CHAPTER XXVIII
THE ADVANCE UPON SAN ISIDRO
"Why, Luke Striker, is it possible! I thought you had sailed for theUnited States on the _Olympia_."
"Well, ye hadn't no right to think that, captain," responded the oldgunner, as he shook hands warmly. "It might be that the others couldgo away and leave Larry behind, but he's too much my boy for me to dothat--yes, sirree. When I hears as we were to set sail for the States,I goes up to the admiral himself, an' says I: 'Admiral,' says I, 'doyou remember how Larry Russell an' yer humble servant comes on boardof the _Olympia_?' says I. 'Yes,' says he. 'I remember it well,' sayshe. 'Well,' says I, 'Larry is ashore, a prisoner of the enemy,' saysI. 'I don't want to go for to leave him, nohow. Can't you leave mebehind,' says I. And he laughs and asks me all about Larry, andfinally says I can go ashore and report to Rear Admiral Watson--whois comin' on--sometime later. And here I am, come to the front, tofind Larry, ef sech a thing is possible."
The old sailor's honest speech went straight to Ben's heart, and hesaw very plainly how deep was Luke's affection for his youngerbrother. "You're a messmate worth having, Luke!" he exclaimed. "Idon't wonder Larry thought so much of you."
"Avast, I'm only a common sea-dog at the best, captain,--an ef Iremained behind to cast around fer the lad, ye mustn't think thet JackBiddle an' the others have forgotten Larry, fer they ain't, not by ajugful. Every man jack o' them is his friend, an' was, almost from thestart."
Luke had come up to the camp by way of Malolos, accompanying apack-train of caribao carts carrying rations and army equipments. Hehad left the _Olympia_ several days before, and had not waited towitness the departure of the flagship.
As Luke wished to remain with Ben, the latter lost no time inpresenting the matter to Colonel Darcy and to Major Morris, and Lukewas taken into the regiment camp as a cook, for he had once been acook on a merchantman, years before. The position was largely anhonorary one, and the sailor was permitted to leave his pots andkettles whenever he pleased.
"It's good news," he said, when the young captain had told him whatthe prisoners had said about Larry and Benedicto Lupez. "I've an ideewe'll get to Larry soon, an' down thet tarnal Spaniard in thebargain."
The conversation took place on Tuesday. On Wednesday orders came tostrike camp, and the march of the regiment was taken toward San Isidroby way of Baluarte, a small village seven miles to the southeast ofthe new rebel capital. In the meantime, although the Americans werenot aware of it, Aguinaldo was preparing to decamp, with his so-calledcongress, into the mountain fastnesses, still further northward.
"We are in for another fight," said Major Morris, as he came to Benthat afternoon. "And I've an idea it is going to be something to thefinish."
"That means, then, that we are bound for San Isidro!" cried the youngcaptain. "Hurrah! that's the best news I've heard in a week."
The regiment was soon on the road, spread out in proper battalionform. The day was close, and it looked as if a thunderstorm was athand. The growth along the road was thick, and at certain points theoverhanging branches had to be cut off that the troops might pass. Thetrail was bad, and often a gun, or wagon, had to stop so that a holemight be bridged over with bamboo poles. Here and there they passed anipa hut, but these places were deserted, excepting in rare instances,where an aged native would stand at the door, holding up a white ragas a signal of surrender, or to show that he was an _amigo_, orfriend.
"It's pitiable," said Ben to Major Morris, as they trudged along sideby side. "I reckon some of these ignorant creatures have an idea thatwe have come to annihilate them."
"You can be sure that Aguinaldo and his followers have taught themsomething like that," replied the major. "Otherwise, they wouldn'tlook so terrified."
At one point in the road, they came to a tumble-down hut, at thedoorway of which rested a woman and her three small children, allwatching the soldiers with eyes full of terror. Going up to thewoman, Ben spoke kindly to her, but she immediately fled into thedilapidated structure, dragging her trio of offspring after her.
