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—THAPPYT DATS
There’s your chance, Be ready to grasp it,
Bright, and count on _me for assistance
whenever you need it, I give you my word
0 1b. .
“Tshall not forget it, sir,” said Phil, and
then he left the president's ofiice, convine-
ed that the man was either the biggest
scoundrel he had ever met, or that he him-
self was as unsuspicious as a child, andthe
was not at all sure which to believe,
[To BE CONTINUED.] - i
————
**HAPPY DAYS” IS THE ONLY LIVE
STORY PAPER PUBLISHED. ITS STO-
RIES ARE ALWAYS UP-TO-DATE.
(This story commenced in No, 200.)
Tom Taylor,
—— THE —
BOY WHO WORRIED BLANCO
R,
How He Won His Stars.
A Story of the Spanish-American War,
By H. K, SHACKLEFORD,
Author of “ Dewey's Cabin Boy,” “ The
‘Busy Bats,” “ From Printer_to Presi-
dent,” “A Wall Street ‘£Lamb,’”
“ Lucky Luke.” ete, ete, ete,
“Told on,” said the general, “let me see
those documents,” and he reached out his
hand to the officer who promptly handed
him the package, which he in turn handed
over to Tom, saying:
“Tt is but right that you should exam-
ine them,-senor,”
‘Tom proceeded to open the package and
carefully examine all the papers found
within it,
“They are all here,” he said some ten
minutes later; “‘so you_are at liberty to
return to your command, general.”
La Vaga bowed haughtily, turned away
and walked off with the Upanish ollicer
bearing the flag of truce, whilst Tom and
his companions returned to his own line,
“e onel,” said Mariano, grasping the
hand of the young American, *‘ lcongratu-
late you on being the only man who ever
got the best of Blanco.”
“Thank you,” said Tom, shaking his
hand warmly; “I think T've kept_ my
ronise made to him the day before I left
Iavana, which was that I would return to
Cuba and worry him some, -
“ J think you have succeeded remarkably
well,” assented Julio Mariano, ‘‘but y
may look out from this hour, as I think he
will send ten thousand men against us
with all possible dispatch.’
“Oh, Lexpect that !” laughed Tom, “but
he will find me very much like the Irish-
man’s flea,”
“The Irishman’s flea?”
“Yes,” laughed Tom. ‘The [rishman
tried In vain to catch a flea, and each time
he put his thumb down he thought he had
him, but the nimble flea was not there.”
“‘Oh, Isee ;” laughed the colonel, ‘* Very
good ! Very good !”
Q
a
CHAPTER XIX.
TOM MAKES SOME DARING MOVES TILAT
PUZZLES FRIEND AND FOE ALIKE,
Tu appearance of the flag of truce on
the battletield caused quite a sensation in
the ranks of the victors, as they had the
impression that the Spanish were offering
to surrender
“What does tt mean, colonel I" Lieuten-
ant-Colonel Gresham askeé of Tom. .
“We can soon find out,” was the reply,
as he fastened his handkerchief to the
point of his sword and advanced to meet
the Spanish flag of truce, accompanied by
Colonel Julio Mariano,
Ina very few minutes the two parties
met, when Tom asked:
* What do you wish?”
“T have a letter from the captain-general
for Senor Taylor, together with some doc-
uments to be delivered in exchange for
General La Vaga.” -
“Oh, indeed I’. said Tom; “I suppose
you also had instructions not to deliver
the letter until after the fight?”
“You havenothing to do with my in-
structions, senor,” replied the officer,
“* Very true,’ assented Tom, “ but I hope
you will do me the favor to report to the
captain-general that I fully understand
the matter. Your instructfons were to
deliver the documents in case his forces
failed to recapture the general.”
“yy are mistaken, senor,” was the
evasive reply. .
“1 think not,” replied Tom. “Kindly
let me see the documents that I may know
they are all returned.” -
You cannot have them, senor, until the
general is exchanged for them,”
“Do you think you are dealing with a
Spaniard, sir?” Tom asked, indignantly.
*“No, senor. If I were would hand
them to you with the compliments of the
captain-general.”
