mmo 
 
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 Library 
 
 The original of tliis bool< is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924006446342 
 
"Three Hundred Dollars for toue Silence" Page 11 
 
AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Dick Carson's Captivity among the Filipinos 
 
 BY 
 
 H. lEVING HANCOCK 
 
 ( War Correspondent) 
 
 BOSTOK" 
 
 LEE AND SHEPAED TUBLISHEES 
 
 1900 
 
COPTBIGHT, 1900, BT LEE AND fSHEPABB. 
 
 All HgMs reserved. 
 
 AaUINAlBO'S HOSTAQE. 
 
 BOSTON, U S.A. 
 
TO 
 
 riD^ Mife 
 
 THIS BOOK IS LOVINGLY 
 DEDICATED 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 The Temptee 1 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 Honesty Rewarded ........ 20 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 Unwitting Treachekt 33 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 A Prisoner op War 52 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 The Prisoner's Dream 62 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 Malolos has Tidings of War's First Shot ... 77 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 Herr Schwarz Betrays Himself 92 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 The Farce op Trial 105 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 Facing the Firing-Squad ...... 123 
 
VI CONTENTS 
 
 PAOE 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 The Little Bkown Dictator 135 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 A Cruei, "Mastek" . 151 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 An Ordeal of Torment ....... 166 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 In Other Hands .....,., 182 
 
 CHAPTER XIT 
 In Council of Treachery 200 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 "You're no Eilipino!" ....... 214 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 Dick at the Front ........ 228 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 Of the Stuff of Heroes 250 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 "On to Malolos!" 261 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 "April Fool" on Aguinaldo 272 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 Aguinaldo Hears Something ...... 290 
 
CONTENTS VI] 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 "Filipino Dick" 304 
 
 CHAPTER XXir 
 A Night of Deadly Danger 318 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 An Outpost Ambulance Call ...... 335 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 The Golden Crash .351 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 "Three Hundred Dollars for tour Silence" . Frontispiece 
 
 " Let him Cheek eok our Kefuelio or Die ! " . . 50 
 " There are no Americans Left outside the Walled 
 
 City" 87 
 
 To be Shot in an Hour! 117 
 
 Aguinaldo Makes a Speech 145 
 
 Dick Overhears Herr Schwakz 202 
 
 Just ahead op Dick a Shell Exploded .... 249 
 
 Dick and Nelse Owen Stopped by a Sentry . . 317 
 
AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTEE I 
 
 THE TEMPTER 
 
 "These Americans!" exclaimed Herr Schwarz, 
 waving his hands. " Bah ! " 
 
 " They are certainly no match for us in business," 
 agreed Monsieur Leboeuf, emphasizing his opinion 
 with a shrug and a smile. " Not in the Far East ; 
 at least, not in Manila." 
 
 These two men, representing a type of reckless 
 and unscrupulous speculators, who are unfortu- 
 nately altogether too common in the Orient, sat at 
 dinner on the veranda annex of the Paris Restau- 
 rant, overhanging the Pasig River, close to the 
 Bridge of Spain, Manila. The time was early 
 evening, and the date Jan. 30, 1899. 
 
 While these two diners sat apparently alone at 
 the end of this veranda nearer to the bridge, several 
 
2 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 tables at the further end of the veranda were occu- 
 pied by gay parties of American officers and ladies. 
 Brown, barefooted little waiters, clad in Filipino 
 shirts and trousers of white cotton, glided noise- 
 lessly about, carrying the dishes and viands required 
 by this merry throng. All here was life, laughter, 
 and good cheer, despite the cloud of unrest and 
 anxiety that hung over Manila. At the very out- 
 skirts of the city, in a long crescent, lay a Fili- 
 pino insurgent army of close to thirty thousand 
 men. 
 
 So far no hostile shots had been fired. But 
 there was bad blood between the soldiers of both 
 sides. Americans and Filipinos could hardly help 
 scowling at each other when they passed. ' ' Presi- 
 dent" Aguinaldo was issuing frequent and bump- 
 tious proclamations, calling upon the Americans to 
 call their army home to the United States. The 
 treaty by which Spain had ceded the sovereignty 
 of the Philippine Islands to the United States lay 
 before the American Senate. The Filipinos, almost 
 to a man, scoffed at the treaty, and declared that 
 Aguinaldo's government alone could prevail in the 
 islands. In the city General Otis' army num- 
 
THE TEMPTER 6 
 
 bered barely half as many men as the brown army 
 that hemmed Manila in on all sides. American can- 
 non dominated the approaches to the city. Filipino 
 cannon were posted opposite the American ord- 
 nance. Nightly trouble occurred between the out- 
 posts of the two armies. The situation, then, was 
 that of a live coal on the head of a powder-barrel. 
 
 As a result, commerce was rushing along at a 
 furious gait. Manila was stored with products of 
 the islands which the outside world wanted. The 
 merchants were eagerly buying and shipping as 
 much of this merchandise as possible before the 
 outbreak of rebellion should put a stiff check on 
 commerce. Schwarz and Leboeuf, German and 
 French financial adventurers, were trying to catch 
 as many of the drips of this golden rain as possi- 
 ble. Each had a suite of oiEces in the city ; each 
 had a safe, a few desks, a small staff of clerks 
 ■ and agents ; each kept a few samples of the insular 
 products to show to customers. It was the busi- 
 ness of each to buy cheap and sell dear, often 
 resorting to tricks and corrupt practices to make 
 large profits. Neither had a warehouse nor any 
 stock of goods ; both acted as commercial ' ' go- 
 
4 AGUINALDO S HOSTAGE 
 
 bet weens." Hence their transactions were wholly 
 on paper. Yet by combining a very considerable 
 knowledge of the islands with a great deal of 
 unscrupulous cleverness, both of these men had 
 become rich. Their checks at either of the local 
 banks would be honored for amounts representing 
 fortunes. It is the temporary successes of such men 
 that sometimes make weak, short-sighted people 
 feel that business corruption pays better than 
 strict integrity. 
 
 " How is it," asked Monsieur Leboeuf, "that you 
 have profited so shrewdly from this American ? 
 You have not yet told me the details." 
 
 Herr Schwarz, a man of forty, of medium height, 
 thick-set, and with rosy cheeks and fair hair, looked 
 cautiously about him. He saw no one near enough 
 to overhear. 
 
