Young's Fight at Las Guasimas 75 



tie cost to themselves. There had been about that 

 number of Spaniards at Daiquiri that morning, but 

 they had fled even before the ships began shelling. 

 In their place we found hundreds of Cuban insur- 

 gents, a crew of as utter tatterdemalions as human 

 eyes ever looked on, armed with every kind of rifle 

 in all stages of dilapidation. It was evident, at a 

 glance, that they would be no use in serious fighting, 

 but it was hoped that they might be of service in 

 scouting. From a variety of causes, however, they 

 turned out to be nearly useless, even for this pur- 

 pose, so far as the Santiago campaign was con- 

 cerned. 



We were camped on a dusty, brush-covered flat, 

 with jungle on one side, and on the other a shallow, 

 fetid pool fringed with palm-trees. Huge land-crabs 

 scuttled noisily through the underbrush, exciting 

 much interest among the men. Camping was a 

 simple matter, as each man carried all he had, and 

 the officers had nothing: I took a light mackintosh 

 and a toothbrush. Fortunately, that night it did not 

 rain; and from the palm-leaves we built shelters 

 from the sun. 



General Lawton, a tall, fine-looking man, had 

 taken the advance. A thorough soldier, he at once 

 established outposts and pushed reconnoitring parties 

 ahead on the trails. He had as little baggage as the 

 rest of us. Our own Brigade-Commander, General 