“Very well,” said Tom. ‘I refuse to
make the exchange tntil I first examine
the documents, I will send for the gen-
eral, however, that you may examine him
at the same time ;” and he wheeled around
and beckoned to one of his officers to ap-
proach, who immediately responded, and
received an order to bring General La Vaga
forward. .
The captain immediately went back, to
return a little later accompanied by the
prisoner. The Spanish ofticer who bore
the flag of truce recognized the general,
and saluted him,
“General,” said Tom, turning to the
prisoner, ‘* Blanco has sent a letter to me
stating that the bearer of this flag of truce
has the documents for which you are to be
exchanged ; but I refuse to make the ex-
change until I have first examined the doc-
uments to see that they are all there.”
The general bowed acquiescence, after
which Tom turned to the Spanish officer
and held out his hand for the documents,
“My instructions are that they are not
to be delivered until General La Vaga is
placed in my hands in exchange for them;
nothing was said about submitting them
to your inspection.”
“Very well,” said Tom, “ there will ve no
exchange, then. You may return to your
line and report to the captain-general that
I will not exchange the general until 1
know what I am receiving for him,” and
with that he turned and ordered the guard
to conduct the prisoner back to his quar-
TS,
“ As nearly all our men are mounted we
can very easily evade a superior force, at-
tack the enemy at unexpected points, and
cut off any detachments sent out from the
main body. We can remain here, how-
ever, and devote a few days to perfecting
the organization of the force.”
““Yes,” assented the colonel, ‘the men
must be trained in marksmanship as well
as in lessons of obedience to orders.”
fhe dead. who fell in the fight were
promptly buried and the wounded looked
after, after which several days were spent
in drilling the force, to which service at
least six hours per day were devoted,
It made the Cubans very tired, but their
confidence in the young American held
them together in the hope that greater
victories were yet to be won.
Upwards of one hundred mounted men
were kept in the saddle day and night
scouting in every direction, from within a
few miles of Havana and all along the
front of the trocha to a distance of twenty
miles, They were also sent out in the
direction of the coast to watch the move-
ments of the coastguard.
Ny a week elapsed, during which
time Tom spent many hours daily with the
beautiful Cuban whose heart he had won,
Every day she rode along the lines with
him, arousing the greatest enthusiasm by
her presence, for they had all heard how
she wasinthe very thickest of the fight
at the Mendoca sugar plantation.
At the end of the week scouts brought
the news that General Pando with two
brigades, one of which was La Vaga's, had
set out from Havana to crush him, ‘Tom’s
numerous scouts kept him thoroughly
posted as to the movements of the enemy,
and he soon learned@-that a regiment of
y way of
‘We will look after that cavalry,” said
Tom to Colonel Julio Mariano, and that
night he made a forced march of twenty
miles, and attacked the Spanish cavalry
at daylight.
The Spaniards were under the impres-
sion that they were dealing witha mere
company of bushwhackers; but ina very
few minutes found themselves confronted
py an equal force with six pieces of artil-
ery. .
One of the fiercest fights of the war en-
sued, which lasted nearly one hour, b:
which time nearly one-half of the cavalr
had been killed, wounded and captured.
The rest retreated along the main road
back to Mariel.
About one hundred and fifty horses were
captured, together with nearly three hun-
dred Mausers, which enabled Tom to
mount and arm all those of his force not
already supplied. .
“Now for Mariel,” said Tom to Colonel
ariano, .
“What!” gasped the colonel. ‘The en-
emy is fortified there.”
““T know that well enough,” said Tom,
“but if we make a demonstration against
it, we will force Pando to either turn
back to Ilavana, or a to the rescue of the
Spaniards in Mariel.”
“But,” said the Cuban, “‘we may
caught between the forces in Mariel and
Pando’s army.” .
“That's just what I wish to have them
attempt,” sald Tom, ‘‘as our very safety
lies in the audacity of our movements,
There are two roads Jeading out from
e| ‘You see he has
to head us off on both roads, and in so
doing will have to divide his force. If he
does so I think we can whip one of his di-
visions with the greatest ease.”
