Page:Under MacArthur in Luzon.djvu/254



far there had been several breaks in the rainy season, thus allowing the American troops to make movements of more or less importance. But now the wet spell set in steadily, and any movement on the part of the soldiers was out of the question. The whole of the Philippine Islands were flooded, the water rising in the Laguna de Bay to such an extent that several villages were swept away. In Manila Bay the damage done- to the shipping was extensive, the loss including a warehouse stored with government goods.

Under such circumstances our soldiers could simply grin and bear it, as the saying goes. Those who were at the barracks in Manila and other cities were well enough off, but those in the villages and in the field were far from comfortable. The rainy season added to the sickness, until the hospitals at Manila became so crowded those in authority scarcely knew what to do with the patients.