THE FALL OF SAN ISIDRO--CONCLUSION
Luke Striker was right; a large force of Filipinos were sweeping down
the road at a rapid rate, bringing with them two old field-pieces and
a rapid-firing gun. They were commanded by several officers on
horseback, and presented a formidable appearance to the worn-out
Americans.
"Out of sight, quick!" The cry came from Ben. "It's our only chance to
escape."
The words had scarcely left his lips when the pop-pop of several
Mausers was heard, as the Filipino sharpshooters, who were in advance
of the main body, opened fire upon them. Their aim was excellent, and
both Striker and Boxer were hit, although neither seriously.
"They've caught me!" ejaculated the old sailor, and staggered up
against Ben. At the same time Boxer pitched headlong.
"Oh, Luke!" The call came from Larry, who was limping painfully.
"Where did they hit you? This is the worst of all!"
"I'm struck in the shoulder. But come, Ben is right. To the jungle!"
And Striker clutched Larry's hand in a death-like grip, bound to live
or die with his closest friend, as the case might be.
The pair started forward. Ben hesitated and looked at Boxer, and saw
the latter try to stagger up once more. "He's not dead," thought the
young captain, and picked the sharpshooter up. In a few seconds more
the whole party were in the jungle again.
But the Filipinos were not going to let them escape thus easily, and
coming up on the double-quick, a detachment began to search the
bushes, at the same time calling on the Americans to surrender if they
wanted to save their lives.
With Larry limping painfully, and both Luke and Boxer groaning in
spite of their efforts to keep silent, the Americans looked about for
some spot which might prove a safe hiding-place. But the ground here
was level and the jungle rather spare, and for those who were wounded
to climb trees was out of the question.
"We'll have to make a stand, I'm afraid," said Ben, looking to his
pistol to see if it was fully loaded. "They are coming-- Hark!"
The young captain broke off short, as a loud shouting from the road
interrupted him. Then came a volley of musketry, followed by a steady
stream of shots.
"We've got them this time, boys!" came in a ringing, English-speaking
voice. "Forward, and don't let a man of them escape. On to San
Isidro!"
"Our troops!" cried Larry. "Oh, God be praised that they are coming
this way!"
"Yes, yes, our troops!" ejaculated Ben. "And what is more, my
regiment!" The revulsion of feeling was so great that he felt like
dancing a jig.
The shouting and firing now increased, until it was almost upon them.
Then followed a rush into the woods, and the little party found itself
face to face with a score of Filipinos.
At first our friends were greatly alarmed, and Ben and Larry did their
best to defend themselves by firing as rapidly as possible at the
Tagals as they appeared. But the enemy was retreating, and gave the
little party scant attention. Then came a yell close at hand, and in
a few seconds a squad of American soldiers burst through the thicket.
"Dan Casey!" cried Ben, as he recognized the Irish volunteer.
"Sure, an' is it Captain Russell?" came from the soldier, joyfully.
"It is, the saints be praised! We've been a-wonderin' what had become
of yez!"
"Town mit dem Filibinos!" The call came from Carl Stummer, and soon he
also put in an appearance. "Dis vos von lucky tay," he said, when he
saw the party. "Ve haf dem repels on der run like neffer vos."
"Then send them a-flying, Stummer," answered Ben. "Where is our
camp?"
"Pack dere apout half a mile. Ve vos move up las' night und steal von
march on dem Filibinos."
There was no time to say more, excepting to stop several of the
soldiers, and assisted by these, the whole party moved to the rear,
through line after line of American troops now hurrying to the firing
line, for it was General Lawton's plan to give the Filipinos no rest
until San Isidro and the territory in its vicinity were captured.
Inside of half an hour, Ben had seen to it that Larry, Luke, and Boxer
were all made comfortable, and then, hastily swallowing a bowl of
coffee and some bread and meat, he hurried after his command, which
was threshing the jungle just outside of San Isidro for scattered
bands of the enemy such as the young captain and his party had met.
