All the larger islands have an abundance of game, wild hogs, chickens
and deer. Wild dogs are plentiful in the woods. They are very wild,
running off almost at sight of a man. At night they seem to be bolder
and come around the outside wall and howl so much that people are kept
awake all night.
A detail was sent out by our commander's orders to lie in hiding and
shoot them when they approached near enough. We could see them away off
during the day in the grass, but could not get to shoot them. The only
chance for that was to hide at night and wait for them. We frequently
went out and killed a number of nice fat wild hogs and carried them in
and feasted while they lasted. These animals were very wild, like the
dogs. A man on the ground could not get near enough for a good
shot--they would discover him and run. We would climb a tree and wait
for them.
The town of Siasse, on Tai Tai Island, was the station of Company H for
three months. Morros almost swarmed on the island. The captain of the
company permitted a squad of men every few days to go hog hunting when
the supply of meat began to get short. Some of the Morros were trusted
by the soldiers and were allowed frequently to go out with the soldiers
on a hog hunt, as these trusted ones were thought to be harmless. One
day the captain sent out five men early in the morning to hunt hogs.
They hunted until tired in the evening, when four of them sat down to
rest and play a few games of cards, while the fifth went to the beach
near by and bathed his feet.
A crowd of Morros, twenty or more, gathered around the players to see
the game. The soldiers were not afraid of them doing any mischief, as
the Morros appeared friendly and quiet. As the game progressed and
became more interesting the players became less conscious of their
position, and those standing around.
To be more comfortable and have better use of their bodies and limbs
their belts were taken off and laid by them with their guns. The Morros
gathered around the soldiers saw the opportunity for mischief and seized
upon it at once. They seized the soldiers' guns and belts, while six of
them drew their bolos and began their deadly work. The first soldier who
was struck with a bolo had his head cut off at one blow. The soldiers
were making a desperate fight for life against what seemed no chance for
success. Two soldiers were killed in the fight, another grabbed for his
gun; getting hold of it he received a heavy blow on the head with a
club, was cut dangerously in the neck, but succeeded in securing his gun
so that he could fire it. The firing frightened the Morros, who
commenced running. The soldier on the beach ran back where he left his
comrades when he heard the shooting, but the Morros were then out of
sight. Two soldiers lay on the ground dead, another was cut so much that
he bled to death before they could get him back to camp, while the one
who did the shooting had a terrible wound in his neck and had received a
heavy blow on the head.
It was a long way to camp, and one boat with room enough for two
oarsmen. Night was almost on, and the situation was perilous in the
extreme. The man who was not in the fight carried the dead and wounded
men to the little boat, and set out for camp as rapidly as possible. As
above stated one more died while being carried to camp, making three
dead and another with his head almost half off. The sea was a little
rough, and only one man rowing, with a feeble help of the wounded man
with one hand, made slow progress.
Camp was reached at three o'clock next morning. The wounded man
recovered but could not turn his head; when he looked around he had to
turn his whole body, and was discharged from the service for disability.
He draws a pension of thirty-six dollars per month. Next day after the
Morros killed and wounded the hunting party, sixty men were sent out to
capture the murderers. The chief of the Morros was offered a large
reward for capturing them and turning them over to the Americans. The
Morro chief captured them, turned them over to the Americans, who then
failed to pay the reward as previously promised. Six Morros were all
that were guilty; these were bound together, carried out of camp and
shot.