining for thefirst time during our stay at New Orleans. Our tents were down and wehad no place to shelter and pass the night. We were ready to leave nextmorning. I never saw so many wet soldiers before. I was on guard and sawtwo hundred men or more go into stables that were near our camp. We werecamping in the race track of the city fair grounds, which weresurrounded by a great many stables. This was rough fare, and I could notsay whether the men slept or killed mosquitoes. One thing I know beyondquestion: I saw the toughest, sleepiest looking lot of men next morningthat I had yet seen in my military service. They all seemed to havecolds. To add to our discomfort all the rations had been boxed andmarked for shipping, and we were without food for breakfast. Those whohad any money were allowed to go out and buy something to eat. It isplain that if a man had no money he went without breakfast. 

The men were all formed in line with gun, belt and knapsack, and werekept standing ready to march at the command, until one o'clock in theevening before taking up the march of three miles to the railroadstation. We marched through the city and to the station without a halt. It seemed to me the hottest day I ever knew. It had been nearlytwenty-four hours since I had eaten, and I think my condition was noworse than that of the whole regiment, with but very few exceptions. 

We were in the city of New Orleans, and rations were plentiful, but itseemed they were scarce for us. This, however, was only the beginning ofwhat we were to get accustomed to in a few months. 

At two o'clock on the 25th day of May, our regiment boarded the cars ofthe Southern Pacific Railroad and set out on its journey for SanFrancisco. The regiment was divided into three sections for the journey, which was made in six days. 

The rations issued to us on this journey consisted of hard tack, cannedtomatoes, canned salmon, and last, but not least, nor more desirable, canned horse meat. To use a soldier's expression, such "grub" is almostenough to make a man sick to look at, but this made no difference, wehad to eat it. 

I have seen a few people who seemed to think soldiers were not humanbeings like other people. They thought they could endure anything andwould eat any kind of stuff for rations. 

While eating supper one evening in our camp at New Orleans, the menwere seated in their usual manner on the open ground grouped aroundtheir mess kits containing their rations; a young lady with her escortwas passing through the camp and observing the men eating supper, remarked to her companion that the soldiers looked like men. 

She had possibly never seen a soldier before. 

At another time a man with two small boys were looking over our camp andtalking about the soldiers, when one of the little boys noticing thesoldiers eating, and seeming to be interested in their manner of eating, said: "Papa, will soldiers eat hay?" His youthful curiosity appeared tobe fully satisfied by the father answering: "Yes, if whiskey is put onit. "

Crowds of people were out at every city and town we passed throughawaiting our arrival. Some had bouquets of beautiful flowers for thesoldiers containing notes of kind words and wishes, and signed by thegiver. Some gave us small baskets of nicely prepared rations. These werewhat suited us most, and were very highly appreciated by every one whowas fortunate enough to get one. 

Our train passed through many places without stopping. We saw crowds ofpeople at those places with bouquets and various gifts of kindness andappreciation which they had no opportunity to give us. Whenever ourtrain stopped it would only be for a few minutes, and there was onlytime enough to receive the little tokens of kindness and good will, exchange a very few words, and we would again be off. 

CHAPTER III. 

Traveling through western Texas and the plains of New Mexico is verymountainous and lonely. Villages of prairie dogs here and there seem tobe about all the living things that the traveler sees. These littleanimals burrow deep in the ground, thousands of them close together, andthis is why it is called a prairie dog town. I was told that theselittle dogs live mostly on roots and drink no water. I give this as itwas told me, and do not know how true it is. One thing which I noticedwas that we would travel two or three hundred miles and not see anywater courses. 

The section that I was with was detained about three hours at El Paso, Texas, on account of some trouble on the road ahead of us. Many of ustook advantage of this to look about the city. A considerable change oftemperature was noted, it being much cooler than at New Orleans. Beforethe next morning we were passing through New Mexico. It was cold enoughto wear an overcoat, but as we only had blankets every man had one drawnclose around him, and was then shivering with cold. This cold weathercontinued until the Rocky Mountains were crossed, and we began todescend the Pacific Slope. 

Crossing the deserts of Arizona was disagreeable. The white sand from adistance looks like snow, and is so dry and light that it is liftedabout by the wind. Some places it will drift several feet deep. Therailroad company kept men employed all the time shoveling sand from thetrack. Nothing but some scattering, scrubby bushes grows in the deserts. Almost any time looking from the cars there seems to be smoke away offin the distance. This is nothing but the dry sand being blown about bythe wind. 

Where the railroad crossed the deserts they are from one hundred andfifty to two hundred miles wide. 

The first place we stopped after crossing the Rocky Mountains was in thecity of Los Angeles, California. The good people of Los Angeles had abountiful supply of oranges and other nice fruit, which were given tothe soldiers, who enjoyed them very much. Some towns where we stoppedthe citizens would put two or three crates of oranges in every car ofour train. 

The country was beautiful, orange groves and orchards of different kindswere numerous and fine. 

California is the most beautiful country I have seen in my travels fromGeorgia to the Philippine Islands. 

The Oakland Ferry was reached about ten o'clock on the morning of thefirst day of June. Our regiment commenced to cross at once over to SanFrancisco. A detail was left to take our supplies from the train andload them on boats, all the balance of the regiment going across. Myfirst sergeant was unfriendly to me and included me in the detail as amark of disrespect to me, although it was not my time to be placed ondetail duty according to the system of rotating that duty. 

Our detail worked very hard for about two hours and seeing no prospectof dinner we crossed over into San Francisco to find something to eat. We found our regiment just ready to enjoy a grand banquet prepared bythe Red Cross Society. It was prepared near the piers in a long stonebuilding; long tables were piled full of all that a crowd of hungrysoldiers could wish for, excellent music was furnished while we did fulljustice to the feast before us. The Red Cross has spent a great deal ofmoney since the commencement of the Spanish-American war; it hasaccomplished much toward softening the horrors of war by caring for thesick and wounded, providing medicines and necessaries for their relief, and doing many charitable acts too numerous to be enumerated here. Manymen to-day enjoying health and strength were rescued from what must havebeen an untimely grave had not the work of the Red Cross come to theirrelief when sick or wounded. The army physician frequently was aheartless, and apparently indifferent man about the ills of hispatients. While at Camp Merritt I was sick for a month. The physicianpronounced the malady fever; he did not seem to care about my recoveryor that of any other man; his chief concern seemed to be that ofobtaining his salary of one hundred and twenty-five dollars per month. Beyond this his interest seemed to cease, and if a sick soldierrecovered he was considered lucky. 

There were many sick men in Camp Merritt in the months of June andJuly. We were stationed there for five months. 

Twenty-five men, myself included, volunteered to be transferred fromCompany "A" to Company "E. " This transfer was made on the sixth of June, and was done to fill up Company "E" to its full quota for the purpose ofgoing to Manila on the transport Colon, which was to leave San Franciscoon the fifteenth of June. 

My company, now Company "E, " was being prepared by Captain Pratt, andwas drilling for the last time in the United States before going toManila. I unfortunately became ill and had to be left at Camp Merritt togo over later. It was sad news to me, for I wanted to go over with thisexpedition. 

One battalion of the 23d Regiment was left at Camp Merritt, whichincluded my old company, to which I was assigned. We stayed at CampMerritt until about the middle of August, when orders were received togo to Manila. By the time everything was packed and ready to striketents a second order was received, not to go to Manila, but to go toPresidio, in San Francisco, and await further orders. About the 10th ofOctober, to our great joy, orders were read out at parade in theevening, that we would start to Manila on the seventeenth. The men wereso glad they threw up their hats and shouted for joy. We were glad toleave the cold, foggy and disagreeable climate of San Francisco, anddelighted that we were going to Manila, which was then the centralbattle field. 

The bad climate, incidentally mentioned, of San Francisco seemed to beonly local, extending along the coast for only a few miles. 

I have been in San Francisco when it was cold enough to wear anovercoat, and going across the bay to Oakland it was warm enough for aman to be comfortable in his shirt sleeves. The distance between thesetwo points is only six miles. The native citizens of San Francisco, andthose who have been residents for many years and accustomed to the damp, foggy atmosphere, are very healthy. 

But this climate was very detrimental to the soldiers in Camp Merritt, and fatal to many. 

While stationed in Camp Merritt I spent a great deal of time in the SanFrancisco park, which contained one thousand acres of land. 

A great variety of wild animals and many different kinds of birds werethere, and I found in it a great deal of interest and amusement. Crowdsof people were there every night. Many people were there for the purposeof committing some crime. People were frequently being sandbagged androbbed, or sometimes boldly held up, and money and valuables secured. 

I knew a great many soldiers who were robbed, sometimes they receivedbruised heads just by loafing in the park at night. 

No reflection is intended to be cast upon the police whose duty was inthe park; there were a great many of them, but they did not know allthat was being done in the park, and it was necessary for a man to keepa sharp lookout for himself if he wished to escape uninjured. 

The date of our departure the Red Cross gave a fine dinner for all whowere going to leave the camp. This was the custom with that society whenany soldiers left there for the Philippines. 

All those who left while I was there partook of a splendid dinner justbefore leaving. 

This society, in addition to the dinner given to us, had several hundreddollars worth of provisions put on board our transport, and all marked, "For enlisted men only on deck. "

At three o'clock in the afternoon of the seventeenth day of October, 1898, we sailed on board the transport "Senator. " The provisions put onboard for us were well cared for--by the officers, who took charge ofthem and guarded them so well that if an enlisted man got any of them, he had to steal them from under a guard. Actually had to steal whatbelonged to him by gift, and if caught stealing them he was courtmartialed, and fined enough to buy his rations for a month, but the finemoney was not appropriated in that way. 

We had a rough voyage, not on account of the weather, but because thetransport was so packed and crowded that a man did well to walk from oneend of the ship to the other. We were crowded like a cargo of animalsbound for a slaughter pen. 

A private may think all or anything he pleases, but he does not have anopportunity to say very much about anything. He must obey the commandsof his officers. 

Our officers on the transport had everything to suit themselves, and theprivate had to do the best he could and try to be satisfied, or at leastappear that way. 

It would take two-thirds of the deck for half a dozen officers to haveroom. They thought themselves so superior to the privates they did notwant to be near them. Our ship had fifteen hundred men on board. 

We reached the port of Honolulu, after several days' sailing on roughseas, October twenty-fifth; five days were taken to coal for our longvoyage to Manila. Honolulu is a fine city, about 2, 190 miles from SanFrancisco. Located as it is, away out in the Pacific Ocean, makes it themore attractive to a Georgia soldier who was on his first sea voyage. There are some fine views in and around Honolulu. As our transportsteamed into the harbor of the city I thought it a grand sight. Fromwhat I could learn I had but one objection to it as a desirable place tolive--leprosy is too prevalent. A small island is used for the lepers'home, where all who are afflicted with this most loathsome of diseasesare carried, yet the fact that those poor victims are in that country isa disagreeable one and makes one shudder to look at the island. No oneis allowed to go there, except on business, and they have to get passesfrom the authorities to do so. I had no desire to visit the place. 

Honolulu is a very good city, with some of the modern city improvements, such as water works, electric lights, street railroads and icefactories. These are the results of emigration, people of othercountries going in with money and experience. The natives are calledKanakis. Agriculture consists in the cultivation of rice, bananas, cocoanuts and coffee. It was there where I first saw bananas, cocoanutsand coffee growing. A lieutenant, with about twenty-five men, includingmyself, went out about six miles along the beach. We went to the DiamondHead, six miles eastward from Honolulu. This is an old crater of anextinct volcano. Returning to the beach we went in bathing and enjoyedit very much. 

Our party had to get passes and present them to guards on going out andreturning. Our transport having coaled and made all the necessarypreparations for the voyage to Manila, we went on board and sailed aboutfour o'clock in the afternoon of October the thirtieth. But few of thesoldiers had been sea-sick before arriving at Honolulu, but afterleaving there many of them were ill for several days. 

I think that the native drink called swipes was the cause of much of it. This had been very freely imbibed by the soldiers. It is a peculiarbeverage, producing a drunkenness that lasted several days. Some of themen getting over a drunk on this stuff, by taking a drink of water wouldagain be drunk. I escaped sea-sickness and, but for the fact that wewere living on the transport like pigs in a crowded pen, I would havegone over comfortably and would have enjoyed the voyage. 

Our rations were very poor, scarcely fit for hogs to eat. They consistedof a stewed stuff of beef scraps, called by the men "slum;" prunes, hardtack and colored hot water for coffee. Once a week we had a change fromthis of salmon or cod fish. I believe those who shared this food stuffwith me on this voyage will bear me out in the statement that it wastough fare. 

The soldiers were not alone on board--there were other passengers whoseemed to dispute our possession and waged war on us both day and night. These belligerents were known as "gray backs, " some of them being nearlyone-fourth of an inch long and very troublesome. Clothing and everythingelse seemed to be full of them. 

I have seen soldiers pick them off of their bodies and clothing and killthem before the men went to bed, hoping to get rid of them and get tosleep. 

I have seen several times almost the whole body of soldiers on boardsick and vomiting. There was something peculiar about this sickness. Nevertheless, it was true; the men were fed on rotten prunes and fruit, which, after nearly all the supply was consumed, was found by oursurgeon to be full of worms. This had been the cause of so muchsickness. By refusing to eat this rotten stuff myself I was not ill. 

About half way between Honolulu and Manila an active volcano was passedabout four o'clock in the morning. Everybody went out on deck to seethis great sight. Although it was raining at the time the men stood outin it to see this remarkable spectacle. It had the appearance of a roundhill sticking out of the water, the whole top burning and falling in. 