Soon Ben was on the firing line once more, and warmly greeted by Major
Morris, Gilmore, and his other friends.
The fighting was hot, for the rebels felt that if San Isidro was
taken, nothing would remain to them but the mountains. They had
constructed a high embankment just outside of their capital, and this
they were defending vigorously, many of their leading generals being
at the front to direct the movements.
But General Lawton was now in his element, and feeling that his troops
would do whatever he asked of them, he began to spread out to the
right and the left, thus enfilading the trenches behind the
embankment, which presently became so uncomfortable that the rebels
had to leave them. At the same time a centre column continued the
attack from the front--a centre column composed principally of
Minnesota troops and the regiment to which Ben belonged.
"They are leaving the trenches!" exclaimed Major Morris, who was
watching the progress of the battle through a field-glass. "Forward,
boys! They are on the run again!"
A rattle of rifle-shots followed, and the battalion carried the middle
of the embankment with a wild rush, planting Old Glory on the very top
a minute later. Then the regiment pushed on for San Isidro proper. A
hot skirmish was had on the main street of the town; but the Filipinos
had had enough of it, and by nightfall were making for the mountains
as rapidly as their demoralized condition would permit.
Senor Romano had told Ben where Benedicto Lupez and his brother Jose
had been stopping in San Isidro, and as soon as the young captain
could get the opportunity he hurried around to the place, which was a
large private boarding-house.
"There is a man here by the name of Lupez, I believe," he said, as he
presented himself, followed by a detachment of half a dozen of his
men.
The boarding-house keeper, who had just hung out a white flag, eyed
him suspiciously. "How do you know that Senor Lupez is here?" he
questioned slowly.
"I know it, and I want to see him at once," returned Ben, sharply.
"He is--is not here--he--he went away this morning," came with much
hesitation.
"Don't ye believe him, captain," put in Dan Casey, who was in the
detachment.
"I will search the house," said Ben, quietly.
The keeper of the boarding-place protested, but his protest was of no
avail. The house was searched from top to bottom, and in a back wing
they found Benedicto Lupez in bed, suffering from a badly injured leg,
the result of trying to ride a half-broken horse which the insurgents
had captured from the Americans. He greeted the visitors with a
villanous scowl.
At first he tried to deny his identity, but the Americans had been
furnished with his photograph, and a wart on his forehead proved a
clew that was conclusive. At once his effects were searched, and under
his pillow was found a leather bag containing fifty thousand dollars
in gold and in American bank bills.
"This is the money you stole from Braxton Bogg," said Ben, severely.
"You need not deny it. Where is the rest?"
At first Benedicto Lupez refused to talk, but with a long term in an
American prison in Manila staring him in the face, he confessed that
just previous to the fall of San Isidro, he had divided what was left
of the money with his brother Jose, who had now left for parts
unknown. This confession was afterward proved to be true, and, later
on, Ben learned that with five thousand dollars of the stolen funds
Jose Lupez had purchased himself a general's commission in the
insurgent army.
"Well, I suppose we are lucky to get back the fifty thousand dollars,"
said Ben, when he was telling Larry of how he had found Benedicto
Lupez. "A half-loaf is far better than no bread at all, you know."
"Yes," answered the young sailor. "And who knows but that we may run
across this Jose Lupez some day, and get the balance? Anyway, the
recovery of that fifty thousand dollars means at least eight or ten
thousand dollars in our pockets, as well as something for Uncle Job.
I'll wager uncle and Walter will be mighty glad to get the good news
we have to send them." And then he added enthusiastically, which was
just like Larry, "Hurrah, Ben, score one more victory for Young
America and Old Glory!"
* * * * *
Here we must bring to a close the adventures of Ben and Larry Russell
previous to and during "The Campaign of the Jungle" under gallant
General Lawton. The campaign had lasted three weeks, and during that
time the troops had covered about a hundred and fifty miles of
territory, fought twenty-two battles, captured twenty-eight towns, and
destroyed large quantities of army stores, including three hundred
thousand bushels of rice. The losses to the Americans had been about
fifty killed and wounded, while the losses to the Filipinos were
nearly ten times as great!
