The Adventures of a Boy Reporter
by
Harry Steele Morrison
Part 2 out of 3
when this was done he took me out to a pasture lot and told me to pick
up all the boulders there. Well, I picked up boulders all day long,
and by evening my back and arms were so sore I could hardly move them.
I was too tired to eat supper, and was soon asleep in bed. When my
father awoke me at four the next morning, I told him to let me alone
and that I was going back to school. After that I was content to stay
in school, and said nothing more about leaving until I had finished
the course and was ready to go to college."
And Archie thought it very queer that such a famous man should have
had such experiences when a boy. He remained in the drawing-room for
more than an hour, and when he left he felt perfectly sure that he had
been talking with the most charming man in the world.
The train sped on and on, and when daylight came the next morning they
were passing through Northern Ohio. Early in the afternoon they
reached a great smoky metropolis, spread out for miles over the
plains. Archie knew that this must be Chicago, and he decided, as this
was Saturday, and the steamer wouldn't leave San Francisco until the
next Friday, that he would have time to remain here over Sunday. So he
left the train at the station in Pacific Avenue, and, Finding a hotel
near the station, he started out to see something of the city famous
for its dirt and for the World's Fair, two widely different things.
CHAPTER XIII.
SAN FRANCISCO-- THE TRANSPORT GONE-- WORKING HIS WAY TO HONOLULU BY
PEELING VEGETABLES ON A PACIFIC LINER-- THE CAPITAL OF HAWAII.
ARCHIE found Chicago to be so widely different from New York that
everything he saw was new and interesting to him. In the afternoon he
managed to see something of the congested business section of the
city, the tall office buildings, the great stores, and the famous
Board of Trade. It was all very fine, he thought, but still it wasn't
nearly so fascinating to him as New York had been on the first day he
visited it. "Chicago seems so very much like some great town," he
explained to the hotel clerk in the evening. "I feel as if I were not
in a great city at all, because there are not the evidences of a large
and wealthy population that we have everywhere in New York." Archie
spoke of New York as if he had lived there always, and found much to
criticise in Chicago. But toward evening he went up to Lincoln Park
and the beautiful North Shore, and he felt that there was nothing more
beautiful in New York than this magnificent park, and this handsome
Lake Shore Drive, with its great houses whose lawns reached down
almost to the lake itself. On the South Side of the city, too, he
found some handsome streets and residences, but there was always that
feeling of being in some rapidly growing town. It wasn't hard for
Archie to realise that there were older houses in his native town than
could be found anywhere in the great city of Chicago.
The greatest difference between Chicago and New York was to be noticed
in the evening. Instead of the brilliantly lighted thoroughfares of
upper Broadway and Twenty-third and Thirty-fourth Streets, he found
but one street in Chicago which was at all illuminated, and the
illuminations there were chiefly signs in front of dime museums. The
streets, too, were not so crowded, and Archie almost longed that he
could be back on Broadway, if only for a little while.
On Sunday he found Chicago to be a more noisy city than he had ever
been in before on that day, and he found that the people made good use
of their one weekly holiday. All places of amusement were open, and
everything was running in "full blast."
The parks seemed to be very popular, indeed, and there were numerous
water excursions upon Lake Michigan, to Milwaukee, St. Joe, and
various other neighbouring cities. The street-cars were crowded all
day long, many of them taking people to a Sunday game of baseball at
the Athletic Park. All of this was very interesting and very new to
Archie, but it didn't make him anxious to remain in Chicago any longer
than Monday morning, so on that day he took the limited train for the
Pacific Coast, for he had determined not to stop off again until he
reached Denver.
Days of weary travel over a level, uninteresting stretch of ground
followed the departure of the train from Chicago, and had not Archie
found some interesting persons to talk with he would have been very
weary long before reaching Denver. As it was, he managed to pass the
time very pleasantly until the train entered Colorado, and after that
he found much that was new to look at until he reached Denver. Here he
remained for half a day, just long enough to see something of the city
and a little of the neighbouring country. Then, taking a train for San
Francisco, he reached that city on Thursday afternoon, and immediately
began to make arrangements for sailing. He found, to his great
disappointment, that the army transport had sailed the previous day,
contrary to the expectations of the editors, and of the War Department
itself, until the arrival of important despatches from Manila, which
made it necessary to start the transport at once with supplies of
ammunition. Archie hardly knew what to do. He had not anticipated
anything like this, and could scarcely think of any plan for a time,
but, finally, he proved himself equal to the emergency. He went to the
naval agent and asked him when the transport would be due at Honolulu,
and then he ascertained that a passenger steamer sailing for that port
on Saturday would reach the destination three days sooner than the
transport, so that by taking the liner he would have three extra days
in Honolulu, and would be able to reach Manila on schedule time, after
all. He at once decided that this was the thing for him to do, and as
soon as he thought of taking the steamer it occurred to him that he
might possibly be able to work his way to Honolulu, instead of paying
the regular passenger fare, which he knew was high. So he went down to
the great docks, and, after interviewing the second steward, he
approached the chief steward himself, and asked if there wasn't
something that he could do aboard the ship to earn his passage. The
chief steward was thoughtful for a time, and finally said, "Well, yes,
I believe there is. We haven't any one to peel vegetables yet, and if
you think you care to do that work I guess we can fix you up all
right." Archie didn't wait to consider whether peeling vegetables was
hard work or not. He was too glad to have a position of any kind
aboard ship to be particular about what his work was like, so he told
the steward that he was willing to take the place. "Well, be on hand
at about eight in the morning, and we'll see that you get to
Honolulu."
Archie was overjoyed at his good management. "I am going to save about
a hundred dollars," he said to himself, "and I will have this money to
send home to mother." The rest of the afternoon and the evening he
spent in going about San Francisco, and he found it to be more like
New York than any city he had yet seen. There was the same
cosmopolitan crowd on the main thoroughfares, and the same foreign
districts here and there throughout the city. He found a great deal to
interest him, especially at the Presidio, where everything connected
with the army monopolised his attention. He made friends with many of
the soldiers who were waiting to be sent to the Philippines, and
hoped, on leaving, that he would meet some of them there, but he
hardly expected that he would meet some of them in such a strange
manner as it was his fate to do in Luzon.
After a good night's rest he was on hand early at the great steamer,
where there was such a scene of bustle and confusion as he had never
seen before, not even in New York. There was a throng of men with
trucks who were loading the late freight, and there was a constant din
of noisy voices, which, combined with the shrieks of escaping steam,
made it impossible to carry on a conversation. Archie hurried aboard
to find the steward, who immediately took him into the galley and
introduced him to the cook, a large, fat Frenchman, with small, blue
eyes set far back in his head. He seemed to be a pleasant man, and
Archie thought that he would like him very much.
"Well, does ze youngster vant to vork, eh! Eef he do, I say you pare
zis potate for dinee as quick you can." And the fellow pointed to a
great bag of potatoes and a paring-knife. "Now you sit zere in da
corner," continued the cook, "and keep out uf my vay." Archie found a
stool and sat down, and, having brought an apron with him, he put it
on and began work. The cook watched him closely, so that Archie soon
learned to pare the potatoes very nicely, and of course he was able to
get along faster and faster as he became more and more experienced. He
managed, through great effort, to get the bag finished in time for
dinner, or luncheon, as it was called on the bill of fare, and then he
soon had to begin on other vegetables, which were to be served at the
more complete evening meal. There were more potatoes, and some turnips
and apples as well, to be prepared, and it kept the boy busy all the
afternoon, cleaning as hard as he could, and never seeming to get
done. The cook urged him always to hurry, and seemed determined to
have everything ready on time. And Archie began to realise that he was
working under a rather severe master.
He was again successful in getting the vegetables finished in time for
the evening meal, and then he had an idea that he might be allowed to
rest for awhile, but he soon realised his mistake. He was advised to
begin work on the potatoes for breakfast if he didn't want to get up
at two o'clock in the morning and pare them, so once more he took up
the knife and began to clean and scrape. It was ten o'clock before he
had finished, and he found himself too tired to spend any time on the
after-deck with the crew, but went at once down into the small, stuffy
room where he was to sleep with some of the stewards. His back ached
from bending over, and his hands were all sore from being scraped.
Things were not very pleasant in this bedroom, but poor Archie was
glad enough to be able to lie down on the hard straw tick and go to
sleep. He slept soundly until he was awakened at four o'clock in the
morning by the second cook, who ordered him up-stairs to work. There
was no time to wash, and no place where he could wash, so the boy was
obliged to go up just as he was, much as he disliked doing so. And
once up-stairs there were various chores which were waiting for him in
the galley, so that he was kept running until breakfast was served.
And then it was time to begin paring vegetables again. This turned out
to be the invariable daily programme, and Archie became rather
discouraged. Had it not been for the thought that by doing this he was
saving money to send home, he would have been miserable indeed, but
this idea kept him hopeful. He was seasick, too, for a time, and was
obliged to keep cleaning vegetables in the galley during the whole
period of his suffering. The days when he was ill in this way were the
most disagreeable ones of the voyage, and Archie often described
afterward his feelings as he sat peeling potatoes with a bucket
standing beside him. Each night he slept like a log, and each morning
he was obliged to get up at four o'clock and start work again. It was
the same thing day after day, tiresome and monotonous, so that Archie
wasn't sorry when the beautiful island hove in sight, and they
anchored in the picturesque bay of Honolulu.
Once at Honolulu, Archie's term of service on board the liner was
over, and he was glad, indeed, to get ashore, where he learned that
the transport had not yet arrived, but was expected in two or three
days' time. These two or three days Archie determined to spend in
sightseeing, and he spent his time to excellent advantage in visiting
every quarter of Honolulu and seeing every side of life in the
Hawaiian capital. He found it a delightful place. There was much that
was interesting to see, the people were pleasant to meet, and the
climate was perfect. He was almost sorry when he learned that the
transport had anchored in the bay!
CHAPTER XIV.
THE VOYAGE ON THE TRANSPORT-- A STORM AT SEA-- ARRIVAL IN MANILA.
THE transport did not remain long at Honolulu, and before leaving
Archie had several things which he wanted to do. In the first place,
he felt that he ought to write the story of his experiences so far,
and send it to Mr. Van Bunting; so he did sit down and describe in
detail his experiences at cleaning vegetables on board the Pacific
liner. He wasn't sure whether this was anything that Mr. Van Bunting
would care to print, but he decided to send it on, anyhow. He would
have been surprised had he observed the enthusiasm with which this
letter was read in the Enterprise office a month later. He would have
been no longer in any doubt as to whether it was anything worth
printing had he read the Enterprise of the following day, when the
letter appeared on the second page as one of the chief features of the
paper.
Before leaving, too, Archie sent a long, cheerful letter home, saying
nothing of his being seasick on board the liner, or of his having had
to work so hard. He devoted his letter to telling of the many
interesting things he had seen, and of his bright prospects for
becoming a successful newspaper man. He wrote a shorter letter to Jack
Sullivan, which was intended to be read to all the members of the Hut
Club, for Archie felt that it was no more than right that they should
know something of his success. He found it very hard to realise, away
off here in Honolulu, that he had ever been a member of the club, and
that he had ever lived in tents behind the barn. He felt very manly
now, and his boyhood seemed far away behind him, so far away that he
now felt like a man of twenty-five rather than like a boy of eighteen.
He was beginning to realise that age is not always governed by years
alone, but that experience does much to make one old.
As soon as the transport had anchored in the bay, Archie went aboard
to present his credentials to the commanding officer. He found the
general very pleasant to meet, and a very appreciative listener as he
told of his scheme for overtaking the transport. The officer was
surprised, of course, that such a young fellow should be going to the
islands as correspondent, but the things he said were very encouraging
to Archie, "I tell you what," the general remarked, at one time during
the conversation, "I believe that a young fellow like Dunn, here, can
find out a great many more interesting things than an older man could
ever discover. You see the youngster has ambition and energy on his
side, and ambition and energy are two mighty powerful things when
they're combined. I'd hate to buck up against 'em myself." The other
officers agreed with the general in this remark, and Archie began to
feel that, after all, he might not have such a hard time finding
interesting things to write about as he had expected.
