In the Trenches 161 



mite gun was brought up to the right of the regi- 

 mental line. It was more effective than the regular 

 artillery because it was fired with smokeless powder, 

 and as it was used like a mortar from behind the 

 hill, it did not betray its presence, and those firing 

 it suffered no loss. Every few shots it got out of 

 order, and the Rough Rider machinists and those 

 furnished by Lieutenant Parker whom we by this 

 time began to consider as an exceedingly valuable 

 member of our own regiment would spend an hour 

 or two in setting it right. Sergeant Borrowe had 

 charge of it and handled it well. With him was 

 Sergeant Guitilias, a gallant old fellow, a veteran 

 of the Civil War, whose duties were properly those 

 of standard-bearer, he having charge of the yellow 

 cavalry standard of the regiment; but in the Cuban 

 campaign he was given the more active work of 

 helping run the dynamite gun. The shots from the 

 dynamite gun made a terrific explosion, but they 

 did not seem to go accurately. Once one of them 

 struck a Spanish trench and wrecked part of it. On 

 another occasion one struck a big building, from 

 which there promptly swarmed both Spanish cav- 

 alry and infantry, on whom the Colt automatic guns 

 played with good effect during the minute that 

 elapsed before they could get other cover. 



These Colt automatic guns were not, on the whole, 

 very successful. The gun detail was under the 



