The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 326 pages of information about The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55.

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 326 pages of information about The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55.
Senora, and the pieces mounted on the ground there, and a low wall of rough stone which extended to the mountain, where there was a bastion in which the wall ended.  It was called Cachiltulo, and was defended with pieces of artillery and a number of culverins, muskets, arquebuses, and pikes; while many other weapons peculiar to the Terenatans were placed along the wall for its defense.  Having seen and reconnoitered all this, although not with impunity, because the enemy had killed six soldiers with the artillery and wounded Alferez Joan de la Rambla in the knee with a musket-ball, the Spaniards returned to the army.  A trifle past noon, a lofty site was reconnoitered, in the direction of the bastion of Cachiltulo, whence the enemy could be attacked and driven from the wall; and Captain Cuevas was ordered to occupy it with twenty-five musketeers.  Having done this, the enemy sent out a crowd of men to prevent him from occupying it.  A skirmish ensued, and the Moros turned and retreated to their wall.  Cuevas followed them so closely and persisted so long, that he needed reenforcement.  The scouts in the trees gave information of what was being done, whereupon Captains Don Rodrigo de Mendoca, Alarcon, Cervantes, and Vergara reenforced him with their light-armed pikemen and halberdiers.  They pursued the enemy with so great rapidity and resolution that they entered the walls behind them.  However, some of the Spaniards were wounded, and Captain Cervantes was pushed down from the wall and his legs broken, which caused his death.  Captain Don Rodrigo de Mendoca, pursuing the enemy, who were retiring, ran inside the wall as far as the cavalier of Nuestra Senora, while Vergara ran in the opposite direction along the curtain of the wall to the bastion of Cachiltulo, and went on as far as the mountain.  By this time the main body of the army had already assaulted the wall.  Mutually aiding one another, they mounted the wall and entered the place on all sides, although with the loss of some dead and wounded soldiers.  The soldiers were stopped by a trench beyond the fort of Nuestra Senora, for the enemy had retreated to a shed, which was fortified with a considerable number of musketeers and arquebusiers, and four light pieces.  They discharged their arquebuses and muskets at the Spaniards, and threw cane spears hardened in fire, and bacacaes, [27] after their fashion.  The Spaniards assaulted the shed, whereupon a Dutch artilleryman trying to fire a large swivel-gun, with which he would have done great damage, being confused did not succeed, and threw down the linstock, turned, and fled.  The enemy did the same after him, and abandoned the shed, fleeing in all directions.  Those who would do so embarked with the king and some of his wives and the Dutch in one caracoa and four juangas [28] which they had armed near the king’s fort.  Captain Vergara entered the fort immediately, but found it deserted.  Don Rodrigo de Mendoca and Villagra pursued the enemy toward the
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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898 — Volume 16 of 55 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.