Page:American Boy's Life of William McKinley.djvu/308

264 In the end of December there was a plot to attack all the Americans in the city of Manila. About a thousand natives were concerned in this, but the plot miscarried, and many natives were arrested. After that the military guard in the city was doubled, and every effort made to guard against a surprise.

To go into the details of the warfare which followed in various parts of the islands is needless, although in some cases these details would prove very interesting. The rebels continued their guerilla method of warfare, swooping down on a small garrison here or there, and then disappearing as rapidly as they had come. In many places they made the peaceful natives contribute heavily to their support, and if the help demanded was not forthcoming, villages were burnt and rice fields laid waste.

Aguinaldo was now waiting only for the next Presidential election in the United States. As said before, many of our people were not in favor of laying claim to the Philippines, contending that such a move would be imperialistic. Some of the most