"You can't make friends that way," cried Major Morris. "They won'ttrust you. I've tried it more than once."
There was now a hill to climb, thick with tropical trees and brush.The regiment had scarcely covered a hundred feet of the ascent, whenthere came a volley of shots from a ridge beyond, which wounded twosoldiers in the front rank.
"The rebels are in sight!" was the cry. "Come on, boys, let us drive'em back! On to San Isidro!" And away went one battalion afteranother, fatigued by a two miles' tramp, but eager to engage once morein the fray. It was found that the insurgents had the ridge wellfortified, and General Lawton at once spread out his troops in asemicircle, in the hope of surrounding the ridge and cutting off thedefenders from the main body of Aguinaldo's army.
Ben's regiment was coming, "head on," for the top of the ridge. Theway was over ground much broken by tree-stumps, rocks, and entanglingvines, that brought many a soldier flat.
"Sure, an' it's a rigular fish-net!" spluttered Dan Casey, as he triedin vain to rise, with vines ensnaring both arms and legs. "I don'tknow but phwat a fellow wants a wire-cutter here, just as they had 'emin Cuby to cut the wire finces wid."
"Nefer mind, so long as we got by der dop of dot hill," answered CarlStummer, as he hauled his mate out of the entanglement. "Be dankfuldot you ain't parefooted by dem dorns." And on went both once more.There was many a slip and a tumble, but very little grumbling.
"Down!" The cry came from the front, and down went Ben's company intoa little hollow, for the rebels had them in plain view now, and thetwo lines were less than three hundred yards apart. A volley from theinsurgents followed, but nobody was struck.
"Forward twenty-five yards!" cried Ben, and up went the company foranother dash. It was a soul-trying moment, and none felt it more thanthe young commander, who ran on ahead to inspire his men. He knew thatat any instant a bullet might hit him to lay him low forever. But his"baptism of fire" had been complete, and he did not flinch.
"Hot work, this!" The words came from Gilmore as he came up the hillclose to Ben. "It's going to be no picnic taking that ridge."
"True, Gilmore; but it's got to be done," answered the youngcommander. "Down!" he shouted, and again the company fell flat. Thenbegan a firing at will, which lasted the best part of ten minutes. Theinsurgents, likewise, fired, and a corporal and a private were woundedand had to be carried to the rear.
Looking around, Ben espied Luke Striker in the ranks of Company D. Theold sailor had provided himself with a rifle and an ammunition belt,and was popping away at a lively rate.
"I couldn't help it," said Luke, when the young captain came up tohim. "It's the best fun I've had sence thet air muss in Manila Bay,when we blowed old Montojo out o' the water, off Cavite. Say, butwe'll git to the top o' the hill afore long, jes' see ef we don't!"And Luke blazed away again, and so Ben left him.
The rest of the battalion was now closing in, and soon anotheradvance was made, until the first line of the American troops wasless than a hundred and fifty yards away from the insurgents' outerintrenchments. Then a yell came from a jungle on the left.
"What's that? more rebels?" cried Ben, and listened.
"No, no, the Filipinos are retreating!" came from a score of throats."See, they are scattering like sheep! Up the hill, fellows; the fightis ours!" And a regular stampede occurred, each command trying to getto the top of the ridge first. The rebels were indeed retreating intoa thicket behind the ridge. They went less than half a mile, however,and then made another stand, this time on the upper side of a mountainstream,--the very stream at which Larry and his companions had stoppedafter the escape from the caves under the mountain.
To ford the stream would have been an easy matter under ordinarycircumstances, but with the rebels guarding the upper bank, it wasextremely hazardous, and the regiment came to a halt on the edge ofthe brush overhanging the water.
"They are straight ahead, boys," said Major Morris, after his scoutshad
reported to him. "We will make a detour to the right. Forward, andon the double-quick!"
