LUKBAN
of the cliffs, Porter’ s column rushed the rebels’ cuartel but found it empty. Food was still cooking, and everything showed that the rebels had just left.
They climbed to a higher cliff and discovered two camps on the opposite side of the river, which was about 150 feet wide. The camps were about 150 yards distant, with the people at work preparing food, cutting bamboo, and variously employed, with no clue whatsoever that their enemies were training their guns on them. Slowly Porter brought up his men and a Colt gun, which was carried by native carriers. After ten minutes, the Colt was ready. Then Porter gave the signal to fire the gun. The rebels were completely routed. About 30 of them were slain, while the survivors fled.
The troops destroyed the cuartel and food, went down the cliffs, and, using two very small bancas and a raft, crossed the river. There they scaled the cliffs, destroyed the camps that they found, and scaling the other cliffs on the right side with the bamboo ladders which the rebels had hurriedly left behind, found another camp, which they also destroyed. The rebels could only fire two volleys from seven rifles before they fled. The troops captured and destroyed 40 bamboo guns( lantakas), rice, food, besides the cuartel.
Old prisoners told Porter that they had been working on the defenses for three years. No white troops had ever penetrated these positions before, and they were held as a final rallying point. In addition to the spears and traps, the Americans discovered innumerable rifle pits and many bamboo guns. The cliffs over the river were honeycombed with caves reachable by bamboo ladders, also by ledges of rock with bamboo hand rails. Tons of rock were suspended in cages held in position by vines, and in readiness to be released on people and boats below. Instant destruction would have been the fate of the boats had they attempted the passage of the river until after the cliffs had been taken.
Waller and his column were less than ten minutes away in point of distance, but they were unable to reach the flanking column. Two attempts were made, but his boats struck. He found it impossible to follow the rebels farther as rations gave out, prompting his troops to return on the 19 th. 21
Lanang-Basey March
Still fresh from his conquest of the Sojoton rebel sanctuary, Waller remembered the order of Gen. Smith to make a march from Basey to Hernani on the east coast of the island to“ capture or destroy the remnants of the insurrectos, now scattered in small bands and causing much trouble to
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