Adventures of a Boy Reporter

by Alfred Elwes

  CHAPTER XVII.

  ARRIVAL OF THE AMERICAN TROOPS--ARCHIE THE HERO OF THE REGIMENT.

  ARCHIE descended from the roof, and found everything below in a state ofwild disorder. The fleeing rebels had taken with them all they had timeto get together, but in their haste they had left behind many of theirmost useful belongings. In a cupboard of the dining-room Archie found asupply of food and wines sufficient to feed several people for a week,so he supposed that it had been the intention of the occupants of thehouse to remain for some days. The news that the Americans were comingupset all their plans, however, and now, as often before, they wereobliged to flee before them, leaving behind most of their creaturecomforts in the way of food and furniture.

  "What a life they must be leading," thought Archie to himself, "goingfrom one place to another, constantly endeavouring to hide from theAmericans. Now in some town, now in the wilderness, and again venturingas near as possible to the boundaries of Manila." And he could scarcelyhelp admiring their courage, or recklessness, rather, in camping sonear the head of the American government, where they might expect to becaught in a trap at any moment. But Archie realised, too, that such anarmy can get away in a very short time, and he began to have seriousdoubts as to whether the Americans would ever be able to captureAguinaldo and his men. For knowing the islands perfectly, and being ableto get from one point to another in the easiest and quickest way, therebels have a great deal in their favour.

  Selecting some canned beef and some native bread and cheese, Archiemanaged to make a very good meal for himself, though he ate hurriedlyfor fear some of the rebels might return. As soon as he had finished hereturned to his position on the roof, for there he knew that he would besafe in case the building was entered by the townspeople. From his highperch he looked down into the streets, and was surprised to find them asquiet and as much deserted as they had been the night before. Thenews of the coming of the Americans had been effective in quieting theenthusiasm of the morning, and all the townsfolk had again entered theirhomes and put the shutters up before their windows. One would have takenthe place for a deserted village, judging from appearances. But Archieknew that within the shuttered windows and barred doors there werehundreds of people waiting anxiously for the arrival of the Americantroops, and making ready to come out, when required to do so, and againdeclare their allegiance to the stars and stripes. The cowardly wretcheswere diplomatic enough to be always on the side of the victorious.When the rebels occupied the town they were loyal to them, and when theAmericans came, as they often did, they came out into the square andcheered loudly for Uncle Sam. But of course the Americans knew very wellthat their sympathies were with the rebels, and the rebels knew it, too,or they would never have dared to venture so near Manila.

  About five in the afternoon, there was a sound of many men marchingalong the road, and in a little while Archie was able to see theAmericans coming down the street. It was a sight to cheer his heartafter all his experiences of the last day and night. The column wasmarching at double-quick, and the handsome colonel rode a great grayhorse at the head of the regiment. Archie saw that they would reach thesquare in two or three minutes, and, throwing discretion to the winds,he descended from the roof, almost fell down the stairways in his haste,and was soon running toward the administration building. He mounted thegreat steps leading up to the portico, just as the colonel rode into thesquare, and the expression of surprise on the faces of all the men wasfunny to see. In a minute every hat was off, and the regiment wasgiving "three cheers for the boy reporter," while the colonel, rapidlydismounting, hurried up to speak with Archie.

  "Why, how did you come here?" he demanded. "Haven't the rebels beenhere, and how did you escape them? Which way did they go, and wasAguinaldo with them? For pity's sake, say something."

  Archie wasn't long explaining things, and his news was so explicit andso valuable that the colonel grasped his hand and said, almost withtears in his eyes, "God bless you, lad. You may have aided us to catchthe gang, and anyhow you've proved your bravery."

  By this time the regiment was standing at ease, and all the men werewatching Archie and the colonel with great interest. Knowing that theywere all curious to learn how the lad happened to have escaped therebels, the good colonel made a short speech in which he explainedeverything. He dwelt particularly upon the bravery of Bill Hickson, andheld him up as a model for all the men to follow. "And now three cheersfor Bill Hickson and our boy reporter again," he cried, when he hadfinished, and they were given with a will by all the men.

