retire. On March 7, about 2 a.m., the Eastern Extension Telegraph
Company's cable-station at Bolinao was besieged by rebels. The village
was held by about 400 armed natives, who had killed one native and
two European soldiers on the way. The lighthouse-keeper and the
Inspector of Forests safely reached Santa Cruz, 40 miles south, in
a boat. The other civilian Spaniards and priests escaped in another
boat, but were pursued and captured by the insurgents, who killed
two of the civilians and brought the European women and friars into
the village as prisoners at 4.30 the same afternoon. Eight soldiers
had taken refuge in the cable-station, and at 6 a.m. a message was
sent to the British staff requiring them to turn out the soldiers or
quit the premises themselves. They refused to take either course, and
declared their neutrality. A similar message was sent several times,
with the same result. By 4 p.m. the soldiers had fortified the station
as well as they could, and the rebels attacked, but were repulsed
with a few shots. Nothing happened during the night, but the next day
(March 8) another message was sent to the British staff urging them to
withdraw as the rebels would renew the assault at 10 a.m. The staff
again refused to comply. Then it appears that the rebels delayed
their attack until the arrival of their chief, hourly expected. An
ultimatum was at length received at the station, to the effect that
if all arms were given up they would spare the soldiers' lives. They
also demanded the surrender of the two rebels held prisoners by these
soldiers. At this stage one of the company's staff, who were allowed
to go and come as they pleased, volunteered to interview the rebels;
but matters could not be arranged, as the Spanish corporal (a plucky
youth of twenty years of age) in the station refused to surrender
anything at any price. Still parleying was continued, and on March 11
one of the company's staff again visited the rebel camp to state that
if the regular bi-monthly steamer failed to arrive on the morrow the
corporal would surrender arms. Then the rebel chief proposed that the
corporal should meet him half-way between the company's office and the
rebel camp, the rebel pledging his word of honour that no harm should
befall the corporal. The corporal, however, could not do this, as it
would have been contrary to the Spanish military code to capitulate
on his own authority, but he confirmed his willingness to surrender