Young's Fight at Las Guasimas 107 



examined him, and decreed that his wound was 

 so serious that he must go back to the States. This 

 was enough for Rowland, who waited until night- 

 fall and then escaped, slipping out of the window 

 and making his way back to camp with his rifle 

 and pack, though his wound must have made all 

 movement very painful to him. After this, we felt 

 that he was entitled to stay, and he never left us for 

 a day, distinguishing himself again in the fight at 

 San Juan. 



Next morning we buried seven dead Rough 

 Riders in a grave on the summit of the trail, Chap- 

 lain Brown reading the solemn burial service of the 

 Episcopalians, while the men stood around with 

 bared heads and joined in singing, "Rock of Ages." 

 Vast numbers of vultures were wheeling round and 

 round in great circles through the blue sky over- 

 head. There could be no more honorable burial 

 than that of these men in a common grave Indian 

 and cow-boy, miner, packer, and college athlete 

 the man of unknown ancestry from the lonely West- 

 ern plains, and the man who carried on his watch 

 the crests of the Stuyvesants and the Fishes, one 

 in the way they had met death, just as during life 

 they had been one in their daring and their loyalty. 



On the afternoon of the 25th we moved on a 

 couple of miles, and camped in a marshy open spot 

 close to a beautiful stream. Here we lay for sev- 



