CHAPTER XXVII
During the rainy season in the Philippines preparations were made on a large scale to bring the fighting in the islands to a close. Our troops had much to contend with, in the shape of sickness and fevers, bad roads and scanty supplies, and it was found that to draw the rebels from their mountain retreats was by no means easy. Sometimes the Filipinos would show themselves, make a quick attack on some point, and then disappear from view before any troops could be brought forward to give them battle. The territory was so immense that to garrison even a fair portion of it was next to impossible with the soldiers available for that purpose.
But President McKinley was determined to push ahead with all vigor, and through him extra soldiers and vast amounts of
