Under The Star Spangled Banner Part 36

This, however, proved to be a false alarm; and on Tuesday, the 14th of June, the transports steamed away with their freight of men, horses, and equipment for Key West, where they were joined by a powerful fleet of wars.h.i.+ps, which were to act as escort. On board the troop-s.h.i.+ps were rather more than 15,000 officers and men, while 10,000 more were ready for embarkation as soon as the transports could return to Tampa.

Arrived off the southeastern coast of Cuba, after a delightful sail extending over a week, the fleet lay to, while General Shafter, Admiral Sampson, and their respective staffs went ash.o.r.e at a.s.seraderos, and there met General Garcia, who had been the recognized leader of the insurgents for many years. It was an historical meeting, and at its termination Daiquiri was finally settled upon as the point of landing for the long-expected invading army.

"Mr. Marchant, we're removing from here right now," said the marine officer a day after the fleet of transports had been sighted. "Daiquiri is the point of invasion, and we are to steam along in that direction.

But I don't expect that we shall have the luck to land; the troops--lucky beggars!--will do that, of course. What on earth sent us to Guantanamo and kept us there is more than I can say. What did we do for the cause? Next to nothing, I guess. Just hashed up one of the camps, and nearly got into a precious mess with those guerrillas."

"It does seem strange that you were sent there," Hal agreed. "Here have we been hanging on to the place and sacrificing valuable lives, and all for nothing. However, the invading force is at hand, and the business is to commence in real earnest. As to Daiquiri, its proximity to Santiago must be the chief reason for its selection, for, situated as it is, it will save a tremendous amount of bush fighting. Fancy marching from Guantanamo through forest and scrub! Why, the Spanish guerrillas would certainly deal with us as the Cubans have with them in former times."

"That is about the truth, I fancy; but, anyway, we're clearing from this right now, so pack up your kit and make all ready," the officer replied.

That night Hal was on board the gunboat, and by dawn they were lying off Daiquiri, surrounded by enormous transports, which were filled with men in boisterous spirits. Beside the troopers the gunboat looked so small that one might have thought she could be of no fighting value. And yet a glance at the underwater fittings of the torpedo-tubes, and the quick-firers upon her decks, showed that, though small in proportions, she was a dangerous customer to deal with, and capable of sinking any of the transports with the greatest ease.

Grouped upon her deck, the marines shouted to their comrades, and looked enviously in their direction more than once. Indeed, they were far from pleased at having had to vacate Guantanamo, after having to fight so stubbornly for it. The brush with the enemy had been keen while it lasted, and had satisfied their martial ardor; but all were disappointed with the order which had compelled them to embark again, and it was no wonder that they asked indignantly why they had ever been sent there if the town and position were not to be held. It was a sheer waste of time and lives, and the men were amongst the first to recognize this.

Meanwhile, General Garcia, with a rag-tag army of three thousand insurgents, watched the point selected for the landing. They were all fairly well armed, but, without exception, they were ragged to a degree, and presented a half-starved appearance.

June 22d broke fine and clear, and straightway a bombardment of the various forts and villages along the coast commenced.

"I imagine that we are knocking bits off the blockhouses, and holding a general action all along the line, so as to mislead the Dons," said the officer of marines. "Hillo! That was fine!"

His exclamation was caused by the simultaneous lowering of boats from all the transports lying off Daiquiri. Then men swarmed into them, and as soon as they were filled, strings of the tiny craft were attached to launches, which steamed at once for the coast, which had already sustained a fierce bombardment. That evening some six thousand Americans had landed, consisting, for the most part, of the division under General Lawton. In addition, a portion of General Wheeler's brigade of cavalry had disembarked, and with them had come a machine-gun battery. The method of landing the artillery horses and transport mules was most interesting. The animals were thrown overboard, and as they were unhampered with kit or harness of any sort, they came through the ordeal wonderfully.