 "I have not yet caught my American," he con- 
 fided to his companion. " But I shall, in the morn- 
 ing. You know him ; it is that Taylor, from San 
 Francisco, who came over here to see what he could 
 pick up in the way of profitable transactions. He 
 sees that the approaching revolution is going to 
 make the output of Manila hemp very small during 
 
THE TEMPTEK 5 
 
 the next year. Consequently he is buying a cargo 
 of hemp to ship to the United States at once. 
 Naturally, he wants to get his goods as cheaply as 
 possible. I have succeeded in persuading him that 
 I have the cheapest hemp in Manila. I have some 
 that came into my possession rather cheap. I am 
 selling it to my American for a profit of five 
 thousand dollars. It is not bad pay for two days' 
 work, eh?" 
 
 ' ' Then you have not yet sold it ? " 
 
 ' ' I shall in the morning. Taylor has agreed to 
 come to my ofiice at nine o'clock to give me his 
 answer and close the transaction. But there is a 
 Seiior Buenomalo, a Spanish half-breed merchant 
 living in the San Sebastian suburb, who has a 
 cargo of the same size, and who would sell it for 
 two thousand dollars under the price. Can you 
 imagine, my friend, what work I have had to keep 
 these two men from meeting? During the last few 
 days I have sent Senor Buenomalo here, and I have 
 sent him there, all on false chases, and all to keeji 
 him and my American from falling into each other's 
 paths. It would have cost me two thousand dollars 
 had they met." 
 
6 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 ' ' You have been very clever to keep the two 
 from meeting," nodded M. Leboeuf. 
 
 "Trust me for that," retorted Herr Schwarz, 
 puffing out his fat cheeks with laughter. "And I 
 have even a better chance coming. In a week or 
 ten days there will arrive a Mr. Ellis, from New 
 York. It is his purpose to buy as much Philippine 
 tobacco as possible, with a view to exporting it to 
 the United States. He believes that it will be a 
 profitable thing to introduce Manila cigars more 
 extensively into the United States. He and I have 
 had some correspondence, and I know what he is 
 willing to pay. Senor Marco, the Spaniard, con- 
 trols about all the export tobacco there is at present 
 in Manila. I know his price for it, and I can 
 make seven or eight thousand dollars out of 
 Ellis." 
 
 "That is," interjected M. Lebceuf, shrewdly, " if 
 you can keep Ellis and Marco apart. K they meet, 
 and compare figures, your profits will sail up to the 
 sky in smoke." 
 
 "See what I have done with Taylor," observed 
 Herr Schwarz, with as much pride as if he were 
 talking of a strictly honest piece of business. 
 
THE TEMPTER 7 
 
 "What does it require for me to win these sacks 
 of silver? Only a few lies, a few subterfuges." 
 
 At this moment the scraping of a chair behind 
 Herr Schwarz brought sudden dismay to both these 
 highwaymen of finance — for that is what they were. 
 Seven or eight feet from the German was a clump 
 of potted palms. Neither of the pair had noticed 
 that these palms concealed a table. The squeaking 
 of the chair was caused by the rising of a youth of 
 seventeen, who had just finished his dinner. That 
 he was an American could be told at a glance. His 
 ruddy, healthful face, his usually laughing, cheerful 
 blue eyes, his clustering brown hair, and the proud 
 yet amiable air of budding sovereignty with which 
 he carried himself made him a wholesome sight 
 to look upon. That he was both fearless and 
 honest was an opinion that the average man would 
 form from a glance or two. 
 
 Quitting his place of concealment, this youth 
 started for the door, passing by the plotting pair 
 without favoring either with a glance. 
 
 " I must be more careful," growled Herr 
 Schwarz. 
 
 " Decidedly," assented Lebceuf, with a glint in his 
 
8 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 treacherous eyes. " Do you know who that boy 
 
 IS 
 
 ?' 
 
 " I don't think I ever saw him." 
 
 "He is the clerk of your American, Taylor." 
 
 " Donnerwetter !" uttered the German, turning 
 pale, then rising hastily. " And he has heard all I 
 said ! " 
 
 " Oh, yes, of course," assented the Frenchman. 
 " That boy, whose name is Carson, is probably not 
 deaf. In the morning, you may count upon it, he 
 will tell his employer all he has heard." 
 
 ' ' I must see that boy — must talk with him at 
 once ! " muttered Herr Schwarz, in a troubled voice. 
 " Come with me, my good friend." 
 
 Richard Carson, generally known as " Dick," had 
 already disappeared inside the building. The two 
 men, on hastening, overtook him in the corridor 
 that led to the street stairs. 
 
 "One moment, my young friend," begged Herr 
 Schwarz, clapping a hand on the shoulder of the 
 boy. 
 
 Wheeling about, Dick confronted the two men. 
 He looked them over coolly, yet without inso- 
 lence. There was something in his eyes that 
 
THE TEMPTER iJ 
 
 told both men unmistakably that he had over*- 
 heard them. 
 
 " Come with me just a moment," requested Herr 
 Schwarz, thrusting his hand familiarly under Car- 
 son's arm. Though Dick went with them without a 
 protest, his color heightened. The German led the 
 way to a room overlooking the Escolta, as the prin- 
 cipal thoroughfare of Manila is called. Pausing a 
 moment at the threshold to make sure that the room 
 was empty, Herr Schwarz led the way inside, care- 
 fully closing the door. 
 
 " Now, then," spoke up Dick, " what do you 
 want of me ? " 
 
 " My friend," began the German, amiably, " I 
 cannot help feeling that you overheard a little busi- 
 ness conversation of ours." 
 
 " Well?" interrogated Dick, fixing his clear eyes 
 on the other's face. 
 
 " Well, you see," smiled the German, " business 
 secrets are sometimes rather embarrassing things. 
 Now, as your present employer is due to sail for 
 San Francisco on the morning of day after to- 
 morrow, you will be out of a position, will you 
 not?" 
 
10 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Therefore," pursued Herr Schwarz, in his most 
 persuasive tone, " it will hardly matter to you 
 whether you go to the otEce to-morrow or not. A 
 young man who has been as hard at work as you 
 have needs a little relaxation. Here," added the 
 tempter, taking out his wallet, " is a bank-note for 
 a hundred dollars in your American money. Take 
 it and enjoy yourself to-morrow." 
 
 He held out the bill with the most engaging air 
 possible. Dick instantly recoiled, flushing hot with 
 indignation. 
 