With the fall of San Isidro, General Aguinaldo and his followers
retreated to the mountains, twelve miles to the north of that town. At
the same time the rebels who had been opposing General MacArthur's
advance fell back to Tarlac, thirty miles beyond San Fernando. But the
Americans had not sufficient troops at hand with which to garrison
the many towns they had taken, and so it was not long before some of
the rebels came back to one place and another, to take what they could
get, and to harass those natives who had been friendly to our
soldiers. In the meantime the rainy season put a stop to further
activity on a large scale, and while the Filipinos sued again for
peace (but upon their own terms), General Otis sent for additional
troops, so that the next dry season might see the rebellion brought to
such a finish that its resurrection would be an impossibility. Many
Americans pitied the sad condition of the Tagalogs, but all felt that
as matters were now situated the supremacy of the United States
throughout the Philippines must be maintained. Once the insurgents
submitted to American authority, we would do the very best we could by
them.
Shortly after the fall of San Isidro, General Lawton's command marched
to join that of General MacArthur. In the meantime Larry and his
wounded friends were removed to the hospital at Manila, whither
Gilbert Pennington had already been taken, along with many others.
Here the sick were given every attention, and soon the majority of
our friends were on a speedy road to health.
Ben felt that there was no need to write to Walter, as his brother
would ere long be in the Philippines, but he wrote to his Uncle Job,
telling about the capture of Benedicto Lupez, and adding that the
prisoner had been sent to join Braxton Bogg, and that the recovered
money was safe in the United States bank at Manila, waiting to be
returned to Buffalo. He also told about Larry, and added that since
the _Olympia_ had sailed away without him, the young sailor was now
going to throw in his fortunes with the soldiers.
The letter brought great joy to Job Dowling, and he immediately wrote
back, stating how pleased he was, and adding that he hoped Ben would
catch Jose Lupez and recover what was still missing.
"That is easier said than done," said Ben to Larry, as the pair read
the letter together. "Still, if this Jose Lupez is now a general in
the rebel army, we may meet some day." Strange as it may seem, that
day was not far off, as will be related in a sixth and concluding
volume of this series, in which we shall meet all the Russell boys, as
well as Gilbert, Luke, and many of our other friends again, and see
what each did toward carrying our flag to a final and lasting victory
in the Philippines.
But now let us leave Ben and Larry, and also the others. All had done
well and richly deserved the rest that came to them. Many adventures
were still in store for them, but it is doubtful if any were to be
more thrilling than those encountered during "The Campaign of the
Jungle."
* * * * *
THE OLD GLORY SERIES.
By EDWARD STRATEMEYER,
_Author of "The Bound to Succeed Series," "The Ship and Shore Series,"
etc._
Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.25.
UNDER DEWEY AT MANILA Or the War Fortunes of a Castaway.
A YOUNG VOLUNTEER IN CUBA Or Fighting for the Single Star.
FIGHTING IN CUBAN WATERS Or Under Schley on the Brooklyn.
UNDER OTIS IN THE PHILIPPINES Or a Young Officer in the Tropics.
THE CAMPAIGN OF THE JUNGLE Or Under Lawton through Luzon.
PRESS NOTICES.
"'Under Dewey at Manila' is a thoroughly timely book, in perfect
sympathy with the patriotism of the day. Its title is conducive to
its perusing, and its reading to anticipation. For the volume is
but the first of the Old Glory Series, and the imprint is that of
the famed firm of Lee and Shepard, whose name has been for so many
years linked with the publications of Oliver Optic. As a matter of
fact, the story is right in line with the productions of that
gifted and most fascinating of authors, and certainly there is
every cause for congratulation that the stirring events of our
recent war are not to lose their value for instruction through
that valuable school which the late William T. Adams made so
individually distinctive.
