The Cavalry at Santiago H3 



be sorry to hurt them, but that I should shoot the 

 first man who, on any pretence whatever, went to 

 the rear. My own men had all sat up and were 

 watching my movements with the utmost interest ; 

 so was Captain Howze. I ended my statement to 

 the colored soldiers by saying: "Now, I shall be very 

 sorry to hurt you, and you don't know whether or 

 not I will keep my word, but my men can tell you 

 that I always do;" whereupon my cow-punchers, 

 hunters, and miners solemnly nodded their heads 

 and commented in chorus, exactly as if in a comic 

 opera, "He always does ; he always does !" 



This was the end of the trouble, for the "smoked 

 Yankees" as the Spaniards called the colored sol- 

 diers flashed their white teeth at one another, as 

 they broke into broad grins, and I had no more 

 trouble with them, they seeming to accept me as 

 one of their own officers. The colored cavalrymen 

 had already so accepted me; in return, the Rough 

 Riders, although for the most part Southwesterners, 

 who have a strong color prejudice, grew to accept 

 them with hearty goodwill as comrades, and were 

 entirely willing, in their own phrase, "to drink out 

 of the same canteen." Where all the regular offi- 

 cers did so well, it is hard to draw any distinction ; 

 but in the cavalry division a peculiar meed of praise 

 should be given to the officers of the Ninth and 

 Tenth for their work, and under their leadership the 