“But he has two brigades,” protested
Mariano; “you-surely would not attack
such a force as that.” - .
“Yes, [ would, if I can finda sufficiently
good position.”
The colonel shook his head, protesting
that it was too dangerous to attempt,
“JT fear you are becoming over-con-
fident,” said he, “and may lose all at a
single blow.”
**Colonel,” said Tom, “all the experience
that I've had asa military man has
during the past month, but I have been a
close student of military operations, I
have found in reading of the campaigns of
great military men that those leaders who
did things which the enemy did not expect
them to do generally succeeded. Noman
could make Pando believe that we would
dare do such a thing, hence we would
catch him utterly unprepared for a fight on
is line of march. If he does not divide
his force we can find it out through our
scouts, and easily take the other road, If
he does divide his strength we can fall un-
expectedly on one wing, and crush it be-
fore assistance can reach it.”
“But,” persisted the colonel, ‘‘ we have
less than one thousand men, and will have
to meet three thousand.”
“That's all right,” laughed Tom.
“That's only three to one, aud we have met
such odds before.”
Both the Marianos protested against the
move, but as al e American officers
approved of it, Tom ordered the advance.
CHAPTER. XX. |,
PANDO'S DEFEAT,
As they approached Mariel they found
that the Spaniards had built some breast-
works to defend the road about two miles
out from the town, where they had planted
a battery of four pieces with three hun-
dred men.
Some three hundred yards to the left of
the road was an abrupt hill thickly
wooded, Tom sent three companies 0
riflemen up there, with instructions to
open on the enemy, thus enfilading their
right, with instructions to pick off every
man at the guns. Then he sent three
hundred more around on the left, whilst
he opened in front with the battery, sup-
orted by the filibusters and one com-
pany of Cubans, :
It was a short, sharp fight, and inside of
thirty minutes the Spaniards attempted
to retreat, taking their battery with them,
but the sharpshooters closed’in on them
right and left, making it so hot for them
they had to abandon their pieces and re-
treat in the wildest disorder into the
town, leaving nearly half their force on
the field, :
Tom himself was the first man over the
breastworks, followed by the Americans,
and found a large supply of ammunition
for artillery and small arms, together with
rations enough to last his entire command
thirty days,
The enthusiasm of the Cubans was so
great that they became almost unmanage-
able, and it was only by the greatest ex-
ertion of their officers that they were held
together in anything like good order,
They wanted to pursue the enemy into the
town with their machetes, but Tom well
knew thatall along the water front were
strong fortifications which could not b
taken, even though he might attack them
in the rear, :
“We will stop right here,” he said to
his officers, “and provide ways and means
to carry these rations with us while wait-
ing to hear from our scouts who are watch-
ing Pando. The enemy in Mariel will
stand to their guns, but will not dare
come out to meet us,”
He moved up to within sight of the
towny where he planted the Cuban and
American flags in sight of the garrison,
whose guns were planted to defend an at.
tack by sea. There he encamped for the
night, in order to give his men a chance to
rest before resuming operations,
uring the night people came aut of the
town with reports that the enemy was in
a state of demoralization, but ‘had two
thousand men well intrenched waiting for
the attack. Before midnight scouts re-
t d with the report that Pando was
hurrying to the relief of Mariel along both
ads,
La Vaga’s brigade was coming up on th
right next to the trocha, whilst. ands
himself “was advancing along th
which led from-the village where he ex-
pected to find Tom when he left Havana,
“There!” said Tom, triumphantly, to the
two Marianos, when he heard the report,
divided his army, and
now wwe have a chance to lock horns with
e
m.
Still, both the old man and Colonel Julio
protested against the move, advising him
to retreat back by the road through which
Mariel, and Pando will be puzzled as to
No,” said T
which one we will take; he may attempt | pieces of artillery
he had just come,
- * No, Tom; ‘fwe now have ten
y and if we advance rap.
idly to meet him half way, we will catch
him unprepared.”
“He has artillery, too,” said one of the
scouts; “a battery of four pieces.”
