CHAPTER XXVIII
IN WHICH GILBERT AND MAJOR MORRIS DEPART FOR CHINA
The early months of the new year passed slowly for both Ben and Larry. The young captain's command was kept in the vicinity of Tarlac, and he had but little to do excepting occasionally to aid in making the outlying rebels keep their distance.
The campaign around the Laguna de Bay was now again at its height, but it was not very much different from those which had gone before. Town after town were captured by the Americans, only to be, later on, abandoned for the want of sufficient soldiers with which to garrison them. In the meantime the civil commissioners got to work in and around Manila, and did what they could toward instructing the friendly Filipinos as to what was expected of them under American rule. This was up-hill work, for our institutions are vastly different from those of Spain, under which these people had formerly lived, and, consequently, but slow progress was made.
The navy, meanwhile, was not altogether idle. Rear-Admiral Watson was now in command, and his ships did what they could toward keeping the Filipinos along shore in submission. Occasionally a gunboat would steam up a river or along one of the lakes and aid the army in its movements. The ships were also sent to the other islands, and this gave Larry and Si a chance to visit Mindanao, the next largest island to Luzon, and also Panay, one of the smaller of the group.
During the time spent by Ben at Tarlac a number of the volunteers were mustered out of the service. Among this number were Gilbert Pennington and Major Morris and the two old soldier chums, Carl Stummer and Dan Casey. Gilbert and the major at once reënlisted in the regular army service, and not long after Stummer and Casey followed. On the day that Gilbert and the major signed the muster-roll a recommendation for advancement was sent in by their superior, and not long after this the major was appointed acting commander of the first battalion of the regiment he had joined, with a commission as captain. Gilbert received a commission as a first lieutenant. Both honors came as the result, so the papers stated, "of special bravery exhibited at the capture of the Filipino guerilla, General Pompoña Adoz." The regulars were quartered not far from where Ben's old regiment was stopping, yet the friends now saw but little of each other.
The retirement of Major Morris made a vacancy among the majors, and no one in the regiment was surprised when Ben became acting major of the third battalion, the other majors moving up to the first and the second battalions. Ben had reënlisted for six months, and in March his commission as a full-fledged major reached him.
"Major Russell, allow me to congratulate you," said Colonel Darcy, as he shook Ben warmly by the hand. "You deserve your promotion. I trust that some day you will go still higher in the ranks."
"Thank you, colonel, but the rank of major is quite high enough for me. Besides, I would not want to take your place from, you—excepting you became a general."
"No, Major Russell, as long as I remain here, I wish to stay at the head of my own regiment."
"And I want to stay with our boys, too, colonel. I can tell you candidly, it was quite a trial to give up Company D."
"I shall arrange it so that you can have your company in your battalion before long," returned the colonel; and there the conversation came to an end.
During all the weary time spent around Tarlac Ben heard nothing of Walter, nor of General José Lupez, although he closely questioned every Filipino brought into the lines. Once he heard of some American prisoners being kept at a place called Mount Ararat, but when the village was captured by our troops and the prisoners released, Walter was not among them, nor had any of the released ones heard of the young sailor.
"He must be dead," said Ben to Larry, when the latter took a run up to see him. "If he was alive, we would surely hear from him, one way or another."
Larry's face grew very sober. "Oh, Ben, I hope you are mistaken," he returned. "I cannot, cannot think of dear Walter as being dead!" And the tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his sunburnt cheeks.
Larry had come up from Manila, where he had met his old friend, Captain Ponsberry, of the Columbia, the schooner in which the young tar had once sailed from Honolulu to Hong Kong.
"Captain Ponsberry says the natives along the coast are watching for every ship that comes in close, hoping to tackle her," said Larry.
"Is he here for a cargo?"
"No, he brought over some goods for an American firm—the Richmond Importing Company. From here he is going to sail for China, I believe. By the way, Ben, do you know that it looks as if there would be trouble in China before long?" went on Larry, after a pause. "Down in Manila I heard some talk about United States troops to be sent there."
"Well, I don't want to go, Larry. To tell the truth, I am getting tired of the army—now that regular battles seem to have come to an end."
"And I am just a bit tired of the navy. If we could find Walter and get that money José Lupez stole, I think I'd be for going home as soon as our present time is out."
"I don't care for the money as much as I did. If only we could find Walter, I would be satisfied. What does Si Doring think of the matter?"
