THE BOMBARDMENT OF MALATE. 419 good diplomatist, and he took good care not to give any pretext for a conflict.

and darkness, they find that comrades or allies have left them open to be outflanked and enfiladed at close quarters. The Americanslost nine killed and forty-six wounded, the heaviest loss falling on the Pennsylvania regiment. The Spanish loss has never been accurately ascertained. It must have been heavy, as they persisted for a long timein the attempt to rush the trenches,and were exposed to a heavy fire at short range from the American works.

After dark on the evening of July 31st the first serious fighting tookplace onlandbetween the Americans andthe Manilagarrison. During the last week of July the Americans had taken over from the Philippine insurgent forces the trenches facing the southern suburbs. On the 50th, while the American batteries were being placed inposition in the line of trenches, there was some desultory firing between Spanish riflemenin the houses of Malate and American sharpshooters covering the working parties. Next evening after dark, in the midst of a tropical storm of wind and rain,the Spaniards made a sortie.

On the two following evenings the Spanish artillery and riflemen kept up a sharp fire from Malate em the American lines. A sortie was expected, and the troops in camp and in the lines were kept on the alert, but the Spaniards did not come out again. OnAugust 7thGeneral Merritt sent a summons to the Spanish commandant, calling upon him to surrender the city within forty-eight hours, otherwiseorders would be given for a bombardment and assault. On the 9th a further delay was granted,thegovernor havingasked for time to receive the instructions of the Madridcabinet. Negotiations dragged on tillthe nth. Dewey anel Merritt were becoming impatient, for they knew that an armisticemight be signed at any moment between the cabinets of Washington andMadrid, and it wouldbe embarrassing for the United States Government if the Spanish flag were still flying over Manila whenthe final termsof peace were to bearranged The admiral and general therefore gave joint notice that they would attack the city next day.

At half-past eleven a heavy fire broke out along the American front, which was held by the Pennsylvania andUtah volunteers. As the Americans answered back with a volley, they were fired upon from the right flank, where Aguinaldo's men should have been in position to prevent their being turned. But the insurgents had abandoned their trenches on the flank of the Americans as soon as the storm began, and the volunteers found themselves attacked at once in front and flank. They sought steadily, however, checked the Spanish rush,and fired through the rain and darknessat the flashes of the enemy's rifles. The Spaniards were within a hundred yards of the trenches, and their guns were firing over their infantry, sending the shells at random on to the ground behind the besiegers' line*, doubtless in the hope of doing damage to the supports and reserves as they cameup from the camp.

The 3rd Regular artillery, who were acting as infantry (having no guns with them), and the California and Colorado volunteers came hurrying up to the rescue of their comrades. The line wasprolonged to the right,the enemy were driven back on that side, and the cross fire from flank and front at once no longer swept the trenches. The Spaniards, after more than once Rumour,rightly or wrongly, asserts that the Spanishofficers had let the Americansknow that they did not want to surrender withoutmaking some show of a fight. Their resources were nearly at an end, but they considered that Spanish honour demanded this show of resistance to the end. But it was hinted that the defence would not be unnecessarily obstinate. On themorning of the 13th the army formed for attack in front of the Malate suburb. AdmiralDewey,withhis ships clearedfor action, sent in word at 8.40 a.m.that, if withinan hour the Spanish flag was not hauled down,he would open fire. The armistice had already been signed on the previous day, and hostilities were being brought to an end in Puerto Rie Cuba, but in the far-off Philippines, with the cable cut and communication only possiblethroughHongKong,it was not known that the war was over. So there was going to be a last battle before Manila.

attempting to come to close quarters,fell back upon Malate, under the sire of the American rifles and the guns of the Utah batteries. Till dawn desultory firing went on along the front. The fighting had been very sharp for about an hour, and when the supports came up the Pennsylvania men had only about four cartridges each left. It was extremely creditable to the volunteers to have so steadily repulsed this night attack. Even veteran troops are liable to something like panic when,attackedamid storm At 940, as there was no sign if surrender,the Olympia fired, at a range of two miles, the first