CHAPTER IV. 

The most interesting sight I ever beheld was in the China Sea. Oneevening, just before dark, when the sea was rough and black, threateningclouds were hovering over us, lightning shooting its fiery bolts acrosstheir path, and every indication pointed to one of those fearfultyphoons for which the China Sea is noted. The crew had closed all theport holes and hatchways preparatory for the storm, which was believedto be fast approaching. While yet on deck with a number of soldiers, whowere looking across the surface of the rough waters, there suddenlyappeared in the water an object that looked like a woman; it had longhair just like a woman; the upper part of its body was like a woman, andto all appearances was a woman. It rose about half out of the water andsank back. Three times it did this and disappeared. I learned that thisstrange sea animal was a mermaid, and that they are seen during suchstormy weather as we were then experiencing. 

Another very interesting sea animal is the porpoise. It is shapedsomething like a fish, except the head, which looks like that of a hog. They will follow a ship in droves, swimming near the surface of thewater and jumping out of the water and diving down like fish playing. 

I have seen many living things in water, some of which were veryinteresting looking that I never heard any name for. A very strange, helpless-looking object is the star fish. They are often left by thetide on the beach and are perfectly helpless until another tide carriesthem back. A flying fish fell on deck of the transport and was pickedup, greatly exciting our curiosity. This strange little animal nevergets more than a few inches long. These fish go in schools; sometimes aschool is so large that it covers half an acre or more, skipping orflying along on the surface of the water sometimes one hundred yardsbefore striking the water again. I had in my hands the one that fell onour deck and examined it with a great deal of curiosity. It had a pairof small wings and was very beautiful. 

The jelly fish does not look very clean and nice. The largest one I eversaw was eighteen inches thick and looked like a mass of jelly and washard in the center. These fish are of two colors, white and black. Theycan sting when they touch the naked body and give as much pain as thesting of a yellow jacket. 

I have been in the water bathing and one of them would sting me, makinga great, red, burning spot. I have seen sea serpents, but was neverclose to one where I could see it plainly. They seem to be very easilyfrightened, and I only saw them on the surface of the water at somedistance. They are very large snakes with black spots. 

The men on our transport were interested in a flock of sea gulls, whichto us appeared to be the same birds following our vessel to pick up thescraps thrown overboard. I could see them any day and I thereforebelieved they were the same sea gulls. They can fly farther than anyother bird. 

We arrived in Manila Bay November twenty-second, and anchored about twomiles out from the piers of the city. The view was delightful to all onboard, especially the soldiers. We were happy and jokes were freelypassed around. We were once more to be on land and what person would notbe happy over this thought after so long a voyage over the great watersof the Pacific?

Five days we had to wait before quarters could be obtained and we couldland. I was very anxious to get away from that transport, which to mewas worse than a jail. I never was jailed in my life, but I believe thattwo months' imprisonment would have been more pleasant than the time Iwas on board that ship. Finally we were landed at a point just below theBridge of Spain and marched into the walled city of Manila. It will beremembered that a portion of the Twenty-third Regiment had preceded us afew months. Our landing would reunite the regiment, and to celebrate theoccasion that portion of it that went over first had a banquet dinnerprepared for our arrival. It was a memorable occasion long to becherished by my division of the regiment. After such disgusting food aswe had had since leaving San Francisco we appreciated the elegant feastand plenty of Manila wine that was set before us. This latter portion ofthe regiment did full justice to the occasion, both provisions and wine, which was excellent. We stayed in the city and performed guard duty fora few months. It was of the hardest sort all the time that we were inthe Philippines. It was performed day and night part of the time. 

We had "running guard, " which was day and night, but this would notcontinue more than a week at one time. Manila was then a dangerous placefor Americans and our guard and patrol duty was desperate work. 

All the citizens of Manila were our enemies as long as the Spanishsoldiers remained in the city; when they were sent back to Spainconditions improved immediately. 

No one was permitted to go out of the city. The citizens were allowed, at intervals of several days, to pass out through the sally ports of thewall and take two hours' exercise in the Lunetta, which is the favoriteouting grounds of Manila, and a place for executing insurgents. This wasa privilege not often granted, and when the people were thus indulgedthey had to be back on time. 

Aguinaldo, with his army, was just outside of Manila from the time theAmericans captured it until his attempt to enter and capture the cityfrom the Americans. This attempt was made on the night of Februaryninth, the first demonstration indicating his intentions being madeabout nine o'clock in the night. The Filipinos attempted to enterthrough the sally ports and were promptly discovered by the guards, whocommanded a halt. The command was not obeyed and the guards fired uponthem. This seemed to be the signal for a general engagement by theFilipinos. The Nebraska Volunteers were the first to receive the attackof the enemy. At once the battle became furious and continued forseveral days and nights. The enemy was making a desperate and determinedeffort to enter the city, but failed, and were finally driven back to aposition where they could be easier handled by our forces. After aboutten days' fighting the Americans threw up works and entrenchedthemselves and waited for re-enforcements before taking the offensive. The American forces numbered ten thousand in the city and the enemy'sforces were estimated at sixty thousand. The American lines were gettingtoo long and weak to risk an attack and we held our position and waitedfor re-enforcements to arrive. During this time the Filipino prisonerswere closely guarded and forced to bury their dead. Five days wereoccupied in this work of picking up and burying the dead Filipinos. Thenumber of their dead is unknown, but must have been large. It wasreported that five hundred Filipinos were buried in one day. It was alsoreported that eighty Americans were killed in one night. 

I shall never forget that night attack; I was one of three men on guardin the Spanish hospital. This was a very dangerous post at any time, buton an occasion like that it was more so. Three hundred Filipinos were inthe hospital, about one hundred prisoners and about sixty Spanish women. All the hospital corps of attendants were armed with some kind ofweapon, usually a knife. When the attack was made on the guards at thewall and the firing commenced, I was sitting in a chair and almostasleep from exhaustion and continued guard duty. A Spanish woman in thetop story of the hospital heard the firing. She ran down to where I wassitting, took me by the shoulders and was shaking me vigorously when Ifirst realized what was taking place. She was very much excited andjabbered at me in Spanish, which I had no knowledge of and did notunderstand one word she said. When she saw that she could not make meunderstand her Spanish she went away. I heard the firing and knew thatan attack was being made. The Filipinos in that hospital would have metwith little resistance from only three guards had they made a dash forliberty. They could have easily passed out through the unlocked doorswhile we could have killed a few. After gaining the outside they couldhave given assistance to their comrades, and in the darkness of thenight set fire to the city and made our situation a desperate oneindeed. The Filipinos knew the city much better than the Americans andhad Aguinaldo been possessed with the nerve and ability he could haveentered with his superior numbers and captured the city. The Filipinos, however, gave the Americans some hard fighting before the enemy's forceswere scattered over the island of Luzon. After the Filipinos werescattered they divided into small bands, which marched over the islandburning and destroying. One of the bands when run upon by the Americanswould give them a short desperate fight and flee to the hills in safety. Frequently it happened that a squad of American soldiers would beoutnumbered by a band of the enemy, and it was then the Americansturned to run into Manila for safety. 

A great many of the native business men, both employers and employees, stayed in Manila after it was captured and carried on their business. Many of these were a menace to the safety and the authority of theAmericans. All the arms and ammunition and dynamite that could beobtained by them were hidden away. They banded together to do all themischief possible, but our guards were too clever for the Filipinos andalways detected their schemes and plots before they could be carriedout. It was believed that the men inside of the city were working withthe enemy outside for an outbreak. Aguinaldo would engage the attentionof the Americans and these treacherous Filipinos and Spaniards insidewould do a great deal of mischief before being discovered. 

Therefore, in the face of all this, much depended on the efficiency ofour guard duty. Guards were on duty in all parts of the city, in churchtowers and every place that would give any advantage in keeping alookout for any indications of trouble. 

CHAPTER V. 

Before Aguinaldo's attempt to enter Manila the friendly natives outsidethe city were suffering from a fatal epidemic of some character, apparently so, judging by the number of caskets taken outside. Thiscontinued for several days; one or two caskets every day were allowed topass out by the guards, although orders were issued to search all boxes, trunks and baggage; yet these caskets were allowed to pass throughunmolested for about fifteen days. Finally the guard's suspicion wasaroused by these frequent burials and it was decided to open a casket, which was packed full of Mauser rifles. This ended the funerals outside. This demonstrates the trickery and smuggling schemes of these people. 

I have known prisoners to escape by exchanging clothing with theirwives, who were permitted to visit their husbands in jail, the manpassing out and leaving the woman in prison. A great many prisonersescaped in this way before the scheme was discovered. 

Dummy guns and soldiers were placed in forts in a manner to deceiveAmericans as to the strength of the works, but the Americans were not tobe bluffed so easily and this scheme was worthless. 

Almost the whole American force was on the streets of Manila watchingand expecting an attack for two weeks before it was made. We were alwaysprepared to fight. We had to keep our clothes on all the time and ourguns and belts by our side. I did not have more than fifteen nights'rest from the 20th of January to the 24th of May. Frequently we wouldjust get on our bunk when a call to arms would be given; every man wouldrush out in a hurry and sometimes had to march four or five miles, before stopping, through rain and wind, or whatever weather we might becalled out in. There we would stay the balance of the night. If wewanted to lie down we only had one blanket to put on the wet ground. Every man had to look out for himself and get the best place he could. 

We would only be in a few hours from one march until orders would bereceived to march to some other dangerous point; it appeared that wewere only marched back to the city to take a bath and change clothing, which we needed. 

I believe these marches in the night or day, in the hot climate of thatcountry, lying on the wet ground sometimes every night for two weeks, has killed more men than were ever killed by the Filipinos. Those whonever died from the exposure died from the kind of rations they ate outon the lines. It has been a mystery to me how I ever reached Americaagain. I have been through everything and have seen as hard service asany soldier in the Philippines, and have eaten as hard grub as any ofthem ever ate. 

I believe the Twenty-third had call to arms no less than twenty-fivetimes. Every time we thought a fight was on hand and we would see somefun with the Filipinos. Whenever we got them started to running, whichmost always was easily done, then the fun was on. We were sent out agreat many times to guard some town from the enemy's torch. 

Company "E, " of the Twenty-third, was detailed to guard the firstreserve hospital in Manila and was on duty ten days. The officers fearedthat enough of the enemy would slip through the lines to enter thehospital and commit many depredations and kill the wounded Americans, sowe were detailed to guard it and walk the streets and hold up everyvehicle of the Filipinos and search them for arms and ammunition. Thisholding up and searching gave the sentries all they wanted to do. Allthe time we were there on duty we could not leave without permission. Welaid about in the hot sun in the day time and at night on the ground. Some of the soldiers pulled grass and made beds to sleep on the side ofthe streets. 

The only thing to help pass the time while on this duty was to gothrough the hospital and look at the wounded, some with arms off, otherswith a leg gone, while there were men wounded in almost every imaginableway to be living. Some would get well when it looked almost impossiblefor them to recover. I have seen thirty to forty wounded piled in a boxcar and sent into Manila, where they were put on a boat and carried upthe Pasig river to the hospital. They were taken from the boat and putin a cold place till the doctor puts them on the operating table andhandles them like a butcher handling a beef. Almost every day women andchildren were brought in with burned hands and feet, the Filipinosburning every town which they thought was about to be captured, and thewomen and children suffered; doubtless, many were burned to death. 

Fire is a dangerous resort of the Filipino. About one hundred gotthrough the lines into Manila and made an effort to burn the city, butthe promptness of the Americans saved it, only five blocks being burned. The soldiers were kept busy guarding the negroes and keeping them awayfrom the buildings. Big stores were burning and the fire department wastoo poor to save them; the proprietors told the soldiers to go in andget anything they wanted. 

While the fire department was doing all it could to save the city andsneaking Filipinos were hindering the department all they could bycutting the hose. They would assemble in crowds and then the hose wascut; every one caught in this act was shot down on the spot. Six orseven were thus punished that night. It was an exciting time and lookedas if Manila would be burned in spite of all our efforts to save her. The Twenty-third Regiment did guard duty all night on the west side ofthe city. The enemy, failing to burn Manila, fired a little bamboovillage outside; the bursting bamboos could be easily heard by us. Thenoise was just like that of guns and the Filipinos took advantage ofthis noise to shoot at us in the city. They would get behind the lightof the burning village and when an American could be seen in the lightof the burning houses in Manila he was shot at. This was kept up allnight. Our great trouble was to distinguish between the noise of thebursting bamboos and the report of a Mauser rifle. The noise of burstingbamboos could be heard three and four miles, some of them not muchunlike a six-inch gun, and the reports from a burning bamboo village wasalmost a reproduction of a battle and would last several hours. 

After guarding the burning district of the city all night we returned toguard duty at the hospital. Orders were received to march to the firingline at San Pedro Macati. We marched there on the first day of March andstayed till the tenth. We were in trenches at the front; our provisionswere more than half a mile at the rear and details were made out eachday to bring up provisions to the men in the works. These details werefired at in going and coming by the Filipinos, but their fire wasineffective, owing to their distance from us, until the detail nearedthe trenches, where the distance was not so great, and it was verydangerous. Some were wounded. 

A man behind the works could not get out for a few minutes' exercisewithout being fired at, and if he did not get under cover soon theywould get him. I have seen many men shot that way; they thought theFilipinos could not shoot. I have seen some fine marksmen among them. They could do some good shooting until they became excited and fled forsome place of safety. 

