CORNELL UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARIES 
 
 ITHACA, N. Y. 14853 
 
 John M. Echols 
 Collection on Southeast Asia 
 JOHN M. OLIN LIBRARY 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924050012255 
 
YOU MUST BE MORE CAREFUL IN THE FUTURE, SAID COMMO- 
 DORE DEWEY. " WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE ANY MEN JUST 
 NOW." 
 
A SAILOR BOY 
 
 WITH DEWEY 
 
 OR 
 
 AFLOAT IN THE PHILIPPINES 
 
 BY 
 
 CAPTAIN RALPH BONEHILL 
 
 AUTHOR OF "WHEN SANTIAGO FELL, 1 ' "OFF FOR HAWAII," 
 
 "GUN AND SLED," "RIVAL BICYCLISTS," "YOUNG 
 
 OARSMEN OF LAKEVIEW," "LEO, THE 
 
 CIRCUS BOY," ETC. 
 
 NEW YORK 
 THE MERSHON COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
COPYRIGHT, i8gg, 
 
 By 
 
 THE MERSHON COMPANY. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 "A Sailor Boy with Dewey," while a com- 
 plete story in itself, forms the second volume of 
 a line of works issued under the general title of 
 the " Flag of Freedom Series." 
 
 In writing this tale of adventure I had in mind 
 to acquaint our boys with something of the 
 strange sights and scenes which come to light 
 daily in Uncle Sam's new possessions in the far 
 East, or far West, as you will. The Philippines 
 are but little understood by the average reader, 
 and if I have served to make the picture of them 
 a little clearer my object will have been accom- 
 plished. 
 
 Some may argue that the adventures intro- 
 duced in the volume are overdrawn, but I can 
 assure all that the incidents are underdrawn 
 rather than otherwise. Many savage and bar- 
 barous natives still inhabit the Philippines, and 
 to bring these people to genuine civilization will 
 take many years of patient labor and encour- 
 agement. In the past Spain had accomplished 
 something, but not much; what our own nation 
 will do remains still to be seen. Let us hope for 
 the best. 
 
 Hi 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 Again thanking my young friends for the 
 kindness with which they have perused my 
 stories in the past, I place this book in their 
 hands with my best wishes for their future wel- 
 fare. 
 
 Captain Ralph Bonehill. 
 
 April 15, 1899. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. Off for Manila Bay i 
 
 II. The Collision in the Hurricane, . . 10 
 
 III. In which Dan and I Become Separated, . 19 
 
 IV. The Rescue of the Unworthy One, . 27 
 V. Cast Ashore on Luzon, .... 34 
 
 VI. Adventures in the Forest, .... 43 
 
 VII. The Wreck on the Shore, .... 52 
 
 VIII. Attacked by the Tagals, .... 59 
 
 IX. The Flight from Bumwoga, ... 67 
 
 X. The Battle at a Distance, ... 74 
 
 XI. Off for Subig Bay, 82 
 
 XII. Attacked in the Canyon, .... 91 
 
 XIII. My First Adventure in Manila, . . 99 
 
 XIV. The Escape from the Prison, . . .107 
 XV. Back to Hong Kong, 115 
 
 XVI. The Opening of the War 123 
 
 XVII. I Meet Commodore Dewey 130 
 
 XVIII. The Fighting Engineer, .... 139 
 
 XIX. "Fire!" 147 
 
 XX. In which One Spanish Ship Is Sunk, . 155 
 
 XXI. A Never-to-be-Forgotten Contest, . . 162 
 
 XXII. Between Two Fires, 169 
 
 XXIII. The Escape from the Inn 177 
 
 XXIV. One Way of Entering a Fortified City, , 184 
 
VI 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 XXV. Four Would-be Plunderers, 
 
 XXVI. The Fight in the Offices, 
 
 XXVII. A Letter of Great Importance, 
 
 XXVIII. Treed by Buffalo Bulls, . 
 
 XXIX. Captain Kenny Again, 
 
 XXX. A Fight at Long Range, . 
 
 XXXI. The Wrecking of the Howitzer, 
 
 XXXII. Good-by to the Philippines, 
 
 PAGE 
 192 
 200 
 208 
 215 
 223 
 230 
 237 
 245 
 
A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OFF FOR MANILA BAY. 
 
 " What do you think of this storm, Oliver? " 
 
 " I think it is going to be a heavy one, Dan," 
 I answered. " Just look at those black clouds 
 rolling up from the southeast. We'll catch it 
 before midnight." 
 
 " Just what I think," answered my chum, Dan 
 Holbrook. " Where is Captain Kenny? " 
 
 " Where he always is, in his cabin, more than 
 half intoxicated. I tell you, Dan, I would never 
 have taken passage on the Dart had I known 
 what sort of a man Captain Kenny was. Why, 
 our lives are not safe in his hands." 
 
 " Humph ! I don't know as they are safe out 
 of his hands, Oliver," returned Dan, with a toss 
 of his handsome head. " Since we left China 
 we've struck two heavy hurricanes, — perhaps 
 that coming on will finish us." 
 
 "Gracious! don't say that!" I cried, with a 
 
2 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 shiver. " We don't want to be finished — at 
 least, I don't." 
 
 " Neither do I. But when a storm comes, 
 it comes, that is all there is to it." 
 
 " True, but we might do something toward 
 meeting it," I went on, with a grave shake of my 
 head, for I did not altogether like Dan's light- 
 hearted way of looking at things. " In my opin- 
 ion Captain Kenny ought to be on deck this 
 instant, watching this storm." 
 
 " Supposing you tell him that? " 
 
 " I've a good mind to." 
 
 " You'll get a belaying pin over your head, as 
 Dawson, the mate, got. Captain Kenny is not 
 a man to be talked to. He is bad enough when 
 he is sober, and when he isn't he is simply ter- 
 rible." 
 
 " But he has no right to imperil the lives of 
 twenty or more people by his drunkenness," I 
 rejoined warmly. " If I had my way, I'd put the 
 captain in irons and place Dawson in command 
 of the Dart. He knows enough to keep sober, 
 and " 
 
 " Ye would do thet, would ye? " roared a 
 hoarse voice at my shoulder, and turning swiftly 
 I found myself confronted by Captain Kenny. 
 " I'll teach ye how to talk ag'in the master o' 
 this vessel, an' don't ye forgit it! " And he 
 grabbed me by the arm. 
 
OFF FOR MANILA BA Y. 3 
 
 Captain Kenny's face was as red as a beet. 
 Usually it was far from being handsome, now it 
 was positively hideous. His breath was heavily 
 laden with the odor of rum, showing that he had 
 been imbibing more than usual. 
 
 I was a boy of sixteen, tall and strong for my 
 age. I was not a poor, down-trodden lad, 
 knocking about from pillar to post, trying to 
 earn my living. My father, Samuel Raymond, 
 was a rich merchant of San Francisco, owning 
 interests in several lines of trade, with offices at 
 San Francisco, Hong Kong, Manila in the 
 Philippine Islands, and several other points. 
 
 Just six months before I had graduated at a 
 business college in California. As I was to fol- 
 low my father into trade, it was not thought 
 worth while to give me a term at the University, 
 or any similar institute of learning. Instead, 
 my father called me into his library and said to 
 me: 
 
 " Oliver, I believe you understand that you 
 are to go into business with me." 
 
 " I. do, sir," had been my reply. " I wish for 
 nothing better." 
 
 " Usually I do not believe in letting boys re- 
 main idle after their school days are over, but in 
 this case I think an exception should be made. 
 You have worked hard, and come out at the top 
 
4 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 of your class. You deserve a good, long holi- 
 day. How will you take it? " 
 
 To answer this question puzzled me at first, 
 for I knew I had the whole world before me. I 
 had been as far east as New York and as far 
 south as St. Louis, and had even taken a trip on 
 Lake Michigan. I concluded that I had gone 
 eastward far enough. 
 
 " If it's all the same, I'll go to Hong Kong 
 and get acquainted with our branch out there," 
 was my answer, and the use of the words, " our 
 branch," made my father laugh. 
 
 " That will suit me exactly," was his return. 
 " You shall go from San Francisco direct to 
 Hong Kong, and you can return by way of the 
 Philippines and see how our place of business 
 is doing at Manila. The place at Manila is run- 
 ning down — the Spaniards are doing their best 
 to drive us out altogether, and if you can see any 
 way of improving conditions, now or later on, 
 so much the better." 
 
 In less than two weeks I was ready to start, 
 but I did not leave home even then as quickly 
 as did my father, who received word which took 
 him to the east and then to Cuba. What hap- 
 pened to my parent in Cuba has been excellently 
 told by my friend, Mark Carter, in his story 
 which has been printed under the title of " When 
 Santiago Fell." At that time I did not know 
 
OFF FOR MANILA BA Y. 5 
 
 Mark at all, but since then we have become 
 very intimately acquainted, as my readers will 
 soon learn. 
 
 The voyage from the Golden Gate to Hong 
 Kong was made without anything unusual hap- 
 pening. On landing at the Chinese-English 
 port I was immediately met by Dan Holbrook, 
 whose father was one of my parent's partners. 
 Dan had put in two years at Hong Kong and the 
 vicinity, and he took me around, and talked 
 Chinese for me whenever it was required. 
 
 At last came the time when I thought I ought 
 to think of returning to San Francisco by way 
 of Manila, or at least to run over to the Philip- 
 pines and back and then start for home. " If 
 only you could go to Manila with me! " had been 
 my words to Dan, to whom I was warmly at- 
 tached. 
 
 " I will go," had been the ready answer, which 
 surprised me not a little. Soon I learned that 
 Dan had been talking the matter over with his 
 father and mother. Mr. Holbrook was as anx- 
 ious as my father to have the business connec- 
 tion at Manila improved, and he thought that 
 both of us ought to be able to do something, 
 even though I was but a boy and Dan was 
 scarcely a young man. 
 
 Manila, the principal city of the Philippines, is 
 located but four or five days' sail from Hong 
 
6 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 Kong and there is a regular service of steamers 
 between the two ports. But both Dan and I 
 had seen a good deal of ocean travel on steamers, 
 and we decided to make the trip to Manila Bay 
 in a sailing craft, and, accordingly, took passage 
 on the Dart, a three-masted schooner, carrying 
 a miscellaneous cargo for Manila, Iloilo, and 
 other points. 
 
 When we secured our berths we did not see 
 Captain Kenny, only the first and second mates 
 of the vessel. Had we seen the captain with his 
 tough-looking and bloated face, it is quite likely 
 that we would have endeavored to secure pas- 
 sage to the Philippines elsewhere. 
 
 Yet for several days all went well. The 
 weather was not all that it should have been, for 
 we were sailing in a portion of our globe where 
 hurricanes and earthquakes are of frequent oc- 
 currence. Our course had been set directly for 
 Corregidor Island at the entrance to Manila 
 Bay, but it had begun to blow harder and harder, 
 we drove up in the direction of Subig Bay. 
 
 The weather kept growing fouler and fouler, 
 and with this Captain Kenny gave himself over 
 to liquor until he was totally unfit to command 
 the Dart. He was a man to allow sails to be set 
 when they should have been furled, and already 
 had he lost one sheet through his foolishness. 
 
 The mate, Tom Dawson, was a first-rate fel- 
 
OFF FOR MANILA BA Y. 7 
 
 low, as kind and considerate as the captain was 
 rough and brutal. How he had shipped with 
 such a beast was a mystery, but it did not con- 
 cern me and I did not bother my head about it. 
 On three occasions I had seen the captain attack 
 Dawson, but each time the mate had escaped 
 and refused to take up the quarrel. In the 
 meantime the second mate and the men grum- 
 bled a good deal, but so far no open rupture 
 had occurred among the forecastle hands. 
 
 " You let go of that arm," I said, as I found 
 Captain Kenny's harsh face poked out close to 
 my cheek. 
 
 " I'll let go when I'm done with you, not 
 afore! " he went on, with increasing wrath. 
 " Call me a drunkard, will ye! " And he gave 
 the arm a savage twist that hurt not a little. 
 " On board o' my own ship, too ! " 
 
 "If I did I only spoke the truth," I said 
 steadily. " You drink altogether too much for 
 the good of those on board. We are going to 
 have a big storm soon, and you ought to have 
 your wits about you, if you want to save the 
 Dart from going down." 
 
 " I know my business, boy — ye can't teach it 
 me nohow! Take thet fer talkin' to me in this 
 fashion! " 
 
 Releasing my arm, he aimed a heavy blow at 
 
8 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 my head. But I was on the alert and dodged, 
 and the blow nearly carried the irate skipper off 
 his feet. Then, as he came on again, I shoved 
 him backward, and down he went in a heap on 
 the deck. 
 
 " By Jove, now you've done it! " whispered 
 Dan. 
 
 " I don't care, it serves him right," I an- 
 swered. " He had no right to touch me." 
 
 " That's true. But you must remember that 
 a captain is king on his own deck, on the high 
 seas." 
 
 " A brute can never be a king — and make me 
 submit, Dan." 
 
 By this time Captain Kenny was scrambling 
 up, his face full of rage. Instantly he made for 
 me again. 
 
 " I'll teach ye! " he screamed. " You good- 
 fer-nuthin landlubber! I've had it in fer ye 
 ever since ye took passage. Maybe my ship 
 aint good enough fer ye! If thet's so, I'll pitch 
 ye overboard! " And he tried to grab me once 
 more. 
 
 But now Dan stepped between us. " Captain 
 Kenny, you let Raymond alone," he ordered 
 sternly. 
 
 " I won't — he's called me a drunkard, and — " 
 
 " He told the truth. You attend to your 
 business and we'll attend to ours." 
 
OFF FOR MANILA BA Y. 
 
 tc 
 
 I'll — I'll put him in irons. He shan't talk 
 so afore my crew! " fumed the captain. 
 
 " You shan't touch him." 
 
 " Shan't I? " The half-drunken man glared at 
 both of us. Then he backed away, shaking his 
 fist. "Just wait a minute and I'll show you a 
 trick or two — just wait!" And still shaking 
 his fist, he reeled off to the companion way, al- 
 most fell down the stairs, and disappeared into 
 the cabin. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE COLLISION IN THE HURRICANE. 
 
 " Now, what is he going to do? " I murmured, 
 turning to my companion. 
 
 " Something out of the ordinary, that's cer- 
 tain," answered Dan. " He has just enough 
 in him to be thoroughly ugly." 
 
 " I don't believe he'll let this matter drop, 
 storm or no storm." 
 
 " Not he, Oliver. I'm afraid we have got 
 ourselves into a scrape. I wish we were in 
 sight of Manila." 
 
 " So do I. But I haven't done anything 
 wrong. Somebody ought to tell the man that 
 he is drinking too much, Dan." 
 
 At that instant Dawson, the mate, came up. 
 He had been standing behind the mainmast and 
 had heard every word uttered. His face showed 
 plainly that he was greatly troubled. 
 
 " This is too bad," he observed. " The cap'n 
 bad enough, but you have made him wuss, ten 
 times over, lads." 
 
 " He hasn't any right to drink, Dawson." 
 
 "We won't talk about thet — seein' as how 
 
THE COLLISION IN THE HURRICANE. II 
 
 he's in command and I'm only the fust mate. 
 I'm sorry you quarreled, with the end o' the 
 voyage almost in sight." 
 
 " What will he do? " put in Dan. 
 
 " I dunno. Drink more, I reckon, an' then 
 come up twict as ugly." 
 
 " What about this storm that is coming up? " 
 I questioned. 
 
 " I notified him of that half an hour ago." 
 
 "And he didn't pay any attention? It's a 
 shame! I don't want to go to the bottom of 
 the China Sea, whether the captain drinks or 
 not." 
 
 " None o' us want to go to the bottom, lad. 
 
 But then " Tom Dawson ended with a 
 
 shrug of his shoulders. He realized more than 
 I did what a responsibility would rest upon him 
 did he dare to issue orders contrary to Captain 
 Kenny's wishes. 
 
 It was about three o'clock in the afternoon, 
 and the day had been unusually oppressive, even 
 for this latitude, which, as most of my readers 
 must know, never boasts of cold weather, but 
 can easily break the record for scorchers. Dur- 
 ing the morning, when the sun had shone, the 
 seams of the deck had run with tar, and no one 
 had exposed himself more than was absolutely 
 necessary. But now the sun was hidden by 
 clouds that kept growing darker and darker, and 
 
12 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 the wind was so strong it could not be other- 
 wise than refreshing. 
 
 Captain Kenny had left positive orders that 
 the main and mizzen courses be left as they were, 
 fully set, and both sheets were straining and tug- 
 ging as though ready to lift the two masts out 
 of their resting places. The forecourse had been 
 taken in, also the jib, but so far this had had no 
 effect on the riding of the Dart, and she dipped 
 her nose into every fourth or fifth wave that 
 came along. 
 
 " If I was you I'd take in more sail," remarked 
 Dan, after a pause. " Even if you don't lose a 
 mast, you're running the risk of opening more 
 than one seam. If we founder " 
 
 He did not finish, for at that moment Captain 
 Kenny's head reappeared above the combing of 
 the companion way. He came staggering to- 
 ward us with his right hand in his jacket pocket 
 and a sickly grin on his unshaven face. 
 
 " Now we'll come to terms," he began, with 
 a hiccough. 
 
 " Captain Kenny, how about that mainsail? " 
 interrupted the mate. " The wind is freshening 
 rapidly, sir." 
 
 " I'll take care o' the — hie — mainsail, when 
 I'll through which these — hie — young rascals," 
 was the answer. "Yarson! Carden!" he 
 bawled out. " Come here, you're wanted." 
 
THE COLLISION IN THE HURRICANE. 13 
 
 At once two of the sailors, a Swede and an 
 American, came aft and touched their fore- 
 locks. 
 
 " Do you know what I'm — hie — going to 
 do? " went on the captain, closing one eye sug- 
 gestively. " I'm going to place both of you 
 under arrest until we arrive at Manila." 
 
 " Arrest! " cried Dan and I simultaneously. 
 
 " You shall not arrest me," I added, and my 
 companion said something very similar. 
 
 " I said — hie — arrest, and I mean it. Throw 
 up your hands, both of you." 
 
 " I refuse to obey the order." 
 
 " Do you know that I am the — hie — com- 
 mander of this ship? " 
 
 " You are when you are sober," returned Dan. 
 
 " I am sober now — I never get — hie — drunk. 
 I place you under arrest. Yarson, Carden, con- 
 duct the two passengers to the — hie — brig and 
 lock 'em in." 
 
 " Keep your hands off! " I exclaimed. 
 " Don't you dare to touch me! " 
 
 " And don't you dare to touch me," added 
 Dan. 
 
 We had scarcely spoken than Captain Kenny 
 withdrew his right hand from his pocket and 
 showed us the muzzle of a revolver. 
 
 " You'll — hie — obey or take the conse- 
 quences," he hiccoughed. " I'm a peaceful man 
 
14 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 until I'm aroused, and then " Another hic- 
 cough ended the sentence. 
 
 I must say that I was both alarmed and dis- 
 gusted,' but my disgust was greater than my 
 alarm, for I knew I had right on my side and was 
 willing to wager that in his present condition 
 Captain Kenny could not hit the broadside of 
 a barn, excepting by accident. 
 
 The two sailors advanced, but they came on 
 slowly, evidently having no relish for the job at 
 hand. When the Swede attempted to take hold 
 of me I flung him off. 
 
 " Stand back! " I said, and at the same time 
 Dan motioned Carden to keep his distance. 
 
 " Are you going to do as I ordered? " fumed 
 the captain. 
 
 " I vos reatty to opey orders, captain," said 
 Yarson. 
 
 " So am I, cap'n, if you say it's all right," 
 added Carden. 
 
 " It is all — hie — right. Arrest 'em — arrest 
 'em on the spot! " vociferated the skipper of the 
 Dart. 
 
 " You keep your distance," I ordered. " If 
 you don't it will be the worse for you." 
 
 " The first man who touches me will get 
 knocked down," said Dan, and caught up a 
 marline spike which hung by the mast. 
 
 " Captain, I think we really ought to look to 
 
THE COLLISION M THE HURRICANE. i5 
 
 those sails," pleaded Dawson, taking hold of his 
 chief's arm. " It won't do to lose 'em, you 
 know." 
 
 " Didn't I say I'd take care of 'em when I'm 
 — hie — through with these fellows? " was the 
 surly return. "Stand back, Dawson!" and 
 now the captain rushed forward and leveled his 
 pistol at my head. " You march to the brig, 
 and be quick about it, or I'll " 
 
 What Captain Kenny would have done, had I 
 refused to march as ordered, I never learned, 
 for while he was speaking Dan made a rush for- 
 ward and caught the pistol from his hand and 
 sent him flat on his back, in the bargain. Then 
 my companion stepped to my side, and both of 
 us backed up toward the companion way. 
 
 For fully a minute Captain Kenny lay where 
 he had fallen, nobody caring to go to his assist- 
 ance. Then he cried loudly to the sailors tp 
 help him get up, and they did so. In the mean- 
 time Tom Dawson stood by, scratching his head 
 in perplexity. 
 
 " Captain, we must attend to the sails," 
 he began, when there came a sudden puff of air, 
 and the Dart seemed to fairly stand up on ends. 
 I had to catch hold of the companion way rail to 
 keep from falling, and Dan held on, too. Cap- 
 tain Kenny collapsed and went sliding into the 
 mainmast, and then toward the lee rail. 
 
l6 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " Save me!" he yelled, when he felt that he 
 could not help himself. "Save me!" And 
 Dawson and the American sailor immediately 
 ran to his assistance. 
 
 It was all I could do now to save myself from 
 being thrown down the companion way, and for 
 the time being I lost interest in Captain Kenny. 
 " This is awful! " I said to Dan. " I believe we 
 are in for another hurricane." 
 
 " The fools ought to take in every rag of can- 
 vas," was the reply. " Tom Dawson hasn't any 
 backbone, or he'd take matters in his own 
 hands." 
 
 " Let us go below," I went on, as a wave 
 swept the deck, drenching us both. " There is 
 no use of remaining here." 
 
 Dan tumbled down the companion way and 
 into the cabin, and I came after him, stumbling 
 over an empty rum bottle which was rolling 
 over the floor. From the cabin we went to our 
 stateroom, to see that the port was tightly 
 closed. 
 
 " I think I'll keep this pistol until we reach 
 Manila," observed my companion. " You know 
 I haven't any weapon of my own. I wish I had 
 some extra cartridges." 
 
 " Perhaps the caliber of my pistol is the same 
 as Captain Kenny's weapon," I suggested, and 
 produced my little six-shooter. Both pistols 
 
THE COLLISION IN THE HURRICANE. 17 
 
 used the same size of cartridge, and I divided a 
 box of those articles between us, and shoved my 
 share and my revolver in my pocket. 
 
 We now heard a hurried tramping on deck, 
 and soon the creaking of blocks as the main 
 and mizzen courses came down on the run. 
 Soon every rag of canvas was furled, this being 
 done by Dawson's directions, as I afterward 
 learned, Captain Kenny having been knocked 
 partly unconscious by his tumble upon the lee 
 rail. 
 
 A half hour went by, a time that to Dan and 
 I seemed an age. The Dart tumbled and tossed, 
 and it was all we could do to keep from having 
 our brains dashed out against the stateroom 
 walls. 
 
 " We would have done much better had we 
 taken a steamer to Manila," I remarked, when 
 the hurricane seemed to be at its height. " If 
 we get out of this storm we have still our row 
 with the captain to be settled up." 
 
 " Never mind, Oliver, we ought to reach 
 Manila in a couple of days. If the captain at- 
 tempts to arrest us again, I'll give him warning 
 that I'll have him up before the court at the first 
 landing we make." 
 
 " He ought to have his vessel taken away from 
 him. Do you suppose the owners would keep 
 him in command if they knew of his habits? " 
 
1 8 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " As it happens he owns a one-fourth interest 
 in the Dart, and his contract says he shall be 
 skipper, so Dawson told me," answered Dan. 
 " I'll wager Dawson will have a story to tell 
 when he comes below. My, what a sea must be 
 running! " And my companion swung for- 
 ward and back with the motion of the schooner. 
 " And see how dark it is getting ! " 
 
 It was so gloomy we could scarcely see each 
 other. It had now begun to lighten and 
 thunder, while the rain came down in perfect 
 sheets. We huddled together, as if feeling in- 
 stinctively that something out of the ordinary 
 was about to occur. 
 
 And it did occur a moment later. A clap of 
 thunder had just rolled away when there came a 
 cry from the deck, so appalling that it could be 
 distinctly heard above the fury of the elements. 
 
 " Ship, ahoy! Don't run us down! " 
 
 The cry was followed by a tearing, grinding, 
 sickening crash that I shall never forget. The 
 crash threw me headlong and I lay at Dan's feet 
 for several seconds, completely dazed. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 IN WHICH DAN AND I BECOME SEPARATED. 
 
 " We are struck, Oliver, get up! " 
 
 " Oh, my head! " I groaned, for I had struck 
 the stateroom wall a blow by no means gentle. 
 
 " We must get on deck! " urged my compan- 
 ion. " We have run into another ship and may 
 be sinking! " 
 
 Collecting my scattered senses as best I could, 
 I arose and caught Dan by the arm. Soon we 
 were mounting the companion-way stairs, two 
 steps at a time. As we emerged into the 
 open the downpour of rain and flying spray 
 nearly drowned us. 
 
 A vivid flash of lightning lit up the scene, and 
 looking to port we saw a big Chinese vessel 
 bearing away, with a broken bowsprit and a big 
 hole in her side, well forward. We also saw that 
 our own deck was filled with fallen rigging and 
 wooden splinters. 
 
 " Sound the pumps ! " was the cry, coming 
 from Tom Dawson. " Quigley, see if you can 
 make out the damage " — the last words to the 
 ship's carpenter. 
 
20 A SAILOR SOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " We got it pretty heavily," gasped Dan, who 
 was about as much winded as myself. " Pray 
 heaven we may outride the shock and the 
 storm." 
 
 Several sailors had sprung to the pumps and 
 were pumping up sea water in great quantities. 
 " A foot and four inches," cried one. " And 
 gaining rapidly! " he announced, a minute later. 
 
 Those last words caused every cheek to 
 blanch. For the time there was almost a panic. 
 But now Tom Dawson showed what was really 
 in him. 
 
 " Keep your wits about you, men! " he called 
 out. " We may yet be able to stop the leak and 
 pump her out. Keep to the work for all you are 
 worth ! " And the men at the pumps obeyed, 
 while the mate hurried forward to obtain the 
 carpenter's report. 
 
 It was soon forthcoming. The blow had been 
 so severe that a gaping hole, four feet in diam- 
 eter, had been stove in the Dart's bow. It was 
 partly above and partly below the water line, 
 but in such a sea the water was coming in by the 
 hundreds of gallons at every lurch of the 
 schooner. 
 
 " I'll try to stop it up," said Quigley, but 
 shook his head as he spoke. " You had better 
 order the small boats out, and stock 'em with 
 water and grub," and he ran off. 
 
• DAN AND I BECOME SEPARATED. 21 
 
 By this time Captain Kenny was up once 
 more, but in his condition could do little but 
 find fault and use language not fit to transcribe 
 to these pages. Once he tried to take the com- 
 mand from Tom Dawson, but the mate would 
 not listen. 
 
 " We're sinking, Captain Kenny," said Daw- 
 son. " I must do what I can for the men and 
 myself." 
 
 " Sinking ! " gasped the unreasonable one. 
 " Sinking! " 
 
 " Yes, sinking. Keep your wits about you or 
 you'll go to Davy Jones' locker," concluded 
 Tom Dawson. His remarks so frightened the 
 captain that he ran to the cabin, there to plunder 
 his trunks and lockers in a drunken and vain 
 effort to stow what he owned of value about his 
 person. 
 
 The carpenter was as good as his word, but 
 although he labored manfully and had all the aid 
 that could be used, the water could not be 
 stopped from coming in. The shock had opened 
 up half a dozen seams and the water in the hold 
 had reached four feet and a half. 
 
 " She can't stand that ! " cried Dan, as he 
 heard the announcement. " She'll go to the 
 bottom inside of a quarter of an hour. Oliver, 
 we are lost, unless we get into one of the small' 
 boats." 
 
a A sailor Boy with dewev. 
 
 " The life-preservers ! " I ejaculated. " Let 
 us each get one of those on, if nothing else!" 
 and I led the way to where the articles were 
 stored. While we were adjusting them, the 
 mate passed us. 
 
 " That's right," he cried. " You two shall go 
 in our boat. We'll leave in about five minutes, 
 if we can catch the sea right." And then he 
 disappeared from sight once more. 
 
 I must confess that my heart was in my throat, 
 and Dan has since told me that he felt just as 
 awed. " Come down and get what we must 
 have," he whispered hoarsely, and once again 
 we tumbled below to our stateroom, passing 
 Captain Kenny as he tore around his cabin like 
 a man bereft of his reason. 
 
 " You are responsible for this! " he growled. 
 " If it hadn't been for you no accident would 
 have happened." For a wonder, his fright had 
 quite sobered him, even though he was half 
 crazy as before mentioned. 
 
 There was not much to get, for we knew that 
 trunks or even traveling bags would not be taken 
 into the small boats. I donned a little extra 
 clothing and was about to get out my money 
 belt, containing some gold and silver and a draft 
 on a Manila banking institution, when a call from 
 above reached us. 
 
DAN AND I BECOME SEPARATED. 23 
 
 " To the boats! To the boats! " came the cry 
 from the deck, and a scurry of footsteps fol- 
 lowed. Grabbing each other by the hand we 
 leaped for the companion way, to find our pas- 
 sage blocked by Captain Kenny. 
 
 " Let us up ! " cried Dan, and tried to get past 
 the man, but the captain merely shoved him 
 back. 
 
 " I'm the one to go — you can stay here, hang 
 ye! " he hissed. 
 
 "Stay here? Not much!" I burst out, and 
 catching him by the legs, I shot him up on deck 
 as if he had been fired from a spring gun. He 
 tried to turn and strike me, but I avoided the 
 blow with ease. 
 
 The Dart had now settled so much that every 
 wave washed her deck from stem to stern. 
 " Look out, or you'll go down ! " roared Dan in 
 my ear, but the caution was not needed, for I 
 was already exercising all the care possible in 
 making my way to the boat Tom Dawson was to 
 command. 
 
 There were four small craft and twenty of us 
 all told. This gave five persons to a boat, the 
 first being in command of Captain Kenny, the 
 second in command of Tom Dawson, while the 
 second mate and the boatswain had the others 
 under their care. 
 
24 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " I reckon you two want to keep together," 
 said Dawson, as we reached his side. " I can't 
 blame you, but " 
 
 " Don't put those two landlubbers in one 
 boat!" roared Captain Kenny. "It's bad 
 enough to have 'em at all. Put one in your 
 boat and one in Brown's," indicating the second 
 mate. 
 
 " Oh, can't we go together? " I whispered to 
 Dawson. 
 
 " We ought to have at least four experienced 
 sailors in each boat," was the mate's reply. 
 " Do as the captain commanded, and we'll see 
 if we can't keep the small boats together." 
 
 And with this he shoved Dan into his own 
 boat and turned me back to join the party under 
 Watt Brown, the second mate. 
 
 My heart now beat more painfully than ever. 
 " Good-by, Dan, if we don't meet again!" I 
 said huskily.. 
 
 " Good-by, Oliver," he answered. " Oh, if 
 only we could go together! " And then we 
 parted in the darkness, and I scuttled for the 
 boat that was already awaiting me. 
 
 How we ever got over the Dart's side and 
 away from the settling schooner I cannot de- 
 scribe to this day. Amid the roar of thunder 
 and the flashing of lightning, the small boat was 
 swung out. Three sailors were at the oars, while 
 
DAN AND l BECOME SEPARA TED. 25 
 
 the mate stood ready with a hatchet to cut the 
 davit ropes. Down we went, to strike the roll- 
 ing sea with a resounding smack that almost 
 pitched me overboard. " Steady now! Pull! 
 pull! " came the command, and away the sailors 
 pulled, while a bit of rope snapped down and hit 
 me across the cheek, nearly blinding me. For 
 the next few minutes I felt as if I was roller- 
 coasting up one mountain side and down an- 
 other. 
 
 When I was able to look around me another 
 flash of lightning lit up the scene. Behind us 
 rested the Dart, well over on her port side, as 
 though getting ready to take her final plunge 
 beneath the waves of the sea. To the left of us 
 was one small boat and to the right the others. 
 
 " Are we away all right? " I asked of the 
 second mate. 
 
 " Can't say — yet," was his laconic answer, and 
 I felt that he did not wish to be questioned fur- 
 ther. I wanted to aid in handling the boat, but 
 was not allowed to do anything. "Just wait, 
 lad, your time may come," said one of the sailors 
 grimly, and I shuddered, for I knew what he 
 meant — that it might be many a weary day be- 
 fore we would sight land, if land were sighted at 
 all. Perhaps that very sea upon which we were 
 riding would prove our open grave. 
 
 Five minutes passed in painful suspense and 
 
26 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 then the lightning lit up the firmament again. 
 " Look! look! " yelled Watt Brown, and at the 
 sound of the second mate's voice all in the boat 
 turned, to see one of the craft to our starboard 
 founder beneath a curling wave that looked 
 higher than a six-story office building. 
 
 " What boat is that? " I cried. 
 
 " Don't know exactly, but it looked like Tom 
 Dawson's," was the answer, which almost pros- 
 trated me. Was it possible that Dan had been 
 lost thus quickly? 
 
 " Won't you try to pick them up? " I went on, 
 when I could speak. " Surely you won't for- 
 sake them! " 
 
 " We'll try it, — but it's wuss nor looking for 
 a pin in a haystack," was the second mate's re- 
 ply. " To starboard, boys, but don't get caught 
 under a capper, or it will be all up with us." 
 And then our own craft veered around and 
 moved slowly and painfully over the billows to 
 the spot where the other small boat had gone 
 down. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE RESCUE OF THE UNWORTHY ONE. 
 
 I was in a tremble of excitement, and for the 
 moment forgot all about my own peril. Since 
 coming to the far East, or West, as you will, I 
 had become greatly attached to Dan Holbrook; 
 indeed he seemed like a brother to me. If he 
 was lost, what would I do, even if we were for- 
 tunate to reach some part of the Island of Lu- 
 zon, upon which the city of Manila is located? 
 
 But a treacherous wave, mountain-high, 
 brought me to a sudden realization of my own 
 condition. " Hold hard! " I heard Watt Brown 
 yell, and I held to the seat with all of my might, 
 and this was all that prevented me from being 
 swept overboard. 
 
 We had shipped a good deal of water, and I 
 was ordered to bail out the small craft, while the 
 sailors continued at the oars, assisted by the 
 second mate. There was a big dipper handy 
 and I think I can truthfully say that I never 
 worked harder in my life than I did then, mean- 
 while continuing to hold on with one hand. 
 
 It was fully ten minutes ere we reached the 
 
 27 
 
28 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 locality where the small boat had foundered. In 
 the meanwhile flash after flash of lightning had 
 lit up the scene, showing the Dart far to the 
 northward, driving rapidly before the fury of the 
 storm. But at last distance and the steady 
 downpour of rain hid the vessel from view, and 
 we could not tell if she sunk or not. 
 
 "A man!" It was the second mate who 
 uttered the words, and a head bobbed up just 
 alongside of our bow. At once the mate 
 dropped his oar and seized the individual by his 
 hair. Then he caught hold of an arm and in a 
 trice the fellow was on board, where he fell in a 
 heap at the bottom of our craft. It was Captain 
 Kenny. 
 
 " The captain's boat," observed Watt Brown, 
 and I breathed a long sigh of relief, thinking that 
 Dan might yet be safe. " I wonder if Yarson, 
 Betts, Camar, and Dilwoddy are floating 
 around? " 
 
 He referred to the four sailors that had accom- 
 panied the captain in the first boat. Standing 
 up as best he could, he waited for another flash 
 of lightning and gazed around hurriedly. Not 
 another soul was in sight. 
 
 " They are gone, I am afraid," he murmured. 
 " Keep her head up, lads, and I'll take another 
 look." 
 
 " Never mind the others," growled Captain 
 
THE RESCUE OF THE UNWORTHY ONE. 29 
 
 Kenny, struggling to a seat. " We must save 
 ourselves. Pull on, or we'll be swamped." 
 
 " You wretch! " I cried indignantly. " Sup- 
 posing we had left you to shift for yourself? " 
 
 " Shut up, boy, or " 
 
 " The lad is right, captain," interrupted Watt 
 Brown. " It was no more to us to save you than 
 it is to save Betts and the rest. Remember, the 
 Dart has been abandoned and now one man is as 
 good as another." 
 
