LUKBAN
od River at breakfast time. The river was called Sag-od but was just actually a tributary of Catubig River. From the falls the river changes its course to nearly due west. They had to cross the river on a rope going to the barrio of San Jose or Buan, probably its ancient name.
After marching for about three hours, the guide admitted that they were following the wrong trail. So they had to march back to the Sag-od, where the rest of the day was spent scouting along its banks and mountains in search of a trail. At dusk, Strebler’ s trusted noncommissioned officer Sgt. Pedro Lora returned, bearing some good news. He said his guide, who used to be with Lukban the previous month, had found the place from which he had started that month. So that night, they camped on the banks of the Sag-od, and early the next day followed a trail indicated only here and there by a broken twig or leaf. They could not see any trail.
By 12 noon, the advance guard captured three men, seven women, and 10 children living in a mountain cave near the dry bed of the Balasbas River. The odor of deer meat flying over a fire had put the scouts on their track. No shot was fired. They made camp at 5 p. m. on the banks of a small mountain stream with their captives. It was the 15 th of August, their fourth day on the trail of Lukban.
The next few days, the trek would be harsher and punishing as the surrounding mountains were of volcanic origin, with their sharppointed honeycombed rocks taking their toll on the white American feet. There was only one stream along their path from which they could drink. On the 16 th, the tired troops of Strebler marched over the mountains to the Yava River, whose banks they came to near midday. They followed this river in a south easterly direction till about 1 p. m., when they arrived at a small clearing with three small huts. Here they surprised a man, four women, and three children, and found a basket containing the clothing, uniform, and insignia of Lt. Pondano Jasmines, one of Lukban’ s men. Again, they did not fire a single shot.
His captives told Strebler that many people were living in the visita of Yava. So he halted his column with the intent of surrounding the village and capturing everyone there. This was necessary because they had to pass through this visita on their way to Tamay, where Lukban was believed to be hiding.
Four small teams scouted through the surrounding mountains and ravines in the afternoon. One of these, under the command of Corporal Repasa, did not get back until the afternoon of the 17 th. They had gone too far to return the same night in their attempt to capture the teniente of the visita of Yava. Repasa said that upon his return, he captured the outpost of Antonis at about 6 p. m. on the 16th, and made him lead
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