it is sweet to die for one's country."

This regiment was one of the first to land in Cuba, and took a
prominent part in the attack on El Caney. Its position during this
fight, for many hours, was within a few hundred paces of the famous
"stone block-house," in a sunken road, and was suffering heavily.

Along about two o'clock in the afternoon matters began to look
blue--even a general officer who had fought in many hard battles of the
Civil War, and spent the best years of his life combating the Indians
on the frontier, was overheard to mutter to his adjutant that he was
"afraid we've bitten off more'n we can chew."

There was not a cheerful face to be seen. Men with grinding teeth
were soberly looking Death in the face. Sir Orthodox was burrowing
his face into Mother Earth in a wild effort to shield himself from
Mauser bullets. A German corporal was doing the same thing about
fifty feet further down the road.

As the corporal, better known as "Dutch," was burrowing his face
in the mud, an idea struck him, and, like all Teutons, he must
make it known. He raised his head and looked up and down the line
of prostrate soldiers till his eye fell on the flattened figure of
the minister. In a voice that could be heard the full length of the
regiment, he bleated out: "Say, dere, Sky Pilots, id aind so schveet
to died for vonce countries, aind id?"

The effect was magical. Amid this scene of carnage and death a wild
yell of merriment went up that brought courage to many weakening
hearts, and Caney had fallen before the men had ceased to laugh at
the joke on the preacher.

THE MULE THAT SOUNDED THE CHARGE.

He was a Colonel with enough dignity to rule the universe, but he
knew no more about music than a pig does of navigation. With his
regiment he was slipping up on a Filipino town at night. It was
purely a clandestine movement--orders were given in whispered tones
by tiptoeing orderlies. The men were holding their bayonet scabbards
against their legs to obviate screeching and rattling, and every
effort was made to minimize the sounds of a marching body of men.

The Colonel with the battalion on the right had arrived within charging
distance of the insurgent trenches. It was the pre-arranged plan for
all the companies to arrive on this line before the general advance
would be made. When all were ready, the charge would be sounded by
the Colonel's bugler.

The battalion with the Colonel was all ready for the bl