Combat at San Juan del Monte--Insurrection spreading--Arrival of reinforcements from Spain--Rebel entrenchments--Rebel arms and artillery--Spaniards repulsed from Binacáyan--and from Noveleta--Mutiny of Carabineros--Prisoners at Cavite attempt to escape--Iniquities of the Spanish War Office--Lachambre's division--Rebel organization--Rank and badges--Lachambre advances--He captures Silang--Perez Dasmariñas--Salitran--Anabo II. The Augustinians take credit to themselves that one of their order, Father Mariano Gil, parish priest of Tondo, discovered the existence of the revolutionary conspiracy, on the 19th August. But already on the 5th of July a lieutenant of the Guardia Civil had declared in a written report that there were over 14,000 men belonging to the valley of the Pasig, affiliated to the conspiracy. A council of the authorities was convened on the 6th of August, but nothing was done. On that same date, however, the Governor of Batangas telegraphed that a discovery of arms, ammunition and Republican flags had been made at Taal. In consequence of this, General Blanco ordered some arrests to be made. On the 19th, Father Gil gave information to General Blanco that he had discovered the existence of a secret revolutionary society, and two days later Blanco reported to the Government in Madrid that there existed a vast organization of secret societies. At this time the garrison of Manila consisted of some 1500 men, most of them being natives. As arrests were being continually made, the members of the Katipunan, or those suspected of being such, left their homes and took to the woods although very poorly equipped with fire-arms. On 30th August a party of the rebels under Sancho Valenzuela, Modesto Sarmiento, and others had a fight with some native cavalry and Guardias Civiles at San Juan del Monte near Manila. The rebels lost heavily in killed, their chiefs were taken prisoners and shot on the 4th September, at the Paseo de la Luneta. A Spanish artilleryman was murdered by some rebels at Pandacan about this time, and martial law was proclaimed. The Guardia Civil, all native soldiers, was now concentrated in Manila abandoning their outlying posts. After many vacillations and contradictory cablegrams to the Government in Madrid, General Blanco now definitely asked for large reinforcements. On September 1st, the people of Noveleta revolted and killed a captain and a lieutenant of the Guardia Civil and three days later the rebels penetrated to the town of Caridad, close to Cavite. Early in September rebels were in arms, and dominating great part of the Provinces of Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Bulacan, Pampanga and Nueva Écija. By the middle of the month rebel bands appeared in Tarlac, Pangasinán, Laguna, Morong and Tayabas.