 " Well," laughed the German, " are you so rich 
 that you throw away money ? " 
 
 " Some kinds ! " And Dick's voice vibrated 
 wrathfully. "You are trying to bribe me, are 
 you not ? " 
 
 " Call it that, if you will," smiled Herr Schwarz. 
 ' ' I put it another way myself. You have had the 
 good fortune to hear a secret of mine. It is worth 
 something to me to have that secret preserved. 
 Take the money, my boy, and thank your good luck." 
 
 By an effort Dick Carson steadied himself, re- 
 gaining his normal color. 
 
THE TEMPTER 11 
 
 "You are asking me," he replied, more calmly, 
 ' ' to betray my employer — to sell him into your 
 hands that you may fleece him. And you are put- 
 ting a price on my infamy." 
 
 * 
 
 " Well? " questioned Herr Schwarz, reflectively. 
 " Is not the price high enough? I will double it at 
 once, but I warn you that is as high as I will go. 
 You are driving a pretty sharp bargain." 
 
 " I am driving no bargain at all," retorted Dick 
 Carson, with spirit. " I can have no bargain with 
 a man of your stamp. Will you be kind enough to 
 step out of the way, so that I can reach the door ? " 
 
 ' ' Three hundred dollars for your silence ! " ven- 
 tured Herr Schwarz, turning purple. As he spoke 
 he backed against the door. 
 
 "I am an American!" cried Dick Carson, his 
 voice again trembling, his heightened color return- 
 ing. ' ' My honesty is not for sale — at any price ! " 
 
 It was now Herr Schwarz's voice that trembled. 
 
 "Carson, you are a monster of avarice. But 
 name your price. If it is within reason I will pay 
 it. Speak ! I have more money with me." 
 
 ' ' Let me pass ! " insisted insulted Dick, clench- 
 ing his fists. 
 
12 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 ' ' Never, until you agree ! I will keep you in 
 this room until it is too late for your babbling 
 tongue to spoil my profits. We will choke you 
 into silence, if you make that violence necessary." 
 
 "Pooh!" sneered Dick, laughing contemptu- 
 ously. "Do you think you are dealing with a 
 baby? I have only to rush to the window and 
 shout. A half dozen American soldiers, patrolling 
 on the Escolta, will hear me. Now, stand aside, 
 for my blood gets hot when I find myself talking 
 with a rascal like you." 
 
 And Dick made a determined move for the door. 
 
 "You will have to let him pass, my friend," 
 broke in M. Leboeuf. ' ' It will not do for us to 
 get into trouble at this time." 
 
 Herr Schwarz, so advised, stood irresolute. 
 Without hesitation Dick Carson shoved the Ger- 
 man out of his way, pulled the door open, and 
 ran downstairs, leaving the two rascals to stare 
 at each other in undisguised dismay. 
 
 As for Dick, once out in the street he did 
 not hesitate. Though the night was so warm 
 that he felt the heat, clad in suit of white cotton 
 though he was, he hurried down to the Plaza 
 
THE TEMPTER 13 
 
 del Moraga, went through it at full speed, up the 
 Calle Santo Eosario, and never stopped until he 
 found himself in the Hotel Oriente, where his 
 employer stopped. As good luck would have it, 
 he met Mr. Taylor coming down the broad stair- 
 case to the street. Frederick Taylor was a man 
 of from thirty-three to thirty-five years old, rather 
 tall, erect, and of that style of build called " strap- 
 ping." 
 
 He looked the athlete in every line; amiable, 
 keen, aggressive, he combined with other good 
 qualities the extreme of American honesty. He 
 had opened an office in Manila four weeks ago, 
 preparatory to looking about for a good investment. 
 Our hero was his only clerk. 
 
 "Ah, Carson, good evening," hailed Mr. Taylor, 
 as soon as he perceived the boy. "Looking for 
 me, were you? Then you were lucky, for I am 
 on the point of going out. A minute later you 
 would have missed me." 
 
 "Then I'm very thankful I got here in time," 
 breathed panting Dick. "Listen, please, to what 
 I have to tell you." 
 
 Mr. Taylor did listen, at first with an air of 
 
14 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 good humor, which quickly changed to one of 
 amazement as Dick's narrative proceeded. 
 
 " Going to cheat me out of a couple of thousand, 
 was he ? " questioned the employer, grasping the 
 boy's hand. "And you were too honest to suit 
 him ? Good for you ! You shan't lose by it, if 
 the information turns out all right. But we've 
 got to be quick. I happen to know where this 
 Buenomalo lives. Come along, my boy." 
 
 And Mr. Taylor hurried out on to the sidewalk, 
 hastily moving his glance from one to another of 
 the three pair of ponies that stood near the curb, 
 each pair harnessed to a victoria. Selecting the 
 pair which sti'uck him as speediest, Mr. Taylor got 
 into the vehicle, nodding to Dick to follow him. 
 Away went the horses at the best trot they were 
 capable of. Through Santa Cruz and Quiapo 
 districts they went. Music came from many houses ; 
 laughter ran high ; Manila was mirth-mad before 
 the catastrophe. Young Filipinos were out in 
 their most spotless white clothes. The Filipino 
 women were resplendent in the garments of jussi 
 cloth and silk. Chinese, in the costume of their 
 native land, were abroad by thousands. Americans, 
 
THE TEMPTER 15 
 
 the wealthier Spaniards, and half-breeds and the 
 smattering of Europe's nations who were in Manila 
 in quest of commerce, drove out in carriages to 
 get the evening air. 
 
 At one street corner in Quiapo the carriage 
 bearing Dick and his employer was stopped for a 
 few moments by the crowd that had gathered. In 
 the centre of the crowd stood two little brown men 
 in the uniform of Aguinaldo's insurgent army. 
 Being without rifles or side arms, they had been 
 permitted to come in through the lines in the 
 daytime. While going about with companions 
 they had come upon four khaki-clad American 
 soldiers. From sneering glances the Filipinos 
 were now quickly proceeding to open taunts. 
 The soldiers behaving with coolness, the little 
 brown men redoubled their taunts, to the intense 
 enjoyment of the natives and Chinese in the crowd. 
 
 "You no good," taunted one of the Filipino 
 soldiers. "Tu muclio cobarde." (You are very 
 cowardly.) 
 
 " Oh, perhaps," drawled the soldier addressed, 
 with assumed good nature. "We may see about 
 that. Who knows?" 
 
