RETURN TO MANILA--IN THE HOSPITAL--CONGRATULATED BY ALL--WRITING TO
THE PAPER OF HIS EXPERIENCES.
IT took the regiment much longer to march back to Manila than it had
taken it to follow the rebels, for the wounded of both sides had to be
carried, and the arrangements for carrying them were very imperfect.
Fortunately, most of them were able to ride horses, and the officers
were successful in securing wagons enough to carry most of the others,
but there were about a dozen who could neither ride horses or lie in
wagons, but had to be carried on stretchers all the time. Of course this
was slow work, and the officers were glad enough when they reached the
town with the three-story building. Here they found things very much as
they had left them, two days before, save that the inhabitants were more
abject than ever to them, now that they had captured most of the rebel
force.
It wasn’t an easy matter to find quarters for so many men, and some of
the Filipinos were obliged to camp in the public square overnight, while
the wounded and ill were given beds in the various houses of the town.
The inhabitants were required to furnish food, too, for the Americans
were entirely out of almost everything. They still had some hardtack,
but of meat and coffee there was none. The people of the town pretended
to be very glad to serve their “masters,” but every one knew that the
natives would be only too glad of a chance to cut the throat of every
Yankee soldier.
The officers again occupied the old building which they had used during
their former stay, and Archie was invited to share it with them, for
they expected to rest in this town over the next day, before proceeding
to Manila. The men’s uniforms and equipment generally needed cleaning
and repairing, and the colonel was anxious for them all to appear as
well as possible when they returned victorious to the island capital. So
the next day was spent in cleaning and washing, and by evening most
of the soldiers looked as if they had never left Manila. Then came a
surprise for every one, for into the town marched a regiment of
militia from Manila, sent out to see whether the first regiment needed
reinforcements. They set up a great cheer when they learned that most
of the rebel force had been captured, and the night was spent in a
celebration of the great event. A band was scraped up in the town, the
great hall of the administration building was thrown open, and there was
dancing and music until an early hour in the morning. All the belles of
the town turned out to welcome the soldiers, hypocrites that they were,
and they danced with their enemies as readily as they would waltz with
their own dear Filipinos. Every one seemed to have a good time, and
the soldiers went to bed just in time to get three hours’ sleep before
starting for Manila in the morning.
It was a great sight to see the two regiments, with the prisoners, march
out of the town at five the next morning. They made a fine appearance in
their well-brushed uniforms and bright equipment. The townsfolk watched
them out of sight, and then most likely cursed them for a lot of
vagabonds, but the soldiers didn’t mind their curses. They were all very
happy at the prospect of getting back to Manila again, and no one was
more glad than Archie. He had somewhat recovered from his wound now, and
rode in his old place at the head of the column, where he was the centre
of interest to every one. The men congratulated him on having proved
such an excellent mascot, and he laughed and talked with them until he
was tired.
The outskirts of the city were reached about five in the afternoon,
and as they marched through the streets to headquarters a band of music
preceded them, playing popular and patriotic airs. The sidewalks were
crowded with people, and Archie felt happier than for a long time,
because every one was curious to know who that boy could be riding at
the head of the troops, alongside the colonel. He was known to most of
the other troops in Manila, and received many a cheer from them as they
saw his arm in a sling, and when they finally reached the general’s
headquarters, he was honoured with a handshake and the congratulations
of the commander himself. This was the climax to a very happy day, and
Archie went to bed in his little old bunk feeling that he was a very
lucky boy for having been wounded in battle.
Of course the next few days were very busy ones for all the men, and
for Archie, too. He was obliged to tell, over and over, the story of his
experiences, and how he had managed to escape from the rebels when
they had him. This story always made the men roar with laughter, and
increased their already strong contempt for the Filipino army. He told,
too, about brave Bill Hickson, and that gentleman’s cot was always the
centre of an admiring throng of visitors, who shook his hand and told
him how proud they were of what he had accomplished. And all the poor
hero could do was to smile feebly, for he was still too ill to talk
much.
Archie felt that he had almost volumes to write about his experiences in
battle, and he did send a very long account of this encounter to Mr. Van
Bunting. It was written in his boyish way, but one of the officers who
read it said that it was the best thing of its kind he had ever read,
so he wasn’t at all backward about mailing it. All the other newspaper
correspondents in Manila were wishing they had gone with the regiment
and witnessed the battle, but they had stayed in Manila, thinking that
this would be like the other expeditions of the kind, a mere wild-goose
chase, which wouldn’t amount to anything at all. They were all very
anxious to get the details of the affair from Archie, but he was shrewd
enough not to tell them anything of value. And the other correspondent
of the Enterprise in Manila insisted that Archie should send a cable
message describing the affair, as well as a written account, and this
he finally consented to do. The correspondent added a long account
of Archie’s personal bravery, how he had been wounded, and how he had
ridden back to Manila at the head of the column. Archie would have been
very much embarrassed had he known this, for he was still modest, but
the first thing he knew of it was from a letter he received a few
weeks later from Mr. Van Bunting, congratulating him on what he had
accomplished, and telling him that he had long since more than earned
his six hundred dollars. But for weeks he was ignorant that any one in
New York knew of his being wounded.
