There was no use going back in the
dark to hunt for a trail they had mistaken in the daylight, so the
regiment remained in the village overnight. They were a lot of very
discouraged men, and the officers were enraged at the mistake, for
which there was no one but themselves to blame.
Early in the morning they retraced their way, and started off in an
opposite direction to the one taken yesterday. It seemed that this
must certainly be the path taken by the rebels, but the regiment
marched until nearly noon without seeing any signs of them. Then, when
they had halted for dinner, the colonel decided to let the men rest
while two companies were sent ahead to reconnoitre, and report as to
whether there were any signs of men having passed this way. He was
beginning to think that the whole affair would be a wild-goose chase,
and he decided that, if these companies found nothing, the whole
regiment would return to Manila forthwith, probably to be the
laughing-stock of the army there.
The remaining companies had nothing to do now but lay about on the
soft grass, and rest. They were encamped in a stretch of grassy loam
in the midst of what appeared to be a dense forest, and all about were
evidences of the great fertility of the soil. The vegetation was so
dense that one could scarcely see through it, and the glade was cool
and pleasant, though overhead the sun was shining as warm as ever.
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