CHAPTER VIII
A PRISONER OF THE FILIPINOS
Larry had retreated to a small nipa hut standing close to the roadway,feeling that if the Americans were coming in that direction, theywould soon be at hand to give Luke and himself aid.
While the insurgents and the Spaniards were conversing, the latter hadapproached the hut, and now both followed the young sailor inside.
"Is your name Benedicto Lupez?" demanded Larry, approaching the tallerof the pair.
"Yes," was the short response.
"Then you are from Manila--you ran away from there about two weeksago?"
"Ha! what do you know of that?" demanded the Spaniard, eying Larrydarkly.
"I know a good deal about you," answered the youth, boldly. "AfterBraxton Bogg was arrested you made off with the money he had left atyour residence."
"'Tis false!" roared the Spaniard, but his face blanched even as hespoke. "I know nothing of that man or his money. I--I was deceived inhim."
"If that is so, why did you leave Manila in such a hurry?"
"I--I wanted to help my brother, who was in trouble. I have not seen adollar of Bogg's money. 'Tis he who still owes me for his board, blackwretch that he was!" roared Benedicto Lupez, savagely.
At these words Larry was startled. Was Lupez really telling thetruth, and if so, where was the money that had wrecked the savinginstitution?
"He didn't even pay his board?"
"Not one piaster, boy,--nothing. And I thought him honest, or I wouldnot have taken him in."
"But his valise is gone, and the bands around the money--"
"Were as he left them. I can swear I touched absolutely nothing,"answered Benedicto Lupez, earnestly.
Larry was nonplussed. Had the Spaniard looked less of a villain, theyoung sailor would have been inclined to believe him. But that facewas so crafty and calculating that he still hesitated.
"Well, if you are innocent, you will not object to helping me rejoinour soldiers," he ventured.
"I want nothing to do with the _Americanos_,--they mean to get me intotrouble, even though I am innocent," growled Benedicto Lupez. "Come,Jose, we will go," he added to his brother, in their native language.
His brother was already at the doorway. The shouting and firingoutside was increasing. Leaping forward, Larry caught Benedicto Lupezby the arm.
"You'll stay here," he began, when the Spaniard let out a heavy blowwhich hurled the young sailor flat.
"I will not be held by a boy!" cried the man. "Let go, do you hear?"For Larry had caught him by the foot. The boy's hold was good, and ina trice Benedicto Lupez lay flat on his back. Then he rolled over andover and a fierce tussle ensued, which came to a sudden end when JoseLupez leaped forward and kicked Larry in the head, rendering himpartly unconscious.
What followed was more like a dream than reality to the bruised youth.He heard a confused murmur of voices and a dozen or more shots, andthen, as Benedicto Lupez and his brother ran off, several rebelsswarmed into the hut, one stumbling over the lad's form and pitchingheadlong. This insurgent was about to knife Larry when he saw that theyoung sailor's eyes were closed, and that he was bleeding about thehead.
"_Un Americano_, and wounded," he said, speaking in the Tagalogdialect. "If he lives, he may make us a useful prisoner;" and a fewminutes later Larry felt himself picked up and borne away, first in aman's arms and then on horseback. He tried to "locate" himself, butwhen he opened his eyes all went swimming before them, and he was gladenough to sink back once more and shut out the swirling sight.
On and on, and still on went the rebels, some on foot and a few ontheir steeds. In front were a few wagons and caribao carts piled highwith camping outfits, and also one or two light guns--all that hadbeen saved from the garrison. General Lawton's attack had been abrilliant success, and Santa Cruz itself had surrendered with hardlythe loss of a man to the Americans. The troops coming in did theirbest to round up the insurgents, but they had scattered in alldirections and only a few were caught, and these swore that they were_amigos_, or friends, and had to be given their liberty. Thispretending to be friends after they were routed was a great trick withthousands of the natives. They would come into the American camp underthe pretext that they had just escaped from the insurgents who hadthreatened to kill them if they would not join Aguinaldo's forces.What to do with such people was one of the most difficult problems ofthe rebellion. They could not be placed under arrest, and yet that iswhat nine out of ten deserved.
When Larry was once more himself he found that it was night. He was ina heap in a large casco which several Tagals were propelling with allspeed across the Laguna de Bay. There were several other cascos infront and behind, all filled with natives with guns. The entireprocession moved along in almost utter silence.
The youth wanted to know where he was being taken, but no sooner didhe open his mouth than one of the soldiers clapped a dirty hand overit and commanded him to be silent. As the soldier carried a bolo inhis hand, Larry considered "discretion the better part of valor," andfor the time being, held his peace.
A swarm of mosquitoes soon told the boy that they were approaching amarsh, and presently the casco ran in between the reeds and under somehigh, overhanging tropical bushes. Then those on board leaped ashore,and the youth was made to follow them.