The days now began to pass as before in the camp at Manila. The wound
in Archie’s arm was healing slowly, but he was hardly able to use that
member for a month or six weeks. Bill Hickson did not fare so well. He
lay for weeks on his cot in the hospital building, and was hardly strong
enough, for awhile, to talk. He was improving slowly, but the doctors
said it might be two months before he was able to walk about and take
his former active part in the campaign against the insurgents. This
enforced quiet was very trying to the brave man, and Archie spent many
hours reading to him, and telling of various things he had learned at
school and elsewhere. This constant companionship served to strengthen
their already close friendship, and it was soon known among all the
troops that Bill Hickson and the boy reporter were inseparable. And
every one who knew the story of their experiences looked upon them as
the two chief heroes of the war so far, because as yet there had been
few feats of bravery in the desultory campaigning against the rebels.
General Funston had swum the river, of course, but many held that not
even that feat compared with the bravery of Bill Hickson in serving as
a spy under Aguinaldo’s very nose. The more people heard about his
experiences, the more remarkable they thought him to be, until at last
he was by far the most popular man in the army at Manila.
Archie sent many interesting letters to Mr. Van Bunting, telling of the
adventures of the brave spy, and one day he received a cablegram telling
him to send at least one of these letters by every steamer, for people
had become interested in hearing about him. So for some time Archie
wrote about Bill Hickson rather than about himself, and was glad of the
opportunity to do so. He knew that if a letter were published every week
or two in the Enterprise Bill Hickson would soon be famous, and this was
something he was very anxious to accomplish. He felt that no fame could
be too great for such a man, and no praise too strong.
The commanding general decided, about this time, to begin a more active
campaign against the insurgents. It was now the month of December, and
with the beginning of the new year he wanted to inaugurate a series of
attacks against them in every part of the islands. He was beginning to
feel the criticisms of the papers at home, and of the newspaper men at
Manila, and he felt that something must be done immediately to retrieve
his lost reputation for active fighting. Every one, as soon as this
announcement was made, wondered what plan would be pursued to worry
the rebels into submission, for it was now generally agreed that the
Americans would hardly be able to capture the whole rebel army. It was
too evident that they were familiar with numerous hiding-places in the
islands. The only thing to do seemed to be to prevent their getting
supplies, and to drive them from one point to another, hoping that they
would become discouraged in the end and submit to the inevitable.
So far the campaigning had consisted chiefly of such expeditions as that
accompanied by Archie, and most of these had returned to Manila without
having even seen a rebel soldier. It was not surprising, then, that the
general was becoming discouraged, and that he was anxious to try a new
policy.
No one knew what the new plan would be until one day several cruisers
and gunboats made their appearance in the harbour. There had been no
war-ships at Manila for several weeks, and every one was surprised that
so many should arrive at once. There were rumours of a German onslaught,
and also gossip saying that Japan had decided to interfere, but all
these were set at naught when the general announced that the war-ships
were to be sent around the islands to bombard the rebel villages, and to
drive the rebel troops to the interior of the islands, where it would be
hard for them to receive supplies.
This news made Archie very happy, and a plan at once occurred to him.
Why shouldn’t he and Bill Hickson be allowed aboard a cruiser? It would
be the best thing possible for their health, and he set about getting
the necessary permit from the admiral.
Bill Hickson was able to be about now, and he was overjoyed when Archie
said he thought they could arrange to go. “I’d like nothing better than
a voyage in the good salt air. I believe it will do me more good than
a month in the hospital,” he said. Archie secured a very strong letter
from the general, and one day he stepped aboard the flag-ship in the
harbour. He had no difficulty in seeing the admiral, and found him to be
a very pleasant man to talk with. He read the letter carefully, and then
shook Archie cordially by the hand. “Yes,” he said, “I’ve heard of
you, and of your friend, too. Every one in Hong Kong knows how you two
together bearded old Aguinaldo in his den, and robbed him of most of his
troops. It did me good to read about it in the New York papers, too, and
to know that you are both getting your just measure of credit for the
achievement.”
Archie blushed, and assured the admiral that he didn’t do very much,
that it was all owing to Bill Hickson’s bravery. “Oh, yes, I know,”
laughed the admiral, “you lay it to him, and he will most likely give
you the credit. I’ve seen your kind before. But I like you all the
better for your modesty, lad. Of course you and your friend can have a
berth aboard ship, and aboard the flag-ship, too, where I can see you
both very often. You can come aboard whenever you wish, and stay as long
as you like.”
Archie could hardly thank the good officer for his kindness, and hurried
back to Manila. He found Bill Hickson waiting for him at the wharf, and
they rejoiced together over the good news.