I have seen squads of Filipinos come near our trenches and open fire onus. A squad of Americans with their arms would jump out of the trenchesand start towards them and they would soon disappear like so manyfrightened deer. I was in a squad of soldiers who ran three Filipinosfor two miles. They were shot at several times, but got away. 

We were out ten days and had two engagements; we had a very hard time onthis excursion. Water was hauled two miles and a half on a two-wheeledvehicle, in old vessels holding four or five gallons. By the time wecould get to the kitchens about half of it would be spilled. 

Buffaloes were used like oxen in this country. They were much larger, however, of a dark brown color and very easily frightened. When onestarted to run away no man could hold it. I have seen them run as fastas a good horse. Their horns were of immense size and flat, considerablyextended. They generally did not turn aside for smaller objects whenrunning away. On one occasion I saw one run against a stone building, knocking himself down. He arose and ran on as fast as before. Those thatrun at large will get in the water where it will cover them and standwith their noses out for half a day. 

The fourth day out at San Pedro Macati we had a bush skirmish and somehard fighting for about two hours. 

This was my first fighting and I have to confess to being a littlefrightened this time, but kept my nerve on all other occasions. We ranthem back from the trenches and out of sight. They were not to be seeneven by the aid of field glasses any more that day. We could notestimate the number of killed, as they left none on the field. 

The first sergeant of my company was slightly wounded in the chest by aspent ball, from which he recovered in a few days. I was near him andheard the bullet strike him; it almost felled him. This was the firstsoldier I saw wounded. 

The way the bullets were coming I thought every one of us would bekilled, but no one was shot except the one just mentioned. Out-postswere always stationed two hundred yards or more from camp every night, or in front of our trenches, to prevent a night attack. If the enemystarted through our picket lines they were fired on by the pickets, whowould then rapidly fall back to our lines of trenches. This out-postduty is very important and very dangerous, especially when the sneakingFilipinos were in the community. 

Many nights the Americans would be aroused from their slumbers by theenemy's attacks and efforts to surprise them, and we would lie in ourtrenches and fire on them till they left. The enemy would be stationedon an opposite hill and they would sometimes get very close to ourout-posts, who could see them moving about and talking and hear themwalking in the leaves and underbrush. Our sentinels had orders not tofire on them unless they made an attack, when the sentinels fired andgot back into the trenches as quickly as possible to escape being killedby our own men. 

They violated the custom of the white flag frequently. A party of six oreight would leave their lines with a white flag and advance a littleand wave the flag. A party of Americans would start to meet them. 

Every time the Americans stopped the Filipinos stopped. They tried toget our men as near them as possible and when they thought they couldget our men no nearer they would seize their rifles, which they wouldhave concealed behind them, and fire on our soldiers. Their schemeevidently was to kill all the officers they could, but they onlysucceeded in killing two, as far as came to my knowledge. After a fewattempts of this kind they were fired on regardless of their white flagscheme. 

While at San Pedro Macati the First Colorado Volunteers would go out andsleep all night on the hill-top. Some one was killed, or wounded, everynight this was done. But few Americans were killed before the advancewas made on the enemy. A strong post was taken and many Filipinos killedand captured. Ninety were captured in one little bamboo village of adozen houses. This was the morning of March tenth. That evening orderswere received to return to Manila. We had been in the trenches thegreater part of the ten days at San Pedro Macati, and had twoengagements, one the fourth and one the tenth of March. 

We set out on the return to Manila late in the evening of March tenth. We had a march of six miles to make. A heavy rain drenched the soldiers, reaching the walled city of Manila about eleven o'clock that night. 

After a few days' rest Company "E" of the Twenty-third went up the Pasigriver on cascos to Laguna de Bay, a distance of fifty miles fromManila. This is a body of fresh water twenty miles wide and sixty mileslong, and deep enough to float a large steamer. 

A gun boat, which stayed there in the bay, and of the same name, wasboarded by a part of our soldiers and steamed up the bay for the purposeof capturing Santa Cruz. We had to go up in front of the town in fullview of the Filipinos, who saw the approach of the gun boat and left inhaste for the mountains. 

Our boat grounded and we had to wade out a distance of two hundredyards. The bottom of the lake was uneven and by the time land wasreached we were wet from running into holes of deep water. On reachingland a line of skirmishers was formed and the town was entered withoutany trouble. But one Filipino was seen. He was almost frightened todeath. With the aid of field glasses we could see Filipinos on themountains. When we left they returned, but before going we burned somelarge buildings in which supplies were stored, mostly rice and sugar. Wereturned to the gunboat and cascos late that evening. 

Captain Grant, of the gunboat, wanted to go about thirty miles up thebay from Santa Cruz. We made the run in three hours. It was a verybright moonlight night. The objective point was reached about eighto'clock. On getting very close to shore an old priest was seen on thedock waving a big white flag, which he continued to wave until welanded. Captain Pratt took an interpreter with him and learned from theold man that everything there was all right. He informed Captain Prattthat he thought the town would be bombarded if not surrendered withoutit. There was a fine church at this place; the town was built of bamboo. A few stores and about four hundred Filipinos were there. The Filipinoshad gone to the mountains while we were landing, but returned when theold priest rang the church bell as a signal that all was well. We werepreparing to sleep in their bamboo houses, but Captain Pratt, fearingsome treachery, ordered us to the cascos and gunboat to sleep, but as wewere wet and muddy large camp fires were built where we could dry andeat our salmon and hard tack before going on the boats. 

We had had some hard service for four days and felt very much likesleeping, but the boats rolled and plunged until we could not sleep. Wewere in a dangerous place. Had all the Filipinos who came into thatplace that night been around they could have given us a hard fight, andpossibly have killed us, but, fortunately, they did not appear to haveany arms. Next morning two cascos were loaded with captured wood and weleft this place to go down and across the lake to take another town. 

Our boats were anchored two miles out and an armed detail sent out in asmall launch to reconnoitre. It was found to be too strong for ourforces. A strong fort and almost three thousand Filipinos were in thetown. We remained in front of this place until the next morning watchingfor Aguinaldo's gunboats. He had four in the bay. One had beencaptured. Just before dark one of these gunboats was sighted comingaround the point of an island. It was going into port, but seeing ourboats it turned back. We made no effort to pursue this vessel, as ourboat was slow of speed and night was coming on. Nothing more was seenduring the night and next morning we went down the lake to the Pasigriver, which is the lake's outlet. Going down the river about five mileswe awaited orders from Manila. 

We were out on this expedition for ten days, part of this time on theLaguna de Bay and the remainder in the Pasig river. 

We had a good time after starting back towards Manila, but little to doand less to care for. While awaiting orders on the river we consumed agreat deal of time hunting chickens and ducks. These were very plentifuland easily caught. We fared well on these every day for a week. We alsokilled all the hogs that were necessary to supply our wants, and therewere plenty of them. The first ones were killed by Lieutenant Franklin, who took a rifle out one evening and was gone almost an hour. At last hereturned with two fat pigs which he had shot. We expected to enjoyeating them the next morning as they had to be dressed and cooked. Nextmorning our hopes and expectations of a good meal were exploded byfinding that the pigs were spoiled. After that we profited by thatexperience and always ate our hogs as soon as they could be prepared. The trouble about keeping fresh meat there was the hot, moist climate. This would soon spoil it, especially if not dressed immediately afterbeing killed. 

On the ninth day of this expedition about twenty-five men went out on ahunt for porkers. Six very good-sized ones were secured by this party, to which I belonged. Another expedition went duck hunting and baggedeighty fine ones. Great numbers of chickens were everywhere in the woodsand towns. They belonged to the natives. A party of soldiers caughtfifteen of these while the hogs and ducks were being secured. Thesethree parties returned about the same time loaded with the spoils of thechase. 

The cooks tried to please every one and set us at dressing our game. They cooked every hog, chicken and duck for dinner that day. There wereabout ninety men in this company. This was one of the last three daysout on this expedition of ten days. The other seven were very rough andhard ones for us. 

One night some of the men made a new arrangement about sleeping. The dayhad been hot and clear and the open air was desirable to sleep in wherewe could enjoy the full benefit of a nice cool breeze which was blowing. The deck of the gunboat we thought an ideal place to spend the night. Wewere very sleepy. This spot was free from mosquitoes and we werepreparing for a fine rest. Captain Grant looked out on deck at ourpositions and said: "Boys, look out up there tonight. It rains here inthis country sometimes. " The sky was almost cloudless and we thoughtnothing of rain. 

About two o'clock I awoke, thoroughly drenched, and the rain falling asfast as I ever saw it in my life. Any one who has not seen it rain in ahot country has an inadequate idea how hard a tropical rain really is. My blanket was perfectly wet and the water was standing on one side ofme in a pool. It took me so by surprise that I was bewildered. Finally Idecided to leave that place and seek shelter. I wrung the water out ofmy blanket and groped about in the inky darkness and went into theengine room, where I stayed until morning. That drenching rain seemed toaffect all who were exposed to it and resulted in severe colds in everyinstance. The twenty-fourth of March we were about fifteen miles fromManila, up the Pasig river, awaiting orders. The Pasig river is deep andwide, large steamers being able to traverse its waters. A strong undercurrent made swimming difficult and dangerous. 

Observing some soldiers across the river at a deserted bamboo village Idecided to go over to them. I set out and swam till tired. Looking backI discovered that I was about half way across the river. I swam until Iwas almost too exhausted to raise one hand above the other. I could nottell whether I was moving or not, except, perhaps, down stream. 

I was in a critical condition, but did not give up nor get excited. HadI done so I believe that I would have drowned. I know of about twentysoldiers who were drowned while trying to swim across the Pasig river. 

By struggling with all my strength I succeeded in getting across. I didnot know how I could get back without swimming and I decided not to trythat. I was very exhausted and rested and planned a long time. Finally Ifound a piece of plank and getting on that I went across all right. Thisexperience was sufficient for me, and after that I never went into watertoo deep to wade. 

We left our river post and went into Manila. On the way down the riverwe met with an accident that might have been fatal to about fifty men. Acasco had been captured in the Laguna de Bay, and about fifty men, including myself, went on board the captured vessel and were being towedinto Manila by a launch. Our vessels had to pass under the Bridge ofSpain. The captured boat was too high and in attempting to pass underthe bridge the whole top of the casco was torn off, timbers andfragments of the broken vessel were flying in every direction, and itlooked as if the men could not escape these missiles. I was in the sternand thought that half of the men on deck would be knocked out into thewater and possibly drowned. Quicker than it takes to tell it, I waslying on my back in a close, narrow place where there was just enoughroom for me to wedge into. The casco was being pulled to pieces againstthe bridge and as it went farther under the bridge the rudder beam waspushed around over me with such force that it left grooves in a piece oftimber not more than an inch above my face. It was that piece of timberthat saved me from being crushed to death. 

After the excitement had subsided a little I found that I had beenstruck on one side and hurt, but only slightly. The launch tore loosefrom the casco and before it could again be fastened another accidentthreatened us. Several large sailing vessels lay at anchor along theriver and the casco was about to run into them. This accident wasavoided and we were landed and marched into the walled city of Manila. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Our company arrived at Manila on the night of March 24, 1899. The nextnight our regiment was ordered out to re-enforce the volunteers incapturing Malabon. This town was full of Filipinos, who were fightingthe volunteer forces then trying to capture the town. Our forces marchedto the north of the town and camped. Every soldier had to cook his ownprovisions, if he ate any that were cooked. The march from Manila to ourcamp was twelve miles. Every man carried one hundred rounds ofcartridges, knapsack and his provisions. The site of our camp was on thebank of the Malabon river, which was reached at sunset. We had to crossthe river before camping and the only chance was to wade or swim. Somecould wade, but those who were short had to swim. We wanted to crosswithout getting our blankets and provisions wet, but some were moreunfortunate and lost them. I tied my blanket and provisions to thebayonet fixed on my rifle and crossed with them dry, but my personsuffered by the water and mud. Night had come on by the time theregiment reached the camping side of the river and guards had to be puton duty at once. Our blankets were piled up for no further service whilewe were out on this expedition; the men, wet and muddy, had to pass thenight the best they could. There were supposed to be from 3, 000 to 4, 000Filipinos near by and our night camp was a hazardous one. Everythingmust be done with the utmost caution. 

The men, wet and muddy, fought mosquitoes all night and had no rest. TheFilipinos could be heard all night busily tearing up the railroad trackand destroying a bridge a few hundred yards from us. They dug pits inthe ground and built fires in them, over which the track rails wereplaced till hot enough to easily bend. Bending the rails, they thought, prevented the Americans from using them again in shipping supplies overthe road. The site of our camp was a low, mucky place on the river bank, where mosquitoes literally filled the air. 

That was the hardest night on me of all the nights of two years' servicein the Philippine Islands. I was so sleepy and tired next morning that Icould scarcely hold up my head, and my condition seemed to be no worsethan that of every other soldier in the regiment. Mosquitoes had bittenme through my trousers and brought blood. Frequently I have beensleeping after a hard day's service when the mosquitoes would bite myface and the blood run out and dry up in hard drops. When I could notget water to wash off these places I would scratch them off. In somecases these bites were poisonous. I have seen soldiers with large sores, caused by scratching mosquito bites. I was cautious about poisoningduring my service in the Philippines. 

The morning of the 26th, about four o'clock, I saw from my post, whereI had been all night, a big fire in the direction of Malabon. TheFilipinos had fired the town and left it. It was our purpose to capturethe place and take some forts on the river, but the tricky Filipinospreferred burning their town to surrendering it to the hated Americans. 