16 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Drawing a wicked-looking knife from under his 
 clothes, the Filipino with a flourish traced a line 
 in the dirt. 
 
 " Cross that line," he challenged, straightening 
 up. " Cross it, if you dare to ! " 
 
 "There's no need to," laughed the soldier, though 
 his hands clenched. It was plain, too, that his 
 three comrades were becoming uneasy. 
 
 "■Ah! Tu mucho cobarde!" jeered the Filipino. 
 With incredible impudence he spat in the American 
 soldier's face. 
 
 In the carriage the faces of the two onlookers 
 underwent a swift change. Dick's became red, Mr. 
 Taylor's deadly white. 
 
 " Hold yourself in readiness to jump out and 
 go to our fellows' rescue," whispered the latter. 
 "There's going to be trouble." 
 
 But, to their amazement, the insulted soldier 
 behaved himself in a way that brought out one of 
 the grandest American characteristics — patience. 
 For an instant the American looked as if he would 
 spring upon his tantalizer. General Otis's orders 
 were strict, however. At all hazards our soldiers 
 were to be patient, avoiding every pretext for a 
 
THE TEMPTER 17 
 
 misunderstanding with the natives. What it cost 
 the soldier probably no one can understand, but, 
 checking his first movement of anger, he put up his 
 coat-sleeve, wiped away the saliva, and replied : 
 
 "Some other time will do to answer you," and, 
 pushing their way through the jeering crowd, the 
 four soldiers disappeared in the direction of their 
 barracks. 
 
 ' ' Blood's going to flow in this city before very 
 long," predicted Mr. Taylor, as the carriage went 
 on its way again. " When trouble does come I 
 wouldn't like to be the enemy to stand before that 
 insulted soldier." 
 
 From Quiapo they entered the San Sebastian dis- 
 trict. The house of Senor Buenomalo stood in the 
 centre of considei-able grounds, at a distance of 
 some hundred feet from the street, and was reached 
 by a driveway. 
 
 "Stay outside until I call you," directed Mr. 
 Taylor, stepping from the carriage. He disap- 
 peared into the handsome stone building, and for 
 some minutes Dick sat alone in the victoria, while 
 the native coachman threw himself upon the grass, 
 indolently regarding his two ponies. 
 
18 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "It's all right," at last called Mr. Taylor's voice 
 from the inside. "Come in,, Carson." 
 
 Entering the broad hallway, Dick stepped in 
 through the second door on the right and found 
 himself in the ofEce of Senor Buenomalo, a man of 
 forty, who greeted him with the courtly manner of 
 the higher class of Spanish merchants. There was 
 also a clerk of Buenomalo's in the room. 
 
 "It's all right, Carson," announced Mr. Taylor, 
 turning to the boy. " I've made the purchase. 
 We are about to sign the contract. You and the 
 Senor's clerk will witness it." 
 
 This having been done, Mr. Taylor presented a 
 check to Seiior Buenomalo, making at the same 
 time an appointment to meet at the American's 
 office the following morning. This being done, the 
 two callers departed. 
 
 After they had turned into the street, they had 
 not driven a hundred yards when they passed an- 
 other carriage, coming in the direction of Bueno- 
 malo's house. On the rear seat, smokinsr hua-e 
 cigars, sat Herr Schwarz and his Gallic friend. 
 
 "Oh, I'm glad to see you, Schwarz," called out 
 Mr. Taylor, in his most amiable voice. " I wanted 
 
THE TEMPTER 19 
 
 to tell you that I've decided not to buy your hemp. 
 I've got another lot — a cheaper one — and have 
 pushed the trade through. Sorry. Good night." 
 
 With that the two carriages parted, rolling in 
 opposite directions. Herr Schwarz made some 
 vehement remarks under his breath, but they were 
 lost upon the two Americans. 
 
 " Carson," asked Mr. Taylor, two minutes later, 
 " did you notice the look that Herr Schwarz gave 
 you?" 
 
 ' ' Not particularly, sir, except that he scowled 
 at me." 
 
 ' ' He is fully aware that you spoiled his deal 
 with me." 
 
 "Of course." 
 
 "Dick," went on Mr. Taylor, with a great deal 
 of earnestness, "I want to warn you against that 
 man. You have honestly served me, and have pre- 
 vented him from making a dishonest profit. From 
 his false viewpoint he will feel that you have done 
 him a great deal of injury — that you have cheated 
 him. Look out for him. He is your enemy ! " 
 
20 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 HONESTY REWARDED 
 
 Though Dick Carson wished to respect his em- 
 ployer's advice, he could not help smiling. 
 
 "I am in earnest," Mr. Taylor assured him. 
 ' ' Look out for that man ! " 
 
 " But what harm can he do me, sir? " 
 
 "In the United States, perhaps no harm; per- 
 haps much. But here in Manila, where all is soon 
 to be indescribable turmoil, where blood will flow 
 like water, where no life may be safe, and private 
 revenge may be rampant, I should hate to have an 
 enemy like Herr Schwarz." 
 
 But Dick still professed disbelief in danger. 
 
 "If things become as bad as you picture, sir, 
 it will be a case of all Americans shoulder to 
 shoulder, against all who are their enemies. I 
 shall then be in the ranks of the Americans. 
 No man can injure me unless he be openly in 
 the raok? of our enemies. I do not see why 
 
HONESTY REWARDED 21 
 
 I should fear Herr Schwarz, or any other 
 man." 
 
 "Remember, though, Carson," returned the em- 
 ployer, "that I have warned you. Recollect my 
 advice at any time when you find yourself in any 
 danger. I do not like to charge any man with evil 
 — but — but — if you were going back to the 
 United States with me to-morrow I should feel a 
 great deal easier about you." 
 
 Having said which, Mr. Taylor changed to other 
 topics. It was not long ere they reached the Hotel 
 Oriente, at that time the most pretentious hostelry 
 in Manila. Alighting, Dick was about to bid his 
 employer good-night when the latter broke in 
 with : 
 
 " Come inside with me a moment, Carson." 
 
 Wondering, Dick followed his employer into the 
 ofiice. Addressing the clerk, Mr. Taylor said : 
 
 "Let me "have that sack of mine in the safe, if 
 you please." 
 
 While Mr. Taylor broke the seals upon the sack, 
 Dick stood looking out of the window upon the ani- 
 mated scenes in the Plaza. It was some minutes 
 later when his emplo^'^er murmured in his ear; 
 
22 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " Come with me, Carson." 
 