Hal, ever on the look-out for adventure, had not allowed the day to pa.s.s without an effort to get ash.o.r.e. Indeed, he contrived to find a vacant place in one of the boats, and in due course landed at the tiny jetty which projected from the beach into the sea. As he walked along it, someone, dressed as a trooper, rushed frantically towards him.

"Hal! It's Hal! By Jove, how glad I am! Hang it, old man, don't you know me, or are you too proud? Where the d.i.c.kens did you come from? I heard that you had gone ash.o.r.e in the _Merrimac_. Well, this is a day!"

It was Gerald Brindle, looking strong and well again, but somewhat bewildered and out of breath as he accosted his friend and shook his hands up and down as if he would never cease.

"Steady, old boy! Of course it's Hal! Look out, you're breaking my fingers. There, that's very nice; and now, if you'll stop for a moment, I'll tell you all that is worth telling."

Hal wrenched his hand away, and, stepping a pace backward, stood looking critically at his friend.

Gerald was dressed in a uniform of khaki, not unlike that worn by the British troops in South Africa, but differing in one or more important respects. For instance, in place of the helmet, which is only required in the hottest countries, the American troopers had wide-brimmed, thick felt hats, calculated to withstand a fierce sun, and well able to shelter the head and shoulders when a torrent of rain was descending.

Then, again, this felt hat had a decided advantage for men on active service, for, when they were lying down and skirmis.h.i.+ng, it would not hit upon the back of the neck and be tilted over the eyes at the most critical moment. Another difference was that the Americans wore a light gaiter, instead of the puttee.

Gerald, with his head-covering pulled rakishly over one ear, looked a very smart and soldier-like young fellow, and seemed to be well able to manage the rifle which he carried in one hand.

"A trooper?" said Hal, looking at him closely. "Well, old man, you look every inch of it. Supposing you tell me how it is to be done, so that I may follow suit, and take my place at your side."

"That's easy enough," answered Gerald: "The ranks are filled up, but we'll find room for you; for I happen to know one of the staff officers, who will arrange for it, if I ask him. Why, Hal, I have a splendid billet! I am one of Roosevelt's own; one of 'Teddy's Terribles,' or 'Roosevelt's Rustlers,' as we are sometimes called. You must have heard of us by now. We're the cowboy lot, and we've all sorts and sizes in our ranks. Fellows who are out of all employment, and who have not so much as a cent to bless themselves with, and others who are the sons of millionaires, or millionaires themselves, with so much to jangle in their pockets that they would not miss it if you took the average man's yearly wages from them. But, whatever their wealth, they are all rattling good fellows, and all bent upon fighting. But we've no horses.

That's the joke of this invading army. The fact is that transports are scarce as it is, and none could be spared for the mounts. However, we weren't going to allow that to stop us, and here we are, ready to have a fling at the Dons on foot, if need be."

"So you are one of the 1st United States Cavalry, sometimes known also as the Rough Riders, or by the other terms that you mentioned?" said Hal. "Gerald, I'm for it, too. We'll see this war through together."

"Right, that we will," Gerald answered eagerly. "Look here, we'll just take the bull by the horns, and arrange the matter at once. Let's go right away to the staff officer."

Hal agreed, and they at once ascended the steep slope leading to the camp, till they came to a pile of ammunition boxes, beside which a pole was erected, bearing a piece of crimson bunting, while beneath it stood an officer whose uniform proclaimed that he belonged to the staff.

"Well, Mr. Brindle, what is this?" he asked, with a smile. "Introduce your friend."

"He's Hal Marchant, the fellow who sneaked on board the _Merrimac_ when she was about to be sunk off Santiago. You will remember, Captain Cromer, that the tale leaked out, and that Lieutenant Billing was said to have come in for a wigging."

"That was so. So you're that fellow, are you?" the officer asked, looking closely at Hal. "Now, what's wanted? I know your sort very well.

You're dying to be right in the very thick of it; isn't that somewhere near the case?"

"It is the very thing!" Hal exclaimed. "I am anxious to join the Rough Riders till the campaign is over."