Our forces took up the advance on the enemy, who stubbornly resisted usfrom ten o'clock in the morning until four in the evening, when theyretired to Malinto and took another stand behind a stone wall and heldthis position until driven from it by a charge. We had to advance up along slope of open ground for one and a half miles. Firing was kept uprapidly all the way. The enemy was driven out and the town taken. Aboutthirty men were killed and wounded on the American side. The enemy'sloss was not known, but must have been very heavy. 

One poor fellow who was among the wounded in this battle I remember verydistinctly. He was first sergeant of Company G, Twenty-second Regiment. He was shot through the head. The doctor dressing the wounds as he cameto the wounded saw this sergeant and said there was no use to doanything for him, that he would die in a few minutes. The wounded manreplied that he would live longer than the doctor would and wanted hiswounds dressed. He lay there and talked to his comrades, who were aroundhim, and cursed the doctor for neglecting him. He remained in thiscondition an hour or two and died. 

After a short rest in Malinto we marched about one mile south and backto Malinto again. That night we marched to a point near a station on theManita and Dagupan Railroad and camped. We were then about eight milesfrom Manila, and opposite Malabon, which is off the railroad and on thebeach near the mouth of the Malabon river. Our camp was located morethan two miles from where we had left our blankets that morning on goinginto battle. A detail of ten men, including myself, was made out to goafter the blankets. They were obtained and we returned to camp with themabout ten o'clock that night. We had to cook our rations for supperafter our return, but being rather a frugal meal of easy preparation butlittle time was required to prepare it; frying some bacon in mess kitscomposed all the cooking; hard tack and canned tomatoes composed theremainder of the meal. The ground with the starry heavens overhead andone blanket was both house and bed. The next day we marched into Manila, arriving about twelve o'clock. We remained there doing guard duty tillthe 30th day of March. 

In the evening of the 29th orders were read out to provide three days'rations, fill our canteens and each man to be furnished with one hundredand fifty cartridges. We all expected a battle and were anxious for it, but did not know where we were most likely to get it. Every one was busyand anxious to be marching, especially the officers, who usually couldhardly wait for the time to come after receiving orders to march. 

We were to have supper on this occasion at five o'clock, but all we hadwere some scraps and crumbs from the camp kitchen. 

Our orders were to march to Maricana, which was held by the enemy. Wemarched twelve miles before camping. It rained before we started outfrom Manila and cleared up, but left the roads very muddy and mademarching very hard. The twelve miles were made by ten o'clock. Thatnight the wet ground served as couch and one blanket as all thecovering. We had to recline, if we lay down at all, with gun and belt atour side, ready at a moment's notice to meet the enemy's attack shouldthey swoop down upon us in camp. After a halt of six hours we set aboutat four o'clock preparing breakfast, every man cooking his own rationsin camp kit and making coffee in a quart cup. 

Men were gathered around their little fires of wet wood on the dampground trying to burn wet wood and cook over the little fire it made. Some of the hungry men had just succeeded in getting their fires to burnand commenced to cook when orders were given to prepare for the march toMaricana, which we were expected to capture that day and to take theFilipinos prisoners or drive them into the neighboring mountains. It isneedless to say that those men who failed to get their breakfast wereready to fight. They had an opportunity before many hours passed. 

From the camp it was five miles to Maricana. The march began atfour-thirty, while it was still dark, and we could move unseen by any ofthe enemy who chanced to be lurking in our vicinity. We marched throughthe woods and without speaking above a whisper marched close to theenemy before we were discovered. Their sentinels in the church towerswere the first to discover our approach and give the alarm by ringingthe bells. 

Maricana is located on the bank of a river and we advanced within onehundred and fifty yards of the opposite bank before we were discovered. We advanced at double time and reached the river bank, when we lay downand opened fire just as the early daylight was appearing. Our skirmishline covered the whole town, in which the enemy were stationed as areserve force to their advanced lines along the river. This advance, orouter line of the enemy, were fortified behind a stone wall. Our linewas at the disadvantage of being in the open ground. The lines thusformed were hotly engaged for some time when the command was given tocross the river and charge the enemy's lines. The river bank in front ofme was about ten feet high, but this offered no obstacle to me whenbullets were falling thick and fast near by. At the command to cross Ijumped and somehow got down the bank and into the water. Looking back Isaw no one else coming. The bullets were coming around me so fast I hadno time to form any plans and I pushed on into the water until it wasalmost over my head. I remained in this condition until I saw my commandcrossing about one hundred yards below me. I could not get out on thebank to go down and decided I would wade down to the crossing place andjoin our forces there. I was almost exhausted when I reached the shore. The enemy, seeing our intentions to attack their line, remained behindthe stone wall and fired at us until we were nearly across. Then theycould stay there no longer and fled from their strong position. Wecrossed and entered the town, capturing five armed men. The enemy beat ahasty retreat, rather a pell-mell flight across the open country towardsthe mountains, at whose bay they had entrenchments and a large reserveforce. The fight lasted from daylight till about two o'clock in theevening. The battle of Maricana was as hard as any fought in thePhilippine Islands. About three thousand American soldiers were engaged. Several were killed and a great many of the Filipinos. 

When an American was wounded his wound was dressed and some soldier'sblue shirt hung up near him to designate the place where a woundedAmerican was. In this way no one would be left on the field after thebattle when the dead and wounded were picked up. 

The Filipinos were not so well cared for. I saw a great many soldiersrun out of their way in order to step on a dead or wounded Filipino. They would shout with joy at their punishment of the poor Filipino. 

I was near three Americans who were shot that day; two of them werekilled. The one who recovered was a member of my company. A ball passedthrough his body, entering the back and passing out on the right side. It didn't seem possible for him to live, but in one month he was againat his post of duty. A lieutenant of the Fourth Infantry had his horsekilled under him. Jumping off he took out his field glasses and got onhis knees and began looking for sharpshooters. In less than a minute hewas shot through the heart and fell dead without speaking. I thoughtevery second I would get a bullet, for they were flying so thick andclose that I did not see how I could escape them. Before the battle wasover I wished I might be shot, for I never was so nearly dead in all mylife. My condition did not appear to be any worse than that of everyother American soldier. 

We were run almost to exhaustion and were awfully hot. I drank waterthat day from ditches and holes when the water looked green and tastedvery badly. I knew the water was filthy and even dangerous to drink, butI was not going to die for water when there was plenty of it near by. During the heat of the battle I was lying down near an old soldier. Wewere both trying to get cover. We were fighting hard with no protectionbut the ridges in a large rice field which we were fighting over. Ourfiring line was in a line of skirmishers. A bullet hit the ground infront and between the old soldier and where I lay. It knocked dirt inour faces. The old soldier looked at me and appeared to be very muchfrightened. I only laughed at his funny looks. Before I got away fromthat position I felt a hard shock on my chest. I thought that I was shotat last and put my hand up to examine the wound. Finding myself allright I looked at the ridge and saw what it all meant. A bullet wasburied in the ridge. I dug it out with my bayonet and kept it, and Ihave it yet as a souvenir of that day's battle. I have several morebullets which struck near me at different times and places. All ofthese I treasure, for I do not expect to get any more bullets just as Idid these. 

The American loss at Maricana was twenty-four killed and nineteenwounded. 

CHAPTER VII. 

After leaving the battlefield we returned to the camp we had left thatmorning. The whole force was almost exhausted by the day's service andmarching was a slow, burdensome task. A great many men lost theirprovisions in the battle or in crossing the river. Mine was lost in theriver together with my mess kit, canteen and haversack. Those who werefortunate enough not to lose their rations of canned beef and hard tackwere enjoying a hasty meal. At this juncture orders from Manila were tomarch to Caloocan Church that night, a distance of about twenty-threemiles. It was then getting late in the evening and this march to be madebefore camping was not very pleasant news to already footsore and tiredsoldiers. Before marching out of sight of our camp men began fallingout. I marched about half an hour and had to fall out of ranks andstraggle along as best I could. My company set out for Caloocan with onehundred and twenty-eight men, only eighteen of whom marched through thatnight. The others were scattered along the route, footsore and worn out. Many of them pulled off their shoes to relieve their blistered feet andmarched barefooted and carried their shoes in their hands, and, likemyself, stopping almost every hundred yards to rest a few minutes. Wewere afraid to stop long at a time. We would have become too sore andstiff to move. 

We continued to move along in this tedious, toilsome way as rapidly aspossible. My party of three were proceeding as best we could. In thedarkness of the night we lost our way by taking the wrong road and wentinto a small town, where we found a few white men, one of them a doctorbelonging to the First Regiment of Colorado Volunteers. He made manyinquiries about us and our regiment and asked all about the battlefought that day. He looked after our welfare by providing us withshelter and beds, but there was something else we wanted beforesleeping. We were perishing for food and all we had between us was asmall can of bacon, a ten cent United States coin and one small Spanishcoin (a paseado). With these we went out to buy bread. We found aChinaman and bought a piece of bread that was so hard we could scarcelyeat it, but we made a very good meal on that and the bacon. 

We slept on a good spring bed and I awoke next morning in the position Iwas in when I fell asleep. I was so stiff and sore that it was miserableto have to move. After breakfast we went into Manila and took therailroad for our command. 

A number of soldiers arrived after we did and reported for duty. All theprovisions that I ate on this expedition, which lasted three days, wouldnot have made more than one good meal. Before my party reported atCaloocan one of the other two and myself were reported captured by theFilipinos, or lost. That night we all went back into Manila to resumeguard and patrol duty. Police duty was all done by soldiers until aforce of Macabees was organized. The Macabees are enemies of theFilipinos, and soon became our allies and were very good soldiers andpolice. 

Manila has a population of nearly 400, 000 people of different tribes andnationalities. It is the capital of Luzon and the most important city ofthe Philippine Islands. The energy and enterprise is due to foreigners. There are several miles of narrow gauge street railroad and a system ofelectric lights. 

To mingle with these people it is necessary to know two or threelanguages, if not more. Spanish is the prevailing language. Most of thebusiness men can speak several languages. 

The Chinese are the filthiest people there. I have seen hundreds of themliving in their workhouses where a stench was arising too great for awhite man to approach. These filthy people cook, eat and sleep all inthis filthy hole. Their principal food is rice and soup. One dollar ofUnited States currency will buy enough for one person to live on a wholemonth. When the Americans first entered Manila it was very filthy. Theair reeked from the accumulation of filth during the siege of the city. This made the place a little worse than usual. It took the soldiersthree months to clean out and clear out the streets. 

The only thing apparently that kept down a great deal of disease anddeath is the continual blowing of the sea breeze. 

Those killed in battle outside the city had been carried in and buriedin shallow holes, or probably I would be more correct in saying, abouthalf covered with earth and left that way for dogs to scratch up andpull about by the arms and legs. 

I have seen dead Filipinos carried out of the hospital, thrown on cartsand carried to the burying ground and handled like dead hogs. They wouldbe covered a little and left to the dogs. I don't believe I ever lookedtowards the place without seeing dogs there eating and pulling thebodies about. 

Hundreds of beggars are to be seen squatted down at all public placesand on the street corners. They do not sit down like Americans. This isthe case with all the natives. They sit in a peculiar, squatting way, which is positively tiring to any one else but these natives. 

The Filipino men wear trousers rolled up high and a long white shirt ofvery thin material, the tail hanging out over the trousers like asweater. They wear nothing on the feet and most of them wear nothing onthe head. They are not fond of clothing, and many wear very little, almost going nude. They find a great deal of pleasure in the possessionof a gun and it seems that they are content with a gun, fighting andrunning in the mountains. They care little for life and will fight tillkilled. 

A squad of Filipinos was captured near Manila by some of the FourteenthInfantry; when they were approached to give over their guns to thesoldiers they would make a motion like giving up a gun, but instead jumpback and attempt to shoot a soldier. If he succeeded in shooting anAmerican some other American would shoot the Filipino. Several werekilled in this manner. 

When a Filipino is captured his greatest desire is to keep possession ofhis gun, and sometimes fight for its possession after being captured. 

The Filipinos are a natural race of gamblers; they gamble and trade, many of them, for a living, refusing to work as long as they can getanything to eat without working for it. Their principal cause foridleness is the cheapness of their living, rice and fish being theirprincipal food. They will catch fish and throw them in the hot sun fortwo or three days; they are then taken up and smoked and burned a fewminutes over some coals and chunks, and then eaten. 

If any Americans are watching them they will say, "mucho chico wino, "while eating this delicacy of their indolence and filth. The Filipinosand native tribes are extremely filthy in their eating, as well aseverything else; they eat almost anything that an American will refuseto eat. 

The Macabees is another negro tribe on the Island of Luzon. They are amuch better people than the Filipinos and more intelligent. This tribeis hostile to the Filipinos, and fight them whenever an opportunity isoffered. 

Two regiments of the Macabees were organized and equipped by theAmericans, and placed in the field against the Filipinos, and they madevery good soldiers. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

I missed being placed on a detail of twenty-five men to serve on agunboat; I wished to get out on some kind of service and leave theregular and dull service in Manila. I missed this detail in allprobability by being out in the town when the detail was being made out. I tried to get on when I returned, but failed, the detail having beenmade out already. This detail from my company saw much more service thanthose remaining in the company. 

Their discharges show a record of more than a dozen engagements. Theyserved in this detail five months, and had plenty of hard service. Theywere only paid once during the five months; a few of them, however, werenot paid until discharged, if I was correctly informed. Theirdescriptive list was lost, causing two men to have to serve ten dayslonger than they enlisted to serve. 

