THE TAKING OF ANGAT
"We are out for a fight to-day."
It was Sergeant Gilmore who spoke, and he addressed Ben. The sergeant
was still acting as first lieutenant of Company D, and it looked as if
he might hold the position permanently. As for Ben, it was settled
that he would be appointed permanent captain of the command as soon as
the necessary papers could be made out.
The regiment had joined General Lawton's command and was now in the
vicinity of Angat, a pretty town, full of quaint buildings, and a
place which, as yet, the rebellion had scarcely touched. But the
insurgents had been developed in force by the sharpshooters in front,
and now a constant rattle of musketry was heard, which made Ben's
blood tingle as of old, when the cry had been, "On to Santiago!" and
"On to Malolos!"
"Yes, you are right, Gilmore," answered the young captain. "And I am
not sorry. It will help us to forget the rain and our other
discomforts." Ben did not say it would help him to forget about Larry,
but that is what he meant.
The regiment was soon advancing on the double-quick. It was spread out
in skirmish order, and the route lay over what had once been a
rice-field, but which was but little more than a sheet of dirty water
four to eight inches deep. Here and there were holes, and into these
some of the soldiers would sometimes step, thus getting an involuntary
bath, much to their disgust.
"It ain't all a picnic," remarked one of the unfortunates, as he
leaped up out of a hole and shook himself like a big dog. "Folks at
home as just read the newspaper accounts of the war don't know
anything of what us fellows have to put up with. All they think we do
is to rush forward, kill the enemy, and cover ourselves with glory.
I'll wager some of 'em would put on a mighty sour face if they had to
tramp ten or twenty miles in the mud and wet, carry a gun and other
luggage, and hardly knowing when the next meal was going to turn up
and what it was going to amount to."
"Oh, you've got 'em bad, Bradner!" shouted a comrade. "Here, light my
pipe and take a smoke. It will dry off your nose if nothing else." And
Bradner took the pipe and was thankful that tobacco, at least, was
still forthcoming.
Half an hour later Ben received orders to take his company up to the
firing line, and away went the command on the double-quick, with the
young captain at the head. The rain had let up a bit, and the rebels
could be seen making a stand behind a grove of half-wild plantains,
where were located a score of nipa huts.
"Run them out, boys!" shouted Ben, as they drew closer. "If we go at
them with a rush we'll soon have them on the run!" And on swept the
company, with orders to fire at will. Soon there was a constant
cracking of rifles, and Ben and the other officers joined in with
their pistols. The insurgents fired in return, and one man of the
company fell back, hit in the arm.
Just before the grove was gained there was a brook to cross. This was
much swollen, and here a number of the soldiers came to a halt,
fearing that fording was out of the question.
"Don't stop!" came in a loud cry from Major Morris. "You can leap the
stream easily enough. Come, I'm going!" And over he went with a
bound, and a score of soldiers followed. A raking fire came from the
nipa huts, but now the rebels were seen to be fleeing. The Americans
answered the fire with volley after volley from their own guns, and
the huts were surrounded as quickly as possible.
"Captain Russell, you will take the trail to the left," said an
orderly, dashing up. "Major Morris will rejoin you at the fork in the
road."
"The trail to the left," repeated Ben, and turned to his company.
"Forward, boys,--left oblique!" he shouted, and on they went again,
past the nipa huts and down a trail leading along the edge of a rich
plantation. Several more huts were passed, but the inmates were
nothing but women and children, and offered no resistance. Then at a
distance could be seen a stone wall, as if the insurgents had
endeavored to construct a rude fortification in a great hurry.
The company was going at the stone wall pell-mell when Ben called a
sudden halt. "To the right, boys, and come at the end of the wall,"
were his orders, and the command swept around as desired.
Bang! The report was hardly expected, and with it half a dozen of the
stones composing the rude fortification gave way, disclosing a cannon
made of a bored-out tree-trunk, wound round and round with telegraph
wire stolen from the lines along the railroad. This wooden cannon had
been heavily charged with cartridges, old nails, and bits of iron, and
the first discharge rent the mouth into a dozen pieces.
"That was a narrow shave!" cried Gilmore, as he and Ben looked around,
to find all the company unharmed. "Who ever supposed the rascals would
put up such a job as that on us?"