 Outside in the lobby Mr. Taylor halted. 
 
 " Carson," he began, with emotion, " your faith- 
 fulness has saved me a considerable sum of money. 
 It is no more than fair that you should be rewarded. 
 Take this, and accept with it my thanks." 
 
 There was a clink of coin. Dick found his out- 
 stretched hand heavy with the weight of yellow 
 gold. 
 
 " What am I to do with this, sir?" he asked in 
 astonishment. 
 
 " Keep it," was the decisive answer. " Your 
 honesty has saved me two thousand dollars. I am 
 rewarding you with a tithe of it. You arc fairly 
 entitled to the two hundred dollars which I have 
 given you." 
 
 " But I'm not," broke quickly from Dick's lips. 
 He tried to hand the money back, but ]Mr. Taylor 
 avoided the out-thrust hand. 
 
 " Nonsense," said the employer, quickly. 
 "Didn't you save me, to-night, a great deal more 
 than I have offered you ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir, but" — 
 
 " There are no ' buts ' about it. You could have 
 
HONESTY REWARDED 23 
 
 made far more by betraying me than I have offered 
 you. Keep the money. It is yours by right." 
 
 Though Dick still demurred, Mr. Taylor made 
 him accept the reward. 
 
 " And now," added Mr. Taylor, when he had 
 prevailed, "hurry home, and to bed with you. 
 To-morrow will be your last day at the office, and I 
 shall need you there early." 
 
 So young Carson made his way home through the 
 crowded streets, past the many sentries, to the door 
 of the Spanish family with which he lodged within 
 the confines of the Walled City, that original Manila 
 on the other side of the Pasig River. 
 
 Arrived at the house, Dick found the outer door 
 unlocked, for the family had not yet retired. Pass- 
 ing through the stone-flagged hallwa}', he made his 
 way up the first flight of stairs to his room in the 
 rear of the building. 
 
 It was a narrow little room, more like a cell than 
 a lodging, yet it served to contain the boy and all 
 his belongings. There was a single window, look- 
 ing out on a small and rather squalid back yard. 
 The room itself possessed a bare floor of polished 
 mahogany — fpr in Luzon this rare wood is as cheap 
 
24 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 as pine in the United States. There was a dressing- 
 stand, a single chair, and a narrow bed overhung by 
 a canopied mosquito netting. The bed itself, pos- 
 sessing a framework of mahogany, had a net of 
 canework, like the seat of a chair, in lieu of a 
 mattress. A thin, hard pillow, of Chinese manu- 
 facture, is all that remains to be described. 
 
 Not taking the trouble to light a candle, Dick 
 Carson began to disrobe, secreting his money under 
 his pillow. Within five minutes, disregardful of 
 the multitude of mosquitoes buzzing outside the net, 
 he was sound asleep. 
 
 And now the reader is entitled to a short account 
 of how our hero came to be in Manila in this event- 
 ful year ; most of all, how he came to be in that 
 nest of peril unprotected l)y parent or friend. 
 
 Middle Ohio was the boy's birthplace. Almost 
 ever since he could i-emember, however, Dick had 
 lived in Hong Kong, that valuable British island 
 possession to the north of Luzon. His father was a 
 physician ; Dick's mother had died before the boy 
 reached the age of ten. Dr. Carson had died of 
 fever in the October following Dewey's magnificent 
 victory. There had not been much left of the doc- 
 
HONESTY REWARDED 25 
 
 tor's estate when all was settled up and the balance 
 handed to the orphan boy. Dick had found himself 
 confronted by two alternatives — one to sail to the 
 United States, and find himself almost penniless 
 upon his arrival in San Francisco ; the other to go 
 to Manila, arriving with a few hundred dollars in 
 what then seemed the Golconda of the world. 
 American clerks — Americans of all kinds in civil 
 pursuits — were then in demand at Manila. It 
 seemed too good a chance to be lost. Seized by 
 the Philippine fever, Dick Carson had gone to 
 Manila. Upon his arrival he prudently banked his 
 slender capital, drawing upon it only as he needed 
 the means to live. 
 
 It was in late December before he secured his 
 first position as clerk to Mr. Taylor. And now, 
 after another day's work he was to be out of em- 
 ployment — with his capital not a little increased, 
 but still without work. 
 
 On the next morning, that of the last day of Jan- 
 uary, Dick was awake very early, reaching the 
 office some time before nine o'clock, when the day's 
 work was stipulated to begin. Retracing his steps 
 as far as the bank, Dick deposited the money given 
 
26 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 him the evening before. Returning to the office, he 
 had still some minutes to wait before Mr. Taylor 
 arrived. 
 
 Through the morning he was rather busy, doing 
 the finishing-up clerical work with which Mr. 
 Taylor provided him. In the course of the fore- 
 noon Senor Buenomalo dropped in, and the last of 
 the details regarding the shipment of the cargo of 
 hemp were arranged. In the afternoon there was 
 nothing to do. At three o'clock Mr. Taylor paid 
 his young clerk, gave him some excellent advice, 
 locked the door, shook hands with him, and Dick's 
 present employment was over. 
 
 In Herr Schwarz's office, on the second floor of 
 a stone building in the Plaza del Moraga, things 
 went in a much difi^erent way that day. In the 
 first place, all of the four clerks were busy. 
 
 In the private office, through the forenoon, the 
 German speculator sat brooding. He could not 
 console himself for the loss of that brilliant deal 
 in hemp. His fingers twisted and writhed every 
 time he thought of incorruptible Dick Carson ; 
 there was a perpetual scowl on the rascal's face. 
 
 " And that boy overheard, also, what I said 
 
HONESTY REWARDED 27 
 
 about Mr. Ellis," thought Herr Schwarz. " When 
 Ellis gets here the boy will warn him — these 
 Americans stick together so clannishly. I have 
 to thank this boy for my loss of last night ; through 
 him also I shall lose much more from Ellis. May 
 Heaven confound the boy ! " 
 
 Then, as if certain that Heaven would not become 
 engaged in any such wicked business, the German 
 fell to thinking. The longer black thoughts surged 
 through his . brain, the more evil l)ecame the 
 wretch's smile. He was interrupted at length by 
 an apologetic cough. Looking up, he beheld one 
 of his clerks, Herr Limpe. 
 
