CHAPTER XII
SOMETHING ABOUT A POISONED WELL
After the rest at Angat, the taking of San Rafael by General Lawton'stroops was an easy matter, and on May 1--the anniversary of AdmiralDewey's great victory in Manila Bay--the soldiers set out for the townof Baliuag, five miles to the northward.
In spite of the recent rain, the road was hard and even dusty inspots. The heat was still as great as ever, and Ben was glad to takethe benefit of any shade that afforded itself as he marched along atthe head of his command. The date made him think of the battle justmentioned, and this brought him around to Larry once more, and hebegan to wonder if his brother would ever turn up again.
"I suppose I'll have to write to Walter and to Uncle Job about this,"he muttered dismally. "But I hate to do it, especially if Larry doesturn up, for I know it will worry both of them greatly."
The road was thick with palms and plantains and trailing plants, thelatter of gorgeous colorings. Nipa huts and bamboo cottages werenumerous, but the inmates kept themselves well hidden as the littlearmy passed by. In the distance were paddy-fields and cane-brakes, andalong the road were numerous mud-holes, some of which had to bebridged over before the artillery could pass in safety. More than oncehorses and cannon got stuck, and many a shoulder had to be put to thepieces to budge them.
"If there was no war, this would be a delightful spot in which tospend a vacation," remarked Gilbert, who had come up for a littletalk, as was his habit when they were pushing ahead in irregularformation. "I reckon the natives take solid comfort in their homes."
"I suppose it puts you in mind of the South at home," returned Ben,with a smile, "It is nice, certainly. But I fancy this continual heatwould make one mighty lazy in time."
"Well, the natives are lazy, you can easily see that," laughed theyoung Southerner. "I wish I could get a good drink of water," headded, a minute later.
They soon came to a pretty dwelling, set in a perfect wilderness offlowers and shrubs. Toward the side they made out a well, and ranforward to fill their canteens.
The pair were at the well when a shrill cry from one of the side roomsof the house attracted their attention. Looking up, they saw a nativegirl waving her hand frantically at them. The girl was nicely dressedand evidently belonged to the better classes.
"We only want a drink!" shouted Ben, thinking that the maiden mightimagine they had come into the garden to steal.
But the girl shouted more loudly than ever, and waved them away fromthe well. "Bad! bad!" she cried.
"Oh, no, we are not so bad as you think," Gilbert shouted back; andwas about to take a drink from a cocoanut-shell dipper which hunghandy, when the girl came out of the cottage on a run and dashed thedipper to the ground. At the same time an evil-looking Filipinoappeared at the doorway, shook his fist at the girl, and then suddenlyran for the barns behind the dwelling and disappeared.
"I want a drink and I'm going to have it," began Gilbert, sternly, forhe did not like the manner in which the water had been spilt over hisclothing. "If you--"
"The well is poisoned; don't drink, it will kill you!" gasped thegirl, in Spanish.
"The well is poisoned! don't drink! it will killyou!"--_Page 115._]
As old readers know, Gilbert understood a little of the language,having picked it up while on a trip to Cuba, and also while serving asa Rough Rider in that island. He started back and caught the maiden bythe arm.
"Poisoned! you are certain?" he cried.
"Yes, senor; my uncle put the poison in only yesterday. He lost muchat Angat, and he is very angry at the _Americanos_ in consequence. Heknew the soldiers were coming this way, and he wanted to poison asmany as he could. He put a water-barrel down on the road full of thepoisoned water, too."
"Who is your uncle, the man who just ran off?"
"Yes, senor. But, oh, do not go after him, I pray you!" cried thegirl, in high alarm. "I would not have spoken, but I could not see youpoisoned before my very eyes; no, not that!"
As quickly as he could, Gilbert translated her words to Ben, wholistened in amazement.
"The villain!" ejaculated the young captain. "I've heard of this sortof thing being done before. I wonder where that barrel is that shespoke about? We must find it and empty it of its contents."
Gilbert put the question to the girl, who announced that the barrelwas on another road back of the plantation. Whether any of thesoldiers had reached it or not was a question.
As quickly as he could Ben reported the situation to his superior, andreceived orders to divide his company, leaving a part to guard thepoisoned well so that no Americans might drink from it, while the restshould go and hunt up the water-barrel. Gilbert was detailed toaccompany Ben, and the girl was given to understand that she must takethe soldiers to where the barrel had been set up.
