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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