 " Do you mean to say I am not still in com- 
 mand? " roared Captain Kenny in a fury that was 
 positively silly. 
 
 " No, you're not! " spoke up one of the men 
 at the oars. " Sit still, or I'll be in for heaving 
 you overboard again," and this was said so 
 harshly that the captain sunk back without an- 
 other word. 
 
 The long hours of the night which followed 
 were filled with an anxiety which words cannot 
 describe. The sailors at the oars could do noth- 
 ing but keep the small boat head up to the waves 
 and at times they became so exhausted, as the 
 sea ran stronger and stronger, that more than 
 one was ready to drop in a faint. I took an oar 
 for two hours and then had to relinquish the 
 blade, for fear it would be torn from my grasp 
 and lost. 
 
 It was about five o'clock in the morning when 
 
3° A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 the hurricane abated. As is usual in this lo- 
 cality, the storm let up as quickly as it had gath- 
 ered. The rain stopped and the wind dropped 
 all in a few minutes, and in less than an hour the 
 sun was shining down upon us from a cloudless 
 sky. The sea, however, still ran dangerously 
 high. 
 
 " Do you see anything? " I asked of the second 
 mate, as he balanced himself on one of the middle 
 seats and took a careful look about the horizon. 
 
 " Nothing," was his disheartening answer. 
 " Not a sail or a small boat in sight." 
 
 " Then the other boats must be lost," and my 
 heart sank again. 
 
 " Perhaps not. The wind during the night 
 may have carried us miles apart." 
 
 We knew we must be a good distance from 
 land, but we also knew that we were somewhere 
 to the westward of Luzon, so the only thing to 
 do was to steer a course due east and trust to 
 sight the shore before our provisions gave out. 
 
 We had on board but two articles, a keg of 
 ship's biscuits and a keg of water. Several other 
 things had been put into the small craft, but 
 these had either been washed overboard or 
 ruined by the salt water which I had bailed out. 
 
 " By close economy we can make the biscuits 
 last three days, and the water about as long," an- 
 nounced the second mate. " We ought to make 
 
THE RESCUE OF THE UNWORTHY ONE. 3 1 
 
 shore long before that time expires." And he 
 proceeded to deal out a breakfast of two biscuits 
 and one cup of water to each person. 
 
 " I want more than two biscuits and I am 
 bound to have them! " cried Captain Kenny and 
 leaped for the biscuit keg. But instantly Watt 
 Brown and two of the sailors confronted him, 
 one with an upraised oar, and again he subsided. 
 After that all of the others watched him care- 
 fully. 
 
 As I have said, the sea still ran high, and we 
 soon learned that to steer in a due east course 
 was impossible. We had to head to the north- 
 east and at times almost due north. 
 
 " This will take us a good many miles to the 
 north of Manila Bay, even if we strike shore," 
 observed Watt Brown to me. " I calkerlate we 
 are already some miles north of Subig Bay." 
 
 " Well, I hardly care where we land, if only we 
 escape the sea," I returned. " I have no desire 
 to fill a watery grave, as Betts and the others 
 have done." 
 
 " I think we are safe on making shore — pro- 
 viding we don't strike another hurricane, Ray- 
 mond." Then the second mate leaned close to 
 me. " Watch out for the captain, he has it in 
 for you," he whispered. " He's a bad man when 
 he's got a spell on." 
 
 " I'll be on my guard," I replied. I almost 
 
3* A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 wished we had saved somebody else in place of 
 the unreasonable skipper of the Dart. 
 
 The morning passed away slowly. By eleven 
 o'clock the sun was almost directly overhead and 
 it was so hot that all craved a shelter that could 
 not be had. The cup of water dealt out at noon 
 seemed pitiably small, but nobody but the cap- 
 tain complained, understanding only too well 
 what the horrors of thirst would be should our 
 supply give out. 
 
 Toward night another storm came up, princi- 
 pally of wind. Again the waves increased in 
 height, sending us up to a very mountain top 
 one moment and then letting us down into a 
 gigantic hollow which looked ready to engulf us 
 forever. We still drove northward at a rate of 
 ten to twelve miles an hour. 
 
 Having had no sleep for forty-eight hours I 
 was utterly worn out, and when the storm let up 
 a bit, sometime after midnight, I sank in a bunch 
 on my seat and closed my eyes. " It's all right, 
 catch a nap if you can," said the second mate. 
 Soon I was sleeping as soundly as if in my bed at 
 home, although disturbed by the wildest of 
 dreams. 
 
 I awoke with a start, to find a firm hand on my 
 shoulder and Captain Kenny glaring into my 
 face. "You're to be number two, lad!" he 
 hissed. " We'll save the water and biscuits for a 
 
THE RESCUE OF THE UNWORTHY ONE. 33 
 
 better mouth! " And then he lifted me up and 
 attempted to hurl me into the sea! 
 
 For the fraction of a second my tongue was 
 too paralyzed to utter a sound; then I let out an 
 ear-splitting yell that brought Watt Brown and 
 one of the sailors to my immediate aid. " Let 
 go of me! " I cried. " He wants to heave me 
 overboard ! " 
 
 "Let him alone!" commanded Brown, and 
 hauled Captain Kenny backward. The sailor hit 
 him a heavy crack on the head, and down went 
 the captain on the boat's bottom unconscious. 
 
 " I told ye to be watchful of him," said the 
 second mate, when it was all over. " If Captain 
 Kenny is your enemy onct he's your enemy 
 allers, don't forgit that." 
 
 " He said something to me about being num- 
 ber two," I said. " What did he — a man is 
 gone! " 
 
 I had glanced around hastily, to discover that 
 one Of the oar hands was missing. Watt Brown 
 followed my'gaze. 
 
 " Garwell ! " murmured the second mate. His 
 face grew dark, and in justifiable indignation he 
 leaped to where Captain Kenny lay and shook 
 the unconscious man vigorously. " Where is 
 Garwell!" he cried out. "Tell me, captain, or 
 I'll pitch ye overboard! Where is Garwell? " 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 CAST ASHORE ON LUZON. 
 
 To Watt Brown's vigorous questioning Cap- 
 tain Kenny returned not a word. Either he was 
 still unconscious or he had recovered and come 
 to the conclusion that he had best remain quiet 
 and answer nothing. The mate had caught the 
 captain up, now he flung him down on the hard 
 bottom of the boat as one unworthy of being 
 touched. " I'll settle with him later," he mut- 
 tered and shut his teeth hard, for the missing 
 man had been one of his best friends. 
 
 " Hadn't we better stay around here until day- 
 light and look for Garwell? " asked Sandram, 
 the sailor who had used his fist so effectually 
 upon Captain Kenny's skull. 
 
 " Yes," said the second mate. " Poor Gar- 
 well! He was a fine fellow." 
 
 " None better, Brown," put in Vincent, the 
 second sailor. " Captain Kenny will have 
 a score to settle when this ill-fated cruise comes 
 to an end." 
 
 Slowly the remainder of the night dragged by. 
 With the coming of daylight we gazed around 
 
 34 
 
CAST ASHORE ON LUZON. 35 
 
 eagerly for the body of Garwell and for the other 
 small boats. Nothing came to light but the 
 bluish-green and never-quiet sea, which rose and 
 fell to the edge of the horizon. 
 
 " I want water," was Captain Kenny's de- 
 mand, as he roused up while the scanty break- 
 fast was being dealt out. 
 
 " Not a drop until you account for Garwell," 
 returned Watt Brown. 
 
 " Account for Garwell? What do you 
 mean? " 
 
 " You know well enough. You heaved the 
 poor man overboard." 
 
 " I did not," roared the captain, but his tell- 
 tale face belied his words. " This is a put-up 
 job against me. Give me the water." 
 
 A wordy war followed. Captain Kenny would 
 confess nothing, but that he was guilty there 
 could be no doubt. All that the second mate 
 would allow him was one biscuit and half a cup- 
 ful of the water, now so warm it was scarcely 
 palatable. The captain continued to grumble, 
 but it availed him nothing, and at last he had to 
 stop, for all of us threatened to send him forth as 
 food for the fishes. 
 
 The second day was coming to an end when 
 far to the eastward we heard a curious booming 
 sound, not unlike a cannonading at a distance. 
 
 " What is that? " I questioned. 
 
36 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 "It's the surf, lad!" cried the second mate. 
 " It's rolling up on a shore or over a hidden 
 reef." 
 
 " I hope it's ashore. Any kind of land in 
 preference to this never-ending sea," I said. 
 " Can you see anything? " 
 
 I asked the latter question, for Watt Brown 
 was already on his feet. Now Vincent followed, 
 and both gazed eastward a long time. 
 
 " I think I see something," announced the 
 second mate. " But it looks like smoke more, 
 than anything." 
 
 " It is smoke, blowing from off shore," put in 
 Vincent. " We must be about ten miles from 
 land." 
 
 This announcement filled us with hope, and 
 all, even Captain Kenny, took their turns at the 
 oars with renewed vigor. Inside of an hour the 
 booming of the surf could be heard quite dis- 
 tinctly, while some of the smoke the others had 
 noticed floated almoct overhead. 
 
 " I see land! " was the second mate's welcome 
 cry presently. " There is a long, low-lying 
 shore and a mountain behind it. We must 
 be at least a hundred miles north of Subig 
 Bay." 
 
 We continued to pull until the land could be 
 seen with ease. There was a wide stretch of 
 sandy beach, backed up by tall rocks and a heavy 
 
CAST ASHORE ON LUZON. 37 
 
 tropical, growth. In the distance the mountain 
 loomed up, surrounded by a veil-like mist. 
 
 " To port ! " cried Watt Brown. " The break- 
 ers are too heavy here ! " And we moved up the 
 coast for a quarter of a mile further. Here there 
 was something of a bay and the breakers came to 
 an end. Nearer and nearer we crept to land 
 until the first row of stately palms could be seen 
 with ease. The mate was on the watch, and 
 finally ordered us to port again, and five min- 
 utes later, we shot past a tiny coral reef and into 
 the bay mentioned. Here the boat ran up upon 
 the sands, and, throwing down our oars, we all 
 leaped out and hauled her up still further. 
 
 "Thank God we're safe!" murmured Watt 
 Brown, and took off his cap reverently. I did 
 the same, and offered up a silent prayer for my 
 safe deliverance from the perils of the deep. 
 
 The bay we had entered was pear-shaped and 
 probably five hundred feet deep by a hundred 
 and fifty feet wide. The sandy beach at either 
 side was many yards wide, but at the inner end 
 the rocks and trees overhung the water. From 
 a tropical standpoint it was an ideal spot for a 
 painter, and I could not help but take in its 
 beauty, even at such a trying time as this. Cap- 
 tain Kenny, however, " stuck up his nose " at it. 
 
 " A regular jungle," he snorted. " We can't 
 live here." 
 
38 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 "Then you had better take to the water 
 again," returned Watt Brown sharply. " You 
 haven't got to stay with us, you know." And 
 this again silenced the unreasonable man for the 
 time being. 
 
 It was decided that Vincent should walk up 
 the shore on the lookout for the other boats, 
 while Sandram was to skirt the bay and try his 
 luck in the opposite direction. In the meantime 
 the captain, second mate, and myself were to do 
 what we could toward building a fire and finding 
 something to eat beside ship's biscuits. 
 
 " You go find something to eat," grumbled 
 Captain Kenny to Watt Brown and me, and 
 threw himself under the nearest tree to rest. 
 
 " All right, we'll go," answered the second 
 mate. " But remember, Kenny, if you haven't 
 got a good fire started for us when we come 
 back, so we can cook whatever we find, you'll not 
 partake of our supper." And with this pointed 
 remark Brown withdrew and I followed. 
 
 " He's a beast," I said, when we were out of 
 hearing. " I would rather have Ah Sid in the 
 crowd." 
 
 Ah Sid had been the Dart's cook, a little dried- 
 up Chinaman, but a fellow who had always tried 
 to make himself agreeable. 
 
 " If he doesn't behave himself I'll bounce him 
 out of camp," was the second mate's answer. 
 
CAST ASHORE ON LUZON. 39 
 
 " Remember, he is absolutely nothing to us, now 
 we are on land." 
 
 " Where do you suppose we are? " 
 
 " Somewhere north of Subig Bay, or Port 
 Subig, as the English call it. We were making 
 for Point Capones when that dirty hurricane 
 struck our ship and sent us into that Chinese 
 junk. I think we must be somewhere in the 
 neighborhood of Iba, a settlement . something 
 like a hundred miles northwest of Manila. But 
 we may be still further away." 
 
 " And what of the natives around here? " 
 
 " They are treacherous people, so I've been 
 told. The majority of them are Tagals, or 
 Tagaloes, as the Spanish call 'em. You know all 
 of these islands belong to Spain." 
 
 " Yes, I know that only too well, for the Span- 
 iards at Manila have caused our business firm no 
 end of trouble. They want to drive the Ameri- 
 cans out, if they can." 
 
 " They would like to drive all foreigners out, 
 so that they can have the wealth of the Philip- 
 pines to themselves," went on the second mate, 
 who was, as I soon discovered, a well-read man. 
 " You see the islands pay an immense sum of 
 money into Spain's treasury every year." 
 
 " But what of this rebellion here, that I heard 
 of at Hong Kong? " 
 
 " Oh, the natives are continually fighting 
 
40 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 among themselves and against the Spanish tax- 
 gatherers, who have their offices located every- 
 where. You see there is a terribly mixed popu- 
 lation, of Tagals, Malays, Papuan negroes, 
 Chinese, Japanese, and Caucasians, with half- 
 and quarter-breeds without number. I under- 
 stand the Spaniards can count over a hundred 
 different kinds of natives alone, and in the islands 
 over a hundred and fifty different languages and 
 dialects are spoken. It's a great country. But, 
 come, we must rouse up something to eat." 
 
 " I have my pistol and some cartridges," I 
 said, and showed my weapon. 
 
 " Keep your ammunition until you actually 
 need it, lad. We can knock over something 
 alive, as the natives do, with clubs." 
 
 In such a tropical forest clubs were soon 
 found, and, "holding these ready for use, we 
 tramped on, through thick, dank moss and under 
 masses of trailing vines. 
 
 " There they go! " shouted Watt Brown sud- 
 denly, as a whir sounded out ahead. A dozen 
 or more good-sized birds had arisen and his club 
 brought down two. Then came another whir 
 to our right, and I let fly and brought down a 
 beautiful white pigeon that weighed all of two 
 pounds. Another pigeon was wounded and I 
 managed to catch it alive and wring its neck. 
 With this haul we returned to the beach. 
 
CAST ASHORE ON LUZON. 4* 
 
 The second mate's warning had had its effect 
 upon Captain Kenny, and a roaring blaze 
 greeted us, which, in the gathering twilight 
 looked quite homelike. The captain had also 
 kicked up about a bucketful of shell-fish in the 
 shallow water of the cove. 
 
 By the time the fish and other things were 
 cooked, Vincent and Sandram came back, each 
 having traveled a good mile out and return. 
 Both brought back with them some nearly ripe 
 plantains, commonly called bananas in America. 
 All were hungry, and never did a meal taste bet- 
 ter than did that to me, although I have dined at 
 some of our leading hotels. 
 
 " I saw nothing but some driftwood," re- 
 ported Sandram. " The wood looked as if it 
 might have belonged to the Bart, but I couldn't 
 get close enough to make sure, as it was out on 
 a reef, among the breakers." 
 
 Vincent had seen nothing of boats or crews, 
 but had made a most grewsome discovery. 
 
 " I thought at a distance they might be big 
 cocoanuts, lying upon the sand," he said. 
 " But when I came closer I discovered that they 
 were the heads of seven negroes, all of whom 
 had been buried in a circle in the sand up to 
 their necks." 
 
 "Negroes' heads!" I ejaculated. "And 
 were the poor fellows dead? " 
 
42 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " Yes, and had been for some time, for the 
 birds had pecked out their eyes and carried off 
 parts of their flesh." 
 
 " This is awful, Brown," I said. " Persons 
 who would do that cannot be short of — of " 
 
 " Cannibals, eh, lad? " returned the mate. 
 " Well, some savages around here are cannibals 
 yet, Spanish reports to the contrary notwith- 
 standing. But I don't like that ring of heads. 
 It is an old sign among the Malays, and signifies 
 that one tribe of people have made war on an- 
 other tribe." 
 
 " If that's the case, I hope they don't make 
 war on us," put in Sandram. 
 
 "So do I," I added; and there the talk 
 dropped, for at that moment a sight far out on 
 the ocean thrilled us to the core. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ADVENTURES IN THE FOREST. 
 
 The sight that met our gaze was a small boat 
 dancing far out beyond the breakers. It con- 
 tained three men, and as it came in closer, 
 through the opening by which we had entered, 
 we made out Tom Dawson, Ah Sid, the Chi- 
 nese cook, and Matt Gory, an Irish sailor. 
 
 " It is Dawson's craft," murmured Watt 
 Brown. " But it's only got three men aboard 
 instead of five." 
 
 " Dan Holbrook is missing! " I gasped, and 
 once again my heart sank like a lump of lead 
 within my bosom. 
 
 " Boat ahoy! " yelled Vincent and the others, 
 and the cry was speedily returned. Then Tom 
 Dawson noted where we had run in, and ten 
 minutes later beached his craft beside our own. 
 
 " Glad to see ye! " he cried, as he caught one 
 after another by the hand. " I was afraid all of 
 the other boats had gone to the bottom." 
 
 " The captain's boat went down," answered 
 Watt Brown soberly. " We saved Captain 
 Kenny, but could see nothing of the rest." 
 
 43 
 
44 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 "And where is Dan Holbrook? " I put in 
 impatiently. 
 
 " It's a sorry tale to tell, lad," answered the 
 first mate of the ill-fated Dart. 
 
 " He was — was drowned? " I could scarcely 
 speak the words. 
 
 " He was. You see it was this way. We 
 were running along during the night and all 
 hands were utterly worn out and half asleep. 
 Suddenly a wave as big as a church bore down 
 on us and nearly swamped our craft. I went 
 overboard and so did Dan Holbrook and Casey. 
 All of us went under, and when I came up and 
 clambered aboard again, Holbrook and Casey 
 were missing." 
 
 "Yis, poor Casey was missin', God rist his 
 sowl! " murmured Matt Gory, who was the miss- 
 ing man's cousin. He turned to me. " Was 
 you an' Mister Holbrook related, me b'y? " he 
 questioned tenderly. 
 
 '' No, but — but Dan was almost like a 
 brother," I answered, in a voice that choked me, 
 and then I had to turn away to hide the tears 
 that would come. 
 
 The only man who seemed to enjoy my sorrow 
 was Captain Kenny, who leered at me in a man- 
 ner that made me feel like leaping upon him and 
 hurling him under my feet to be trampled upon. 
 
ADVENTURES IN THE FOREST. 45 
 
 He was my enemy now, and I felt he would be 
 my enemy as long as both of us lived. 
 
 The only grain of comfort that I could give 
 myself was the fact that Tom Dawson's craft had 
 struck the big wave not far from the coast line. 
 It was barely possible that Dan had kept himself 
 afloat until cast up on the beach, although, to 
 be sure, this was far from likely. 
 
 The night was spent under the palm trees 
 which lined the beach. As Vincent had made 
 such a ghastly discovery, it was decided that all 
 hands should take an hour at watching. I was 
 awake from one o'clock to two on my own watch 
 and also from five to six, when Captain Kenny 
 stood guard, but nothing happened to disturb 
 the improvised camp. 
 
 It was easy to obtain birds, and shell and other 
 fish, and by eight o'clock an appetizing break- 
 fast was in preparation. While eating we dis- 
 cussed our situation and decided to remain where 
 we were for one day more, hoping to learn what 
 had become of the fourth small boat and those 
 who were still missing. 
 
 As I had had such luck in knocking over the 
 two pigeons I was delegated to go out again to 
 replenish our larder and was accompanied this 
 time by Tom Dawson and Gory, the Irish sailor, 
 who had visited the island of Luzon twice before. 
 
46 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 In the meantime the others made an even longer 
 tour than before, up and down the shore. 
 
 " It's a great counthry, so it is," observed Matt 
 Gory, as the three of us strode into the forest. 
 " They have a mixed-up population, as you was 
 sayin', and the foightin' is worse tin toimes over 
 nor a Donnybrook Fair. Thim Spaniards be 
 afther thinkin' they kin control the nagers an' 
 other haythins, but they can't. They are a 
 thavin', lyin' set, an' would be afther stabbin' 
 yez in the back fer a tin-cint piece." 
 
 " But the Spaniards control Manila and the 
 other large cities." 
 
 " So they do, me b'y. But that's not a drop 
 in the bucket, so to spake, wid millions o' hay- 
 thins living on a thousand or more islands, some 
 of which have niver yit been visited by white 
 men. It will take two or three cinturies to make 
 these nagers half dasent, so it will! " And Matt 
 Gory shook his head to show that he meant all 
 that he said. 
 
 Our talking, and the fire on the beach, had evi- 
 dently caused an alarm among the feathered 
 denizens of the forest, for we had to walk a con- 
 siderable distance before we roused up any game 
 worth bringing down. All of us had provided 
 ourselves with clubs and in about an hour we had 
 secured eight birds and a small squirrel, which I 
 
ADVENTURES tti THE FOREST. 47 
 
 had dislodged from a hollow tree quite by acci- 
 dent. 
 
 "There's a foin birrud!" cried Gory pres- 
 ently. " Hould back, both of yez, an' Oi'll bring 
 him down! " And he crept off to our left. 
 
 He was gone fully three minutes, when we 
 heard the crash of his club among some tree 
 branches, followed by a yell of wonder and then 
 a scream of fright. " He has stirred up the 
 wrong hornet!" ejaculated Tom Dawson. 
 " Come on! " And away he bounded, with I fol- 
 lowing. 
 
 When we reached the Irish sailor he was lean- 
 ing against a tree, trying to knock from his 
 shoulder a bat that we afterward found measured 
 three feet from one wing tip to the other. The 
 bat had clutched him firmly and was dealingblow 
 after blow, first with one wing and then the 
 other. 
 
 "Save me! Hilp! Save me!" gasped Gory, 
 whose wind was almost gone, and now a blow on 
 his forehead sent him to the foot of the tree. 
 
 Tom Dawson threw his club, but missed his 
 mark. While he was running to secure his 
 weapon once more, I leaped forward and hit the 
 bat over the head. Instantly he came for me, 
 and I received a crack on the cheek that left its 
 mark for several hours. But now another blow 
 
48 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 from my club finished him, and away he sailed 
 with a half-broken wing. I was afraid he would 
 return, but he passed out of sight among the 
 overhanging vines, not to come back. 
 
 " Be jabers, that was a birrud I didn't calcu- 
 late on!" gasped Matt Gory when he could 
 speak. " Phat was it — a floyin' windmill? " 
 
 " It was a bat, Gory," I answered. " A 
 tropical bat — and a whopper." 
 
 " I want no more such birruds," was the Irish- 
 man's response. " Oi reckon Oi'll be more 
 careful of phat Oi tackle in the future," and he 
 was. 
 
 We walked on for half a mile further, for it was 
 a clear day and we were not likely to miss our 
 way. The undergrowth was thick and we moved 
 with caution, not caring to rouse up some deadly 
 reptile. On all sides were stately palm, mahog- 
 any, ebony, and other trees of a tropical nature, 
 and everywhere hung the ponderous vines, some 
 of them hundreds of feet long and as thick as a 
 man's wrist. 
 
 " A snake! " yelled Tom Dawson, of a sudden, 
 and we all fell back, while I drew my pistol, not 
 satisfied to trust to a club in such an emergency. 
 Matt Gory, who had no use for snakes, took to 
 his heels, and that was the last we saw of him 
 for fully a quarter of an hour. 
 
 Our alarm proved of short duration, for I soon 
 
ADVENTVRES in THE FOREST. 49 
 
 saw what the supposed snake was: the bat we 
 had previously wounded. It was more than half 
 dead, and a single blow from Dawson's stick 
 finished it, and then we yelled for Gory to re- 
 turn. 
 
 " The Philippine bats knock ours all to pieces," 
 observed the first mate. " We had best take him 
 along." 
 
 " For eating? " I queried. 
 
 " Perhaps " Dawson paused. " You 
 
 don't like the idea? Very well, let him go then," 
 and he threw the creature into the brush. I 
 have since heard that among certain of the na- 
 tives these bats are considered a great delicacy. 
 
 We had begun to ascend a small hill located 
 about a quarter of a mile in advance of the moun- 
 tain I have mentioned several times. I now 
 suggested that we push on to the top. 
 
 " We can get a good look around from there," 
 I continued. " And it may be that we will see 
 more than the parties that went up and down 
 the shore." 
 
 " Sure an that's a good idee," said Matt Gory. 
 " Let us go to the top by all means." 
 
 The first mate was willing. " If you don't 
 find it a tougher climb than ye calculate on," he 
 cautioned. 
 
 The first part of the journey was comparatively 
 easy, but the nearer we got to the top of the hill 
 
So A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 the steeper became the side, until we could only 
 progress by pulling ourselves up on one vine 
 after another. " Sure an if a feller had to do it, 
 he could be afther makin' step-ladders of the 
 voines," grinned Gory. 
 
 Noon found us at the topmost point, at a 
 spot where a bit of table land was surrounded by 
 a score of stately palms many yards in height. 
 " We can't see much after all, not unless we 
 climb a tree," I observed disappointedly. 
 " And how we are going to get to the top of one 
 of those palms is a conundrum to me." 
 
 " I'll show you a native trick," answered Tom 
 Dawson, and cast around for a suitable vine. 
 Soon one was found, and he cut off a piece 
 several yards long. Throwing this around a tree 
 trunk, he twisted the ends about his hands and 
 then began to ascend by bracing his feet against 
 the trunk one after another, at the same time 
 leaning his weight back so that it was held by the 
 vine, which was slipped up in company with each 
 footstep. 
 
 " Yez ought to introduce that sthoyle in 
 Americky, among the telephone linemen," ob- 
 served Gory, with a twinkle in his eye. " Oi 
 only trust the vine proves sthrong enough to 
 hold yez until yez reach the top." 
 
 Gory's hope was fulfilled; indeed the bit of 
 green would have held the weight of a dozen 
 
ADVENTURES IN THE FOREST. 5* 
 
 men, and once the branches of the palm were 
 gained, the first mate of the Dart found it an easy 
 matter to reach the crown of the tree. From 
 this point a wide expanse of land and sea came 
 into view, and he scrutinized every point of the 
 compass with care. 
 
 " There is a native village to the northeast of 
 here," he announced. " I can see forty or fifty 
 bamboo huts and the smoke from several fires. 
 There is a road running from the village to a 
 river which winds in behind the mountain back 
 of us." 
 
 " And what can you see down to the beach? " 
 I called up. 
 
 " Nothing to the south of us." Tom Dawson 
 turned to look up the coast. " By ginger! " we 
 heard him exclaim, in a low voice. 
 
 " Phat now? " queried Matt Gory. 
 
 " I see — yes, it is — the wreck of the Dart, cast 
 up high and dry on the shore! " 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE WRECK ON THE SHORE. 
 
 Tom Dawson's discovery filled us with amaze- 
 ment and satisfaction : amazement because all of 
 us had thought that the schooner lay at the bot- 
 tom of the China Sea and satisfaction for the rea- 
 son that all thought we might now have a chance 
 to obtain such of our belongings as still remained 
 on board of the vessel. 
 
 " You are sure it is the Dart? " I queried, as 
 the first mate took another long look. 
 
 " Sure, my lad; I know that craft among a 
 thousand," was the answer. 
 
 " It's great news," put in Matt Gory. " Oi 
 haven't much on board, but phat Oi have Oi 
 want, especially that ould dudeen of mine which 
 same Oi have smoked these fifteen years." 
 Since landing he had bewailed the loss of his 
 pipe a dozen times. 
 
 " If the Dart is up to the north of here, the 
 party that went that way must have discovered 
 her too," I said, as Tom Dawson descended the 
 tree. 
 
 " That's likely, lad. Still, now we have lo- 
 cated her, there is no use in staying here. We 
 
THE WRECK ON THE SHORE. 53 
 
 want our things, and I reckon the boat will fur- 
 nish us with all we will need to eat until we get 
 back to civilized parts again." 
 
 " We don't want to lose a minit," burst out 
 Gory. " If we do, thim haythins livin' in these 
 parts will be afther chimin' the wreck, an' thin 
 they won't lit us touch a thing." 
 
 " Can they do that? " I asked of the first mate. 
 
 " They can if they have the power," was Daw- 
 son's answer. " In this part of our globe, might 
 is right in nine cases out of ten. We'll hurry 
 all we can, and move directly for the wreck in- 
 stead of going down to the old camp." 
 
 Apparently this was good advice, but in the 
 end it proved to be just the opposite. We found 
 that getting down the hill was more difficult 
 than getting up, and once I took a tumble that 
 landed me directly in the midst of a clump of 
 nasty thorns. Matt Gory came after me, and 
 both of us were stuck and scratched in more 
 places than I care to mention. 
 
 " Oi'm stabbed! " he moaned. " Hilp me out 
 av here ! Ouch, be the powers, did anywan iver 
 see such a hole as this fer darnin' nadles, now? " 
 
 The first mate helped us both, and after that 
 we proceeded with more caution. Halfway 
 down the hill we came upon a beautiful spring 
 of water which was almost as cold as ice, and 
 here drank our fill. 
 
54 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 I must confess that I was very anxious to get 
 back to the Dart, for, as will be remembered, I 
 had left my money belt with its precious con- 
 tents behind. This belt I had secreted in a hol- 
 low between my state-room and that next to it, 
 and I felt it would be safe so long as the ele- 
 ments did not utterly destroy the ship. Besides 
 the belt with my gold, silver, and the Manila 
 draft, I had left behind a large packet of business 
 papers of great value to our house. If these 
 were lost, I felt our firm would have more trouble 
 than ever in the Philippines. 
 
 " It's queer the Dart didn't sink in the middle 
 of the sea," I observed, as we hurried on 
 through the forest skirting the shore. " How 
 do you account for it? " 
 
 " Well, we had a light cargo, for one thing, 
 and it was packed pretty tightly forward. 
 Maybe some the boxes got jammed in the hole 
 that was stove in her," answered Tom Dawson, 
 and later on, this proved to be correct. 
 
 The sun was beating down fiercely and the 
 moment we left the shade of the trees we felt its 
 full force. But we had now but a short distance 
 further to go, so we did not slacken our pace. 
 
 " Stop ! " cried Tom Dawson suddenly, and 
 held me back, while he motioned to Matt Gory 
 to halt. 
 
 " What's up? " I whispered. 
 
THE WRECK ON THE SHORE. 55 
 
 "A dozen natives are in possession of the Dart. 
 I can see them running all over her! " 
 
 " That's too bad, so it is! " groaned the Irish 
 sailor. " To think sech a noble vessel should 
 become the prize av sech haythins! " 
 
 " Will she really be their prize? " I asked. 
 
 For reply the first mate shrugged his shoul- 
 ders. " I don't know what the law is down 
 here," he ventured. 
 
 " Perhaps you can buy them off for a trifle." 
 
 " Not much ! There was a time when natives 
 like these could be bought off for a string of 
 beads, a roll of calico or a six-inch looking glass, 
 but that time is past. They know the value of 
 gold and silver, even if paper money is beyond 
 them." 
 
 " What do you propose to do? " 
 
 " Oh, we'll go ahead and claim the ship. But 
 I want to give you a bit of advice. Don't be 
 rash, or it may cost you your life." 
 
 " Thrue fer you," put in Gory. " Them 
 nagers aint to be thrusted, as I said before. Go 
 slow, and be on your guard." 
 
 " I will be cautious," I answered, and as the 
 memory of the circle of heads on the beach 
 flashed across my mind I shuddered. Certainly 
 these people, even if they did live but a few miles 
 from the Spanish settlements, were far from civi- 
 lized. 
 
5^ A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 Looking to it that my pistol was ready for 
 use, I followed Dawson out on the wide stretch 
 of beach which separated us from the ill-fated 
 vessel which we had left but a few days before. 
 The Dart lay high out of the water, and a brief 
 glance showed that she had lost none of her 
 masts and but little of her rigging. " I'll wager 
 that five hundred dollars will put her into as 
 good a condition as ever," remarked Tom Daw- 
 son, and Matt Gory agreed with him. 
 
 As the first mate had said, there were a num- 
 ber of natives on the craft's deck, and now we 
 noted another batch of the negroes on the 
 shore. 
 
 " They are a hard looking-crowd," I whis- 
 pered, as I gazed at them. They were all men, 
 tall, slim, and wearing little but shirts and loin- 
 cloths and head-coverings made of Manila straw. 
 The crowd on the beach was chattering away at 
 a lively rate, in a language none of us could 
 understand, although I soon became convinced 
 that it was not Spanish. 
 
 We had covered half the distance to the Dart, 
 when one of the natives discovered us and 
 pointed us out to his companions. At once the 
 whole party ran forward and surrounded us, ask- 
 ing a dozen questions at once. 
 
 " Don't understand you," shouted Tom Daw- 
 son. " Don't you speak United States? " 
 
THE WRECK ON THE SHORE. 57 
 
 " Don't you speak English? " I added. 
 
 The crowd stared at us and all shook their 
 heads. It is doubtful if any of them had ever 
 heard the English tongue before, for the ma- 
 jority of foreigners in the Philippines take up 
 Spanish as the language of commerce when deal- 
 ing with the natives. 
 
 "Here's a rum go!" whispered Dawson. 
 Then a happy idea struck him and he pointed at 
 Gory, me and himself, and then at the Dart. 
 
 Instead of nodding to show that they under- 
 stood, the natives scowled at us. Then, while 
 the others continued to surround us, one ran off 
 to summon those on the ship's deck. Soon he 
 returned with a fellow who was several inches 
 taller than his companions and who showed by 
 his bearing that he was some sort of a chief. 
 
 Again Dawson went through the pantomime 
 previously described, and again the crowd 
 scowled, the chief harder than any of his fol- 
 lowers. At once, a light burst in upon me. 
 
 " I'll tell you what they are mad about," I ex- 
 plained to my companions. " They think we 
 want to take possession of the Dart." 
 
 " Well, that's jest wot we do want," growled 
 the first mate. 
 
 " Let us try to push our way to the ship," I 
 went on, and endeavored to break away from the 
 Tagals, for such the natives were. 
 
58 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 What followed surprised me beyond measure. 
 The chief rushed up, put out his foot, gave me 
 a shove, and hurled me flat on the sand. Before 
 I could arise he had motioned to another native, 
 and this fellow promptly came and sat on my 
 back, thus holding me down! 
 
 I might have stood such treatment, rather 
 than risk bloodshed, but the attack was more 
 than Matt Gory could stand. His hot Irish 
 blood boiled instantly, and raising his club he hit 
 the fellow on top of me a blow that all but 
 knocked him senseless. 
 
 " Yez will sit on him, will yez? " he cried. 
 " Take that, an' look out that yez don't git an- 
 other that's worse, bedad! " and he stepped back 
 and stood at bay. 
 
 A fierce, blood-curdling yell went up, and 
 almost a score of war clubs and spears were 
 brandished in the air. 
 
 " Now you've put your foot into it! " ejacu- 
 lated Tom Dawson. " Come, let us retreat, be- 
 fore it is too late! " 
 
 By pure good luck, we tore ourselves free from 
 the natives who sought to hold us back. Daw- 
 son was already running for the forest. Gory 
 now followed, and I came behind. With an- 
 other yell, twice as loud as before, the Tagals 
 came after us, launching several spears as they 
 did so. 
 
"AT ONCE THE WHOLE PARTY RAN FORWARD AND SURROUNDED US, 
 ASKING A DOZEN QUESTIONS AT ONCE." 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 ATTACKED BY THE TAGALS. 
 
 " Woora camba, woora ! " 
 
 Such was the war cry which was raised, — or, at 
 least, that is how it sounded to me. Then came 
 the spears, and Gory gave a yell. 
 
 "Oi'm kilt!" he gasped. " Oi'm a dead 
 mon! " 
 
 " No, you're not! " I answered. " That spear 
 only nipped your ear. Hurry up, or you will be 
 killed, for certain! " and I grabbed him by the 
 arm. 
 
 We had a lead of fifty feet and the Tagals were 
 lessening this steadily, when, to frighten them, 
 Tom Dawson turned and fired a pistol shot over 
 their heads. 
 
