[139] They said I must engage that and fire for a while, and then I was to make a signal by the international code, 'Do you surrender ?' Then they were to hoist a white flag at a certain bastion; and I may say now that I was the first one to discover the white flag.

We had 50 people looking for that white flag, but I happened to be the first one who saw it.

I fired for a while, and then made the signal according to the programme.

We could not see the white flag--it was rather a thick day--but finally I discovered it on the south bastion; I don't know how long it had been flying there when I first saw it." [140] On August 12, the day before Manila surrendered, Buencamino telegraphed Aguinaldo, urging him in the strongest terms to attack that night so that Americans might be obliged to ask him to stop, with the result that the Insurgents would be included in the official negotiations.

He further advised Aguinaldo that he must not suspend his attack because the Americans suspended theirs.