LUKBAN
soldiers were to rendezvous near Mateginan with their guns within five days of the date of the letter, which meant February 20. Gilmore suspected that Lukban only wished to collect as many guns but that he had lost the will to fight. These guns would be surrendered with him.
But Gilmore’ s speculations did not materialize. He would later realize that the opposite of what he thought was true, and that more than ever, Lukban was gearing up for more battles.
On the 25 th, after he was informed that Abuke had stored rice in Palapag mountains. He sent Capt. Dey and some troops the next morning to destroy the supply since he was in that vicinity. The information was genuine as the captain found 70 sacks in the place indicated, but no Abuke was to be found. He had reportedly gone up the mountains with some of his troops, as some of them returned to their villages. Dey burned the rice stocks.
Laguan was in the meantime occupied by Lt. Seaman following Gilmore’ s orders. There was no opposition. Seaman had accordingly slipped into town unnoticed on the morning of the 23 rd, and was lucky to stop the town from being burned. There was an attempt to start the fire at the outskirts of the town, but the fire was put out before it could spread. The next few days were quiet for Seaman. He was also ordered to extend his patrol to the town of Lavesares everyday since Warner, Barnes & Co. had plenty of hemp in the place. In La Granja, there was more of the commodity.
On Gilmore’ s return to Calbayog on February 21, he was told that two Filipinos had been arrested for carrying letters from General Lukban to the presidente of San Policarpo. The communication was a circular letter to presidentes of towns, directing them to send men to Lukban in the mountains and urging them to wage a patriotic war. The two were detained. Gilmore sent out scouting parties to a small town above Oquendo but found things were quiet. 2
Catarman
Gilmore continued the cat-and-mouse game with Lukban as he and his troops moved around the vicinity of Catarman and Catubig, north of the island of Samar, while Lukban started to regroup his troops deep in the forests of Paranas, in the heart of the island.
On March 3 that same year, Gilmore learned that one of Lukban’ s lieutenants, surnamed Rosario, had gone down from the mountains to the vicinity of Catubig valley apparently to loot and burn the place. But after learning that American troops were already in place, Rosario went back to the mountains. Gilmore’ s arrival at Laguan was said to be
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