wn.

"Do you think all this is on account of the Philippines?" asked one.

"The Philippines? Not much. It would have come sooner or later anyhow.
The Japs want the whole Pacific to themselves. We wouldn't be here if it
were only for the Philippines."

"We wouldn't? It's on account of imperialism, then, is it?"

"Don't talk foolish. We know very well what the Japs want, imperialism
or no imperialism."

"Well, why are the papers always talking so much about imperialism?"

"They write from their own standpoint. Imperialism simply means that we
wish to rule wherever the Stars and Stripes are waving."

The colonel peeped into the adjacent cover. It was Sergeant Benting who
was speaking.

"Right you are, Benting," said the colonel, "imperialism is the desire
for power. Imperialism means looking at the world from a great altitude.
And the nation which is without it will never inherit the earth."

Then the colonel gave the order to fire at a house on the right side of
the street, in which a bursting shrapnel had just effected a breach and
out of which a detachment of infantry was seen to run.

Once again, just before twilight, the battle burst out on both sides
with tremendous fury. The whole valley was hidden in clouds of smoke and
dust, and flashes of fire and puffs of smoke flew up from the ground on
all sides. Then evening came and, bit by bit, it grew more quiet as one
battery after the other ceased firing. The shrill whistle of an engine
came from the mountain-pass. And now, from far away, the Japanese
bugle-call sounded through the silent starry night and was echoed softly
by the mountain-sides, warming the hearts of all who heard it:

[line of music]

_Chapter XIX_

THE ASSAULT ON HILGARD

It was three o'clock in the morning. Only from the left wing of Fowler's
Division was the booming of cannon occasionally heard. From the
mountain-pass above came the noise of passing trains, the clash of
colliding cars and the dull rumble of wheels. On the right all was
still.

A low whistle went through all the trenches! And then the regiments
intended for the assault on Hilgard crept slowly and carefully out of
the long furrows. The front ranks carried mattresses, straw-bags, planks
and sacks of earth to bridge the barbed wire barricades in case they
should not succeed in chopping down the posts to which the wires were
fastened. A few American batteries behind La Grande began firing. The
other side continu