The transport remained in port but one day, and in thirty hours after
her arrival Archie found himself sailing again over the blue Pacific.
The weather, for a few days, was almost perfect. A cloudless sky
overhead, a warm breeze from the west, and a smooth sea made things
very pleasant aboard ship, and Archie began to realise that there are
times when it is delightful to be at sea. The vessel was very much
overcrowded with troops, and the sleeping quarters were but little
more pleasant than aboard the liner. Archie shared a stateroom with
three sergeants, and they managed to have a lively time during the
voyage. They played games, told stories, and slept in the afternoons,
but all this, of course, grew rather tiresome after a time, and the
voyage was becoming monotonous, when there came a severe storm which
kept things moving for three days.
None of the navigating officers had expected a gale, so that when it
came every one was taken wholly by surprise, and it came so suddenly
that there was no time at all for preparation. The sky became quickly
dark one afternoon about three o'clock, and soon the whole horizon was
a mass of great black clouds, which every moment seemed to come lower
and lower until they directly overhung the ship. There was great
excitement aboard the ship. Officers hurried here and there shouting
orders to their men, and the cavalrymen rushed about in a frenzy of
haste, trying to devise means to save their horses, most of which were
stabled upon the deck. Archie looked on in breathless interest, and
was surprised to find that he wasn't at all frightened. He even found
himself making mental notes of the scene, so that he could send the
story of it all to Mr. Van Bunting when he reached Manila.
There was but little time for rushing about, and it was soon evident
that the horses would many of them be lost, because there seemed to be
absolutely no way of saving them if the waves were high enough to
break over the bulwarks. The storm soon broke in great fury, beginning
with a fierce wind which swept the waves before it. There was but
little rain, and the waves rose higher and higher with every minute,
until the heavy ship began to roll and pitch in a frightful way, so
that the soldiers began to think, some of them, that she would
certainly sink. Finally the waves were so high they dashed themselves
over the decks, and no one was allowed above the gangways. The cries
of the poor horses, as they felt themselves being washed overboard,
were frightful to hear, and many a trooper cried himself as he thought
of his horse foundering in the raging sea without. Before many minutes
all was as dark as night, though the watch pointed to but four
o'clock, and all lights were burning below deck. It was impossible to
keep a light above, for no lantern could burn in such a storm.
The waves began gradually to subside at ten o'clock at night, and a
slow steady rain came, which soon calmed the sea to a great extent. As
soon as it was safe to go above deck, it was found that more than a
hundred horses had been lost overboard, and that one mast had been
carried away. Down below nearly every man was in his bunk, for there
was scarcely a person who was not seasick, and most of them wouldn't
have cared if the ship had gone down with all aboard, such was their
feeling of despondency. Archie was as sick as any of the others, but
was able to make notes of occurrences just the same. And when he grew
better the next day, he wrote an excellent account of the storm to
send to the Enterprise on his arrival in Manila.
After this rough weather experience, every man aboard was anxious to
reach port, and when, after many more days, the Bay of Cavité was
reached, a great cheer went up from a thousand throats, for everyone
was overjoyed at the sight of land.
The transport came to anchor off the forts which had once been
Spain's, and it was announced that no one would be allowed to land for
two days, until advices could be had from Manila and the interior of
the island. This was very trying for Archie, being obliged to sit on
deck for two whole days, looking at a shore which seemed very
inviting, in spite of the general dilapidated appearance of the
various buildings and docks. Everything looked different from anything
he had seen before, and the boy felt that he could hardly wait to be
allowed to explore some of those streets which were so narrow, and
those houses which were built in such a peculiar fashion.
Finally, the permission came for the troops to land, and Archie
received the permission of the general to remain with them as long as
he wanted to do so. And as he had no other plans, the young
correspondent decided that it would be a good plan for him to stay
right with one of these regiments, for the time being at any rate. He
knew that they would be likely to be sent to the front immediately,
and the front seemed the place for him to be.
And then he was already acquainted with many of the men, and with the
colonel, and he realised that this would be an advantage to him in his
work. So he made his plans to keep with them.
First they went to Manila, where they remained for a week. The quaint
old city was a veritable fairy-land of wonders to Archie, who had
never before been in a city so ancient, and here there were so many
unusual things to be seen. There seemed to be absolutely no end to the
winding streets, delightful old houses, and interesting churches, and
the boy spent many days in exploring every corner of the island
capital. The colonel warned him several times that he must look out
for robbers and other suspicious characters, but Archie laughed at his
fears. But the colonel was right, as he found later on.
CHAPTER XV.
ARCHIE STARTS OUT ON AN EXPLORING TOUR AND HAS SOME STRANGE ADVENTURES
AMONG THE NATIVES-- SEIZED BY THE REBELS.
THE days passed very quickly in Manila. the regiment was quartered in
an old palace which had once been used as a residence by the Spanish
governors of the islands, and Archie remained in the palace with them.
There was very little to do while they were there. Each morning there
were anxious inquiries for news from the front, but there was always
the same discouraging reply that no trace had yet been found of the
fleeing Aguinaldo. The men were gradually becoming disheartened at the
long wait, and there were frequent statements by the officers that
Aguinaldo would soon be caught if they were sent out after him. The
dissatisfaction with the general in command grew stronger every day,
and at last things reached a point where there was very little loyalty
and patriotism displayed among the troops.
The drilling was continued, however, by order of the colonel, and
every morning the troops marched out to a public square near the
palace, and went through the same old manoeuvres which they had
practised for months past. And it was harder for them to drill each
week. At first they were willing enough to work, for there was then
some prospect of their being able to use their knowledge in a fight,
but now it was beginning to seem that they would simply remain in this
old palace for a few months longer, and then go back again to San
Francisco. With this opinion in their hearts, it is not to be wondered
at that most of the men became slouchy and careless in their manners
and dress, or that even the officers themselves became disgusted at
the long wait for marching orders.
Things had been going on in this way for a long time, when Archie made
up his mind that it was time he was hustling about and finding
something to write about which would be interesting to readers of the
Enterprise. He had sent two articles describing his life with the
soldiers in the old palace, but he knew that he ought to find
something more exciting, and more like his first articles. So, after
much thought, he decided that a good plan would be for him to take a
little trip into the interior of the island, to see whether he could
find any traces of the insurgents. The colonel had held all along for
a month, now, that the Filipinos were probably all about Manila, and
still he couldn't get the permission of the general in command to go
out and investigate the matter. The colonel figured that it would be
an easy thing for the insurgents to come as near to the city as they
cared to now, for Lawton and Wheeler were far away in the interior
after Aguinaldo, and the troops in Manila were quietly drilling, and
eating, and sleeping, with no thought of doing anything else. This
line of argument seemed very reasonable to Archie, and he volunteered
to go out and see if he could make any discoveries. The colonel
assured him that he would be in no danger, even if he were caught by
the rebels, for they would never suspect a boy of Archie's age and
size of being a spy. So the lad felt no fear at all, and made what few
preparations there were to be made before starting. He secured a
knapsack from the commissary officer, and in this he placed what few
belongings he wanted to take with him, together with his note-books
and some provisions for the trip. Then he secured a small pistol,
which he carried in his hip pocket, and he was disappointed because
the colonel would not allow him to carry a rifle. And when he had
everything ready he said good-bye to his friends in the regiment, and
departed from the palace amid a multitude of cheers. At the last
moment the colonel tried to dissuade him from starting, for fear he
might meet with some accident, but Archie was determined to make the
attempt.
It was his plan not to go farther than fifty miles in the interior,
for he thought that if he found no traces of the rebels in that
distance there would be little use in going farther into the forest,
for, it would be almost impossible to find them there. So he set out
gaily upon his trip of exploration, and Archie couldn't remember when
he had been so happy before, save on that day when he first visited
the office of the Enterprise. This adventure was exciting enough to
please the wildest boy in America, and Archie could imagine how
envious the other boys would be if they could but know the trip he was
having. It had an official air to it, too, for had not the colonel
been most anxious, in the beginning, that he should go, and did he not
say that he would reward him handsomely if he were successful in
locating any of the insurgents, or in proving that he had been right
when he said they were near Manila? It was all as perfect an adventure
as Archie could have imagined. He could not have planned a better one
if he had been able to select any trip he could think of.
He planned that it would take him at least three days to walk fifty
miles, and perhaps longer, for the roads were not very good in some
places. He knew that he would find many villages and towns along the
way, too, for the island was thinly settled in this neighbourhood. So
if he were obliged to rest, he would never be at a loss for a place to
get a bed. Archie couldn't help thinking, as he walked along the road
outside Manila, this first morning, that he might find a body of the
insurgents in possession of one of these towns. They were very bold,
he had heard, and they probably knew that there were no American
troops anywhere in the neighbourhood, outside the city of Manila
itself. And, knowing this, he knew they wouldn't hesitate to camp at
the very gates of the city, for they were marvellously successful in
getting away into the interior whenever an American force made its
appearance.
As he thought of this possibility, Archie couldn't help being a little
fearful of what might happen to him should he fall into the hands of
the insurgents, and he began to wonder if he had not been a little
foolhardy, after all, in starting off on such a wild-goose chase. "But
I will have something new to send Mr. Van Bunting about the interior
towns," he said to himself, "and if I am captured, why, I will have a
great deal to write about when I am released." This thought made the
lad happy again, and he trudged along the road with as much vim and
energy as he had displayed during those weary days when he was walking
to New York to make his fortune. And it was a much more interesting
country in which to walk than the New York State counties had been.
The vegetation was rich and luxuriant everywhere, palm-trees, vines,
and flowers growing in profusion all along the road. In every
dooryard, in front of every hut, there grew what seemed to Archie a
veritable fairy bower of the most richly coloured flowers in
existence. And they were growing, apparently, without cultivation. He
had seen nothing like them before, even in California, and he longed
to pluck some of them to send home, if they had only been wax instead
of nature's blossoms. As it was, he kept his arms filled with them for
awhile, but after a time he grew tired carrying them, and was obliged
to drop them by the roadside.
The country looked as if it might have been very prosperous at one
time. There were plantations laid out in excellent fashion, and the
soil seemed rich and fertile. But instead of growing crops, and
storehouses filled with spices and coffee, there was desolation
everywhere, and it was easy to see that the Spaniards had determined
to leave but little behind them for the Yankees. Every other farmhouse
and wayside hut was deserted, their occupants having gone, apparently,
to join Aguinaldo, and the whole country, outside the towns, seemed to
be wholly deserted and left to grow up in weeds and tangled vines.
The sun was warm, the sky was a perfect blue, and it seemed a
delightful day in every way. But it made Archie sad to walk through a
district which had been made so desolate, and he hadn't walked many
hours before he wished that he might soon reach a town, where he could
find some life, and where he could remain overnight. For by the middle
of the afternoon he was tired walking, and made up his mind that
fifteen miles was enough for any one to do in one day. But he was
obliged to keep on walking for two hours longer before he reached a
village, and the great sun was just sinking behind the blue hills in
the distance when he entered the one main village street, which was
long and narrow, winding in and out among the cabins and huts, as if
it had been laid out after the houses were built, for the convenience
of the people. It was a poor excuse for a public thoroughfare. There
had probably been a pavement of some sort at one time, but now the
street was a mass of rubbish of every sort, straw, dust, old bricks,
and bits of stone being thrown together in every rut, so that it was
exceedingly difficult to walk along with any comfort.
There was no life visible in the settlement. Almost every hut had its
shades drawn at the windows, and there was absolutely no one to be
seen in the street. As he passed down the road, Archie could catch
occasional glimpses of black eyes staring at him through a lattice, or
he could hear some muttered word as he walked close to a window. From
these signs he knew that he was observed, and he felt very much
embarrassed as he continued his walk down this deserted lane, for he
felt instinctively now that hundreds of eyes were watching his every
movement.
