352 CHAPTER XXVI.

THE FIGHT AT LAS GUASIMAS.

troopsomewhat in advance of the others, and a strong line of pickets reconnoitring every- step of the way, one hundred yards in the lead. Aside from the soft cooing of doves beyond,in the treeswecould not see, no soundbrokeupon the stillmorning air save the squash of feet in the mud, and the occasional rattleof a canteen TUST before dawn on Friday morning General Young marchedout from Siboney J with his 400 regulars, black and white, and his Hotchkiss guns. He had expected to be joined early inhis advance by 300 of General Castillo'sCubans,butthough heactually marched past their camps, none of them, except a few as it swung against the metal bayonet scabbard at the soldier's hip. There was no talking in the ranks now. Everyone was alert and silent. Soon there came another halt, and going forward beyond the outermost picket, across a creek and up a gentle rise of ground, Lieutenant Byram and Ifound General Young, Colonel Bell and scouts, came to his help till all the fighting was over.

It was a close, hot morning. The recent rains had made the ground on the track and in the woodssoft and muddy. The so-called road proved in places to be almost impassable. The bush grew down upon it, and the tangle of cactus,thorn trees and palms formed such a dense mass away to GENERAL BLACK : A SNAPSHOT Captain Watson crouched behind the bushes, diligently studying a prominent hill on our left font, about 1,5oo yards away. As Byram and Idrew near, General Young faced us, and nodding his head in the direction of the hill, said quietly, 'Spaniards!' and then equally as quietly to Byram, 'Order the Hotchkiss guns forward at once ; ten minutes later bring up the troops; tell the men to go quietly.' " The hill to the "left front" held by the Spaniards was just north of the point where the road curved away to the westward to meet the other track. This hillwas a boldknoll, the end of a long spur lying east and west. 1he Spaniards, six companies of infantry and some guerillas under Colonel Alcaniz,had a machine gun near the summit. Among the grass and bushes on the slope they had dug shelter trenches, and made some rough breastworks ot loose stone. Their left on an adjoining slope couldsweep the front of the hillwith a cross fire.

the left that during the march not a glimpse was to be seenof the Rough Riders' column, which was following the pathon the wooded spur on that side.

At first the regulars tramped along themuddy tracking, chatting and joking together, though evenin this early stage of the march the advance was coveredby a screenof vigilant scouts well in front. A mileand a half from Siboney, as it was feltthatthepoint of dangerwasbeingapproached, the order wasgiven to " loadmagazines," and in aninstant allwere silent and on the alert. Then the advance was resumed. Mr. Whitney thus describes the anxious minutes before the first contact with the enemy. To understand what he says as to how the column w-as protectedit must benoted thaL the word" picket," whichin the British arn\y ,neans the body of men on an outpostline tht «ends out and immediately supports thesentrreS- in the United States means a sentry or a scout.

"We moved forward," he says, "now with one