CHAPTER XVIII
SENTRY MIGGS MAKES A GRUESOME FIND
It is not necessary for even the most ardent admirer of Private WilliamGreen to feel sorry for the fate of that soldier the next morning afterguard-mount at the capable hands of Private Kelly.
Kelly had something else to think about, and so had every other man inthe little garrison.
Just before daylight the sentry on number three post had made a horriblediscovery. Now that the old guard was relieved, and the new guard wason, the sentry who had made the discovery was able to tell what he knewof it, with such other particulars as had been learned since.
Private Miggs was the sentry in question. Before daylight Miggs hadpatrolled down to the further end of his post. On his return along posthe had discovered something on the ground ahead of him.
When Miggs learned the nature of his discovery he was almost overcome.Being a soldier, he did not faint, but for a few moments he did feel asensation of nausea.
Then, raising his voice, the sentry called the corporal of the guard topost number three. The corporal and the two members of the guard felt asimilar nausea when they arrived on the scene, and it ended in sendingfor the officer of the day, Lieutenant Dick Prescott.
Without venturing to order the removal of the find, Lieutenant Prescottsent a member of the guard to awaken Captain Cortland.
After the post commander had seen it, the guard removed the ghastly findto the guard house, where it still remained.
What had upset Private Miggs's mental balance was the sight of twosevered heads lying on the ground in his path along post. They were theheads of white men.
To each had been tied a piece of coarse paper, and on each paper wasrudely traced the likeness of a crab. This crab, as Captain Cortlandalready knew, was the sign manual of that arch scoundrel of brown skin,the Datto Hakkut. The crab was meant to signify that, while the dattocould move forward, he could also crawl sideways or backward--that hewas strategist enough to crawl out of any trap that the soldiers mightset for him.
As soon as the light came Captain Cortland despatched an armed guardparty to bring over to the fort the German physician and three otherwhite residents of Bantoc, to see whether they could identify thesevered heads.
The heads proved to be those of two young American doctors ofphilosophy, Hertford and Sanderson, who had come to Mindanao monthsbefore, one for the purpose of securing specimens representing thegeological formation of the island, and the other in pursuit ofspecimens of the plants and flowers.
Despite strong advice to the contrary, as given by the former militarycommandant at Bantoc, Drs. Hertford and Sanderson, attended only by asmall party of natives, had gone into the mountains to gather theirspecimens. Since then nothing had been heard of the two enthusiasticyoung scientists--until Sentry Miggs had stumbled upon his gruesomefind.
The soldiers discussed little else that morning.
"Of course it was the old brown rascal, Hakkut, who had the youngscientific gentlemen killed. Didn't Hakkut have his card tied to eachhead?" demanded Private Kelly, who was the centre of a group of enlistedmen.
The group of officers over in Captain Cortland's office had come to thesame conclusion.
"It is the old brown scoundrel's way of showing us his defiance,"declared Captain Cortland in a shocked voice. "Why couldn't that pair ofenthusiastic boys take good advice and keep out of the mountains? Wouldtheir collections of stones and plants be worth as much to any collegeas the young men's lives would have been worth to themselves?"
"The question is, Cortland, what are we going to do in answer to thisdefiance?" suggested Captain Freeman, of C Company.
"What are we going to do?" asked Cortland, his face becoming evengraver. "We have a very small command here, but there's only one thingwe can do. Hakkut has defied us, and, unless he is punished for it, thenative respect for American authority in these islands will soon be lessthan nothing. What are we going to do? There is nothing that we can dobut send the strongest column of men that we can spare up into themountains on the double-quick. We've got to root out that brownscoundrel, and send him and his band running as fast as they can go, orelse we shall be forced to admit to the natives that the claim of theAmerican nation to govern Mindanao is only a stupid joke. Our expeditionmust start before noon!"
"Who will command the column?" inquired Captain Freeman.
"You will command, Freeman. I would give half a year's pay to head theexpedition myself, but I am post commander here, and after the greaterpart of the troops have started the problem here at Bantoc is going tobe such a serious one that I feel obliged to remain here and handle itmyself."
After thinking a few moments longer, Captain Cortland continued:
"Freeman, you will take sixty men from B Company, and the same numberfrom C Company. I can spare you but two officers, for I shall need theservices of Bay and Hampton here. So Holmes will command the C Companydetachment, and Prescott the B Company detachment, while you willcommand the expedition. You will also take one of the two Gatling gunsthat we have at this post. You will take two wagons for ammunition andone for hospital and similar supplies. Your men will carry such fieldand emergency rations as you can. For the rest of your food you willhave to depend upon the country through which you will pass. I am sorryfor this, but on a swift, hard-fighting expedition a command the size ofyours cannot be burdened with more wagons."