Much "kicking" was done by men in other parts of the service who werenot paid for a year or more, but all to no purpose. 

I was on the alert for another detail to be made and to get on. At lastI succeeded, on the tenth day of April, in getting on a detail of onlyten men to perform guard duty on a dredge boat that was dredging at themouth of the Malabon river. This was twenty miles from Manila. Theobject of the dredging was to make a channel in the shallow water at theriver's mouth sufficient to enable gun boats to enter the river, whichwas deeper after leaving its mouth. This was very slow work, requiring agreat deal of time and labor to perform it. This dreging had been goingon for a month. We were on duty there for ten days, and, judging by whatI saw, it must have required two months' more work to open the desiredchannel. 

From our station numbers of natives could be seen on shore, and passingup and down the river. It seemed that the country was full of Filipinos. 

We watched them a great deal. Their methods of catching fish was veryinteresting to us. They never used a pole, hook and line as we would. Atnight great crowds could be seen, each one in a boat, and carrying a bigtorch. They would be near the beach, going out but a little way from theedge of the water; they would beat and splash in the water, and drivethe fish into large traps or nets, just like a hunter driving quail intoa net, only the fishermen were more noisy. 

After beating the water and banks until it was supposed the fish hadgone into the net, or trap, they were left in it until next day, whenthey were seined out. Great quantities were caught in this way. 

Another method of fishing was to get in a boat with a long gig and movethe boat slowly, and when a fish was near enough gig it. The large finefish were only caught in this way. 

Our detail returned to Manila in the evening of April tenth, andremained there until that portion of the 23d Regiment was ordered tothe Island of Jolo, where we started on the seventeenth day of May. Ihad been in the old walled city of Manila a little more than six months;part of my regiment had been there ten months. We had had very hardservice there, and the close confinement, almost like imprisonment, madeus glad to change, and held out a hope that we would find easier serviceand more interesting. 

The wall of the old city of Manila extended entirely around the oldcity. The sally ports and all the streets were always guarded until nosoldier could go outside without exhibiting a pass to the guards signedby the company and commanding officers. All the time that I wasstationed there I was never out without the required pass. 

Guards were stationed on top of the wall, and made it unsafe to try toclimb it to get out, although I have seen this done by means of a rope;men would pass out this way and stay out as late as they wished to andreturn. 

This was not safe. Even the guards did not discover the attempt, for thewall was not less than thirty feet high, some places even higher, andforty feet wide. Stone houses are built in this wall, and used formilitary stores. On top of the wall on the sea-side were three hundredlarge cannon when the city was surrendered to the Americans. Around theold Spanish arsenal about two acres were covered with cannon balls, guns, bayonets and rifles, all scattered about in a mass until it wasdifficult to get over the ground. It required two months of theAmerican's time to pile up and arrange these munitions of warsurrendered by the Spanish. 

After the treaty of peace all these were returned to Spain. 

A great many Spaniards live in Manila, and are subjects of Spain. Theyhave some very peculiar customs. One that came to my notice is that ofthe courtship of a Spanish youth and his sweetheart. 

The young man is not permitted to enter his sweetheart's home, butstands on the outside and makes love to her though the iron bars of awindow. I saw a great deal of this before I learned what it all meant. 

The Spanish seemed to have a very bitter hatred for all Americans justafter the fall of Manila. When we first entered the city the Spanishwomen would throw anything that menaced us in passing the streets, fromtheir windows. They would do anything to harass and endanger the livesof Americans that they could think of without exposing themselves toomuch. Starvation was staring them in the face when the city wassurrendered. They had been reduced to rice almost wholly for sustenance. The pay of the Spanish soldiers was very small. I was informed that itwas only six dollars Spanish per month, equivalent to only three dollarsof United States currency. Yet this meagre sum had not been paid forseveral months. 

A Spaniard is not a very frank, attractive looking fellow to an Americansoldier. He has a sneaking countenance, and a disposition out of harmonywith that of the American. However, this opinion may be modifiedsomewhat with those able to speak Spanish and become better acquaintedwith them. Being unable to speak their language I was barred from thispossibility. 

Luzon and some other large islands are very fertile, and under properagricultural management would yield millions and blossom as the rose, but as yet they are blighted by the uncivilized natives. A man would betaking his life in his hands to go out into the country and try toengage in anything. As conditions existed when I was there, bands ofhostile Filipinos were scouring the whole interior, and frequently werebold enough to raid near the American posts, leaving devastationwherever they went. The soil is very fertile, a warm temperature andplenty of water to irrigate with if desired for that purpose. 

The natives use the most crude implements, and have but very littleknowledge of farming, and are too indolent to put into practice whatlittle they do know of soils and crops. It seems to make littledifference what season they plant in. The climate is always warm, mostof the year extremely hot; too hot for an American or white man, tolabor in. It is just the climate that suits the negro. Chinese andnegroes work for fifty and sixty cents per day. 

A very fine tobacco is raised, and most of it exported. A cigar factoryin Manila manufactures a great quantity of cigars. 

Rice is easily raised, and is the principal food of the natives. 

The rough rice is husked in a very crude way; a wooden trough, or dugout, is used to put the rough rice in, and chunks of wood are taken inthe hands, and the rice is pounded with these until the husks are allbroken off, the rice taken out and separated from the husks. 

Sugar is an important crop, and is extensively raised. No less thanfifteen sugar mills could be counted from the top of the walls of thecity of Manila. 

Under improved methods of agriculture that country would be a wonderfulone in the production of sugar and rice. 

The Philippines will, in all probability, become important in the nearfuture in the production of minerals, principally gold. There are somevery good veins of gold ore in the mountains of Luzon, some of which Isaw myself. Several pieces of stone on which gold was easily seen, werepicked up by the men of my regiment. I saw rocks with both gold andsilver in them. The men would not tell just where they had found them. They probably thought that at some time, after their service expired, they would return and work the places found. 

I knew one man, an old, experienced miner, who would spend the Sundaysout in the hills and around the foot of them, where he was not exposedtoo much to the enemy, prospecting for gold. He was successful infinding good indications of rich minerals. He appeared to make aconfidant of me. At one time he showed me a lot of gold and some silverthat he had found out on his prospecting tours, but would not tell mewhere they came from. He told me that when he was discharged heintended to return and work the mines. I knew that the paymaster hadconsiderable money belonging to this old miner, who told me he shouldinvest it in the mines, and in purchasing mining machinery. 

I saw and heard enough to cause me to believe that when the natives arecivilized, and when men would be safe in the mountains, that the minesin the Philippines will attract more people than the Klondike ever did. There are advantages in the Philippines which are not found in theKlondike region, the most important being the climate, not consideringthe quality of the mines, which I believe to be equal to that of theKlondike. 

The mountain regions are rich in various minerals. 

In the Island of Mindanao coal has been mined ever since Americans havebeen there. 

This country will find out in a few years what is in the Philippines. Ibelieve it is a rich country. Almost anything can be raised that isdesired in the line of field and garden crops; fine timber is plentifuland saw mills are yet unknown. I don't believe there is a saw mill inthe Island of Luzon. All sawed timber is imported that is used atpresent; not much is used in building as most of the houses are built ofstone or bamboo. The frame buildings which we have in America are neverseen there. All the native houses and small towns are built of bamboo, and covered with grass. The bamboo grows very large, the joints are twoand three feet long, and some of the larger bamboos are as large as acommon tree. They are the same thing that people in this country knowas canes, the difference being in their size only. Houses are built ofbamboo without the use of nails. Nothing for flooring but the nakedearth. Split bamboo is worked into the houses fastening the wholetogether. I have seen the natives build houses, and have no other toolthan a large knife. The roof of grass is fastened on with strips ofbamboo, and is three to four inches thick. This roof is superior, inpoint of comfort, in a hot country, to that of anything I ever saw. Ihave been in the hot sun and in metal roofed buildings, and on goinginto a grass covered house the difference was noticeable immediately, the grass roofed house being much cooler. 

Manila is built of stone; the buildings look very old, but are good yet. 

One night when the Thirteenth Minnesota Regiment was on police duty, andno one was allowed on the streets after seven o'clock at night, with afellow soldier I started out to go to a dance outside of the city walls;we knew that if we were caught we would be court martialed. To avoid allthe risk possible we went out before seven o'clock, and took chances ongetting back to quarters safely. We could not return to our quarterswithout passing sentinels, that much was certain, but how to pass themsafely was the question then most important to us. I had an army pistol, and with that in my hand I directed my friend to play the part of aprisoner and march before me. We proceeded in that way only a shortdistance when a guard halted us. I explained that I had a prisonercarrying him to headquarters. The guards were to see orders for a passor whatever orders I might have, but this one allowed me to pass on withmy prisoner without showing any orders. We passed in by all the guardsand patrols on the streets, and were halted and some questions asked andanswered, but none of them asked to see any orders regarding myprisoner, who all the time was just in front of me. I was afraid thatevery guard and patrol would demand my orders, and then our scheme wouldfail, and we would be in trouble. I told them it was late and I musthurry in with my prisoner, and so we passed them all and reached ourquarters in safety. The men worked a great many schemes to get out andin, but it was for my friend and myself to play the part of prisoner andguard first. 

I never tried any more schemes on the guards, but was always in atnight; I did not like to risk so much just for a little fun. We werevery careful about keeping our little scheme from the officers, but toldsome of our comrades about it, and enjoyed the joke with them. 

CHAPTER IX. 

On the seventeenth day of May the Thirteenth Regiment and two battalionsof the 23d Regiment went on board the Spanish transport, "Leon, " andsailed for the Island of Jolo. 

I was a member of one of the battalions of the 23d. We boarded the"Leon" under a Spanish crew and sailed under the Spanish flag. The"Leon" was a large vessel of rapid speed, and made the run from Manilato the Island of Jolo in a little more than forty-eight hours, adistance of 800 miles south of Manila. Land was in sight almost theentire voyage. We passed through straits and seas, by Iloilo on theIsland of Panay, Cebu, Negros Island, through the sea of Jolo toZamboanga on the Island of Mindanao, and to Jolo. The group of islandsforming the Sulu Archipelago is the southern islands of the Philippines. The "Leon" sailed into the Jolo Bay in the evening on the nineteenth ofMay. A large force of Spanish soldiers was stationed in the townperforming garrison duty. Our force was to relieve them, and they wereto return to Spain on the transport "Leon. " On the twentieth of May wewent ashore. The Spanish soldiers seemed to be very glad to be relievedand return to Spain. 

The garrison was short of rations, and the soldiers were living veryhard when we relieved them. These Spanish soldiers were the last wholeft the Philippines for Spain. 

We were landed in small boats, which could not carry very many men. Theboats were rowed by Chinese. All supplies have to be carried in by thesesmall boats. It is a very slow and tedious piece of work to land thecontents of a large ship, and requires several days to do the work. 

Captain Pratt was in command, and Company E was ordered out to the blockhouse, which stands about one thousand yards back of Jolo, and towardsthe mountains. A guard detail was made out, and the Spanish soldierswere relieved. I relieved the first Spanish of his post at Jolo. When Iapproached him he began to speak in Spanish and tried to make meunderstand what, I supposed, were his orders he was turning over to me. I could not understand him, and told him to go. Of course I had enoughorders without his, if that was what he was trying to explain to me. 

The Spanish went to work with a rush getting everything ready to leave. They had been there for a long time. I learned that the commandingofficer, who was an old man, had been there twenty-eight years. In theevening at two o'clock the Spanish flag on the block house was hauleddown by the Spanish soldiers and the Americans unfurled to the breezethe Stars and Stripes. The Spanish seemed to be very much grieved, theofficers wept; the Americans were jubilant. Everything passed into ourhands, and the various responsibilities of the place with all itsdangers also passed to us. The natives, who belong to the Mono tribe, are treacherous. We knew nothing about them and their intentions. Guardswere put on duty at once, six being around the block house so that aMorro could not get in if the attempt were made to enter it, and thusmade it a place of security to our troops. The Morros a few years agomassacred more than one hundred Spanish soldiers in the block houseAstora. It was a cruel and treacherous piece of cunning of savagebarbarians. The Morros had been warring against the authority of Spain, and causing the Spanish troops much trouble. At last apparently tired ofrebelling, the Morros agreed to make peace with the Spanish. Accordingto an ancient custom of the Morros, when making peace with an enemy theywould give pearls or some other gift to their enemy. The captain of thatMorro company was going to make peace, according to this custom, andtaking some fine pearls and a body guard of one hundred of his men heentered the enclosure where the Spanish soldiers were lined up in twocolumns with unloaded arms to receive them. The Morro captain and hisbody guard marched between these lines, and as the guard neared theSpanish captain the Morro advanced with his pearls, and getting near theSpaniard instead of giving him the pearls he quickly drew his sword anddealt the Spanish captain a death blow. The Morros, who understood theprearranged treachery, opened fire on the Spaniards, who were helplesswith unloaded guns, and the entire garrison of more than one hundred menwas massacred except one man, who, in the noise and consternation, succeeded in crawling into a sewer pipe, and through it into a bigstream of water, and escaped without injury. The Morros gave the Spanisha great deal of trouble, probably as much as any other tribe of thePhilippines. The Morros have a bad record. I believe that I had ratherfight the other tribes than the Morros; they are more treacherous thanother tribes. They go armed all the time with the bolo, a large knifecarried in a wooden scabbard. From the oldest man down to little boys, they all carry the bolo or a big knife. I have seen old men, so feeblethey could scarcely walk, carrying a fine bolo. They will not part withthem day or night, but keep them as their only friend, refusing to letany one take them from their hands to merely look at them. These armsare very fine, and range in cost from five to fifty dollars. They aremanufactured of the very finest steel, the handle of many of them ismade of silver and finely engraved. The edge is kept very sharp. Theblow of this dangerous weapon is generally enough to kill a man. I wasinformed that a Morro never struck his enemy but two blows with hisbolo, one on each side; if that did not disable him the Morro would runfor his life. 