 The effect was instantaneous. All of the 
 natives came to a standstill and several began to 
 retreat. 
 
 " I thought that would fetch 'em," puffed the 
 first mate. " I reckon they don't know much 
 about fire-arms." 
 
 But Dawson was mistaken, as we found out 
 
60 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 later. During the past the natives had known 
 but little of pistols and guns, but now for several 
 years they had seen them in the hands of both 
 the Spanish soldiers and those who were in re- 
 bellion against the Spanish crown, and had even 
 stood up in battle, on the side of those who 
 wanted to make the Philippines free and inde- 
 pendant of the rest of the world, be that move- 
 ment, under General Aguinaldo, for good or for 
 evil. 
 
 The natives had halted and some had sought 
 safety in flight, but now the chief issued several 
 orders, and they came on again, more determined 
 than ever. Soon they divided, and entered the 
 forest to the north and south of us. 
 
 The division gave the first mate a good deal of 
 concern. " It's a splendid move — for them," 
 he muttered. " I reckon they know the woods 
 like a book, too." 
 
 " Can they have made prisoners of the party 
 who came up here this morning? " I ventured. 
 
 " Sure an' that's more than loikely," put in 
 Matt Gory. " If they catch us I'm afther think- 
 in' we'll be ristin' in a circle in the sand, too. 
 Come on." And he tried to increase his speed. 
 
 But our previous climb had made us tired and 
 soon I became so exhausted I felt ready to drop. 
 Tom Dawson was puffing painfully, his face the 
 color of a beet. 
 
ATTACKED BY THE TAGALS. 6 1 
 
 " I — I can't keep it up — no use of tryin'! " he 
 gasped. 
 
 " Neither can I," I returned. " But if we are 
 caught " 
 
 " I don't believe they will dare do much to 
 us." 
 
 "We must go on!" urged Gory. " Thim 
 haythins — listen to that! " 
 
 The Irish sailor broke off short, as a cry from 
 the beach reached our ears. A yell followed, 
 and then came several pistol shots. 
 
 " The other party has arrived, or is trying to 
 break away," I burst out. " Maybe we had bet- 
 ter go back." 
 
 " I think so myself," answered the first mate. 
 " We count three and if there are three more 
 that will give us six, and six white men ought to 
 be able to subdue four times that number of 
 such wretches." 
 
 We turned on our tracks, just as a crashing in 
 the brush to our left came to our ears. Soon we 
 were making for the beach with all of the 
 strength left to us. 
 
 When we came out into the open we found 
 Watt Brown, Vincent, and Sandram in a hand- 
 to-hand fight with four natives that had been left 
 to watch the wreck. So far the contest had been 
 an even one, but more natives were hurrying in 
 the direction, and soon the second mate and his 
 
62 A SAILOR SOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 men found themselves surrounded. As I came 
 closer I saw Sandram go down, a spear through 
 his left shoulder. 
 
 "Messmates ahoy!" shouted Matt Gory. 
 " Hould th' fort until we git there! " and com- 
 ing closer, he let fly his club, taking one native 
 in the head and landing him on the sand with a 
 cracked skull. 
 
 In another moment we were all mixed up, and 
 each one fighting along as he saw best. I was 
 struck twice, once on the head, and this blow 
 dazed me and made me stagger to the edge of 
 the woods and sink down on a rock. I tried to 
 get up, but found myself too weak to do so and 
 had to content myself with taking shots at long 
 range with my revolver, until a Tagal came up 
 and kicked the weapon from my hand and made 
 me a close prisoner by binding my arms behind 
 me with twisted vines. 
 
 In less than a quarter of an hour the fight 
 was over, and two natives and poor Sandram lay 
 dead on the beach, while several on both sides 
 were walking around trying to deaden the pain 
 of wounds which were more or less serious. An 
 ear-splitting whistle from the chief of the Tagals 
 had brought twenty or thirty others to the scene, 
 and now our party of five were all made pris- 
 oners, Sandram being cast out into the waves 
 which lapped the Dart's sides. 
 
ATTACKED BY THE TAGALS. 63 
 
 " Here's a pickle, truly! " growled Tom Daw- 
 son. " I wonder what they intend to do with 
 us?" 
 
 " Mebbe they'll eat us, hang 'em! " answered 
 Watt Brown. 
 
 " No, they are no longer cannibals," put in 
 Vincent. " But you can make up your minds 
 that we won't sleep on a bed of roses to-night." 
 
 " They have no right to make us prisoners," 
 went on the first mate. " I wonder if there is 
 any Spanish officer near here. I know there is 
 one at Iba." 
 
 " We could find out if only some of them un- 
 derstood English," said I. " Let me see. The 
 Spanish name for a Spaniard is Un Espafiol. 
 I'll try them on that." 
 
 Walking up to the chief, I repeated the words, 
 " Un Espafiol," several times. At this he gave a 
 sickly grin, then shook his head decidedly. 
 
 " If he knows any Spaniard in authority here 
 he is not going to take us to him," was Tom 
 Dawson's comment. " My private opinion is 
 that they know perfectly well that this ship be- 
 longs to us, but they mean to keep the prize for 
 themselves, and rather than have any trouble 
 with the Spanish authorities about her, they'll 
 put us all out of the way." 
 
 "That's not unlikely," added Watt Brown. 
 " You must remember that all of the people in 
 
64 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 this part of the world used to be nateral-born 
 pirates — those with Malay blood especially." 
 
 " I don't believe in giving up the ship, not if 
 it can be helped," said I. 
 
 " Neither do I! " answered Tom Dawson, and 
 the others nodded in agreement. 
 
 " The only question is," continued Watt 
 Brown, " now that we abandoned the Dart, 
 doesn't she belong to whoever finds her? " 
 
 " What can these nagers do wid a ship like 
 her? " burst out Matt Gory. " Sure an' they 
 wouldn't know how to manage her, even if they 
 sthopped up the lake in her bow! " 
 
 At this point the chief of the natives came for- 
 ward and motioned for us to be silent, and when 
 Gory attempted to go on, slapped the Irish sailor 
 on the cheek. Gory was " boiling mad," as the 
 saying goes, but could do nothing with his hands 
 bound behind him; and so the conversation had 
 to be dropped. 
 
 The Dart had stranded at the mouth of a fair- 
 sized stream flowing into the ocean, or to be 
 more correct, the China Sea, and lay secure from 
 any ordinary storm which might come up. I 
 wondered how she had gotten in past the break- 
 ers so well, and so did Tom Dawson, as he told 
 me later. It was easily explained when we 
 learned the truth, which now was not long in 
 being revealed. 
 
ATTACKED BY THE TAGALS. 65 
 
 We hadbeen joined in pairs and were nowmade 
 to march away from the sea-coast and toward the 
 native village of Bumwoga, a collection of ram- 
 shackle bamboo huts, the same we had seen from 
 the top of the hill at the time the Dart was lo- 
 cated. We were in the custody of one-half of 
 the chief's guard, the other natives moving off 
 for the vessel, to loot her of whatever came 
 handy. 
 
 At the village we met the first Tagal women, 
 creatures by no means bad-looking. They were 
 almost as simply dressed as their husbands and 
 brothers. There were also a great number of 
 little children, who stared at us with eyes as big 
 as moons and then dove into the huts out of 
 sight, fearful that the nooga-nu, or bogie-men, 
 had come to carry them away. 
 
 The sun still beat down fiercely, and by the 
 time the center of the village was gained I was 
 ready to drop from exhaustion. Indeed, I did 
 stagger. Seeing this, Tom Dawson, who had 
 been bound to me, braced me up, and then we 
 sank on a grassy mound close to a'tall mahogany 
 tree. As we remained quiet, no one, for the 
 time being, disturbed us. 
 
 The village of Bumwoga was certainly a 
 curious-looking place, and under other circum- 
 stances I would have viewed all that it contained 
 with much interest. But just now my interest 
 
66 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 was centered in myself and my companions, and 
 I constantly speculated upon the fate which 
 awaited us. 
 
 We had been in the village about an hour, and 
 the chief was in earnest conversation with his 
 followers, when there came several pistol shots 
 from the direction of the sea-coast. " Captain 
 Kenny and the others have come up," murmured 
 Tom Dawson. " I hope the natives get the 
 worst of it." He was right, the captain had come 
 up, but the natives overcame him by sheer force 
 of numbers, and he and his men, including the 
 Chinese cook, were bound and placed on the 
 Dart. What this turn of affairs led to we will see 
 in the later chapters of my tale. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE FLIGHT FROM BUMWOGA. 
 
 " This is slow, lad." 
 
 " It is trying, Dawson. I wonder how long 
 they expect to keep us here? " 
 
 " I'm sure I can't guess, lad, — perhaps until 
 we die of old age." 
 
 " And what do you suppose they have done 
 with the others? " 
 
 " Can't say as to that either — maybe killed 
 'em all off and stewed 'em in the pot," and with 
 a voluminous sigh the first mate of the Dart 
 turned over and fell into a light doze. 
 
 Dawson and I had been confined in one of the 
 bamboo huts. We were tied fast to a thin palm 
 tree, the top of which waved far above the hut 
 roof. The place was about twelve feet square 
 and was open at two sides. The floor was 
 covered with broken palm leaves and refuse of all 
 sorts, and the whole place was vile-smelling and 
 alive with vermin. 
 
 We had been prisoners in the village for three 
 days, and the time seemed like so many years. 
 Twice a day an ugly old negro woman came in 
 to give us meals of rice cakes, fish, and native 
 
 67 
 
68 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 fruits, and to leave us an earthen jug full of 
 brackish water. 
 
 " This is a good place to catch a fever," I had 
 said to Dawson, the day before, and since that 
 time he had declared that the fever was slowly 
 but surely getting into his system. 
 
 I had tried to talk to the old woman and to 
 several of the natives that had dropped in upon 
 us out of curiosity, but nobody understood me 
 and none were able or willing to give us aid. 
 
 The night to follow brought on a heavy storm, 
 almost as severe as that which had caused us to 
 abandon our ship. About half the men of Bum- 
 woga were away and the remainder, with the 
 women and children, huddled in the huts to 
 escape the fury of the elements. The rain came 
 down " by the bucketful," and soon the single 
 street of the village was six inches deep with 
 water, which flowed around the spot where Tom 
 Dawson and I were held close prisoners. 
 
 " If this keeps on, we'll be drowned," I re- 
 marked dismally. "One thing is certain, if we 
 want to catch any sleep to-night we'll have to do 
 it standing up." 
 
 "Who could sleep with such a racket!" 
 growled Dawson. " Why, just listen to that! " 
 
 " That " was a fearful crack of thunder, which 
 rolled and roared among the hills and mountains 
 to the east and north of the village. The thun- 
 
THE FLIGHT FROM BUMWOGA. 69 
 
 der was followed by another downpour, and out- 
 side all remained pitch-black. 
 
 "I'll tell you what, Dawson!" I cried, after 
 a pause, for the crash had taken away my breath. 
 " If we want to get away, to-night is the time to 
 doit!" 
 
 " That's true, Oliver. But how are we to 
 manage the trick? I've turned and twisted until 
 my wrists are so sore they are ready to run 
 blood. This vine-rope is as tough as a steel 
 cable." 
 
 " I think I see a way," I answered. " I was 
 afraid somebody would spot us if I mentioned 
 it before. When the old woman brought us in 
 that shell-fish this afternoon, I managed to save 
 a bit of shell and hide it in my pocket. The 
 edge is sharp, and by sawing on the vines I think 
 I can cut them. The question is, can we escape 
 even after the vines are cut? I rather think we'll 
 run the risk of our lives." 
 
 " Let us try it anyway, lad; anything is better 
 than staying here," said Dawson. 
 
 I immediately produced the bit of shell and set 
 to work. I could not reach my own bonds very 
 well, but I could reach those of my companion, 
 and after fifteen minutes of hard labor, the first 
 mate was liberated. Then he took the shell and 
 began upon my wrists. 
 
 The storm kept up, and of a sudden came a 
 
70 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 blinding flash of lightning and an electrical 
 shock that pitched Dawson headlong. The top 
 of the palm tree had been hit and knocked off, 
 leaving the stump above the hut burning like a 
 gigantic torch. 
 
 I was too dazed for several minutes to speak 
 or move, and my companion was scarcely less 
 affected. Then, however, Dawson leaped up to 
 finish his work. 
 
 " Free! " I cried, as the vines snapped asunder, 
 and hand in hand we ran for one of the hut open- 
 ings. A dozen feet away lay the top of the palm 
 tree, blazing furiously and spluttering in the 
 never-ending downpour. By this uncertain 
 light we saw that the village street was deserted. 
 
 Where to go? was now the burning question. 
 I looked at the first mate and he looked at me. 
 Both of us realized only too well what a false 
 move might mean. 
 
 " That's south — the way we want to go," he 
 said, throwing out his hand. " Come on," and 
 off we set, among the huts and across a patch of 
 low brush. We were less than a hundred yards 
 off when a savage yell told us that our escape 
 had been discovered. 
 
 "We've got to leg it now, my boy! " ejacu- 
 lated Tom Dawson. " Oh, if only I had that 
 pistol of mine! " 
 
 " And if I only had mine too," I added. All 
 
THE FLIGHT FROM BUMWOGA. 7* 
 
 of our belongings, excepting our clothing, had 
 been confiscated. 
 
 At the further side of the brush we came to a 
 small stream, which we plunged into ere we had 
 time to draw back. 
 
 " Look out, it may be over your head! " 
 shouted Dawson; but the warning was not 
 needed, as the watercourse proved to be less 
 than a yard deep at any point. The bottom was 
 of sand and small stones, and both sides were 
 overhung with brush, moss, and the ever-pres- 
 ent vines. 
 
 " Hold on," whispered my companion, as I 
 was about to step out of the stream. " It may 
 be safer here than anywhere, for water leaves no 
 trail. Let us keep to the middle of the stream 
 and see where it brings us." 
 
 I thought this was good advice, and we hur- 
 ried on in silence, but both on guard for fear of 
 plunging into some deep hole. A hundred feet 
 . were covered and we heard the shout again, but 
 this time closer, showing that the Tagals were 
 indeed on the trail. 
 
 " If it comes to the worst we can sit down in 
 the water and only keep our mouths and noses 
 out," remarked Dawson. " I'm not going to be 
 captured again if I can prevent it — no, sirree! " 
 
 We moved along with added caution, for we 
 could now hear the natives shouting one to an- 
 
72 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 other from several different points. The storm 
 still continued, and both of us were wet to the 
 skin, so a slip to the bottom of the shallow river 
 would have proved no hardship. 
 
 " Stop! " The command came in a soft whis- 
 per, and instantly I halted. Both of us listened 
 intently, and I heard what had caused Dawson 
 to stop me — a splashing of water ahead. 
 
 " Somebody is moving around ahead of us! " 
 he whispered into my ear. " Those Tagals are 
 regular imps for following a fellow ! " 
 
 " Their one study is bush and forest life," I 
 answered. " But what shall we do — leave the 
 stream? " 
 
 " Let us wait a moment and listen." 
 
 We did so, and the splashing came nearer. 
 But now it did not sound altogether like foot- 
 steps, and I told the first mate so. 
 
 " I agree with you," he said. " But it's some- 
 thing, that's certain, a wild beast, or — Great 
 Scott! lad, make for the bank — quick! " 
 
 Tom Dawson caught me by the arm and made 
 a furious leap, and I followed. Both of us 
 floundered down, but were up in a trice, and 
 none too soon, for even in the gloom we pres- 
 ently beheld the ugly head of a cayman stuck up 
 close to the river bank. 
 
 " An alligator! " I screamed, and ran still fur- 
 ther away. Dawson did not hesitate to follow 
 
THE FLIGHT FROM BUMWOGA. 73 
 
 me, and at the same time screamed as loudly as 
 I did. Then of a sudden he paused, screamed 
 again and gave a sudden loud moan and shriek 
 as if in mortal agony. 
 
 " Now, don't make a sound," he whispered, as 
 the shriek came to an end. " Ten to one those 
 natives will think the alligators have eaten us." 
 
 " I hope they do," I answered, understanding 
 his ruse and delighted with it. " But which way 
 now? " 
 
 " We seem to be moving up a hill. Let us 
 keep on until the top is gained. I am sure that 
 will take us away from the village, and that is 
 what we want." 
 
 On and on we went, the wet brush slashing 
 in our faces. Often we sank into muddy holes 
 up to our knees, but each time one would help 
 the other out. Whenever a flash of lightning 
 lit up the firmament we tried to look about us, 
 but the forest cut off the view. 
 
 " I can't go much further," I gasped, at last, 
 when Dawson announced a big cliff ahead. 
 " We ought to find some sort of shelter there," 
 he said, and he was not mistaken. Under a por- 
 tion of the cliff was a cave-like opening several 
 yards in depth, and into this we crowded, out of 
 the fury of the storm. We listened intently, but 
 for the balance of that night saw or heard no 
 more of the Tagals. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE BATTLE AT A DISTANCE. 
 
 Morning dawned as mornings do in the trop- 
 ics. There is no gradual coming on of daylight. 
 The sun came up in all of its fiery splendor, and 
 day was at hand, hot, oppressive, and enervat- 
 ing. To look around one would have thought 
 that it had not rained for a week, yet there was a 
 steam in the air — a steam that by noon gave place 
 to a peculiar vapor laden with that smell which, 
 once experienced, is not easily forgotten, the 
 smell of rank vegetation mingled with the de- 
 licious odor of spices. 
 
 " And how do you feel, Oliver? " asked the 
 first mate, as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. 
 " Perhaps you forget where you are? " 
 
 " No, I don't forget, but I am tremendously 
 sleepy yet," I answered, as I stretched myself. 
 " What time is it, do you think? " 
 
 " Not seven yet." 
 
 " Then I haven't slept very long, after all. I 
 thought by the light it must be close upon 
 noon." I paused. " I wish I had something to 
 eat." 
 
THE BATTLE AT A DISTANCE. 75 
 
 "So do I, lad; but we'll have to stay our 
 stomachs until we are further away from those 
 Tagals, I'm thinking. I've been looking around 
 and I don't think the top of this hill is far off. 
 Let us get to there and take in the lay of the 
 land." 
 
 As there seemed nothing better to do, I 
 agreed, and we began the ascent of the cliff, 
 which was composed of lava principally, for the 
 Philippine Islands are largely of volcanic origin, 
 and have numerous volcanoes which are in con- 
 stant operation. The cliff passed, we began an- 
 other trudge through the woods. 
 
 I had noticed butterflies, small and big, be- 
 fore, but now these beautiful creatures became 
 more plentiful than ever, until at one point our 
 way was almost blinded by them. 
 
 " It's like a snow-storm of 'em, aint it? " re- 
 marked Dawson, and his picture was about cor- 
 rect, excepting that, while a portion of them 
 were milky white, the others were of every shade 
 imaginable. 
 
 We had hoped to gain the top of the hill by 
 ten o'clock, but it was afternoon before we came 
 out on the stretch of tableland that was its high- 
 est point. As before, the tableland was sur- 
 rounded by palms, so both Dawson and I had 
 to climb into the trees to get a look around. 
 
 We first turned our eyes toward the China 
 
76 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 Sea, which rolled and glistened like molten gold 
 in the bright sunlight. Far away two sails were 
 visible, mere specks upon the horizon. At the 
 beach the breakers rolled and broke, sending the 
 white spume almost up to the roots of the palms 
 that fringed the sand. From the point we oc- 
 cupied the mouth of the river where the Dart 
 lay was concealed from view. 
 
 " Nothing of interest in that direction," ob- 
 served Dawson, and turned carefully to take a 
 look inland. Soon he uttered a cry of astonish- 
 ment. 
 
 " What do you see? " I queried. 
 
 " What do I see? " he repeated. " Hang me 
 if I don't see about the biggest battle on 
 record! " 
 
 " A battle? " I cried, and turned among the 
 branches to get a view myself. 
 
 " Yes, a battle. Don't you hear the guns? " 
 
 I listened, and sure enough from a great dis- 
 tance I heard the crack and roll of musketry. 
 At first I could not locate the sounds, but pres- 
 ently saw the thin white smoke ascending from 
 a valley far to our east, a valley hedged in be- 
 tween two tall mountains. 
 
 " Can you make out who is fighting? " I 
 asked, straining my eyes to the utmost. 
 
 " It looks to me like soldiers on one side and 
 natives on the other," answered the first mate. 
 
THE BATTLE AT A DISTANCE. 77 
 
 " The soldiers are driving the other fellows up 
 the valley. There must be about five hundred 
 men fighting on each side." 
 
 " Can the Tagals be waging war on the 
 Spaniards? " 
 
 " I reckon they are rebels under General Agui- 
 naldo, who has been their acknowledged leader 
 for over a year." 
 
 " And do they expect to win their freedom? " 
 
 " I suppose so, although, even if they do 
 throw off the yoke of Spain, I don't believe they 
 are capable of governing themselves." 
 
 " They certainly are not, if they are all like 
 the fellows who made us prisoners." 
 
 " Oh, the better class of Tagals are not like 
 these, lad. Why, I've been told that, in Ma- 
 nila, some of them are quite ladies and gentle- 
 men. They can read and write, and affect the 
 Spanish fashions." 
 
 The tide of battle had now swept up the valley, 
 and we heard and saw nothing more of the con- 
 test. We gave the surroundings another good 
 look, and then descended to mother earth. 
 
 " I've got an idea," said Dawson. " If we 
 can find one of the small boats, why not stock 
 her up with provisions and water and then sail 
 down the coast to the nearest seaport settlement 
 to Manila — say Port Subig? That will save us 
 a tedious and perhaps dangerous trip overland." 
 
78 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " That's a good idea, expecially as we don't 
 want to get mixed up in this fight between the 
 insurgents and the Spanish. But what of the 
 Dart and our things on board of her? " 
 
 " Ten to one the natives have already looted 
 the ship, Oliver. As it is, we can do nothing 
 but notify those in Manila who were interested 
 in her cargo. Perhaps they'll help us in the 
 matter, for their own sakes." 
 
 " And what of the others who were made 
 prisoners? " 
 
 " Alone and without weapons what can we do 
 for them? If we can organize a party in Manila 
 to come here and straighten out matters we'll be 
 doing well." 
 
 Both of us were tremendously hungry, and 
 now we cast about for something to eat. But 
 little could be found on the hill outside of a few 
 cocoanuts, and soon we were on our way to the 
 seacoast, taking care to give the Tagal settle- 
 ment a wide berth. 
 
 We had just stepped out upon the sand when 
 we saw a figure clad in a flowing frock coming 
 toward us at top speed. 
 
 "Ah Sid, as I'm a sinner!" burst out Tom 
 Dawson, as he recognized the Chinese cook of 
 the Dart. "Hi! hi! where are you running 
 to? " he called out. 
 
 At the sound of the first mate's voice the little 
 
THE BATTLE AT A DISTANCE. 79 
 
 Chinaman came to a dead halt. " Who callee? " 
 he yelled. " Who callee Ah Sid? " 
 
 " I called you, you monkey. Come here," an- 
 swered Dawson, and now Ah Sid saw us and 
 reached our side on the double-quick. 
 
 " Me gittee away flom bad man," he puffed. 
 " Hide in tree woods, or him cochee all flee — 
 lun! lun! " And he lost no time in diving into 
 the forest, and we came after him. 
 
 We had scarcely concealed ourselves when 
 two Tagals burst into view, skipping along the 
 sands with long spears in their hands, ready to 
 be launched forth at the first sight of the ter- 
 ror-stricken Celestial. Ah Sid's footprints were 
 plainly visible, so they lost no time in following 
 him into the forest. 
 
 " We must down them! " whispered Dawson 
 excitedly, and as one of the Tagals passed him 
 he leaped out, caught hold of the man's spear, 
 and threw him headlong. Seeing this, I threw 
 myself on the second copper-colored rascal, and 
 a fierce, all-around struggle ensued. 
 
 It was little Ah Sid who turned the tide of bat- 
 tle in our favor. Paralyzed at first with fear, he 
 quickly recovered, and picking up a big stone, 
 approached and struck first one enemy and then 
 the other on the head. The blows were well di- 
 rected and heavy, and each Tagal went down in- 
 sensible. 
 
8o a SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " Good for you, Ah Sid! " cried Tom Dawson. 
 " You can fight, even if you are a heathen." 
 
 " Shall me finish um? " asked the cook, as he 
 still held the stone which had done such good 
 work. 
 
 " No, no, that would be murder! " I ejaculated 
 in horror. " They are both pretty badly done 
 for and won't get over this for an hour or more. 
 Come on, unless there are more coming." 
 
 " Only dese two, Mlister Raymond. Where 
 you goee? " 
 
 " We thought we might find one of the small 
 boats," answered the mate. 
 
 " Little boatee dlis way." Ah Sid pointed 
 down the beach. " Hurry if wantee him, or bad 
 man git um." 
 
 Away we went, the Chinaman leading the 
 party. As he ran he managed to tell us that he 
 had escaped from the Tagals two days before, 
 but had been unable to get away from the terri- 
 tory. " Watt Brown, Matt Gory, and um cap- 
 tain gittee away, too," he concluded. " No 
 knowee where them goee dough." 
 
 It did not take long to reach the small boat, 
 which lay in the cove where we had originally 
 landed. The second small boat was gone, the 
 natives having carried it off. 
 
 " Now for a stock of provisions," I said. 
 
THE BATTLE AT A DISTANCE. 8 1 
 
 " We will have to thresh around the woods at a 
 lively rate, if we want to get away before night." 
 
 " We won't hunt for any more than we actu- 
 ally need," answered Tom Dawson. " And Ah 
 Sid will help us, I know," and he explained to 
 the cook what we proposed to do. 
 
 " Me catchee blirds very soon," answered Ah 
 Sid, and procured a long, thin switch. With 
 this he entered the forest, and soon brought 
 down several birds, including three pigeons. 
 He would stir them up from the grass, and a 
 lightning-like crack of the switch would finish 
 them. 
 
 " Hold hard! " cried Tom Dawson, while we 
 were in the midst of our labors. " Hold hard, 
 somebody is coming! " 
 
 We instantly became silent and listened. The 
 first mate was right, three persons were coming 
 through the forest, and they were heading di- 
 rectly for the spot where the boat lay. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 OFF FOR SUBIG BAY. 
 
 Slowly the footsteps came closer, as though 
 the three persons were approaching with ex- 
 treme caution. 
 
 " Perhaps they heard us," I whispered to Tom 
 Dawson, and he nodded. " If they are natives 
 what shall we do? " 
 
 " We'll have to trust to luck, lad. I would 
 rather fight to the end than become a prisoner 
 again." 
 
 " So will I fight." 
 
 I had a club which I had been using in knock- 
 ing over game, and this I held ready for any 
 emergency which might present itself. Slowly 
 the three newcomers came closer, then stopped 
 short, and we heard not another sound. 
 
 I must confess that my heart leaped into my 
 throat, as I had a mental vision of a tall Tagal 
 sneaking up behind me and running me through 
 with his cruel spear. Were the newcomers try- 
 ing to surround us? 
 
 Five minutes passed, — it was more than an age 
 to me, — and still the silence continued, broken 
 
 82 
 
OFF FOR SUBIG BA V. 83 
 
 only by the birds as they fluttered from tree to 
 brush. From a distance came the incessant hum 
 of millions of tropical insects, but to this sound 
 I had long since become accustomed. 
 
 " Begorra, Oi don't see nothin at all, at all! " 
 came in a rich Irish voice not a dozen yards away 
 from me. " If they be haythins, where are 
 they? " 
 
 " Matt Gory! " I burst out. " Matt Gory, is 
 that you? " 
 
 " The saints be praised, it's Oliver Ray- 
 mond! " came from the delighted Irishman, and 
 now he rushed forward and literally embraced 
 me. " I was afther thinkin' ye was one av thim 
 villainous Tagals! " 
 
 Gory was followed by Watt Brown and Cap- 
 tain Kenny. The second mate was also de- 
 lighted to see me. Captain Kenny, however, 
 merely scowled, and then turned to Dawson and 
 Ah Sid. 
 
 Our various stories were soon told, and we 
 learned that the newcomers had also intended 
 to hunt up a small boat. " I intended to cut 
 down a sapling and hoist some kind of a sail," 
 said Watt Brown. " Sailing down to Subig 
 Bay will be far better than to make the journey 
 overland, especially during these trying times." 
 
 Watt Brown had had one advantage over us. 
 He had met a Spaniard who could speak a little 
 
84 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 English, and from this man had learned a good 
 deal that was decidedly interesting. 
 
 " The natives have made war on the Spaniards 
 tooth and nail," he said. " Not only the neigh- 
 borhood around Manila, but the whole of the 
 island of Luzon is up in arms. General Agui- 
 naldo had under him something like forty to 
 fifty thousand Tagals, Philippine Spaniards, and 
 others, and they have declared for independence. 
 They swear they will pay no further taxes to the 
 Spanish." 
 
 " But all people have to pay taxes," I ven- 
 tured. 
 
 " Yes, but not as the Filipinos do, my boy. 
 They are taxed for about everything they eat 
 and everything they drink, and they pay a tax 
 for doing business. They can't cut down a tree, 
 or shear a sheep, or pull down cocoanuts with- 
 out paying a tax to the government. Besides 
 this, they have also to pay large sums of money 
 to the Church, and so they are kept poverty- 
 stricken from year to year. I don't blame 'em 
 for revolting, as it is called." 
 
 " Spain is having her hands full just now," re- 
 marked Tom Dawson. " The war in Cuba is 
 ten times worse than the war here, I'm think- 
 ing." 
 
 " That Spaniard I met was very angry against 
 us Americans," resumed Watt Brown. " He 
 
OFF FOR SUBIG BA Y. 85 
 
 said Americans are aiding the Cubans, and if we 
 didn't look out Spain would punish us for it." 
 
 This caused Dawson to laugh. " Ha! ha! 
 The idea of Spain doing anything to Uncle 
 Sam," he said. " I reckon we can take care of 
 ourselves, every trip." 
 
 How right he was later events proved. 
 
 As there were now six of us, we worked with 
 more confidence. Each of us had a good club, 
 and we provided ourselves with stones that were 
 jagged of edge, to use in case of sudden attack. 
 Ah Sid also made himself a sling shot out of a 
 pliable tree branch and showed us what he could 
 do with this weapon by bringing down a pigeon 
 with a stone at a distance of fifty yards. 
 
 It was nearly nightfall by the time we had 
 brought in our birds, pigeons, and fish and 
 cooked them. In the meantime Watt Brown 
 had been as good as his word and had rigged up 
 a small mast and a sail on the MoUie, as he had 
 dubbed the craft. The sky was clear and it 
 promised to be moonlight, and we decided to 
 leave the coast as soon as we had eaten supper, 
 which would be our last meal on shore for prob- 
 ably three or four days, if not a week. 
 
 " We must keep our eyes peeled for those 
 Tagals," remarked Tom Dawson, as we squatted 
 around the camp-fire. " If we don't they may 
 surprise us, and then our cake will be dough." 
 
86 A SAILOR SOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 The Mollie lay ready for shoving off, so we 
 could leave at the first sign of danger. As we 
 ate we discussed the situation and what the fu- 
 ture was likely to bring forth. 
 
 " I shall demand that the Spanish government 
 give me protection to take the Dart into a proper 
 harbor," said Captain Kenny, who was now, per- 
 force, perfectly sober. " Those Tagals have no 
 legal claim to the wreck." 
 
 " But they must have some claim," I an- 
 swered. 
 
 " No claim whatever — and I can prove it," re- 
 turned the captain, as he glared at me. 
 
 " How can you prove that, captain? " asked 
 Tom Dawson. " Every man of us left her — 
 there is no gainsaying that." 
 
 " Never mind; I can prove they have no claim 
 upon her," was the captain's answer, but further 
 than that he would not say. 
 
 Our supper was scarcely concluded when the 
 moon came up over the rim of the sea, as white 
 as new silver. We began our preparations to 
 embark without further delay. As we worked 
 I saw Captain Kenny eye me in a strange man- 
 ner that gave me a cold chill, and I resolved to 
 be more than ever on my guard against him. 
 
 Our provisions and ourselves made as much 
 of a load as the Mollie could safely carry, and at 
 the last moment some cocoanuts had to be left 
 
OFF FOR SUBIG BA Y. 87 
 
 behind. Water was stored away in the bucket 
 which had been used for bailing out the craft 
 and in hollow stalks of bamboo, the latter mak- 
 ing first-class receptacles. The cooked things 
 were wrapped in palm leaves and covered with 
 damp seaweed. 
 
 The captain, the two mates, and Matt Gory 
 took the oars, and a few well-directed strokes 
 took the Mollie out of the cove and well on to- 
 ward the opening in the line of breakers. 
 " We'll have to row and watch out, too, since 
 the boy can't do anything," grumbled Captain 
 Kenny. I firmly believe, had he had his way, 
 he would have left me behind. 
 
 " Watch for the opening, Oliver," said Tom 
 Dawson. " You can do that as well as anyone." 
 I did as directed, and before long the dangerous 
 line of coral was passed and we were riding the 
 long stretches of the China Sea as safely as 
 though crossing the Bay of San Francisco. 
 
 Fortunately, not only Captain Kenny, but also 
 Dawson and Brown, could read the stars with 
 ease, so but little trouble was experienced in 
 holding to a course which was certain to bring 
 us down to Subig Bay sooner or later. The 
 wind was favorable, and the sail being hoisted 
 the oars were shipped, and we took it easy under 
 the pale gleaming of the Southern Cross. 
 
 " We may as well divide up into watches," 
 
88 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 suggested Tom Dawson, and after some talk it 
 was decided that he, Matt Gory, and myself 
 should stand the first watch of four hours, while 
 the captain, Watt Brown, and Ah Sid took the 
 second watch of equal length. 
 
 In this manner the night passed without in- 
 cident, for when I slept I did so between my two 
 friends, so I was safe from any evil designs that 
 Captain Kenny might have upon me, even had 
 he dared to carry them out while the second 
 mate was on watch with him. 
 
 Sunrise found us still in sight of land, at a 
 point where the mountains of Luzon ran di- 
 rectly down into the sea. The air was filled 
 with a bluish mist, and by ten o'clock was op- 
 pressive to the last degree. 
 
 " It's a good thing we have the sail," I re- 
 marked. " Nobody could possibly row in this 
 awful heat." 
 
 " The sail may not do us any good presently," 
 answered Watt Brown. 
 
 " Why not? " 
 
 " Don't you see how the wind is dying 
 down? " 
 
 The second mate was right, and presently the 
 sail flapped idly against the stumpy mast. Tom 
 Dawson looked at the oars, picked up one of the 
 blades, let it fall again, and shook his head. 
 " Too blasted hot, no use of talking." 
 
OFF FOR SUBIG BA Y. 89 
 
 " I think I would rather lay under the shadow 
 of yonder mountain than out here all day," said 
 Brown. " What do you say, boys; shall we pull 
 for the shore? " 
 
 A vote was taken, and it was found that even 
 Captain Kenny preferred land to that boiling 
 and sizzling sea. But he declined to row. 
 " Let the boy take a hand," he said. • 
 
 I was willing, and I think I can safely say that 
 I made fairly good progress. " I can run an 
 engine or a steam launch, but I never had much 
 of a chance at a row- or sail-boat," I explained. 
 
 " By the way, what is taking you to Manila, if 
 I may ask? " questioned the second mate 
 curiously. 
 
 " It's partly business and partly pleasure. 
 You know my father is a member of the firm of 
 Raymond, Holbrook & Smith, manufacturers of 
 engines and sugar-making machinery. I wanted 
 a vacation and was sent to Hong Kong and Ma- 
 nila, to get the fresh air and learn the business at 
 the same time." 
 
 " You say you can run an engine? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, I can run almost anything that goes 
 by steam," I laughed. " I take to it naturally, 
 although I don't intend to become an engineer. 
 Now if the Dart had only carried a steam or 
 naphtha launch, we would have been all right," 
 and here this talk came to an end. 
 
9© A SAILOR SOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 Finding a landing at the mountain side was 
 not easy, for the waves ran up strongly against 
 those rocks, which, in some places, were a hun- 
 dred feet in height. But we discovered a small 
 canyon, or split, and ran into this, a delightful 
 locality, as shady as it was cool and inviting. 
 Again the boat was beached, and we hopped 
 ashore, I, however, never dreaming that that was 
 to be my last trip in the little craft. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ATTACKED IN THE CANYON. 
 
 A good sleep during the night had rested me 
 thoroughly; so, while the others sat around, 
 talking or smoking " home-made " cigars, made 
 out of some native tobacco which Matt Gory had 
 secured during his wanderings, I started up the 
 canyon on a short tour of exploration. 
 