"Oh, he is all cut up over it, and my old friends—Luke and the others—are awfully sorry on my account, too."
"If I could gain the slightest clew to his whereabouts, I would organize an expedition to rescue him," went on the newly appointed major.
"This José Lupez ought to be able to tell something about him."
"Yes, but where are you going to find the rascal? He seems to have disappeared utterly."
"Is his brother still in prison at Manila? I forgot to ask when I was down there."
"Yes."
"I wonder if he doesn't get any letters from his brother? I understand the two are alone in the world. I shouldn't think they would forget each other entirely."
"I hadn't thought of that, Larry. Perhaps it would pay to have this Benedicto Lupez watched closely. We might get some kind of a clew to work on. I know some of the prison authorities, and I'll drop them a line at once, and you can leave it at the prison when you go back. What have they done with Braxton Bogg?"
"Shipped him back to the United States for trial. They say he is sure of ten or twenty years in State's prison."
"It will serve him right, and the Lupezes ought to get the same."
"I think so myself, although they may look at it in the light that all is fair in war," concluded Larry.
Larry returned to Manila that night, taking with him a note Ben had written for the prison authorities. The young tar was now on shore duty and would therefore be able to call at the prison for possible news every few days.
The next week was more busy for the young major than any had been since going into camp near Tarlac. The rebels to the northeastward became active again, and he had to take out his battalion as far as the village of Masalaño, where the soldiers experienced a running fight for two days through the jungles and swamps. A Filipino camp was broken up and considerable army stores gathered in. During the expedition it rained almost constantly, and the small streams to be crossed became veritable mountain torrents.
On his return to camp Ben was surprised to learn that Gilbert, Major Morris, and the regulars to which the two belonged had struck camp and marched for Manila. "They are bound for China," said Colonel Darcy. "The Boxers in that country have started a revolution, or something like it, and some of Uncle Sam's men are wanted in Pekin and elsewhere to protect American interests."
"China!" cried the young major. "Who ever dreamed that Uncle Sam would send troops to that country!"
"Matters look mighty black there, major. I wouldn't be surprised if Major Morris and Lieutenant Gilbert see a whole lot of fighting before they come back."
"I am sorry I didn't see the major and Pennington, to bid them good-by."
"They were sorry, too. They may stay in Manila for a while, and if so, and things remain quiet here, you can run down and see them off." And so it was arranged. Ben went down to Manila as soon as he could get away, anxious not only to see his friends, but also to learn if Larry had received any word from the prison authorities.
"Nothing yet," said Larry, when the brothers met. "But one of the keepers, a man named Provost, is certain that Benedicto Lupez is up to something out of the ordinary, and he is watching the rascal night and day."
In Manila they met Gilbert and Major Morris. Gilbert had some private matters to attend to—concerning the Richmond Importing Company—and had Larry take him to see Captain Nat Ponsberry.
"Yes, we are really off for China," said the young Southerner. "I must confess I didn't look for this when I enlisted in the regulars. But I . must say I am not sorry." A few days later Gilbert Pennington was sailing away from Manila, in company with Major Morris, Carl Stummer^ Dan Casey, and a number of others we have known in these pages. What the further adventures of these characters were will be found in another volume entitled, "On to Pekin; or, Old Glory in China." Ben was very sorry to lose his old chum, but wished not only Gilbert but likewise the others the best of good luck.
"They are going to carry the stars and stripes into a strange quarter of the globe," said the young major. "I trust none of them get killed or seriously wounded."
"Trust Gilbert to take care of himself," replied Larry. "I never met a fellow so plucky before."
Ben had an errand to Uncle Sam's tailor while at Manila, for his old uniform was worn out, and he must be measured for a new one, as befitted a newly appointed major. He took Larry with him to the building in which uniforms were stored, altered, and made, and soon had his errand over.
"We had something in the way of excitement here last night," said one of the tailors. "Some natives broke in and made off with about thirty suits."
"Didn't they catch the thieves?"
"They caught one of the fellows and recovered ten suits. But the other rascals got away, and twenty suits are still missing. It does beat the nation how those natives can do it, with so many of our soldiers around."
"You have no trace of those who got away?"
"No. They went off through a back alley,—the one that runs beside the prison,—and that was the last seen of them. The guard fired three shots, but they did no good," concluded the tailor. Then he turned to others who were waiting, and Ben and Larry walked away, little dreaming of how important to them was the news they had just heard.