“I dink I see me somepoddy chust ahead!” exclaimed Carl Stummer, in a low voice. He was in the lead of the privates, and carried his rifle, ready for use. “Look!” he cried suddenly. Gilbert gazed in the direction, and made out several forms; but all disappeared before he could get a good view of them. “Thim was th’ Dagoes!” cried Dan Casey, using the common soldier’s term for Filipinos. “I wisht I’d got a bead on ’em! I’d a-laid wan of thim low, I’ll bet me nixt wages!” “To cover!” shouted Gilbert, and pointed to the nearest bit of jungle. The little party ran at once in the direction, but before the shelter of the brush was gained several shots rang out, the bullets clipping the branches of the nearest trees. The attack came as a surprise; but the young lieutenant was not sorry that the volley had been fired, since it would notify his comrades in arms that something was wrong. Scarcely had the volley ended when Dan Casey fired in return; but, if he hit any one, the enemy gave no sign. The jungle gained,--it was a small patch less than an acre in extent, facing the river,--Gilbert ordered his men to lie down and keep strict watch on all sides, while he himself moved close to the water’s edge. A sudden idea had popped into his head, and he wished to learn if his surmise was correct. In order to obtain a clear view of the river, he had to wade into the water overrunning the bank to the depth of a foot and more, in the mean time breaking his way through vines and creepers, which formed a perfect network amid the tropical trees. He advanced as cautiously as he could, and, reaching an opening at last, peeped forth with care. He had been right in his guess. The Filipino guerillas, some twenty in number, had encamped in another patch of jungle a hundred yards further up the river; and now several of the party were crossing the stream in two _cascoes_, as the native small boats are named. A rope was stretched from shore to shore, and a man in each _casco_ was hauling his craft along this by hand. “If only I had the whole company here!” thought the young lieutenant. He felt that, if this were so, he could readily “bag” every one of the insurgents. The thought had scarcely crossed his mind when two more rifle-shots rang out, followed by a cry from Stummer. “Der repels vos running py der rifer!” came from the German soldier. “Shall ve go after dem, lieutenant?” “No, wait!” ordered Gilbert. He turned to Dan Casey. “Go back as fast as you can, and report a body of twenty guerillas about to cross the river in two boats. We can round them up if we are re-enforced immediately.” “I’ll run wid might an’ main,” answered the Irish soldier, and set off with leaps and bounds over the rocks in the direction whence he had come. The Filipinos saw him, and opened fire on him; but he got out of range uninjured. As soon as Casey was gone, Gilbert called his detachment to his side, and pointed out the _cascoes_.