CHAPTER XVI
NEWS FROM HOME
It was evident that the majority of the insurgents had now had enoughof fighting, for while the engagement just mentioned was taking place,General Luna of the Filipinos sent forward his chief of staff toGeneral MacArthur, with a request that hostilities cease, pending aconference of Americans and Filipinos looking toward a settlement ofexisting difficulties.
But our leaders knew only too well what delay meant, and refused toenter into any compact unless the natives first threw down their arms.The Filipinos wanted their freedom, but events had now so shapedthemselves that absolute freedom for them appeared to be out of thequestion. So the conference practically amounted to nothing. And whilethis was taking place, General Hale began to move eastward to joinGeneral Lawton's command on its march toward San Isidro. It was thepolicy of all the American commanders to give the Filipinos no restduring the short time left to them before the heaviest of the rainyseason set in.
A rest of two days did Ben's company a world of good. Communicationswith Malolos were now opened, and supplies were coming forwardrapidly. With the supply wagons came Carl Stummer, just from thehospital and still somewhat "shaky," but eager to be again on thefiring line.
"I could not dink me of stayin' any longer," he said, as he shookhands all around. "Der docther say, 'You vos besser here,' und I say,'I ton't gits me no besser bis I schmell dot powder purning vonce morealretty!'"
"Well, it's powdher ye'll be afther shmellin' soon," put in Dan Casey."It's forward we go to-morrow, so th' colonel is afther sayin'."
"Goot!" said Carl. Then he added with a faint smile. "You see, Tan, Ivos afraid you kill all dem Filibenos off pefore I could git here."
"Sure an' I saved a couple fer ye, Carl," replied his chum. "Ye'll notbe wantin' fer a scrap, I'll warrant!" And then he related his own andBen's adventures, to which the German volunteer listened with muchinterest.
The wagon train had brought in the mail, and this included the usualletters for Ben--one from Walter and the other from Uncle Job Dowling.Ben breathed a long sigh as he opened the communications.
"I'm going to spring a surprise on you," so wrote Walter. "I've been reading the newspapers, and it makes me weary to think that I am just cruising around with our squadron doing nothing, while you and Larry are right in it, head and heels. I've applied for a transfer to one of the warships in Manila waters, and it may be that before this reaches you I will be on the bounding Pacific on my way to join you and Larry in our fight with Aguinaldo and his supporters. Si Doring, my old Yankee chum, has applied with me, so we'll probably come on together, and when we get there you and Larry will have to look to your laurels, that's all."
"Dear Walter!" murmured Ben, after reading the letter twice. "Whatwill he say when he hears that Larry is missing? If Larry doesn't showup, it will break his heart, and it will break mine, too!" And hebrushed away the tears that sprang up in spite of his efforts to keepthem down. Then he turned to the heavy, twisted scrawl from his UncleJob.
"It's rare good news you have sent, Ben," wrote the old man, after stating that he was in good health, "and the news comes none too soon, for the party who took a mortgage on my house wants his money, and where I am going to get it I don't know, with money so tight and interest and bonus so high. I've told him that Braxton Bogg is captured,--and he saw it in the newspaper, too,--and he is about of a mind to wait for his money now until the bank gets back what was stolen, and settles up. For myself, I can't hardly wait till that time comes; and after this you can be sure I'll be mighty careful where I put my cash and what's coming to you three boys, too. You won that thousand dollars' reward fairly, and I hope you and Larry won't squander it like most soldiers would. I thought that war would end soon, but it appears like it would go on forever. Tell Larry to take good care of himself, and mind that you don't get shot."
"Poor Uncle Job--he'll be in a hole again," murmured Ben. "Evidentlyhe wrote this right after I sent word Braxton Bogg was caught, and hedoesn't know anything of my being shot and getting over it, and ofBenedicto Lupez skipping out with what Bogg stole. Hang the luck, buteverything seems to be going wrong." And Ben grated his teeth, in amood hard to explain.
"What's up, Ben?" The question came from Gilbert, who had just come upto watch the young captain, in considerable surprise.
Ben showed the two communications. "I'm just thinking of what I hadbest write to my Uncle Job," he returned. "I'm afraid it will breakthe old fellow's heart to learn that the money is gone--and after heis trying to turn over a new leaf, too."
"And the news about Larry will cause him pain, too, I reckon."