A weary tramp over the marsh and then up a high hill followed. Thehill was covered with wild plantains, monstrous ferns, and a speciesof cedar tree, all thickly interlaced with the ever present tropicalvines, which crossed and recrossed the tortuous path the party wasfollowing. Overhead the stars shone down dimly, while the forest wasfilled with the cries of the birds, the chattering of an occasionalmonkey, and the constant drone and chirp of the innumerable insects.The path was uneven, and more than once Larry pitched into a hollowalong with the Tagal who accompanied him and who never let go his holdon the youthful prisoner.
At last they came to a halt before a series of rocks. Here there was arude cave, partly concealed by bushes. As the party halted, severalnatives came from the cave to give them welcome. There was no doubtbut that this was a rendezvous well known to the insurgents.
"A prisoner is it?" said one of the natives, coming forward andholding up a torch of pitch. "A mere boy. Bah, Lanza, cannot you dobetter?"
"He was with the soldiers who took Santa Cruz, and he wears the capfrom a warship," replied Lanza. "It may be we can get more out of himthan out of somebody older."
"Well, perhaps; but I would rather you had brought in a man," was thebrief response.
The conversation was in the Tagalog dialect, and consequently Larrydid not understand a word of it. The boy was made to march into thecave, which he found to be much larger than he expected. It was fullyforty feet broad by sixty feet deep, and at the farther end a brightfire was burning, the blaze mounting high up in a natural chimney andrendering the surroundings as light almost as day.
On coming to his senses, the youth's hands had been bound behind him,and now he was made to sit down with his back against a fair-sizedtree trunk which had been dragged into the cave for firewood. A ropewas passed around the log and this in turn was fastened to the cordabout his wrists, thus making him a close prisoner.
For several hours the rebels paid but scant attention to him, furtherthan to furnish him a bowl of rice "pap," from which he might supwhile it was held to his lips. They also gave him a drink of water,and one young rebel considerately washed the wound on his head, onwhich the blood had dried, presenting anything but a pleasant sight.
As the hours went by the rebels around the cave kept increasing innumbers until there were several hundred all told. Those who came inlast told of the complete downfall of Santa Cruz, but none of them hadthe least idea of what the Americans were going to do next. "Perhapsthey will follow us to here," said one, grimly.
"No, they know better than to follow us into the jungles andmountains," said the leader, Fipile. "If they did that, we could shootthem down like so many monkeys." They had still to learn t
he truecharacter of the tireless general who had now taken up their trail,and who knew no such words as fear or failure.
It was well toward noon of the day following when Captain Fipile camein to have a talk with Larry. He spoke English remarkably well, for hehad spent several years of his life in San Francisco, and in Hong Kongamong the English located at that port.
"Your name, my boy," he said, sitting down beside the young tar. Andwhen Larry had given it, he continued, "You were with the Americantroops who carried Santa Cruz?"
"I was, sir, although I got into the city before they did."
"Indeed, and how was that?" questioned the Filipino leader, and Larrytold as much of his story as he deemed necessary.
To the tale Captain Fipile listened with interest, even smiling whenLarry told how he had broken out of the prison. "You did wonderfullywell for a boy," he remarked. "A man could not have done more. Whatbecame of your friend?"
"I left him at the warehouse. I hope he rejoined the soldiers."
"And what of Senors Benedicto and Jose Lupez?"
"I don't know what became of them."
"I know this Jose Lupez fairly well, and I always thought him anhonest man." Captain Fipile stroked his chin thoughtfully. "We arefighting you Americans, it is true, but we would not wish to shelter athief who had run away from among you. We are above that, even thougha good many of your countrymen will not give us credit for it."
"We know that some of the Filipinos are honest enough," said Larry,hesitatingly. "What do you intend to do with me?" he went on, after apause.
"That remains to be seen. Would you like to join our army?"
"Me? No, sir!" cried the youth, promptly.
Captain Fipile laughed outright. "You are honest enough about it, Imust say. How about giving us a little information? Will you object tothat?"
"I have given you considerable information already."
"I mean military information."
"I haven't anything to say on that point."
"Can't I persuade you to tell me what you may happen to know?"
"No, sir."
"If I can get you to talk, it may go much easier with you while youremain our prisoner," went on the captain, suggestively.
"I'm sorry, but I haven't anything to say."
"Very well, then, Master Russell, if you are rather harshly treated inthe future, remember you have only yourself to blame. As a generalrule, we take prisoners only for the purpose of squeezing whatinformation we can out of them."
And thus speaking, Captain Fipile arose and quitted the cave, leavingLarry to his own reflections, which were more dismal than they wereencouraging.