 " I've heard that there is gold on this island," 
 I laughed, when Tom Dawson asked me where 
 I was bound. " I'm going to strike a bonanza." 
 
 " Look out that you don't stir up some wild 
 animal big enough to chew you up," he yelled 
 after me. 
 
 The canyon was filled with brushwood and 
 vines, with here and there heavy clusters of 
 tropical flowers, so odoriferous that they were 
 positively sickening. Some of these flowers, I 
 afterward learned, can readily put one to sleep 
 if you sit by them long enough. 
 
 I found an easy path to the top of the canyon, 
 at a point where the walls were fifty to sixty feet 
 high and three times as far apart. At the top 
 was a patch of smooth ground, back of which 
 began the upward slope of the mountain. 
 
 9» 
 
92 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 I kept my eyes open for wild animals, but 
 nothing of size presented itself, although I de- 
 tected something moving near the mountain 
 top, probably some Philippine goats. There 
 were countless birds, and in a dark corner of the 
 canyon I roused up half a dozen bats, none of 
 which, however, offered to molest me. 
 
 Coming to a truly beautiful spot, where a tiny 
 mountain stream formed a waterfall that leaped 
 and danced in the sunshine striking through 
 some flowered brushwood, I threw myself down 
 and gave myself up to reflection. 
 
 What a variety of adventures had I passed 
 through since leaving home! In Hong Kong 
 the days had not passed without incident, and 
 now here I was, cast away on the island of Lu- 
 zon, minus my money and the documents I had 
 been intrusted to deliver, and in a land that was 
 practically in a state of war. 
 
 And yet I knew absolutely nothing of the im- 
 portant events which were transpiring in what 
 might be called the outer world. I did not know 
 that the war between Spain and the inhabitants of 
 of Cuba had reached its height and that the rela- 
 xations between Spain and the United States had 
 culminated in the total destruction of the battle- 
 ship Maine in Havana harbor, and that we were 
 on the verge of war with the Spaniards in conse- 
 quence. Nor did I know how my father was 
 
ATTACKED IN THE CANYON. 93 
 
 suffering in Cuban wilds, as related in " When 
 Santiago Fell." Perhaps it is a good thing 
 that I did not know about my parent's condition, 
 for I would have worried a good deal, and 
 worrying would have done no good. 
 
 From day-dreaming over the present I began 
 to speculate on the past, on my schoolboy days, 
 and on the great interest I had taken for several 
 years in steam engines, machinery of all sorts, 
 and in big guns. Guns, such as were used in the 
 forts on our Pacific seacoast, had particularly 
 interested me, and I had studied them in all of 
 their details, never once dreaming how useful 
 this knowledge was to be to me. 
 
 From day-dreaming I fell into a light doze, 
 from which I awoke with a start to find the form 
 of a man leaning over me. The man had 
 clutched my arm and this had aroused me. One 
 glance showed that the man was Captain Kenny. 
 
 " Now I've got the chance I'll serve you as I 
 served Holbrook ! " he hissed into my ear, and 
 hurled me over the edge of the canyon down to 
 where the mountain torrent struck the rocks far 
 below. 
 
 " Don't! " I managed to gasp; but that was all. 
 I felt myself dropping through space, made a 
 vain clutch at some brush which scraped my 
 cheek, and then struck heavily on the rocks — 
 and knew no more. When I recovered my 
 
94 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 senses it was pitch-dark around me and a light 
 rain was falling. At first I could not collect my- 
 self and did not attempt to stir. Where was I, 
 and what had happened? 
 
 The flowing of water over one arm aroused 
 me, and, making examination, I found that I was 
 lying half in and half out of the mountain tor- 
 rent. Had I fallen into a little different position 
 I must surely have drowned. As a matter of 
 fact my hair showed that I had fallen head first 
 into the water, but had by some unconscious 
 movement saved myself from a watery grave. 
 
 It was fully a quarter of an hour before I felt 
 able to sit up, much less stand on my feet. I 
 ached in every joint, and my-head was in such a 
 whirl that I could scarcely see. 
 
 " Oh, what a villain Captain Kenny is ! " were 
 the first words that crossed my lips. " I'll get 
 square with him as soon as I can join the others 
 again!" Alas! little did I then realize that my 
 companions had hunted for me in vain, and that 
 a band of Tagals had made it necessary for them 
 to set off in their boat without me, taking with 
 them the guilty captain, who had never opened 
 his lips concerning his perfidy. 
 
 By the darkness I knew it was night, but what 
 part of the night I could not determine. Yet I 
 thought it could not be late, and that I must 
 try to get back to the shore, no matter how much 
 pain it cost me. 
 
ATTACKED IN THE CANYON. 95 
 
 I arose to my feet to make a disheartening dis- 
 covery. My left ankle was badly wrenched and 
 much swollen, and to walk on it was out of the 
 question. Here was a new difficulty, and I must 
 confess that I could scarcely hold back the tears 
 as I felt my helplessness. Perhaps this may 
 seem childish to some of my readers, but they 
 must remember that it is no fun to be cast away 
 in a savage land, away from your friends, and in 
 the condition in which I found myself. 
 
 Not without considerable pain and exertion, 
 I dragged myself to a place of shelter beneath 
 the overhanging rocks of the canyon. Here it 
 was dry, and the winds had swept in a quantity 
 of dried leaves which made a fairly comfortable 
 couch. The exertion necessary to reach this 
 place caused me to swoon. 
 
 When I was again myself, it was daylight, but 
 still raining — a fine drizzle that was little more 
 than a mist. Looking at my ankle I saw that 
 the swelling had gone down a bit, and I pres- 
 ently found that I could stand upon it, although 
 the operation was far from a pleasure. The rain 
 had collected in a hollow close at hand, and here 
 I got a drink and bathed my bruised head and 
 lower extremity. I might have eaten some light 
 food, but nothing was at hand, excepting some 
 berries which were strange to me, and which I 
 did not dare to touch for fear they might prove 
 poisonous. 
 
9<5 A SAILOR SOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 Slowly the hours came and went and still I 
 remained under the cliff, a prey to many disturb- 
 ing thoughts. What were my companions do- 
 ing? Would they come up the canyon in search 
 of me, or would they sail off and leave me to 
 my fate? 
 
 Toward nightfall several shots in the distance 
 disturbed me. They did not come from the 
 shore, but from still further up the canyon. I 
 listened intently, but nothing but silence suc- 
 ceeded the discharge of firearms. 
 
 The night which followed proved a long one. 
 For several hours I could not get to sleep for 
 thinking of my position, but finally I fell into a 
 deep slumber that lasted far into the next day. 
 
 The sun was now shining brightly and the 
 birds and insects had again taken up their songs 
 and hummings. I arose and stretched myself, 
 and was pleased to note that I could walk fairly 
 well and that my brain was clear, even though 
 my head still felt sore. 
 
 I directed my footsteps down the canyon to 
 the seashore, coming out at the spot where I 
 had left Dawson and the others encamped. 
 Nothing remained but the charred embers of a 
 camp-fire, which had been built to cook some 
 fish. 
 
 I say nothing remained. There was some- 
 thing else there that filled me with horror. It 
 
ATTACKED IN THE CANYON. 97 
 
 was a long Tagal spear, and its barb was cov- 
 ered with blood. The sands were filled with 
 countless tracks of bare feet. 
 
 " There has been a fight here," I murmured, 
 and ran to the water's edge. The Mollie was 
 gone, but whether taken by friends or the enemy 
 there was no telling. 
 
 For a long while I stood on the sands specu- 
 lating upon the new turn of affairs. I was now 
 left utterly alone, that was clear. What should 
 I do? 
 
 Without a boat a journey by water was out of 
 the question. If I tried to gain Manila by a trip 
 overland I felt that I would either become lost 
 in the mountains or else fall into the hands of the 
 warlike Tagals. 
 
 " I'll follow the shore to Subig Bay," I con- 
 cluded, and in an hour was on my slow and pain- 
 ful way, after a morning meal of half-ripe plan- 
 tains which were far from palatable. 
 
 By noon I concluded that I had covered four 
 or five miles, having had considerable difficulty 
 in getting past the mountain which cut off the 
 beach for the space of two or three furlongs. It 
 was now growing so hot I was compelled to seek 
 shelter in the forest, and here put in the time by 
 bringing down half a dozen birds, which afforded 
 me nearly as many meals. 
 
 The next four days were very much alike. I 
 
98 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 continued on my way, past Iba and several other 
 settlements. At the place named, I almost ran 
 into the lines of the native rebels and saw a 
 pitched battle from afar, in which, as I afterward 
 ascertained, ten insurgents and six Spaniards 
 were killed and twice that many were wounded. 
 
 The end of the fourth day found me at the 
 entrance to Subig Bay, and here I rested for sev- 
 eral hours. Lying on the north shore I saw half 
 a dozen ships at anchor, one of which, a two- 
 masted schooner, flew the Stars and Stripes. 
 
 " If I can get to that craft I'll be safe," I said 
 to myself. " I'll watch her and see if anybody 
 comes ashore." 
 
 On the following morning I saw the schooner 
 move slowly for the entrance to Subig Bay. 
 Running with all speed for the point of land be- 
 tween the bay and the China Sea, I waved my 
 hands frantically and was at last gratified to see 
 that somebody on board had noticed me. Pres- 
 ently the schooner came to anchor again, and a 
 small boat put out for the beach. 
 
 As the boat came closer I uttered a cry of 
 amazement and delight, for at one of the oars 
 sat a person I had not expected to see for many 
 days to come. It was Tom Dawson. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 MY FIRST ADVENTURE IN MANILA. 
 
 " Oliver Raymond, is it possible! " exclaimed 
 the first mate of the Dart, as he leaped ashore 
 and almost embraced me. 
 
 " Tom Dawson! " I ejaculated, and wrung his 
 hand over and over again. " And how did you 
 get on that craft out there? " 
 
 " It's a long story, lad. But where have you 
 been these five or six days? You don't mean 
 to say you left our party on purpose? Or did 
 those rascally natives capture you? " 
 
 " Neither, Tom. After I left you I walked up 
 the canyon to where there was a high cliff, and 
 there Captain Kenny tried to do me to death." 
 I gave him a few of the particulars. " Where is 
 the captain now? If he's on that vessel I'll soon 
 have him up before the court at the first civil- 
 ized seaport comes to hand." 
 
 " I reckon Captain Kenny has got his de- 
 serts, Oliver. After you left us the Tagals 
 made an unexpected attack, and Captain Kenny, 
 Watt Brown, and Ah Sid were captured, while I 
 and Matt Gory escaped to the boat. We didn't 
 
 99 
 
100 A SAILOR BOY. WITH DEWEY. 
 
 make any more landings until we reached this 
 port and rowed to the Starlight." 
 
 " Was Watt Brown killed or injured? " 
 
 " He was wounded, but how badly I can't say. 
 Captain Kenny gave himself up instead of fight- 
 ing, and so did that Chinaman." 
 
 " I wish it had been Captain Kenny who had 
 been wounded," I said bluntly. 
 
 " So does somebody else," went on Dawson, 
 and a smile flitted over his face. " Come on 
 board, and you'll find a surprise awaiting you." 
 
 I gladly accepted the offer to come on board 
 of the Starlight, which was seconded by Captain 
 Mason, who was in charge of the jolly-boat. 
 The row was a short one, and I was just mount- 
 ing the rope ladder to the deck when a voice as 
 from the grave hailed me. 
 
 " Is it possible that it is you, Oliver? " 
 
 " Dan! " I gasped, and stumbled over the rail. 
 " I — I thought you were dead — drowned ! " 
 
 The next moment I was in Dan Holbrook's 
 arms and we were hugging each other like a 
 couple of schoolgirls, while Tom Dawson and 
 Matt Gory looked on, well pleased. The Irish- 
 man soon after shook hands. 
 
 " But, Dan, how came you here? " I ques- 
 tioned, when I could recover from my amaze- 
 ment. " Weren't you lost overboard from that 
 small boat? " 
 
MY FIRST ADVENTURE IN MANILA. to I 
 
 " To be sure I was, and I came pretty close to 
 drowning, too," answered Dan. " But I floated 
 around and a high wave landed me right back on 
 board of the Dart and there I remained, satisfied 
 that it was as good a place as any so long as the 
 schooner floated." 
 
 " And were you on her when the Dart was 
 carried ashore? " 
 
 " I was, and what is more I did what I could 
 toward steering her into the river mouth, where 
 she now lies. The steering gear was all right, 
 and I thought I might be able to save her from 
 becoming a total wreck." 
 
 " But — but, didn't Captain Kenny attack 
 
 you? " 
 
 " Did he? Indeed he did and tried to kill me 
 by throwing me into the sea. But a Tagal saved 
 me and made me a prisoner. I was kept in cus- 
 tody two days, when the Tagals had a fight with 
 some Spanish soldiers, and I escaped in the con- 
 fusion and struck out for Manila. I thought I 
 was completely lost, when I ran across a scout- 
 ing party from the Starlight and was taken on 
 board by them. I had some little tropical fever, 
 and I'm not very well yet." 
 
 This was the outline of Dan's story, which he 
 later on told in all of its details. The story 
 proved two thing's : that Captain Kenny was even 
 a worse villain than I had supposed him to be, 
 
102 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 and that affairs in the Philippines were more 
 than interesting. 
 
 " The excitement at Manila is growing every 
 day," said the captain of the Starlight. " I feel 
 certain there will be a bloody war there before 
 many months are over. I don't see how you can 
 do any business there at present." 
 
 " I must look to some matters," I answered, 
 and Dan said the same. 
 
 The Starlight was bound for Manila with a 
 mixed cargo consigned to a Spanish firm, so 
 Captain Mason considered himself fairly safe for 
 the time being, as the Spaniards were strong in 
 the town and had thus far kept the insurgents 
 at bay. He readily agreed to take us with him, 
 knowing the firm to which my father belonged 
 very well. 
 
 We soon learned that both Tom Dawson and 
 Matt Gory had shipped temporarily on the 
 schooner, the captain being somewhat short of 
 hands, several being sick with scurvy. An hour 
 after I. was on board the Starlight was moving 
 down the coast to Manila Bay, and I was taking 
 it easy in a hammock, satisfied that, for a few 
 days, at least, my troubles were at an end. 
 
 The run to Manila proved without incident 
 worthy of mention. The weather was ideal and 
 two days after leaving Subig Bay we sailed past 
 the grim fortress on Corregidor Island, through 
 
MY FIRST ADVENTURE IN MANILA. 103 
 
 the narrow channel up to the strip of land upon 
 which is built Fort Cavite, and dropped anchor 
 before Manila proper. 
 
 We had hardly taken our place in the shipping 
 before a Spanish revenue cutter came dashing 
 up, and a dark-skinned Castilian came aboard 
 and examined our papers and made a tour of in- 
 spection about the schooner. Then we received 
 passes to visit the city. 
 
 " Not much of a town," remarked Dan to me, 
 as he surveyed the long line of tumble-down 
 wharves which met our eyes, but as we got closer 
 we beheld a good-sized city back of the wharves. 
 
 We had anchored near the mouth of the Pasig 
 River, which divides Manila into two parts. To 
 the south side of the river is the old town, now 
 almost abandoned, saving for some Spanish gov- 
 ernment buildings and the like. 
 
 To the north side of the river are two districts 
 called Binondo and Tondo, and here is where the 
 business is done and where all of the best homes 
 and clubs are located. 
 
 My father's firm had its offices on Escolta 
 Street, one of the main thoroughfares of Manila, 
 and to this we now directed our footsteps. 
 
 Our walk took us past many quaint shops, not 
 unlike those I had seen in Hong Kong and in the 
 Chinatown districts of San Francisco, some of 
 which were so small that the trading had to be 
 
104 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 done out on the sidewalk. Many of the shop- 
 keepers were Spanish, but there were a fair 
 sprinkling of Germans and Englishmen, inter- 
 mixed with a large number of Chinese and Jap- 
 anese and native Filipinos. At this time the 
 city had a population of something less than a 
 hundred thousand, and of these less than five 
 thousand were Europeans and less than five hun- 
 dred Americans. 
 
 The streets were filled with Spanish soldiers 
 who eyed us sharply as we passed them. 
 
 " It doesn't look peaceful-like, does it? " re- 
 marked Dan, as we hurried along. 
 
 "Not much!" I returned. "It looks as if 
 everybody was waiting for somebody else to 
 knock the chip off of his shoulder, so to speak." 
 
 " If the natives were thoroughly organized in 
 this rebellion they could wipe the Spaniards out 
 in no time, to my way of thinking," I said. " I 
 reckon they don't know their power." 
 
 " You are right, Oliver, the Tagals can whip 
 the Spaniards, I am sure of that. And I think 
 they ought to be free." 
 
 " So do I. The islands belong to them." 
 
 " Yes, and " Dan broke off short. 
 
 " Hurry up, it looks as if it was going to rain," 
 and he caught me by the arm. 
 
 I understood perfectly well why he had so 
 quickly changed the subject. Both of us had 
 
MY FIRST ADVENTURE IN MANILA. 105 
 
 noted that a villainous-looking Spaniard was fol- 
 lowing us and drinking in every word we said. 
 His face showed that he understood English and 
 now he clung to us closer than ever, as we turned 
 a corner and came to the long, low building in 
 which were situated the offices of Raymond, 
 Holbrook & Smith. 
 
 " Dan Holbrook, how do you do! " cried a tall 
 young man as he rushed forward and caught my 
 companion by the hand. " Why, I thought you 
 had gone down with the wreck of the Bart." 
 
 The clerk of our firm, for such he proved to be, 
 was named Harry Longley, and I was speedily 
 introduced to him, and both Dan and I told our 
 stories. Longley had heard of the wrecking of 
 the Bart twenty-four hours before. 
 
 " It's too bad you lost your money and those 
 documents," he said to me. " We ought to have 
 those papers, they will settle a case over some 
 land which has been in litigation here for two 
 years. You see, these Spaniards are trying to 
 squeeze us out if they possibly can." 
 
 " But what of this rebellion here? " I ques- 
 tioned. 
 
 " We haven't felt much of it so far, but I ex- 
 pect we will before long. All of our time has 
 been taken up in our difficulties with the Span- 
 iards, who are trying to force us out of business. 
 They are taxing us in a way that is outrageous." 
 
io6 A SAILOR SOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " But where is Mr. Cass? " asked Dan, refer- 
 ring to the manager at Manila. 
 
 " He has gone to one of the other islands on 
 business." 
 
 Our talk on business and other matters lasted 
 for fully an hour. My main concern was for the 
 papers and money left on board of the Dart, but 
 Harry Longley could give me no advice as to 
 how I might get them back. 
 
 " The Spaniards cannot control the natives up 
 the coast," he said. " And the only thing I can 
 see is for Captain Kenny to organize a large 
 body of men and take the vessel away by force." 
 
 At that instant the door to the office opened, 
 and the Spaniard who had followed us up from 
 the wharf came in, followed by four soldiers. 
 
 " There they are," he said in Spanish, pointing . 
 to Dan and me. " Arrest them as rebel sympa- 
 thizers!" 
 
 And then the four soldiers advanced upon my 
 companion and me to make us prisoners. 
 
THERE THEY ARE, HE SAID IN SPANISH, POINTING TO DAN AND 
 ME, " ARREST THEM AS REBEL SYMPATHIZERS." 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE ESCAPE FROM THE PRISON. 
 
 "What does this mean?" demanded Dan, who 
 understood what was said, even though I did 
 not. 
 
 " What is up, Dan? " I queried. 
 
 " They want to arrest us as rebel sympa- 
 thizers." 
 
 " Great Caesar's ghost! Why, we " 
 
 " We talked too much on the street. Don't 
 you remember? " 
 
 By this time the four soldiers had advanced 
 upon us until we were penned in one corner of 
 the office. 
 
 In vain Harry Longley expostulated. The 
 Spanish spy who had followed us would not 
 listen and demanded our immediate arrest. 
 
 I must confess that the sudden turn of affairs 
 confused me. I had yet to learn the real bless- 
 ings of " free speech," as we understand it in the 
 United States. 
 
 " You are in a pickle, truly," said the clerk. 
 " I hope they can't prove anything against you." 
 
 107 
 
108 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " I suppose we did talk a little too much," I 
 answered bitterly. " What will they do with 
 us?" 
 
 " They'll do what they please, from fining you 
 a dollar or two to shooting you over in the Lu- 
 netta," answered Longley. The Lunetta is a 
 public park, and here more than one rebel had 
 already been executed. 
 
 " Supposing I decline to be arrested? " I went 
 on. 
 
 " You'll run the risk of being shot on the 
 spot." 
 
 By this time two of the soldiers had caught me 
 by the arms. The other two made Dan their 
 prisoner. 
 
 We tried to argue, but all to no purpose, the 
 Spaniard who had made the charge stating that 
 we could do our talking when brought up before 
 the court. 
 
 " We may as well march along," said Dan 
 helplessly. " These fellows evidently mean 
 business." 
 
 " I'm not going to prison if I can help it," I 
 answered desperately. 
 
 "We will see about zat!" cried the Spanish 
 spy. " March, or I order ze men to shoot! " 
 
 " I shall escape the first chance I get," I whis- 
 pered to Dan. 
 
 " So will I," answered my companion, and a 
 
THE ESCAPE FROM THE PRISON. 109 
 
 look passed between us which each understood 
 thoroughly. 
 
 " I'll help you if I can," whispered Harry 
 Longley. 
 
 He was permitted to say no more, indeed, it 
 was hardly safe to say anything, the Spanish 
 spy being half of a mind to arrest the clerk, 
 too. 
 
 We were marched from the office by a back 
 way and across a narrow street lined with ware- 
 houses. Here we came in contact with a num- 
 ber of native and Chinese laborers, who eyed us 
 curiously, but said nothing. As a matter of fact, 
 arrests of foreigners were becoming frequent in 
 Manila. 
 
 Ten minutes of walking brought us to a fine 
 building — at least fine in comparison to those 
 which surrounded it. This was the jail in which 
 we were to be confined until brought up for a 
 hearing. 
 
 We entered the jail yard through a gate to a 
 tall iron fence. Beyond was a wide, gloomy 
 corridor, the lower floor of the jail being on a 
 level with the street. A guard passed us after 
 hearing what the spy had to say, and we were 
 conducted to a room in the rear. 
 
 " What a horrible place," were my first words 
 to Dan, as I gazed around at our surroundings. 
 The room was filled with the smoke of the ever- 
 
no A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 present cigarette, for it must be remembered 
 that in the Philippines women as well as men 
 smoke. To this smell of tobacco was added that 
 of cooking with garlic, for garlic is the one vege- 
 table that is never missing from the pot. 
 
 A dozen prisoners stood and sat around, some 
 in deep anger and others in sullen silence. 
 One, an Englishman, was nearly crazy. 
 
 " Hi'll show them who Hi am! " he bawled. 
 " Hi'll sue them for a 'undred thousand punds 
 damages, so Hi will! " 
 
 " What did they arrest you for? " I asked. 
 
 " What for? Nothing, young man, absolutely 
 nothing. Hi said it was a beastly country, not 
 fit for a 'og to live in, and then they collared me. 
 But Hi'll show them, blast me hif Hi don't! " 
 and he began to pace the floor at a ten-mile-an- 
 hour gait. Soon a guard came in and threat- 
 ened him with a club, and he collapsed in a 
 corner. 
 
 There were no seats vacant, and Dan and I 
 took up our places near a window, which was 
 barred with half a dozen rusty-looking iron 
 sticks set in mortar which was decidedly crum- 
 bly. As we stood there I tried one of the bars 
 and found I could wrench it loose with ease. I 
 mentioned the fact to Dan. 
 
 " Look out of the window and tell me what 
 you see," he returned, and I looked. 
 
THE ESCAPE FROM THE PRISON. II I 
 
 " I see a guard at the corner of the jail and 
 another near the fence." 
 
 " Exactly, and both armed with Mauser rifles, 
 eh?" 
 
 " They are certainly armed." 
 
 " Then what chance would we stand to escape, 
 even if we pulled those bars from the window? " 
 
 " A good chance — at night, when they 
 couldn't see us." 
 
 " By Jove, Oliver, that's an idea worth re- 
 membering. But we must be careful, or " 
 
 Dan did not finish, for he had noticed that a 
 fellow prisoner was listening intently to all which 
 was said. 
 
 " He may not be a prisoner at all," he said 
 later on. " He may be another Spanish spy. 
 My idea is that the woods are full of them." 
 
 " I've no doubt but that you are right," I 
 returned. 
 
 The day passed slowly and so did that which 
 followed. We had expected an immediate hear- 
 ing, but it did not come. 
 
 " I don't like this," growled my companion. 
 " Every prisoner is entitled to appear before the 
 court. I shall demand a hearing at once, or ap- 
 peal to the American consul for aid." 
 
 Accordingly he notified the jailer that we 
 wanted to see somebody in authority without 
 delay. 
 
112 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 For reply the Spaniard grinned meaningly 
 and shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " Senor must wait," he said, in broken Eng- 
 lish. " All de court verra busy; no can hear you 
 till next week." 
 
 " But I demand a hearing," insisted Dan. 
 " If I don't get it I shall write to our American 
 consul about it." 
 
 " Write to consul, eh? Who carry de lettair, 
 senor? Not me surely," and with another grin 
 the jailer walked away and left us to ourselves. 
 We now realized how it was — we were in the 
 hands of enemies who would do with us just as 
 they saw fit. 
 
 The next day it began to rain and by nightfall 
 it was pouring down steadily. There was 
 neither thunder nor lightning and the firmament 
 was, to use an old simile, as black as ink. Sup- 
 per was served to us at seven o'clock, a beef, rice, 
 and garlic stew that neither of us could touch. 
 " I'll rather starve," was Dan's comment. 
 
 By ten o'clock the majority of the prisoners 
 were sound asleep, the Englishman snoring 
 loudly and several others keeping in chorus with 
 him. " Let them snore," said I, " it will help 
 drown any noise we may make." 
 
 Dan and I had secured our places directly be- 
 neath the window previously mentioned, and 
 now, standing on tiptoes, we worked at the bars 
 
THE ESCAPE FROM THE PRISON. "3 
 
 with an old fork and a rusty spoon we had man- 
 aged to secrete from our jailer. 
 
 Ten minutes of twisting and turning and I had 
 one iron bar loose, and using this as a pry we 
 soon forced three others, and then the opening 
 thus afforded was large enough to admit the pas- 
 sage of a man's body. 
 
 " Now out we go! " I whispered. " I'll drop 
 first and, if the coast is clear, I'll whisper to you 
 and you come, but wake the others first, so that 
 they can have a chance to escape. The more 
 get away the better it will be for us to escape 
 recapture." 
 
 I leaped to the window sill, turned and 
 dropped outside. All was deserted around the 
 window and I gave a soft whistle. Instantly 
 Dan followed me, after kicking half a dozen in 
 their sides to wake them up. " Out of the 
 window, all of you! " I heard him cry, and 
 then he landed beside me, and both of us ran 
 for the high iron fence I have previously de- 
 scribed. 
 
 " Halte! " came the sudden command, in 
 Spanish, and from out of the gloom emerged a 
 guard, with pointed gun. He must have seen 
 Dan, for he ran full tilt at my companion. 
 
 Seeing this I made a circle and came up in his 
 rear. With a quick leap I was on him, placed 
 my hands over his mouth and bore him to the 
 
H4 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 ground. Then Dan leaped -in and we tore his 
 gun from his grasp. 
 
 " Silence, on your life! " said Dan, and the fel- 
 low must have understood, for he did not utter 
 a sound. Then we continued to the fence, and, 
 not without some trouble, leaped over. 
 
 By this time the alarm had broken out in the 
 jail and several lights flared up. The other pris- 
 oners must have tried to escape, for we heard a 
 wild yelling and half a dozen shots. The latter 
 aroused the entire neighborhood, and citizens 
 and soldiers came running in from all directions. 
 
 " We've got to leg it now! " I cried. " Come 
 on, Dan." 
 
 " But in what direction? " he gasped, for 
 climbing the tall fence had deprived him of his 
 wind. 
 
 " Any direction is better than staying here. 
 Come," and I caught him by the hand. By this 
 time we heard several soldiers making after us, 
 and away we went at the best speed at our com- 
 mand. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 BACK TO HONG KONG. 
 
 The main streets of Manila are but few in num- 
 ber. There are two devoted largely to business, 
 and three or four that have some handsome resi- 
 dences and public buildings upon them. But all 
 of the other highways, so-styled, are simply what 
 in a United States city would be styled alleyways, 
 the sidewalks being but two or three feet wide 
 and the wagon way just about broad enough for 
 two hand carts to pass each other. On each 
 side, the ramshackle dwellings project over the 
 walks, cutting off light and air that are abso- 
 lutely essential to health and cleanliness. 
 
 Dan and I had to cross one of the main streets, 
 but this passed, we lost no time in diving into an 
 alleyway that was as dark as Erebus. On and 
 on we went until we brought up plump against 
 the broadside of a warehouse. 
 
 " We can't go any further," I exclaimed. 
 
 " Can it be possible that we've got into a blind 
 pocket? " queried Dan. " Come over here." 
 
 I did as requested, and soon learned that we 
 had indeed entered what the French call a cui- 
 us 
 
n6 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 de-sac. On all sides were warehouses, and the 
 only opening to the narrow highway was that by 
 which we had entered. 
 
 " The soldiers are coming! " I whispered, after 
 listening. " Can't you hear their footsteps? " 
 
 " I can, Oliver. Hang me if I know what to 
 do. I wish I had that gun," Dan went on, for 
 he had thrown the Mauser rifle away. 
 
 I ran up to the warehouse and felt of the 
 boards. Soon I came to the casement of an 
 upper doorway, an opening used for hoisting 
 goods in and out of the warehouse. I snatched 
 at the lower edge, pulled myself up, and soon 
 stood in the frame, which was five or six inches 
 deep. 
 
 " Come up here," I whispered to Dan, and 
 helped him to a position beside me. Once we 
 were in the doorway, we pressed as far back as 
 possible and waited. 
 
 Soon three soldiers came up, one carrying a 
 lantern and all armed with rifles. All talked ex- 
 citedly in Spanish, but it was in a Luzon dialect 
 and even Dan could not understand them. 
 
 The soldiers searched around the alleyway for 
 fully ten minutes, and once almost flashed the 
 lantern rays up into our faces. But we re- 
 mained undiscovered, and presently they ran out 
 of the cul-de-sac, thinking they had not tracked 
 us aright. 
 
BACK TO HONG KONG. "7 
 
 " Gosh, that was a narrow escape! " I mur- 
 mured, when they had departed. 
 
 " Don't crow, Oliver; we are not yet out of the 
 woods. Those fellows may be waiting for us up 
 there," and Dan pointed to the alley's entrance. 
 
 " I wonder what sort of a building this is," I 
 went on, and turning around began an examina- 
 tion of the door. Presently my hand touched a 
 rude wooden latch and the door fell back, send- 
 ing us flying onto a floor white with flour and 
 dirty with a dozen other kinds of merchandise. 
 
 Shutting the door behind us, we pushed our 
 way among numerous boxes and barrels until 
 we came to the front of the warehouse. Here 
 there was a long, low shed, extending to a dock 
 fronting the Pasig River. The shed was also 
 filled with merchandise, and at the end of the 
 dock lay half a dozen lighters such as the Filip- 
 inos use in carrying goods from the river docks 
 to the large vessels lying in Manila harbor. 
 
 " We are on the Pasig," announced Dan. 
 He read the inscriptions on several of the 
 boxes. " This warehouse belongs to an English 
 firm named Carley & Stewart, and these goods 
 are consigned by them to Hong Kong, per 
 steamer Cardigan." 
 
 " The Cardigan! " I exclaimed. " Why, she 
 sails to-morrow. I saw the announcement on a 
 card down at the office." 
 
Il8 A SAILOR SOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " If that's the case it will be a good chance to 
 get back to Hong Kong, Oliver." 
 
 " I don't want to go to Hong Kong yet, Dan. 
 I want to get my rights." 
 
 " So do I, but " 
 
 " But what? " 
 
 " You know how we fared at the prison. 
 Supposing we are caught again? That spy will 
 swear we are rebel sympathizers, and then it will 
 go hard with us, you may be certain of that." 
 
 We talked the matter over for fully an hour, 
 sitting on a couple of boxes in the long shed. 
 Then both of us grew sleepy and resolved to re- 
 main where we were and let the morrow take 
 care of itself. 
 
 At daylight several workmen put in appear- 
 ance, among them an Englishman who looked as 
 if he would prove friendly. Watching our op- 
 portunity we called him to one side, and made a 
 clean breast of the situation. 
 
 " My advice is to get on board of the Cardi- 
 gan by all means," he said. " Don't you know 
 that you Americans are going to have a lot of 
 trouble with these Spaniards now the Maine has 
 been blown up? " 
 
 This was the first we had heard of the destruc- 
 tion of the Maine, and we asked him for particu- 
 lars. The Englishman knew but little, yet he 
 
BACK TO HONG KONG. "9 
 
 said that the Americans held to it that the Span- 
 iards had done the dastardly deed. 
 
 " And I shouldn't wonder but that may mean 
 war for your country," he added. 
 
 " If war come, Spain will get whipped badly," 
 returned Dan. 
 
 The young Englishman brought us some 
 breakfast, and we at last decided to go on board 
 of the Cardigan. " But don't tell the captain 
 you escaped from prison," he said. " If you do, 
 he won't dare take you off. Secure your pass- 
 ages and then turn up missing when the revenue 
 officers come on board." 
 
 This we considered excellent advice and fol- 
 lowed it out. A lighter, loaded with hemp bales, 
 took us to the steamer, an ocean " tramp " of 
 2000 tons' burden, and we lost no time in pre- 
 senting ourselves to Captain Montgomery. 
 
 " Want passage to Hong Kong, eh? " he said. 
 "Why don't you go on the regular mail 
 steamers? " 
 
 " We have some private reasons," answered 
 Dan. " What will the passage money be? " 
 
 Captain Montgomery studied our faces for a 
 moment. 
 
 " Aren't criminals, are you? " he said sharply. 
 
 " Do we look like criminals? " I demanded. 
 
 " Can't go by looks nowaday, lad. Last year 
 
120 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 I had a man beat me out of twenty pounds and 
 he looked like a parson, he did indeed." 
 
 " We are not criminals," answered Dan. 
 " We want to get out of Manila for political 
 reasons, if you must know." 
 
 " Americans, eh? " 
 
 " Yes, sir — and not ashamed to own it." 
 
 Captain Montgomery held out his hands. 
 
 " I'll see you through, boys. I've got a bit of 
 American blood in me, too, on my mother's side. 
 Twelve pounds apiece takes you straight to our 
 dock in Hong Kong, — and no more questions 
 asked." 
 
 As we were out of funds we had to consider 
 what would be best to do about paying the 
 twenty-four pounds. I solved the difficulty by 
 addressing a note to Harry Longley asking an 
 advance of thirty pounds, to be put in Captain 
 Montgomery's care. This would leave Dan and 
 me three pounds each — about fifteen dollars — 
 until we were safe in Hong Kong once more. 
 The message was carried by an under officer of 
 the Cardigan, and the money was obtained from 
 our Manila representative without trouble, 
 Longley being glad to learn of our escape. 
 
 The Cardigan was to leave her anchorage in 
 front of Manila at four o'clock in the afternoon, 
 and an hour before that time hatches were closed 
 and the Spanish revenue officers came on board 
 
BACK TO HONG KONG. "I 
 
 for a look around. There was an Englishman, 
 his wife, and three children on the deck. 
 
 " Who are those? " asked the leading revenue 
 officer. 
 
 " They are to be passengers," answered Cap- 
 tain Montgomery. " Unless you say they can't 
 
 go- 
 
 " Who are they? " 
 
 The officer was told and the Englishman was 
 brought up for inspection. Apparently it was 
 all right, and after a tour of the steamer, the 
 Spaniards left. 
 
 Dan and I had meanwhile waited in the cabin 
 in much anxiety. We remained below for the 
 balance of the day, and when we came up late in 
 the evening, the lights of Corregidor Island 
 shone far behind and we were standing out 
 boldly into the China Sea. 
 
 " Good-by to Luzon! " I cried. " My stay on 
 that island was short and bitter." 
 
 " I wonder if we will ever see the Philippines 
 again? " mused Dan. 
 
 " Perhaps so, Dan. I don't much care. 
 But I would like to get my things from the 
 Dart." 
 
 " So would I, Oliver. But even such a loss is 
 preferable to a long term spent in a Spanish 
 prison." 
 