"They'll do anything," replied the young captain. "But that isn't a
new idea. Wooden cannons were used in the Civil War, so I've been
told."
With the discharge of the wooden gun, the rebels concealed behind the
stone fortification had fled. The Americans now made after them, more
"hot-footed" than ever, and the incessant crack of firearms was
followed by many a groan and yell of pain as over a dozen Filipinos
went down, three to their death.
At the fork mentioned by Major Morris, Ben brought his company to a
halt. All were panting for breath, for the brush at close quarters had
put them on their mettle. The rest of the battalion soon came up, and
the other battalions followed, from another road, and then the
regiment, with the other troops, pushed on into Angat.
Much to the astonishment of all, the beautiful town, with its
century-old churches and quaint government buildings, was found
practically deserted. The only inhabitants left were a few women and a
handful of aged men, all of whom said they would do anything for the
_Americanos_ if they were spared their lives. These frightened people
were soon put at ease, and then an inspection of the captured place
was instituted.
In various places, such as the vaults of convents and government
buildings, huge quantities of _pilai_, that is, unhulled rice, were
found. Some of the rice was confiscated for army use, and a large
quantity was distributed to the natives who gradually drifted in,
saying they wanted to be friendly, and that they were starving.
"It may be that the rice we give away may go to the rebels," said the
general in command. "But we can't let these poor wretches starve, war
or no war;" and so the bags were given out until very little
remained.
It was not General Lawton's intention to quarter at Angat for any
length of time, and, having entered the town in the morning, he left
it in the afternoon, to begin an advance up the river the next day,
striking San Rafael on the right bank and Muronco on the left bank.
"Somebody has set Angat on fire!" exclaimed Ben, as the regiment
marched away. A thick column of smoke had suddenly risen from the
upper end of the town.
"I don't believe it was our men," answered Major Morris, who walked
beside the young captain. "They had strict orders not to loot or
burn."
The flames speedily increased, as one nipa hut after another caught,
and the warehouses added to the blaze. The Americans always thought
the rebels started this conflagration, while the insurgents laid the
crime at our door. However it was, Angat burned fiercely, and by
nightfall little remained of its many picturesque buildings.
The weather was beginning to tell upon the troops, and out of Ben's
regiment fully forty men were on the sick list, with either colds or
tropical fever, and these had to be sent back to a sick camp. The
balance of the command, it was decided, should join the troops that
were to attack San Rafael.
As before, the sharpshooters were in front, while the infantry were
escorted by Scott's battery, who, as soon as the enemy's firing line
was located, began to pour in a hot fire of shrapnel, much to the
latter's discomfiture. Then Ben's regiment went into action once more,
the young captain's company on the edge of some heavy brush.
The sharp clip, clip of Mauser bullets made unpleasant music as the
soldier boys rushed through the thickets, to surprise not a few
Filipinos who were in hiding, and who imagined that the Americans
would pass them by unnoticed. Once Ben came upon a man lying on his
face in a mass of tall grass, every part of his body concealed but his
back.
"Can he be dead?" thought the young captain, when of a sudden the
native leaped up like lightning and darted behind the nearest bushes
before anybody could stop him. Half a dozen soldiers fired on him, and
he fired in return, but none of the shots took effect; and Ben could
not but think that the poor creature had earned his escape. "For ten
chances to one he doesn't know what he is fighting about," he said to
Gilmore.
"Right you are," answered the lieutenant. "I believe if we could
corral the whole crowd and explain the true situation to them, they
would throw down their arms without hesitation. It is only the leaders
who are keeping this rebellion alive."
Over near the battery just mentioned stood General Lawton, tall and
erect, directing every movement, without a single thought of personal
danger. Many a shot was directed at him, but he seemed to bear a
charmed life.
"San Rafael will soon be ours," said one of the officers of the staff.
"See, the enemy are retreating!" he cried enthusiastically.
At that moment an orderly dashed up, carrying an order from General
Otis. The order read that the column must rest at Angat until supplies
could be forwarded from Malolos. A shadow fell over the commando's
face. Another victory was at hand--but orders were orders, and must be
obeyed. Slowly the retreat was sounded, and the insurgents were left
in possession of the field. They thought the Americans were being
forced back on account of a heavy loss, and went almost wild with
delight, proclaiming the encounter a great victory for the Filipino
cause.