n and his command back to the
territory above Manila. No garrisons could be spared for Santa
Cruz, or the other places captured, so these settlements were
allowed to fall once more into the hands of the enemy, after all the
fortifications had been destroyed and the arms and munitions of war
confiscated. It seemed a pity to leave these towns and villages after
having once taken them, but to garrison them properly would, according
to General Lawton's estimate, have taken thousands of soldiers.

With the taking of Santa Cruz, the Americans marched through all the
streets and by-ways, looking for lurking rebels and hidden arms, and
in this search a squad of infantry came upon Luke Striker, who had
propped himself up on the sacking in the warehouse and was making
himself as comfortable as possible.

"Hullo, sailor," cried the sergeant in charge of the squad. "Where did
you come from?"

[Illustration: "Hullo, sailor, where did you come from?"--_Page 82._]

Luke's story was quickly told, and he begged the soldier to look for
Larry, fearing that serious harm had befallen the lad. At once two
soldiers were detailed to care for the old Yankee, while the rest went
on a hunt which lasted far into the night.

As we know, nothing was seen of Larry; but from a wounded and dying
Filipino, the soldiers learned that the boy had been taken a prisoner,
and must now be many miles away from the city. News of this reached
Luke while he was in the temporary hospital opened up after the first
fight, and the information made the old fellow feel as bad as did his
wound.

"If they've captured him, he's a goner, I'm afraid," he said to Jack
Biddle, who had come in to help look after his messmate. "Poor Larry!
What will his brother Ben say, when he hears of it?"

"Better not tell him right away," suggested Biddle. "Give him a chance
to get strong fust. Besides, Larry may give 'em the slip. He's putty
cute, ye know."

The news soon spread that Larry and several others were missing, and a
description of the absent ones was given out. The next day one of the
missing soldiers was found dead in the jungle, but nothing was learned
of the others.

"It serves the young sailor right," growled Lieutenant Horitz. "He
knew too much for his own good." He had not forgotten the disaster on
the river, and secretly he wished Larry all manner of ill-luck.
During the rush through the woods the Lieutenant had tumbled and
struck his nose on a stone. That mem