eir
disappointment.

Hardly had the Rough Riders settled in their new position than a storm
came up which proved to be the heaviest yet experienced during the
campaign. While Theodore Roosevelt was sleeping in his tent, the shelter
was blown down and away, and all of his personal effects were scattered
in the mud and wet. As best he could, he donned his clothing, saw to it
that his men were safe, and then betook himself to a kitchen tent,
where he finished the sleep of that night on a rude table recently taken
from an abandoned Spanish home in that vicinity.

"On that night it rained cats and dogs and hammer-handles," said one of
the soldiers afterward. "It was inky dark--darker than I have ever known
it to be anywhere on the plains. The water made a muddy pond of the
whole camp, and the trenches were half filled in no time. Everything was
blown helter-skelter by the furious wind, and some of our outfits we
never recovered. In the midst of the confusion some fellows reported
that the Spaniards were trying to break through our lines, but the
report was false,--the outsiders were starving Cubans who had come in
looking for shelter and something to eat. We gave them what we
could--which was precious little, for we had next to nothing
ourselves--and then got them to help us get things together again. One
of the Cubans was an old man, who could speak a little English. He said
he had lost two daughters and three grandchildren by starvation since
the war between Spain and Cuba had started. He himself was little more
than a skeleton."

That Theodore Roosevelt was warmhearted enough to look out for other
soldiers besides those of his own command is proven by what took place
on the day following the big storm. Next to the Rough Riders were
located a regiment of Illinois Volunteers. Because of the muddy roads
and swollen streams, they could get no rations, and scant as were their
own supplies, Colonel Roosevelt had the Rough Riders furnish them with
beans, coffee, and a few cases of hardtack, for which they were
extremely grateful. Later in the day the commander of the Rough Riders
also got to them part of a mule train of provisions.

The American position had been greatly strengthened, and many additional
troops were now at the front. It was felt that an advance upon Santiago
would surely result in victory, although the losses might be large. But
the Spaniards were no longer in a position to continue the struggle, and
on Jul