nly, at 9 o'clock that morning, without
further notification, the Americans opened fire. The natives in the
_cotta_ fled along the quayway towards the centre of the town under
a shower of bullets hurled from the quick-firing guns. The attack
on Yloilo was hardly a bombardment proper; shells were intentionally
thrown over the houses as a warning and burst in suburban open spaces,
but comparatively few buildings were damaged by the missiles. In
the meantime, from early morn, the native soldiery, followed by a
riff-raff mob, rushed hither and thither, throwing firebrands on to the
petroleum-washed houses, looting stores, and cutting down whomsoever
checked them in their wild career. The Chinese barricaded themselves,
but the flames devoured their well-stocked bazaars; panic-stricken
townsfolk ran helter-skelter, escaping from the yelling bands of
bloodthirsty looters. Europeans, revolver in hand, guarded their
properties against the murderous rabble; an acquaintance of mine was
hastening to the bank to deposit P3,000 when he was met by the leader
S----, who demanded his money or his life; one foreign business house
was defended by 15 armed Europeans, whilst others threw out handfuls
of pesos to stay the work of the _petroleur_. The German Vice-Consul,
an old friend of mine, went mad at the sight of his total loss;
a Swiss merchant, my friend for over 20 years, had his fine corner
premises burnt down to the stone walls, and is now in comparative
poverty. Even Spanish half-castes were menaced and contemptuously
called _Cachilas_ [221]; and the women escaped for their lives on
board the schooners in the harbour. Half the town was blazing, and
the despairing cries of some, the yells of exultant joy of others,
mingled with the booming of the invaders' cannon.

Two British warships lying in the roadstead sent boats ashore to
receive British subjects, and landed a party of marines, who made
gallant efforts to save foreign property. A few British subjects were,
however, unable to get away from the town on account of the premature
attack of the Americans, which took place on the 11th instead of
February 12, as previously announced.

The American assault on the town, which lasted until 1 o'clock in
the afternoon, was immediately followed up by the landing of about
1,000 volunteers, and General Miller found that the prognostications
of the townspeople were perfectly just, for the insurgents fled in
all directions. There was not a f