CHAPTER X.
THE BATTLE AT A DISTANCE.
Morning dawned as mornings do in the tropics. There is no gradual coming on of daylight. The sun came up in all of its fiery splendor, and day was at hand, hot, oppressive, and enervating. To look around one would have thought that it had not rained for a week, yet there was a steam in the air—a steam that by noon gave place to a peculiar vapor laden with that smell which, once experienced, is not easily forgotten, the smell of rank vegetation mingled with the delicious odor of spices.
"And how do you feel, Oliver?" asked the first mate, as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. "Perhaps you forget where you are?"
"No, I don't forget, but I am tremendously sleepy yet," I answered, as I stretched myself. "What time is it, do you think?"
"Not seven yet."
"Then I haven't slept very long, after all. I thought by the light it must be close upon noon." I paused. "I wish I had something to eat."
"So do I, lad; but we'll have to stay our stomachs until we are further away from those Tagals, I'm thinking. I've been looking around and I don't think the top of this hill is far off. Let us get to there and take in the lay of the land."
As there seemed nothing better to do, I agreed, and we began the ascent of the cliff, which was composed of lava principally, for the Philippine Islands are largely of volcanic origin, and have numerous volcanoes which are in constant operation. The cliff passed, we began another trudge through the woods.
I had noticed butterflies, small and big, before, but now these beautiful creatures became more plentiful than ever, until at one point our way was almost blinded by them.
"It's like a snow-storm of 'em, aint it?" remarked Dawson, and his picture was about correct, excepting that, while a portion of them were milky white, the others were of every shade imaginable.
We had hoped to gain the top of the hill by ten o'clock, but it was afternoon before we came out on the stretch of tableland that was its highest point. As before, the tableland was surrounded by palms, so both Dawson and I had to climb into the trees to get a look around.
We first turned our eyes toward the China Sea, which rolled and glistened like molten gold in the bright sunlight. Far away two sails were visible, mere specks upon the horizon. At the beach the breakers rolled and broke, sending the white spume almost up to the roots of the palms that fringed the sand. From the point we occupied the mouth of the river where the Dart lay was concealed from view.
"Nothing of interest in that direction," observed Dawson, and turned carefully to take a look inland. Soon he uttered a cry of astonishment.
"What do you see?" I queried.
"What do I see?" he repeated. "Hang me if I don't see about the biggest battle on record!"
"A battle?" I cried, and turned among the branches to get a view myself.
"Yes, a battle. Don't you hear the guns?" I listened, and sure enough from a great distance I heard the crack and roll of musketry. At first I could not locate the sounds, but presently saw the thin white smoke ascending from a valley far to our east, a valley hedged in between two tall mountains.
"Can you make out who is fighting?" I asked, straining my eyes to the utmost.
"It looks to me like soldiers on one side and natives on the other," answered the first mate. "The soldiers are driving the other fellows up the valley. There must be about five hundred men fighting on each side."
"Can the Tagals be waging war on the Spaniards?"
"I reckon they are rebels under General Aguinaldo, who has been their acknowledged leader for over a year."
"And do they expect to win their freedom?"
"I suppose so, although, even if they do throw off the yoke of Spain, I don't believe they are capable of governing themselves."
"They certainly are not, if they are all like the fellows who made us prisoners."
"Oh, the better class of Tagals are not like these, lad. Why, I've been told that, in Manila, some of them are quite ladies and gentlemen. They can read and write, and affect the Spanish fashions."
The tide of battle had now swept up the valley, and we heard and saw nothing more of the contest. We gave the surroundings another good look, and then descended to mother earth.
"I've got an idea," said Dawson. "If we can find one of the small boats, why not stock her up with provisions and water and then sail down the coast to the nearest seaport settlement to Manila—say Port Subig? That will save us a tedious and perhaps dangerous trip overland."
"That's a good idea, expecially as we don't want to get mixed up in this fight between the insurgents and the Spanish. But what of the Dart and our things on board of her?"
"Ten to one the natives have already looted the ship, Oliver. As it is, we can do nothing but notify those in Manila who were interested in her cargo. Perhaps they'll help us in the matter, for their own sakes."
"And what of the others who were made prisoners?"
"Alone and without weapons what can we do for them? If we can organize a party in Manila to come here and straighten out matters we'll be doing well."
Both of us were tremendously hungry, and now we cast about for something to eat. But little could be found on the hill outside of a few cocoanuts, and soon we were on our way to the seacoast, taking care to give the Tagal settlement a wide berth.
We had just stepped out upon the sand when we saw a figure clad in a flowing frock coming toward us at top speed.
"Ah Sid, as I'm a sinner!" burst out Tom Dawson, as he recognized the Chinese cook of the Dart. "Hi! hi! where are you running to?" he called out.
At the sound of the first mate's voice the little Chinaman came to a dead halt. "Who callee?" he yelled. "Who callee Ah Sid?"
"I called you, you monkey. Come here," answered Dawson, and now Ah Sid saw us and reached our side on the double-quick.
"Me gittee away flom bad man," he puffed. "Hide in tree woods, or him cochee all flee—lun! lun!" And he lost no time in diving into the forest, and we came after him.
We had scarcely concealed ourselves when two Tagals burst into view, skipping along the sands with long spears in their hands, ready to be launched forth at the first sight of the terror-stricken Celestial. Ah Sid's footprints were plainly visible, so they lost no time in following him into the forest.
"We must down them!" whispered Dawson excitedly, and as one of the Tagals passed him he leaped out, caught hold of the man's spear, and threw him headlong. Seeing this, I threw myself on the second copper-colored rascal, and a fierce, all-around struggle ensued.
It was little Ah Sid who turned the tide of battle in our favor. Paralyzed at first with fear, he quickly recovered, and picking up a big stone, approached and struck first one enemy and then the other on the head. The blows were well directed and heavy, and each Tagal went down insensible.
"Good for you, Ah Sid!" cried Tom Dawson. "You can fight, even if you are a heathen."
"Shall me finish um? " asked the cook, as he still held the stone which had done such good work.
"No, no, that would be murder!" I ejaculated in horror. "They are both pretty badly done for and won't get over this for an hour or more. Come on, unless there are more coming."
"Only dese two, Mlister Raymond. Where you goee?"
"We thought we might find one of the small boats," answered the mate.
"Little boatee dlis way." Ah Sid pointed down the beach. "Hurry if wantee him, or bad man git um."
Away we went, the Chinaman leading the party. As he ran he managed to tell us that he had escaped from the Tagals two days before, but had been unable to get away from the territory. "Watt Brown, Matt Gory, and um captain gittee away, too," he concluded. "No knowee where them goee dough."
It did not take long to reach the small boat, which lay in the cove where we had originally landed. The second small boat was gone, the natives having carried it off.
"Now for a stock of provisions," I said. "We will have to thresh around the woods at a lively rate, if we want to get away before night."
"We won't hunt for any more than we actually need," answered Tom Dawson. "And Ah Sid will help us, I know," and he explained to the cook what we proposed to do.
"Me catchee blirds very soon," answered Ah Sid, and procured a long, thin switch. With this he entered the forest, and soon brought down several birds, including three pigeons. He would stir them up from the grass, and a lightning-like crack of the switch would finish them.
"Hold hard!" cried Tom Dawson, while we were in the midst of our labors. "Hold hard, somebody is coming!"
We instantly became silent and listened. The first mate was right, three persons were coming through the forest, and they were heading directly for the spot where the boat lay.