 Now, it would be hard to find a more pitiful case 
 than that of this poor slave of commerce. Always 
 weakly, Herr Limpe had come to Manila some 
 years ago, in the hope of finding both health and 
 fortune in the tropics. He had been cruelly dis- 
 appointed. In Manila, when the Spaniards held 
 sway, clerks had seldom earned good wages. Herr 
 Limpe was not one of the few fortunate ones. 
 Moreover, the consumptive tendency, which has a 
 strong hold on the people of these islands, had 
 claimed the poor clerk as a victim. He flushed 
 
28 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 painfully at intervals through the day; his cough 
 racked him so that he was rapidly finishing with 
 life. Herr Limpe had now but one thought — to 
 get back to the dear old Fatherland for his last 
 months of life. 
 
 " Well, what do you want, Limpe?" asked Herr 
 Schwarz, rather grutfly. 
 
 " My dear Herr," replied the clerk, the hectic 
 color in his cheeks deepening, while he stammered 
 pitifully, ' ' I have come to ask some assistance of 
 you." 
 
 " Rather an extraordinary place to come," was 
 the hard retort. 
 
 "But, my dear Herr, have I not served you 
 faithfully for many years ? " 
 
 ' ' And have you not been paid for your ser- 
 vices ? " 
 
 For a moment the poor clerk looked as if, utterly 
 losing courage, he would turn and flee back to 
 his desk. But the urgency of his case made him 
 desperate. He determined upon another eflTort. 
 
 " My dear Herr Schwarz, I appeal to you in 
 the name of the good God to hear me through. 
 [f you repulse me again I shall be in despair. 
 
HONESTY REWARDED 29 
 
 This, then, is my case : The climate here is killing 
 me. If I stay here any longer I shall soon die. 
 My dear Herr, can you not understand how I pine 
 for the dear Fatherland ? " 
 
 Big tears came into the poor clerk's eyes, rolled 
 down his wasted cheeks. As soon as he could 
 speak he resumed : 
 
 ' ' My dear Herr, in two or three days a German 
 bark, the Mollenhauer, will sail from here for 
 Hamburg. The captain will take me as a passen- 
 ger, if I pay him one hundred and twenty-five 
 dollars. Now, though I have always tried to save 
 as much as possible of my wages, medicines have 
 cost me so much, and the coming of Americans 
 has made the cost of living so much higher, that 
 I have but fifty dollars. My dear Herr, I appeal 
 to you to lend me the other seventy-five dollars, 
 that I may go home. If I live I promise faith- 
 fully to send you the money as fast as I can earn 
 it in the Fatherland." 
 
 Herr Schwarz's first impulse was to refuse this 
 appeal. Looking intently at the clerk, however, 
 while thinking of other matters, he finally replied : 
 
 " Limpe, a plan has occurred to me by which 
 
30 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 you may be able to earn the money you require 
 in an hour or two." 
 
 Herr Limpe looked dumbfounded ; then, a new 
 thought coming into his mind, he showed his 
 uneasiness. 
 
 "If — if — if" — he stammered, "it is anything 
 honest." 
 
 ' ' Since when have you known Herr Schwarz as 
 a rascal?" angrily demanded the merchant. 
 
 "Oh, I beg ten thousand pardons, my dear 
 Herr," cried the poor clerk, anxiously. "I must 
 have been beside myself when I spoke so. But 
 you must remember, my dear Herr, that I am 
 consumed with anxiety. Besides, when I feel so 
 near the grave I cannot think of doing anything 
 for which my conscience would I'eproach me." 
 
 "Conscience!" sneered Herr Schwarz, but he 
 said it in such a low voice that the clerk did not 
 hear him. " Listen, Limpe. I offer you so 
 much money partly out of compassion for you, 
 and partly because the service I may propose 
 requires extreme cleverness. It is only this — a 
 ruse of business^ in which I could use your help. 
 There is a certain young man in Manila whose 
 
HONESTY KEWARDED 31 
 
 presence here just now interferes with some of my 
 commercial plans. I wish to get him to leave 
 Manila for a day or two under a pretext — that 
 is all." 
 
 "So?" asked the clerk, dubiously. 
 
 " Do you know a young American, by the name 
 of Richard Carson ? " 
 
 " I am very sure that I do not, my dear Herr." 
 
 ' ' Are you equally certain that he does not know 
 you as one of my clerks ? " 
 
 "I do not see how he could know me." 
 
 " Then draw up a chair, and listen to what I 
 have to say." 
 
 Herr Limpe obeyed. There was a long confer- 
 ence, in which Herr Schwai-z did most of the talking, 
 Limpe frequently nodding his head in sign of under- 
 standing. 
 
 "I understand, my dear Herr, and I shall try 
 to do it for you," said the clerk at last. 
 
 "Succeed, and you shall have your passage back 
 to the Fatherland. But not a word of this to 
 any one, as you value my help." 
 
 The clerk, protesting, tried to thank his employer, 
 but Herr Schwarz, cutting him short, sent him 
 
32 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 back to his desk. With a smile of deep evil, 
 
 Herr Schwarz muttered to himself: 
 
 "Now, my young Herr Carson, we shall see 
 
 whether you will be sorry." 
 
 Then, with a look still more grim : 
 ' ' Perhaps sorry that you are alive ! " 
 
UNWlrtlNG TREACHEBY 33 
 
 CHAPTEE III 
 
 UNWITTING TRBACHEEY 
 
 " Cakson, do you know I feel uneasy at leaving 
 you behind in Manila ? " 
 
 It was Mr. Taylor who spoke. He and his ex- 
 clerk stood under the shade of the porch at the 
 ofEce of the Captain of the Port. It was the 
 morning of Wednesday, the first of February, 
 at nine o'clock. An hour later the American mer- 
 chant was due to sail on the British steamer Ming 
 Suey to Hong Kong, at which port he would 
 catch the San Francisco bound steamer. Twenty 
 feet away lay Mr. Taylor's baggage, which a 
 soldier serving under the Captain of the Port was 
 perfunctorily examining before the permit could 
 be issued to take the baggage over to the 
 steamer. 
 
 "You needn't feel uneasy about me, Mr. Taylor," 
 responded the boy. "I shall get along here all 
 right." 
 
34 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 ' ' But suppose the rebellion breaks out ? Manila's 
 streets may be deluged in blood." 
 