Finally, he came to the public square, and he sat down here to look
about him. From general appearances, he judged this to be a town of
some two thousand inhabitants, for there was a very respectable
administration building, and a good-sized church. There were but two
streets of any consequence, the one by which he had entered the town,
and another running at right angles in the opposite direction. In this
latter street, as he stood in the square, he noticed a three-story
structure with a sign outside, and he decided to go there and make
inquiries as to where he might be able to secure a lodging for the
night. It looked as if it might be an inn of some sort, or at least a
store, so he walked rapidly up to the entrance and knocked twice upon
the door. This place, in spite of its sign, looked more deserted and
shut-up than any other building he had yet seen in the town, and he
wondered whether he would receive any answer to his knocks. It was
indeed a long time before he heard a sound within, but at last there
was some muttering inside, the door flew open, and Archie found
himself in the arms of three Filipinos, who threw him upon the floor
and bound him, hands and feet. It was all so sudden that he had no
time to cry out, and before he could say anything at all he was thrown
into a dark room, and the door shut behind him.
CHAPTER XVI.
A PLEASANT CAPTOR-- BRAVE BILL HICKSON ALLOWS ARCHIE TO ESCAPE-- FIRST
GLIMPSE OF AGUINALDO.
FOR a long time Archie lay still upon the floor, being unable to move
a muscle from the shock of his encounter with the men, and because he
was tightly bound with ropes. And then he at last went off to sleep,
feeling frightened because he was in the hands of strange men, and a
little satisfied, too, because he was the victim of some adventure
which might turn out in a very interesting way.
When he awoke, it was morning, and the light came into the room
through two small square windows, set high up in the wall. Archie
looked about the room with great curiosity, but found little there to
interest him. There was nothing to be seen but an old bed without
spring or mattress, and a rickety chair with but three legs, which
stood in one corner. The walls, he was surprised to observe, were
handsomely decorated with tapestries, and Archie at once made up his
mind that this had at one time been a private dwelling-house, and had
probably been owned by some rich Spaniard who kept a store on the
ground floor, and lived in these rooms. The insurgents had probably
driven the family out of the country and had taken possession of the
house, which they had stripped of everything useful, leaving the
tapestries and works of art behind them.
These suppositions were cut short by the entrance of a man who
appeared to be a half-breed, and who immediately began to speak to
Archie in broken English. The fellow had a pleasant face, and
presented a fairly good appearance, and Archie wondered how he could
have come to this place. "I suppose you have been wondering," said the
man, "why you have been thrown into this room, and it won't take me
long to explain things. You see this town belongs to us just now, and
we don't propose to have any Yankee spies around here to tell Otis of
our whereabouts. There ain't no troops in this town now, but there's
likely to be any minute, and we patriots was sent here to take
possession of things and arrange quarters for our army. Let me tell
you that the Filipino army will be in this town to-day, and if you
don't look sharp you'll be the first prisoner to be shot. Aguinaldo
isn't a man to deal easily with spies, and if he thought you was out
here for that purpose he'd have you riddled with bullets in a minute."
The man came up to Archie and began to undo the ropes. "I reckon I can
trust you free for awhile, for there's no use in your trying to get
away, with the Filipino army all around the town. Sit down there now,
and I'll see that you get some breakfast. You can tell, perhaps, that
I ain't no Filipino, nor never was one. I'm from Arizona, U. S. A.,
and I'm fightin' with these rebels for what there is in it just now.
I'm mighty curious to find out how you come to be out in these
diggin's, youngster."
Archie was willing enough to tell all about himself. He liked this
man, in spite of his being with the rebels, and he felt that he would
be able to make friends with him if he were careful to do so. And the
best plan seemed to be for him to tell all about himself, how he
happened to go to New York, and how he had been sent out here as a boy
correspondent for the Enterprise. The man from Arizona listened to the
recital with open mouth and eyes, and he frequently laughed outright
at some of the experiences Archie described. When the narrative was
finished, he seized Archie's hand, and said, "My name's Bill Hickson,
and you can count on me after this fer a friend, youngster. I'll swan
if I ever heard tell of sich nerve in my life. I'll see that you get
out of this scrape all right, but you must be careful to keep up
appearances of being under guard. I'm a big-bug in this Filipino
shack, but I wouldn't dare to let you out openly. So you jist kind of
lay around and look despondent, and depend on me to make things as
easy for you as I can. You kin come down-stairs now, if you like, and
I'll present you to my friends. There don't none of 'em speak no
English but me, and all I can do is to interduce you, and tell 'em
that you ain't no spy, and that you are very sorry you ever ran up
agin this here town. And I guess I'll be expressin' your sentiments
exactly, won't I?" Archie nodded, but in his heart he felt that he
wasn't sorry he had run up against the town. This Bill Hickson, in
himself, was a character worth going miles to meet, and if what he
said was true, Archie stood a good chance of seeing the notorious
Aguinaldo, with his army of Filipinos, before the day was over.
When he reached the lower floor, he found several men lounging about
in another poorly furnished room, and they were all similar in
appearance to the men he had seen at the door the night before. They
looked at him in an indifferent way, and didn't seem surprised that he
should be walking about without restraint. Bill Hickson stepped up to
some of them, and, after a few words in some language Archie didn't
understand, motioned for the boy to step up. He was told to shake
hands with "all the gents," and after he had done so he was offered a
cigar, and Archie began to realise that it was a very good thing that
he had a friend at the Filipino court. He thought, too, that if these
men were samples, Aguinaldo had a very poor lot of retainers, and
later on he perceived the real cause for the failure of the rebels to
do anything more than keep up a constant retreat. It was plain to see
that the followers of the rebel leader were "in it for what it was
worth." They had no difficulty, any of them, in getting enough to eat,
and often they had opportunities to enjoy themselves in great fashion
by taking possession of some Filipino village and ejecting the inmates
of some particularly fine house, with a well-stocked wine-cellar.
In looking out of the window Archie perceived that the town looked
very different this morning than when he saw it the evening before.
Instead of drawn blinds and shuttered windows, there was everywhere an
evident attempt at decoration in honour of the coming army. The
streets were crowded with a throng in holiday garb, and some of the
soldiers of the rebel army had already arrived, as they could be
easily distinguished by their ragged dress and ridiculous airs,
walking up and down the street. It was all such a scene as Archie had
never seen before, and would have made a great success as the scenario
for a comic opera. But as a welcome to an army, supposedly victorious,
it was a dismal failure, and Archie wondered what General Aguinaldo
would think when he entered the town and saw such shoddy patriotism
everywhere. He hadn't long to wait, however, before seeing the famous
rebel and the effect upon him of the celebration in his honour. It was
about ten o'clock in the morning when he rode into the public square,
followed by about two hundred ragged Filipinos, armed with all sorts
of guns and pistols. Archie saw the arrival from the roof of the
building which was his mock prison, and he could scarcely refrain from
laughing outright when he saw the boasted Filipino "army." It was the
poorest excuse for a body of troops that he could imagine.
Aguinaldo rode a fine bay horse, as did several of his followers, but
by far the majority of the regiment, if such it could be called, was
afoot, and most of them were barefooted, too. The rebel leader looked
very much like most of his pictures, with the exception that he had an
older look, and some gray hairs about the temples. He was attired in a
gaudy uniform of some sort, with epaulets and a Spanish general's hat,
and he carried himself with great dignity of manner. Dismounting from
his horse, he entered the administration building, where he held a
conference with the town officials, and probably made them pay over
whatever money was in the treasury "for the cause." He remained within
for two hours or more, and all this time Archie stood upon the roof
and watched the remarkable scene in the streets below. The troops had
scattered, and were engaged in robbing the housewives of whatever they
had in their houses to eat. And the women seemed willing to provide
them with whatever they could afford, and there was much enthusiasm
evident everywhere. But the celebration was very quiet, in spite of
the friendly reception, There were no bands of music, no cheering, and
no singing of battle-hymns. The whole affair reminded Archie of some
camp of a section of the famous Coxey army, when he had seen it long
ago. The soldiers were no better dressed than tramps, and there was
but little more discipline among them.
And the celebration and occupation of the town came to a sudden end.
While Archie stood upon the roof at noontime, he saw a runner enter
the administration building in great haste, and in a minute Aguinaldo
came hurrying down the steps. Then there was a great commotion in the
streets, and the two hundred followers of the chief were seen
assembled in the square, and before they were all there the general
was riding out of the town toward the interior of the island. There
was no noise, and the inhabitants stood about apparently speechless,
and wondering what had happened. Their reception had come to an
untimely end, and their hero had left them unceremoniously. Soon the
last of the straggling troops were out of the town, and just as Archie
was beginning to think of going down from the roof Bill Hickson stuck
his head up and gave him some astonishing news. "Stay where you're at,
young feller, till these fool Filipinos gits away from here. You saw
how they skedaddled, didn't ye? Well, Uncle Sam is comin' after 'em
with shot-guns, and old Aggy heard the news just in time. He is bound
for the jungle, about forty miles southeast, and he won't reach it
until to-morrow night, anyhow, and if the officers are quick they may
be able to catch him. Now you stay here, lad, and give 'em the news
when they git here. They'll thank you for it, and you may be the means
of gittin' this fool of an Aguinaldo captured. If you does, why, your
future's all right. And ye can tell the colonel, or whoever's in
command, that Bill Hickson is still with 'em, and that he's doin' his
best fer Uncle Sam, and tell 'em that Aggy has got about three
thousand troops altogether, but only about a thousand with him. Now,
good-bye, lad, and I hope I'll see ye again."
And Archie saw brave Bill Hickson get down from the roof. He brushed
some tears from his eyes as he realised that here was a brave soldier
doing good work for his country. A moment later he saw him running
across the square with four of the Filipinos, and waving his hat to
the "youngster" as he went. He followed him with his eyes as long as
he could, and then he sat down and made a solemn vow that Bill Hickson
should be named among the heroes of the war.
CHAPTER XVII.
ARRIVAL OF THE AMERICAN TROOPS-- ARCHIE THE HERO OF THE REGIMENT.
ARCHIE descended from the roof, and found everything below in a state
of wild disorder. The fleeing rebels had taken with them all they had
time to get together, but in their haste they had left behind many of
their most useful belongings. In a cupboard of the dining-room Archie
found a supply of food and wines sufficient to feed several people for
a week, so he supposed that it had been the intention of the occupants
of the house to remain for some days. The news that the Americans were
coming upset all their plans, however, and now, as often before, they
were obliged to flee before them, leaving behind most of their
creature comforts in the way of food and furniture.
"What a life they must be leading," thought Archie to himself, "going
from one place to another, constantly endeavouring to hide from the
Americans. Now in some town, now in the wilderness, and again
venturing as near as possible to the boundaries of Manila." And he
could scarcely help admiring their courage, or recklessness, rather,
in camping so near the head of the American government, where they
might expect to be caught in a trap at any moment. But Archie
realised, too, that such an army can get away in a very short time,
and he began to have serious doubts as to whether the Americans would
ever be able to capture Aguinaldo and his men. For knowing the islands
perfectly, and being able to get from one point to another in the
easiest and quickest way, the rebels have a great deal in their
favour.
Selecting some canned beef and some native bread and cheese, Archie
managed to make a very good meal for himself, though he ate hurriedly
for fear some of the rebels might return. As soon as he had finished
he returned to his position on the roof, for there he knew that he
would be safe in case the building was entered by the townspeople.
