Part 8 (1/2)
To the tale Captain Fipile listened with interest, even smiling when Larry told how he had broken out of the prison. ”You did wonderfully well for a boy,” he remarked. ”A man could not have done more. What became of your friend?”
”I left him at the warehouse. I hope he rejoined the soldiers.”
”And what of Senors Benedicto and Jose Lupez?”
”I don't know what became of them.”
”I know this Jose Lupez fairly well, and I always thought him an honest man.” Captain Fipile stroked his chin thoughtfully. ”We are fighting you Americans, it is true, but we would not wish to shelter a thief who had run away from among you. We are above that, even though a good many of your countrymen will not give us credit for it.”
”We know that some of the Filipinos are honest enough,” said Larry, hesitatingly. ”What do you intend to do with me?” he went on, after a pause.
”That remains to be seen. Would you like to join our army?”
”Me? No, sir!” cried the youth, promptly.
Captain Fipile laughed outright. ”You are honest enough about it, I must say. How about giving us a little information? Will you object to that?”
”I have given you considerable information already.”
”I mean military information.”
”I haven't anything to say on that point.”
”Can't I persuade you to tell me what you may happen to know?”
”No, sir.”
”If I can get you to talk, it may go much easier with you while you remain our prisoner,” went on the captain, suggestively.
”I'm sorry, but I haven't anything to say.”
”Very well, then, Master Russell, if you are rather harshly treated in the future, remember you have only yourself to blame. As a general rule, we take prisoners only for the purpose of squeezing what information we can out of them.”
And thus speaking, Captain Fipile arose and quitted the cave, leaving Larry to his own reflections, which were more dismal than they were encouraging.
CHAPTER IX
THE ADVANCE INTO THE JUNGLE
Santa Cruz had been taken, but there was still much to do around the sh.o.r.es of the Laguna de Bay to make it safe territory for the Americans to hold. From the city the rebels were pursued eastward, and a number of cascos and larger boats were captured. Inside of a few days Paete, Longos, Lumban, and several other villages, were visited by detachments of General Lawton's command, and the insurgents fled in each instance, leaving all behind them. Nearly a hundred who stopped to fight were either killed or wounded, and victory was entirely upon the side of the Americans.
But now it was learned that the forces under General Aguinaldo and General Luna were concentrating once more to the north and east of Malolos, and much as he regretted the necessity, General Otis was compelled to order General Lawton and his command back to the territory above Manila. No garrisons could be spared for Santa Cruz, or the other places captured, so these settlements were allowed to fall once more into the hands of the enemy, after all the fortifications had been destroyed and the arms and munitions of war confiscated. It seemed a pity to leave these towns and villages after having once taken them, but to garrison them properly would, according to General Lawton's estimate, have taken thousands of soldiers.
With the taking of Santa Cruz, the Americans marched through all the streets and by-ways, looking for lurking rebels and hidden arms, and in this search a squad of infantry came upon Luke Striker, who had propped himself up on the sacking in the warehouse and was making himself as comfortable as possible.
”Hullo, sailor,” cried the sergeant in charge of the squad. ”Where did you come from?”
[Ill.u.s.tration: ”Hullo, sailor, where did you come from?”--_Page 82._]