he was dead. When I had come back for him in an hour, the
vultures had eaten out his eyes and lips. In the meanwhile a trooper
stood up on the crest with a guidon and waved it at the opposite trail
to find out if the firing there was from Spaniards or Len Young's
negroes. He was hit in three places but established the fact that
Young was up on the trail on our right across the valley for they
cheered. He was a man who had run on the Gold Ticket for Congress in
Arizona, and consequently, as some one said, naturally should have led
a forlorn hope. A blackguard had just run past telling them that Wood
was killed and that he had been ordered to Siboney for reinforcements.
That was how the report spread that we were cut to pieces-- A reporter
who ran away from Young's column was responsible for the story that I
was killed. He meant Marshall who was on the left of the line and who
was shot through the spine-- There was a lot of wounded at the base and
the fighting in front was fearful to hear. It was as fast as a hard
football match and you must remember it lasted two full hours; during
that time the men were on their feet all the time or crawling on their
hands-- Not one of them, with the exception of ----, and a Sergeant who
threw away his gun and ran, went a step back. It was like playing
blindman's buff and you were it. I got separated once and was scared
until I saw the line again, as my leg was very bad and I could not get
about over the rough ground. I went down the trail and I found Capron
dying and the whole place littered with discarded blankets and
haversacks. I also found Fish and pulled him under cover--he was quite
dead-- Then I borrowed a carbine and joined Capron's troop, a second
lieutenant and his Sergeant were in command. The man next me in line
got a bullet through his sleeve and one through his shirt and you could
see where it went in and came out without touching the skin. The
firing was very high and we were in no danger so I told the lieutenant
to let us charge across an open place and take a tin shack which was
held by the Spaniards' rear guard, for they were open in retreat.
Roosevelt ordered his men to do the same thing and we ran forward
cheering across the open and then dropped in the grass and fired. I
guess I fired about twenty rounds and then formed into a strategy board
and went off down the trail to scout. I got lonely and was coming back
when I met another trooper who sat down a