THE MARINES HAVE LANDED
"That's a fine-looking engine," said Dick, three days later, as he
gazed, with a derisive laugh, at the locomotive backing onto the wharf
at Corinto to couple up with a train of laden flat cars ready to start
on the precarious journey to support the battalion of marines somewhere
along the line, but just where no one rightly knew.
And indeed it was an engine of a type quite new to most of the marines
perched on every available sticking-place amid the boxes, barrels and
bales with which the train was laden. A care-free, jovial lot of
huskies they were, taking this back-breaking work as a mere matter of
course. They were marines, so it was their just due to be chased from
one corner of the world to the other; and if it had not been so, they
would have said disgustedly that they "might as well be in the Army."
The world moved and the marines moved with it; they themselves were
sometimes inclined to think they moved it.
"The only place I ever saw an engine of that type was on those blue
three-cent stamps the United States put out for the centennial
celebration many years ago," remarked a junior officer, seated near Dick
on the floor of the car, with his feet swinging idly over the side.
"You are not much of a philatelist, Mr. Mercer," said Captain Henderson,
who happened by, "or you would have known of other postage stamps with
an engraving of the wood-burning type of engine on their face. This
country we are now in uses a series of them over on the Mosquito Coast,
and Honduras has another series. But I see we are about to start. Pass
the word to fix bayonets: no rifles to be loaded without command. Each
man must understand this affair is being handled with kid gloves, and
they must not precipitate things by any hasty action on their part.
Remember, too, that we are here to keep order, and unless interfered
with we will go about our business quietly. To us, at the present time,
all Nicaraguans are our friends until they prove otherwise. Treat both
parties alike until you get orders to the contrary. Those men wearing
red rosettes and ribbons are 'agin the government'; they are rebels; so
be careful of your every act."
The engine with its enormous bell-topped stack by now had bumped into
position and with a jerk and wrench and creaking of wheels the journey
was begun.
All along the route could be seen small bands of men. Some carried
rifles, but the majority were armed with long knives, called machetes.
Many sported uniforms, but most were attired in ordinary clothing, the
little red badges identifying them with the insurgent forces.
Hour after hour they clattered and bumped along the fearful road-bed.
Forward! Bump, stop! Bump, ahead! Stop! Little by little, mile after
mile, they progressed. Here the rails were slippery, and with shovel in
hand the men jumped off the cars and covered them with dirt so that the
wheezy engine could once more proceed. At a town named Quezalgaque,
just as darkness fell, the engine ran out of water. A bucket line was
formed down the steep river embankment at this spot and under the glare
of flaming torches the men worked filling the boiler till the Navy
Machinist in charge of the engine stated the gauge was "full up." Then
forward once more with the cheers of the detachment of Uncle Sam's
sailors, stationed here to guard the bridge, ringing in their ears.
The night was so black that it was difficult to see one's hand before
one's face and when, after about five miles more of bumping and thumping
had been covered, the train again halted, word passed from the head of
the train for no one under any circumstances to leave the cars. There
seemed to be a mysterious something in the air, as of a dense crowd of
humanity pressing in from all sides, yet there was no sound, other than
the puffing of the wood-burner at the head of the train.
"Wonder what makes this place so spooky like?" whispered Dick to Dorlan,
who sat beside him filling his old corn-cob pipe preparatory to lighting
up; "I have a feeling that if I put my hand out I'd touch some human
being; and yet I can't see a thing in this blackness."
Dorlan did not reply, but the light from his match made a small glare in
the surrounding night. Small as it was the men in his immediate vicinity
were startled at what it disclosed. A sea of faces, a forest of armed
men, crowded up to the very edge of the track on all sides.
"Whew! Did you see them?" whispered a man near Dick. "Every beggar in
sight has a gun, and here we are right in the middle of 'em, and we
didn't know it."
There was a restless movement on the part of the marines. Those who had
been drowsing awakened, to grip more firmly the rifle which, since
darkness, no longer held the knife-like bayonet. One man quietly opened
the bolt of his rifle and nervously fingered a clip of cartridges in his
belt.
