THE LANDING OF THE MARINES AT GUANTANAMO
While Walter was in the depths of the Cuban wilderness, trying to escape
from the Spanish soldiers, history, so far as it concerned our war with
Spain, was moving forward rapidly.
As soon as it was felt that Cervera could not escape from Santiago Bay
without running the risk of a fearful battle with Admiral Sampson's or
Commodore Schley's squadron, preparations were made to send an army of
invasion forward.
For such an army a safe landing-place must be secured, and with this in
view, the American warships began the bombardment of various places
along the coast, from Santiago Bay to Guantanamo Bay, twenty odd miles
farther eastward.
The first of these heavy bombardments took place on the sixth of June,
and was directed against Morro Castle, the batteries at Punta Gorda and
Zocapa, and at the village of Aguadores, already mentioned. Aguadores
is several miles to the eastward of Santiago Bay, to the rear of the
rocky promontory upon which Morro Castle is located, and it was felt
that if once a footing could be obtained here, the actual invasion by
the soldiers would become an easy matter. The bombardment lasted many
hours, and the various batteries were much damaged and the Spanish
warship, the _Reina Mercedes_, was so badly riddled that she was later
on sunk in the channel, thus blocking the outlet to the bay more
completely than ever. No damage was done to the American ships.
Through this bombardment a landing was effected at Baiquiri, not far
from Aguadores, by a small body of marines, who burned up some Spanish
stores and spiked a number of old-fashioned guns.
Following this attack came one upon Guantanamo and the other settlements
clustered around the shores of the bay of that name. Here the fighting
was as fierce as before, but before it was over a body of marines from
the _Oregon_ were landed, and later on came six hundred marines from the
_Panther_. The Spaniards stood their ground for only a short while and
then fled to the mountains, and the American flag was hoisted amid a
wild cheering from the troops at hand and those on the warships. No
sooner had the landing-places at Guantanamo, Baiquiri, and Aguadores
been secured than the army of invasion under General Shafter left Key
West for these points, the particulars of which expedition have already
been related in "A Young Volunteer in Cuba."
Walter slept "like a rock" during the first night in the cave, being
thoroughly exhausted by his long ride. He did not awaken until long
after the sun had come up, and for the moment could not realize where he
was.
A scanty breakfast was speedily despatched, and he walked out to inspect
his surroundings. Mindful of what Gilberto had told him about the enemy,
he was careful how he exposed himself, and at the first sign of anything
suspicious he ran to cover.
Thus the day passed away slowly. In vain he tried to make out some of
the warships far out at sea. To his naked eye they were but specks on
that ceaseless tide which glared like molten lead in the fierce rays of
the sun.
On the following night the youth underwent a curious experience. He had
just thrown himself down to rest when, without warning, the cave was
filled with a light that was dazzling. Thinking a fire must have
suddenly descended upon him, he leaped up, when, as silently as it had
come, the light disappeared.
"Now, what in the world does that mean?" he asked himself, and started
for the cave opening, when, swish! the light came back, almost blinding
him. Then he understood it all.
"It's a searchlight from one of our ships!" he cried, half aloud. "If
only they could see me and take me on board!" He watched for the light
to reappear, but it never showed itself again, being trained upon Morro
Castle and the entrance to Santiago Harbor.
On the third day in the cave Walter's stock of provisions gave out. No
one had come near him, and the loneliness of his situation was
maddening.
"I can't stand this any longer," he mused. "I must get out, if only to
hunt for something to eat."
Fortunately for him, Gilberto had left him a pistol and several rounds
of cartridges. To be sure, the weapon was an old-fashioned affair, but
it was better than nothing, and soon the youth was out in the woods to
the rear of the rocks trying to scare up something to shoot.
The woods had been well ransacked by both Spaniards and Cubans, but
several hours' hunt yielded two birds, besides some half-ripe plantains
and some nuts. Walter was about to return to the cave to cook the birds
when from a distance he heard loud shouting, and presently came the
rapid discharge of firearms.
"A battle of some kind is on," he thought, and ran to where he had
discovered an ox-cart trail. He had scarcely reached the shelter of a
clump of bushes, when a detachment of Cubans, closely followed by two
companies of Spanish cavalrymen, rushed past, both parties firing as
they moved.
"This is getting hot," thought the youth, and started to retreat, when
he heard more soldiers coming from the direction of the cave. As there
now seemed no help for it, he crossed the trail and plunged along a side
path, leading eastward,--a trail running directly to Guantanamo.
Walter felt that the best thing to be done was to put distance between
himself and his enemies, and he did not stop running until several miles
had been covered. He had, meanwhile, crossed one small mountain stream,
and now he found himself on the bank of another. There was no bridge,
and the watercourse looked rather dangerous to ford.
"I might as well follow the bank down to the ocean," he reasoned. "But I
must have something to eat first." And finding a secluded nook, he built
a tiny fire and broiled his two little birds, both of which made hardly
a meal. Then, obtaining the purest drink possible from the river, he
continued his journey.
By nightfall Walter had covered many miles, yet no ocean came to view,
and now he felt that he must be lost in the wilds of the island. As this
conclusion forced itself home to him he smiled grimly.
"Lost in Cuba, and I came down here to help man a gun on the
_Brooklyn_," he muttered. "Was there ever such a turning-around before!
I wonder what I had best do next."
This was not an easy question to answer. It was already dark under the
thick trees, and to spend the night in such a spot was not pleasant to
contemplate.
At last he came to a clearing. Here he was about to settle down, under
the shelter of a small cliff of rocks, when something appeared that
caused him to yell with all the strength of his lungs. It was a snake,
five feet long, and it advanced rapidly, hissing as it came.
Walter had met snakes before, harmless reptiles not half as big as the
present one. But he did not know but that this reptile might be
poisonous, and gaining the top of the rocks he blazed away with the
pistol, not once, but several times. The last shot hit the snake in the
tail, and away it darted, out of sight and into the river.
"Ugh! what a horrible creature!" he murmured, as he stood still,
watching for the possible reappearance of the reptile. "I wish I was out
of this. I'd give a year's wages to be safe on board of the _Brooklyn_
once more."
The words had just left Walter's lips, when he heard a movement behind
him. Turning swiftly, he beheld a Spanish soldier gazing at him from a
distance of less than fifty feet. The soldier had his rifle, and now the
weapon was aimed at the boy's head.
"_Alto!_" came the Spanish command to halt. "_Americano!_"
Walter's surprise was complete, yet he kept his wits about him. As the
Spaniard raised his gun, the youth made a quick leap for the shelter of
a near-by tree.
Bang! went the Mauser, and the bullet clipped the tree bark. Then Walter
took aim, and trembling in spite of himself, pulled the trigger of his
pistol. The enemy was hit in the shoulder, and uttered a deep cry of
pain.
"If there are others with him I'm in for it now!" thought the boy, and
took to his heels along the bank of the watercourse. From behind came a
cry for help and another to arms, and in less than a minute a whole
company of Spaniards were in wild pursuit. A dozen shots rang out, but
Walter was not hit, and plunged on. But he was no match for his
pursuers, and they gradually drew closer and closer. Then the youth
stumbled and fell, and ere he could arise he found himself surrounded.