ed as a native woman. Aguinaldo, personally,
was humanely inclined, for at his headquarters he held captive one
Spanish trooper, an army lieutenant, a Spanish planter, a friar, and
two Spanish ladies, all of whom were fairly well treated. The priest
was allowed to read his missal, the lieutenant and trooper were made
blacksmiths, and the planter had to try his hand at tailoring.

The insurgents occupied Paranaque and Las Pinas on the outskirts
of Manila, and when General Blanco had 5,000 fresh troops at his
disposal he still refrained from attacking the rebels in their
positions. Military men, in conversation with me, excused this
inaction on the ground that, to rout the rebels completely without
having sufficient troops to garrison the places taken and to form
flying columns to prevent the insurgents fleeing to the mountain
fastnesses, would only require them to do the work over again when
they reappeared. So General Blanco went on waiting in the hope that
more troops would arrive with which to inflict such a crushing defeat
on the rebels as would ensure a lasting peace. The rebels were in
possession of Imus for several months. Three weeks after they took it,
artillery was slowly carried over to Cavite, which is connected with
the mainland by a narrow isthmus, so the rebels hastened to construct
a long line of trenches immediately to the south of this (_vide_ map),
whereby communication with the heart of the province was effectually
cut off. Not only did their mile and a half of trenches and stockade
check any advance into the interior from the isthmus, but it served
as a rallying-point whence Cavite itself was menaced. The Spaniards,
therefore, forced to take the offensive to save Cavite falling into
rebel hands, made an attack on the Novaleta defences with Spanish
troops and loyal native auxiliaries on November 10. The next day the
Spaniards were repulsed at Binacayan with the loss of one-third of
the 73rd Native Regiment and 60 Spanish troops, with 50 of both corps
wounded. The intention to carry artillery towards Imus was abandoned
and the Spaniards fell back on Dalahican, about a mile north of the
rebel trenches of Novaleta, where they established a camp at which I
spent a whole day. They had four large guns and two bronze mortars;
in the trench adjoining the camp they had one gun. The troops numbered
3,500 Spaniards under the command of General Rios. The 73rd Native
Regiment survivors had quarters there, but they