"Easy, men!" came the caution down the length of the train, and the
slight flutter of nerves calmed to steadiness. But the tension was
there, and only the excellent discipline held them in check, for these
rebels were too close for comfort. Then followed the slow ringing of
the locomotive's bell, brakes were released and the train moved on,
crossed a high trestle bridge, and again halted.
"Pile out, everybody! Throw our company stores off the cars at once and
stow them alongside the track. Get some lanterns working, men. On the
jump, now!" and Captain Henderson strode along the embankment shining
his flash-light and encouraging his men to do good work.
Lights flickered along the train. Stores were tossed off in quick
order, camp sites selected, police parties immediately prepared
latrines, and the guard was posted. Then, the immediate requirements
being attended to, the men rolled up in their blankets on the hard earth
to get such sleep as they could.
"Who were all those hombres[#] surrounding us before we crossed the big
bridge, Sergeant?" asked Dick, pulling his knapsack into a more
comfortable position beneath his head.
[#] Hombres--Men.
"They was the chief army of the rebels in these parts," replied Dorlan.
"When we stopped back there we were right in the middle of the biggest
town in Nicaragua, and the one where all the trouble starts. The people
of Leon are always ready to revolute with the hope of makin' it the
capital instead of Managua, and bein' on the only railroad from the
capital city to the seaport, Corinto, they're in a foine place to
control things. The nearest Federal troops are at a place called La
Paz, about twenty-three kilometers from here."
"How long is a kilometer, Sergeant?" questioned one of the men.
"It's about five-eighths of a mile, so La Paz would be about fourteen
miles south of here. From there on the Federal troops hold the railroad
to the southern outskirts of Managua, and as this line goes on to
Granada, I figure it's up to us to do considerable of work yet, for they
say that we'll never get through the rebel lines beyond the capital
without a fight. However, so far things seem to be goin' pretty slick."
"Do you know how many troops there are in Leon, Sergeant?"
"About two or three thousand, so they say, and they didn't want us to
pass through there to-night, but finally consented. The Adjutant told
me the leaders were pretty ugly about it, but as you see they finally
gave in, and here we are."
"Now we are here what are we going to do?" inquired Dick.
"This battalion's goin' to camp right here and watch these fellers in
Leon; the rest of them behind us will go on through when they come up
and help the outfit that's ahead. All the telegraph and telephone lines
are down between here and La Paz Centro. The rebs have cut 'em, and we
can't get word of what's goin' on up ahead; but we'll know by to-morrow
night. Now, quit yer askin' of questions. It's three o'clock in the
mornin', and reveille's set for five A.M. Ye always want to get all the
sleep ye can on campaign, for ye can't never tell what's a-goin' to be
happenin' the next minute. Good-night, boys," and Sergeant Dorlan rolled
over, his snores soon announcing he had followed his own excellent
advice, but it was a long time before Dick's eyes closed in slumber, and
it seemed as though the notes of reveille awakened him even before he
had succeeded in getting the time-quoted "forty winks."
"I can't get 'em up! I can't get 'em up!
I can't get 'em up in the morning!
I can't get 'em up! I can't get 'em up!
I can't get 'em up at all!
The private's worse than the corporal,
The corporal's worse than the sergeant,
The sergeant's worse than the Captain,
And the Captain's worst of all."
* * * * * * * * *
[Illustration: Dick's Map of Camp Pendleton]
DICK'S MAP OF CAMP PENDLETON
The map was made by Dick, and is a fairly good one, though many
necessary things have been omitted. The Railroad from Granada to
Corinno through Leon goes south to north. Captain Henderson's company
was in the woods at S.W. corner of map. The outpost near bridge was to
prevent damage to structure.
The camp was named after Colonel Joseph H. Pendleton, U.S.M.C., who
commanded all the marines on this expedition, but the camp itself was
commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Charles G. Long, U.S.M.C. One battalion
of marines, a battalion of sailors from the U.S.S. _Colorado_,
Quartermaster Depot, Navy Medical Unit, and Wireless Outfit, were
encamped in the enclosed area and occupied about two-thirds of the
space. This camp was made on September 11-12, 1912.
The map shows no contours, but a gentle slope, and from E to W gave
excellent drainage, and Leon, a mile distant, was in full view. The
single dotted lines are trails. The double dotted lines are unfenced
roads and the rectangles are generally houses, except in camp, where
they represent tents.
