There was no excited talk indulged in. None
of the buzz of preparation nor the hum of anticipation which to the
civilian mind should precede a desperate battle, but three or four
members of the detachment took out their soldiers' hand-books and
wrote in them their last will and testament, requesting their
commander to witness the same and act as executor. The courage evinced
by these men was not of that brutal order which ignores danger, but of
the moral quality which, fully realizing that somebody must get hurt,
quietly resolves to face whatever may happen in the performance of the
full measure of duty.
At four o'clock the guard aroused the members of the detachment
quietly, and each man found a good hearty breakfast waiting for him,
consisting of hardtack, coffee, condensed milk, sugar, bacon, canned
roast beef, and some canned fruit, which had been obtained somehow and
was opened upon this occasion. It was the last square meal they were
to have for several days. At half past four the camp equipage had all
been packed upon the guns in such a manner as not to interfere with
their instantly getting into action, and the battery started for the
front.
The road to El Poso was very good and the mules trotted merrily along,
preceded and followed by infantry also bound for the front.
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