, at first with military terseness, and
latterly, this proving of no effect, with cursings and blasphemies. Our
_deus ex machina_ was far ahead with General Shafter by this time, and
it was only our mule that saved us from ultimate discomfiture. He
belonged to a pack-train and his life had been spent in following close
upon the footsteps of the animal in front of him. He was a mule with one
idea; his universe collapsed, his cosmos came tumbling about his ears
the instant that it became impossible for him to follow in a train. It
was all one that Archibald tore and tugged at the bit, or roweled him
red. He could as easily have reined a locomotive from its track as to
have swerved the creature from its direct line of travel by so much as
an inch.

So what with this and with that, we worried along until just beyond the
line of our trenches, where the road broadened very considerably and we
could compromise by riding on the flanks of the column.

And an imposing column it was, nearly three hundred strong, and it
actually appeared as if one-half was made up of brigadier-generals,
major-generals, generals commanding divisions, staff officers and the
like. A mere colonel was hardly better than a private on that day. We
moved forward at a quick trot, General Shafter's pith helmet bobbing
briskly along on ahead. As we passed through our lines there was a smart
cheer or two from the men, and at one point a band was banging away at a
nimble Sousa quickstep as we trotted by.

We were now on what had been the debatable ground, as much the enemy's
as ours, and had not gone far before we were suddenly aware of a group
of Spanish horsemen over the hedge of cactus to the left of the road,
brightly dressed young fellows wearing the blue linen and red facings of
the _guarda civile_, who at the sight of us turned and dashed back
through the fields as though to give news of our approach. Then there
was a freshly macheted opening in the hedge; the column turned in,
advanced parallel with the road some hundred yards through a field of
standing grass and at last halted.

At once the place was alive with Spanish soldiery. They came forward to
meet us in very brave and gay attire. First a corps of trumpeters
sounded a pretty trumpet march. They blew defiantly, did these Spanish
trumpeters, and as loudly as ever they could, just to show us that they
were not afraid--that they did not care, not they, pooh! After these
came a small detachment o