 " True, but " I drew a long breath. " I 
 
122 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 want to get square with those Dons, as they call 
 them, and with Captain Kenny." 
 
 The weather was of the finest, and day after 
 day passed quickly, as the Cardigan skimmed 
 over the sea on her northwest course. As we 
 sat on the deck in our camp-chairs I wondered 
 what would happen when we got to Hong Kong, 
 and if trouble would really come between Spain 
 and the United States because of the destruction 
 of the Maine and the war in Cuba. Little did I 
 dream of all the fierce fighting that was so close 
 at hand, and of the parts Dan and I were to play 
 in the coming contest. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE OPENING OF THE WAR. 
 
 " Here we are at last, Oliver ! I declare the 
 place looks like home to me, after being away 
 so long! " 
 
 It was Dan who spoke, as the Cardigan 
 steamed up to her wharf at the Chinese-Eng- 
 lish port for which she had been bound. The 
 voyage had proved without incident, and we 
 stepped from the ship feeling in the best of 
 health, despite the many adventures through 
 which we had passed. 
 
 "■ It certainly looks more friendly than Manila 
 did," I returned, as I gazed at the long line of 
 shipping. " I wonder what your folks will say 
 when they hear our story." 
 
 " Perhaps Harry Longley has succeeded in 
 getting a cablegram through," was the answer. 
 " The Spaniards are cute, but, you know, we 
 have a secret code." 
 
 Leaving the Cardigan, we walked up the broad 
 wharf and on the street. Not far away was a 
 booth at which foreign periodicals were sold. 
 
124 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 Around this booth a number of men were con- 
 gregated, talking excitedly. 
 
 " War has been declared between the United 
 States and Spain!" were the first words which 
 reached my ears. 
 
 " Can that be true? " I burst out. 
 
 Dan did not answer, but pushed his way to 
 the stand, and bought a copy of the latest papei 
 to be had. 
 
 " Yes, the war is practically on," he said, scan- 
 ning the sheet. " Here is a dispatch from Wash- 
 ington. Havana, Cuba, is about to be block- 
 aded." 
 
 " And the army is to be called out," I said, 
 looking over his shoulder. " Oh, Dan, what 
 about Manila now, — and our business? " 
 
 " Let us hurry to my father's office," answered 
 my chum, and thrusting the paper in his pocket 
 he stalked down the street and I after him. 
 
 The office of Raymond, Holbrook & Smith 
 was a pretentious one of stone, located on a main 
 corner of Hong Kong. Entering, we found Mr. 
 Holbrook deep in some accounts. 
 
 " Dan! " he cried, and caught his son by both 
 hands. " I was afraid you were dead, — that you 
 had gone down with the Dart." 
 
 " Then you have heard of the foundering, 
 father?" 
 
 " Yes, a cablegram came in a few days ago. 
 
THE OPENING OF THE WAR. 125 
 
 And you, Oliver, too! I am thankful to 
 Heaven that you both are safe! " and he shook 
 hands. 
 
 " We had a good many adventures," said the 
 son, as we seated ourselves. 
 
 " No doubt. Tell me your story." 
 
 What we had to say occupied the best part of 
 an hour, and then it was lunch time and the 
 three of us went to eat. Mr. Holbrook was 
 very much perplexed. 
 
 "This war will upset everything," he said. 
 " We are already cut off from Manila." 
 
 " By cablegram? " I queried. 
 
 " Yes, and by mail, too. A message I offered 
 yesterday was refused, and I was given to under- 
 stand that no letter to an American firm would 
 be delivered." 
 
 " Is the war to be carried on away out here? " 
 I cried, struck with a sudden idea. 
 
 " It will be carried on wherever the armies and 
 navies of Spain and America may meet," was the 
 serious reply. " This war is to be no child's 
 play." 
 
 " Well, we can't do much out here," said Dan. 
 " We have no soldiers closer than those at San 
 Francisco." 
 
 " We have a number of warships in these 
 waters, my son — I looked into that matter last 
 night." 
 
126 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " American men-o'-war? " I put in, with in- 
 terest. 
 
 " Yes, five or six of them, commanded by 
 Commodore Dewey." 
 
 " Where are the ships? " 
 
 " Here at Hong Kong, presumably awaiting 
 orders from Washington." 
 
 " And have the Spaniards any war vessels 
 about the Philippines? " asked Dan. 
 
 " Yes, they have a fleet under the command of 
 a certain Admiral Montojo." 
 
 " And what if these two fleets meet? " 
 
 " There will be a big fight, my boy, and who 
 will come off victorious there is no telling." 
 
 "We'll win!" I cried. " I don't believe those 
 Spaniards can whip us." 
 
 " We mustn't be over-confident, Oliver, even 
 if we hope for the best. But this war is a bad 
 thing for our house, and the loss of those docu- 
 ments you were carrying makes matters still 
 worse." Mr. Holbrook scratched his head in 
 perplexity. " I am afraid our Manila connec- 
 tion will become a total loss to us." 
 
 " Have we much money invested there? " 
 
 " Something like forty or forty-five thousand 
 dollars. The Spanish sugar planters who have 
 bought machinery of us won't pay a dollar 
 now." 
 
 " Unless we come out ahead in this war — and 
 
THE OPENING OF THE WAR. "7 
 
 we will come out ahead," put in Dan. " Hang 
 it all, but I feel like fighting myself! " 
 
 " So do I !" I cried. " I wish we had some 
 soldiers out here, I would join them, and sail for 
 Manila and demand our rights." 
 
 At this outburst Mr. Holbrook smiled. 
 " You are very enthusiastic. Soldiering is not 
 such a holiday-making as you may imagine." 
 
 " We couldn't have any worse experience 
 than we have had among those dirty Tagals," I 
 answered. " I want to get back there, and get 
 square with those Spaniards, and with that vil- 
 lainous Captain Kenny." 
 
 The conversation continued for the best part 
 of the afternoon, but without definite results. 
 As it drew toward evening, Dan and I accom- 
 panied Mr. Holbrook to the latter's home, where 
 we were warmly received by Mrs. Holbrook and 
 the other members of the family. 
 
 Mr. Holbrook had expected to go out in the 
 evening, on a matter of business, but was not 
 feeling well, and presently asked Dan if he would 
 like to carry a note to a friend's house for him. 
 
 " Why, certainly I'll go," answered the son, 
 and I said I would accompany him. 
 
 The letter was soon written and handed over, 
 and we started out, down the broad street and 
 then through half a dozen narrow and crooked 
 thoroughfares belonging to the ancient portion 
 
128 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 of Hong Kong. The friend lived the best part 
 of a mile away, and we did not reach his residence 
 until after nine o'clock. 
 
 The message delivered, we started on our re- 
 turn. It had been dark and threatening a storm, 
 but instead of rain a heavy mist crept up from the 
 China Sea, through which the scattered street 
 lights shone like tiny yellow candles. 
 
 " It's beasljy," remarked Dan, as he buttoned 
 up his coat around his neck. " I shall be glad 
 when we are safe home and in bed. My, how 
 good it will feel to get back into my own bed 
 again! " 
 
 " It will beat sleeping in a dirty Tagal hut, 
 won't it? " I laughed. 
 
 " Indeed it will, Oliver. That experience 
 was—" Dan broke off short. " What's that? " 
 
 A loud cry came from behind, a man's voice. 
 
 " Help, help ! Murder ! help ! " 
 
 " Somebody is in trouble! " I ejaculated. 
 
 " What had we best do? " 
 
 The question remained unanswered in words, 
 but both of us broke into a run, heading as 
 closely as we could for the spot from whence the 
 cry came. 
 
 The mist confused us not a little, and as the 
 cries ceased we paused in perplexity. 
 
 " Where are you? " I yelled. 
 
 " What's up? " added Dan. 
 
THE OPENING OF THE WAR. 1 29 
 
 "This way! Help!" came more feebly. 
 " The heathens are trying to murder me! " 
 
 The words came from the entrance to a nar- 
 row alleyway, along which were situated several 
 Chinese gambling houses. As we sped along, I 
 caught up a stone that lay handy, and Dan 
 pulled out a pistol he had procured before start- 
 ing out, for in Hong Kong it is a common thing 
 to go armed. 
 
 We were but a few feet from the scene of the 
 encounter when a Chinaman plumped into me, 
 sending me headlong. But as I went down I 
 caught the Celestial by the foot, and he fell. 
 
 The shock dazed me for an instant, and before 
 I could recover the Chinaman had me by the 
 throat. 
 
 " Let — let up! " I gasped, and as he did not I 
 grabbed him by the ear, at which he let out a 
 scream of pain. Then, in a twinkling, a dagger 
 was flashed before my eyes, and I felt as if my 
 last moment on earth had come. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 I MEET COMMODORE DEWEY. 
 
 "Help!" 
 
 That was but the single word I uttered as the 
 sharp blade dangled before my eyes and burnt it- 
 self on my brain. I felt that I was about to die — 
 that an unknown Chinese assassin was about to 
 slay me. 
 
 But in a twinkling the scene changed. Dan 
 heard me go down, stopped, and turned back. 
 
 "Let him alone or I will shoot!" he cried, 
 in Chinese, for he had picked up a good deal of 
 the language while living in Hong Kong.. His 
 pistol came out, and the muzzle was thrust upon 
 the Celestial's yellow neck. 
 
 The touch of the cold barrel of steel seemed 
 to paralyze the Chinaman, and he fell back. 
 "No shoot! "he mumbled. "No shoot!" And 
 picking himself up, he sped away in the gloom 
 as if a demon was after him. 
 
 " The cowardly sneak! " cried my chum. " If 
 he — come ! " 
 
 Another cry ahead had rung out, and away he 
 130 
 
/ MEET COMMODORE DEWEY. 1 31 
 
 went, with me behind him. My heart was in a 
 flutter, not knowing what was coming next. 
 
 But soon the whole cause of the trouble was 
 revealed. An American naval officer had been 
 waylaid by three Chinese footpads. One had 
 run away — the fellow I had encountered — but 
 the others remained, and they had the officer on 
 his back and were going through his pockets. 
 
 "Let up, or I will shoot!" said Dan, and 
 flourished his pistol. At the same moment I 
 stumbled over the officer's sword and picked it 
 up. 
 
 " Shoot them! the villains! " moaned the offi- 
 cer. He had received a heavy cut over the 
 temple from which the blood flowed profusely. 
 
 " Stop, I say," commanded Dan, and now the 
 two Celestials turned. One aimed a blow at 
 Dan, but I cut him short with the sword. Then 
 my chum fired, and the rascal dropped his club, 
 and of a sudden both took to their heels and dis- 
 appeared in the darkness and mist. 
 
 We followed the Chinamen for a distance of 
 fifty feet, then returned to the officer, to find that 
 he had sunk down beside a wall in a heap. His 
 eyes were closed and he did not move. 
 
 " He looks as if he was dead," said Dan so- 
 berly. " He's got an awful cut over the eye." 
 
 " Perhaps he has only fainted," I returned. 
 " Let us bind his head up without delay. 
 
*3 2 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 We took our handkerchiefs and strips from 
 the linings of our coats and set to work instantly, 
 meanwhile laying the officer down on a patch of 
 soft dirt close to the wall. We had just finished 
 binding up the wound, when the sufferer stirred. 
 
 "Help!" he murmured. "Oh, my poor 
 head! " 
 
 " You are safe, sir," I said. " The Chinamen 
 have fled." 
 
 " Is that true? Thank God! They wanted 
 to kill me for the few pounds I have in my 
 pocket." 
 
 " Are you wounded otherwise than in the 
 head? " asked Dan. 
 
 " I — yes — one of them hit me in the leg, the 
 left one, — it pains a good deal. Oh, my head! " 
 And the officer fell back once more. 
 
 I proceeded to make him as comfortable as 
 possible, while Dan scurried around for some 
 water. In the meantime the houses and shops 
 in the neighborhood remained closed, having 
 been shut up at the first signs of an encounter. 
 In Hong Kong, if anything goes wrong, the 
 native inhabitants always pretend to know noth- 
 ing about it. 
 
 When the officer felt strong enough to talk 
 connectedly he told us that he was Clare Todd, 
 belonging to the cruiser Olympia, of Commodore 
 Dewey's squadron. 
 
/ MEET COMMODORE DEWEY. 133 
 
 "lama lieutenant of marines," he explained. 
 " I am on shore leave, stopping with my aunt, 
 Mrs. Nelson, on Queen Street. Why these foot- 
 pads attacked me I do not know." 
 
 " One of us had best call a carriage," said Dan. 
 " You can't walk to your aunt's home." 
 
 " I do not wish to go back to my aunt's. I 
 must report for duty on the flagship without de- 
 lay, for our squadron has orders to leave Hong 
 Kong as soon as possible, on account of the war, 
 and this being a neutral port." 
 
 " More of the war," smiled Dan grimly. 
 " Well, supposing we have you taken to the 
 dock? " 
 
 " That will suit very well. But who are you 
 who have done me such a great service? " 
 
 " My friend can tell you that, while I hunt up 
 the carriage," said Dan. " Look out for more 
 footpads," he added, and hurried away. 
 
 I soon introduced myself and told Lieutenant 
 Todd about Dan. He had often heard of the 
 firm of Raymond, Holbrook & Smith, and had 
 met Mr. Holbrook once, in San Francisco. 
 
 " I shell always remember you for what you 
 have done for me," he said warmly. " It was 
 brave." 
 
 Soon Dan came with the carriage, a curious 
 turnout, which, however, need not be described 
 here. As the lieutenant was in no condition to 
 
134 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 travel alone, we agreed to accompany him to the 
 dock at which he said one of the small boats be- 
 longing to the Olympia was in waiting, not only 
 for him, but for half a dozen others. 
 
 The drive was a short one through the dark 
 and almost deserted streets. When the dock 
 was gained, we found that a steam launch was 
 there, in command of an under-officer and three 
 men. 
 
 " Well, well, Todd, you've had quite an ad- 
 venture! " exclaimed the officer of the launch, 
 who seemed to be a personal friend of the 
 marine. " It's a lucky thing these Yankee lads 
 came to the rescue." 
 
 " That is true, Porter. They are as brave as 
 lions." 
 
 " Then they had better enlist with us," was the 
 laughing reply. " We need that sort of back- 
 bone, now." 
 
 " I'd like to enlist with you first-rate! " I 
 burst out. " Especially if you sail for Manila to 
 wake the Spaniards up there." 
 
 " I reckon we'll hunt up old Montojo, where- 
 ever he is, young man. As soon as he gets sail- 
 ing orders, Commodore Dewey won't give him 
 one bit of rest." 
 
 So the talk ran on for several minutes, and 
 then several other officers arrived, among them 
 Commodore Dewey himself, a well-built gentle- 
 
/ MEET COMMODORE DEWEY. 135 
 
 man of about sixty, of fine naval bearing. He 
 looked greatly surprised to see Clare Todd with 
 his head tied up. 
 
 " You want to be careful in the future," he 
 said, when the lieutenant of marines had told his 
 story. " We can't afford to lose any men just 
 now. So these lads assisted you? " 
 
 " They did, Commodore, and they are as 
 plucky lads as I ever met." 
 
 " Oh, our American lads are always plucky! " 
 smiled the commodore, who, as I afterward 
 leearned, was one of the most warm-hearted of 
 commanders. 
 
 " Commodore Dewey, I hope you are going to 
 Manila to settle the Spaniards there!" I burst 
 out impulsively. 
 
 " Are you particularly interested in having me 
 go to Manila? " was the somewhat quick ques- 
 tion put in return. 
 
 " I am, sir," and in a few words I explained 
 why. 
 
 " Well, there is no telling where we may get 
 before this war is over, Raymond," he said, when 
 I had finished. " I shall certainly do all in my 
 power to protect American interests, wherever 
 they may be. But we must be off now." He 
 turned to the under-officer in charge of the 
 steam launch. " Cast off from shore ! " 
 
 " Good-by! " shouted Clare Todd, and we said 
 
136 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 good-by in return, and leaped to the wharf. 
 There we stood still to watch the departure of 
 the launch, but the craft did not budge. 
 
 " What's the matter? " demanded the com- 
 modore, as he saw the engineer working over 
 the miniature engine. 
 
 " The valve is out of order, sir," was the an- 
 swer. " We ought to have a new one." 
 
 " Can't you run the launch back to the ship? " 
 
 " I'll try my best, sir." 
 
 I listened to this bit of conversation with in- 
 terest, for, as I mentioned before, I was deeply 
 interested in engines. As the engineer con- 
 tinued to work over the parts I came closer. 
 
 " Excuse me, but won't you let me take a look 
 at that engine? " I said. " I know how these 
 things are built." 
 
 " Certainly you can look at it," answered the 
 commodore, and once more I leaped on 
 board. 
 
 "Can't do anything with a split part," growled 
 the engineer, a fellow named Graves. " A boy 
 
 like you " He did not finish, but looked a 
 
 good deal disgusted. 
 
 I took the lantern and got down on my knees. 
 The cap over the valve was split, as he had said, 
 and something had shifted below. It was cer- 
 tainly a " teasing " breakdown, but, luckily, I 
 had seen such a fracture remedied before. 
 
/ MEET COMMODORE DEWEY. 137 
 
 " A clamp over the plate will do the business," 
 I said. 
 
 " Yes, but there is no clamp on board," was 
 the answer. 
 
 " Have you a couple of wrenches? " 
 
 " We have one wrench." 
 
 " And a coil of wire? " 
 
 " Yes, there is wire." 
 
 " Then that will do. Here, we will clamp up 
 this end first, and bind it with wire. Then we'll 
 clamp this end up, and leave the wrench on, and 
 I'll wager you can carry a half pressure of steam 
 easily." 
 
 " I don't think," began Graves, when the 
 commodore silenced him. 
 
 " Try the boy's scheme," he said, for he had 
 studied a little of steam engineering himself, at 
 Annapolis, years before. 
 
 It did not take long to put my plan into opera- 
 tion, I looking to it that the wire was wound just 
 as I wanted it, and the wrench set in exactly the 
 right place. Steam was all ready, and when I 
 had concluded, the engine carried a few pounds 
 over half pressure without a sign of giving way. 
 
 " She's all right now," I said. " Only watch 
 that wrench and see that it doesn't slip." 
 
 " I declare, you're quite a genius ! " laughed 
 the commodore. " I think I had better take you 
 with me." 
 
138 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 "All right; I'll go!" I answered, half in jest 
 and half in earnest. " I know something about 
 guns as well as about engines." 
 
 " You are certainly the kind we want," was the 
 pleasant response. " Good-night, and good-by 
 until we meet again!" And as the steam 
 launch moved away, the commodore waved his 
 hand pleasantly, and Dan and I took off our hats 
 to him in return. Soon the darkness swallowed 
 up the little craft. 
 
 " Dan, I wish I was going with him ! " I burst 
 out impulsively. " A cruise on a man-o'-war, 
 especially in war times, would just suit me." 
 
 " So say I, Oliver," answered my chum. 
 " Hurrah for the American Navy! " 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE FIGHTING ENGINEER. 
 
 That night I slept but little. Strange as it 
 may seem, I could not get Commodore Dewey's 
 face out of my mind. I thought of him contin- 
 ually, with his trim naval uniform and well-pol- 
 ished sword and scabbard. He was certainly 
 a splendid specimen of an American naval gen- 
 tleman. 
 
 " Why don't you go to sleep," asked Dan, 
 who roomed with me at his home. " You've 
 been tumbling and tossing for a couple of hours. 
 Was that encounter with the Chinamen too 
 much for you." 
 
 " No, I was thinking of Commodore Dewey, 
 Dan." 
 
 " What! Why, I was thinking of him myself. 
 Say, do you know, Oliver, that his flagship, the 
 Olympia, is one of the finest cruisers in our 
 navy? " 
 
 " I have never seen her." 
 
 " I saw her once, a few months ago. She is 
 immense; and so are the other ships under his 
 command, especially the Boston." 
 
 " That's only an aggravation — if a fellow can't 
 board her." 
 
 139 
 
14© A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " Do you really and truly want to enlist? " 
 
 " If we are going to have war I would like to 
 see some of it. My grandfather fought in the 
 Mexican War and my uncle was killed at Look- 
 out Mountain, in our Civil War. So, you see, 
 I've got fighting blood in me. Besides, if 
 Commodore Dewey goes to the Philip- 
 pines " 
 
 " We may get a chance to retrieve our fallen 
 fortunes? " 
 
 " Exactly, Dan. I wouldn't like any better 
 fun than to give those Manila Spaniards what 
 they deserve for placing us under arrest." 
 
 " I am with you there, Oliver. But " — Dan 
 gave a deep yawn — " let's go to sleep now," 
 and in a minute more he was in the land of 
 dreams, while I was dreaming in another way, 
 of a proud-looking warship, with myself behind 
 a long gun, in a cloud of smoke, fighting as I 
 had never fought before, for the honor of the 
 glorious Stars and Stripes. 
 
 The next day was a busy one for Dan and an 
 idle one for myself. In the afternoon I met sev- 
 eral American sailors from the Boston, another 
 of Commodore Dewey's squadron, and being in 
 a talkative mood they filled me up with tales of 
 gallantry on shipboard, and sent me back to Mr. 
 Holbrook's place more determined than ever to 
 enlist on the Olympia or the Boston. 
 
THE FIGHTING ENGINEER. 14* 
 
 That evening Mr. Holbrook, Dan, and I held 
 a long talk, lasting until midnight. It was on 
 the subject of our being able to join those on 
 board of the American squadron, provided that 
 squadron sailed for the Philippines. Mr. Hol- 
 brook did not care greatly to let us go, but 
 thought that perhaps it would do no harm to let 
 each get a taste of life in the navy. 
 
 " I will take you out to the squadron myself 
 and see if I can gain a personal interview with 
 either the commodore or the captain," he said, 
 and so it was decided. 
 
 My heart bounded wildly over the prospect. 
 Somehow I felt it " in my bones " that I would 
 join the navy, and so it turned out, to cut a long 
 story short. We went over in a small boat 
 which Mr. Holbrook hired, and were accorded 
 a long interview by both the commodore and 
 the kind-hearted Captain Wildes of the Boston. 
 
 As Lieutenant Todd had said, the Asiatic 
 Squadron had orders to leave Hong Kong, and 
 was bound for Mirs Bay; so, if we were to go 
 along, no time was to be lost in preparing for 
 our departure. We accordingly hurried back to 
 Dan's house with all speed, packed our valises, 
 and came back by nightfall. 
 
 I had been on a warship before, but the Bos- 
 ton, on which we were placed, with her steel 
 decks, heavy military masts, and long guns in- 
 
142 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 terested me greatly. We soon made ourselves 
 at home, and before we left Mirs Bay, on that 
 never-to-be-forgotten trip to Manila Bay, both 
 of us knew the craft from stem to stern. 
 
 We found the crew truly American — " to the 
 backbone " — as Dan expressed it. One old 
 gunner, named Roundstock, took a great inter- 
 est in us, and told us a great deal about the 
 squadron. 
 
 " We've got four cruisers and three gun- 
 boats," he said. " They are as fine as you'll find 
 'em anywhere, although, to be sure, we are turn- 
 ing out ships better and better every day. If we 
 meet those Spaniards we'll give 'em a tough tus- 
 sle, and don't you forget it!" And he shook 
 his head to show that he meant what he said. 
 
 As we were not exactly enlisted for the cruise, 
 we had not to attend the numerous drills on 
 board, although we trained at the guns and with 
 small-arms, and I took many a trip below to the 
 engine rooms. In the engine rooms I met Bill 
 Graves again, he having been transferred from 
 the flagship. He scowled at me silently, and 
 when I attempted to talk to him, turned his back 
 and walked away. 
 
 " That fellow has no use for you," observed 
 Dan, when I told him abcut Graves. 
 
 " I believe you there. But it is silly for him 
 
THE FIGHTING ENGINEER. 143 
 
 to get mad simply because I showed him how 
 to fix up the launch engine." 
 
 " He is jealous of you, especially as Commo- 
 dore Dewey complimented you on your work, 
 Oliver." 
 
 The second night on board of the man-o'-war 
 proved a nasty one, and it looked as if we would 
 have to pull up anchors and move out of the 
 bay, for fear of having a sudden wind send us 
 ashore. Yet Commodore Dewey hated to get 
 too far from shore, for he was awaiting final 
 orders before sailing in quest of the Spanish 
 fleet. 
 
 " This is enough to make one sick," I ob- 
 served to Dan. " I would rather sleep on shore 
 to-night." 
 
 Bill Graves was passing us at the time, and a 
 sneer showed itself on his lip. 
 
 " You're a fine landlubber to be on one of 
 Uncle Sam's men-o'-war," he sniffed. 
 
 The remark nettled me, and I swung around 
 quickly and caught him by the shoulder. 
 
 " See here, Graves," I said. " I have no quar- 
 rel with you, but if you want to act nasty let me 
 tell you that you had better take care." 
 
 " Humph! Do you think I am afraid of 
 you? " he blustered. 
 
 " I'll let you know that you can't bully me, 
 
144 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 that's all. I want you to keep your remarks to 
 yourself." 
 
 " I'll say what I please." 
 
 " Not about me." 
 
 " Won't I? Who will stop me? " 
 
 " I will." 
 
 " Go and blab, I suppose? " 
 
 " No; I'm not of the blabbing kind." 
 
 " Do you mean to say you'll fight? " 
 
 " Perhaps I will." 
 
 " You whipper-snapper! " he cried in a rage. 
 " Take that for a lesson! " 
 
 He struck out heavily, and had I not been on 
 the alert I would have caught his fist on my nose 
 and gone down. But I leaped to one side and 
 his hand merely grazed my shoulder. 
 
 By this time my blood was up, and, leaping 
 in, I landed one blow on his chest and another 
 on his mouth, which latter drew blood and 
 loosened two of his teeth. I had taken several 
 lessons in the art of self-defense and these now 
 stood me in good stead. My blows sent him 
 staggering up against a gun, where he stood 
 gazing at me in bewildered astonishment. 
 
 " Wha — what did you do that for? " he splut- 
 tered, spitting out some blood. 
 
 " I warned you to take care," I answered 
 coolly. 
 
 "A mill! A mill!" cried half a dozen jack 
 
THE FIGHTING ENGINEER. 145 
 
 tars standing by, while Dan came running up to 
 learn what the row was about. 
 
 " Don't fight, Oliver," said my chum, in a low 
 voice. " They'll lock you up in the brig, if you 
 do." 
 
 " He began it, Dan. I only defended myself. 
 If he " 
 
 I had no time to say more, for, watching his 
 chance, Bill Graves leaped in again, this time 
 hitting me on the cheek, a blow that almost 
 floored me. 
 
 " Take that! " he hissed. " I'll teach you! " 
 
 " A man against a boy! That aint fair! " was 
 the cry from several sailors and gunners. " Let 
 up, Graves." 
 
 " I won't let up. He's too fresh, and I'm go- 
 ing to teach him his place." 
 
 By this time I had recovered and was standing 
 my ground once more. Again the engineer 
 came on, but as he struck out I parried the blow 
 and let drive first with my right fist and then my 
 left. Both blows landed on his chin, and over 
 he went like a ten-pin struck down on an alley. 
 
 " Graves- is down! " 
 
 " Those were two neat blows, eh? " 
 
 " That boy knows how to take care of himself, 
 I take it." 
 
 Such were some of the remarks which passed 
 around. Half stunned, Bill Graves arose slowly 
 
146 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 to his feet and looked around sheepishly. With- 
 out giving him time to get his second wind I 
 confronted him. 
 
 " Have you had enough, or do you want 
 more? " I demanded. 
 
 " I — I — don't you hit me again," he stam- 
 mered. 
 
 " Have you had enough? " 
 
 " I don't want to fight — it's against the rules 
 of the ship." 
 
 " Then what did you want to start it for? " 
 
 " I didn't start it; you started it yourself," he 
 muttered, and before I could say more hurried 
 away and out of sight in the direction of the 
 engine rooms. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 " fire! " 
 
 " Oliver, you went at him in great style," ob- 
 served Dan, when the excitement was over and 
 we found ourselves alone. "After this you'll be 
 the cock of the walk." 
 
 " I don't want to be cock of the walk, Dan. I 
 simply want to be left alone." 
 
 " But you pitched into him like a prizefighter. 
 It was — well, simply immense, it was indeed." 
 
 " I am glad I can use my fists when it becomes 
 necessary. I hope he'll let me alone in the 
 future." 
 
 " Let you alone? I'll wager he won't come 
 within a hundred feet of you unless it's abso- 
 lutely necessary." 
 
 " He's a fool to be angry with me. If he had 
 taken things in good part at first there would 
 have been no trouble." 
 
 " Oh, there are lots of pig-headed men just 
 like him, Oliver. But I reckon you'll have no 
 further trouble with him." 
 
 There was no room for us at the guns, so both 
 Dan and I were placed, for convenience' sake, 
 among the sailors. But on such a steam vessel 
 
 •47 
 
148 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 as the Boston there is little or nothing for sailors 
 to do, and our time was, as before, our own. 
 
 We lay in Mirs Bay for several days longer. 
 But early one day some special dispatches were 
 received, and half an hour later the Olympia flew 
 the signal: "Up anchors and follow the flag- 
 ship," and all hands knew we were off at last. 
 
 The three cruisers, Olympia, Baltimore, and 
 Boston, were the first to steam away, and they 
 were shortly followed by the gunboats Concord, 
 Petrel, and McCulloch, and two colliers, the latter 
 loaded to the rail with coal for the six warships. 
 
 "What a splendid sight!" I said to Dan, as 
 we stood on deck watching the column of ves- 
 sels sweeping out swiftly to sea. " If we meet 
 those Dons there will be fun." 
 
 " Pretty serious fun, Oliver, to my way of 
 thinking. Killing fellow-beings isn't much 
 play." 
 
 "That's right, Dan; but if we have got to 
 have war I hope we come out on top." 
 
 "Oh, so do I!" 
 
 The day was an ideal one, and we remained on 
 deck until the intense heat drove us below. 
 Here we found a great state of confusion, for 
 orders had been passed around to " clear ship 
 for action," and all hands were tearing down un- 
 necessary woodwork, preparatory to heaving it 
 overboard. 
 
"FIRE!" 149 
 
 " It won't do to have splinters around, you 
 see," explained Bob Roundstock, the gunner. 
 " We want everything clear for action, just as ■ 
 the order says." 
 
 The woodwork disposed of, ammunition was 
 passed around and fire tubs were filled with 
 water. Then the great guns, fore and aft, 
 were loaded, and kept in readiness for instant 
 use. 
 
 Several days passed without anything un- 
 usual happening. The weather remained fair, 
 although the wind blew so strongly that the col- 
 liers were in danger of being swamped, so 
 heavily were they loaded. We might have run 
 at a greater rate of speed, but the colliers and 
 the Petrel could not keep up, and Commodore 
 Dewey thought it advisable, now we were in 
 the enemy's waters, to keep his squadron and 
 supply boats together. 
 
 " I wonder where we will find this Admiral 
 Montojo? " I said one evening, as Dan and I 
 lounged on deck. " Was he at Manila when we 
 were there? " 
 
 " I don't know, I'm sure. He must be some- 
 where among the Philippine Islands." 
 
 " That's saying a good deal, when the islands 
 number over a thousand." 
 
 " Oh, he must be near one or another of the 
 principal cities, Oliver. At a second-rate place 
 
I S° A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 he would have nothing to protect but a collec- 
 tion of bamboo huts." 
 
 " Has he much of a fleet? " 
 
 " Supposed to have eight or nine vessels, so 
 Roundstock told me. He is one of Spain's best 
 admirals, too, I was told." 
 
 " Then we won't have a walk-over. If we — 
 hark!" 
 
 A sudden cry from below reached our ears. 
 Both of us listened intently, but could make out 
 only a confusion of voices. 
 
 " Something is wrong," cried Dan. " Let us 
 see what it is," and he ran for the stairs. 
 
 We met half a dozen gunners coming up. 
 " Fire! fire! " yelled one of the number. " There 
 is a fire between decks! " 
 
 " A fire! " The cry was instantly taken up on 
 all sides. " Whereabouts? " 
 
 " Near Jackson's gun. It caught from some 
 straw that was in a crockery barrel Gumpers was 
 emptying. It's close to a lot of ammunition! " 
 
 "Man the fire hose!" put in an officer. 
 " Lively, boys, or we'll have an explosion! " 
 
 The cry of fire had by this time aroused the 
 entire ship, and men came hurrying to the scene 
 from all directions. 
 
 At first all was confusion, but soon discipline 
 reigned supreme, and the fire drill was put into 
 execution. 
 
"FIRE!" 15 1 
 
 Would they subdue the flames before it 
 reached the loose ammunition which had just 
 been sent up from below? 
 
 This was the all-important question that I 
 asked myself as I stood by, watching what was 
 going on. 
 
 I wanted to help and so did Dan, but we could 
 do nothing. 
 
 Presently a dull explosion was heard, followed 
 by another. 
 
 " The ammunition is going up! " 
 
 " Are the steel covers to the magazines 
 closed? " 
 
 Several other cries rang out. In the mean- 
 time the firemen continued to pour two heavy 
 streams of sea-water on the flames. 
 
 Thick volumes of smoke rolled up the com- 
 panion ways, and I felt that those below were in 
 danger of being choked to death. 
 
 "This is awful!" murmured Dan. "I hope 
 we don't blow up, as did the Maine." 
 
 " We won't, for she blew up from the outside, 
 not the inside," I answered grimly. 
 
 " Well, one way would be just as bad as the 
 other, Oliver." 
 
 " I suppose that is so, as far as we are con- 
 cerned." 
 
 The work continued and all watched the labor 
 nervously. 
 
152 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 At last the fire captain came up, blinking his 
 eyes and shaking the water from his clothing. 
 He looked as black as a negro. 
 
 " It's out, sir," he reported, saluting the offi- 
 cer of the deck. 
 
 "All out?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, although we had better watch 
 for sparks when the half-burned staff is re- 
 moved." 
 
 " Yes, be very careful. We'll pitch it over- 
 board at once." 
 
 Extra men were sent below, and they soon 
 came up, carrying the burned and wet straw in 
 their arms. In ten minutes all was cleared away, 
 and then followed such a scrubbing and cleaning 
 up as I had never seen before. 
 
 " The carpenter will have a day's work here," 
 observed Dan, as we surveyed the scene of the 
 fire. " But we can thank God that it was no 
 worse." 
 
 " So say I," was my answer. " I don't want 
 any more sunken ships in mine. The Dart was 
 sufficient." 
 
 The day to follow was uneventful. It was 
 clear and hot, so hot in fact that, during the 
 noon-day hours, nobody could remain on deck. 
 In the turrets and conning tower it was suffo- 
 cating. 
 
 " I feel as if I was half baked," said Dan, as 
 
"FIRE!" 153 
 
 we lay in a shady corner on the third day out. 
 " I wonder how far we are from Luzon? " 
 
 " I heard an officer say that we would sight 
 land to-morrow or the day after." 
 
 " Did he say where? " 
 
 " He said we were steering for Subig Bay. 
 They think Admiral Montojo may be found 
 there with his fleet." 
 
 " I hope they do find him, and give him a good 
 thrashing." 
 
 " You say they, Dan. Don't you expect to 
 take a hand in fighting? " 
 
 " To be sure. But then we are not regular 
 sailors you know." 
 
 " Well, I consider myself a sailor boy," I an- 
 swered warmly. 
 
 " Do you? All right, then. Here's to the 
 sailor boy under Dewey! " cried my chum, and 
 drank my health in what was left of a glass of 
 lemonade he had brought up with him. Lem- 
 ons were plentiful, and in those hot days every- 
 body spent a good deal of time in making some- 
 thing palatable to drink. 
 
 In the afternoon, when the sun was low, the 
 squadron was called together and was put 
 through a number of naval maneuvers by the 
 commodore. This was both an interesting and 
 instructive sight, and I watched it from start to 
 finish. 
 
154 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 I had just retired for the night when I heard 
 the sounds of numerous footsteps on the gun 
 deck. I aroused myself and sat up in my ham- 
 mock. 
 
 " What's up? " I asked of Dan. 
 
 " I don't know," was his answer. " But some- 
 thing is the matter, that's certain." 
 
 " Let us go and see," I went on, and hopped 
 to the floor. We soon had our clothing on, and 
 then we hurried to where Bob Roundstock was 
 getting his gun crew into order to man the eight- 
 inch monster under his command. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 IN WHICH ONE SPANISH SHIP IS SUNK. 
 