* * * * * * * * *
"Come on, ye lazy bones, roll out of yer hammicks," called Dorlan
cheerily, "and if ye foller that path down by the shack acrost the road
ye'll reach the river and a good place to wash, only don't go too far
down-stream, as there's a bunch o' buzzards cleanin' up some dead men,
and the sight ain't extry fine on an empty stummick."
It was not long before Dick had finished his ablutions, and as he had
avoided the buzzard's feast he felt quite capable of doing justice to
the breakfast the mess cooks prepared.
The day was spent in fixing up the camp, preparing it for defense,
reconnaissance work, and sorting stores. That the rebel general felt
kindly towards the Americans might have been implied from the fact that
he sent two beeves to the Colonel Commanding, with his compliments, but
these were returned with expressions of thanks, as the Colonel did not
feel he could accept the gift. Many parties of rebel soldiers passed
the camp during the day and curiously watched the soldiers from the
great Northern Republic at their varied occupations. Other days
followed, some filled with flurries of excitement, some slow and
monotonous. The rest of the regiment passed on towards the capital and
a battalion of sailors came to augment the force, and for the time they
were ashore, absorbed the Marine Corps spirit, "hook, line and dipsey."
One day a rebel "armored" train came puffing along from Leon, where they
kept it carefully locked up in the station shed, and proceeded towards
La Paz, with red flags streaming and a poor edition of Joan d'Arc
astride the cow-catcher brandishing a big machete and cheering on the
deluded soldiers.
"Viva Luis Mena! Viva Leon!"[#] they shouted to the marines, and waving
their guns wildly, passed on.
[#] "Hurrah for Louis Mena! Hurrah for Leon!"--Mena was the rebel
candidate for presidential honors and after the battle of Coyotepe he
was taken under guard by the marines to Corinto and deported.
"They are off for a fight," hazarded the onlookers, but it was only a
foraging party out for wood and fresh beef which they confiscated as
they found it. One of the flat cars was arranged with sand bags, and
over the parapet thus formed a Hotchkiss machine-gun menacingly stuck
its baleful snout. This rebel train was an eye-sore to the American
officers; for as long as General Rivas, who commanded at Leon, had this
train and locomotive locked up in the station, so long it was sure to be
a menace. The marines were in Nicaragua primarily to keep open the
railroad, which was American-owned, and orders now came from the Admiral
commanding the forces afloat and ashore to demand the surrender of the
train. This Rivas refused, feeling confident that the few Yankees
encamped across the river were neither strong enough nor brave enough to
attempt to force him, and should they do so then it was quite certain
they were no longer impartial. One Sunday morning in September, to his
astonishment, three trains filled with marines and sailors pulled into
the sidings at Leon. The attitude of the officers and men on this train
was such that Rivas considered surrender the better part of valor,
though at one time it looked as though his enraged men would precipitate
a bloody struggle. Anyway, the train was taken out from its shed; the
rebels were permitted to remove their gun, and amid the curses and
execrations of the multitude gathered at the station, it was towed back
to the American camp.
As for Richard Comstock, he found the life exciting and full of
adventure. Following his application, he had had his rank changed to
that of a private, and accompanied Sergeant Dorlan, who had been
appointed special messenger to carry despatches, up and down the line.
The situation was getting more critical every day. Then came orders to
send all the field artillery from Leon to Managua, and on the train that
took them went Dorlan and Dick, bearing special despatches to the
Admiral who had gone on to the capital city for a conference. The
rebels near the Leon camp looked gloomily upon this move. A few days
before a train bearing marines, on passing through Masaya, a city south
of Managua, had been fired upon, some men being killed and wounded on
both sides.
Now it was apparent that the Yankees were going to assist the Federal
troops. What would be the outcome? Would they attempt to attack the
rebels at Barrancas and Coyotepe? If they did they could never take
those positions. No troops had ever yet wrested those strongholds from
the soldiers defending them. It had never been done in the history of
the republic and its many wars. Secretly General Rivas despatched bodies
of mounted men to augment the rebels in the vicinity of the threatened
points.