*" “Glad to hear it,” assented ‘Tom; “may-
be we'll get them, If we retreat the moral
effect will be bad for the cause of Cuba;
a quick and hard blow is what we must
ve,
The two Marianos were utterly astound-
ed at his daring, but, as all the American
officers were unanimous in approval of his
plan, they could do nothing in oppositien.
At daylight the order to march was
given, and a strong force of mounted men
went on in advance, followed by the ten
pieces of artillery, The road was one of
the best in Cuba, running through one of
the finest tobacco regions on the island.
The country was gently rolling, inter-
spersed by streams, wooded hills, and, in
some places, level plains of several miles in
extent. ~ . .
After advancing a dozen miles or so they
reached a spot where the road ran between
a ruined sugar cane field on the right and
tobacco fields on the left, piercing a dense
wood on the north side,
“We will stop here,” said Tom, ‘and
makeastand in the edge of this timber, by
planting five pieces of artillery on each side
of the road concealed by the bushes, The
enemy will then be in our front in the open
fields, more than a mile in extent, If he
does -not become aware of our presence
here we can utterly ruin him in a few min-
“Tt is a good position,” assented old
Colonel Mariano, as he looked over the
ground 5 ‘‘perhaps the best that we can
find,”
The force was very quickly placed In
position, while the scouts were instructed
to keep out of sight of ‘the enemy alto-
rr - ‘
Some two or three hours passed before
the enemy appeared, thus affording the in-
surgents a good rest for the impending con-
ict.
Then the head of the Spanish column
was seen advancing, while their scouts
passed on up the road within fifty yards
of the insurgents, who did not molest
them,
- When within one hundred yards of the
timber, the ten pieces of artillery opened
on them as they
abreast along the road.
was a most complete surprise, and the
slaughter of the gnemy at such close range
was frightful. The head of the column
was hurled back upon those behind, creat-
ing an indescribable confusion.. Nota sin-
gle regiment deployed in line of battle, on
account of the withering fire from artil-
lery and rifles and the confusion and dis-
order into which the first volley had
thrown them,
So accurate was the fire of the Cubans,
and particularly of the Americans, that
Pando himself believed his assailants num-
bered five times as many as they really
did. Tom pelted them with shells from
the batteries with appalling rapidity, and
ina few minutes the enemy began falling
back in great disorder,
t was then that the order to charge was
given, and as the line advanced they kept
to the right and left so as to leave room for
the shells to get at the enemy,
Presently the ten pieces were advanced,
dashing up to within a hundred yards of
the enemy, where they were again unlim-
bered to resume their deadly work,
It was at that moment the regiment of
paniards in the rear, whose line had not
been broken, presented a bold front in order
to enable the other two to reform behind it.
They were ordere¢é to charge the battery,
while et the same time their own battery
of four pieces was brought into position,
and began exchanging shells with ‘Tom's
2 :
Then ensued one of the hottest fights
that had ever taken place on Cuban soil.
Whatever may be said of the Spanish
soldier, his courage cannot be questioned.
Ile obeys orders in the face of certain
death, and on that day he fell by hundreds
in the charge upon ‘om Tay lor’s batteries.
‘The filibusters to a man were dead-shots,
and that fact alone saved the day. Prob:
ably not one of them threw away a shot. ,
It was more than flesh and blood could
stand, Within an hourafter the first shot
was fired the Spaniards broke and fled,
our pieces, They might have saved the
other three had not their horses been
killed. As it was,
dragged away by hand.
It was a glori
force had been
dred wounded,
ever, in killed and wounded amounted to
nearly five hundred. Very few prisoners
were captured,
As a result of the fight Pando’s entire
force filtered through the woods to the
trocha, where they reported that a large
army of Americans fad landed on the
killed, with nearly a hun-
.
,
were marching four
saving only one gun of their battery of ;
the one piece saved was °
é ous victory, but dearly :
bought, for upwards of thirty-five of Tom's , -
The enemy's loss, how: |
coast and was pushing towards Ilavana, °
which city was thrown almost into a panic .