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"The battalion halted a moment, faced to the front, and closed a little. "'Stay here, said General Niel; 'you are my only reserve! "Then the general, glancing in front of the farm, said to the major, after one or two minutes, 'Major, fix bayonets, sound the charge, and forward! "This last movement was still properly executed at the start, and for about one hundred yards of advance.
The homeward march being somewhat tardy, owing to the un-soldierlike behaviour of certain corporals, who, being gentlemen of sedentary pursuits in private life and excitable out of doors, broke several windows with their bayonets, and rendered it imperative on the commanding officer to deliver them over to a strong guard, with whom they fought at intervals as they came along, it was nine o'clock when the locksmith reached home.
From that day forward he durst no more come without guards to examine the dungeon. Two men always preceded him, with their bayonets fixed, and their pieces presented, behind whom he stood at the door. This was another fortunate incident, as I dreaded only his examination. The following anecdote will afford a specimen of this man's understanding.
They had to do a lot of play-acting, with half a dozen Marines pretending to guard her with fixed bayonets from some of Dave Questell's Navy construction men who had red bandannas on their heads to simulate combs before she got the idea. Then she was afraid to get into the contragravity lorry that was to carry the hoes and the wagon wheels.
"Of course" they frolicked and made merry until a late hour in the evening, when, in the midst of their hilarity, the door was burst open, and a sergeant and twelve grenadiers entered with fixed bayonets, and took the whole convivial party prisoners.
Together they set out, with their valises, to reach the city, one kilometer distant. But on arriving at the gate of the port the guards crossed their bayonets, commanding them to retire. Frightened, surprised, cowed with astonishment, they retired to deliberate; then, after having taken counsel one with the other, they came back cautiously to parley, giving their names.
It was a degraded, horrible, inglorious end to be caught by the heels after the real battle was lost; to die of fever in a cell; to be stabbed with bayonets on the wharf, and thrown to the carrion harbor- sharks. I swung around upon the Captain, and fought for my life as desperately as though I had a rope around my neck. "That man is a liar," I cried. "I was not in Amapala last night.
He purchased a little wheat from the Indians and ground it in a hand mill, to make some cakes, which were a treat. A few days later we were called up at night in order to load and fix bayonets, as Colonel Cooke had sent word that an attack might be expected from Colonel Fremont's men before day. They had been using all possible means to prejudice the Spaniards and Indians against us."
Schaefer's and Sill's brigades being without a cartridge, I directed them to fix bayonets for a charge, and await any attempt of the enemy to embarrass my retreat, while Roberts's brigade, offering such resistance as its small quantity of ammunition would permit, was pulled slowly in toward the Nashville pike.
With this force gathered to themselves by call for volunteers, allowed to choose their own officers, furnished with Colt's revolvers, or bayonets, or both, and led in advance, as a forlorn hope, with ladders to scale the barricades by, it is likely the enemy might have been driven out, and the cause of Regeneration set up once more. So, at least, it was thought by some.
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