78 The Rough Riders 



or coddled his troopers, but he always looked after 

 them. He helped them whenever he could, and 

 took rather more than his full share of hardship 

 and danger, so that his men naturally followed him 

 with entire devotion. Jack Greenway was under 

 him as lieutenant, and to him the entire march 

 was nothing but an enjoyable outing, the chance 

 of fight on the morrow simply adding the needed 

 spice of excitement. 



It was long after nightfall when we tramped 

 through the darkness into the squalid coast hamlet 

 of Siboney. As usual when we made a night camp, 

 we simply drew the men up in column of troops, 

 and then let each man lie down where he was. 

 Black thunder-clouds were gathering. Before they 

 broke the fires were made and the men cooked 

 their coffee and pork, some frying the hard-tack 

 with the pork. The officers, of course, fared just 

 as the men did. Hardly had we finished eating 

 when the rain came, a regular tropic downpour. 

 We sat about, sheltering ourselves as best we could, 

 for the hour or two it lasted; then the fires were 

 relighted and we closed around them, the men tak- 

 ing off their wet things to dry them, so far as pos- 

 sible, by the blaze. 



Wood had gone off to see General Young, as 

 General Wheeler had instructed General Young to 

 hit the Spaniards, who were about four miles away, 



