CHAPTER XXVON THE MARCH
The Japanese soldiers felt sure that both Gilbert and Ben had been crushed by the final sinking of the big tree, and they were much astonished to behold Ben crawling forth a minute later, dragging his chum with him.
“Are you hurt?” demanded the Japanese captain, as he ran up, for the danger from the monarch of the forest was now over.
“Only a few scratches,” was Ben’s answer.
“And your friend?”
“I—I—reckon I am all right,” gasped Gilbert, struggling to his feet. “But I don’t want to get quite so close to the lightning again.”
“No, nor I,” answered the captain, who had been just in front of Ben.
After this the whole party lost no time in making their way to the shelter of the rocks. At the best the protection here was not very good, but it was better than nothing, and nobody thought of complaining.
For fully an hour and a half the rain continued to come down in torrents until everybody was soaked to the skin. As it was warm, this was no great inconvenience so long as they kept out of the fierce wind which was blowing.
“It looks to me as if this storm was going to last all night,” said Ben, and his surmise proved correct. For a while the wind let up a little, but at midnight it came as hard as ever, with another burst of lightning that kept everybody from going to sleep. Making a fire was out of the question, and the soldiers, including the officers, had to eat their rations cold.
“There is no fun in being a soldier in such weather as this,” observed Gilbert, as he and Ben crouched under the shelter of a small overhanging rock. “It knocks the glory sky high.”
“Well, we’ve got to take the fat with the lean, as the saying goes, Gilbert. War was never meant to be a parlor play.”
“I wish our command would advance. I’m tired of lying around this vicinity.”
“So am I. But I reckon General Kuroki won’t advance until he gets support from the other armies in the field. He can’t face the whole of General Kuropatkin’s force alone.”
Towards daybreak the storm began to subside, and by sunrise only a few scattering drops camedown, while the wind died out entirely. The soldiers scurried around to get the driest wood they could find, and lost no time in preparing a hot breakfast, which was more than welcomed by all.
“You may say what you please, but a soldier can’t fight very well on an empty stomach,” came from Ben, while drinking his coffee.
“Sometimes soldiers fight better that way, Ben,” said Gilbert, with a faint smile. “We’ve done it, and more than once, too. But I didn’t like it.”
“What’s the next move, I wonder?”
“I fancy we had best get back into the lines where we belong.”
“I agree with you.”
The Japanese officer consulted with them, and not long after this they were traveling along a trail which took them directly into camp.
As soon as word reached headquarters that a number of Russians were in that vicinity, a strong detachment was sent forth to round them up. This brought on a fierce engagement, in which half a dozen were killed or seriously wounded on either side.
The young Americans were glad to take a rest after their numerous adventures. The army moved forward from day to day, but, strange to say, the Russians kept their distance, falling back from onepoint to another. The fighting was now largely in the neighborhood of Port Arthur and Dalny, and consequently the command that had crossed the Yalu so bravely had little to do.
Towards the middle of July the three Japanese armies were located in something like a great semicircle a hundred and fifty miles in length, with General Kuroki on the right flank, General Oku on the left, and General Nodzu occupying the center. It was Oku who had done the most fighting around Port Arthur. Now his army was divided, a portion remaining behind to besiege the city, and the rest traveling northward, along the line of the railroad. General Nodzu had landed at Taku-Shan, some miles below the mouth of the Yalu, and so far had defeated the Russians at Siu-Yen, compelling them to fall back in the direction of the railroad and An-Ping.
“This looks to me as if the Russians were going to concentrate at either Hai-Cheng or at Liao-Yang, on the railroad,” said Gilbert, when the news was brought in.
“More than likely it will be Liao-Yang,” answered Ben. “I’ve been told that the Russians have been fortifying that town for a long while, and have great quantities of supplies stored there.”
What Ben said about Liao-Yang was true. TheRussians were doing all in their power to make it a great stronghold, and had stored there immense amounts of supplies.