 " What is it, Roundstock? " 
 
 "What is it?" repeated the old gunner. 
 " We've sighted a Spanish man-o'-war, that's 
 what it is!" 
 
 " A man-o'-war! " cried Dan. " Where is 
 she? " 
 
 " Dead ahead, and running away as fast as her 
 steam can carry her." 
 
 " Can we catch her? " 
 
 " Can't say as to that, lad. We hope to do it." 
 
 Dan and I waited to hear no more, but, rush- 
 ing to the stairs, made our way to the spar deck. 
 
 It was a cloudy moonlight night and just now 
 too dark to see anything with the naked eye. 
 
 But presently the moon came out brightly, 
 and then, far ahead, we made out a dim form, 
 moving along over the ocean like a phantom. 
 
 " Is that the Span&h ship? " I asked of a sailor 
 standing near. 
 
 " So the officers think, lad." 
 
 " Why don't they give her a shot to make her 
 heave to?" asked Dan. 
 
 He had scarcely spoken when one of the guns 
 
 '55 
 
IS 6 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 from the Olympia boomed threateningly, send- 
 ing a shot to the starboard of the flying craft. 
 
 All expected to see her heave to, but she kept 
 on, and now a dense mass of clouds covered the 
 moon and all became dark once more. 
 
 The clouds were as long as they were heavy, 
 and it took them all of twenty minutes to drift 
 over the face of the moon and let that orb shine 
 out again. How impatiently officers and men 
 waited, my readers can well imagine. 
 
 " She's gone! " Such was the cry which rang 
 from a hundred throats, and it was true. The 
 strange vessel had disappeared from view. 
 
 In a few minutes more the moon was again 
 hidden, and further pursuit of the flying one was 
 out of the question. 
 
 Everybody was disappointed, and none more 
 so than Bob Roundstock. 
 
 " I'm just achin' to get a shot at 'em," he ob- 
 served. " Oh, if only that ship had turned to 
 engage us! " 
 
 " I reckon those on board saw we were six to 
 one and didn't dare to risk it," said Dan. " Now 
 if we had been one to one " 
 
 "Those Dons would have run anyway!" 
 finished Roundstock. He was a thorough Yan- 
 kee tar and felt certain that nothing could stand 
 up against our ships and guns. And he was 
 more than half right, as later events proved. 
 
IN WHICH ONE SPANISH SHIP IS SUNK. 157 
 
 The following day brought us in sight of Su- 
 big Bay, and, while we lay at a distance, several 
 of the smaller war vessels went inside to survey 
 the situation. 
 
 " I wish we were going in," observed Dan. 
 " There must be lots of Spanish vessels there." 
 
 " We are not making war on the merchant- 
 men, Dan," I answered. " We are after war- 
 ships." 
 
 " That's true, but we ought to take some 
 prizes, just for the prize money." 
 
 " I only want what is coming to me, — my 
 money and those documents left on board of the 
 Dart, — and I want to bring Captain Kenny to 
 justice." 
 
 " And give a helping hand to Tom Dawson 
 and the others, if we can," he finished, and 
 I nodded. 
 
 Soon the small ships which had been sent into 
 the harbor returned, and then some of the cap- 
 tains went over to the Olympia to confer with 
 the commodore. 
 
 " Something is up now, you can bet on that," 
 said Dan, as the squadron set sail once more. 
 
 "We are bound southward," 1 1 replied. 
 " That means Manila Bay, I presume." 
 
 Orders came around to " clear ship for ac- 
 tion," and a busy half hour followed. 
 
 " Commodore Dewey knows we are getting 
 
158 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 close to the enemy," said Roundstock. " Or- 
 ders are to keep at the guns." 
 
 " There isn't a sail in sight." 
 
 " No; but how long would it take a heavy 
 steam vessel, under a full head of steam, to come 
 out from one of yonder headlands and open fire, 
 lad? Not more than ten or fifteen minutes, if 
 as long." 
 
 " How far will our heavy guns carry? " 
 
 " Six to eight miles — and more, on a pinch." 
 
 "A good deal further than a fellow can see, 
 even with an ordinary glass," put in Dan. 
 
 " Our telescopes are the finest in the world." 
 
 The loss of sleep the night before had tired me 
 out, and I soon retired, and Dan followed. 
 
 But I was not to sleep long, as I soon dis- 
 covered. 
 
 As I had supposed, the squadron was running 
 for Manila Bay. Commodore Dewey wanted to 
 get past Corregidor Island unnoticed, if such a 
 thing was possible. 
 
 But it was not to be, and presently we re- 
 ceived half a dozen heavy shots from the land 
 batteries, one or two of which struck the ships 
 behind the Olympia and Boston. 
 
 Then rockets flared up in the air, and a small- 
 sized engagement was on. 
 
 "This is war and no mistake!" I cried to 
 Roundstock, but he merely tossed his head. 
 
IN WHICH ONE SPANISH SHIP IS SUNK. *59 
 
 " Only children's play, lad," he replied. 
 " See, we are already safely past." 
 
 The engagement lasted ten minutes, and then 
 the batteries were passed and we hauled out into 
 Manila Bay proper. 
 
 It was almost full moon, but the clouds made 
 it dark. Far away could be seen the twinkling 
 lights of Manila city and other places. 
 
 A strange silence prevailed throughout the 
 ships. It was the calm before the storm. 
 
 The night seemed long, but for all on board 
 sleep was out of the question. 
 
 The men lay at their guns or on the deck, 
 while the officers paced about or held long 
 whispering conversations. 
 
 " I'll wager we have a fight to-morrow," I 
 said to Dan. " Even if the Spanish ships are not 
 here I think Commodore Dewey will capture the 
 city, so as to have a new base of supplies." 
 
 " If he does that a good deal of our troubles 
 will be over, Oliver." 
 
 " He won't touch anything until he has fer- 
 reted out old Monto-what's-his-name," broke in 
 Roundstock. 
 
 " Montojo," corrected Dan. " Well, we'll 
 have to take what comes, that's all." 
 
 " Correct, lad." 
 
 At early dawn our squadron crept closer to 
 Manila city. We could now see the numerous 
 
160 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 ships in front of the river mouth, but no war- 
 ships were among them. 
 
 Below Manila is situated a long peninsula, 
 upon which was located Fort Cavite, the princi- 
 pal Spanish arsenal along the bay. 
 
 Back of the arsenal was a town of some four 
 thousand inhabitants, and to one side of the fort 
 was a long, low-lying land battery. 
 
 As the sun came up six warships, flying the 
 Spanish flag, were discovered lying between 
 Manila and Cavite. Several other warships 
 were to the rear, half hidden by the arsenal just 
 mentioned. 
 
 " There they are! " was the cry which swept 
 from ship to ship. " Now for a fight to the 
 death!" 
 
 The words had scarcely been uttered when 
 the flagship opened fire. A second later the 
 Boston belched forth with her forward guns. 
 
 The shock nearly threw me off my feet, and 
 the noise fairly deafened me. 
 
 "My gracious, Dan, what a racket!" 
 
 " This is war, Oliver! " 
 
 " It sounds more like a hundred thunder- 
 storms rolled into one." 
 
 All of the warships had now trained their guns 
 on the enemy, and round after round of gigantic 
 steel projectiles was hurled forth, to deal death 
 and destruction. 
 
IN WHICH ONE SPANISH SHIP IS SUNK. 161 
 
 Soon both sides were enveloped in smoke and 
 but little could be seen, excepting at close range. 
 
 The Boston was hit several times, but the shots 
 merely passed through our upper works, doing 
 but little damage. 
 
 For half an hour the battle kept on, and dur- 
 ing that time both Dan and myself helped where 
 we could, resolved to do our duty as Americans 
 even though we were not duly enlisted. 
 
 " She's on fire! " came presently. The cry re- 
 ferred to one of the leading Spanish ships, and 
 proved correct. One of our shells had burst 
 into a magazine, and a dull explosion was fol- 
 lowed by a wild scattering of burning embers. 
 Soon the ship began to sink, and there followed 
 a frantic struggle on the part of the Spanish sail- 
 ors to save their lives. 
 
 " Poor wretches! " I said. " I can't help but 
 pity them." 
 
 " War is war, lad," said Roundstock, who was 
 working like a beaver over his gun, which was 
 red-hot. " If we didn't sink them they would 
 sink us; and since one of us must go down, I'd 
 rather it would be the other fellow." 
 
 And I could not help but agree with him. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 A NEVER-TO-BE-FORGOTTEN CONTEST. 
 
 In this tale of adventures in and around the 
 Island of Luzon it is not my intention to play 
 the part of a historian and go into all of the 
 details of the battle of Manila Bay, or, more 
 properly, the battle off Cavite. 
 
 To be really truthful, but little of the whole 
 battle could be seen by any one spectator, 
 for the ships were several miles apart, and the 
 heavy smoke hung everywhere over the bay like 
 a murky pall. Near Cavite the fire burst up 
 through the smoke at half a dozen points, and 
 these marked the spots where the enemy's ships 
 were slowly but surely going to pieces. 
 
 For the victory was Commodore Dewey's 
 from the start, and a few hours sufficed to teach 
 Spain a lesson which she is not likely to forget 
 for years to come. 
 
 Our gallant commodore had come to Manila 
 with six fighting ships, including one which was 
 very small, and but indifferently armed. Off 
 Cavite he engaged eight Spanish warships, and 
 these had the strong support of the fort and the 
 land battery. 
 
 163 
 
A NEVER-TO-BE-FORGOTTEN CONTEST. I<>3 
 
 And yet, when it was all over, what was the 
 result? The Spanish ships lay along the shore, 
 riddled with shot and shell and burning fiercely. 
 Hundreds of Spanish sailors had been either shot 
 or drowned, and those who had escaped to land 
 were hurrying, panic-stricken, toward Manila 
 and the mountains. More than this, Cavite it- 
 self had surrendered, and the arms and ammu- 
 nition at the arsenal were our own. 
 
 We had pulled out once from the fight, to 
 learn how matters were faring with the other 
 ships. Commodore Dewey was afraid that one 
 or another had been lost, and his delight was 
 without measure~when he found that. not a sin- 
 gle ship had sustained any' serious injury. 
 "Good, boys!" he said. ^" Go in and finish 
 them up ! " And they went in, with the vigor 
 that only the Anglo-Saxon race knows.^ 
 
 Dan had been hurt by a splinter flying from 
 some of the rigging, and I carried him into the 
 wardroom, where the surgeons waited in readi- 
 ness for any demand that might be made upon 
 them. 
 
 He was unconscious, and I looked ; on anx- 
 iously as a surgeon made an examination. 
 
 " Is it serious? " I asked. 
 
 " Not very; but he must remain quiet for a 
 while," was the answer. " I will plaster up the 
 wound and bind it." 
 
164 A SAILOR SOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 The battle had started early in the morning. 
 By the middle of the afternoon it was over and a 
 regular jubilee among the jack tars followed. 
 They yelled, cheered, sang, and danced, while 
 eating and drinking went on until nightfall. 
 
 Some of the ships had been sent to other 
 places, but we lay close to Cavite. We could 
 have taken a great number of prisoners, but 
 Commodore Dewey had no place to put them. 
 
 " Let them go, poor fellows; they have suf- 
 fered enough," said more than one officer, and 
 in my mind I agreed with them. 
 
 " Didn't I tell you! " cried Roundstock, com- 
 ing up. " Nothing can stand up against the 
 Stars and Stripes, our glorious flag of freedom." 
 
 " What's to do, now, Roundstock? " I ques- 
 tioned. 
 
 " That's for the commodore and our captain 
 to say. As for myself, I feel as if I could sleep 
 for a week." 
 
 " Won't we go in and take Manila? " 
 
 " I suppose we will — later on." 
 
 " I would like to go in right away. I want 
 to learn how my friends there are faring." 
 
 " You'll have to be patient." 
 
 Roundstock strode off, and I turned again to 
 Dan, who was moaning. I found his face very 
 hot, as if he was in a fever. 
 
 The hours of the night passed slowly, and in 
 
A NEVER-TO-BE-FORGOTTEN CONTEST. 165 
 
 the morning I was much gratified to learn that 
 my chum was better. We now received definite 
 word from the other warships. All were in good 
 condition and not a single man had been killed. 
 Some were to move in close to Cavite, while 
 others were to go down and take possession of 
 Corregidor Island, at the bay's entrance. 
 
 By good fortune I managed to get permission 
 to go ashore at the arsenal, and Dan insisted 
 upon going along. Just before we left the 
 Boston we had a parting word with the cap- 
 tain. 
 
 " Be careful, boys," he said. " Those Span- 
 iards will shoot you down if you give them the 
 least chance." 
 
 I started to say something about getting into 
 Manila again, but thought better of it and re- 
 mained silent. Perhaps it might have been 
 much better had I spoken and had the kind- 
 hearted commander prevented the movement. 
 But we do not know things beforehand as we 
 know them afterward. 
 
 It had been supposed by the Spaniards that 
 Commodore Dewey would demand the immedi- 
 ate surrender of the capital, but no demand 
 came, for the reason that the commodore was 
 awaiting instructions from Washington, and be- 
 cause he had no armed force sufficiently large 
 to hold Manila against our enemies, and against 
 
1 66 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 the insurgents, who were gathering about, ready 
 to rush in and plunder at the first opportunity. 
 
 We went ashore in one of the small boats, 
 manned by eight jack tars, and landing close to 
 the arsenal, made our way to a deserted church, 
 which the sailors on shore had turned into a tem- 
 porary barracks. 
 
 On every hand were the signs of the fierce 
 conflict which had raged but a few short hours. 
 The bay about Cavite was dotted with the half- 
 burned wrecks of the Spanish warships, and fort 
 and batteries were torn up as only a hail of shot 
 and shell can do the work. 
 
 " This is awful," remarked Dan, as he walked 
 around. " How these poor wretches must have 
 suffered during the fight! " 
 
 " I reckon they were glad enough to run for 
 it, Dan," I answered soberly. " But see, there 
 are some Spanish soldiers approaching! " 
 
 The men referred to were a score in number. 
 They were without arms, almost without shoes, 
 and their clothing was torn in countless places 
 by their wild rushes through the brush and cane 
 fields. They came up to a body of volunteers 
 encamped near the church. 
 
 " They have surrendered and want protec- 
 tion from the insurgents," said Dan, after lis- 
 tening to what was said by the Spanish leader. 
 " He states that the rebels here are worse than 
 
A NEVER-TO-BE-FORGOTTEN CONTEST. 167 
 
 wild beasts, and he would rather go to an 
 American prison than fall into their hands." 
 
 " I believe him — after my own experience, 
 Dan." 
 
 " So do I. I'll tell you, Oliver, the fighting 
 here isn't half over. Dewey may try to make 
 friends of the insurgents; but, if so, he will be 
 sorry for it." 
 
 We watched the Spaniards and saw that they 
 were starving by the manner in which they dis- 
 posed of the food furnished to them by our own 
 volunteers. I really believe that some of them 
 would have jumped at the chance of joining our 
 troops had they had the chance. None of them 
 had received a dollar of pay from Spain for 
 months, and one told Dan that even their own 
 officers treated them like dogs. " If only I was 
 back in beautiful Spain again! " he sighed. " Or 
 with my uncle at his tobacco works in Key West, 
 Florida, in your own nice country! " He was 
 sick of war. 
 
 As I have said, Cavite lay about eight miles 
 south of Manila. Between the two places was a 
 low, sandy beach, back of which was a rude 
 highway, low-lying hills, covered with rice and 
 other plantations, and thick forests. There were 
 several settlements, but none of especial impor- 
 tance. 
 
 By careful inquiry we learned that the country 
 
1 68 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 between us and Manila had been almost de- 
 serted, but was now filling up with insurgents, 
 who were awaiting the arrival of their principal 
 leader, General Aguinaldo, who had gone to 
 Hong Kong on business. If we wanted to get 
 into the capital, therefore, we must first pass the 
 insurgents' camps and then the Spanish pickets 
 at the city walls. 
 
 " It's a risky thing to do, Oliver," said Dan. 
 " We don't want to get shot." 
 
 " That is true. But I want to know how 
 Longley is faring and how the business is far- 
 ing." 
 
 " Yes, that is true. And I would like to know 
 if Captain Kenny has shown up at Manila, too. 
 But still " 
 
 " You haven't got to go if you don't want to, 
 Dan. But I'm going." 
 
 " Then I'll go, and that settles it." 
 
 And it did settle it. But neither of us dreamed 
 of the many dangers in store for us. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 BETWEEN TWO FIRES. 
 
 " I don't know much about this part of the 
 country," said Dan, as we drew away from the 
 American camp with great caution. " I wish we 
 could pick up a native guide. He might save us 
 from a lot of trouble." 
 
 " There are natives enough around, if only 
 they can be trusted. Let us strike the first man 
 we meet and see what he has to say." 
 
 Leaving camp was an easy matter, for as yet 
 military rule was rather lax. We took a small 
 side trail, that presently brought us in sight of a 
 collection of rude bamboo huts, one burning and 
 all deserted. Back of the huts we found a tall 
 negro sitting on a tree stump, his lean chin rest- 
 ing in the palm of an equally lean hand. 
 
 Dan called to him in Spanish, but the man did 
 not stir until my chum walked up and shook him 
 by the shoulder. Then he stared at us from 
 eyes buried deeply in their sockets. 
 
 His tale was soon told. His wife had been 
 shot down in a skirmish around the bamboo 
 huts on the day that the Spanish soldiers had re- 
 treated from Cavite to Manila, and his only child 
 
 j 69 
 
17° A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 had been trampled under the feet of a runaway- 
 buffalo cow, a beast quite common in certain 
 parts of the Philippines. His home was that 
 now being reduced to ashes. 
 
 " Your lot is certainly a hard one, my man," 
 said Dan to him soothingly. " But it will do 
 you no good to sit here and mourn. What is 
 your name? " 
 
 " Wamba, sehor." 
 
 " Would you like to become our guide, 
 Wamba? We will pay you well? " 
 
 At this the eyes of the native brightened some- 
 what, for he was of the poorest class. 
 
 " You will pay me well? " he asked slowly. 
 
 " We will." 
 
 " You will not pay me in chit? " went on 
 Wamba. In Manila many large bills are paid 
 in chit, instead of coin, a chit being merely a per- 
 sonal note. These chits are issued by nearly 
 everyone, and float around from person to per- 
 son before being presented to the issuer for re- 
 demption. 
 
 " No, you shall have coin — gold and silver," 
 and Dan showed the contents of his purse, which 
 contained several Mexican silver dollars, and 
 some Spanish gold and copper coins. 
 
 " And where shall I guide you? " 
 
 " We want to go into Manila secretly." 
 
 " You are soldier spies? " 
 
BETWEEN TWO FIRES. 171 
 
 " No, we are private citizens and want to learn 
 something of business matters. Our fathers be- 
 long to the firm of Raymond, Holbrook & 
 Smith, of Manila, Hong Kong, San Francisco, 
 and other cities." 
 
 " I know the name, senor," and Wamba 
 nodded. " But the business must be ruined 
 now," and he gave a deep sigh. 
 
 " That is what we want to see. Will you un- 
 dertake to get us into Manila? Remember, I 
 will pay you well." 
 
 " I will do what I can, but it will be a danger- 
 ous undertaking." 
 
 The talk between the native and Dan con- 
 tinued for some time, and then we hurried on, 
 leaving the trail and passing over the wet ground 
 of a rice field recently flooded. 
 
 It was again hot, and after half an hour of 
 traveling I was glad enough to cast myself in a 
 shady spot to rest. While Dan did the same 
 Wamba went off in search of cool water from a 
 nearby spring. 
 
 " I suppose things in Manila are in a state of 
 high excitement," observed my chum, as he lay 
 back against a tree. " The Spaniards are in a 
 box — with the American fleet in front and the 
 rebels behind." 
 
 " I think they would rather surrender to us 
 than to the rebels, Dan." 
 
172 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " I've no doubt they would. But they'll sur- 
 render to nobody until forced to do it. They 
 are as high-minded as ever, if I know anything 
 about it." 
 
 " Business must be at a complete standstill. 
 Perhaps the Spanish authorities have confiscated 
 everything at the offices." 
 
 " I wonder what has become of Tom Dawson, 
 Matt Gory, and the Starlight ? I didn't see any- 
 thing of the craft while on the Boston, did you? " 
 
 " No. She probably lost no time in slipping 
 past Corregidor Island when it was known that 
 a fight was in prospect." 
 
 " And what do you suppose has become of 
 Captain Kenny, Watt Brown, and Ah Sid, who 
 were captured? " 
 
 " That is for time to tell, if we are ever to 
 know at all." 
 
 Wamba came back with the water, into which 
 we stirred some sugar-cane ends to make it more 
 palatable, and we arose to continue our journey. 
 
 " What's that? " cried Dan, as the crack of a 
 rifle broke the semitropical stillness. " Some 
 sort of a battle is on, that's certain ! " 
 
 The single report was followed by several 
 others, and then came two heavy volleys in rapid 
 succession. 
 
 " I'll wager it is a fight between the insurgents 
 and the Spanish outposts!" I cried. "Hark, 
 
BETWEEN TWO FIRES. 173 
 
 they seem to be coming this way. Wamba, what 
 had we best do? " 
 
 The native looked at me in perplexity, and 
 Dan repeated the question in Spanish. Then 
 Wamba pointed off to the woods back of us. 
 " We hide in hollow," he said, in his native 
 tongue. 
 
 We lost no time in following him, for the 
 sound of firearms came closer, and soon a bullet 
 clipped through the leaves over our heads. As 
 we descended into the hollow to which the guide 
 led us we heard a wild shouting, and at a dis- 
 tance a hundred or more Tagals burst into sight. 
 
 The natives were armed with rifles secured at 
 Cavite and in Manila, and were endeavoring to 
 turn the right flank of a company of Spanish 
 soldiers, who soon came into view on the oppo- 
 site side of the hollow. The firing was now in- 
 cessant, and all three of our party were glad 
 enough to drop down out of sight in the dense 
 bushes. 
 
 "We are caught between two fires!" an- 
 nounced Dan grimly. " Here's a state of things, 
 to say the least. Oliver, how do you like it? " 
 
 " We had better remain quiet, Dan. I have 
 no desire to get a Mauser bullet through my 
 head." 
 
 " Nor I. I only hope both sides move off tQ 
 some other locality." 
 
174 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 The hollow was of indefinite length and about 
 a hundred feet wide and ten to twenty feet deep. 
 The Tagals were close to the south bank, while 
 the Spaniards held a position a hundred and fifty 
 to two hundred yards away. In fifteen minutes 
 the volley firing ceased, but a steady pop-pop 
 from one direction or another took its place. 
 
 " Each side is throwing out skirmishers," said 
 Dan. " If any of them come down here I don't 
 know what we had best do! " 
 
 " If it comes to the worst we'll have to throw 
 our fortunes in with the rebels," I answered. 
 " But I have no liking for either side." 
 
 We were armed with pistols, fine six-shooters, 
 and we held these in readiness for use, should oc- 
 casion require. Wamba acted as if he wanted to 
 leave us, but doubtless the hope of getting 
 money out of us made him remain. 
 
 As I have said, the natives were closer than 
 the Spanish, and presently a dozen of them 
 slipped down into the hollow. They were de- 
 termined-looking fellows, much superior to the 
 Tagals I had met up at the locality where the 
 Dart lay stranded. 
 
 " They are coming this way! " whispered Dan. 
 " I'm afraid, if they spot us, they will fire before 
 we can explain who we are." 
 
 " We had better — " I began, when pop ! went 
 a rifle, and a bullet grazed my temple, causing 
 
BETWEEN TWO FIRES. 17S 
 
 me to tumble over my chum and go crashing in 
 the brush back of him. 
 
 " Oliver! you are hit! " he gasped. " Oh, this 
 is too bad! " and he caught me up in his arms. 
 
 " I — I guess it's not much," I faltered, putting 
 my hand up and withdrawing it covered with 
 blood. Getting out a large linen handkerchief, 
 I bound it over the wound, which was but a 
 scratch, even though fully as deep as was desi- 
 rable. 
 
 The crash in the brush had attracted the atten- 
 tion of the Spanish soldiers, and now they saw 
 the Tagals and heavy firing recommenced. We 
 were in the very midst of this, and several bullets 
 sang alarmingly close to our ears. We wished 
 that a better shelter than the brush was at hand, 
 but nothing was in sight and we had to make 
 the best of it. 
 
 Inside of a quarter of an hour it looked as if 
 the rebels would get the best of the fight, but 
 suddenly some Spanish re-enforcements came 
 up, and in a twinkling the Tagals were sent fly- 
 ing toward the hills to the eastward, leaving a 
 score of dead and wounded behind them. 
 
 " They are leaving us! " muttered Dan, when 
 without warning several Spanish soldiers ap- 
 peared, running directly toward us. Each had 
 his gun up ready to shoot, so resistance would 
 have been foolhardy. 
 
176 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 "Halte! " came the useless command, since we 
 were not moving. " Throw down your arms or 
 we will fire," followed, also in Spanish. 
 
 Dan looked at me and I at him, and then both 
 of us dropped our pistols. Seeing this, Wamba 
 uttered a grunt of dissatisfaction, turned, and 
 crawled like a snake out of sight into the bushes. 
 In a moment more the Spanish soldiers had sur- 
 rounded us. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE ESCAPE FROM THE INN. 
 
 The soldiers who had made us prisoners were 
 dark, determined-looking fellows belonging to 
 the Manila Home Guard, a body distinct from 
 the troops sent to the islands from Spain. 
 
 They were seven in number, including a lieu- 
 tenant, who, as I afterward learned, rejoiced in 
 the unique name of Carlos Remondenanez. 
 
 " Americanos! " muttered the lieutenant, as he 
 surveyed us. " Where you come from? " he de- 
 manded, in by no means bad English. 
 
 " We came from Cavite, ' I answered, glad to 
 know that he would understand me. 
 
 " Sailors from the American warships? " 
 
 " We are private citizens, on our way to 
 Ma " Dan checked himself. 
 
 "Ha! private citizens! Bah! You Ameri- 
 canos are all out for a fight, like a wild bull! 
 But we will show you, here in Luzon and at 
 Cuba, too! When it is over the pigs will be 
 sorry they took up arms against the sons of my 
 country," and he slapped his chest. 
 
 Had the situation been less serious I would 
 177 
 
17 8 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 have been tempted to laugh at his pomposity. 
 But as that might have brought on my sudden 
 death, I resisted the temptation even to smile. 
 
 " Yes, it is too bad to have war with anybody," 
 I said calmly. " Do you consider us your pris- 
 oners? " 
 
 " And why not, boy, why not? To be sure 
 you are not old enough to be a regular soldier, 
 but your finger on the trigger of a gun may do 
 as much damage as the finger of a man of forty. 
 Search them, men! " he added, to his command, 
 in Spanish. 
 
 Two of the party immediately advanced, and 
 relieved us of the pistols we had thrown down 
 and also two daggers Dan had brought along 
 from Hong Kong. I think Lieutenant Remon- 
 denanez was strongly tempted to confiscate our 
 purses also, but did not dare on account of one 
 of the soldiers, who watched him closely. This 
 man was a new recruit, so Dan found out later, 
 and was too high-minded to countenance such a 
 proceeding, even on the part of his officer, with- 
 out reporting it at headquarters. 
 
 Having been searched, we were marched out 
 of the hollow to the trail running down to the 
 highway. Here we were placed in charge of 
 three soldiers, one of whom marched at either 
 side of us and the other to the rear. 
 
 Our course was along a series of dense palm 
 
THE ESCAPE FROM THE INN. i?9 
 
 trees which sheltered us somewhat from the sun. 
 Yet the walk was a hot one, and soon the wound 
 I had received gave me a violent headache. 
 
 " I must rest," I said to Dan, and sank down 
 almost exhausted. 
 
 " No rest for you! " shouted the corporal in 
 charge of the detail, and poked me with his bay- 
 onet, and sick as I was I had to get up and go on 
 my way. 
 
 But soon luck stood me in good stead. We 
 arrived at a sort of wayside inn, where there were 
 two companies of Spanish soldiers, and here we 
 halted for further orders. 
 
 It was decided to keep us at the place over 
 night, and we were conducted to a rude 
 stable in the rear, built of bamboo and palm 
 leaves. 
 
 Inside were half a dozen small native ponies, 
 belonging to as many Spanish officers. It was 
 a foul-smelling resort, and it made me feel more 
 sick than ever. 
 
 The place was already being used as a prison 
 and outside four guards, with ready guns, pa- 
 trolled the sides of the stable at a distance of ten 
 paces. 
 
 " What a hole! " cried Dan, as we were shoved 
 through the doorway and the guard left us. 
 " I'll wager the stable is full of vermin! " 
 
 " Who is that as spakes! " came from the semi- 
 
180 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 darkness. " Sure an' th' voice sounds remark- 
 ably loik that of a friend, so it does! " 
 
 "Matt Gory!" burst out Dan and I simul- 
 taneously. 
 
 " An' it's Oliver an' Dan, so it is! " ejaculated 
 the Irish sailor, rushing to us and catching our 
 hands warmly. " Sure an' it's a sorry place for 
 a mating, aint it now? " 
 
 " How did you get here, Gory? " I asked. " I 
 thought you were on the Starlight? " 
 
 " Sure an thim haythins o' Spaniards confis- 
 cated the ship, so they did. Oi an' Tom Daw- 
 son thried to escape, an' here Oi am, as ye can 
 behold if yez have sharp eyes." 
 
 " And what of Dawson? " asked Dan. 
 
 " Oi don't know where he is. He started to 
 join Commodore Dewey's marines at Cavite." 
 
 " When did all this happen? " 
 
 " We lift the Starlight a week ago, but Oi was 
 captured yesterday. Phy have yez yer head 
 toied up? " he went on, to me. 
 
 I told him of our adventures in the hollow, 
 and Dan related what had occurred since we had 
 left the Starlight. Matt Gory had arranged a 
 resting place of the cleanest straw to be found, 
 in a corner, and here I dropped, completely 
 fagged out. 
 
 All told, the stable contained nine prisoners; 
 the others being Spaniards who sympathized 
 
THE ESCAPE FROM THE INN. 181 
 
 with the insurgents. They were a motley collec- 
 tion, and filled the already foul air with the nox- 
 ious fumes of their ever-present cigarettes. 
 
 While I rested, Dan spoke to one and another 
 of them, and learned considerable concerning 
 the present situation in Manila. As we had sur- 
 mised, all business was at a standstill, the shops 
 were closed, and the streets were guarded by 
 Spanish soldiers, the native policemen not being 
 trusted to do the duty. All was in a state of sup- 
 pressed excitement, and it was expected that 
 Dewey would shell the city at his pleasure. 
 Provisions were scarce and there was much suf- 
 fering, especially among the poorer classes. 
 
 Strange as it may seem I rested well that 
 night, and Dan also slept soundly. We were 
 stirring at sunrise, and with us Matt Gory, who 
 had suffered no injury and was willing at any 
 moment to fight for his liberty. 
 
 " Oi'll not go to any dirthy Spanish prison if 
 Oi can hilp it, — an' Oi think I can," were his 
 words. 
 
 " I am with you," I answered. " But I 
 don't want to bite my nose off to spite my 
 face." 
 
 At seven o'clock we were ordered out into the 
 open air, and we were not sorry, for the smell in 
 the stable during the night had grown worse 
 instead of better. All were formed into single 
 
1 82 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 file and told to march to the rear door of the inn 
 and our breakfast would be dealt out to us. 
 
 " Like a lot of tramps getting a hand-out," 
 laughed Dan, when a Spanish officer struck him 
 with his sword and ordered him to keep silent. 
 
 Breakfast consisted of some stale bread, a 
 chunk of meat that had been stewed in rice, and 
 water. We had to eat and drink standing up or 
 let it alone, and I hardly touched a mouthful. 
 
 The breakfast over, we were about to leave the 
 inn, when without warning a volley of shots 
 came from a woods behind the hostelry and a 
 Spanish officer and two privates dropped dead 
 within a dozen feet of us. Before the Spaniards 
 could recover from their astonishment a second 
 volley was delivered, and four others went down, 
 including one of the prisoners, who was struck 
 by accident in the leg. Then came a wild yell 
 and about fifty Spanish rebels from Manila burst 
 into view. 
 
 The scene that followed beggars my pen to 
 describe. For some minutes pandemonium 
 reigned supreme, and Spanish officers and pri- 
 vates alike knew not what to do. Some rushed 
 into the inn and some out, and a number took to 
 their heels with all the speed of which their legs 
 were capable. Then a capitan called them to 
 order, and they formed into a hollow square on 
 the defensive. 
 
THE ESCAPE FROM THE INN. 183 
 
 " This is our chance! " yelled Matt Gory, as he 
 seized Dan and me by the arms. " Come on! " 
 
 " I am with you! " I answered. 
 
 " Let us make for the stable," said Dan. 
 
 " Aint the woods betther? " queried the Irish- 
 man. 
 
 "The ponies!" I interrupted, understanding 
 what my chum meant. " Just the thing! " 
 
 And away we went for the stable. A Spanish 
 guard tried to block our way, but we tripped him 
 over and tore his gun from him. 
 
 Dan was the first inside of the structure and 
 he speedily untied three of the small, but strong, 
 animals and led them to a rear door. Then up 
 we leaped into the high, uncomfortable Spanish 
 saddles (for the poor beasts stood there with all 
 their trappings) and off we sped down the high- 
 way, leaving Spaniards, rebels, and the other 
 prisoners to take care of themselves. 
 
 Of course we did not escape unnoticed, and 
 Spaniards and rebels both fired on us. But their 
 aim was poor, and the leaden messengers flew 
 wide of the mark. Soon we were out of sight 
 around a bend, and then we speedily took to a 
 side trail that looked as if it might afford at least 
 temporary security. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 ONE WAY OF ENTERING A FORTIFIED CITY. 
 
 " Now where? " asked Dan, after we had 
 halted and listened with all our ears to learn if 
 we were being followed. 
 
 " To Manila, as was our original idea," I an- 
 swered. " But you may not want to go that 
 way," I added, to Matt Gory. 
 
 " Sure an' Oi'll go wid youse b'ys," answered 
 the son of Erin, with a grin. " Oi'm afther 
 makin' a soldier of forchune av meself," and he 
 made a mocking bow at which both Dan and I 
 laughed. 
 
 " We may be very useful to Longley in Ma- 
 nila," I continued. " He may be having more 
 than his hands full to protect the firm's interests. 
 He said he had about six thousand dollars in the 
 big safe that he did not care to place in the 
 Spanish bank, and " 
 
 " You are right, Oliver, we must get into Ma- 
 nila somehow, to help Longley, if for no other 
 purpose. The thing of it is, which is the best 
 way to do it? " 
 
 " Let us get as close to the city walls as we can 
 184 
 
ONE WA Y OF ENTERING A CITY. 185 
 
 first and then arrange our plans," I suggested, 
 and this was speedily agreed to, for there was no 
 telling what might happen before we came in 
 sight of the capital city of Luzon. 
 
 From a distance came a constant firing, which 
 told us that the rebels and the Spaniards were 
 having a full-fledged fight. But presently, as 
 we moved along, this died away in the distance. 
 
 Pony riding just suited Dan and me, but it 
 went hard with Matt Gory, who had never rid- 
 den before. " Sure, an' the hard saddle will be 
 afther cuttin' me in two," he groaned. " An' 
 the baste prances so he'll have me insoides 
 turned out before we come to a halt this aven- 
 in'!" 
 
 " Move with the pony," I suggested, and gave 
 him a practical illustration, but he was not cut 
 out for saddle riding and made a sorry figure 
 even when doing his best. 
 
 It had threatened a shower and soon it was 
 raining in torrents. We kept to the road for 
 half an hour longer, when it grew so deep with 
 water and mud that we had to draw off to one 
 side. 
 
 " I see a shelter beyond," said Dan, pointing 
 it out. " And not a soul is in sight. Come on," 
 and he led the way. 
 
 It was an open shelter, built of long poles 
 thatched with palm. There had been a house 
 
1 86 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 close by, but this was tumbled down into decay. 
 We rode our ponies under the shelter and, dis- 
 mounting, tethered them to some trees which 
 acted as corner posts. 
 
 The rain continued throughout the noon hour 
 and for some time after, and it was not until 
 nightfall that we continued our journey. In the 
 meantime we had refreshed ourselves with some 
 plantains found in the vicinity, and allowed the 
 ponies to feed upon whatever was to be found in 
 the neighborhood. 
 
 Nightfall found us close to the Spanish lines, 
 and we resolved to abandon our steeds, so turned 
 them loose, feeling that they would soon find 
 new masters. 
 
