LUKBAN
of holding the town against the enemy and sending a team to Basey for help, but their wounded were in such a deplorable condition that surgical aid was imperative. So they decided to embark on getting to Basey where there was an American garrison. 23
Pvt. Manire said they took care of the wounded, and gave them the best comfort that could be afforded. These were placed in the shade and given water. As for their dead, they sorted them out and put them together in the shade. At about 10 that morning, four of them secured barotos for the trip. 24
Meyer said they tried to burn the main barracks, but without success. Thus the Filipinos were able to secure the rifles, ammunition and other goods left at their commissary on the ground floor. Two of them emptied a can of crude oil in the church and convent and also tried to burn the structures, but the natives must have put out the fire as soon as they left. Then they went to the officers’ quarters and took a case of whisky which Lt. Bumpus brought the day before. He said this must have saved them on their 24-hour sea ordeal. 25
Gamlin said they divided themselves among the five boats that they were able to secure in the river west of the town. The smaller the boat, the fewer the soldiers. The largest had 18 riders, the smallest two. As luck would have it, the boats all had outriggers attached, the tide was in, and they had no trouble getting to sea. Pvt. Ernest Ralston added in his account that they had fresh water, a case of hardtack, bacon and coffee, in addition to some 30 guns and ammunition, which they had to throw overboard later when their boats were swamped with water. 26
In the account of official historian David Perine, by the time the survivors had assembled at the river to paddle their way to Basey, there were 31 wounded and only five unscathed. The remaining 38 men of company C were killed.
They did not leave Balangiga at the same time. The boat of Markley with only two riders left an hour earlier. It reached Tolosa then proceeded to Tanauan where they reported to the 11 th Infantry. Markley Swanson gave the first reports of the attack that reached Washington, claiming 140 Filipinos were dead. 27
The second boat with six riders did not have problems with the sea, except that they consumed all their water at dusk. The bottles of whisky was a life saver that helped them reach their destination. 28
But the third boat with nine people, including Francisco, Connell’ s houseboy, experienced problems with navigation. They mistook the cape west of Balangiga as the Capines point, and were soon swamped with water due to rough seas. So four of their passengers were transferred to the other boats to enable them to float, while the remaining passengers
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