At first the maiden demurred; but there was no help for it, and thekind smiles which Gilbert and Ben gave her were an assurance that noharm was about to befall her. Yet she was afraid that when thereckoning came her uncle would deal harshly with her, and trembledviolently as she moved through the rice-fields with the two youngofficers beside her.
The little command had nearly reached the back road when the report ofa gun rang out, coming from the direction of a wood behind therice-fields. The bullet sped past Ben's shoulder, to bury itself inthe fleshy part of one of his private's arms.
"'Tis my uncle!" cried the girl. "Oh, he will kill us all, I am sureof it!" And she became so agitated that she sank down and could not goanother step.
Without hesitation, Ben ordered his men forward on the run, and awaywent the detachment for the spot from whence the unexpected shot hadcome. As the soldiers neared the wood they beheld a Filipino in theact of running across a small opening.
"That's him, the rascal!" roared Dan Casey, and taking a hasty aim hefired, and the rebel was seen to plunge forward on his face. When theparty came up they found that the man had been hit in the hip, andthat the wound, while not necessarily dangerous, was serious, andwould put the fellow out of the contest for several months.
"It serves him right," said Ben. "Poisoning drinking water is not fairfighting."
The girl soon came up, crying bitterly. She wished to remain by heruncle, but Ben made her understand that she must point out thewater-barrel first, and after that he would have two soldiers removethe wounded man to the cottage.
Ten minutes later the rear road was gained, and here the water-barrelwas found, set up on end, with the top knocked out. It wasthree-quarters full of water, and a dozen or more soldiers weredrinking and filling their canteens.
"Stop drinking!" ordered Ben, when still at a distance. "That waterhas been doctored and will make you sick." He refrained from sayingthe water was poisoned for fear of creating a panic.
The water was at once poured out on the ground and the barrel smashedup. Then a surgeon was found, to whom Ben related the facts of thecase. A canteen of the water was examined, and the surgeon decided togive the man who had drunk the stuff an emetic. A few of the soldierswere taken with cramps inside of an hour afterward, and two of themwere seriously sick for a week; but no lives were lost. But if thesoldiers could have got at the Filipino who had poisoned the water,they would have shot him on the spot.
As soon as the danger was over, Ben returned to the wood, and had twomen carry the wounded man back to the cottage, where he was left incharge of his wife and his niece. Through Gilbert it was learned thatthe wife had also remonstrated against using the poison, so it wasfair to suppose that the aunt would protect her niece to a certaindegree. "But she'll have a hard time of it for doing us a service,I'm afraid," said the young Southerner, as he and Ben resumed themarch.
The scouts, under Chief Young, were in advance, and now a steadyfiring from the front told that another battle was at hand. SoonGeneral Lawton came dashing through the crowd on the road, followed byhis staff.
"Forward, boys!" was the cry, and then Ben's command left the road andtook to the rice-fields on the outskirts o
f Baliuag. The line was along one, with the Oregon and Minnesota soldiers forming theskirmishing end, and Scott's battery in a paddy-field on the extremeright. So far the insurgents had kept well hidden; but as theAmericans drew closer to the town they could be seen running in half adozen directions, as if undecided whether to fight or to flee.
The townspeople themselves were in a panic, and down the streets ranFilipinos and Chinese, some with their household effects piled high ontheir backs. They had heard of the coming of the _Americanos_, but hadhoped almost against hope that their beloved town would be passed byunmolested.
Ben's regiment was moving along rapidly when they came to a ditchwhich seemed to divide the rice-field in half. A short pause followed,when along came the cry of "Down!" and every man dropped, and none toosoon, for the insurgents had opened up unexpectedly from a cane-brakebehind the rice-field.
"We must take that cane-brake," came the order from the colonel, andthe word was passed along quickly, and away went the companies with aringing cheer, firing as they ran, and reloading with all possiblespeed.
Ben was now truly in his element, and, waving his sword, he urgedCompany D well to the front, so that the cane was soon reached. Butthe rebels were not game for a hand-to-hand encounter and fled oncemore, through the cane and over a field of heavy grass leading to thevery outskirts of the town beyond.
"They are running away!" was the cry. "On we go, boys, and the townwill be ours in less than half an hour."
But now a halt was ordered, on the edge of the cane-brake. From theoutskirts of the town appeared a Filipino waving a white rag over hishead.
"Flag of truce!" cried the American general. "Cease firing!" And theorder was instantly obeyed. "Major Morris, you can select a detail ofthree men and find out what they want."
"I will, general," answered the major of the first battalion, andsaluted. He had soon chosen his men, one of whom was GilbertPennington, and, waving a white flag before them, the party of fouradvanced into the open field.