 We were moving along in the gathering dark- 
 ness when we heard the creaking of a water 
 buffalo cart, heavy, awkward-looking things 
 common to all parts of the Philippines. Soon 
 the cart came in sight, drawn by two buffalo 
 cows, hitched up tandem. On the seat of the 
 turnout sat a sleepy-looking native, wearing only 
 a shirt, trousers, and broad-brimmed straw hat. 
 The cart was partly filled with straw, and on top 
 rested a pile of yams and other vegetables, and 
 a bag of cocoanuts. 
 
 "I'll wager he's bound for Manila! " whispered 
 Dan. " I wonder if he can't smuggle us in! " 
 
 " Let us stop him and see," I returned. " I 
 
ONE WAY OF ENTERING A CITY. 187 
 
 believe all of these natives are against the Span- 
 iards, even though they may not like the idea of 
 American rule." 
 
 We leaped forward, and while Matt Gory held 
 the leading cow, Dan and I hurried to the seat of 
 the cart. Roused up, the native was taken com- 
 pletely by surprise and stared at us in open- 
 mouthed wonder. 
 
 Dan quickly asked him if he was bound for the 
 market place in Manila and he answered in the 
 affirmative. Then my chum told him of what 
 we wished to do, at which the native grinned. 
 
 " Get into the cart if you will, and hide," he 
 said, in Spanish. " But remember, if Spanish 
 officers find you, I know not that you were 
 there." 
 
 " We agree," answered Dan, and the straw 
 was lifted up and all three of us made places for 
 ourselves. Of course the hiding place was a 
 damp and by no means pleasant one, but this 
 could not be helped, and as it was our own choice 
 nobody grumbled. 
 
 The progress of the cart had been slow before, 
 but with the added weight it crawled along at a 
 snail's pace. As long as the darkness served to 
 hide us, we held up our heads for air, but with 
 the first appearance of the electric lights of Ma- 
 nila, we dove out of sight. 
 
 "We are entering the town," whispered Dan, 
 
1 88 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 as the clumsy cart creaked over a bridge. " I 
 think we'll be safe in ten minutes more." 
 
 He had scarcely finished when there came a 
 loud command to halt, and the native brought 
 his cart to a standstill. A brief parley followed, 
 and a couple of Spanish guards came up to the 
 cart and calmly confiscated several cocoanuts 
 from the bag. Then the turnout was allowed to 
 proceed in the direction of the market place. 
 
 " Now is your time," whispered the driver to 
 Dan, as we passed through a rather dark portion 
 of a thoroughfare. " Drop out and you will be 
 safe." 
 
 " Here is something for your aid," whispered 
 my chum in return, and handed him a Mexican 
 silver dollar, much to the native's delight, for 
 such a piece, even though worth but fifty cents, 
 is a good round sum in the Philippines. 
 
 Dan then dropped from the tail-end of the cart 
 and Matt Gory and I followed. An alleyway 
 was close at hand and we darted into this, to plan 
 out our next movement. 
 
 " We are a good half mile from the offices," 
 said Dan. " And I must confess I don't know 
 the way." 
 
 " Sure an' mebbe youse would have done bet- 
 ter to have stayed in th' cart," said the Irish 
 sailor. " Howsomeever, lead on an' Oi'll be 
 afther followin' ye!" 
 
ONE WA Y OF ENTERING A CITY. 189 
 
 " Let us move on along the streets until we 
 see some signboard," I suggested. " We know 
 what street the offices are on, and the number." 
 
 " That is so, Oliver. All right, come ahead; " 
 and again Dan led the way. 
 
 " It's a regular Donnybrook Fair town," said 
 Matt Gory. " Oi'm afther gittin' me a club! " 
 and he picked up a stick lying in a gutter. Be- 
 fore long Dan and I armed ourselves in a similar 
 manner. 
 
 As I have mentioned, Manila was now under 
 military rule, and at every other street corner we 
 came in sight of a soldier, walking slowly back 
 and forth or lounging idly against a door-post 
 smoking a cigarette on the sly and talking to 
 some pretty native damsel. To pass these 
 guards unobserved was by no means easy. 
 
 "Here is the right street!" exclaimed Dan, 
 after a quarter of an hour had passed. " The 
 numbers show that we cannot be more than four 
 or five squares away from the offices." 
 
 " Does that clerk live be thim offices? " 
 queried Matt Gory. 
 
 " Yes, he has two rooms upstairs," I answered. 
 " If that money is still in the safe he must cer- 
 tainly be staying there to guard it." 
 
 Another block was passed, when Dan clutched 
 me by the shoulder, and likewise pulled the Irish 
 sailor back. " Look! " he whispered, 
 
190 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 We gazed in the direction he pointed, and saw 
 four men huddled together in a corner of a 
 rambling business building, not half a block 
 away from the offices of Raymond, Holbrook & 
 Smith. They were talking earnestly. Each 
 wore a light, night cloak over his shoulders, and 
 as one of them raised this covering, we caught 
 the gleam of a dagger handle sticking from his 
 breast. 
 
 " By Jove! they are up to something; 
 that's as sure as you are born!" ejaculated 
 Dan. 
 
 " They be Spanish assassins! " muttered Matt 
 Gory. " Sure an' they look loik thim villains 
 we used to see in the ould picture books ! " 
 
 See, they are moving over this way," I said, 
 a second later. " We must get out of sight, or 
 we'll be discovered, and they may hand us over 
 to the guard." 
 
 I looked around, and saw a narrow opening 
 between two business buildings. Into this we 
 crowded, behind a pile of half-broken hogsheads 
 and other rubbish. Hardly had we settled our- 
 selves than the four evil-looking fellows took an- 
 other stand not ten feet away from us. 
 
 An animated conversation ensued, of which I 
 understood only a few words. But Dan caught 
 the drift of the talk, and grabbed my arm so 
 tightly that I knew at once that something out 
 
ONE WA Y OF ENTERING A CITY. 19 1 
 
 of the ordinary was on the way. Five minutes 
 later, the strangers moved off once more. 
 
 " The villains ! " gasped my chum, as soon as 
 he felt safe to speak. " Do you know what they 
 are planning to do? They are going to break 
 into our offices, kill Harry Longley if necessary, 
 and then loot the safe! " 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 FOUR WOULD-BE PLUNDERERS. 
 
 "To break into the offices! " burst from my 
 lips. 
 
 "Th' haythins!" muttered Matt Gory. 
 "Just let me be afther gittin' a-hould of thim! 
 Oi'll spile their looks so their own mothers won't 
 know thim!" and he shook his club determin- 
 edly. 
 
 " You are certain there is no mistake, Dan? " 
 
 " Positive, Oliver. It seems one of the rascals 
 once worked for the firm and he knows all about 
 the affairs. He is certain Longley is sleeping in 
 an upper front room, and he has a false key to 
 one of the back doors." 
 
 " They cannot be doing this by authority, 
 Dan. Hadn't we better notify the guard? " 
 
 " And get arrested for our pains? No, let us 
 beat them at their own game. We are three to 
 four, and Longley will make the count on both 
 sides even. I am not afraid of them, even if they 
 do carry daggers. Such cutthroats are generally 
 cowards when cornered." 
 
 192 
 
FOUR WOULD-BE PLUNDERERS. 193 
 
 By this time we were out on the strtet and 
 stalking after the rascally quartette, who moved 
 on close to the low, overhanging buildings. 
 
 There was an electric light on the corner, but 
 instead of burning brightly it fizzed and splut- 
 tered as such lights often do. The authorities 
 had great trouble in keeping them lit at all, as 
 many reckless men tried to turn the whole of 
 Manila in darkness, that they might plunder the 
 houses and stores with impunity. 
 
 "There are our offices!" whispered Dan, 
 pointing to them. " See, the four men are mov- 
 ing through the alleyway." 
 
 " Let us kape 'em out of the buildin' ! " whis- 
 pered Matt Gory. " Come on, we'll knock 'em 
 out at the first round, so we will ! " 
 
 He started on a run, and before either Dan or 
 I could stop him, had tackled the first of the 
 would-be plunderers. Crash! down came the 
 heavy club, and the Spaniard sank down, almost 
 overcome. 
 
 The others turned in surprise and set up a low 
 shout. Then, with several vile exclamations, 
 they hurled themselves on Matt Gory and bore 
 him to earth. 
 
 This was more than Dan or I could stand, and 
 we leaped in, and blows from our sticks rained 
 down thickly. I hit one Spaniard over the head 
 and another on the shoulder, and then slipped 
 
194 J SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 down in a pool of water which the darkness had 
 hidden from view. 
 
 By this time, however, Matt Gory had again 
 arisen and as one of the rascals made for me, the 
 Irishman threw him backward with such a shock 
 that his dagger flew some distance from his hand. 
 In a twinkle Gory had secured the weapon. 
 
 " Now thin, run, ye haythins, or Oi'll be afther 
 carvin' yez into bits! " he bawled, and made such 
 a determined lunge at one of the Spaniards that 
 he did run for his very life, leaving his tattered 
 shawl behind him. 
 
 The racket in the alleyway had aroused Harry 
 Longley, as well as several others residing in the 
 neighborhood. An upper window was blocked 
 up, and Longley inquired, in Spanish, as to what 
 was the row. 
 
 "Help us, Longley!" cried Dan. "It is 
 Oliver Raymond, Dan Holbrook, and an Irish 
 friend. We have been attacked by thieves! " 
 
 " You! " burst out the clerk. " Come to the 
 door and I'll let you in." 
 
 The clerk disappeared and we heard him run 
 downstairs, and there followed the scraping of a 
 key in a lock. As the door fell back Longley ap- 
 peared, pistol in hand. 
 
 " Begone, or I'll fill you full of holes! " he 
 shouted, in Spanish. 
 
 " Caramba! The game is up! " came from one 
 
FOUR WOULD-BE PLUNDERERS. 195 
 
 of the Spaniards, and making final and ineffect- 
 ual passes at us with their daggers, they ran out 
 of the alleyway and down the street. 
 
 "Come in! come in before it is too late!" 
 went on the clerk, and we leaped into the back 
 office. He immediately closed the door and 
 locked it. All was pitch-dark and we had to feel 
 our way around. 
 
 In a few brief words we explained the situa- 
 tion, to which he listened impatiently, his ear 
 meanwhile inclined toward a heavily barred win- 
 dow, which, as is usual in this country, had no 
 glass. 
 
 " Yes, I have the money here still," he said. 
 " But it is not in the safe. It is where they can- 
 not find it, even if they search for hours." 
 
 " You have buried it? " whispered Dan. 
 
 " Yes, and cemented the flooring over it. I 
 was bound to protect our firm's interests, no 
 matter what happened." 
 
 " You shall lose nothing by your actions," I 
 returned warmly. " Father and the other part- 
 ners shall know of your bravery." 
 
 " It has been a constant excitement ever since 
 Commodore Dewey brought on that battle," 
 went on Harry Longley. " It's a pity he lost 
 so many men." 
 
 " Why, he didn't lose a single man," said Dan. 
 
 " He didn't! Why, they have it reported in 
 
I9 6 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 Manila that he lost two ships and four hundred 
 sailors." 
 
 " You ought to know better. Couldn't you 
 see the battle? " 
 
 " No, the Spanish soldiers drove everybody 
 indoors on penalty of death. It is also reported 
 that another Spanish fleet will soon come here to 
 wipe Dewey out." 
 
 " I don't know anything about that," I said. 
 " But if the fleet comes I reckon our commodore 
 can take care of himself." 
 
 " So he can, every thrip! " put in Matt Gory. 
 " Oi'll foight wid him meself, next toime, so Oi 
 will!" 
 
 " Plundering is becoming a common thing 
 here," resumed Harry Longley, as he led the 
 way to his apartments above. " Last night four 
 offices and six stores were looted. The Spanish 
 authorities try to catch the offenders when the 
 places belong to the English, French, or Ger- 
 mans, but if an American is robbed they merely 
 wink the other eye, as the saying goes." 
 
 " Do they offer you any protection at all, if 
 you promise to keep out of the fight? " 
 
 " They do, in words, but that is as far as it 
 goes. An American is not safe here, no matter 
 if he gives up all his arms and swears to remain 
 neutral. The Dons hate the very sight of us. 
 They never wanted us here in the first place 
 
FOUR WOULD-BE PLUNDERERS. 197 
 
 and now they are bound to drive us out — if they 
 can." 
 
 "But they can't," finished Dan. "I'll tell 
 you all, Uncle Sam is bound to stay here. Mark 
 my words and see if I am not right." 
 
 Since we had left him, Longley had had na- 
 tives working at the offices, and each window 
 was barred more heavily than ever, while some 
 of those on the lower floor had been covered en- 
 tirely. 
 
 " You see, I am bound to hold the fort," he 
 smiled grimly. " I don't want to leave this 
 ground. It is in dispute, as you know, and the 
 Spaniards would like nothing better than to take 
 possession. This is the ground mentioned in 
 those documents lost on the Dart" 
 
 "I wish I could find the Bart and get the docu- 
 ments and the money back," I answered, some- 
 what bitterly. 
 
 We were a good deal exhausted and partook 
 eagerly of the hot coffee, rice cakes, and other 
 things which Longley set before us. He had 
 stocked up with sufficient provisions to last for 
 a month, and among his stores were two barrels 
 of water. 
 
 " You see, the rebels may cut off the water 
 supply from the reservoir," he explained. " If 
 they do, people in Manila will be in a bad shape 
 all around." 
 
198 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " Cannot the Spanish soldiers protect the 
 water works? " 
 
 " I don't know. They used to have their 
 hands full with the rebels alone. Now they have 
 us Americans to fight in addition." 
 
 Longley had but a single cot at hand, and as 
 all could not sleep on that, we told him to keep 
 his resting place and proceeded to make our- 
 selves comfortable on the floor. 
 
 It would have been well had one or another 
 remained on the watch, but Dan, Gory, and I 
 were thoroughly fagged out, and Longley had 
 been on guard the night before. 
 
 " We'll risk it," said the clerk, as he passed 
 around such blankets as he possessed, not for 
 coverings, as it was too warm for that, but to be 
 made up into such couches as our ingenuity 
 could devise. 
 
 We turned in about eleven o'clock and I slept 
 soundly until a little after three in the morning. 
 I awoke with a start and knew at once that some 
 noise had aroused me. I listened, but all was as 
 silent as the grave, excepting for the snoring 
 that came from Matt Gory's corner. 
 
 " Something is wrong," I thought, and turned 
 over in the direction of the barred window, close 
 to Longley's couch. There was a faint light, 
 and the sight that I saw filled me with horror. 
 
 A man hung to the bars from the outside. In 
 
FOUR WOULD-BE PLUNDERERS. 199 
 
 one hand he held a sharp dagger tied to a stout 
 stick. The dagger had been passed into the 
 room and the man was on the point of stick- 
 ing the dangerous-looking blade into Longley's 
 breast 1 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE FIGHT IN THE OFFICES. 
 
 " Longley, look out! " 
 
 Such was the cry which broke from my lips, 
 as I leaped to my feet. 
 
 At the same moment, I picked up a chair 
 standing near and hurled it at the arm thrust 
 through the window bars with all my might. 
 
 By pure good luck my aim was true, and the 
 seat of the chair struck the Spaniard's hand such 
 a smart blow that he gave a howl of . pain, 
 dropped stick and dagger, and fell back out of 
 sight. 
 
 " What is the matter? " came from Longley, 
 as he scrambled up from under the articles just 
 mentioned. At the same time Dan and Matt 
 Gory also arose. 
 
 " The window — a Spaniard wanted to knife 
 you," I answered, and turned up the light. 
 
 " This is the worst yet," said the clerk, as he 
 picked up the stick and examined the weapon 
 fastened to it. "By thunder! Ramon Del- 
 veraz!" 
 
 "Ramon Delveraz! What do you mean by 
 that? " queried Dan. 
 
THE FIGHT IN THE OFFICES. 20 1 
 
 " Here is the name on the dagger handle. 
 Ramon Delveraz is one of the Spaniards who are 
 trying to drive us into quitting these offices, so 
 that their land company can take possession of 
 this whole block." 
 
 " The man was a short, stout fellow with a 
 heavy beard." 
 
 " It must have been he! The scoundrel! 
 Where is he now? " 
 
 Longley rushed to the window and looked 
 out. Nobody was to be seen. Then he ran to 
 the front of the room. 
 
 " There he goes! " he cried, pointing to a re- 
 treating figure. " Oh, but I will pay him back 
 for this when the excitement is over." 
 
 The incident had banished sleep for the bal- 
 ance of the night, and we talked over the situa- 
 tion until daylight. 
 
 The sun came up clear and hot, but the streets 
 remained deserted, excepting for the soldiers on 
 guard. One of these came up to the doors be- 
 low and tried them to see if they were locked. 
 Longley spoke to him out of the window, but 
 he did not answer. 
 
 " They are ugly and there is no telling wl-at 
 they will do next," said the clerk. " It's lucky 
 they do not know that you are here." 
 
 " Won't those would-be plunderers tell them 
 of our arrival? " 
 
202 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " They do not know but what you belong 
 here." 
 
 Slowly the day wore along, growing hotter 
 and hotter, until at two o'clock the rooms were 
 like a bake oven. 
 
 " This is nothing," said Longley, after hearing 
 me complain of the heat. " It is only ninety-six 
 degrees to-day. Sometimes it is a hundred and 
 ten in the shade." 
 
 " I wouldn't want to live here very long," I 
 answered. " It would take all the starch out of 
 a fellow. I don't wonder that the natives are 
 lazy." 
 
 " Oh, some of them are no good anyhow," 
 said he. " They won't work, but spend their 
 time in sleeping, smoking, and in attending 
 cockfights and bullfights. Cockfighting, you 
 know, is the national sport." 
 
 " And it is a wicked, cruel thing, Longley. I 
 don't see how a man can call himself a man and 
 put in his time looking at one rooster trying to 
 tear another to death with steel spurs." 
 
 " It is all that you say of it, and so is bullfight- 
 ing. 
 
 " I'm glad we haven't any such national 
 sports," I went on. " Baseball and football are 
 good enough for me." 
 
 " They laugh at baseball and call it baby's 
 play." 
 
THE FIGHT IN THE OFFICES. 203 
 
 " Never mind, it isn't inhuman, and their 
 fights are." 
 
 " Fortunes are won and lost on bull- and cock- 
 fights. I have heard of thousands of pesetas 
 changing hands as the result of a single contest." 
 
 " That makes it all the worse. I don't want 
 to see or hear of such fights," I concluded, and 
 I meant what I said. I think these contests an 
 everlasting disgrace to Spain and every other 
 nation that permits them. 
 
 To fill in our time we helped Longley prepare 
 the mid-day meal and enjoyed the best the stock 
 of provisions on hand afforded. Our coffee was 
 native grown, and, seasoned with condensed 
 milk, made as good as drink as the best of Java. 
 
 " This island could have a splendid coffee 
 trade if it would only wake up," said Longley. 
 " Just see what the Dutch have done for Java. 
 The Spaniards are away behind the times." 
 
 " Spain is a nation of the past," said Dan. " I 
 have heard father say that she will never regain 
 the valuable prestige which she has lost. Her 
 possessions are dropping away one by one, and 
 in time she won't be able to hold even the 
 mother country together." 
 
 " It's because she don't trate the people 
 roight," broke in Matt Gory. " She takes ivery 
 cent fer taxes an' church purposes, and they be 
 strapped, an' git nothin' fer it. A mon as has 
 
204 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 a constant drain on his pocket-book wid no rec- 
 ompense, is apt to git mad sooner or later and 
 rise up an' swat somebody." 
 
 We all roared at these quaint remarks, yet rec- 
 ognized their truth. 
 
 " Spain will wake up when it is too late," said 
 Longley. " The people " 
 
 He stopped off short as a loud knocking be- 
 low reached our ears. Going to the window he 
 reported three Spanish soldiers below. 
 
 " Hide, all of you! " he continued, and rushed 
 to a side wall. Opening a doer, he showed us 
 a secret closet and we entered. 
 
 Slowly the minutes passed as we heard him go 
 below and hold a short and spirited conversation. 
 Then came a struggle and the report of a pistol. 
 
 " Here, I can't stand this! " cried Dan. " He 
 is in trouble and " 
 
 " We must help him," I finished, and leaped 
 out into the room. Longley had armed us with 
 pistols, and we descended the stairs on the 
 double-quick with the weapons in our hands, 
 and Gory tumbling after us.' 
 
 Longley stood leaning against a counter in 
 the rear office, the blood flowing from a wound 
 in his side. Near him stood the three Spaniards, 
 one with a pistol which still smoked from the dis- 
 charge. 
 
 Without hesitation we opened fire and as the 
 
THE FIGHT IN THE OFFICES. 205 
 
 three pistols rang out two of the Spaniards went 
 down, one shot in the side and the other in the 
 breast. At once the office began to fill with 
 smoke. 
 
 " Down with all — of — them! " gasped poor 
 Longley. " Don't — let — them — get — away or 
 you are — lost! " and then he fainted from loss of 
 blood. 
 
 We had seen the two soldiers fall and now all 
 three of us rushed through the smoke at the 
 third fellow. Again a pistol shot rang out, and 
 a bullet touched Matt Gory on the arm. But 
 that was the last time that that Don ever pulled 
 a trigger, for the Irishman fired in return and 
 he fell headlong, shot through the heart. 
 
 " Lock the door! " I cried, to Dan, and he 
 leaped to do as bidden. Then, seeing that 
 the two Spaniards on the floor were incapable of 
 doing further harm, I turned my attention to 
 poor Longley and carried him to a rattan lounge 
 which stood in a corner. 
 
 It was no easy task to bind up the clerk's 
 wound. By the time it was accomplished the 
 two Spaniards who had been knocked over were 
 coming around. Soon one of them began to 
 yell feebly for assistance. 
 
 "This will never do!" whispered Dan. 
 " We'll have the guards down on us in short 
 order. Gag them." 
 
206 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " I know a better trick," I answered, and 
 stepped over both men with my pistol. " Si- 
 lence! " I commanded, and pointed the weapon 
 at first one and then the other. 
 
 My meaning was clear even if my word of com- 
 mand was not, and with a shiver of terror the fel- 
 low who had been calling out relapsed into 
 silence. 
 
 " Help me! " came faintly from Longley, and 
 he sat up and stared about him. " Wha — what 
 has occurred? I — I thought I was shot down! " 
 
 " You were," answered Dan. 
 
 " And those three villains? " 
 
 " Two are wounded and lie yonder and the 
 third is dead." 
 
 " Thank heaven for that! " And then unable 
 to hold himself up longer, the clerk sank back 
 again. 
 
 Soon we heard the tramp of a dozen feet out- 
 side and there followed a loud knocking on the 
 door. We became as quiet as death. 
 
 " Open the door! " came the order, in Spanish, 
 but nobodv moved, while Dan and I and even 
 Matt Gory, wounded as he was, kept our pistols 
 ready for use. 
 
 " Open the door! " came the order a second 
 time. Then a brief discussion followed. " The 
 shooting must have come from elsewhere," said 
 
THE FIGHT IN THE OFFICES. i°1 
 
 a Spanish officer; and the patrol outside marched 
 on. 
 
 As I could not understand the talk, Dan trans- 
 lated it. " If we keep quiet for awhile I think 
 we'll be all right," he said. 
 
 And we did keep quiet, for an hour or more. 
 But nobody came near the offices during that 
 time, and at last we considered ourselves, for the 
 time being, safe. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 A LETTER OF GREAT IMPORTANCE. 
 
 During the time which passed Dan and I at- 
 tended to both Longley and Matt Gory's 
 wounds, and also did what we could for the two 
 Spaniards. The dead man was placed in the 
 cellar. 
 
 As I have mentioned, the Irish sailor's wound 
 was not a serious affair, and he soon insisted that 
 he was as ready for fighting as ever. Longley, 
 however, was in bad shape, and I felt he ought 
 to have a doctor's attention. 
 
 " Tell me where I can find a doctor and I'll 
 go for him," I said, and he gave me the necessary 
 directions, and I slipped off by a back alleyway. 
 
 Luckily I found the medical man at home. 
 He was an Englishman and readily consented to 
 come over to the offices and do what he could for 
 Longley. 
 
 " They should not harm him, since he is not 
 in this fight," said the doctor. " Do you im- 
 agine they mistreat Spaniards in San Francisco 
 and New York so? It is against international 
 rules of war and Spain will gain nothing by such 
 a course." 
 
A LETTER OF GREAT IMPORTANCE. 209 
 
 " They are bound to drive our firm from Ma- 
 nila, if they can. This is more of a personal than 
 a national difficulty." 
 
 " Still, they should treat you fairly." 
 
 An examination proved that Longley needed 
 rest and quietness if he was to recover. The 
 physician said if the clerk was removed to his 
 home he would take care of him. We debated 
 the matter, and resolved to remove Longley at 
 nightfall. 
 
 " And as soon as he is gone you had better 
 turn those two wounded Spaniards over to their 
 own people," went on the medical man. " I'll 
 make sure that they don't unearth Longley, even 
 if they hunt for him, which will be doubtful." 
 
 The removal was made without trouble, the 
 Spaniards having their hands full at the front, 
 watching Commodore Dewey's ships and his 
 marines and the rebel troops, which were press- 
 ing closer and closer to Manila. 
 
 As soon as Longley was safe we did as Dr. 
 Harkness advised, turned the Spaniards out, 
 laying them on a side street, where they were 
 soon picked up by a guard. The offices were 
 then locked up, and the doctor said he would 
 place them under the British flag for protection. 
 
 At midnight Dan, Matt Gory, and myself were 
 once again on the streets of the city, not knowing 
 which way to turn or what to do. 
 
210 A SAILOR SOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " Shall we go back to the ship? " queried Dan. 
 
 " Perhaps it might be as well," I said. " But 
 we may be captured at the city wall." 
 
 However, we determined to try our luck, and 
 set off in the midst of a rising storm. As we 
 moved onward, we heard a number of shots from 
 a distance, and presently found ourselves in the 
 midst of a mass of natives who were running for 
 their lives. 
 
 " There has been an uprising! " cried Dan, 
 after questioning a native. "Let us go along. 
 We can escape better in the crowd than if we 
 keep alone." 
 
 We rushed along the street, and presently 
 found ourselves among at least two hundred 
 Filipinos of all sorts and conditions. Some were 
 armed with rifles, but the majority carried noth- 
 ing but clubs, spears, and long knives, such as 
 were used on the plantations. 
 
 Coming to the river, a rush was made over the 
 bridge, and then began a flight to the north, up 
 a read that was six inches deep with mud. 
 
 " Now let us get out of this! " whispered Dan, 
 and we gradually drew to one side, like tame 
 horses withdrawing from a wild herd. 
 
 The rain had now stopped, but it was still 
 pitch-dark, and soon we had left the natives flee- 
 ing to the north of us, while we turned east- 
 ward. 
 
A LETTER OF GREAT IMPORTANCE. *" 
 
 " Listen! " exclaimed Dan, as a strange sound 
 reached our ears, above the rising wind. 
 " What is that? " 
 
 " It must be a cry for help! " I answered. 
 
 " Let us be afther investigatin'," put in Matt 
 Gory. " We may be able to do some feller-crit- 
 ter a big turn." 
 
 The cries seemed to come from a hillside 
 ahead, and we mounted this through dense brush 
 that dripped with water. 
 
 " There is a hut ahead," said Dan. " The 
 cries come from there." 
 
 " It must be a native in distress," I returned, 
 and moved on in advance. 
 
 " Help! help! " came suddenly, in an English 
 voice, and we quickened our pace, feeling that 
 one of our own soldier or sailor boys might be 
 in distress. 
 
 When we reached the bamboo hut a strange 
 sight met our gaze. On his back lay a white 
 man of at least seventy years of age. Kneeling 
 on his breast was a Tagal with drawn knife, while 
 another Tagal knelt at the old man's side, trying 
 to pull a money bag from his grasp. 
 
 "Hi! stop that!" I called out, and, rushing 
 in, kicked one of the Tagals so heavily in his 
 side that he rolled over and over on the earthen 
 floor. 
 
 At this the second native leaped up and rushed 
 
212 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 at me with his knife. But, before the blade 
 could descend, Dan fired at him, and his arm 
 fell helpless at his side. 
 
 "Help me; they have — have murdered me! " 
 gasped the old man, and turned over on his side 
 in pain, showing an ugly cut on his neck. With 
 a fierce mutter the Tagal I had kicked got up 
 and rushed at Dan, clutching him by the throat 
 and running him up against the wall of the hut. 
 But now Mat Gory leaped in, and a blow from 
 his pistol stretched the rascal senseless. Seeing 
 this, the native who had been shot took to his 
 heels and disappeared into the darkness outside. 
 
 There was a dim lantern burning beneath the 
 roof of the hut, and this light was now turned 
 up, that we might see more of this strange situa- 
 tion. 
 
 " I am — am done for," gasped the old man. 
 " That villain has torn my neck to pieces! " 
 
 " Let us bind the wound up," I answered ten- 
 derly. " Have you any rags handy? " 
 
 " Never mind — I know I cannot live. I — I — 
 can I trust you? " 
 
 " You can," answered Dan. " Have you a 
 message to leave? " 
 
 " I have. You are Americans? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " So am I. My name is Gaston Brown. I 
 have a son, a sailor, Watterson Brown, 
 who " 
 
A LETTER OF GREAT IMPORTANCE. 213 
 
 " I know him — Watt Brown. He was second 
 mate of the Dart," I ejaculated. 
 
 " So you know Watt? " The old man's eyes 
 brightened for an instant. " So much the bet- 
 ter. I have something for my son. If I die 
 will you deliver it? " 
 
 " I will— if I can." 
 
 " We will do our best," added Dan, and Matt 
 Gory nodded. 
 
 " Sure, an' we were all on the Dart wid yer 
 son," added the Irishman. 
 
 " I cannot leave Watt much money; but I 
 have a precious letter for him. That letter must 
 not be lost. Will you defend it while it is in your 
 keeping? " 
 
 " Yes," I answered. " But hadn't you better 
 acquaint me with its contents, in case it is lost? " 
 
 " It must not be lost. It is — is in the tin box, 
 buried in yonder corner. Give it to Watt with 
 my blessing. Tell him — tell him — water! " 
 
 " He is dying! " whispered Dan, and ran for 
 water, while I raised the elderly individual up. 
 I wanted to tell him how Watt was situated, but 
 it was too late. A strange rattle sounded in his 
 throat, and before my chum could place the cup 
 of water to his lips, his soul had fled. 
 
 " Sure an' he is gone! " whispered Matt Gory, 
 the first to break the silence. " God rist 
 him!" 
 
2 14 a sailor boy with dewey. 
 
 "This was a strange way to live," I began, 
 when Dan cut me short. 
 
 " We must not lose time here, Oliver. Let us 
 get that letter and be going." 
 
 We hunted in a corner of the hut and began 
 to dig down at a spot where it looked as if the 
 soil had been recently disturbed. 
 
 " That's the box," said Matt Gory, as we 
 heard a metallic click, and soon the box was 
 brought to light — a square affair, painted black. 
 
 It was unlocked, and, opening it, we found 
 that it contained nothing but a long, thick envel- 
 ope, tightly sealed, and addressed to Watterson 
 Brown, mate, on board the schooner Dart. Be- 
 low were added the words: 
 
 " From his father, with the hope that the for- 
 tune may prove a blessing." 
 
 "A fortune for Watt Brown," mused Dan. 
 " Well, he deserves it, for he's a good fellow." 
 
 " If only he isn't dead. In that case I won't 
 know what to do with the letter," I answered, as 
 I tucked the precious document away in my 
 pocket. Little did I dream of all of the adven- 
 tures into which that letter was to one day lead 
 me. 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 TREED BY BUFFALO BULLS. 
 
 " This silent inaction is growing monoto- 
 nous." 
 
 It was Dan who spoke, and he addresed me, 
 while both of us and Matt Gory took it easy in 
 front of a deserted house we had chanced upon 
 on a side road some miles away from Manila. 
 
 After burying Gaston Brown our flight had 
 taken us to the north, and we had rested at the 
 house for two days, undecided what to do next. 
 
 " If we try to move past Manila and toward 
 Cavite, we'll run into both rebels and Span- 
 iards, and I don't want to do that," I said. " I 
 am rather sick of this fighting." 
 
 " So am I, Oliver. But we must do some- 
 thing. We can't sit here and suck our thumbs." 
 
 " Let us try to make our way up past Subig 
 Bay to the coast and find out what has become 
 of the Dart." 
 
 " Sure, an' that same suits me," put in Matt 
 Gory. " Oi wants that dudeen of mine th' worst 
 way, so Oi do. Bad cess to any haythin' as has 
 stholen th' same!" He spoke of his old pipe 
 
 "5 
 
216 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 constantly, for it had been his friend for many- 
 years. 
 
 " Your dudeen ought to be strong enough to 
 walk to where you are, Matt," laughed Dan. 
 Then his face grew thoughtful. " It would be 
 a long trip to the Dart, and we may fall in with 
 lots of Tagals." 
 
 " Perhaps not, Dan. I have an idea that all 
 of the natives are now gathering around Manila, 
 and we will find the coast almost clear." 
 
 " There is something in that. Well, I'm will- 
 ing. Anything is better than staying here with 
 hardly anything to eat but cocoanuts and plan- 
 tains." 
 
 Nevertheless, we did not move away until 
 twenty-four hours later. Our rest at the house 
 had done us good, and at the place we had 
 picked up a new pair of boots for Matt, a coat 
 for Dan, and a new straw hat for myself, besides 
 some canned goods, which, however, we had not 
 opened, determined to keep them until we could 
 find nothing else. 
 
 The day we set off it was cooler than it had 
 been for some time, and as the road was com- 
 paratively level, we made good time, and by 
 nightfall had covered fifteen miles. 
 
 We had met only a few natives, and these of 
 the mild sort, who merely stared at us in open- 
 mouthed wonder. 
 
TREED BY BUFFALO BULLS. 217 
 
 " There is one thing certain," I said, as we 
 went into camp that night. " Not all of these 
 people want to fight." 
 
 " That is true, Oliver. I believe, if they were 
 left alone, a good portion of the Filipinos would 
 prove absolutely harmless. But the warlike 
 class keep the others in a constant state of ex- 
 citement." 
 
 Several days passed, including a Sunday, when 
 we let up on our travels and rested. We had 
 now entered the hills, and traveling became more 
 difficult. We might have lost our way ; but from 
 the wreck of the schooner Matt Gory had saved 
 both a chart and a compass, and these now stood 
 us in good stead. 
 
 The weather remained clear, but knowing that 
 storms are frequent, we made the most of our 
 time while it did not rain. We had now struck 
 the seacoast north of Subig Bay, and we calcu- 
 lated that a week's added traveling would see us 
 at the spot where the Dart lay and where we had 
 had so many adventures on first landing. 
 
 Two days later we came on a plateau over- 
 looking the sea. It was still clear, and we had 
 hardly reached the place when Matt Gory 
 pointed out a sail on the horizon. 
 
 " Some ship sailing around, even if there is 
 a war on," said Dan. " I wonder what sort of a 
 craft she is? " 
 
218 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " A Chinese junk," answered the Irish sailor. 
 " Oi kin tell 'em as far as Oi kin see 'em." 
 
 " Well, we don't want anything to do with 
 their junks," I answered. " It was a Chinese 
 craft that knocked that hole in the Dart." 
 
 Soon the sail disappeared from view on its 
 way up the coast, and we started to continue our 
 journey. We had gone on less than a mile when 
 a strange tramping behind us brought us to a 
 halt. 
 
 " What is that? " I questioned, as I drew my 
 pistol. 
 
 " Horsemen approaching, I reckon," mur- 
 mured Dan. " We had better hide." 
 
 But hiding was not so easy, as only some tall 
 trees were around, the ground being too stony 
 for small brush of any thickness. 
 
 " They be comin' closer! " cried Matt Gory. 
 " Sure an' we had betther take to the trees, me 
 b'ys!" 
 
 " We'll have to help one another up," I said. 
 " Come on." 
 
 We chose some mahogany trees, two growing 
 close together. By boosting and hauling we 
 managed with much difficulty to gain the lower 
 limbs just as the newcomers came into view 
 around a turn of a hillside. 
 
 "Gracious! Buffalo bulls!" cried Dan. 
 
 "Sure an' they are no immies!" cried Matt 
 

 
 M^^r*. 
 
 BEFORE THE BUFFALO BULL COULD REACH HIM, DAN'S PISTOL 
 RANG OUT." 
 