A steel armor is worn by a few of them, to furnish protection to theirbodies. But most of the tribe would rather risk their life than wearanything, even clothing. Only a piece of cloth is worn around the waistand loins. In this piece of cloth is carried a box containing a stuff tochew called beadle nut. Only the married men are allowed to use this, asthey have a law prohibiting its use by the single men. It is a softgreen nut growing on a tree which looks very much like a hickory tree. Apiece of the nut is placed on a leaf, which is always carried in thechewing box, and some salve is also placed on the leaf, then the pieceof nut and the salve is rolled up in the leaf, and the chew is ready foruse. The married men can be very easily distinguished from the unmarriedones simply by the use of this, which makes the chewer's mouth as red asred paint and the teeth black. The teeth of the single men are verywhite, but just as soon as one marries he begins chewing beadle nuts, making his mouth red and teeth black in a few days. Their marriagecustoms are not exactly like ours in America. A Morro can marry a woman, or buy one for a price ranging from fifty dollars up to one hundred andtwenty-five dollars. After marrying a woman or buying one, if shedoesn't suit her husband he doesn't have to wait for a court to setaside the marriage, but can simply let her go and proceed to get anotherin the same manner. 

The men are prohibited from having a plurality of wives at one time, butare allowed to have just as many as they desire, simply getting rid ofone and then getting another. 

The women wear big legged trousers, which only reach down to the knees. Sometimes women are seen with more clothes on, but they look as if theywere torn almost off. The clothing of both men and women is worn outbefore they ever change. A few who lived in the towns wore more clothingthan those in the country. The men wore pants which seemed to cling tothe skin, they were so tight. Those in town were no cleaner thanoutsiders. They get so filthy and slick that an American can smell oneas far almost as he can see. The more clothes a Morro wears the filthierhe is. Those wearing no clothing, except the girdle around the loins, are the less filthy. Nothing is worn on the head and feet. 

Leprosy is a common malady, as well as numerous other diseases of theskin. All of which doubtless arises from the filthy habits of thepeople. Doby itch is very common. It is a very bad skin disease, andhard to cure when it gets a firm hold, and will have fatal results in afew years in that warm climate. One doctor said that it would requirethree or four years' careful treatment to cure an acute case of dobyitch in another climate. 

Almost every day I saw a bad case of it. The legs will become swollen, and large knots and tumors cover them until walking is extremelypainful. It is easy to contract doby itch. About two weeks after Ireached Manila the first time, I discovered a small sore spot on my leg, which looked like ringworm. I was informed that it was doby itch, andthat I should have it doctored before it spread. I began to treat it, and it itched seemingly to the bone, and began to scatter. I would wakeat night scratching and clawing the itching spot, and lie awake for twoand three hours. I had to trim my finger nails closely to keep fromruining my leg scratching it. It continued this way for several daysbefore I checked it. Many of our soldiers had a similar experience, some of them much worse than mine. I guarded against it afterward, usingall the precaution I could to avoid it. A friend of mine who enlistedwhen I did, caught a severe case of the doby itch which kept him in analmost helpless condition for eight months. He was finally dischargedfor disability, a wreck for life, without anything but a small pensionof about eight dollars per month. 

To the Morros again. There is a class whose religious teaching is thatwhen one of them kills seven white men he will go to a better countrywhen he dies. He thus makes sure of his entrance to what is heaven intheir religious belief. 

The Americans soon learned to distinguish one of this class, and watchedthem very closely. One of them will not wait for much of a chance tokill a white man, but will make his chance to do his deadly work. I haveseen a great many of them, and know that they attempted to kill our menon duty as out-posts. They would not have any guns and would go to thewalls of the fort and try to scale them to get to the Americans and killthem with bolos. Without trying to kill them the soldiers would shoottowards them to drive them away. When one of their number dies the graveis dug one day and early the following morning the funeral begins. Everyone carries something to eat, a big bottle full of beno (a nativebeverage) and a bottle of whiskey. Four men carry the corpse on twosmall poles, all the others fall in behind in column of twos and thenthey proceed to the graveyard, drinking their beverage and enjoyingthemselves. The crowd stays at the graveyard all day, and drink andcarouse until they are well filled with liquor, and all get drunk. Thisis the program every time one of them is buried. It is a big picnic forthem. 

Once a year regularly they prepare some of the best rations they haveand carry them to the graves and leave them there through the night, believing that these are enjoyed by the dead. I learned that this was anancient custom of theirs, having been learned probably from the Chinese. 

The Morros seem not to care for anything, not even for life. A largenumber, probably two-thirds, never had any home. They did not know wherethey would go, and seemed not to care. 

Some of the islands had two or more tribes of negroes, who would have agovernor to each tribe and make laws for themselves. If natives of onetribe crossed the line into the territory of another and stole fruits, cocoanuts, of anything else, and the injured tribe could catch the thiefor thieves, their heads were cut off and their bodies left on the spot. This is according to their laws. Beheading for theft, and leaving thebodies where they were beheaded. I have seen five or six in thiscondition two or three times. 

One tribe would sometimes array itself against another for battle andfight till great numbers of them were killed. Our troops stopped severalsuch battles by going out where they commenced to fight. As soon as wewould arrive they would stop fighting, and there seemed to be an end ofthe trouble between them. They appeared to be in great fear of ourguns. They have a few old rusty guns, which are only used to fightenemies of other countries; never using them to fight each other with. When General Bates made a treaty of peace with the Sultan of Jolo, thesultan was received by General Bates the first Sunday in May, 1900; wewere drawn up in line and presented arms to his excellency. The sultanwas to maintain peace on the island of Jolo, for which he was to receive500 dollars Mexican coin every month. We presented arms to him, and wereforced to treat him with great honors. I can assure the reader that formyself it would have been more pleasant to have gone out to meet him onthe battlefield, and when I speak thus I feel safe to make the assertionthat many more were of the same disposition. 

After these formalities were over I had opportunity of examining theguns of the sultan's body guard, also the ammunition. The guns were sorusty that I would have considered it safer to be shot at by one of themthan to shoot the gun. The barrels were almost closed with rust. 

A lot of the bullets were wrapped with cloth, and stuck in the shells. Some of the bullets were loose, and some were driven in very tight. Allof the shells had the appearance of being in use a long time, and thatthey had been fired as many times as they would stand. 

A man was taking his life in his hands to go out into the country alone. Many people have been killed in this way. There is a tribe that wouldcut off a man's head for amusement, or to see how it looks. 

Guards were kept on duty all the time, and no American was permitted togo outside of the wall without having a pass. This was kept up for along time after we went to Jolo, and was then restricted to one thousandyards from the fort, and no less than four men together. The Morros gaveus very little trouble, doubtless the result of extreme caution. Theynever had an opportunity of making any demonstration, so it is uncertainwhat they would have attempted had the opportunity been given them. Theyare too treacherous to be trusted about anything whatever. 

They have very little knowledge of firearms; probably the only guns theyever had, and also those of the sultan's body guard, were old, worn-outguns given or sold to them by the Spanish. With our improved rifles Ibelieve that one man could withstand the attack of twenty of them armedwith bolos, that is to say, were the American in some fortification, andopened fire on the Morros when they came in his range. They, of course, would not fight in this way, their method being one of sneakingtreachery. They slip up behind the unsuspecting victim and behead himwith their bolo. 

I was anxious for them to engage the Americans in a fight. I desired toknow something more of their methods, but they seemed not to care tofight us. They are a wandering people, seemingly with no definitepurpose. As night suits their sneaking better than open day time they doas much traveling, or more, in the night than in the day time. Theycould be seen on the hills around Jolo with torches moving about allnight. When we first went to Jolo and saw these torches at night wethought they were signals, and close watch was kept on their movements. 

They evidently made some preparations for resisting us at first, andstored away such arms as they could obtain, for later I saw twenty-eightnew Mauser rifles hidden in an abandoned house on the beach. Anothersoldier and I secured a pass and went, at the risk of our lives, beyondthe limit of our pass, and on this outing discovered the hidden Mausers. We went up the beach about fifteen miles, and went into two towns wherethere were a great many Morros. We watched their movements very closely, and kept at some distance from them, and never bothered anything or anyone. They watched us very closely, and acted to us very strangely, butmade no effort to get near us. We were a little frightened and thoughtit safer to get away from them, when we started on our return, thenearest and quickest route that we could. Our pistols were no doubt theinstrument of keeping them away from us, and at the same time temptedthem to kill us to secure them. 

Some of the soldiers were afterwards killed, and their guns andcartridges taken. It was very dangerous for two or three men to be outin the woods away from any help. In the mountains of Jolo and Mindanaoare wild cannibals, who would kill and eat a white man should he befound in their midst. We were not allowed to go out in the mountains, but the places where we were prohibited from going by orders of thecommanders were the places most desirable of all for us to slip out andgo to. The dangers to us by going out were only fascinating rather thanhindering. 

It was my belief while there that the natives were gathering up andstoring away arms and ammunition preparatory for resisting the Americanswhen they thought the proper opportunity was offered. The guns I sawhidden in the house on the beach, and many other things, led me to thisbelief. They claimed to have some big guns posted back in the mountain. Whether this was true or not I am unable to say, for we never went toascertain the correctness of the story. While stationed at Jolo a vesselarrived loaded with ammunition for the sultan. It was discovered andtaken into custody by the custom house guards. 

CHAPTER X. 

All the larger islands have an abundance of game, wild hogs, chickensand deer. Wild dogs are plentiful in the woods. They are very wild, running off almost at sight of a man. At night they seem to be bolderand come around the outside wall and howl so much that people are keptawake all night. 

A detail was sent out by our commander's orders to lie in hiding andshoot them when they approached near enough. We could see them away offduring the day in the grass, but could not get to shoot them. The onlychance for that was to hide at night and wait for them. We frequentlywent out and killed a number of nice fat wild hogs and carried them inand feasted while they lasted. These animals were very wild, like thedogs. A man on the ground could not get near enough for a goodshot--they would discover him and run. We would climb a tree and waitfor them. 

The town of Siasse, on Tai Tai Island, was the station of Company H forthree months. Morros almost swarmed on the island. The captain of thecompany permitted a squad of men every few days to go hog hunting whenthe supply of meat began to get short. Some of the Morros were trustedby the soldiers and were allowed frequently to go out with the soldierson a hog hunt, as these trusted ones were thought to be harmless. Oneday the captain sent out five men early in the morning to hunt hogs. They hunted until tired in the evening, when four of them sat down torest and play a few games of cards, while the fifth went to the beachnear by and bathed his feet. 

A crowd of Morros, twenty or more, gathered around the players to seethe game. The soldiers were not afraid of them doing any mischief, asthe Morros appeared friendly and quiet. As the game progressed andbecame more interesting the players became less conscious of theirposition, and those standing around. 

To be more comfortable and have better use of their bodies and limbstheir belts were taken off and laid by them with their guns. The Morrosgathered around the soldiers saw the opportunity for mischief and seizedupon it at once. They seized the soldiers' guns and belts, while six ofthem drew their bolos and began their deadly work. The first soldier whowas struck with a bolo had his head cut off at one blow. The soldierswere making a desperate fight for life against what seemed no chance forsuccess. Two soldiers were killed in the fight, another grabbed for hisgun; getting hold of it he received a heavy blow on the head with aclub, was cut dangerously in the neck, but succeeded in securing his gunso that he could fire it. The firing frightened the Morros, whocommenced running. The soldier on the beach ran back where he left hiscomrades when he heard the shooting, but the Morros were then out ofsight. Two soldiers lay on the ground dead, another was cut so much thathe bled to death before they could get him back to camp, while the onewho did the shooting had a terrible wound in his neck and had received aheavy blow on the head. 

It was a long way to camp, and one boat with room enough for twooarsmen. Night was almost on, and the situation was perilous in theextreme. The man who was not in the fight carried the dead and woundedmen to the little boat, and set out for camp as rapidly as possible. Asabove stated one more died while being carried to camp, making threedead and another with his head almost half off. The sea was a littlerough, and only one man rowing, with a feeble help of the wounded manwith one hand, made slow progress. 

Camp was reached at three o'clock next morning. The wounded manrecovered but could not turn his head; when he looked around he had toturn his whole body, and was discharged from the service for disability. He draws a pension of thirty-six dollars per month. Next day after theMorros killed and wounded the hunting party, sixty men were sent out tocapture the murderers. The chief of the Morros was offered a largereward for capturing them and turning them over to the Americans. TheMorro chief captured them, turned them over to the Americans, who thenfailed to pay the reward as previously promised. Six Morros were allthat were guilty; these were bound together, carried out of camp andshot. 

CHAPTER XI. 

Seassa is situated ninety miles south of Jolo. Few of the men liked tobe on duty there. At first entrance of our troops they had to go intocamp, as there were no barracks. Barracks were built later at Seassa andBuangior by the soldiers stationed at these places. The captains ofthose companies were mean and cruel to their men, and worked them veryhard. Some men were almost killed by the hard work at these barracks andin the swamps cutting timbers for their construction. Some while at workin the swamps had mud slashed in their eyes and almost put out. The mudpoisoned them. Some had their feet poisoned by the black mud. Thecaptains made the soldiers do the work, instead of hiring natives, andkept the money appropriated for this work and used it for their ownbenefit. 