"Edward Stratemeyer, who is the author of the present work, has
proved an extraordinarily apt scholar, and had the book appeared
anonymously there could hardly have failed of a unanimous
opinion that a miracle had enabled the writer of the famous
Army and Navy and other series to resume his pen for the volume
in hand. Mr. Stratemeyer has acquired in a wonderfully successful
degree the knack of writing an interesting educational story which
will appeal to the young people, and the plan of his trio of
books as outlined cannot fail to prove both interesting and
valuable."--_Boston Ideas._
"Stratemeyer's style suits the boys."--John Terhune, _Supt. of
Public Instruction, Bergen Co., New Jersey_.
"'The Young Volunteer in Cuba,' the second of the Old Glory
Series, is better than the first; perhaps it traverses more
familiar ground. Ben Russell, the brother of Larry, who was 'with
Dewey,' enlists with the volunteers and goes to Cuba, where he
shares in the abundance of adventure and has a chance to show his
courage and honesty and manliness, which win their reward. A good
book for boys, giving a good deal of information in a most
attractive form."--_Universalist Leader_
_For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price
by_
LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers,
BOSTON.
THE SHIP AND SHORE SERIES
By EDWARD STRATEMEYER.
Three Volumes. Cloth. Illustrated. Price per volume, $1.00.
THE LAST CRUISE OF THE SPITFIRE Or Luke Foster's Strange Voyage.
REUBEN STONE'S DISCOVERY Or The Young Miller of Torrent Bend.
TRUE TO HIMSELF Or Roger Strong's Struggle for Place.
PRESS OPINIONS OF EDWARD STRATEMEYER'S BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
"Mr. Edward Stratemeyer is in danger of becoming very popular
among the young people of the country."--_Burlington_ (Iowa)
_Hawk-eye_.
"'The Last Cruise of the Spitfire' is of deep interest to the
bounding heart of an enthusiastic boy. The book leaves a good
impression on a boy's mind, as it teaches the triumph of noble
deeds and true heroism."--_Kansas City_ (Mo.) _Times_.
"Let us mention in passing two admirable books for boys, 'Reuben
Stone's Discovery' and 'Oliver Bright's Search,' by Edward
Stratemeyer, with whom we are all acquainted. This last bit of his
work is especially good, and the boy who gets one of these volumes
will become very popular among his fellows until the book is worn
threadbare."--_N. Y. Herald._
"A good sea-tale for boys is 'The Last Cruise of the Spitfire,' by
Edward Stratemeyer. There is plenty of adventure in it, a
shipwreck, a cruise on a raft, and other stirring perils of the
deep."--_Detroit_ (Mich.) _Journal_.
"In a simple, plain, straightforward manner, Mr. Edward
Stratemeyer endeavors to show his boy readers what persistency,
honesty, and willingness to work have accomplished for his young
hero, and his moral is evident. Mr. Stratemeyer is very earnest
and sincere in his portraiture of young character beginning to
shape itself to weather against the future. A book of this sort is
calculated to interest boys, to feed their ambition with hope, and
to indicate how they must fortify themselves against the wiles of
vice."--_Boston Herald._
_For sale by all booksellers, or sent, postpaid, on receipt of price
by_
LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers,
BOSTON.
* * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Illustrations have been moved closer to their relevant paragraphs.
The author's archaic and variable spelling and hyphenation are
preserved.
The author's punctuation style is preserved.
Typographical problems that were changed are listed below.
Page 13: Was 'reconnoissance' (General MacArthur made a
=reconnaissance= in the direction of Calumpit)
Page 42: Changed single quote mark to double quote mark ("Get in
front of me and take to the woods opposite, =Luke,"= was
the hurried reply.)
Page 46: Changed single quote mark to double quote mark ("We must
get out of the enemy's territory before the sun =rises,"=
said Larry.)
Page 177: Removed extra double quote mark ("=Silence!= Not another
word until the lady has finished her story.")
Page 212: Was 'acount' (for men were dropping out every day on
=account= of fever and other tropical troubles.)