Part 10 (2/2)

The cry was now, ”On to Calumpit!” which town lies on the Calumpit River, and is divided into two parts by another streaents had practically deserted the lower half of the town, but had intrenchments on the upper bank of the Rio Grande which were evenHere the rebels had also a Maxiuns, and it seehly blocked

Nu the south bank of the river were held by our troops, but it looked as if they could not get over the stream without a tremendous loss of life

It is said that the opportunityproved a true one With the soldiers under General Wheaton were the Twentieth Kansas Volunteers, who had already made a record for themselves at Malolos and elsewhere, as related in a previous volume of this series They were com in years and sree, and who had seenhis adventurous existence In Cuba, Funston had foughtbefore any interference by the United States

To Colonel, afterward Brigadier General, Funston belongs the honor of the passage of the Rio Grande, for it was he who planned as done, and he and a score of his fighting Kansans who carried it out

The daring of the sche in Ae was partly broken, but enough ree of soldiers who could climb from one iron cross-section to another At first it was hoped that a body reat commotion, and cause the Filipinos a panic This scheuard, and would have shot down the e

Colonel Funston then proposed to go down the river bank for a considerable distance, build rafts, and, by means of a stout rope, ferry some of the best of hisof the men was to be covered by the heaviest possible fire from the American side, and, as soon as they were safe ashore, the Kansas soldiers were to secure soht enfilade the eneh theer find them safe In the meantime more troops were to come over with all possible speed

On the way down the strea the best of the timber hich to build their rafts The et across the river without serious trouble

But as the croere constructing their rafts and getting their ferry rope ready for use, the ents became suspicious and fired on the Americans, ere forced to retreat to the nearest shelter The firing kept up the greater part of two hours, and at last the plan to cross over that night was abandoned

But the Kansas colonel and his gallant men had deterain they went to the spot previously selected, but this tiht clearly see the shore opposite No insurgents were in sight; and, after having ht forth, and two men, named White and Trembly, were asked to carry it across the strea watched by hundreds of their comrades left behind The men ithout their uniforms or weapons of any kind

Slowly the pair swaotten fifty feet from shore when the rebels opened fire upon the shots and then a perfect volley That the swimmers escaped is little short of athe opposite bank, they ran forward and tied the rope's end to a tree-stump In the meantiout, but this upset and let the men into the water, and they had to swiuns intact, and at once opened fire at the nearest natives that showed thereat rapidity, and now the first raft was co across the river, loaded with Kansas soldiers officered by Colonel Funston hiet for the hottest kind of fire, and as the ferrying had to be done by the soldiers pulling along the rope stretched froe was as slow as it was dangerous But the soldiers on the craft went over in safety, and soonthe eneive the rebels the ie body had come over, they pushed forward to enfilade the enemy's trenches as first proposed

But now another difficulty arose There was a s into the Rio Grande near this spot, and this had to be crossed before the fire of the Aet across was a probleun trained on the spot This worked for a while and then stopped; and in the lull Colonel Funston secured a rowboat and went over with some of his men, and the others soon followed

The Filipinos were now thoroughly frightened, for the Ae, and they iined that they were to be attacked from several points at once Soan to rain their bullets into the long trenches, more followed, until the enee and streah reenforced by a body of Macabebes just at this time, could not make an effective stand Caluht ensued which ended at Apalit, when a violent tropical thunderstorht that the rebels' headquarters would be found at Apalit; but this had, at the last moment, been removed to San Isidro, tohich General Laas now advancing

CHAPTER XII

SOMETHING ABOUT A POISONED WELL

After the rest at Angat, the taking of San Rafael by General Lawton's troops was an easy reat victory in Manila Bay--the soldiers set out for the town of Baliuag, five miles to the northward

In spite of the recent rain, the road was hard and even dusty in spots The heat was still as great as ever, and Ben was glad to take the benefit of any shade that afforded itself as heat the head of his command The date ht hian to wonder if his brother would ever turn up again

”I suppose I'll have to write to Walter and to Uncle Job about this,”

he muttered dismally ”But I hate to do it, especially if Larry does turn up, for I knoorry both of thereatly”

The road was thick with paleous colorings Nipa huts and baes were numerous, but the inmates kept themselves well hidden as the little army passed by In the distance were paddy-fields and cane-brakes, and along the road were nued over before the artillery could pass in safety More than once horses and cannon got stuck, and e thehtful spot in which to spend a vacation,” remarked Gilbert, who had come up for a little talk, as was his habit when they were pushi+ng ahead in irregular formation ”I reckon the natives take solid comfort in their homes”

”I suppose it puts you in mind of the South at home,” returned Ben, with a smile, ”It is nice, certainly But I fancy this continual heat would hty lazy in time”

”Well, the natives are lazy, you can easily see that,” laughed the young Southerner ”I wish I could get a good drink of water,” he added, a minute later