  The regimental officers held a short consultation, and it was decided,on the strength of the news brought by Archie, to push on after therebels as fast as was possible. But it was now sunset, and there was nouse trying to go farther to-night, so it was agreed that the best planwould be to give the men a good rest overnight, as they had made theentire march from Manila since five o'clock in the morning. "They willdo all the better to-morrow for the rest," said the colonel. Archie wasvaluable in being able to guide the officers to the building where hehad been confined, assuring them that they would find everything needfulthere in the way of food, and a place to sleep. Some of the soldierswere quartered in various houses of the town, for the people had soonturned out into the street again, and had expressed their friendship fortheir "masters," as they called them. Archie could hardly refrain fromlaughing as he saw some of those who in the morning had bowed down toAguinaldo vowing everlasting allegiance to our flag, and he assuredthe colonel that he couldn't be too careful while in the town to guardagainst surprises. "No one knows the beasts better than I do," was theanswer. "I know they can't be trusted."

  Archie was invited to remain in the building with the officers, andwhile they prepared and ate a lunch he busied himself in writing adescription of his last two days' experiences. He knew that a messengerwould soon start for Manila, and that a boat would leave that city onthe next day for Hong Kong, so he wanted to get his narrative writtenin order to send it to Mr. Van Bunting at once. He felt that he hadsome very interesting things to write about, for it wasn't everycorrespondent who had seen Aguinaldo, and had been captured by the rebelarmy. He knew that most of them were content to remain in Manila, andsend only what they could get from the general in command, and that thisdescription of the rebels would be something new, at any rate. So hewrote it very carefully, and succeeded in getting it ready in time tosend, so that it would be in the office of the Enterprise in less thana month. As he sat at the table writing, Archie thought of the greatchanges which can take place in one's surroundings in a few weeks. Itseemed ages to him since the day when he left home for the first time,and the experiences he had on his way to New York seemed now to belongto the far-away period of his boyhood. He was beginning to feel very oldnow, because he had been through so much of late, and he could hardlyrealise that he was still eighteen.

  He wrote a short note to his mother at home, telling her not to worry,and assuring her that he was in good health and in no danger whateverof being captured by the rebels, for Archie felt quite safe after hisexperience with the insurgent leaders. He knew that no one of theirprisoners was ever likely to come to a very bad end. They were far tooslipshod in their methods of holding prisoners. He was sorry not to beable to send a longer letter home, but he knew that this note was muchbetter than sending nothing at all, and that it would make his mothervery happy to hear from him at all.

  The officers, when Archie returned to the dining-room, if such it couldbe called, were engaged in making a very good meal from the provisionsin the cupboard, and they thanked Archie warmly for leading them to sucha good place. "By Jove," said one of the captains, "we sha'n't want toreturn to Manila at all, when we can get such grub as this is outside."But the colonel assured them all that they needn't expect to find suchaccommodations everywhere in the interior of the country. "No doubtwe'll all be living on plantains in a day or two, if we don't catch thatfox of an Aguinaldo. And I'm willin' to bet now that we won't find him.That feller's too slick for us.
He's proved it many a time before."

  "And to think that he was here only this morning! The nerve of him, tocome within twenty-five miles of Manila!" said another.

  "I'll be mighty well satisfied if we can catch a few of his ragged men,"continued the colonel. "That will be something to have accomplished,anyhow, and more than some other regiments have done, when they weresent after him. He's the cutest feller I've heard of in a long while. Ifit wasn't for Bill Hickson we'd never hear tell of him, even. He couldenter Manila, I believe, and go out again without us ever knowin' it atall."

  Archie was now called on to tell something of the rebel leader'sappearance, and how he had acted while in the town.

  "I didn't see very much of him," said Archie, "because he spent most ofthe morning with the big-bugs of the town, over in the administrationbuilding. But when he rode into town on his horse he looked mightydignified, though he fell some in my estimation when I saw him standingup. He looked rather dumpy then. He carried himself with a lot ofdignity, a little more than was becoming, I thought, and he received thecheers of the people as a matter of course, and hardly took the troubleto acknowledge them, even by a bow. The officers of the town treatedhim with great deference, and I guess there's no doubt but what theFilipinos look upon him as their leader."

  "Oh, there's no doubt of that," said the colonel. "We've learned thatlong ago. They stand up for him whenever he needs them, and they givehim all they've got to help carry on the war."

  The meal finished, the officers smoked awhile, and then went to bed, forthey were to be up at four in the morning.