Page:Under MacArthur in Luzon.djvu/291

Rh "He isn't going to allow himself to be captured," said Ben, after a hard day's fighting beyond Tarlac. "He's the slickest fellow to get away I ever heard of."

From Tarlac, the main body of MacArthur's column advanced along the railroad to Capas, only to find the rebels fleeing before them in all directions. The soldiers were allowed but little rest, and a few days later passed on through Gerona to Dagupan, the end of the railroad line. The railroad from end to end was now in the hands of the Americans, and transportation went on without further molestation.

In the meantime General Wheaton's expedition to Lingayen Gulf had been highly successful. His sailing from Manila had been kept a secret from all Filipino spies, who thought his soldiers were going to some of the other islands. The landing at San Fabian beach was accomplished without mishap, and the handful of insurgents near by quickly ran for shelter. The town was a mile off, and the march was through a swamp and over a rickety bridge, where the Americans received a first real volley from the enemy. But the insurgents would not stand for a battle at close range, and that night our troops occupied San Fabian without further resistance.