"That is true," spoke Captain Freeman thoughtfully. "Well, we shall haveto do the best we can with the amount of transport and rations that youcan put at our disposal. I am anxious now, sir, to get started with thepreparations as rapidly as possible."
"Good; it is half-past nine now. You should be ready to march by----"
"By half-past eleven at the latest," supplied Captain Freeman, rising.
Never were preparations more rushed, nor yet more thoroughly made.
First of all, it was necessary to send into Bantoc and recall LieutenantHolmes and the guard stationed there. With the removal of the troops thelives of the white people residing in Bantoc would be in immediatedanger. So the twenty-five or thirty white residents were obliged toaccompany the guard out to Fort Benjamin Franklin, where they were to beprovided with temporary quarters.
Ten minutes before the time named by Captain Freeman all had beenaccomplished. The column was ready and started.
B Company's detachment marched first. Behind this came the transportwagons and the Gatling gun. The C Company detachment, under LieutenantGreg Holmes, brought up the rear.
Taking into account those who had lately been killed and wounded, andalso the guard under Sergeant Dinsmore, left out at the Seaforthplantation, Captain Cortland had remaining as a garrison about sixtyeffective soldiers. These must preserve the safety of the post and theorder of Bantoc through the twenty-four hours of each day.
No soldier in the marching column deluded himself with the belief thathe was starting on a brief expedition. Every man knew that it would beweeks before they were likely to set eyes again on Fort Franklin. Itwas, moreover, wholly probable that some of the soldiers now marchingwould never see the fort again.
Yet officers and men tramped away unconcernedly. All acted, and felt,very much as though this had been merely a practice march through apeaceful country.
Noll Terry was jubilant. Hal had seen active service on this island, andnow his chum was about to do the same thing. The first taste of realservice is always dear to the heart of a good soldier.
Night brought the command within three or four miles of the foot of themountains. The next morning was still young when the column wound itsway up into the lower portion of the mountains.
Captain Freeman was not marching blindly. He was provided with militarymaps of the mountains. Then, again, not all the Moros were hostile tothe Americans. There were many friendly natives, and some of them hadslyly brought word to the post of the location of Datto Hakkut and hisforces at the last report.
As to the number of men with the datto, the statements of the
nativeshad varied. They had estimated the datto's force at all the way fromfifteen hundred to twenty-five hundred fighting men. Captains Cortlandand Freeman, with their knowledge of the native tendency to exaggerate,had thus fixed the probable number at about eight hundred men.
The second and the third days passed. The troops were now far up in themountains, though up to that time they had not encountered the enemy.Captain Freeman, however, pushed forward, feeling confident that hewould sooner or later encounter the datto's forces.
On the fourth morning, an hour after daylight, the troops were againunder way. They moved slowly, for the roads were in bad condition andthe column could not go ahead at greater speed than the transport wagonscould maintain.
A "point" was out in advance, followed by a slightly larger advanceguard. Behind marched a watchful rear guard. The little column, for itsown safety and convenience, was strung out over a goodly length of road.
As Lieutenant Prescott passed, Sergeant Noll Terry stepped out andsaluted.
"What is it, Sergeant?"
"If it is proper, I would like the lieutenant's permission to go upahead and walk with Sergeant Overton."
"That will be all right, Sergeant--if you will remember that, in case ofemergency, you are to return hastily to your proper place in the line."
"Thank you; I will, sir."
"Very good, Sergeant."
Once more saluting, Noll hastened up forward.
"You have a message?" asked Hal.
"No; but I have the lieutenant's permission to walk with you."
"I'm glad of it, chum. Talking makes the walking easier."
"Walking--yes," grumbled Noll. "I'm afraid that's about all we're goingto get out of this hike."
"Never pray for a fight, Noll. It's all right when it has to be, but anyreal fight always means the last hour for some good fellows."
"I'm no hog for a fight," grunted Terry, "but I'd like to have just alittle real practice, after the long, long time I've had to put inpreparing for it."
"Hm!" smiled Sergeant Hal. "I could almost qualify as a member of apeace society. _I_ don't care how long it is before the next fight. I'dhate to see it come along this stretch of road."
"Why?"
"Well, look over at our left, Noll. Below us is a deep gully, with aswift stream flowing. Beyond it is that wooded ledge. Any number ofMoros could conceal themselves there and fire at us, and we couldn'treach 'em with the bayonet. Ahead----"
Sergeant Hal may have finished, but, if he did, his voice was drownedout by the savage clamor of yells ahead. Barely a hundred yards beyondthe point came a rushing mob of Moros, shooting and brandishing creeses.
From the wooded, inaccessible ledge to the left came a sudden, rapidfiring that made the air hot with bullets directed at Uncle Sam's men.