From his high perch he looked down into the streets, and was surprised
to find them as quiet and as much deserted as they had been the night
before. The news of the coming of the Americans had been effective in
quieting the enthusiasm of the morning, and all the townsfolk had
again entered their homes and put the shutters up before their
windows. One would have taken the place for a deserted village,
judging from appearances. But Archie knew that within the shuttered
windows and barred doors there were hundreds of people waiting
anxiously for the arrival of the American troops, and making ready to
come out, when required to do so, and again declare their allegiance
to the stars and stripes. The cowardly wretches were diplomatic enough
to be always on the side of the victorious. When the rebels occupied
the town they were loyal to them, and when the Americans came, as they
often did, they came out into the square and cheered loudly for Uncle
Sam. But of course the Americans knew very well that their sympathies
were with the rebels, and the rebels knew it, too, or they would never
have dared to venture so near Manila.
About five in the afternoon, there was a sound of many men marching
along the road, and in a little while Archie was able to see the
Americans coming down the street. It was a sight to cheer his heart
after all his experiences of the last day and night. The column was
marching at double-quick, and the handsome colonel rode a great gray
horse at the head of the regiment. Archie saw that they would reach
the square in two or three minutes, and, throwing discretion to the
winds, he descended from the roof, almost fell down the stairways in
his haste, and was soon running toward the administration building. He
mounted the great steps leading up to the portico, just as the colonel
rode into the square, and the expression of surprise on the faces of
all the men was funny to see. In a minute every hat was off, and the
regiment was giving "three cheers for the boy reporter," while the
colonel, rapidly dismounting, hurried up to speak with Archie.
"Why, how did you come here?" he demanded. "Haven't the rebels been
here, and how did you escape them? Which way did they go, and was
Aguinaldo with them? For pity's sake, say something."
Archie wasn't long explaining things, and his news was so explicit and
so valuable that the colonel grasped his hand and said, almost with
tears in his eyes, "God bless you, lad. You may have aided us to catch
the gang, and anyhow you've proved your bravery."
By this time the regiment was standing at ease, and all the men were
watching Archie and the colonel with great interest. Knowing that they
were all curious to learn how the lad happened to have escaped the
rebels, the good colonel made a short speech in which he explained
everything. He dwelt particularly upon the bravery of Bill Hickson,
and held him up as a model for all the men to follow. "And now three
cheers for Bill Hickson and our boy reporter again," he cried, when he
had finished, and they were given with a will by all the men.
The regimental officers held a short consultation, and it was decided,
on the strength of the news brought by Archie, to push on after the
rebels as fast as was possible. But it was now sunset, and there was
no use trying to go farther to-night, so it was agreed that the best
plan would be to give the men a good rest overnight, as they had made
the entire march from Manila since five o'clock in the morning. "They
will do all the better to-morrow for the rest," said the colonel.
Archie was valuable in being able to guide the officers to the
building where he had been confined, assuring them that they would
find everything needful there in the way of food, and a place to
sleep. Some of the soldiers were quartered in various houses of the
town, for the people had soon turned out into the street again, and
had expressed their friendship for their "masters," as they called
them. Archie could hardly refrain from laughing as he saw some of
those who in the morning had bowed down to Aguinaldo vowing
everlasting allegiance to our flag, and he assured the colonel that he
couldn't be too careful while in the town to guard against surprises.
"No one knows the beasts better than I do," was the answer. "I know
they can't be trusted."
Archie was invited to remain in the building with the officers, and
while they prepared and ate a lunch he busied himself in writing a
description of his last two days' experiences. He knew that a
messenger would soon start for Manila, and that a boat would leave
that city on the next day for Hong Kong, so be wanted to get his
narrative written in order to send it to Mr. Van Bunting at once. He
felt that he had some very interesting things to write about, for it
wasn't every correspondent who had seen Aguinaldo, and had been
captured by the rebel army. He knew that most of them were content to
remain in Manila, and send only what they could get from the general
in command, and that this description of the rebels would be something
new, at any rate. So he wrote it very carefully, and succeeded in
getting it ready in time to send, so that it would be in the office of
the Enterprise in less than a month. As he sat at the table writing,
Archie thought of the great changes which can take place in one's
surroundings in a few weeks. It seemed ages to him since the day when
he left home for the first time, and the experiences he had on his way
to New York seemed now to belong to the far-away period of his
boyhood. He was beginning to feel very old now, because he had been
through so much of late, and he could hardly realise that he was still
eighteen.
He wrote a short note to his mother at home, telling her not to worry,
and assuring her that he was in good health and in no danger whatever
of being captured by the rebels, for Archie felt quite safe after his
experience with the insurgent leaders. He knew that no one of their
prisoners was ever likely to come to a very bad end. They were far too
slipshod in their methods of holding prisoners. He was sorry not to be
able to send a longer letter home, but he knew that this note was much
better than sending nothing at all, and that it would make his mother
very happy to hear from him at all.
The officers, when Archie returned to the dining-room, if such it
could be called, were engaged in making a very good meal from the
provisions in the cupboard, and they thanked Archie warmly for leading
them to such a good place. "By Jove," said one of the captains, "we
sha'n't want to return to Manila at all, when we can get such grub as
this is outside." But the colonel assured them all that they needn't
expect to find such accommodations everywhere in the interior of the
country. "No doubt we'll all be living on plantains in a day or two,
if we don't catch that fox of an Aguinaldo. And I'm willin' to bet now
that we won't find him. That feller's too slick for us. He's proved it
many a time before."
"And to think that he was here only this morning! The nerve of him, to
come within twenty-five miles of Manila!" said another.
"I'll be mighty well satisfied if we can catch a few of his ragged
men," continued the colonel. "That will be something to have
accomplished, anyhow, and more than some other regiments have done,
when they were sent after him. He's the cutest feller I've heard of in
a long while. If it wasn't for Bill Hickson we'd never hear tell of
him, even. He could enter Manila, I believe, and go out again without
us ever knowin' it at all."
Archie was now called on to tell something of the rebel leader's
appearance, and how he had acted while in the town.
"I didn't see very much of him," said Archie, "because he spent most
of the morning with the big-bugs of the town, over in the
administration building. But when he rode into town on his horse he
looked mighty dignified, though he fell some in my estimation when I
saw him standing up. He looked rather dumpy then. He carried himself
with a lot of dignity, a little more than was becoming, I thought, and
he received the cheers of the people as a matter of course, and hardly
took the trouble to acknowledge them, even by a bow. The officers of
the town treated him with great deference, and I guess there's no
doubt but what the Filipinos look upon him as their leader."
"Oh, there's no doubt of that," said the colonel. "We've learned that
long ago. They stand up for him whenever he needs them, and they give
him all they've got to help carry on the war."
The meal finished, the officers smoked awhile, and then went to bed,
for they were to be up at four in the morning.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE MARCH AFTER THE REBELS-- THE FIRST BATTLE-- ARCHIE WOUNDED.
ARCHIE was awakened at four the next morning by the sound of the
bugle, and, hastily dressing, he hurried down-stairs to learn the
plans of the officers. He found that they were going to start on the
march as soon as the men had drunk their morning coffee, and Archie
immediately made preparations to go with them. The colonel looked on
in amazement. "Why are you packing your knapsack!" he asked. "You
surely don't think you're going with us? You never in the world can
stand this hard march in the hot sun."
"Oh, yes, I think I can," said Archie. "You see I have walked a great
deal in these last two months, and I don't think I will have any
difficulty in keeping up with the troops. And I do so want to see some
fighting, and to learn whether you capture Aguinaldo. You don't object
to my going, now, do you?"
"No," said the colonel. "If you think you can stand the marching, and
are so anxious to come, why, I suppose you can do so. But you mustn't
blame me if anything should happen to you."
Archie was ready enough to promise this, for he had no idea that he
would meet with an accident of any kind, and so he continued to pack
his things in the knapsack. The rebels had emptied everything in a
corner, and had evidently intended taking the knapsack with them when
they went; but they left so hurriedly they couldn't possibly think of
everything, and so had left it behind, much to Archie's relief, for he
would have been unable to secure another one anywhere outside Manila.
In a very short time the regiment gathered in the streets immediately
about the square, and soon the men were marching out of the town, much
to the gratification of the residents, who watched them from their
roofs and windows. Archie fell in at the head of the column, and found
no difficulty in keeping up with the soldiers near him, though they
were marching at a rapid rate.
The town limits were soon passed, and they swung into the white
country road, which presented the same scene of desolation which had
been everywhere visible to Archie on his way from Manila. The
farm-houses were nearly all deserted, and there was but little attempt
at cultivating the soil, which would have been productive enough had
it not been overgrown with tangled vines and weeds. And as they went
farther into the country the wilderness increased, until at last the
road itself was filled with growing vines, and the men had difficulty
in walking. Every little while some trooper would fall headlong,
tripped by some vine, and the others would laughingly help him up
before passing on. These little incidents did much to enliven the
march, which became monotonous after the first six or seven hours, and
Archie appreciated the mishaps very much until he took a few tumbles
himself. He was usually, much to the amusement of the officers,
marching at the very head of the regiment, and "setting the pace," he
said, so that he was more likely to trip than any of the others. He
was always the first to discover a snake in the road, too, and kept a
great stick with which to kill them. He seemed to have no fear of
them, but walked up to lay them out, and on one occasion the colonel
warned him just in time or he would certainly have been bitten by a
snake whose bite is certain death. This experience made him more
careful, but he still kept his place at the head of the regiment, and
came to be called the mascot by the men.
At noon the regiment halted at a grassy spot, where there were trees,
and made their dinners from their knapsacks. The officers warned them
to go carefully, or they would find themselves without provisions
before returning to Manila, for they had been so sure of catching the
rebels at the town behind that they had neglected to bring along many
supplies. Now, of course, they didn't know how long it would take them
to find them,-- two days at least, and probably longer.
Archie had stocked his knapsack with some food from the old
headquarters in the town, so that he felt safe for a few days, at any
rate. He ate carefully, however, and was careful not to waste
anything, for he realised that he might be called upon to aid some of
the soldiers before long,
Dinner over, the regiment marched on again, for the officers now began
to think that they had made a mistake in not pursuing the fleeing
rebels the night before. They met several Spaniards, who told them
that Aguinaldo had marched all night long without stopping, so that he
was now at least thirty-six hours ahead of them, and some of the men
began to be discouraged, saying that it was no use following him up
with such a small force. "Other regiments have tried to find him in
this way, and none of them have succeeded," said one of the privates
to Archie. "They keep us marching for three or four days, and finally
they decide to return to Manila, without having found any trace of the
rascal beyond hearing that he had passed this way or that."
The officers couldn't depend upon what the natives told them of
Aguinaldo's movements, for, almost without exception, they were in his
favour, and always lied to the Americans to try to throw them off the
track. It was due to this that they proceeded very cautiously, and
still, notwithstanding their extreme care, they found themselves, when
night came on this first day, in a small village where no one had seen
anything of the rebel army. There was no denying the fact that they
were off the trail, and the colonel stormed about in a terrible way
when he learned of their mistake. There was no use going back in the
dark to hunt for a trail they had mistaken in the daylight, so the
regiment remained in the village overnight. They were a lot of very
discouraged men, and the officers were enraged at the mistake, for
which there was no one but themselves to blame.
Early in the morning they retraced their way, and started off in an
opposite direction to the one taken yesterday. It seemed that this
must certainly be the path taken by the rebels, but the regiment
marched until nearly noon without seeing any signs of them. Then, when
they had halted for dinner, the colonel decided to let the men rest
while two companies were sent ahead to reconnoitre, and report as to
whether there were any signs of men having passed this way. He was
beginning to think that the whole affair would be a wild-goose chase,
and he decided that, if these companies found nothing, the whole
regiment would return to Manila forthwith, probably to be the
laughing-stock of the army there.
The remaining companies had nothing to do now but lay about on the
soft grass, and rest. They were encamped in a stretch of grassy loam
in the midst of what appeared to be a dense forest, and all about were
evidences of the great fertility of the soil. The vegetation was so
dense that one could scarcely see through it, and the glade was cool
and pleasant, though overhead the sun was shining as warm as ever. It
was a lovely oasis in a wilderness of undergrowth, and the men enjoyed
it to the utmost.
