CHAPTER XXXI
THE FALL OF SAN ISIDRO--CONCLUSION
Luke Striker was right; a large force of Filipinos were sweeping downthe road at a rapid rate, bringing with them two old field-pieces anda rapid-firing gun. They were commanded by several officers onhorseback, and presented a formidable appearance to the worn-outAmericans.
"Out of sight, quick!" The cry came from Ben. "It's our only chance toescape."
The words had scarcely left his lips when the pop-pop of severalMausers was heard, as the Filipino sharpshooters, who were in advanceof the main body, opened fire upon them. Their aim was excellent, andboth Striker and Boxer were hit, although neither seriously.
"They've caught me!" ejaculated the old sailor, and staggered upagainst 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 liveor die with his closest friend, as the case might be.
The pair started forward. Ben hesitated and looked at Boxer, and sawthe latter try to stagger up once more. "He's not dead," thought theyoung captain, and picked the sharpshooter up. In a few seconds morethe whole party were in the jungle again.
But the Filipinos were not going to let them escape thus easily, andcoming up on the double-quick, a detachment began to search thebushes, at the same time calling on the Americans to surrender if theywanted to save their lives.
With Larry limping painfully, and both Luke and Boxer groaning inspite of their efforts to keep silent, the Americans looked about forsome spot which might prove a safe hiding-place. But the ground herewas level and the jungle rather spare, and for those who were woundedto climb trees was out of the question.
"We'll have to make a stand, I'm afraid," said Ben, looking to hispistol to see if it was fully loaded. "They are coming-- Hark!"
The young captain broke off short, as a loud shouting from the roadinterrupted him. Then came a volley of musketry, followed by a steadystream of shots.
"We've got them this time, boys!" came in a ringing, English-speakingvoice. "Forward, and don't let a man of them escape. On to SanIsidro!"
"Our troops!" cried Larry. "Oh, God be praised that they are comingthis way!"
"Yes, yes, our troops!" ejaculated Ben. "And what is more, myregiment!" The revulsion of feeling was so great that he felt likedancing 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 itselfface to face with a score of Filipinos.
At first our friends were greatly alarmed, and Ben and Larry did theirbest to defend themselves by firing as rapidly as possible at theTagals as they appeared. But the enemy was retreating, and gave thelittle party scant attention. Then came a yell close at hand, and ina 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 becomeof yez!"
"Town mit dem Filibinos!" The call came from Carl Stummer, and soon healso put in an appearance. "Dis vos von lucky tay," he said, when hesaw the party. "Ve haf dem repels on der run like neffer vos."
"Then send them a-flying, Stummer," answered Ben. "Where is ourcamp?"
"Pack dere apout half a mile. Ve vos move up las' night und steal vonmarch on dem Filibinos."
There was no time to say more, excepting to stop several of thesoldiers, and assisted by these, the whole party moved to the rear,through line after line of American troops now hurrying to the firingline, for it was General Lawton's plan to give the Filipinos no restuntil San Isidro and the territory in its vicinity were captured.
Inside of half an hour, Ben had seen to it that Larry, Luke, and Boxerwere all made comfortable, and then, hastily swallowing a bowl ofcoffee and some bread and meat, he hurried after his command, whichwas threshing the jungle just outside of San Isidro for scatteredbands 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 MajorMorris, Gilmore, and his other friends.
The fighting was hot, for the rebels felt that if San Isidro wastaken, nothing would remain to them but the mountains. They hadconstructed a high embankment just outside of their capital, and thisthey were defending vigorously, many of their leading generals beingat the front to direct the movements.
But General Lawton was now in his element, and feeling that his troopswould do whatever he asked of them, he began to spread out to theright and the left, thus enfilading the trenches behind theembankment, which presently became so uncomfortable that the rebelshad to leave them. At the same time a centre column continued theattack from the front--a centre column composed principally ofMinnesota troops and the regiment to which Ben belonged.
"They are leaving the trenches!" exclaimed Major Morris, who waswatching 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 middleof the embankment with a wild rush, planting Old Glory on the very topa minute later. Then the regiment pushed on for San Isidro proper. Ahot skirmish was had on the main street of the town; but the Filipinoshad had enough of it, and by nightfall were making for the mountainsas rapidly as their demoralized condition would permit.
Senor Romano had told Ben where Benedicto Lupez and his brother Josehad been stopping in San Isidro, and as soon as the young captaincould get the opportunity he hurried around to the place, which was alarge private boarding-house.
"There is a man here by the name of Lupez, I believe," he said, as hepresented himself, followed by a detachment of half a dozen of hismen.