TREED BY BUFFALO BULLS: 219 
 
 Gory, and without thinking twice, dropped to 
 the ground again. 
 
 " Come up here! " roared Dan. " Do you 
 want to be horned to pieces? " 
 
 " Will they horn one? " I queried. 
 
 " Yes, as quickly as a mad bull at home." 
 
 " Then, Matt, get up, and be quick about it." 
 
 There was no need to tell the Irish sailor twice. 
 A buffalo bull had spotted him, and with a wild 
 snort, was coming for him, horns down. 
 
 " Be the powers! " gasped Gory. " Save me! 
 hilp ! " and he made a wild dash for the tree, but 
 slipped and fell. 
 
 T fully expected to see him gored to death, 
 but, before the buffalo bull could reach him, 
 Dan's pistol rang out, and the beast staggered 
 and dropped back, with an ugly wound just be- 
 low his left eye. 
 
 " Come, Matt, get up! " I yelled, and as the 
 sailor made for the tree, I leaned far down and 
 caught his hand. Just as I hauled him up the 
 bull made another charge, striking the tree trunk 
 with a shock that shook the tree from end to 
 end. 
 
 In a minute more we found the two mahogany, 
 trees surrounded by exactly eleven bulls, for 
 these curious creatures sometimes congregate in 
 this fashion, although not always. They were 
 wild-looking beasts, and from their breathing 
 
220 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 we felt certain that they had come a long dis- 
 tance. 
 
 " They have been pursued," said Dan. " Usu- 
 ally they are fairly tame, although not to be tri- 
 fled with." 
 
 " Sure and Oi've had a narrow escape! " 
 panted Matt Gory. "See! see! phwat is up 
 now? " 
 
 He pointed to the wounded bull, that had cir- 
 cled around and, without warning, charged one 
 of his mates. Instantly there was a counter 
 charge, and the crashing together of two skulls 
 could be distinctly heard. Then the wounded 
 bull went down on his knees and several of his 
 mates fell upon him and tore him into shreds. 
 
 It was a disgusting sight, and I had to turn 
 away, for fear of getting sick and tumbling from 
 the branch upon which I rested. " Now we 
 have a sample of bullfighting, I suppose," I said. 
 
 "Yes, and it's simply horrible!" murmured 
 Dan. Matt Gory, however, seemed to enjoy the 
 contest, and let out a hurrah as the bull fell over 
 dead. 
 
 " It serves the baste roight fer attackin' me," 
 he said. " Bad luck to the rascal! " 
 
 After the killing of the bull, his mates with- 
 drew to a distance of twenty or thirty yards, in 
 the meantime tossing their heads at us and giv- 
 ing occasional snorts of anger. 
 
TREED BY BUFFALO BULLS. 221 
 
 " They are aching to get at us," was Dan's 
 comment. " And just for the fun of killing us, 
 too, since they won't touch meat." 
 
 " We're in a serious dilemma, Dan," I an- 
 swered. " We can't stay here forever." 
 
 " Neither can the bulls." 
 
 " But some of them may keep coming and go- 
 ing, and thus starve us out." 
 
 " No; I think if they once make a move to 
 leave, they'll go in a bunch." 
 
 After this several hours went by, and still the 
 bulls stayed where they were. Then came a sud- 
 den clatter of ponies' hoofs on the road and the 
 yells of half a dozen natives. 
 
 " The Tagals are coming now, beyond a 
 doubt," I said. 
 
 " And the bulls are running for it," answered 
 Dan, and he was right; at the first cries from the 
 natives the buffalo bulls scampered off like 
 frightened deer, and that was the last we saw of 
 them. 
 
 We had scarcely time to draw up into the top- 
 most branches of the mahoganies when the pony 
 riders put in an appearance. Six short, wicked- 
 looking Tagals rode the animals. 
 
 A shout went up when the carcass of the dead 
 bull was discovered. A jabbering in a native 
 dialect followed, and two Tagals left, presumably 
 to find out what had become of the rest of the 
 
222 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 herd. While this hunt was made, two other na- 
 tives cut off a number of juicy buffalo steaks and 
 placed them in leaves bound with vines. 
 
 " I hope they don't go into camp here," mur- 
 mured Dan to me. 
 
 " Or that they don't discover some trace of 
 us," I returned. 
 
 " We had better hold ourselves in readiness 
 for an attack," put in Matt Gory, and we thought 
 this good advice and followed it. 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 CAPTAIN KENNY AGAIN. 
 
 We were compelled to pass the night in the 
 trees, the Tagals encamping less than a hundred 
 feet away, and the night proving so light that 
 escape was out of the question. 
 
 But at dawn our enemies departed, and then 
 we lost no time in dropping to the ground and 
 moving on, first, however, helping ourselves to 
 all of the steaks we could conveniently carry. 
 
 Our course lay along the hills, and soon we 
 crossed the canyon where Captain Kenny had 
 played me such a dastardly trick. Here we 
 paused for a dinner of the steaks, and I think I 
 can truthfully say that never did a repast taste 
 sweeter. 
 
 " I only hope I can square accounts with Cap- 
 tain Kenny some time," I said. " I shall never 
 feel satisfied until I know he has received his 
 deserts." 
 
 " Villains are not always brought to justice, 
 Oliver," answered Dan. " But I haven't any 
 doubt but that we will meet Captain Kenny some 
 time or another, and if we do " Dan fin- 
 ished by a determined shake of his head that 
 meant a good deal. 
 
224 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 We were now approaching those mountains 
 which I mentioned in the earlier chapters of my 
 tale, and, consequently, our progress was much 
 slower. 
 
 " It's a good thing that it remains dry," said 
 Dan, as we toiled up one hill and down another. 
 " I don't want any thunderstorms." 
 
 " No, especially if the lightning is going to 
 strike close by," I added. " I wish we were in 
 sight of the sea." 
 
 " I think we'll reach it by to-morrow." 
 
 My chum's surmise was correct, for about 
 noon of the day following we came out upon the 
 shore of the China Sea, close to the point where 
 I had been cast up in company with Watt Brown 
 and several others. 
 
 " This looks a bit familiar," I cried, as I ran 
 out on the sand. 
 
 "Hi! be careful," shouted Dan. "Do you 
 want those Tagals to spot you? " 
 
 " Not much ! " I returned, and scampered for 
 shelter with equal alacrity. After that I pro- 
 ceeded with more caution. 
 
 It was determined to push on without delay to 
 where the Dart had come ashore. This would 
 bring us in the vicinity of the stranded craft 
 about nightfall and enable us to take in the situa- 
 tion under cover of the darkness. 
 
 It was about four o'clock, and we reckoned 
 
CAPTAIN KENNY AGAIN. 225 
 
 that we must soon come in sight of the Dart, 
 when Matt Gory suddenly pulled my arm. 
 
 "The Chinese junk!" he ejaculated. "She 
 is heading in shore! " 
 
 " By Jove, Matt is right! " answered Dan. 
 " What can this mean? " 
 
 " It means that they have spotted the Dart 
 and are coming ashore to investigate," I replied. 
 " I suppose they think they have discovered a 
 rich haul." 
 
 " In that case we must get to the wreck first! " 
 said Dan. " Come, let us leg it! " 
 
 And run we did, at the best speed at our com- 
 mand, and forgetting all about the possible prox- 
 imity of the Tagals. Soon the Dart came into 
 view, lying exactly as she had before, but now 
 totally deserted excepting for a single figure that 
 stood on the deck, armed with a gun and two 
 pistols. 
 
 " Watt Brown! " I yelled, and Dan and Matt 
 Gory also cried out. 
 
 At the sounds of our voices the second mate 
 turned swiftly and fell back in amazement. 
 
 "Well! well!" he ejaculated, when he could 
 speak. " I thought you fellows were all dead. 
 Come on board and help me hold the fort." 
 
 "Hold the fort?" I asked. "Against 
 whom? " 
 
 " Yonder Chinamen, Raymond. I've been 
 
226 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 watching 'em through a glass, and they are pi- 
 rates, I'm dead sure on it! " 
 
 " We can't hold th' fort agin' a shipload of 
 'em," grumbled Matt Gory. 
 
 " I have a small cannon waiting for them," an- 
 swered Watt Brown. " I am bound to hold the 
 fort until the Concord comes back." 
 
 " The Concord I " I burst out. " Do you mean 
 the gunboat of Dewey's fleet? " 
 
 " I do." 
 
 " And has she been here? " put in Dan, with 
 equal interest. 
 
 " Yes, and she picked up nearly all of our old 
 crew that were alive excepting Captain Kenny 
 and Ah Sid, the cook. Tom Dawson was on 
 her." 
 
 " Good fer Tom, I knew he would do some- 
 thin'!" cried the Irish sailor. "But how is it 
 you are keeping the fort, as you call it? " 
 
 " I escaped from the Tagals and fell in with 
 some of the owners of the Dart at Manila. They 
 are down on Captain Kenny, and they were on 
 the point of having him arrested for fraud when 
 he got to Manila. They asked me to come back 
 and claim the property, and the schooner is to be 
 floated and turned over to the United States 
 Government for coast service during this 
 war. Now will all of you help me, or won't 
 you? " 
 
CAPTAIN KENNY AGAIN. 227 
 
 "Certainly we will!" cried Dan, and Matt 
 Gory and I said the same. 
 
 There was no time to talk further, and we 
 hastened to look about the Bart to learn how we 
 were to defend the schooner from attack. The 
 howitzer Watt Brown had mentioned was al- 
 ready loaded, and the second mate said he would 
 attend to the piece himself if only we would look 
 after the small-arms ; said small-arms being eight 
 muskets, all loaded, lying in a row by the rail, 
 alongside of a biscuit box full of cartridges ! 
 
 " Sure an ye are afther bein' a whole company 
 of marines in wan! " observed Matt Gory, as he 
 surveyed the preparations. " It puts me in mind 
 o' the man as used to go around Irish fairs play- 
 ing a dhrum, a fife, and fiddle, an' a hurdy-gurdy 
 all in wan, wid the sweetest music " 
 
 " They are coming, and we haven't a minute 
 to lose," interrupted Dan, and took up two of the 
 guns. " Keep out of sight, boys, or they may 
 pick us off at long range! " 
 
 " I would like to have a look through your 
 glasses," I said, and he readily handed them 
 over. My eyes are good, and as I gazed at the 
 junk I saw she had lowered all of her sails and 
 was dropping a small boat into the sea. 
 
 " They are coming over here, for sure," I 
 said. 
 
 " Let me take a look," said Dan, and took the 
 
228 A SAILOR SOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 glasses from my hands. " By Jove! " he gasped, 
 a minute later. 
 
 " What is it, Dan? " 
 
 " There is a white man in that boat! " 
 
 "A white man, eh?" broke in Watt Brown. 
 " Who can he be? " 
 
 " I can't make out yet." 
 
 " And how many yellow fellers? " asked Matt 
 Gory. 
 
 " Six sailors and an officer." 
 
 " Eight, all told," mused the second mate. 
 " Well, we ought to prove a match for 'em." 
 
 " We ought not to shed blood if it can be 
 avoided," I said. 
 
 " True for you, Raymond ; but you must re- 
 member that pirates are pirates the world over." 
 
 Slowly the small boat came closer. Watt 
 Brown continued to watch it through the glass. 
 Then of a sudden he gave a gasp. 
 
 "Captain Kenny!" 
 
 " What? " we ejaculated in chorus. 
 
 " The white man is Captain Kenny — and one 
 of the men at the oars is Ah Sid! " 
 
 " What in the world are they doing among 
 those pirates? " I asked. 
 
 " That remains to be seen. More than likely 
 Captain Kenny ha3 heard what the other own- 
 ers of the Dart want to do, and he is going to 
 
CAPTAIN KENNY AGAIN. 229 
 
 turn the craft over to those Chinamen," an- 
 swered the second mate. 
 
 " Has he a right to do that? " 
 
 " I don't think he has— and whether he has or 
 not, I'm not going to let him do it," and Watt 
 Brown shook his head determinedly. " He's a 
 bad egg." 
 
 " He is that," I went on. " I want to bring 
 him to justice myself. Why, he tried to take 
 my life! " 
 
 " We'll hold the fort, as Brown says," put in 
 Dan. " The question is, how are we going to 
 doit?" 
 
 " I'll show you! " cried the second mate, and 
 snatching up one of the muskets he shot it off 
 in the air. 
 
 As the report rolled out to sea the rowers in 
 the small boat dropped their blades, while Cap- 
 tain Kenny leaped to his feet. The former com- 
 mander waved his hand, as Watt Brown came 
 into view. 
 
 "Ahoy, there!" he cried, at the top of his 
 lungs. 
 
 For reply the second mate seized a speak- 
 ing trumpet with which he had supplied him- 
 self. " Keep off! " he yelled. " Keep off, or 
 we'll blow you and your boat to kingdom 
 come! " 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 A FIGHT AT LONG RANGE. 
 
 There is no doubt but that Captain Kenny was 
 taken completely by surprise. As a matter of 
 fact he had expected to find nobody on board 
 or near the Dart, knowing that all of the Tagals 
 of that territory had moved away to join the in- 
 surgent forces operating around Manila. 
 
 For a minute after Watt Brown had delivered 
 his warning there was a silence, broken only by 
 the soft lapping of the waves as they broke 
 against the Dart's sides. 
 
 " What is that you say? " demanded the cap- 
 tain at length. 
 
 " I warn you to keep off," shouted Watt 
 Brown. " Come closer at your peril! " 
 
 " What right have you to talk to me in this 
 fashion, Brown? " 
 
 " A good deal of right, Captain Kenny. I 
 have found you out, and so have others ; and you 
 are a thorough villain." 
 
 " What have you found out? " 
 
 " Found out that you were trying to defraud 
 the other owners, for one thing." 
 
A FIGHT AT LONG RANGE. 231 
 
 " It aint so! " stormed the former skipper of 
 the schooner. 
 
 " It is so." 
 
 " And you tried to take my life! " I called out, 
 as I showed myself for the first time. 
 
 "Raymond!" he ejaculated, and for the in- 
 stant he could say no more. 
 
 " I have a good body of men with me," con- 
 tinued Watt Brown, " and I warn you to keep 
 off." 
 
 " The ship is mine, and I intend to have her," 
 was the reckless return. 
 
 Captain Kenny turned to Ah Sid and spoke to 
 the Chinaman. In return the former cook of the 
 Dart interpreted his remarks for his countrymen. 
 
 A short discussion took place, and then Cap- 
 tain Kenny called out once more. 
 
 " We are coming on board, Brown, and the 
 best thing you can do is to make a peaceful sur- 
 render." 
 
 " We won't surrender, and if you come ten 
 feet nearer we'll open fire on you." 
 
 "You won't dare!" 
 
 " We will dare. Do you know who this boat 
 belongs to? " 
 
 " She belongs to me." 
 
 " She belongs to the United States Govern- 
 ment — or will belong to the government very 
 soon." 
 
23 2 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " On the contrary, she belongs to the captain 
 of yonder Chinese junk." 
 
 "Not much! Now keep off ! I have warned 
 you for the last time. If you don't — " 
 
 Watt Brown got no further. While he had 
 been speaking Captain Kenny had drawn his 
 pistol, and now, taking sudden aim, he let drive, 
 the bullet clipping the second mate's forelock. 
 
 "The rascal!" I burst out, and was on the 
 point of firing when the howitzer roared out, 
 sending a shot cutting over the small boat's bow. 
 A splinter planted itself in Ah Sid's shoulder and 
 we were glad to see that unworthy Celestial 
 squirm with pain. 
 
 The discharge of the ship's cannon alarmed 
 the Chinamen more than all threats would have 
 done, and catching up their oars, they turned 
 the battered small boat about and made for the 
 junk. 
 
 " That scared them," cried Dan. 
 
 " Can't Oi have a shot at 'em? " queried Mat 
 Gory disappointedly. 
 
 " You may get more shots than you want be- 
 fore we have done with 'em," smiled Watt 
 Brown grimly. 
 
 " You think they will come back? " said Dan. 
 
 " Most certainly Captain Kenny will be back. 
 He's not the fellow to give up so readily." 
 
 We watched the small boat until it was out of 
 
A FIGHT A T LONG RANGE. 233 
 
 range, then dropped our weapons and sought 
 shelter from the fierce rays of the setting sun. 
 During the excitement I had forgotten about 
 Watt Brown's packet, but now I brought it forth 
 and handed it to him, and in as gentle a way as 
 I could, told him of his parent's death. 
 
 " Poor father! " he murmured, and tears stood 
 on his rough cheeks. " He was a good man, 
 even if he was queer. I wish I could have been 
 with him when he died." 
 
 He then proceeded to tell us something of his 
 parent's history, how he had been first a sailor, 
 then a doctor, and then a rover of the earth in 
 search of adventure. 
 
 " He has been to nearly every country on the 
 globe," he continued. " He was always wanting 
 to see the unknown and the strange. He did 
 not travel so much when my mother was living, 
 but after she died he could not content himself 
 in one place for more than six months or a year 
 at the most. He came to Manila with me on my 
 last trip and intended to look for a Kanaka 
 whom he had once met in the Hawaiian Islands." 
 
 " He said the document was of great value," 
 I answered. " I hope it proves so." 
 
 " I'll look it over the first chance I get. Now 
 is no time to think of anything like that, since 
 those heathens are coming our way a second 
 time," concluded Watt Brown. 
 
234 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 He was right about the Chinamen. The small 
 boat had left the junk and was moving up the 
 shore as swiftly as the oarsmen could drive it 
 through the surf. Captain Kenny was again on 
 board, but Ah Sid was missing. 
 
 " They are going to make for the beach and 
 attack us from land," exclaimed Dan. 
 
 " Can't we hit him with the howitzer? " asked 
 Matt Gory. " You are afther bein' a foine shot, 
 Brown." 
 
 " I'll try it," answered the mate, and once 
 again the cannon was loaded. To sight the 
 piece was difficult, as the small boat danced up 
 and down on the waves incessantly. 
 
 When the howitzer was touched off it was 
 seen that the shot had passed over the small boat. 
 That it had come close, however, was proven by 
 the consternation on board, several of the Ce- 
 lestials having dropped their oars in terror. 
 
 "Missed!" muttered Watt Brown. "Try 
 the muskets." 
 
 We at once complied, the mate firing with us. 
 But the distance was too great for those who 
 were not sharpshooters, and none of the bullets 
 took effect, excepting upon the small boat. 
 
 Before the howitzer could be loaded again the 
 party landed and, hauling the rowboat up on the 
 sands, they ran for the shelter of the trees and 
 rocks. 
 
A FIGHT A T LONG RANGE. 235 
 
 " Take the small-arms over to port," ordered 
 Watt Brown. " They'll be coming out through 
 the woods in less than ten minutes." 
 
 " Another boat is putting off from the junk! " 
 exclaimed Dan, who had picked up the glasses. 
 
 " Six, seven, eight, nine men are coming over 
 in her! And they have a small gun on board! " 
 
 " Seven and nine make sixteen," I said. 
 " Sixteen to four are pretty big odds." 
 
 " Yis, but we are afther havin' the advantage 
 of position," returned Matt Gory. " Brown, 
 can't ye be afther blowin' that second boat sky- 
 hoigh wid th' howitzer? " 
 
 " I can try," answered the second mate. 
 
 He had already reloaded the piece, and as the 
 second small boat came closer he began to sight 
 the gun. 
 
 " There is a flag of truce! " cried Dan, as an 
 officer in the boat held up a white handkerchief 
 by two of the corners. 
 
 " We don't recognize any flag of truce! " cried 
 Watt Brown. " I'll show 'em that none o' their 
 dirty Chinese tricks will work on me!" 
 
 And rushing around he found a big red blan- 
 ket and swung it defiantly to the breeze. For 
 several seconds the Chinamen refused to recog- 
 nize the return signal, but then the white hand- 
 kerchief dropped and the second small boat came 
 to a lazy roll on the long waves. 
 
236 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " Watch the woods! " sang out Watt Brown. 
 " I'll keep these fellows at bay, never fear." 
 
 " I see some forms behind yonder trees," said 
 Dan, a second later. " They are coming on as 
 fast as they can, and each man has a pistol and 
 a rifle! They mean fight! " 
 
 " Take that, ye villain ! " came from Matt 
 Gory, and taking a quick aim, he fired, and the 
 foremost of the Celestials went down, hit in the 
 side. 
 
 This serious shot brought the crowd under 
 Captain Kenny to a halt, and in a twinkle all dis- 
 appeared again from view. 
 
 " They are gone," said the Irish sailor. 
 
 " They'll be coming on again, soon," said the 
 second mate. And his words proved only too 
 true. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 THE WRECKING OF THE HOWITZER. 
 
 For fully five minutes the situation remained 
 unchanged, and during that time we took the 
 opportunity to reload the empty weapons and 
 bring out several others that had been hidden in 
 a secret closet of the cabin. 
 
 It must not be supposed that I had forgotten 
 my money belt and the documents belonging to 
 our firm. I had thought of them several times, 
 but, as yet, had not dared to go below to see if 
 they were safe. 
 
 Mow, however, both Dan and I hurried to the 
 stateroom which we had occupied. The door 
 was closed, but not locked, and we entered, to 
 find all pitch dark, the port-hole having become 
 covered with mud. 
 
 Striking a match, we lit a lantern and pro- 
 ceeded to make an investigation. Trunks and 
 lockers had been broken open, and clothing and 
 other things lay around in confusion. 
 
 " Not a money belt in sight ! " I groaned, after 
 a search. " And the documents are gone, too! " 
 
 237 
 
23 8 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 " We haven't looked everywhere, yet," an- 
 swered Dan. " Turn over the bed mat- 
 tresses." 
 
 " How could they get into the beds? " I asked. 
 " If those rascally Tagals " 
 
 A shout from the deck interrupted me, and 
 dropping everything I flew through the cabin 
 and up the companion-way stairs, with Dan be- 
 hind me. 
 
 " The second boat is coming on again! " an- 
 nounced Watt Brown. " Watch the woods, for 
 there may be some understanding between the 
 two attacking parties." 
 
 " Sure an' thim rascals are coming on, too! " 
 burst in Matt Gory. " Down, all of yez! " and 
 he dropped flat on the deck. 
 
 We did the same, and just then a volley of rifle 
 shots rang out, and one of the bullets tore its 
 way through the top of Dan's straw hat, while 
 all came alarmingly close. 
 
 " On and at them! " shouted Captain Kenny, 
 forgetful, no doubt, that the Celestials could not 
 understand a word. And he led the way in a 
 rush for the ship. 
 
 By this time the second small boat was less 
 than two hundred feet off and coming forward 
 with all the speed that the eight sturdy oarsmen 
 could command. The officer in the bow was at 
 the small cannon mentioned, and at what he 
 
THE WRECKING OF THE HOWITZER. 239 
 
 deemed a favorable moment touched off the 
 piece. 
 
 His aim was certainly a good one, for the ball 
 hit the howitzer and sent it flying from its car- 
 riage and rolling over the deck to port. A por- 
 tion of the block was splintered, and a bit of 
 woodwork flew up and hit Watt Brown in the 
 breast, inflicting an ugly and dangerous wound. 
 
 " Brown is killed! " burst out Dan in horror, 
 and knelt down at his side. 
 
 " Never mind — m — e," came in a gasp from 
 the second mate. " Repel boarders, or w — we 
 are — lo — lost! " and then he fainted dead away. 
 
 He spoke the truth, for now the second boat 
 was almost alongside, while Captain Kenny and 
 his command were less than fifty feet away. 
 
 " Gory, cover the boat! " I yelled. " Dan, fire 
 with me at the captain's crowd! " and I blazed 
 away, and had the satisfaction of seeing another 
 Celestial go down. 
 
 Dan followed my command and succeeded in 
 hitting Captain Kenny in the leg. It was not a 
 serious wound, but it made the rascal drop on 
 his breast, uttering loud cries of pain and terror. 
 "Don't hit me again! Don't!" he screamed, 
 and crawled over the sands to where there was 
 a rock, behind which he hid himself, muttering 
 bitter imprecations at what he termed his hard 
 luck. 
 
246 A SAtLOS BOY WITtt DEWEY. 
 
 The fall of their leader disconcerted the China- 
 men, and again they halted. In the meantime 
 Matt Gory had picked out the officer in the 
 second boat and laid him low with a bullet 
 through the chest. 
 
 "Hurrah fer Uncle Sam!" roared the Irish 
 sailor enthusiastically. " Hurrah fer another 
 Dewey victory!" and he discharged an ad- 
 ditional musket and a second Celestial fell over 
 among his companions. 
 
 But now the fighting became general and to 
 go into all of the details would be impossible. I 
 fired three shots and then saw three Chinamen 
 coming up over the stern of the Dart, where 
 those from shore and those from the second 
 small boat had joined forces. 
 
 "They are coming aboard!" cried Dan. 
 " Fire at them! Give it to them hot! " and he 
 blazed away, and one of the Celestials fell back 
 among his friends. 
 
 But now five of the enemy came up, firing 
 several rounds as they advanced, and the deck 
 became filled with smoke. Soon it was a hand- 
 to-hand encounter, and we found ourselves 
 gradually forced back to the companion 
 way. 
 
 "We can't stand up against 'em!" panted 
 Matt Gory, as he shouldered up to me with the 
 blood streaming from a cut in his cheek. " They 
 
THE WRECKING OF THE HOWITZER. 241 
 
 are afther bein' too many for us, bad cess to 
 'em!" 
 
 " Let us take a final stand in the cabin," I an- 
 swered. " Remember, possession is nine points 
 of the law." 
 
 Matt Gory was willing and tumbled down the 
 companion way, followed by Dan and myself. 
 As we burst into the cabin we shut the door be- 
 hind us and locked it. 
 
 The Celestials were now baffled for the mo- 
 ment and we heard them running around the 
 deck, speculating upon what they had best do 
 next. We used this time to barricade the door 
 and to reload our pistols, our guns having been 
 left behind us. 
 
 Soon came a hammering and a demand in Chi- 
 nese, probably to open the door. For an an- 
 swer, Matt Gory stepped close, and before we 
 could stop him, fired a shot through a panel. A 
 yell of pain followed, and we heard the stagger- 
 ing footsteps of the wounded man as he hurried 
 on deck again. 
 
 " That was a bad move, Matt," I said. 
 "They'll do something awful in revenge; you 
 see if they don't! " 
 
 "I couldn't hilp it, the ould Nick take 'em! " 
 was the reply. " If thim haythins oncet gain — 
 hark, phat's that!" 
 A loud booming of -a big cannon over the 
 
242 A SAILOR SOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 waters had reached all of our ears. We list<=ied 
 intently and presently another report followed. 
 
 " It is a sr.c from a man-o'-war! " I burst out. 
 " If it's an American ship we are saved! " 
 
 " Perhaps it is the Concord! " came from Dan. 
 " Don't you remember what Watt Brown said? " 
 
 " Yes; but could she come in here? " 
 
 " There would be no need. She has that 
 Chinese junk at her mercy." 
 
 " Sure an' if it's wan of our warships we must 
 be afther flyin' a signal of distress! " exclaimed 
 Matt Gory. 
 
 " That is true, Matt; but how can we do it?'" 
 
 " Here is a flag," answered Dan, hauling it 
 from the case in the closet. " If we can get that 
 up " 
 
 " Oi'll put it up! " cried the Irishman, who was 
 too excited to even think of the danger. " Here 
 goes!" and he hurried to a passageway lead- 
 ing through to the forecastle. 
 
 I could not resist the temptation to follow 
 him, and Dan did the same. We entered the 
 forecastle to find it as much disordered as our 
 stateroom had been, for the Tagals had used it as 
 a shelter during their brief stay on the Dart. 
 
 " Now to get up the mast unobserved ! " 
 whispered the Irish sailor, and moving cau- 
 tiously out upon the forward deck, he started to 
 carry out his design, the flag under his arm. 
 
THE WRECKING OF THE HOWITZER. 243 
 
 He had taken less than a dozen steps when 
 there came a Chinese yell and the crack of a 
 rifle, and poor Gory pitched headlong. A rush 
 to the forecastle followed. 
 
 " Back, Dan, it's our only chance," I cried. 
 " They won't grant us any mercy if they catch 
 us ! " and we flew back into the passageway and 
 to the cabin, locking the second door and barri- 
 cading it like the first. 
 
 The Chinamen followed us along the pass- 
 age and we heard them pounding on the doors 
 for several seconds. But then came a call from 
 the deck and the dull booming of the cannon we 
 had before heard. 
 
 " That shooting means something," said Dan. 
 " Oh if only the Concord has arrived! " 
 
 " With Tom Dawson and the rest of our 
 friends on board! " I added. 
 
 The rush of footsteps on the deck continued, 
 and we heard several Celestials in earnest con- 
 sultation. 
 
 " They are up to something," whispered Dan. 
 " Poor Brown ! I wonder if he and Matt Gory are 
 dead? " 
 
 " Captain Kenny will have much to answer 
 for," I answered. " He is responsible for the 
 whole muss." 
 
 We waited for a few minutes more. Then 
 came another rush of footsteps and we heard the 
 
244 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 Chinamen leaving the Dart by the side nearest 
 to shore. 
 
 "They are going to take to the woods!" yelled 
 Dan. " Hurrah! the battle is ours! " And he 
 started to unlock the cabin door leading to the 
 companion way. 
 
CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 GOOD-BY TO THE PHILIPPINES. 
 
 " We must be careful," I said to my chum, as 
 he began to mount the steps. " Remember poor 
 Gory's rashness." 
 
 " I'll be careful enough," he replied, and 
 peered over the combing to see if the coast was 
 clear. 
 
 To his gratification every Celestial had fled, 
 taking the wounded along. 
 
 " They are gone, Oliver! " 
 
 " I'm glad of it," I said, and scrambled out on 
 the deck with him. " What of the junk? " 
 
 " She is making up the coast with all speed. 
 And there is a warship, true enough! " 
 
 " We can fly that flag of distress now," I con- 
 tinued, and ran back for the article. Soon I was 
 on my way to the top, where I placed the glor- 
 ious Stars and Stripes with the Stars downward. 
 
 A shot from the warship told us that our 
 signal was seen, and through the glasses we saw 
 a boat put off in command of one of the officers. 
 Feeling that we were now safe I turned my at- 
 tention to Watt Brown, while Dan went to look 
 after Matt Gory. 
 
 245 
 
246 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 I found the second mate lying close to where 
 he had fallen. He was now conscious, but it 
 was easy to see that death was hovering close to 
 his soul. He tried to smile as I took his hand, 
 but the effort was a failure. 
 
 " We whipped 'em," he gasped. " I'm glad — 
 of— it." 
 
 " You had better not talk, Brown," I returned. 
 " You are too weak. Let me bind up your 
 wounds and give you a drink of something." 
 
 " It aint no use, Raymond, I'm knocked out 
 and I know it. But we whipped 'em," and he 
 tried to smile again. A second later he fainted 
 once more. 
 
 I bound up his wound and tried to force some 
 liquor down his throat. I was in the midst of 
 these labors when the small boat from the war- 
 ship came alongside and the officer and several 
 others hurried to the deck. 
 
 " Tom Dawson! " I cried joyfully, and caught 
 the first mate by the hand. 
 
 " Poor Brown! " were his first words. " Is it 
 serious? " and as I nodded in the affirmative he 
 looked very sober. 
 
 It took some little time to explain the situ- 
 ation and hear what the officer from the Concord 
 and Tom Dawson had to say, and in the mean- 
 time Watt Brown and Matt Gory were taken be- 
 low and made as comfortable as circumstances 
 permitted. There was hope for the Irish sailor, 
 
GOOD-BY TO THE PHILIPPINES. 247 
 
 but none for poor Watt Brown, much to the 
 sorrow of all of us, for everyone loved the open- 
 hearted second mate. 
 
 Soon a second boatload of sailors came to the 
 Dart and I was asked to go ashore with them, 
 to point out the direction the fleeing Celestials 
 had taken. I went, and at the rock came upon 
 Captain Kenny's body, terribly mutilated by 
 knife-cuts. The Chinamen had fallen upon him, 
 and in their rage over the failure of the expedi- 
 tion had literally hacked him to death. We 
 buried him where he had fallen. 
 
 The search for the fleeing pirates, for I can call 
 them nothing less, lasted far into the night, but 
 availed nothing. At last I returned to the Dart, 
 utterly fagged out. A surgeon had been sent 
 for and he was attending the wounded ones, and 
 I asked him about both. 
 
 " The Irish sailor will live," was the answer, 
 " but Brown is mortally wounded." 
 
 On the Concord were the two men who had 
 owned the Dart in company with Captain 
 Kenny. Their stock in the craft was in the 
 majority, and they turned her over to the gov- 
 ernment, Uncle Sam to keep the money which 
 was coming to the late captain's heirs, until it 
 was properly claimed. 
 
 Our tales were listened to with keen interest 
 the next day by the warm-hearted commander 
 of the Concord. 
 
248 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 "We will do our best for you," he said to Dan 
 and me. " I imagine you have nothing to fear 
 so long as you are on board with me." 
 
 Watt Brown's death occurred the following 
 afternoon and was a most affecting scene. He 
 and I had got to know each other pretty well 
 since we had been cast ashore, and he called me 
 to him before he breathed his last. 
 
 " Good-by to you, Raymond," he whispered. 
 " I am alone in the world, and that being so I 
 leave my father's legacy to you. It relates to a 
 treasure said to be buried somewhere on the 
 Hawaiian Islands. I hope you find it. Good- 
 by," and he died in my arms as peacefully as a 
 child. They buried him on the shore, and I 
 nailed together a rude cross for a headstone. 
 
 During the day following I made another 
 search of the stateroom and the cabin in quest 
 of my missing money belt and the documents 
 belonging to Raymond, Holbrook & Smith. 
 For a long while I discovered nothing, but at 
 last I turned over some clothing lying in an out- 
 of-the-way corner, and there the articles lay re- 
 vealed, along with Dan's pocketbook and belt 
 and a number of other things of lesser im- 
 portance. 
 
 " They are found at last! " I cried, and a great 
 weight was lifted from my shoulders. " Now let 
 those Spaniards confiscate that land in Manila 
 if they dare!" 
 
GOODS Y TO THE PHILLIPPINES. 249 
 
 " It was worth coming to the Dart after all," 
 smiled Dan. " Our mission is now ended." 
 
 And he spoke the truth. 
 
 Here I think I can properly bring to a close 
 my tale of adventures while serving in the navy 
 and battling for my rights in the Philippines. 
 
 The Dart was turned over to the government 
 as before mentioned, and the proper parties 
 raised and repaired her and gave her an equip- 
 ment for coast service. 
 
 How Manila fell into the hands of Uncle Sam 
 at last is a matter of history. Dan, I, and several 
 of our old friends were present when this event 
 occurred, and at the first opportunity my chum 
 and I went ashore to learn how Harry Longley 
 was faring. 
 
 We found him sitting up and glad to learn that 
 everything had turned out so well. With the 
 United States authorities in the city to protect 
 him, Longley unearthed the money belonging 
 to our firm and placed it in the safe, along with 
 the documents I had rescued. To-day business 
 is booming with Raymond, Holbrook & Smith, 
 and no more is heard of disputing our claim to 
 the land upon which our offices in Manila stand. 
 
 As soon as we could do so, we sent a cable- 
 gram to Mr. Holbrook, telling him of what had 
 occurred. Later on we took passage back to 
 Hong Kong on the Starlight, in company with 
 
250 A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY. 
 
 Tom Dawson and several other of our friends, 
 including Matt Gory, who was now almost well. 
 
 Both Dan and I had seen enough of war, and 
 instead of thinking about going back to the 
 Philippines, I took passage on a steamer for San 
 Francisco, and Dan accompanied me. 
 
 When I reached the Golden Gate I found that 
 my father was still in Cuba, and with the war 
 going on, I grew very anxious concerning him. 
 But, as my friends who have read " When Santi- 
 ago Fell " know, he escaped from grave perils 
 without injury, and he soon came on to the 
 West, followed, a month later, by Mark Carter, a 
 first-rate young fellow who had shared his adven- 
 tures. Mark, Dan, and I soon became warm 
 friends, and it was while making a tour of Cali- 
 fornia that we concocted a plan for going to the 
 Hawaiian Islands, so recently annexed to the 
 United States, in quest of the treasure mentioned 
 in the strange document left by Watt Brown's 
 father. What our future adventures were Mark 
 will tell, in another volume, to be called "Off for 
 Hawaii; Or, The Mystery of a Great Volcano." 
 
 And now let me say good-by, kind reader, 
 with the hope that if you ever have such stirring 
 adventures as have fallen to my lot, they will 
 end in equal good fortune.