About three in the afternoon the sound of firing was heard in the
distance. First there was one shot, then another, and several more at
rapid intervals. Archie was one of the first to jump to his feet, but
in a second every man was at attention, with his musket in his hands.
The colonel listened closely for two minutes, and then the firing
began once more, and this time it seemed nearer. He hesitated no
longer, but gave the order to march ahead. "They've evidently found
the cowards at last," he muttered to Archie. "You stay here, where you
will be out of danger." But Archie was determined to do nothing of the
kind. He felt his pistol safe in his hip pocket, and when the
companies swung out of the forest and into the road he was marching in
his old place at the head of the column. Again the colonel ordered him
to remain behind, but Archie insisted that he would not, "Then go to
the rear," cried the colonel, angry for the moment. "I will not have
you shot down by a rebel sharpshooter the very first one." And Archie
knew that he would have to obey.
The column went ahead at double-quick, and finally broke into a steady
run. Every minute the noise of rifle-shots sounded nearer, and it
seemed probable that the two companies were retreating before the
insurgents. The men were wild to reach the scene of the firing, and
the officers had all they could do to keep them in line. All the time
they were running hardly a sound was heard save the noise of their
boots upon the soft earth, and they all knew that they could probably
take the insurgents by surprise.
Archie's heart was beating very hard as they drew nearer and nearer to
the scene. He felt that he was about to see his first fighting, and he
determined not to miss any part of it. So he gradually ran ahead until
finally he was almost at the head of the column again.
The troops made so little noise that the two companies, retreating
slowly, were upon them without knowing it. But when they discovered
that their comrades had come to their aid they set up such a cheering
as Archie had never heard before, and immediately faced about and went
ahead again. The rebels were about a quarter of a mile behind,
marching rapidly forward, and firing as they came. Some of them were
running among the trees at the roadside, firing incessantly, and
hitting some poor soldier almost every time they fired. They were the
famous sharpshooters, of whom the soldiers in Manila had heard so
much.
When the rebels observed that the Americans had received
reinforcements, they halted suddenly, and before they could turn about
the Yankees were almost upon them, firing volleys into them as they
came. Many of the insurgents fell in the roadway, and the others fled
wildly in every direction. Most of them entered the dense forest,
where the Americans captured nearly a hundred of them after the others
had surrendered, and some were such good runners that they escaped
down the roadway. The whole rebel army presented a scene of wild
confusion. Some of the men knelt and begged for mercy, and some cried
out in a horrible way as they saw the dreaded Yankees advancing. But
it was all over very soon. The prisoners were placed in line, and
marched back along the road, and the dead, of which there were about
fifty, were soon buried. Aguinaldo had escaped in the forest, and no
one suggested that he should be followed. All the officers knew that
such a course would be useless, and most of them were very well
satisfied with what had already been accomplished. The prisoners
numbered more than six hundred, and the dead a hundred more, while
there were about seventy-five wounded. So if what Bill Hickson said
were true, not more than two hundred insurgents could have escaped.
Among the seriously wounded was a man whom Archie recognised
immediately as one of his captors of two days previous, and while he
was looking over the bodies for the other men, he came suddenly to
brave Bill Hickson, lying face downward in the road. He almost
screamed with fear that he might be dead, and when one of the men
hurried up to him he told him who the man was. The colonel was soon on
hand, and it was found that the brave spy was not seriously wounded,
and would recover soon under proper treatment.
When the insurgent wounded were cared for, it was discovered that the
two companies sent out to reconnoitre had also suffered losses, and
when they marched back along the line of their retreat no less than
five dead and about twenty wounded were found. This sad news threw a
gloom over the entire regiment, and when they started back to Manila
they marched in quiet, and without rejoicing over their victory, which
had proved so costly.
Poor Archie, when they started to march, found, to his great disgust,
that he was so weak he couldn't walk far, and he thought this must be
due to the fright he had received. He was very angry with himself,
until the surgeon examined him and announced that he had a bullet in
his arm. And then Archie confessed that he had felt a stinging
sensation at one time during the firing, but had thought nothing of
it. Now his disgust was turned to great delight, for the idea of being
wounded in battle was glorious to his mind. "I'll bet I wounded more
than one insurgent," he told the surgeon, "for I discharged every
barrel of my revolver." The wound was not at all serious, but he was
told to be quiet for a few days. He was given one of the rebel horses
to ride back to Manila, and he felt like a real hero in many ways.
CHAPTER XIX.
RETURN TO MANILA-- IN THE HOSPITAL-- CONGRATULATED BY ALL-- WRITING TO
THE PAPER OF HIS EXPERIENCES.
IT took the regiment much longer to march back to Manila than it had
taken it to follow the rebels, for the wounded of both sides had to be
carried, and the arrangements for carrying them were very imperfect.
Fortunately, most of them were able to ride horses, and the officers
were successful in securing wagons enough to carry most of the others,
but there were about a dozen who could neither ride horses or lie in
wagons, but had to be carried on stretchers all the time. Of course
this was slow work, and the officers were glad enough when they
reached the town with the three-story building. Here they found things
very much as they had left them, two days before, save that the
inhabitants were more abject than ever to them, now that they had
captured most of the rebel force.
It wasn't an easy matter to find quarters for so many men, and some of
the Filipinos were obliged to camp in the public square overnight,
while the wounded and ill were given beds in the various houses of the
town. The inhabitants were required to furnish food, too, for the
Americans were entirely out of almost everything. They still had some
hardtack, but of meat and coffee there was none. The people of the
town pretended to be very glad to serve their "masters," but every one
knew that the natives would be only too glad of a chance to cut the
throat of every Yankee soldier.
The officers again occupied the old building which they had used
during their former stay, and Archie was invited to share it with
them, for they expected to rest in this town over the next day, before
proceeding to Manila. The men's uniforms and equipment generally
needed cleaning and repairing, and the colonel was anxious for them
all to appear as well as possible when they returned victorious to the
island capital. So the next day was spent in cleaning and washing, and
by evening most of the soldiers looked as if they had never left
Manila. Then came a surprise for every one, for into the town marched
a regiment of militia from Manila, sent out to see whether the first
regiment needed reinforcements. They set up a great cheer when they
learned that most of the rebel force had been captured, and the night
was spent in a celebration of the great event. A band was scraped up
in the town, the great hall of the administration building was thrown
open, and there was dancing and music until an early hour in the
morning. All the belles of the town turned out to welcome the
soldiers, hypocrites that they were, and they danced with their
enemies as readily as they would waltz with their own dear Filipinos.
Every one seemed to have a good time, and the soldiers went to bed
just in time to get three hours' sleep before starting for Manila in
the morning.
It was a great sight to see the two regiments, with the prisoners,
march out of the town at five the next morning. They made a fine
appearance in their well-brushed uniforms and bright equipment. The
townsfolk watched them out of sight, and then most likely cursed them
for a lot of vagabonds, but the soldiers didn't mind their curses.
They were all very happy at the prospect of getting back to Manila
again, and no one was more glad than Archie. He had somewhat recovered
from his wound now, and rode in his old place at the head of the
column, where he was the centre of interest to every one. The men
congratulated him on having proved such an excellent mascot, and he
laughed and talked with them until he was tired.
The outskirts of the city were reached about five in the afternoon,
and as they marched through the streets to headquarters a band of
music preceded them, playing popular and patriotic airs. The sidewalks
were crowded with people, and Archie felt happier than for a long
time, because every one was curious to know who that boy could be
riding at the head of the troops, alongside the colonel. He was known
to most of the other troops in Manila, and received many a cheer from
them as they saw his arm in a sling, and when they finally reached the
general's headquarters, he was honoured with a handshake and the
congratulations of the commander himself. This was the climax to a
very happy day, and Archie went to bed in his little old bunk feeling
that he was a very lucky boy for having been wounded in battle.
Of course the next few days were very busy ones for all the men, and
for Archie, too. He was obliged to tell, over and over, the story of
his experiences, and how he had managed to escape from the rebels when
they had him. This story always made the men roar with laughter, and
increased their already strong contempt for the Filipino army. He
told, too, about brave Bill Hickson, and that gentleman's cot was
always the centre of an admiring throng of visitors, who shook his
hand and told him how proud they were of what he had accomplished. And
all the poor hero could do was to smile feebly, for he was still too
ill to talk much.
Archie felt that he had almost volumes to write about his experiences
in battle, and he did send a very long account of this encounter to
Mr. Van Bunting. It was written in his boyish way, but one of the
officers who read it said that it was the best thing of its kind he
had ever read, so he wasn't at all backward about mailing it. All the
other newspaper correspondents in Manila were wishing they had gone
with the regiment and witnessed the battle, but they had stayed in
Manila, thinking that this would be like the other expeditions of the
kind, a mere wild-goose chase, which wouldn't amount to anything at
all. They were all very anxious to get the details of the affair from
Archie, but he was shrewd enough not to tell them anything of value.
And the other correspondent of the Enterprise in Manila insisted that
Archie should send a cable message describing the affair, as well as a
written account, and this he finally consented to do. The
correspondent added a long account of Archie's personal bravery, how
he had been wounded, and how he had ridden back to Manila at the head
of the column. Archie would have been very much embarrassed had he
known this, for he was still modest, but the first thing he knew of it
was from a letter he received a few weeks later from Mr. Van Bunting,
congratulating him on what he had accomplished, and telling him that
he had long since more than earned his six hundred dollars. But for
weeks he was ignorant that any one in New York knew of his being
wounded.
The days now began to pass as before in the camp at Manila. The wound
in Archie's arm was healing slowly, but he was hardly able to use that
member for a month or six weeks. Bill Hickson did not fare so well. He
lay for weeks on his cot in the hospital building, and was hardly
strong enough, for awhile, to talk. He was improving slowly, but the
doctors said it might be two months before he was able to walk about
and take his former active part in the campaign against the
insurgents. This enforced quiet was very trying to the brave man, and
Archie spent many hours reading to him, and telling of various things
he had learned at school and elsewhere. This constant companionship
served to strengthen their already close friendship, and it was soon
known among all the troops that Bill Hickson and the boy reporter were
inseparable. And every one who knew the story of their experiences
looked upon them as the two chief heroes of the war so far, because as
yet there had been few feats of bravery in the desultory campaigning
against the rebels. General Funston had swum the river, of course, but
many held that not even that feat compared with the bravery of Bill
Hickson in serving as a spy under Aguinaldo's very nose. The more
people heard about his experiences, the more remarkable they thought
him to be, until at last he was by far the most popular man in the
army at Manila.
Archie sent many interesting letters to Mr. Van Bunting, telling of
the adventures of the brave spy, and one day he received a cablegram
telling him to send at least one of these letters by every steamer,
for people had become interested in hearing about him. So for some
time Archie wrote about Bill Hickson rather than about himself, and
was glad of the opportunity to do so. He knew that if a letter were
published every week or two in the Enterprise Bill Hickson would soon
be famous, and this was something he was very anxious to accomplish.
He felt that no fame could be too great for such a man, and no praise
too strong.
The commanding general decided, about this time, to begin a more
active campaign against the insurgents. It was now the month of
December, and with the beginning of the new year he wanted to
inaugurate a series of attacks against them in every part of the
islands. He was beginning to feel the criticisms of the papers at
home, and of the newspaper men at Manila, and he felt that something
must be done immediately to retrieve his lost reputation for active
fighting. Every one, as soon as this announcement was made, wondered
what plan would be pursued to worry the rebels into submission, for it
was now generally agreed that the Americans would hardly be able to
capture the whole rebel army. It was too evident that they were
familiar with numerous hiding-places in the islands. The only thing to
do seemed to be to prevent their getting supplies, and to drive them
from one point to another, hoping that they would become discouraged
in the end and submit to the inevitable.