A soldier had no opportunity to report such frauds. If he wrote to thedepartment commander to report anything without the permission of hisimmediate commander he would be court martialed. And of course anofficer guilty of such conduct was not generous enough to permit aprivate to report his conduct to a superior officer, and thus theprivates were ill treated by some unscrupulous officers. 

The hardships of the service were greatly increased or diminishedaccording to the honesty and unrightness of the officers in command. Aprivate is only a tool in the hands of his officers, and can be managedjust as they please as long as the private remains in the service. Ialways thought it better to obey all orders, agreeable or disagreeable, and serve out my time of enlistment and get a good discharge, and thenbe free and independent. I enlisted merely to get the experience of armylife, and to know just what the service really is. I found out to mysatisfaction all about the army that I cared to know. The army is allright when its officers are all right. But many of them fall far shortof the standard--officers who will not give a private justice as heshould. 

A few soldiers deserted the army. I cannot blame a man much for it. Somehad good cause. But to desert the army in the Philippines and attempt toget away from the islands is almost impossible. Any one leaving theremust have a passport to present when they attempt to go on board anyvessel, and then if the passports are not properly executed they cannotgo on board. 

I know of a few soldiers trying to get away, but the farthest point theyreached was Hong Kong. They would be caught very easily. 

The one who reached Hong Kong was apprehended by English officers andreturned to Manila and delivered to the American authorities. 

One man who enlisted in Manila was discovered to be a spy for theFilipinos, securing all the information possible for the advantage ofthe Filipinos, and conveying it to them at every opportunity. This spyhad gone with a company to which he was assigned, to Bungio for duty. While at Bungio he induced two other soldiers to desert their companyand go with him to the Filipinos, promising each a commission in theFilipino army. He was an officer in the Filipino army, and a verydangerous man, resorting to all kinds of schemes and treachery toaccomplish his purposes. Having pursuaded two soldiers to go with himthey seized a small Morro boat, and with their rifles and a good supplyof ammunition they set out in the darkness of the night headed for theisland of Mindanao. Ninety miles of water lay before them and theirsmall boat. They encountered a rough sea, lost their bearings, andfinally the boat capsized, and they lost their clothing and one gunafter a battle with the sea for three days. Instead of reaching Mindanaothey drifted on the Island of Jolo, about twenty miles from the town ofJolo, almost starved to death. In preparing for their trip they had notthought as much about rations as about ammunition. They fell into thehands of the Morros, who carried them to Jolo and delivered them to theAmericans, who placed them in prison. Two of the poor fellows' feet wereblistered all over by marching over the hot sands, having lost theirshoes when the boat capsized. These two were unable to walk for sometime. They were tried and sentenced to terms of imprisonment from fiveto six years. This was the common fate of all who tried to desert thearmy and get away. 

I was on duty on several islands and in many towns in the Philippines, but Jolo suited me better for service as a soldier than any other placeI was in. I was on duty in Jolo for thirteen months, and know a greatdeal about the place. Most all the soldiers who did service there likedit. Sailors enjoyed their visits to Jolo. Quite a number of sailors toldme that they had been in a great many towns of the tropical countries, but that they would rather live in Jolo than any of them. The mostundesirable feature of the town is that there are no pleasure retreatsexcept to go to the mountains and among the Morros, and besides, wesoldiers were confined very closely within the walls and on duty. Thetown is very small. A man can walk all through in less than an hour. 

I have known of recruits on going into Jolo express their delight at theidea of doing duty in such a fine place, and wish they could stay therethe three years of service for which they had enlisted. But in less thantwo months, seeing the same things every day, they wanted to get away, and would have given anything for an opportunity to go to another post. Everything became monotonous, and seemed somehow to be wrong. 

This seemed to be the common experience of all. The town is beautifullylaid out with broad streets, which are set with beautiful shade treesthat are green winter and summer. A person can walk all over town thehottest days and be in the shade all the time. 

Three small, but very nice parks with beautiful and delightfullyfragrant flowers and shrubbery lend a charm to the town. 

I have been walking out in the town at night, and would smell the sweetodors from the parks for two or three blocks away. This was notoccasionally so, but all the time. The soldiers enjoyed sitting in theparks and on the piers at night, taking in the cool sea breeze after ahot day. I have seen as many as three and four hundred soldiers sittingout on the piers before going into quarters. 

As in all other parts of the Philippines, chicken fighting is a favoritesport in Jolo. Outside of the city wall is built a grand stand and pitfor chicken fighting. It is all enclosed, and ten cents (Mexican)admission is charged unless you have a chicken to enter. Some finechickens are entered in these fights, and a great deal of money is putup on them. Gambling is not prohibited, and chicken fighting is engagedin every Saturday all day long. The natives will gamble away the lastcent they possess before they will stop. A suburban town of Jolo is BussBuss, nearly half as large as Jolo, and built out over the water onbamboo poles driven into the mud, and left projecting above the water. The houses are then built on these poles. 

Buss Buss is built over shallow water, running out over the water forone hundred and fifty yards. The houses are all built of bamboo. Thisseems to be a Chinese town. Many Chinese live there and engage inbusiness in Jolo. Chinese are engaged in various kinds of business inJolo, but all live in Buss Buss. The Chinese and Morros are notfriendly, and it is probably due to this fact alone that caused BussBuss to be built. 

Major Sweet was in command of the post at Jolo for some time. He wouldnot allow more than one hundred Morros inside the city walls at one timefor fear of trouble with them. The Morros supplied our forces withvegetables, fish and fruit, which they brought in and sold to us. Toprevent the town from filling up with Morros a strong guard wasstationed at the gate, which was closed at six in the evening and openedat six o'clock in the morning. The Morros would be crowded around theoutside of the gate every morning waiting for it to be opened to go inand dispose of their produce. Frequently there would be twice as many aswere allowed inside at one time. When the gate was opened they wouldrush for it, but not more than one hundred were allowed to pass inside. When one disposed of his produce, etc. , and returned to the gate he wasallowed to pass out, and another from the outside could pass in, and soon until all had been in and passed back. 

Not far from Jolo, out towards the foot of the mountains, is a coffeefield. There are several others on the island besides that one. In thesecoffee fields a great many Morros work all the time gathering andcleaning coffee, etc. The method is like all others of theirs, very rudeand poor. They dig out long troughs of wood and place them in runningstreams in such a way that the water will run in at one end and out atthe other. Into these troughs the unhusked coffee is poured, and then itis tramped under the feet of the cleaners until the husks are allbroken off and float away with the water. The coffee is then taken outand sacked and dried out for shipping. This is the only method I eversaw in use for coffee cleaning. 

Tropical fruit is everywhere abundant. The bread fruit tree grows inJolo to a great size. The fruit is about the size of a cocoanut, exceptit is of a flattened shape. It is covered by a thin soft hull easily cutopen with an ordinary pocket knife. The first time that I ever saw thefruit I ate half of one. I thought it as good as anything I ever ate. Ibelieve it will alone sustain life. Cocoanuts and bananas grow inprofusion. Cocoanuts are cut and dried, then exported. Oil ismanufactured of the dried cocoanuts, which is of excellent quality. Weused it to oil our rifles all the time we were stationed in thePhilippines. Chinese and natives caught quantities of fish, which werecut up and exposed to the sun several days to dry. The fish get almostblack in this process of drying and smell badly before they are dryenough to be sacked and shipped. I saw a great deal of this business, but never learned where it was shipped to or what use was made of it. 

Hemp is produced from a native plant growing wild in the forests, andlooks something like the banana plant. It is baled and exported in greatquantities. Natives bring in small bundles of it from the mountains. Redpepper grows abundantly in the woods on the high and dry lands. It growson a small bush, which is loaded with the pods, which are very strong. 

The natives in all the islands make a beverage of the dew whichcollects in the cocoanut buds. This dew and water stands in the buds andis collected early in the day. It is called tuba, and is liked by allthe soldiers. I drank but little of it. I saw soldiers get drunk on it, and be crazy for a week. It is like all other beverages of the islands, but little is necessary to make a man drunk. 

About twice every month we went out on a practice march for one day, only leaving about one company on guard. Every man would carry hisdinner, and have almost a picnic, enjoying it much more than at othertimes and places, when we would be marched out in double time severalmiles and have a hard fight. We went out on these practice marches upthe beach and returned across the mountains, stopping to rest frequentlyand and gathering and eating cocoanuts. If any Morros were around wewould give one a cent of Mexican money to climb the trees and getcocoanuts for us. The trees are hard to climb, but a Morro seems toclimb them very easily. He will tie a piece of hemp just above hisankles and go right up a tree by jumps until the top is reached. Havingsecured the cocoanuts we would cut a hole in them and drink the icywater in them. This water is very nice and cold, and is particularly soto hot and tired soldiers. 

When we would start out on what was a practice march most of the menwould think we were going out to fight, and would not know differentlyuntil we returned, for it was generally known only to the officers wherewe were going or what the object of the march was. Sometimes we wouldhave a long, hard march, and always through the woods and forests, forthere were no roads. In the forest marches we frequently chased monkeys, of which the forests were full. We saw more monkeys in Jolo than in anyother island we were on. Sometimes when three or four monkeys woulddiscover us they would make a great noise, and, jumping from one tree toanother, keep in one direction, and all the monkeys within my hearingwould join in the procession, and keep up the noise and jumping. Thetrees would appear to be full of monkeys over us, all jumping in thesame direction, and making a great noise. We amused ourselves and addedto their trouble by throwing stones at them until they passed out of ourline of march, which was frequently half an hour. The wild ones are hardto catch. Young ones, too young to climb well, were easily caught, andsome were captured for pets. 

Natives would catch them and sell them to the soldiers. 

The Sultan of Jolo was fortified about ten miles across the mountainsfrom Jolo. He lived in his fort with his army. My last practice marchwas made for the purpose of viewing the sultan's position, and to knowsomething about his forces if we had to fight them. It was about teno'clock on the morning of the 13th of May, 1900, when our commandingofficer in great haste issued orders to get ready at once. We allthought we were going to fight that time. We were formed into abattalion as hastily as possible, under the commander's orders, who waspresent on his charger, and directing everything. We were soon movingout to no one seemed to know where, except our commander. No dinner wastaken with us this time, only guns and as much ammunition as we couldcarry. We marched about five miles before halting for rest. It was veryhot, and several soldiers fell out overcome by the heat. Some doubtlessfell out to avoid a battle, as they thought. Two men just before me, whom I knew were great cowards, and who feared that we were going into abattle, decided that they could not face an enemy. I heard them talkingabout falling out ten or fifteen minutes. Their minds were made up tofall out and avoid fighting; one said that he would fall out if theother would stop to take care of him. This suited them exactly, and outthey went, and were left behind. Our march was continued until wecrossed the top of the mountain, and from the other side we could seethe sultan's fort and trenches below us. It was then about threeo'clock. We rested and looked at the sultan's fort, and looked over hisposition carefully. This was the object of the commander in marching usout there. He was expecting to have to fight the sultan, and decidedthat we should see his location and know as much as possible theconditions we would have to meet in fighting his forces. Returning wearrived in Jolo in the night. 

Our commander expected the sultan to attack our position, and wished toknow just what to expect of us, and how quickly we could get intoposition to defend the fort. To ascertain this, and also to keep us inpractice, a call to arms was given every month, when every man wouldget out and string around to the port holes in a very few minutes. Everysoldier went as if he expected to have to fight. There were fivecompanies of the Twenty-Third Regiment in Jolo while I was on dutythere. Besides these one company was stationed in the Astoria blockhouse, one company at Seassa and one at Buanga. These companies did nothave as hard duty as the companies in Jolo, but every three months acompany was sent to relieve one of these posts, and the relieved companywould come into Jolo, where it could have the same duty and drill thatthe other companies had in Jolo. The companies at each of the threeplaces just mentioned were relieved every three months. 

Company E, of which I was a member, went to the Astoria block houseabout two months before we left Jolo and the Philippines. My company wasdoing guard duty at the block house when orders were received forrecalling one battalion of the Twenty-Third Regiment, called the depotbattalion, made up of sick men and those with less than six months' moreservice under their time of enlisting. 

Those who had less than six months to serve were given the opportunityto stay or to return to the United States. I was not slow to accept thechance to return and was truly glad of the opportunity. 

The transport Warren came to Jolo for the battalion on June 15th. Thetransport had come by the Island of Negros and Cebu, and took on boarda battalion of soldiers who were going to return to the United States. 

The "depot battalion" was made up of sick men and those who had shorttimes. It was several days before we left Jolo. The men who were goingas sick and disabled were examined by the physician. Those he believedcould not endure the climate long and be able for duty, he recommendedto be returned to the United States, and those who could endure theclimate and proved to be healthy, stayed, unless they were of the classof short-time soldiers. 

A man could not stand the climate of the Philippines many years unlesshe was very healthy and acquainted with tropical climates. 

I do not believe the Philippines are a white man's country. I have hearddoctors tell soldiers that if they stayed there, that five or six yearswould be as long as they could live. 

Two friends and I had decided that when we served out our time that wewould return to the United States by another route than that taken ingoing over, and thus make the trip around the world. We would go throughthe Mediterranean Sea to London and then to New York. But when theorders came that we could return on the government's time, and by adifferent route, we decided at once that we had seen enough of theworld, and that the route taken by the transport would be long enoughfor us, and satisfy our thirst for travel. 

