island of Luzon. All the smaller towns of the
surrounding country look up to her. She is the emporium to which all the
farmers and travelers and merchants resort and from which they reap a
bounteous harvest.

The insurgents had long since seized upon this important place as it
furnished an inexhaustible supply of food for their armies. Besides
being far out of the way and difficult of approach, she became the
military station to which the famished and fatigued insurgents looked
for support and rest. Major Grant early noticed the importance of the
town and thereafter he labored incessantly to bring about its capture by
the Americans. Finally, on the 18th, he succeeded in getting a fleet of
gunboats, launches and cascos headed that way. Captain Pratt and
Lieutenant Franklin attempted to make a landing on the shore in front of
the town, but they failed as the water was too shallow. Five miles
farther up the beach they made a profitable landing at the mouth of the
Pagsanyan river. However, as this was blocked with obstructions of
bamboo and rock, no effort was made to sail up the stream until three
days had elapsed. Then the impediment was removed.

During the time which intervened between the 21st and the 28th little
was done with the exception of attending to some needed repairs on the
boat. On the 28th the gunboat advanced to the south of the Balucan
river, where another delay was caused by the obstructions placed there
by the natives. The country skirting this place was thickly covered with
brush and low trees, very much like bayou. When about a mile and a half
up the stream the enemy opened fire at a range of about 500 yards, which
was returned by the guns on the boat. The fire was heavy and the
insurgents evidently concluded that they were too close for comfort, for
their fire slackened materially in a very short time. The "Laguna de
Bay" and the "Napindan" then came down the stream. As the latter started
to follow the larger boat the pilot was hit in the hand by a bullet and
before he could recover himself the little craft had run aground. When
the "Laguna de Bay" went to her assistance she also struck a bar and was
held fast. The boats were compelled to remain here under fire until the
tide came in and floated them off.

The work of the gunboats was without extraordinary interest until April
8th. On that day the fleet steamed up Pasig with twenty cascos and seven
launches in tow. One thousand five hundred men, wit