"No doubt, but--but--well, between you and me, Gilbert, I'm afraid themoney will hurt the worst--Uncle Job always did set such a store by afew dollars. As for me, I'd give all I'll ever be worth if only I knewLarry was safe," concluded the young captain, arising from a seatunder a palm tree as Major Morris came forward to speak to him.
"Captain, I'm ordered to the front to-night, to do a littlereconnoitring," said the major of the first battalion. "I thoughtperhaps you would like to go out with me. Possibly we can again get onthe track of that Bogg fortune;" and he smiled faintly, for he hadbeen with Ben on the night Braxton Bogg had been first made aprisoner.
"I'll go out with you gladly," answered the young captain, promptly."But I doubt if that money is ever found--or my brother Larry,either," he added, with bitterness.
"Oh, cheer up, captain, you are blue to-night. Come, a little dangerwill put you on your mettle once more, and you'll forget all aboutthis thing--although I'll allow it's enough to make anybodyheart-sick."
Supper was served, and the sun had long since sunk to rest over thevast plain and ocean to the westward, when Ben and Major Morris setout, taking with them an ample supply of ammunition and likewise aday's rations, for they were to move directly into the heart of theenemy's country and might be absent for a day or longer. The objectof their going was to find out if a certain Lieutenant Caspard, whohad deserted the American ranks, was with the rebels now gathering atMaasin, and if so, whether or not he was acting as an officer of theFilipino forces. If they could catch the deserter and bring him back,they were to be well rewarded. Strange to say, the orders were not toshoot him if it could be avoided.
"It's a strange mission," said Major Morris, as they set out. "Butsuch are Colonel Darcy's orders, and he is backed up in them by thegeneral. Between you and me, I think this Caspard has been playing adouble game between our forces and those of the Filipinos, and thoseat headquarters want to find out just what it means. One man told methat this Caspard was out of his head, and had an idea that he couldstop the war by telling the rebels we would grant them everything theywant if only they would throw down their arms."
"Would the rebels swallow such a yarn?"
"Some of the more ignorant might. But that isn't the point; Caspardmay have given them some military information of vast importance. Youmust remember we are in a territory that may be full of pitfalls forus," concluded the major.
Ben thought but little of the ending of this speech at the time, buthad good cause to remember it before midnight. On they pushed past thepicket guard and on to a side road which it was said would bring themaround to the north side of Maasin. Both were in fairly good humor bythis time, and the major told many an anecdote of army life which madeBen laugh outright. The major saw that his companion was indeed"blue," and was bound to dispel the blues if it could be done.
"And that story puts me in mind of one on General Grant," he continuedpresently. "Grant was sitting in his tent one night when--"
"Hush!" interrupted Ben, and caught his companion by the shoulder.Then he pointed into the semi-darkness ahead. "Are those rebels, orfriends?"
The road they were pursuing was, for the most part, a winding one. Butthey had now gained a straight stretch, the farther end of which wassomewhat in the open. Looking in that direction Ben had discerned sixor seven figures stealing silently along
, guns on shoulders and packson their backs.
Major Morris came to a halt and surveyed the figures attentively. "Idon't believe they are our men," he whispered. "None of the troopscame as far as this--so the general stated."
"Then, if they are rebels, what have they been doing?" went on Ben."See, they have picks and shovels and axes."
"Perhaps it's an engineering corps," and the major laughed softly atwhat he considered his little joke. "These Tagals are bound to beup-to-date, you know."
"Well, if they are an engineering corps, what have they been doing?"demanded the young captain, who felt by no means satisfied at hiscompanion's words.
"I'll give it up--no, I won't, I'll go forward and investigate," camefrom the major. "There they go, around the turn, and walking just asfast as they can. If we want to catch up to them, we will have tohurry."
"We don't want to get too close, major. They are not the game we areafter, remember."
"True, captain, but it won't do any harm to find out what we can ofthem. We may be doing General Lawton a great service by such anaction."
The night was cloudy, and as they pushed forward to the bend in theroad it became darker than ever, until they could see hardly anythingof what was ahead of them. The way was evidently little used, for thegrass grew thickly even in the centre of the highway.
The pair were going on, side by side, and with eyes strained to catchsight of those who had gone before, when suddenly Major Morris feltthe ground giving way beneath him. "My gracious!" he ejaculated, andcaught Ben by the arm. At the same instant the young captain uttered acry, and also felt himself going down. Then came the snapping ofslender bamboo poles, and the scattering of some loose grass, and downinto darkness and space shot the pair, swallowed up utterly by a holewhich had unexpectedly opened to receive them.