The soldiers who had been taken on board from the islands of Negros andCebu landed at Jolo, and went into camp, where they remained for eightdays awaiting preparations of the soldiers at Jolo. 

I was transferred from Company E to Company K on June 18th, and withthose who were returning to the United States went into camp outside ofthe wall of Jolo in a cocoanut grove, where we stayed till thetwenty-third day of June, when we boarded the transport Warren andsailed for Manila. Manila was reached on the morning of the twenty-sixthof June, where we stayed until the first day of July. A great manysoldiers were added on at Manila, many wounded men and fifteen deadsoldiers were put on to carry back to the United States, where the deadwere sent to their relatives for burial. 

While waiting a few days for all preparations to be made I obtained apass and entered the city for the last time and viewed everything thatwas so familiar to me when on duty there. 

It was during this short stop of only a few days that we heard of thetrouble in China. 

Three regiments of United States troops were immediately ordered toChina: the Sixth, Ninth and Fourteenth Infantry then at Manila. TheNinth Infantry went on board the transport Hancock, which was lyingalongside our transport, the Warren, and sailed just before us on itsway to China. 

A rumor was circulated that our transport was sailing to China, and thatwe were going there for service. A great many very foolishly believedthe report. 

July first the Warren sailed from Manila bound for San Francisco. Thefirst day out from Manila, late in the evening when supper was eaten, Iate very heartily, and went on duty in the stern of the transport. Thesea was rough, and gave the transport a rolling motion. Shortly aftergoing on duty my head commenced swimming, and I was ill. A soldier toldme that I was sea-sick. I had never been sea-sick and knew nothing abouthow a person felt. At last I vomited freely, and in less than an hour Iwas all right, except the swimming sensation of my head, which lasted awhile longer. This little experience was all that I had in going over tothe Philippines and returning to the United States. 

The fourth day from Manila we arrived at Nagasaki, Japan. The followingmorning the transport was ready for inspection, the crew having workedmost all night preparing for it. Every man on board and everything hadto be inspected before we were allowed to enter the harbor. Nagasaki hasa fine, deep harbor, where steamers and war vessels coal and take onsupplies. Many large ships are in the harbor at all times. 

The bay leading into the harbor is between hills which are almostentitled to the name of mountains. It is apparently a hilly and roughcountry to the traveler entering the bay to Nagasaki. On the left-handside of the bay on entering is a large marble monument standing on theside of the hill. This is a monument in memory of Japan's first king. Ofcourse I did not read the inscription, it being in Japanese; but themonument can be seen at a great distance. I learned about it from aresident of Nagasaki. While in Nagasaki I also learned that the Japaneseare the hardest working, or rather the most industrious people, andreceive the least compensation for their work of any race of people. Tento fifteen cents per day is the regular price of labor. Several hundredare constantly employed in coaling vessels that enter the harbor. Thecoaling is done in a peculiar way. A line of men pass baskets filledwith coal from one to another while the empty baskets are passed back tothe place of filling by a line of children standing close enough toreach out one way and get a basket and pass it on to the next onestanding on the other side; thus a continuous chain of baskets is keptgoing until the vessel is sufficiently coaled: the filled baskets goingone way and the empty ones in the opposite direction. Men, women andchildren all work. Apparently no one is idle. 

The lot of woman is extremely hard. A mother will fasten her child toher back and work all day with it there; sometimes it is asleep andsometimes it is yelling, but it is all the same to her. Children theredo not receive the attention they get in America, but are handledroughly, and soon have to work, beginning work almost as soon as theycan walk. 

Hundreds of small boats, large enough to carry two or three people, arealways ready to carry passengers to and from the ships and the landingfor ten cents (Mexican). They are not allowed to charge more. 

These small boats are provided with sides and a roof like a small house, into which passengers can go and close the door. 

When you get ashore there are hundreds of little vehicles calledjinrikishas, which look something like baby carriages with only oneseat and an umbrella. The Japs will come trooping around jabbering toyou to ride. You get in one and a Jap will get between a small pair ofshafts and trot away with you, and go that way as long as you want himto for ten cents an hour. The traveler can go anywhere he desires in oneof these vehicles. They do not use hacks and vehicles as Americans do. Inever saw but one horse in Nagasaki. It was working to a dray, and wasalmost worked to death. The Jap's back seems to be his most convenientmethod, and almost the only one he has, of carrying anything. 

Another soldier and I walked through the city looking at everything wecould see. We soon discovered that almost every one was poking fun atus, all because we were walking instead of riding in jinrikishas. Itseems that everybody there rides in them everywhere they go, and itappears funny to them to see anyone walking the streets. Peddlers arethe exceptions, it seems, to this rule. A great many peddlers are seenwalking the streets to vend their wares, and they have a great manyarticles that cannot be bought in America. 

Every Japanese house has a rug or carpet on the floor--these are verynice articles. The funniest thing of all is the custom of stoppingeverybody at the door and have them take off their shoes before enteringthe house. They will not allow any one to enter their houses withoutpulling off his shoes. The reason of this, to my mind, is the fact thatthe rugs and carpets are made from grass and are very heavy, and catchdirt very easily. 

CHAPTER XII. 

The Japanese are industrious, good natured and friendly people. Theytreat every one kindly, and every one invited us to go into his houseand chat awhile. Our greatest difficulty was to understand them. Theyappeared to be anxious to do anything they could for us, and consideringeverything as I could see it in our short stay, I believe I would liketo live among them. 

A great many Europeans are residents of Nagasaki. It is a fine town, agreat deal of business is done there. The city is spread out along thebay back of the city, and all around the bay, except the entrance to it, are large hills, and on these a great many large guns are mounted. Thesenatural barriers enable the Japanese to make the city a stronglyfortified place. The government of Japan is good. Laws are rigid andstrictly enforced. Theft is regarded as a very grave crime, and ispunished with severe penalties. 

Men with whom I talked in Nagasaki seemed to desire to leave theimpression that Japan was well prepared for war, in fact better preparedthan most any other country. 

The transport Warren sailed from Nagasaki July ninth for San Francisco, taking the northern route of the Pacific Ocean. This route is claimedto be about two thousand miles longer than the southern route over whichwe sailed in going to Manila. The ocean currents and winds make a greatdeal of difference in which route a vessel is sailing in, and thenorthern and southern routes give the advantage to the vessels. Ships gothe southern route from San Francisco to Manila and return the northernroute. 

After a few days out from Nagasaki we found colder water, whichcontinued most of the way to San Francisco, only getting warmer a shortdistance from San Francisco. After getting out into this cold water thetemperature of the atmosphere also fell, and every man who had anovercoat or even a heavy uniform put it on. Those who had only the thinuniforms called khaki worn in the Philippines, suffered from cold. 

It was cold and disagreeable for all on board except the officers, who, as usual, fared well at all times and in all places. 

There was a casual detachment of discharged soldiers numbering onehundred and thirty-eight on board, two hundred and forty-one officersand privates of the Twenty-third Regiment, sixty prisoners andtwenty-one passengers, a total of four hundred and sixty men on boardbesides the crew. The transport Warren is a large vessel, and all onboard had plenty of room. 

Those men who were not thoughtful enough to start back to the UnitedStates with their heavy uniforms looked somewhat pitiful crowding aroundthe engine rooms and boilers, and getting anywhere that offered someprotection from the chilly air and sea breeze. I was fortunate in notbeing one of that number. I had plenty of warm clothing and fared wellreturning. I was on the lookout for myself, and provided myself witheverything I desired, and had to call on no one for anything. My rulewas to look out for myself all the time I was in the army, and usually Ihad everything I desired. If I wanted anything to use I always wentwhere I could buy it, and never borrowed from the soldiers. 

I always thought that was a good rule for a soldier; I noticed thatthose who did that fared much better than those who did not practicethat rule. 

I never liked to loan my gun and belt to a soldier when he has all thosethings of his own. But some soldiers would keep their guns polished andoiled, and set them away and borrow guns and belts from other soldiersto do guard duty with. These received the appellation of "orderlybuckers" by their comrades, and were too lazy to walk post and perform asoldier's duty. Duty on the transport in returning to the United Stateswas very hard on those soldiers who were well. Almost every soldier wason the sick report, and called by the soldiers the sick battalion. Thefew who were put on duty had it to perform every other night. I was oneof the latter, and I considered it pretty tough too. Cooks on thetransports were assigned for one year to cook for the soldiers. Theywere as filthy as hogs with everything they cooked. They cared nothingabout how the rations were prepared nor how nasty they were, just so thecooking was over with as quickly as possible. They had no sympathy;anything seemed to the cooks good enough if it did not poison him. Onour return we had plenty to eat if it had been cooked decently so thatmen could eat it. The reader may say that it should have been reportedto the officer in command. This was done, and reported also to theofficer of the day, and the next day after the reports were made we weregiven cabbage for dinner, and every man founds big worms in his plate ofcabbage. While the officer of the day was passing by one soldier had thenerve to show him what was on his plate; immediately the officer of theday went to the cooks about it and that seemed to end it. One soldierfound something in his plate that looked almost like a tarantula. 

Some of the officers and a great many privates had a monkey apiece. Great care was taken of them by their owners. Two large monkeys belongedto some of the crew. These and the smaller ones had the whole vessel torun through and nothing escaped them--they were into everything. Finallythe commanding officer gave orders for all the monkeys to be taken up, but the order was not carried out and he had the doctor chloroform thetwo large ones and throw them overboard. That made the crew very mad andsounded the death knell to all the monkeys on board. 

That night the crew very quietly caught every monkey and threw themoverboard--not one escaped. It was then the officers' turn to be mad andthey did everything they could to learn who destroyed their monkeys. Oneold captain who had lost a monkey offered a reward of ten dollars toknow who threw his monkey overboard, but he failed to find out who itwas. I never heard such a fuss about as small a thing as a monkeybefore. 

We arrived within one or two miles of the Golden Gate on July 30. Thetransport stopped and the whistle was blown for the quarantine officersand a pilot. We could not see land, the fog was so heavy, until we gotto the Golden Gate. The sight of land sent a thrill of gladness throughevery one on board, especially the soldiers who were beholding their owncountry, where they were soon to be discharged, and once more be free togo and come at their own pleasure. Just before night we went to thequarantine station on Angel Island and remained until morning, wheneverything was taken off the transport. On the first of August we wentashore at the Presidio wharf, landing in the evening. 

We were not received as royally as we had departed, no big reception wasawaiting us, although I am quite sure the soldiers would have enjoyedone as much as when they were departing for the Philippines. I supposeit was thought that when we went away that we would never get back. 

When we boarded the transport for the Philippines several thousandenthusiastic people witnessed our departure and a great display ofpatriotism was manifested. When that portion which returned when I didwere landing only one woman and a little boy were present to show anyfeeling of rejoicing that we had not all perished in the Philippinesfrom the awful climate and the Filipino bullets. This great patrioticdisplay being over we went into camps at Presidio and remained there torest and await further orders, which came in a few days, as soon asarrangements for transportation over the railroad could be made; andthen Companies I and L went to Fort Douglas, Salt Lake City, Companies Kand M were assigned to Fort D. A. Russell, Cheyenne, Wyoming. Augustsixth we left San Francisco and arrived at Fort D. A. Russell in theevening of August ninth. Companies K and M were under the command ofCaptain Delair, who is a good officer. Captain Devore had command ofCompany K, to which I then belonged and I remained with that companyuntil discharged. 

Captain Devore was a very good old religious kind of an officer, verystrange and different from any other officer. The most that he believedin was to keep clean. He was very fond of seeing brooms, mops, picks andshovels in use. He liked to see work going on. He seemed to be tooeconomical to eat as much as he needed of government rations. He wouldnever allow any of the company's funds to be spent for any purpose, butwas all the time adding to the fund. 

The company was allowed twenty pounds of sugar every ten days. Of thisCaptain Devore would take off one pound for company funds. This is onlyone example, or illustration, of many ways of adding something to thefunds of the company. 

The company cook was preparing prunes one day for dinner when the oldcaptain came around inspecting everything; the cook told him that hewas cooking prunes. The cook was then asked how the men liked them, towhich he was answered that the men would eat all that were being cookedand then not have more than half enough. The old captain said there weretoo many for the company--that six was enough for anyone. He furthersaid, "I don't eat but two or three and that is as many as I want. "

The company was always kicking about him. He was never pleased oninspection to find something cooking. He liked to find the stove coldand the cooking vessels all clean, then everything with him was O. K. Hewould give a man who had had a number of summary court martials an"excellent" discharge and some soldiers who were good duty soldiers andnever had a court martial would get "only good. " I have noticed that ifhe likes a soldier he will always get "excellent. " He seemed never to begoverned by a soldier's record. I had "very good, " all I cared for, as Iwas so happy to get it. 

I left the army November 11, 1900, en route to Dallas, Texas, where Iremained a few days and went to Pleasant Point, where I spent severaldays with two of my brothers, John H. And Juney H. Freeman. Here I metmany friends whom I had known before enlisting in the army and again Iwas free to join them in their sports as I had done before. 

December twentieth, I started back to Georgia. I took the route via NewOrleans, at which place I stopped about thirty hours and took anotherlook at the old town. I wanted to look at it once more and compare itto the time when I was in camps there. I satisfied myself and proceededon my homeward journey to the old red hills of Georgia, which I had leftfive years and two months before. 

 THE END.