cted on them. The American troops came and drove out
the insurgents, or caused them to decamp on their approach; but, as
they left no garrisons, the insurgents re-entered and the townspeople
had to feed them under duress. Then, when the American forces returned
six months afterwards, to the great relief of the inhabitants, and
left garrisons, many of these townspeople, on a charge of having given
succour to the insurgents, were imprisoned with the only consolation
that, after all, a couple of months' incarceration by the Americans
was preferable to the death which awaited them at the hands of the
insurgents if they had refused them food. The same thing occurred in
other islands, notably in Samar and in Cebu, where the people were
persecuted for giving aid to the armed natives on whose mercy their
lives depended. This measure was an unfortunate mistake, because it
alienated the good feeling of those who simply desired peace with the
ruling power, whether it were American or native. There were thousands
of persons--as there would be anywhere in the world--quite incapable
of taking up arms in defence of an absent party which gave them no
protection, yet naturally anxious to save their lives by payment if
need be. [214]

On July 19 a proclamation was issued forbidding the possession
of firearms without licence. On August 7 the curfew ordinance was
extended to 11 p.m., and again, in the following month, to midnight. In
September there was another serious outbreak up the Laguna de Bay,
where two or three hundred insurgents, led by a French half-caste,
General Cailles, [215] attacked Los Banos, and about the same time
the insurgents north of Manila cut the railroad between Malolos and
Guiguinto. Cailles was driven out of Los Banos, but hundreds more
insurgents joined him, and a furious battle was fought at Siniloan,
on September 17, between 800 insurgents and a company of the 15th
Infantry, who drove the enemy into the mountains.

In November Aguinaldo, who was camping in the province of Nueva Ecija,
issued another of his numerous exhortations, in consequence of which
there was renewed activity amongst the roaming bands of adventurers
all over the provinces north of the capital. The insurgent chief
advocated an aggressive war, and in the same month it was decided to
send more American troops to Manila.

Many of the riff-raff had been inadvertently enrolled in the native
police force, and received heavy sentences for theft,