When the artillery train stopped for watering the engine at La Paz,
hundreds of Federal troops met it with a band at their head and cheering
vociferously:
"Viva los Americanos! Viva los Federales!" they shouted till their
throats were hoarse.
"Let's get off and buy some fruit, Sergeant," said Dick, who was riding
on the engine with his companion.
"You go along, Dick, but hurry back, as I heard the engineer say we'll
be pullin' out o' here in a jiffy."
Climbing down from his seat, Dick elbowed his way through the crowd till
he came to a fruit stand at the far side of the station platform. After
selecting some oranges and mangoes he was hurrying back when the broad
shoulders, red neck and blond, bristly hair of a foreigner standing at
the edge of the crowd drew his attention. Beside him was a tall man
whose tanned face could not hide the fact that he too was a stranger
from another land. Under the brim of the taller man's hat was a white
spot of hair over and behind one ear, and the left hand, as he raised
it, showed half the middle finger missing.
"The German and the Englishman!"
Dick almost said the words aloud in his excitement over the discovery.
Both men were watching the crowd in front of them with great interest,
and conversing in rather loud tones in order to make themselves heard
above the din made by the enthusiastic soldiers cheering the train.
Unobserved, Dick stopped directly behind them.
"Just our blooming bad luck to have them go through during daylight,
after we have been waiting for this very move for several days," said
the Englishman in a drawling voice.
"I never expected they would make the move by day, or I should have made
better arrangements. If it were dark, as we expected it would be, we
could pull off the same kind of game we worked in Masaya when Butler's
Battalion went through there. I had to do that trick against General
Zeladon's wishes. If he had consented to let me work it as I wished
that train-load of marines never would have lived to get through as they
did. I had to make it appear an unpremeditated affair, and as a result
not half the people joined in the fight. A single defeat of these
Yankees to the credit of the rebels, and the whole country would have
joined us, Mena would have been president without a doubt, and our plans
would be well under way towards consummation."
"You made a mistake, though, Mein Herr. You should never have made it
appear that the rebels began the shooting. Our policy is to lead these
Americans to believe that the Federal troops are against their
interference."
"Bah! You don't know what you are talking about," said the German in
the same arrogant way of speaking that Dick remembered so well.
"Well, don't let us get ratty over it; you know, old top, we have other
things to think about. Now if we might delay this train in some way it
would still be possible to work the game here."
"No chance at all! Not a chance!" exclaimed the big man impatiently,
"but it would have been a fine opportunity to turn the tables had it
only been dark. Our men here would have been enough to make them
believe the whole outfit of Federals were shooting them up, and in the
excitement the marines would have returned the fire, and the fight would
have become general."
"Will the other trick work?" the Englishman now asked. "Will those
papers implicating Chamorra come into the Americans' hands in a
perfectly natural way?"
"Yes, and it is our last hope, outside of actual defeat of this Yankee
rabble by the rebels, and I believe that is a possibility. These men
are nothing but play soldiers. What do they know about war? And as for
taking Coyotepe away from Zeladon and his men, bah! they can never do
it! They will have to declare war first, and get down their miserable
army. That will delay them long enough for us to defeat the Federals,
and Mena and his men will be in supreme power. Hello, the train is off.
Donder und Blitzen! How I wish it were night!" and the speaker stamped
in wrath upon the gravel of the roadway.
So interested was Dick in the conversation of these two men which for a
second time had been overheard by him that he had failed to note the
train was moving away. To his consternation he saw now that he could
not catch it because of the crowd between him and the last car, which
was passing as he looked over the sea of heads. Running to the
telegraph office where, owing to many previous visits with Dorlan, he
was well known, he dictated a wire to be sent on to Nagarote, the next
stopping place along the line, explaining briefly that he had missed the
train. Then he turned to the operator, and before the man knew what was
happening had divested that surprised individual of his coat.
"Quick, Frederico, loan me your coat and hat," he said. "Take charge of
my canteen and haversack till I return. Oh, yes, I'll borrow your
necktie too," he added, stripping it off the neck of the open-mouthed
native, and after pulling off his leggins and putting on the things he
had commandeered, he sped out through the doorway in pursuit of the two
men whose rapid strides were even then carrying them towards the center
of the town.