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 theflag-ship, but all hands were on duty there, and the gallant cruiser wasraising anchor preparatory to sailing off on her errand of pacificationby means of shell and shot, The two newcomers were assigned a pleasantstateroom where they would not be far from the cabin of the admiralhimself, and where they could step out of their door upon thequarter-deck, and get all the fresh air they needed. It was a verycomfortable place, with two soft bunks, and every convenience usuallyfound aboard the fastest ocean liner. When the fellows saw it first,they could hardly believe it could all be for them, but the officerassured them that it had been given them by the admiral's own orders. Sothere was nothing for them to do but accept the kindness, and to settlethemselves down to having just as pleasant a time as possible during thecoming weeks at sea.
It was generally understood that the cruiser was to make a complete touraround the island of Luzon, investigating every suspicious port, andshelling towns when such action proved necessary to convince the rebelsof Uncle Sam's superiority. The voyage was expected to occupy nearly amonth, for there was no reason for them to hurry, and the admiral saidhe would like to take things easy.
Neither Hickson nor Archie had ever before been aboard a war-ship, andthey both found much to interest them during the first few days atsea. Every movement of the crew, every action of the ship, was of greatmoment to them, and they found no lack of entertainment in examining thegreat guns and the equipment of the vessel in the way of firearmsand ammunition. Archie became much interested, too, in the science ofnavigation, and spent much time with the captain on the bridge, or withthe pilot in the lookout, learning as much as possible about how themovement of the vessel is controlled. Before long he had mastered therudiments of the art, and the captain told him that he might some daymake an excellent navigator if he continued to take as much interest inthe charts as he did now. And Archie told him that he was determined tomaster as much as possible of the business during the voyage. Before hereturned to Manila he knew more about it all than even the captain wouldbelieve he knew, and the knowledge was very valuable to him in days tocome.
The two visitors aboard took their meals at the officers' table, andthey kept the whole party interested for many days, with their storiesof the war in Luzon and of their very unusual adventures both at homeand in the Philippines. For it turned out that Bill Hickson had visitedalmost every part of the United States, and had lived in all sorts ofplaces. He had been a cowboy in Texas, and a miner in the Klondike, andhe had also been a policeman in Chicago. He knew more stories to tellthan any other man at the table could think of, and he told them in away that was wholly charming.
Archie found that every one was very much interested in hearing abouthis leaving home, and how he had happened to become a reporter on theNew York Enterprise. No one seemed to tire of listening to his storiesof his adventures in the great American city, and many of the officerstold him that they would give a good deal to have had his experiences inlife.
And so it wasn't long until the two chums were friendly with all onboard, and after awhile things went along as though Archie and Bill hadnever lived elsewhere than aboard ship. There was nothing exciting fornearly a week. The cruiser steamed slowly along the shore, sometimesstopping entirely, while the officers levelled their glasses upon thebeach, to see whether there were any signs of the rebels being there.Sometimes, if things looked suspicious, parties were sent ashore toreconnoitre, but they seldom returned with news that would encouragethe admiral to investigate further. The days passed quietly, and thetwo convalescents enjoyed themselves well enough. They were both muchimproved already by the trip, and felt almost as well as ever. Theyeach had a steamer chair, and hour after hour they sat upon the deck andwatched the ever-changing panorama of the tropical shore. Now the beachwould descend slowly to the sea, and there would be numerous palm-treesand luxuriant vegetation growing close within view, but again therewould be steep clips, which looked menacing to a ship in the dark. Butit was all beautiful, cliffs or sandy beach, and Archie thought he hadseldom passed such a wholly delightful week.
But, of course, it all became monotonous in time, and every one, eventhe officers, longed for a change. The reconnoitring parties were sentout more frequently now, and every one hoped each time that they wouldreturn with news of the rebels, but they were always disappointed. Theadmiral now determined to steam ahead more rapidly, so that they mightget around the western end of the island. It was evident that there wereno insurgents along this shore, and as there were no villages of anyconsequence, either, he was anxious to reach the southern shore, whereit was known the rebels had recently been gathering. The towns, too,were very numerous here on account of the excellent fishing, and it washoped that some good work might be accomplished for Uncle Sam beforeanother week passed.
Subsequent events soon proved the wisdom of the admiral's plan. Thecruiser, it seemed, had no sooner rounded the western point than signswere visible of rebel activity ashore. It was one Tuesday morning thata village was sighted, built around a narrow inlet of the sea. When thebinoculars were levelled upon this harmless-appearing settlement, it wassoon perceived by the admiral that there were soldiers in the streetswith the rebel uniform, and that the insurgent flag was flying from theadministration building in the village square. All this was just whathad been expected, and there was great rejoicing aboard the cruiser.Every man, without exception, almost, was anxious to be one of a partyto be sent ashore to attack the rebels, but the admiral hesitated beforesending 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 mayhave a large force of men in the village. If the appearance of thestreets 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 ofany consequence in the place, and the admiral was finally prevailed uponto send a boat ashore, armed with thirty men.
"Remember," he said, "if you come to grief, that I advised against thisventure. Don't be too bold, or risk too much, for though I can shell theplace, 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 theofficers had a hard time making selections. "You can go, Archie, becauseyou'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 untilthe required number was secured. Of course there were many disappointedones left aboard the cruiser, but the captain assured them that theymight have their chance yet.
The boat was soon off, and it was noticed that there was greatexcitement ashore as soon as the departure was observed. All theinhabitants, it seemed, were gathered upon the beach, anxiously awaitingdevelopments. They seemed to be absolutely ignorant of what the presenceof a war-ship in their harbour meant, and were apparently not at allanxious as to the outcome of this visit. One of the men told Archie thatthey had probably never seen a war-ship before, and that they wouldn'tknow a cannon at all. "But we'll let them know the meaning of ourpresence," declared the sailor, "if they shoot at us." The boat drewevery minute nearer the shore, and it was soon perceived that therewere many soldiers among the crowd on the beach. Every one thought itremarkable that they should be so quiet, but not one of the natives madea move until the boat was within two hundred feet of the shore. Then oneof 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 toreturn 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 sonumerous, and kept up such a steady fire, that it was deemed best toreturn to the cruiser, which was signalling for this action on theirpart. So the boat was turned about as quickly as possible, andthe sailors pulled for the cruiser, amid the derisive y
ells of theFilipinos, who had gathered again upon the beach. The rebel soldierscontinued their firing, but were such poor marksmen that but three oftheir shots took effect. One sailor was shot in the arm, another in theside, and still another was shot in the leg as he stood up to take aimat the rebels. None of these wounds, it was afterward discovered, wereat all serious, though they were enough to arouse the anger of theentire crew.
When the boat reached the cruiser again, preparations were at once begunfor bombarding the town. The natives still stood upon the shore, and itcould be seen that they were immensely proud of their present victory.It was amusing, then, to see the change in their behaviour when thegreat six-inch gun of the cruiser belched forth a cloud of fire andsmoke, and a burning shell landed in the village street, apparently justin front of the administration building, which was soon afire. The poornatives fled in every direction, and the rebel soldiers followed theirnoble example, and took to their heels, too. Another shell followedthe first, and soon several buildings were burning in the village. Theadmiral watched developments carefully, and finally he decided that theywould be glad to surrender the village if another boat was sent ashore.
Accordingly, the same boat started out again, with three new men inplace of those who were wounded, and for sake of effect the cruisersteamed farther in toward shore. This time there were no crowds upon thebeach, and the thirty men marched to the burning buildings, where thenatives fell before them, begging for mercy. The soldiers were nowhereto be seen, so the crew took possession of the town and slept there, incompany with thirty more sailors, that night.