“It’s too bad!” declared the young Southerner. “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 comfort Ben had to be content.
During the days that General Lawton had been 87 in the vicinity of the Laguna de Bay, the regiment to which Ben and Gilbert belonged had not been idle. With a number of other troops they started for the town of Santa Maria, where they came upon the enemy and dislodged 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.
In the meantime the camp of the Third Artillery, situated some distance to the west of Malolos, was attacked. A fierce engagement in the swamps took place, and in the end the rebels were driven northward and began then to concentrate at Tarlac, which soon became one of their new capitals—they shifting the seat of government as often as it suited their convenience.
It was now felt by General Otis and others in command that no time should be lost in an endeavor to round up the insurgents to the north of Malolos, who were the main support of the rebellion, although scattering bands were still operating to the south and southeast. The rainy season was but a few weeks off, and once this set in military operations would be much retarded, if 88 not stopped altogether, for, taken as a whole, the roads throughout the Island of Luzon are bad, and heavy rains render them well-nigh impassable.
In order to make the campaign against the rebels as effective as possible, General Otis decided to send out two columns, one under General MacArthur to strike out for Calumpit, and the second, under General Lawton, to take a route to the eastward, along the base of the hills leading to San Isidro. By this it was hoped, if the rebels at Calumpit were defeated and tried to take to the mountains, they would fall directly into Lawton’s hands, and not only have to surrender but also give up all their war supplies.
It was in the furtherance of this plan that General Lawton left Manila with his brigade and struck out for Novaliches which was gained after a small skirmish at Tuliahan River. From here the column moved to Norzagaray to await reënforcements which were coming in from Malolos and vicinity. To these reënforcements belonged the command to which Ben and Gilbert were attached.
It had begun to rain, and those who understood tropical weather predicted that the wet season was at hand. Yet it was very hot, and the water 89 which fell arose in clouds of steam on the road, rendering marching anything but comfortable.
“Sure, an’ it makes a man feel as if he was takin’ a stame bath, so it does,” remarked Dan Casey, as he swung along on the route step. “I don’t know as I iver see it rain hot wather before, bedad,” he added, as he wiped the perspiration from his sadly freckled face.
During the day’s march, which was trying to everybody, Ben was silent, wondering what had become of Larry and if he would ever again see his younger brother. When the command went into camp under the shelter of a grove of tall trees, both Gilbert and Major Morris visited his tent to comfort him.
“He is not the only one who is missing,” remarked the major of the first battalion. “So far I understand the warships have lost about a dozen men who went ashore and failed to return. And you know there are six men missing from our own regiment.”