 " If I am not thought too young to enlist, I shall 
 in that case go into the army if they will take me for 
 a short term," replied Dick, his eyes flashing with 
 spirit. " When American blood begins to flow the 
 place for an American like me is in the army." 
 
 "Then there is Herr Schwarz. I can't help 
 fearing that he will play you some mischief for 
 your part in that hemp business." 
 
 " Let him try it," said Dick, confidently. " What 
 can he do? Surely an American ought to be safe 
 here in Manila, with a whole American army 
 to guarantee his protection. Besides,- I am not 
 through with Herr Schwarz. He has planned 
 about the same trick on a Mr. Ellis that he tried 
 to play on you. When Mr. Ellis arrives here I 
 shall make it my business to find him and warn 
 him. In such matters as these Americans should 
 stand together." 
 
 "By Jove, you're right!" cried Mr. Taylor. 
 " Now, see here, Ellis will know me by reputation, 
 at least. I'll give you my card to him. It will 
 help matters." 
 
UNWITTING TREACHERY 35 
 
 On the back of his card Mr. Taylor quickly 
 pencilled : 
 
 You can believe the bearer, Richard Carson, implicitly in what 
 he has to tell you. 
 
 (Signed) Taylor. 
 
 "Show this card to Ellis when he gets here," 
 said Mr. Taylor, passing the pasteboard to our 
 hero. "Yet we could warn Ellis by a letter left 
 for him at the post office. I wish you'd reconsider, 
 Carson, and go back to the States with me. I 
 will pay your fare, if you'll go. There's yet time 
 to jump into a quilez, drive over to your lodgings, 
 get your belongings, and get back here. What 
 do you say?" 
 
 But Dick shook his head. 
 
 "I am very grateful to you, Mr. Taylor, but I 
 long ago decided to stay in Manila. There's going 
 to be a lot of money made here by Americans, and 
 I don't see why, with all my life ahead of me, I 
 shouldn't stay here and make some of it. The 
 chances are brighter here than in America. Why, 
 I already have money enough of my own to go into 
 some small business when I feel myself fitted for 
 it." 
 
36 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGK 
 
 " Your baggage is all right, sir," said the soldier, 
 approaching. "If you'll lock it, and then come in- 
 side with me, you will get your permit." 
 
 Dick stood watching the scene, always a lively 
 and constantly varying one at the port. It is 
 situated some quarter of a mile up from the mouth 
 of the Pasig Eiver. The Pasig is really more of a 
 canal. Up and down this stream there is a con- 
 stant procession of cascds. These are Malay craft 
 about the size of our own canal boats. The part of 
 a casco that is reserved for living purposes is covered 
 over with matting. Aboard one of these craft 
 sometimes as many as two or three families live, 
 the men, women, and half-grown boys forming its 
 crew. Just beyond the gunwale, on either side of 
 the casco, is a narrow platform made of bamboo 
 poles. On either platform is a member of the crew, 
 who, provided with a long pole, runs to the forward 
 end of the platform, striking the bottom with the 
 pole. Holding it there, he trots leisurely back to 
 the after end of the platform. By repeating the 
 operation again and again, these two polers propel 
 the craft, while the padrone, or master, stands at 
 the stern with one hand upon the tiller. These 
 
UNWITTING TREACHERY 37 
 
 cascos are the lighters and small cargo carriers of 
 Manila. Out on the deeper waters of the bay a sail 
 is used. 
 
 There are always innumerable hancos, or dug-out 
 canoes in the river, engaged in ferrying passengers 
 across the stream, and in carrying quantities of 
 merchandise too small for the cascos. Launches by 
 the dozen ply up and down the river. The smaller 
 sailing and steam craft are able to come up into the 
 river, mooring at the stone jetties on either side. 
 
 On the port side of the river there is always a 
 hubbub of quilez and caromattas. Both are vehicles 
 drawn by single ponies. The former looks like a 
 miniature herdic, and, with great squeezing, will 
 carry four persons. The caromatta, a two-wheeled 
 affair with a narrow front seat for the Tagal driver, 
 has also a rear seat for two passengers. Tt is one 
 of the most uncomfortable vehicles in the world. 
 
 In and out amid this throng of carriages threads 
 a multitude of jabbering Chinese coolies, who carry 
 burdens of incredible weight and size. Coolies 
 and natives by the hundreds are engaged in the 
 work of longshoremen in loading or unloading the 
 vessels at the jetties. 
 
38 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 All this presented a picture vivid enough to in- 
 terest Dick Carson. Though he had seen it count- 
 less times before, it always seemed new to him. 
 Interest was now lent to the picture by the landing 
 of a battalion of soldiers, brought in cascos from 
 one of the great troopships anchored out in the bay. 
 
 " Got my permit all right, Carson," announced 
 Mr. Taylor, re-appearing. "And here are the 
 coolies who are going to carry my baggage to the 
 banco. Now, good-by, my dear boy, and my best 
 wishes for your success and happiness." 
 
 With a warm pressure of the hand the San 
 Francisco merchant was gone. Dick watched him. 
 crossing the river in a banco, saw the coolies take 
 up the baggage on the other side, and watched 
 Mr. Taylor disappear behind the hull of the Ming 
 8uey. 
 
 " And now," murmured Dick, "comes the pleas- 
 ant task of finding another position. Will it be 
 easy or hard?" 
 
 "Are you not Mr. Carson?" questioned a voice 
 at his side. 
 
 " Yes," answered Dick, turning. 
 
 It was Herr Limpe who addressed him. The 
 
UNWITTING TREACHERY 39 
 
 poor clerk looked more flushed and ill than ever. 
 He was trembling violently, so eager was he over 
 the success of a negotiation that promised for him a 
 passage back to the Fatherland. 
 
 "You were a clerk to Mr. Taylor," went on 
 Limpe, eagerly, repeating the lesson in which 
 Herr Schwarz had so thoroughly drilled him. "I 
 have often heard Mr. Taylor speak of your honesty 
 and cleverness." 
 
 "Thank you," responded Dick. "But I am 
 rather puzzled, sir, that since you remember having 
 seen me, I should not also remember you." 
 
 "My name is Tillerman," replied Limpe, his 
 hectic flush deepening vividly over the lie which 
 Herr Schwarz had impressed upon him as neces- 
 sary. The shame of the poor clerk over the false- 
 hood which Herr Schwarz had persuaded him was 
 innocent enough brought on a violent fit of 
 coughing. "When it was over, the clerk resumed : 
 
 "I spoke to you, just now, because, supposing 
 that you are at present out of employment, it 
 occurred to me that you might like to undertake 
 some business for which I can afibrd to pay you 
 well." 
 