So far the campaigning had consisted chiefly of such expeditions as
that accompanied by Archie, and most of these had returned to Manila
without having even seen a rebel soldier. It was not surprising, then,
that the general was becoming discouraged, and that he was anxious to
try a new policy.
No one knew what the new plan would be until one day several cruisers
and gunboats made their appearance in the harbour. There had been no
war-ships at Manila for several weeks, and every one was surprised
that so many should arrive at once. There were rumours of a German
onslaught, and also gossip saying that Japan had decided to interfere,
but all these were set at naught when the general announced that the
war-ships were to be sent around the islands to bombard the rebel
villages, and to drive the rebel troops to the interior of the
islands, where it would be hard for them to receive supplies.
This news made Archie very happy, and a plan at once occurred to him.
Why shouldn't he and Bill Hickson be allowed aboard a cruiser? It
would be the best thing possible for their health, and he set about
getting the necessary permit from the admiral.
Bill Hickson was able to be about now, and he was overjoyed when
Archie said he thought they could arrange to go. "I'd like nothing
better than a voyage in the good salt air. I believe it will do me
more good than a month in the hospital," he said. Archie secured a
very strong letter from the general, and one day he stepped aboard the
flag-ship in the harbour. He had no difficulty in seeing the admiral,
and found him to be a very pleasant man to talk with. He read the
letter carefully, and then shook Archie cordially by the hand. "Yes,"
he said, "I've heard of you, and of your friend, too. Every one in
Hong Kong knows how you two together bearded old Aguinaldo in his den,
and robbed him of most of his troops. It did me good to read about it
in the New York papers, too, and to know that you are both getting
your just measure of credit for the achievement."
Archie blushed, and assured the admiral that he didn't do very much,
that it was all owing to Bill Hickson's bravery. "Oh, yes, I know,"
laughed the admiral, "you lay it to him, and he will most likely give
you the credit. I've seen your kind before. But I like you all the
better for your modesty, lad. Of course you and your friend can have a
berth aboard ship, and aboard the flag-ship, too, where I can see you
both very often. You can come aboard whenever you wish, and stay as
long as you like."
Archie could hardly thank the good officer for his kindness, and
hurried back to Manila. He found Bill Hickson waiting for him at the
wharf, and they rejoiced together over the good news.
CHAPTER XX.
AROUND THE ISLAND ON A WAR-SHIP-- BOMBARDING A FILIPINO TOWN.
IT was early one morning that Bill Hickson and Archie went aboard the
flag-ship, but all hands were on duty there, and the gallant cruiser
was raising anchor preparatory to sailing off on her errand of
pacification by means of shell and shot, The two newcomers were
assigned a pleasant stateroom where they would not be far from the
cabin of the admiral himself, and where they could step out of their
door upon the quarter-deck, and get all the fresh air they needed. It
was a very comfortable place, with two soft bunks, and every
convenience usually found aboard the fastest ocean liner. When the
fellows saw it first, they could hardly believe it could all be for
them, but the officer assured them that it had been given them by the
admiral's own orders. So there was nothing for them to do but accept
the kindness, and to settle themselves down to having just as pleasant
a time as possible during the coming weeks at sea.
It was generally understood that the cruiser was to make a complete
tour around the island of Luzon, investigating every suspicious port,
and shelling towns when such action proved necessary to convince the
rebels of Uncle Sam's superiority. The voyage was expected to occupy
nearly a month, for there was no reason for them to hurry, and the
admiral said he would like to take things easy.
Neither Hickson nor Archie had ever before been aboard a war-ship, and
they both found much to interest them during the first few days at
sea. Every movement of the crew, every action of the ship, was of
great moment to them, and they found no lack of entertainment in
examining the great guns and the equipment of the vessel in the way of
firearms and ammunition. Archie became much interested, too, in the
science of navigation, and spent much time with the captain on the
bridge, or with the pilot in the lookout, learning as much as possible
about how the movement of the vessel is controlled. Before long he had
mastered the rudiments of the art, and the captain told him that he
might some day make an excellent navigator if he continued to take as
much interest in the charts as he did now. And Archie told him that he
was determined to master as much as possible of the business during
the voyage. Before he returned to Manila he knew more about it all
than even the captain would believe he knew, and the knowledge was
very valuable to him in days to come.
The two visitors aboard took their meals at the officers' table, and
they kept the whole party interested for many days, with their stories
of the war in Luzon and of their very unusual adventures both at home
and in the Philippines. For it turned out that Bill Hickson had
visited almost every part of the United States, and had lived in all
sorts of places. He had been a cowboy in Texas, and a miner in the
Klondike, and he had also been a policeman in Chicago. He knew more
stories to tell than any other man at the table could think of, and he
told them in a way that was wholly charming.
Archie found that every one was very much interested in hearing about
his leaving home, and how he had happened to become a reporter on the
New York Enterprise. No one seemed to tire of listening to his stories
of his adventures in the great American city, and many of the officers
told him that they would give a good deal to have had his experiences
in life.
And so it wasn't long until the two chums were friendly with all on
board, and after awhile things went along as though Archie and Bill
had never lived elsewhere than aboard ship. There was nothing exciting
for nearly a week. The cruiser steamed slowly along the shore,
sometimes stopping entirely, while the officers levelled their glasses
upon the beach, to see whether there were any signs of the rebels
being there. Sometimes, if things looked suspicious, parties were sent
ashore to reconnoitre, but they seldom returned with news that would
encourage the admiral to investigate further. The days passed quietly,
and the two convalescents enjoyed themselves well enough. They were
both much improved already by the trip, and felt almost as well as
ever. They each had a steamer chair, and hour after hour they sat upon
the deck and watched the ever-changing panorama of the tropical shore.
Now the beach would descend slowly to the sea, and there would be
numerous palm-trees and luxuriant vegetation growing close within
view, but again there would be steep clips, which looked menacing to a
ship in the dark. But it was all beautiful, cliffs or sandy beach, and
Archie thought he had seldom passed such a wholly delightful week.
But, of course, it all became monotonous in time, and every one, even
the officers, longed for a change. The reconnoitring parties were sent
out more frequently now, and every one hoped each time that they would
return with news of the rebels, but they were always disappointed. The
admiral now determined to steam ahead more rapidly, so that they might
get around the western end of the island. It was evident that there
were no insurgents along this shore, and as there were no villages of
any consequence, either, he was anxious to reach the southern shore,
where it was known the rebels had recently been gathering. The towns,
too, were very numerous here on account of the excellent fishing, and
it was hoped that some good work might be accomplished for Uncle Sam
before another week passed.
Subsequent events soon proved the wisdom of the admiral's plan. The
cruiser, it seemed, had no sooner rounded the western point than signs
were visible of rebel activity ashore. It was one Tuesday morning that
a village was sighted, built around a narrow inlet of the sea. When
the binoculars were levelled upon this harmless-appearing settlement,
it was soon perceived by the admiral that there were soldiers in the
streets with the rebel uniform, and that the insurgent flag was flying
from the administration building in the village square. All this was
just what had been expected, and there was great rejoicing aboard the
cruiser. Every man, without exception, almost, was anxious to be one
of a party to be sent ashore to attack the rebels, but the admiral
hesitated before sending any one at all. "It is impossible to tell
from here," he said, "how numerous the rebels are, and it is quite
possible that they may have a large force of men in the village. If
the appearance of the streets is any sign, there must be quite a force
of them in the place." But every one laughed at the very idea of there
being a rebel company of any consequence in the place, and the admiral
was finally prevailed upon to send a boat ashore, armed with thirty
men.
"Remember," he said, "if you come to grief, that I advised against
this venture. Don't be too bold, or risk too much, for though I can
shell the place, that won't help you any, once you are captives."
But every one was anxious to be one of the party in the boat, and the
officers had a hard time making selections. "You can go, Archie,
because you're a correspondent," said the captain, "and you can go,
Mr. Hickson, because you're a brave man," and then he continued to
pick out men until the required number was secured. Of course there
were many disappointed ones left aboard the cruiser, but the captain
assured them that they might have their chance yet.
The boat was soon off, and it was noticed that there was great
excitement ashore as soon as the departure was observed. All the
inhabitants, it seemed, were gathered upon the beach, anxiously
awaiting developments. They seemed to be absolutely ignorant of what
the presence of a war-ship in their harbour meant, and were apparently
not at all anxious as to the outcome of this visit. One of the men
told Archie that they had probably never seen a war-ship before, and
that they wouldn't know a cannon at all. "But we'll let them know the
meaning of our presence," declared the sailor, "if they shoot at us."
The boat drew every minute nearer the shore, and it was soon perceived
that there were many soldiers among the crowd on the beach. Every one
thought it remarkable that they should be so quiet, but not one of the
natives made a move until the boat was within two hundred feet of the
shore. Then one of the rebel soldiers suddenly raised his rifle and
fired at the boat. The lieutenant in command stood up in the boat and
gave the order to return the fire, and a perfect volley of shot was
poured into the crowd, which immediately scattered in every direction.
The rebel soldiers, however, seemed determined to stand their ground,
and they were so numerous, and kept up such a steady fire, that it was
deemed best to return to the cruiser, which was signalling for this
action on their part. So the boat was turned about as quickly as
possible, and the sailors pulled for the cruiser, amid the derisive
yells of the Filipinos, who had gathered again upon the beach. The
rebel soldiers continued their firing, but were such poor marksmen
that but three of their shots took effect. One sailor was shot in the
arm, another in the side, and still another was shot in the leg as he
stood up to take aim at the rebels. None of these wounds, it was
afterward discovered, were at all serious, though they were enough to
arouse the anger of the entire crew.
When the boat reached the cruiser again, preparations were at once
begun for bombarding the town. The natives still stood upon the shore,
and it could be seen that they were immensely proud of their present
victory. It was amusing, then, to see the change in their behaviour
when the great six-inch gun of the cruiser belched forth a cloud of
fire and smoke, and a burning shell landed in the village street,
apparently just in front of the administration building, which was
soon afire. The poor natives fled in every direction, and the rebel
soldiers followed their noble example, and took to their heels, too.
Another shell followed the first, and soon several buildings were
burning in the village. The admiral watched developments carefully,
and finally he decided that they would be glad to surrender the
village if another boat was sent ashore.
Accordingly, the same boat started out again, with three new men in
place of those who were wounded, and for sake of effect the cruiser
steamed farther in toward shore. This time there were no crowds upon
the beach, and the thirty men marched to the burning buildings, where
the natives fell before them, begging for mercy. The soldiers were
nowhere to be seen, so the crew took possession of the town and slept
there, in company with thirty more sailors, that night.
CHAPTER XXI.
CONTINUING THE CRUISE-- ANOTHER VILLAGE CAPTURED-- THE ADMIRAL ARCHIE'S
FRIEND-- A GREAT BATTLE AND AN UNEXPECTED VICTORY-- LONGING TO BE HOME
AGAIN.
IT may go without saying that the sixty men from the cruiser had a
very interesting time before the night was over. The entire village
was in a constant uproar; the poor natives, horrified by what they had
witnessed during the afternoon, ran hither and thither, some even
leaving the place entirely and starting for the interior with their
goods and families. The rebel soldiers had evidently gone for good,
and a small party sent out to look for traces of them returned without
learning anything of their whereabouts. The bombardment of the village
had certainly had great effect.
It was only a tiny place, with possibly not more than a thousand
inhabitants, but there were evidences that it had been formerly a
flourishing town. There were fine residences in some of the streets,
which were now quite deserted, and there were some very respectable
business houses in the village square. All these had once been
occupied by Spanish traders, who had been driven away when the rebels
came, and if the insurgents had never come the town might now have
been a booming place. But the rebels were lazy, as usual, and did no
work, so that now the fine residences were vacant, and the business
blocks stood empty.
