1 70 The Rough Riders 



possibility of surprise. After dark, fires suddenly 

 shot up on the mountain passes far to our right. 

 They all rose together and we could make nothing 

 of them. After a good deal of consultation, we 

 decided they must be some signals to the Spaniards 

 in Santiago, from the troops marching to reinforce 

 them from without for we were ignorant that the 

 reinforcements had already reached the city, the 

 Cubans being quite unable to prevent the Spanish 

 regulars from marching wherever they wished. 

 While we were thus pondering over the watch-fires 

 and attributing them to Spanish machinations of 

 some sort, it appears that the Spaniards, equally 

 puzzled, were setting them down as an attempt at 

 communication between the insurgents and our 

 army. Both sides were accordingly on the alert, 

 and the Spaniards must have strengthened their out- 

 lying parties in the jungle ahead of us, for they 

 suddenly attacked one of our pickets, wounding 

 Crockett seriously. He was brought in by the 

 other troopers. Evidently the Spanish lines felt 

 a little nervous, for this sputter of shooting was im- 

 mediately followed by a tremendous fire of great 

 guns and rifles from their trenches and batteries. 

 Our men in the trenches responded heavily, and 

 word was sent back, not only to me, but to the com- 

 manders in the rear of the regiments along our 

 line, that the Spaniards were attacking. It was im- 



