f every
other American soldier.

We were run almost to exhaustion and were awfully hot. I drank water
that day from ditches and holes when the water looked green and tasted
very badly. I knew the water was filthy and even dangerous to drink, but
I was not going to die for water when there was plenty of it near by.
During the heat of the battle I was lying down near an old soldier. We
were both trying to get cover. We were fighting hard with no protection
but the ridges in a large rice field which we were fighting over. Our
firing line was in a line of skirmishers. A bullet hit the ground in
front and between the old soldier and where I lay. It knocked dirt in
our faces. The old soldier looked at me and appeared to be very much
frightened. I only laughed at his funny looks. Before I got away from
that position I felt a hard shock on my chest. I thought that I was shot
at last and put my hand up to examine the wound. Finding myself all
right I looked at the ridge and saw what it all meant. A bullet was
buried in the ridge. I dug it out with my bayonet and kept it, and I
have it yet as a souvenir of that day's battle. I have several more
bullets which struck near me at different times and places. All of
these I treasure, for I do not expect to get any more bullets just as I
did these.

The American loss at Maricana was twenty-four killed and nineteen
wounded.

CHAPTER VII.

After leaving the battlefield we returned to the camp we had left that
morning. The whole force was almost exhausted by the day's service and
marching was a slow, burdensome task. A great many men lost their
provisions in the battle or in crossing the river. Mine was lost in the
river together with my mess kit, canteen and haversack. Those who were
fortunate enough not to lose their rations of canned beef and hard tack
were enjoying a hasty meal. At this juncture orders from Manila were to
march to Caloocan Church that night, a distance of about twenty-three
miles. It was then getting late in the evening and this march to be made
before camping was not very pleasant news to already footsore and tired
soldiers. Before marching out of sight of our camp men began falling
out. I marched about half an hour and had to fall out of ranks and
straggle along as best I could. My company set out for Caloocan with one
hundred and twenty-eight men, only eighteen of whom marched through that
night. The others were scattered along the route, footsore and w