Some of the sailors looked about for a casino, where they might be
able to find entertainment of some kind for the evening, but every
place of amusement was closed, and the streets were deserted. Since
the occurrences of the afternoon all the people had locked themselves
into their houses, to await the departure of the Americans. But, even
though the casino was closed, the Yankees managed to have a good time.
They sang and danced and played the banjo until an early hour in the
morning, when they finally went to sleep, leaving only two for a night
watch, for there was no danger that the insurgents would return, after
their engagement, in which they had lost six men.
When morning came, some officers landed from the cruiser, and all the
villagers were summoned to the public square and made to swear
allegiance to the American flag.
In the afternoon the cruiser steamed away again on her errand of
forcible pacification, and more days of quiet watchfulness followed,
as the vessel steamed along near the shore. There were many small
villages along this coast, but all of them seemed peaceful and free of
insurgents. The captain even said that some of the people in them
probably didn't know that there had ever been a war between Spain and
the United States. Archie, who had enjoyed his experiences during the
occupation of the last village, now began to be impatient again at the
long quiet. The day when the cruiser bombarded the administration
building would be a memorable one to him, and the succeeding events
were just such as he had been longing to see for months. And then to
think that he had taken part in the occupation of the village. It was
all very wonderful, but very real, too, and for several days he took
much pains in writing an article for the paper describing the events
leading up to and including the capture of the village. And in the
narration Bill Hickson was an important character. He had again proved
himself a hero of the first water by insisting that the boat proceed
when the first attempt was made to land, and by being the first man
ashore when a landing was finally effected. He was a leader in
everything that was done. He marched at the head of the squad when
they marched through the streets of the village, calling all the
people to assemble in the public square, and be stood beside the
officers with his rifle handy when the ceremony of swearing allegiance
was gone through with. When it was all over he was called to the
admiral's cabin aboard the cruiser and congratulated for being so
brave and so ever-ready to lead in any dangerous undertaking; but Bill
Hickson simply blushed and said he hadn't done "anything worth
mentionin'." The men aboard thought differently, however, and he was
even a greater hero after this adventure than he had been before.
Archie, too, received the congratulations of the admiral. "You have
been a brave boy," he said, "and deserve much credit for showing so
little fear in the face of danger. I hope you will be rewarded upon
your return to New York for your bravery while with us here." Archie,
too, blushed, and said that he had no doubt that Mr. Van Bunting would
treat him fairly when he reached New York again.
And Archie was now beginning to wish that the time for his return
would soon arrive. It was the month of February, and he had been away
from America an age, it seemed to him. He felt that he had seen most
of what there was to be seen in the Philippines, and when this naval
tour was over with, the active campaigning would no doubt cease until
the rainy season was over. So for many reasons the boy wished he might
be able to start home soon, and as the days passed he became more and
more anxious to receive word from the Enterprise that he might return.
He had sent many interesting articles to the paper, and would be able
to write many more just as interesting upon his return, so he felt
that the editors wouldn't object to his early return.
For an entire week the cruiser found no signs of the rebels, but at
last there came a day when they were steaming slowly along near the
shore, and saw, back among the trees, some specks of white resembling
tents in shape. Immediately the whole vessel was excited, and there
was much gossip and wonder as to what the tents could be doing there.
The admiral at last decided to send two boats ashore to investigate,
and gave strict orders that the men should be cautious and not allow
themselves to be ambushed or caught in a trap of any kind. Of course
Archie and Bill Hickson were among the crew of the first boat, and
each was as fully armed as any of the sailors.
The two boats pulled quietly for the shore, keeping close together,
and they were beached at the same time. The natives, or whoever
occupied the tents, had evidently not yet discovered them, and the men
halted upon landing to decide what they had better do. The tents could
be plainly seen through the trees, and there was smoke rising from a
fire somewhere in the neighbourhood, but there were no noises which
could be heard so far away. It was decided to march up to the tents
and find out who occupied them, and the column kept close together as
they advanced, for things were so quiet it was feared the rebels, if
such they were, might be in ambush.
The men got within a hundred feet of the camp, when they heard several
terrible yells in succession, and several natives ran out from behind
one of the tents, screaming at the top of their voices, and not
pausing to look around at all. The officer in command of the company
of men was much disturbed by this demonstration, and, without pausing
a moment, gave the order to fire. Five of the natives fell
immediately, but the other six kept running, and soon disappeared
among the trees on the other side of the clearing. The men stood still
awaiting developments, but though they waited several minutes nothing
more was heard, and it was decided that the camp must be deserted. So
they marched up to the tents, and then the officer almost fainted, for
inside the first one he entered was standing an American flag, and
scattered about were the accoutrements and camp equipment belonging to
an American force in the field. There was now no doubt but what the
tents belonged to an American regiment, and that the fleeing natives
were either servants or prisoners, more likely the former. The men
were all much excited at this discovery, and the officer ordered the
natives to be looked after at once. It was found, however, that all
but one were dead, and he expired within an hour, so that the men felt
that they had killed five innocent men, a thought which made some of
them weep, hardened though they were.
It was now decided to await the return of the regiment, which was out,
the officer thought, on a practice march, and could not possibly be
gone much longer. So the men lounged about on the grass for more than
an hour. Then, about three in the afternoon, a rifle-shot was heard in
the near distance, and instantly every man was on his feet, rifle in
hand. "They must have found the rebels," said the officer; "so be
ready, men, to help them out, should they be retreating to the camp."
This supposition turned out to be correct, for a few minutes later
some members of the regiment came running into camp and announced that
a large body of insurgents was after them. Later the remainder of the
regiment followed, and the joy of the colonel when he found these
unexpected reinforcements was very great. "There must be more than
fifteen hundred rebels," he said, "and they will all be on us here in
less than an hour, for their sharpshooters have been following us up
for a long time. I was beginning to think that we would be unable to
fight them, for they seem to be well equipped, but with the cruiser to
kelp us we can whip them at once. The thing to do will be to let them
come on without suspecting that we have received any help, and then,
when the fight is getting a little warm, or they are about to charge
us, let the cruiser fire a few shells into the air, and it will all be
over. Most of them are country troops, and have never seen a cruiser,
so they will be too much frightened to speak when they hear the
thunder of the guns, and see the shells explode in the air. And then
they have a village about three miles back from the coast, and if you
can send a few shells into that village it will simply ruin the
insurgents.
"I had no idea of meeting these rebels," the colonel then explained.
"I took the men out for a little practice marching, but before we had
gone far we encountered these sharpshooters, and later discovered that
they had all these men about a mile and a half away. Then we decided
to return to camp as quickly as possible, to get more ammunition, and
we felt, too, that we would stand a better chance of resisting them
here among the trees. But now we will soon finish them up, if you will
just send a man out to tell the admiral of our plans." Archie
immediately volunteered to carry the information, and as he could be
spared better than one of the soldiers or sailors, he was permitted to
undertake the mission. So he started out, and was on board the cruiser
in a very short time. The admiral was dumbfounded to learn that
American troops were encamped on the shore, and in imminent danger of
being defeated, and he at once set about giving orders with great
vigour. "We will show them how they can attack a small regiment of
Americans with their ridiculous army," he declared, and at once gave
orders for the vessel to move inshore. "But wait," he cried, a minute
later, "I see by my chart that there is a deep stream about a mile up
the coast, and if I am not mistaken we can enter this stream and
perhaps get very near the advancing rebels. We may even be able to
destroy them before they have a chance at our soldiers," and the old
admiral almost danced in the enthusiasm of this idea. So the cruiser
steamed rapidly up the coast, and was soon at the mouth of the stream,
which seemed to be the estuary of some great river. Then she steamed
up-stream, and, sure enough, the admiral soon discovered the rebels
marching rapidly along the road, about half a mile away. They had
evidently not perceived the cruiser, on account of the high reeds
growing along the banks, and the admiral gave orders to begin firing.
The first shell rose high in the air and exploded with a deafening
thunder, and when the smoke cleared away it was seen that the
insurgents were almost paralysed with fright, and had just discovered
the cruiser in the river. But this first shell had not hurt any one,
and another was immediately ignited. This one exploded over the very
heads of the troops, and many of them must have been killed. Those who
were not either killed or wounded turned about and began to run, and
their leaders were powerless to make them stand their ground. One
shell followed another from the cruiser, and hundreds must have been
killed outright among the insurgents. Finally they were all running,
and it was soon perceived that the Americans had advanced, and were
now pursuing them with great energy. So the cruiser could fire no more
shells, and the admiral ordered her about and back to the anchorage
onshore.
It would take many pages to describe in detail the events of the
remainder of that afternoon, as Archie witnessed them from the deck of
the cruiser, and learned of them later from Bill Hickson. The
insurgents were nearly all killed or taken prisoners, and it was found
that they numbered nearly two thousand. So it was a great achievement
to have vanquished them all. The affair turned out to have been the
greatest victory of the war, so far.
CHAPTER XXII.
RETURN TO HEADQUARTERS-- A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR, WITH PERMISSION TO
RETURN TO NEW YORK-- BILL HICKSON GOES, TOO.
ARCHIE left the cruiser when she was once more at anchor, and, going
ashore to the American camp, he found things in a very lively
condition at the close of the afternoon's battle. Every man was very
jubilant over the retreat which had been turned into a great victory,
and Archie was congratulated on having been the lucky man to carry the
news of the coming of the rebels to the admiral. The officers were all
in the best of humour, except the colonel, who felt somewhat sad on
account of the death of his five faithful servants, as the men first
shot turned out to have been.
"There were never any better men than they," said the colonel, "and I
would almost as soon my own men had been shot." But he bore the ship's
company no malice for their mistake, which he said was a very natural
one.
After the capture of so many rebels, and the killing of so many
others, it was felt that the rebel army in this part of the island was
pretty well disbanded, and that it would soon disappear altogether. It
had been known, from the very beginning of hostilities, that there was
a large force of insurgents somewhere in this neighbourhood, but not
until to-day had the colonel seen anything of them. But it was
impossible, all the officers said, that there could be any more troops
about, for these two thousand represented a very considerable portion
of the entire rebel army. And now that these were done away with, the
colonel said there was no need of his remaining any longer in this
place, and that he would like to get back to Manila as quickly as
possible. Hearing this, the admiral said he thought room could be made
for all the men aboard the cruiser, and that they could all return at
once if they so desired. This generous offer was at once accepted by
the colonel, and the next day the work of embarkation began. By night
every man was aboard, and a place of some kind had been found where he
could sleep, but of course, every portion of the vessel was much
overcrowded. This only made things all the more lively, however, and
Archie, as well as all the others, thought he had never enjoyed any
trip so much as these three days spent in getting back again to
Manila. There was always fun of some sort going on. If some one wasn't
dancing, there was sure to be singing. And then there were several
ingenious games which were invented for the occasion, so that time
never passed slowly. Indeed, there were many who were sorry when the
capital was finally reached, but Archie was not among these, for he
expected some mail to be awaiting him from the editor of the
Enterprise. And he hoped that in this mail he would find permission to
return to New York.
All officials were very much surprised when the cruiser anchored off
Cavité, but the admiral explained that he thought it no use to spend
more time in touring the island, even though the month which it was
supposed to take him had not yet expired. He said that he felt sure
there were no more insurgent villages along the coast, because it was
perfectly evident, from all signs, that the rebels were all in one
division. And this division, of course, had been vanquished four days
previously.
When the report of the engagement went the rounds there was much
enthusiasm, for it was felt that at last some progress was being made
against the insurgents. The admiral was a popular hero at once, and
Archie, with Bill Hickson, was again the centre of admiration and
interest in the old palace, where they both returned.
Archie was surprised to find no mail awaiting him, but he was not
discouraged, and wrote two long articles to send to the Enterprise.