General Kuropatkin, the commander of the Russian army, now had at his command an army of about one hundred and thirty thousand men. The main portion was in the vicinity of Liao-Yang, with detachments as far south as Tashichiano, and as far north as Mukden, all along the all-important railroad.
Towards the end of July, Field Marshal Oyama, Commander-in-chief of all Japanese armies, arrived at Dalny, and at once took general charge of the operation of the war from the Japanese side. A general advance was ordered, both along the railroad and from the east and southeast, the object being not so much to drive General Kuropatkin back as to hem him in, and either annihilate his force, or compel his army to surrender.
The result of those movements brought our young Americans once more to the front. At one of the mountain passes they got into a fierce engagement lasting several hours. The losses to both the Russians and the Japanese were heavy, but luckily both Gilbert and Ben came out of the contest without serious injury.
Marching through the mountain passes in the hotweather was little pleasure, and when it rained the roads were sometimes nothing but a mass of water and mud.
“Bedad, but this is soakin’,” observed Dan Casey, who was now out of the hospital once more. A fine rain was falling and had been for several hours.
“How are you feeling, Dan?” questioned Gilbert, who was close by.
“Oh, I’m almost meself again, captain. But I had a close call. It was good of you to save me as ye did. I’ll not be after forgettin’ it.”
“I was glad to be of service to you. I don’t want to see any of my old friends go down and out in that fashion.”
“It’s an honor to you to say it. Many an officer would have passed me by,” answered the Irish sharpshooter feelingly.
The sharpshooters were close to the command to which Gilbert and Ben belonged. Just ahead was some artillery, doing its best to get through the mud which seemed to stick to the wheels like so much paste.
“Orders to help the artillery out,” said Gilbert presently, and one and another soldier took hold as best he could, some pushing and some hauling on long ropes. Gilbert and Ben were not above doing theirshare, the former helping at a wheel and the latter shoving at the back of a cart. In the meantime Casey and Carl Stummer got to work too, with a log by which to pry the sunken wheels out of the deepest of the mud.
It was hard, exhausting labor, with little of glory in it, but nobody complained. The artillery had to get to a certain Chinese village that night, and take its position on some hills before daybreak.
“This is the seamy side of soldier life,” said Ben, when there came a chance to talk.
“I dinks me it vos der muddy side, ain’t it?” came from Stummer. “Py der poots! but I neffer saf vorser mud py der Philippines!” And this caused a short laugh.
The artillery was attacked by some Russians at eight o’clock on the following day. A battery opened on the Japanese, and then a body of Cossack cavalry swept close to the village and up the hillside. But the Japanese gunners were on the alert, and though one gun was captured it was quickly retaken. Then the Russians received a cutting cross-fire, which made them retreat for several miles.
It was hard, exhausting labor, with little of glory in it.—Page238.
It was hard, exhausting labor, with little of glory in it.—Page238.
It was hard, exhausting labor, with little of glory in it.—Page238.
The following day came another skirmish for the infantry, on a side road where the briers were unusually thick. This was difficult ground to fight upon, and when the contest came to an end many ofthe soldiers found their trousers and leggings in tatters and their shoes full of holes.
“We’ll certainly look like ragpickers if this keeps on,” observed Ben that evening as he surveyed what was left of his uniform. “That was a thorny hill and no mistake.”
“Now you can play needlewoman,” cried Gilbert, with a smile. “Come, get to work.”
“I’m too lazy and tired, Gilbert. It’s so hot.”
“Then hire one of the boys to do it for you. Some of them are really expert at sewing.”
“A good idea,” was the reply, and soon Ben had struck a bargain with a private to have all his clothing mended, and also to have his shirt washed. Then Gilbert closed a similar contract.
“Wish I could hear from Larry,” said Ben, before turning in for the night. “I’d like to know where he is, and how the oldColumbiais making out.”
“Let us trust that she has escaped the Russian warships,” answered Gilbert.
“Yes, I hope that with all my heart. The Russians wouldn’t hesitate a minute to sink her with all her cargo, if they knew she was carrying Japanese war material.”