The boarding-house keeper, who had just hung out a white flag, eyedhim suspiciously. "How do you know that Senor Lupez is here?" hequestioned 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 muchhesitation.
"Don't ye believe him, captain," put in Dan Casey, who was in thedetachment.
"I will search the house," said Ben, quietly.
The keeper of the boarding-place protested, but his protest was of noavail. The house was searched from top to bottom, and in a back wingthey found Benedicto Lupez in bed, suffering from a badly injured leg,the result of trying to ride a half-broken horse which the insurgentshad captured from the Americans. He greeted the visitors with avillanous scowl.
At first he tried to deny his identity, but the Americans had beenfurnished with his photograph, and a wart on his forehead proved aclew that was conclusive. At once his effects were searched, and underhis pillow was found a leather bag containing fifty thousand dollarsin 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 anAmerican prison in Manila staring him in the face, he confessed thatjust previous to the fall of San Isidro, he had divided what was leftof the money with his brother Jose, who had now left for partsunknown. This confession was afterward proved to be true, and, lateron, Ben learned that with five thousand dollars of the stolen fundsJose Lupez had purchased himself a general's commission in theinsurgent 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 BenedictoLupez. "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 runacross this Jose Lupez some day, and get the balance? Anyway, therecovery of that fifty thousand dollars means at least eight or tenthousand 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 newswe have to send them." And then he added enthusiastically, which wasjust like Larry, "Hurrah, Ben, score one more victory for YoungAmerica and Old Glory!"
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Here we must bring to a close the adventures of Ben and Larry Russellprevious to and during "The Campaign of the Jungle" under gallantGeneral Lawton. The campaign had lasted three weeks, and during thattime the troops had covered about a hundred and fifty miles ofterritory, fought twenty-two battles, captured twenty-eight towns, anddestroyed large quantities of army stores, including three hundredthousand bushels of rice. The losses to the Americans had been aboutfifty killed and wounded, while the losses to the Filipinos werenearly ten times as great!
With the fall of San Isidro, General Aguinaldo and his followersretreated to the mountains, twelve miles to the north of that town. Atthe same time the rebels who had been opposing General MacArthur'sadvance fell back to Tarlac, thirty miles beyond San Fernando. But theAmericans had not sufficient troops at hand with which to garrisonthe many towns they had taken, and so it was not long before some ofthe rebels came back to one place and another, to take what they couldget, and to harass those natives who had been friendly to oursoldiers. In the meantime the rainy season put a stop to furtheractivity on a large scale, and while the Filipinos sued again forpeace (but upon their own terms), General Otis sent for additionaltroops, so that the next dry season might see the rebellion brought tosuch a finish that its resurrection would be an impossibility. ManyAmericans pitied the sad condition of the Tagalogs, but all felt thatas matters were now situated the supremacy of the United Statesthroughout the Philippines must be maintained. Once the insurgentssubmitted to American authority, we would do the very best we could bythem.
Shortly after the fall of San Isidro, General Lawton's command marchedto join that of General MacArthur. In the meantime Larry and hiswounded friends were removed to the hospital at Manila, whitherGilbert Pennington had already been taken, along with many others.Here the sick were given every attention, and soon the majority ofour friends were on a speedy road to health.
Ben felt that there was no need to write to Walter, as his brotherwould ere long be in the Philippines, but he wrote to his Uncle Job,telling about the capture of Benedicto Lupez, and adding that theprisoner had been sent to join Braxton Bogg, and that the recoveredmoney was safe in the United States bank at Manila, waiting to bereturned to Buffalo. He also told about Larry, and added that sincethe _Olympia_ had sailed away without him, the young sailor was nowgoing to throw in his fortunes with the soldiers.
The letter brought great joy to Job Dowling, and he immediately wroteback, stating how pleased he was, and adding that he hoped Ben wouldcatch Jose Lupez and recover what was still missing.
"That is easier said than done," said Ben to Larry, as the pair readthe letter together. "Still, if this Jose Lupez is now a general inthe rebel army, we may meet some day." Strange as it may seem, thatday was not far off, as will be related in a sixth and concludingvolume of this series, in which we shall meet all the Russell boys, aswell as Gilbert, Luke, and many of our other friends again, and seewhat each did toward carrying our flag to a final and lasting victoryin the Philippines.
But now let us leave Ben and Larry, and also the others. All had donewell and richly deserved the rest that came to them. Many adventureswere still in store for them, but it is doubtful if any were to bemore thrilling than those encountered during "The Campaign of theJungle."
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