Every soldier felt that delay would mean a serious loss, and a rapidrush was made through the jungle to a point where the stream becamerocky and winding. Here an excellent ford was found, and they wentover in column of fours. They could now enfilade the rebels' position,and this they did so disastrously that the Filipinos speedily threwdown a large part of their arms and fled helter-skelter into themountain fastnesses still further to the northward.
The battle over, the battalion came to rest under the shade of thetrees lining the stream, many of the soldiers throwing themselves downin a state bordering upon exhaustion, for the humidity in the air toldupon them greatly. There was not a breath of a breeze, and the waterhardly quenched the thirst that raged within them. As Major Morrisdeclared, 'It was the primest place to catch a fever in' he had everseen.
Ben was sitting at the foot of a tall tree talking to Gilmore, when hesaw the advance guards bringing in two Americans, one evidently asailor. At once he sprang to meet the sailor, thinking the man mightknow something about Larry.
The two men proved to be Dan Leroy and Boxer, the scout, and when hementioned his brother's name to them, both were of course astonished.
"Do we know him!" cried Leroy. "Sure and didn't he and I run awaytogether from the rebels, and Boxer, here, helping us to get out ofthe prison caves. Yes, yes, I know Larry well." And then Leroy told ofthe escape from the caves, and of how all three of the party hadbecome lost in the swamp lands.
"We were in the swamps two days, and thought we would never get out,"he continued. "Luckily, we had some caribao meat with us; otherwise weshould have starved to death. The swamps were full of mosquitoes andlizards and lots of other things, and we were almost eaten up alive,eh, Boxer?"
"So we were," replied the scout.
"But what of my brother?" asked Ben, impatiently.
At this the faces of both of the men fell.
"We can't say what became o' him," said the sailor from the_Yorktown_. "You see, after we got out of the swamp, we determined tostick to the high ground until we found a regular trail leading tothe south. Well, our walk took us up to a high cliff overlooking agorge filled with trees and bushes. We were walking ahead, with Larryat our heels, as we thought, when Boxer chanced to look around, andthe boy was gone."
"Gone!" gasped Ben, in horror.
"Yes, gone! We couldn't understand it, and called to him, but hedidn't answer. Then we went back about quarter of a mile, past thespot where we had seen him last, and fired the pistol as a signal. Buthe had disappeared totally, and we couldn't find hide nor hair o' him,try our level best."
The confession was a sickening one, and for several minutes Ben couldnot trust himself to speak.
"And--and what do you think became of my brother?" he asked, atlength.
Both men shrugged their shoulders. "I'm afraid he fell over thecliff," said Boxer. "You see, the footpath was narrow and mightyslippery in spots."
At once Ben's mind went back to that scene in far-away Cuba, whenGerald Holgait had fallen over a cliff. Had a similar fate overtakenhis brother? and if so, was he still alive or had he been dashed tohis death?
"How far is that spot from here?" he demanded abruptly.
"Not over a mile, cap'n," answered Boxer.
"I see you are a scout. Can you take me to the place?"
"Certainly--but--but--it's mighty risky, cap'n--so many rebs lurkingabout."
"Never mind--I must find Larry, alive or dead. Take me to him, andI'll pay you well for your services."
"I ain't asking a cent, cap'n--that ain't my style."
"Then you will take me?"
"I will," said Boxer, promptly. "Only I'll have to report first andget official permission."
"Major Morris will arrange that for you, I feel certain," answeredBen, turning to the major, who sat near, drinking in the conversation.
"Yes, I'll arrange that," said the major. "But I don't see how I amgoing to do without you, captain."
"Would you keep me from looking for my brother?"
"No, no, go ahead, and Gilmore can take the company."
So it was arranged; and inside of quarter of an hour Ben and Boxerwere ready to depart.
"Captain, can't I go with ye?" It was Luke Striker who asked thequestion. The anxious look on his face spoke more eloquently thanwords, and Ben consented without argument.
And so the three set off on the search for Larry, little dreaming ofthe strange happenings in store for them.