One described the great engagement, and the other was descriptive of
the daily life aboard ship upon the return to Manila. These articles,
with the others he had written during the latter part of the cruise,
were sent off at once, and Archie felt confident that they would be
read with great interest by Mr. Van Bunting. And now the days passed
very pleasantly in Manila. He had a great deal to tell his comrades in
the old regiment, for none of them had been out of Manila since he
left, and were very anxious indeed to hear about the events of the
round-the-island tour. And Archie was very willing to tell them all he
could, for he had been much interested in the entire voyage, and never
tired of talking about it.
Still, while things were very pleasant, and he was having a good time
in many ways, Archie was very anxious to see New York again and to get
back to America. And then, what was even more important with him, was
the knowledge that he would certainly be allowed to visit his mother
upon his return. Therefore he was a very happy boy when he one day
received two letters from the Enterprise office, one from Mr. Van
Bunting, and one from Mr. Jennings. They were both very encouraging
and very friendly. Mr. Van Bunting wrote to tell Archie how delighted
they all had been with his success in finding interesting things to
write about, and he enclosed a check for three hundred dollars, which
he thought "would come in handy now." The letter from Mr. Jennings was
of later date, and stated that he had prevailed upon Mr. Van Bunting
to allow Archie to return to New York, to work upon the Evening
Enterprise. It was a very delightful letter, Archie thought. "We
believe," wrote Mr. Jennings, "that we can use you here to very good
advantage, and we will be glad to have you return as soon as possible.
I enclose two hundred dollars to pay your expenses home again."
So now it was all settled that Archie was to leave Manila for New
York, and, now that it was sure he was going, he felt somewhat
reluctant to leave the soldiers with whom he had become friendly, and
to get away from all this life of adventure which had been so
interesting and so delightful in many ways. It was hard, too, to leave
the dear old palace in Manila, through which he had wandered so often,
and every room of which had for him some story of a Spanish prince or
a great governor-general, wealthy and wise. There would be none of all
this at home or in New York, but then there would be something better;
there would be mother, and the old grape arbour, and the Hut Club.
On investigation, Archie found that the quickest way to get home would
be to travel by way of Hong Kong and Yokohama, taking the steamer from
there to San Francisco. It would take him more than a month to make
the trip, and, as it was now the second week in March, he could hardly
expect to reach New York before the first of May. He at once cabled
Mr. Jennings that he would leave at once for Hong Kong, and received
an answer telling him to do so by all means, and to continue to write
letters describing his trip. Archie knew that these letters would
probably not reach New York any sooner than he would, but he did write
them, anyhow, and he did see some of them appear in the paper after
his arrival.
Archie was overjoyed to learn one day that Bill Hickson had received
permission from the commanding general to return to the United States,
and he at once hunted up the bashful hero, and insisted that he leave
at once, and make the trip with him. This was finally agreed to, and
when it was settled that the two old chums were to travel homeward
together the whole camp in Manila was interested in the news. They
were both very popular, and almost every night before their departure
there was a pleasure party of some kind arranged for them. One night
they would give a regular "stag," as they called them, and then again
they would arrange a sort of musicale, at which there would be
clog-dancing, banjo music, and various games to increase the fun.
The four days passed very quickly indeed, and at last the day for
sailing arrived. There was a great throng at the pier to see them off,
and there was no end of good wishes and stories of the good times now
gone by. When the steamer finally moved out into the open, there were
three cheers each for Archie and "brave Bill Hickson," in which every
man appeared to join with all his heart and voice. And there were
tears in Archie's eyes at having to part from such true friends. It
was hard to tell, too, when he would ever see any of them again. He
realised that hereafter his path and theirs would probably lie in
different directions. He was going to New York to work as a reporter,
and they, if they were not killed in battle, would be scattered in all
parts of the great United States, at the mustering out of the troops.
It was all very sad, and even Bill Hickson seemed to feel the
solemnity of the occasion, for he had nothing to say for many hours
after the vessel had started on its journey.
Archie, too, felt homesick at having to leave, and they went to bed
very early, apparently feeling that the best thing under such
circumstances was to be asleep. And when morning came they both felt
somewhat better, for Archie arose filled with hope for the future, and
more anxious than ever to reach home. Bill Hickson, too, was not loath
to return to the United States, even though he had no relatives
waiting there to welcome him. The poor fellow had been through a great
deal while in the Philippines, and his constitution was almost wrecked
by the constant strain to which he was subjected. He had never fully
recovered from his accident of several weeks before, and he felt that
he needed a rest from the constant excitement and worry of life in the
army. He was tired, too, of being a spy. He had never relished the
work, but he had realised how necessary it was for the Americans to
have some one to follow up Aguinaldo and let the general know of his
movements. "They'll be a long time catching him now," he said, time
and again, to Archie. "He's a much shrewder man than they think, and
he knows his Philippine Islands like a book. He can go from one place
to another without the Americans ever knowing where he disappeared to,
and without some one to follow him they will never be able to learn
anything of his movements."
Bill had received nearly two hundred dollars in back pay, so he felt
quite rich, and Archie told him that if he should happen to run out,
and need more money, he would be very glad to furnish it to him, For
Archie was now determined to take Bill Hickson to New York, and
introduce him to Mr. Van Bunting, feeling sure that the wise editor
would thank him for bringing to his attention a man at once so
interesting and so worthy as this hero of the war had proved himself
to be. But for the present Bill would discuss nothing of the kind. He
was thoroughly content to sit beside Archie on the warm steamer deck,
and watch the ever varied surface of the Indian Ocean.
CHAPTER XXIII.
HONG KONG-- A HAPPY TIME IN TOKIO-- HONOLULU AGAIN-- ARRIVAL IN SAN
FRANCISCO, AND A GREAT RECEPTION BY THE PRESS-- ARCHIE AND BILL ARRIVE IN
NEW YORK, AND ARE THE HEROES OF THE HOUR.
AFTER a short and pleasant voyage they reached Hong Kong, and Archie
found this city to be much more interesting than he had expected to
find it. It was charming, he thought, to run across a place which
combined the conveniences of England and America with the picturesque
oddities of China and Japan, and he enjoyed himself to the utmost
during the two days they spent there. Bill Hickson enjoyed the place,
too, and they would both have liked to remain longer had it been
possible for them to do so, but they were anxious to see something of
Japan before sailing for San Francisco, and their steamer was due to
leave Yokohama in eleven days.
But they did enjoy Hong Kong to the utmost while they were there. They
called first, of course, upon the American consul, whom they found to
be an exceedingly pleasant man. They learned, to their great surprise,
that he had read of Archie Dunn, and of Bill Hickson, too, in the
Enterprise, and Archie began to think that his paper had a much wider
circulation than even the editors claimed for it. He thought it very
remarkable, at first, that a man living in Hong Kong should have read
about his Philippine experiences in a New York paper, but of course,
after he thought of it awhile, it didn't seem such a very remarkable
thing, after all. And after this, when they heard of people having
read of them, they weren't so much surprised, having come to realise
the tremendous circulation of this paper.
The consul did all in his power to make their stay in Hong Kong
pleasant. He was anxious to have a formal dinner for them, but Bill
Hickson said that he would much prefer not having to dress up, and
Archie was willing for Bill's sake to forego the honour. So they spent
their two days in going about the city, visiting the quaint Chinese
shops, and seeing everything of particular interest. They found many
wonderful things to look at, and Archie said that he couldn't imagine
any more delightful place; but Bill told him to wait until they
reached Japan, for he'd find that much more charming than Hong Kong.
"I've been there before," said Bill, "and I know what I'm talkin'
about, and I say there ain't no such place on earth as Japan for
interestin' things to look at, and pleasant things to do." And when, a
few days later, Archie was initiated into some of the mysteries of
Japanese life by his experienced friend, he was willing to admit the
truth of all he had heard concerning the land of the chrysanthemum. He
found everything quite beyond his expectations. The people themselves
were more quaint in their dress and manners than he had expected to
find them, and the houses and the pagodas were much more picturesque
than he had imagined they would be. And the whole atmosphere of the
country seemed filled with romance and history, and it wasn't at all
hard to believe that the Japanese have longer family trees than any
other nation on earth.
They spent a few days travelling through the provincial districts of
the little kingdom, and then they reached Tokio, where Bill was
anxious to spend several days. "I know some folks here who can take us
around and show us everything that's worth seeing," he said, "and we
can spend our time to better advantage here than anywhere else I know
of." And sure enough, Bill did know some people in the capital city,
some pleasant English people, who had met the open-hearted Westerner
when he was in the city years before, and who had at once appreciated
the true nobility of his character. They were very kind to Archie,--
so kind that the lad thought he had never before met such pleasant
people. And they were thoroughly interested in all his adventures,
from the time he left home late in the preceding summer until now. He
had to tell them all about his New York adventures, and also about
their experiences together in the Philippines, and his new friends
showed the greatest interest in all he had to say, and seemed to find
it all vastly entertaining. They were anxious, Archie thought, to make
him have a very good time in Tokio, to make up for some of his hard
experiences, and if this were indeed their object, they succeeded
admirably in accomplishing it. Every day was filled with surprises,
and every night Archie thought he had enjoyed himself more this day
than the day before. They travelled about the city so persistently, on
foot and in the quaint jinrikishas, that he felt that he knew almost
every part of Tokio, and he witnessed every side of native existence,
as well as the life in the foreign quarter. It was all charmingly new
and interesting, and, as in Hong Kong, they were both sorry when the
day for their sailing came around. And always since Archie has
declared that no one can be more kindly hospitable than the English.
The voyage from Yokohama to San Francisco was slow and monotonous,
Archie thought, for he was now very impatient to reach the United
States, and he had also grown very tired of travel by water. There
were some very pleasant passengers, but Archie couldn't see that he
had a much better time than when he was peeling potatoes corning over.
That was interesting enough, anyhow. The only break in the monotony
was the day they were enabled to spend in Honolulu, and on that day
Archie went again to some of the places he had seen during his first
visit to the attractive city. And he called again upon some of the
friends of his first visit, and found that most of them had read of
his great success as a war correspondent, and of his many exciting
experiences in the Philippines. They were all profuse in
congratulating him upon what he had accomplished, and every one seemed
to think he had been very successful indeed.
While they were in Honolulu a vessel arrived, bound for Japan, and
Archie was delighted to find it was the same vessel upon which he had
worked his passage from San Francisco on his way to Manila. He went
aboard and met some of the friends he had made there, and found that
they all knew now who it was they had carried as chore-boy in the
galley. They all seemed glad to hear of his success, and to know that
he was coming home as a first-class passenger. The cook treated him
with much deference, and started to apologise for his treatment of
Archie on the way over; but the boy stopped him, and told him that no
apology was necessary. "I think I may have been an unwilling worker,"
he said, "because of course I didn't like the work at all, and it was
hard for me to take an interest in peeling potatoes when I was looking
forward to accomplishing such great things in the Philippines."
"Oh," said the cook, "you was a fine worker. Sure, I ain't had so good
a boy since." And Archie laughed to see the change in opinion which is
sometimes brought about by a change in circumstances.
Archie enjoyed the city quite as much as before, but he was glad,
nevertheless, when the steamer continued her voyage east. And then he
began to count the days until they should arrive in San Francisco, and
of course these last days seemed the longest ones of the voyage. But
they gradually passed away, and as they steamed ahead, coming nearer
every hour to that dear land called "home," both Archie and Bill began
to wonder how they would like it all, after their adventurous life in
the Philippines. Bill, in particular, was doubtful whether he would
again be able to settle down to a quiet existence in some small place,
and Archie assured him that he must live in New York, where he would
be sure to find things lively enough to suit him.
At last came the eventful day when the great steamer threaded her way
through the beautiful Golden Gate, and discharged her passengers at
the pier. As Archie and Bill had but little baggage, they were almost
the first ones to leave the vessel, and were hurrying away to find a
hotel where they could remain overnight when Archie felt some one
touch him on the shoulder, and, turning about and seeing no one he
knew, was about to go on, when a man introduced himself as being the
San Francisco correspondent of the Enterprise. "And these gentlemen
here," said he, "are reporters from the newspapers here. They would be
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