THE FIGHTING ON THE PASIG 807 fighting in whichno quarter wasaskedor given. But the attacks on the outpost line were repulsed, the streets were cleared, thousands of the natives being driven from the suburbs out into the open country,even unarmedmenbeing thus expelled from the quarters where the rising had begun, asit was for the moment impossible to distinguish friend and foe. The conflagration was got under, but not before whole acres of Guadalupe. A brigade under General Wheaton gradually cleared the south side of the river,and withhelp of thegunboats reached Pasig village on the Bai Lake on March 13th. The Filipinos fell back through the jungle, fighting doggedly and delaying the advance. The American staff was absolutely in the dark as to the numbers and resources of the enemy. Some said they had only 20,000 men before Manila. Other buildings had been reduced to smoking ruins. Bluejackets were landed from the foreign ships tohelp inprotecting life and property. For the next few days there were continual alarms and desultory skirmishing alongthe outpostline. It t last recognised that the newPhilippine war was going to be a serious business, and Admiral Dewey and General Otis both sent pressing requests for reinforcements.

estimates were as high as 100,000. What was certain was that they meant fighting, and that they now possessed plentyof modern weapons. They were even using smokeless powder and repeating rifles. Rumour said that Japan was the source of these supplies.

The banks of the Pasig having been cleared of the enemy, preparations were made for an advance northwards from Calocan along the railway with a view to driving Aguinaldo from Malolos. General MacArthur, with a force of about 10,000 men, was entrusted with this task and as theline of advance would be only a few On March ist an American gunboat flotilla entered the Pasig, and a column of troops was pushed forward along its south bank. In the afternoon the Filipinos were shelled out of