Trooper Tales — page 34: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

26 The Recruit in the Black Cavalry. high. Sadie stumbled and was the first man who landed in the upper pit. “Ugh!” grunted the black recruit. “Ah mos’ cert’ny am punctahed at de present time. Ah wondah ef dose fool Spaniards am acquaintanced ob de fac’ dat dey can’t kill dis a-niggah. . . . Ah is dun agwine to sit heah till de boys am in de block-house up yondah.” The above came in choking fragments. The troop commander had seen the rescue of the corporal and the plunge of the black recruit into the higher trench. For some reason he swore. It was not a loud oath. The dust which stuck in his throat would not permit that. And that night from the top of San Juan Hill many American soldiers, white and black, but Americans all, saw the lights of Santiago shining down in the valley. And all night long the Red Cross men kicked about the trenches with lanterns. They found the black recruit sitting in one of the high- est pits. His blue army shirt was wet and gory. A car- bine rested across his knees. The barrel was cold now. Sadie was asleep. The Red Cross men thrust the lantern into the face of the black recruit. He opened his eyes, squinted hard at the light, and muttered: “Wheah’s mah lil’ game chickum ?” The troop commander stood at the bunk of the black recruit in the temporary hospital just outside of Santiago. By the way, the city no longer sported the wrong flag. comichooks (S@)