The staff officer thought for a few moments, during which he regarded the two lads with some curiosity and amus.e.m.e.nt. Then he produced a notebook, and hastily scribbled a few lines.

"Want pay?" he asked suddenly.

"No, not a dollar," Hal answered promptly. "I want all the fun, though."

"Then slip along right now with that to General Wheeler's brigade major; I fancy it will just settle the matter for you, so that he'll allow you to go with the boys."

He nodded, and turned to give some directions to an orderly who had just approached, while Hal and his friend hurried off as fast as their legs would carry them. By early morning the former was a temporary trooper in the celebrated Rough Riders.

"I suppose we shall be moving very soon," said Gerald, as he and his friend sat down for a meal. "There is one thing, though, that may delay us. You see, things were so rushed at Tampa that all the equipment most wanted is down at the bottom of the hold, while perfectly useless stuff is at the top. But I hear that they are working very hard to set matters right."

This, in fact, was the case. Disembarkation of stores had been going on day and night, not only at Daiquiri, but also at other parts of the coast. The invading army consisted of three divisions--each split up into three brigades--and of a cavalry brigade. While the second division and the horseless cavalry had been landing at Daiquiri, the first division, under General Kent, had begun to disembark at Siboney.

Meanwhile, General Shafter, the Commander-in-chief, had his quarters aboard the transport _Seguranca_.

The very day upon which Lawton's division landed, he pushed forward with the greater part to some wooded hills northwest of Daiquiri, which he occupied without firing a shot. As for Hal and Gerald, with their comrades of the cavalry, they left camp early on the following morning, and marched to Siboney. By the time they reached the latter place, both lads were on excellent terms with their fellow-troopers. Indeed, Gerald was already well known, and it wanted only a mention of Hal's adventurous trip ash.o.r.e in the _Merrimac_ to bring a crowd surging round him, clamoring for all the details.

"Tell yer this, you're born ter be lucky, that's how I size it," said one big cowboy. "Yer see, since this war got started, you've seen a rare lot er moves, and never got so much as pipped with a bullet. That jist shows as you're kept for somethin' more perlite, so I tell yer I shall keep as close alongside as I can squeeze as soon as the shootin'

starts."

"Perhaps that might not be quite as secure a place as in front," Hal answered, with a smile. "A Cuban ran beside me only a few days ago, and the bullet which was intended to take my life picked the poor fellow off."

"So? Then I'll stick in front; but, all the same, I guess you're born to be lucky."

The cowboy nodded his head knowingly, and strode off. That night orders were issued to the Rough Riders to prepare for active measures.

"We are to advance against Sevilla, which is three miles away," said Hal, having gleaned some tidings from one of the sergeants. "It seems that all the Spaniards are falling back upon Santiago from the blockhouses and outposts, and a few only are left at Sevilla to bar our progress. Of course we shall soon brush them aside; though, if the fighting is anything like last week's, we shall have our work cut out for us, for it will be bush warfare every foot of the way, and the Dons have shown themselves masters of that particular art."

"And afterwards, what shall we have to face?" asked Gerald.

"That is a difficult question to answer; but if your father is right, some seven thousand half-starved Spanish regulars. They cannot hope to resist for very long, for food has completely run out in Santiago. Even now many of the civil population are said to be dying daily of starvation in the streets."

"Then the sooner we end their misery the better," exclaimed Gerald.

"Hillo; orders, I fancy!"

A message from headquarters had just been brought to the troopers, telling them to prepare to march on the following morning.

"The Rough Riders and other cavalry are to advance early to-morrow on Las Guasimas," said the sergeant who had brought the order. "The regulars will march to the right, and will take four Hotchkiss quick-firing mountain guns. Boys, we aer goin' ter turn the Dons out!"

"Hooroo! By Jingo we aer," the men shouted.

"We'd do it better if we had horses with us," one of them said. "Say, pard, you've been having gay times with the enemy; what's your opinion on the case?"