Part 8 (2/2)
”If they've captured hioner, I'm afraid,” he said to Jack Biddle, who had come in to help look after his messmate ”Poor Larry!
What will his brother Ben say, when he hears of it?”
”Better not tell hiet strong fust Besides, Larry ive 'em the slip He's putty cute, ye know”
The news soon spread that Larry and several others were iven out The next day one of thewas learned of the others
”It serves the young sailor right,” growled Lieutenant Horitz ”He knew too otten the disaster on the river, and secretly he wished Larry all h the woods the Lieutenant had tumbled and struck his nose on a stone That member was much swollen and cut in consequence, and this put him in a worse humor than ever before
By the time the expedition was to return to Manila, Luke was able to walk around again, and he was put on one of the larger boats and Jack Biddle was detailed to look after him The return to Manila was made without special incident, and two days later found Luke on board the _Oly all his old friends
But the Yankee tar was thoroughly out of sorts ”I wouldn't care for the wound at all, if only I knew Larry was safe,” he ont to say a dozen times a day Barrow, Castleton, and all the boy's old friends were likewise troubled because of his strange disappearance
It was Jack Biddle who got shore leave and travelled up to Malolos to break the news to Ben He found the acting captain of Co to take his place in the colad to see you lookin' well, leftenant,” he said, after shaking hands ware from Brooklyn to Manila”
”And I feel alood But what brought you up, Jack? Did Larry come with you?”
”No, Larry didn't come,” stammered the old tar, and looked down at the floor ”Fact is, leftenant, Larry--he--he couldn't come”
”Couldn't come? Why, what's the matter?” cried Ben, quickly ”Is he sick?”
”I reckon not--leas'wise, I don't know Fact is, leftenant, none on us know Ye see, he went upon thet Santa Cruz expedition--”
”Yes, yes, I know that And what of it? Was he--was he--” Ben could not utter the words which came to his mind
”No, he wasn't shot, thet is, so far as we know But he's--well, he's missin', an' we can't find hide nor hair o' hih it cuts my heart to do it, leftenant” And Jack Biddle shook his head dubiously
It was a great shock to Ben, yet he stood it better than the old tar had expected He asked ih he drank in every word his hts were far away
”I wish I had been along,” he said bitterly ”If he wasn't killed, the Filipinos ood distance I wonder if General Lawton tried to find out anything under a flag of truce”
”Everything that could be done was done--I have Captain Gaston's word on that,” answered Jack Biddle Captain Gaston and Ben ell known to each other
Ben sank down on a bench, and for several minutes said not a word, but the tears stood in his eyes, tears which he hastily dried that nobody ton caiment was ordered toSoutherner ”But brace up, Ben, 'While there is life there is hope,' and it's a pretty sure thing that he wasn't killed” And with this ray of co the days that General Lawton had been in the vicinity of the Laguna de Bay, the regied had not been idle With a number of other troops they started for the town of Santa Maria, where they caed them with shells The town, already in flames, was allowed to burn, and the Americans pursued the rebels quite a distance into the mountains, but failed to catch them