40 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "Then you did quite right in speaking to me, 
 and I thank you for it," responded Dick, delighted. 
 "I am out of employment, and ready for anything 
 in the line of square dealing." 
 
 "Would you have any objection to trying to 
 collect a bill for me?" 
 
 "Certainly not." 
 
 "Have you any hesitation about going to Ma- 
 lolos?" 
 
 "To Aguinaldo's 'capital'?" echoed Dick, his 
 eyes now wide open with surprise. 
 
 ' ' Yes ; though if you think it the part of dis- 
 cretion not to" — 
 
 "Why should I think so?" broke in Dick. 
 ' ' There is no rebellion yet ; perhaps there won't 
 be any. An American has as much right to go to 
 Malolos as any one else." 
 
 Herr Limpe could have hugged himself for sheer 
 delight. His task was proving far easier than he 
 had dared to hope. 
 
 "I have a bill to be collected there," went on 
 the sham Mr. Tillerman. "As you can see, I am 
 far from well. In fact, I am sailinff for — Eno-- 
 land the day after to-morrow. I have so much 
 
UNWITTING TREACHERY 41 
 
 to attend to here that I cannot possibly get to 
 Malolos. Yet neither can I afford to lose the 
 money that is due me up there. I know of your 
 honesty through your employer. The bill is for 
 sixteen hundred dollars, Mexican. (About half 
 that amount in American money.) If you will 
 undertake this for me, Mr. Carson, I will pay you 
 twenty dollars, American, and your railway fare. 
 In addition, if you collect the full amount, I will 
 pay you five per cent, commission. There is little 
 danger in the trip, since I have a pass from the 
 Filipino government, good for 'bearer.' See, 
 here it is." 
 
 And Limpe, with trembling fingers, held out the 
 slip of paper. It appeared to be a pass in due 
 form, signed by one of Aguinaldo's " colonels." 
 
 "You speak Spanish fairly well?" asked the 
 clerk. 
 
 "What I have picked up since coming to Manila." 
 
 "And Tagalo?" 
 
 " Oh, some forty or fifty useful words. I do not 
 boast of my ability to talk the Malay lingo." 
 
 "Nevertheless," went on Limpe, after another 
 brief attack of coughing, ' ' you know enough of 
 
42 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 both languages to serve me. It is that I know you 
 to be honest that would make you most valuable to 
 me. There are few men in Manila that I would be 
 willing to trust." 
 
 " You are offering very big pay for my services," 
 suggested Dick. 
 
 "Because, whatever you may think, my dear 
 young man, it will be a I'ather unpleasant mission 
 for you. The sixty dollars that you stand a chance 
 to earn will be none too much, considering all the 
 annoyance you may have to put up with from the 
 natives. Will you go?" 
 
 ' ' Against whom is the bill ? " 
 
 "It is against a native Tagalo, a man named 
 Josemos." 
 
 ' ' Do you think he will pay ? " 
 
 " If you convince him that I am going to Eng- 
 land very soon and need the money he will pay, for 
 he is an honest fellow, and I hear that he has plenty 
 of money just now." 
 
 "But how will he know that I have a right to 
 collect the money ? " 
 
 " I will give you written authority. He knows 
 my handwriting." 
 
UNWITTING TREACHERY 43 
 
 " Very well, I will go. Write your authoriza- 
 tion, and give me the pass." 
 
 Poor Herr Limpe's eyes shone like stars at this 
 easy success of his unwitting treachery. He was 
 almost delirious with joy. 
 
 "There is a train going within twenty minutes," 
 he cried, eagerly. " Will you take that? For you 
 may have to spend two days in Malolos, and it is 
 therefore well to start as quickly as possible. I 
 hope to see you back by to-morrow night, with 
 the money." 
 
 "Yes, I will go, if you will hurry to get the 
 papers ready for me," promised unsuspicious Dick. 
 
 Disappearing inside the oiEce, Herr Limpe pres- 
 ently came back with the papers, including the pass, 
 all in readiness. With feverish haste he led Dick 
 up the water-front street to where the waiting train 
 now stood. The German seemed pursued by a 
 secret fear that the American boy would yet take it 
 into his head to " back out." But Dick, his ticket 
 purchased, hurried to one of the first-class cars, 
 clambering into it. 
 
 " Good-by, Mr. Tillerman," he called through 
 the open window. " You may look for me to-mor- 
 
44 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 row night. I will look you up at once at the 
 address on the paper you have given me. Good- 
 by." 
 
 Unable to wear the mask any longer, poor Limpe 
 hurried from the train, gaining a vantage ground 
 from which he could watch the train unobserved. 
 Another watcher, at a different point, was Herr 
 Schwarz, whose face now wore a look of triumph. 
 
 In the first-class coach, in which there were seats 
 for ten, there were, besides our hero, an Englishman 
 going as far as Caloocan, the first station, and three 
 swaggering little Filipino officers, each with many 
 yards of gold lace sewn upon his blue and white 
 striped uniform. Before the train started seven 
 more officers entered the car. It was necessary for 
 them to stand. 
 
 Unsuspicious Dick ! As the train moved out he 
 had not a thought of a shadow of harm. It looked 
 to him like a pleasant and profitable little trip. 
 Protected by the pass, he would be able to see a 
 part of the island concerning which he had long 
 been curious. The Englishman inquired where our 
 young friend was going, but merely i-aised his 
 eyebrows when Dick said " Malolos." 
 
tJNWITTING TREACHERY 45 
 
 Half way out to Caloocan — that is to say, less 
 than a couple of miles from the station — Filipino 
 soldiers, armed to the teeth with rifles, bolos, and 
 pistols began to appear in droves. There were 
 native outposts camped close to the track, and long 
 lines of trenches running on either side of the 
 track. 
 
 As the train stopped at Caloocan the officers 
 hurried out of the car, the Englishman also getting 
 out. An important little brown man, in the uniform 
 of a major, stepped into the car. 
 
 "You are riding too far for an American," he 
 said, in Spanish. "You will have to leave the 
 train, and return to Manila." 
 
 ' ' Will this pass do me any good ? " asked Dick, 
 holding up the slip of paper. 
 
 " Ah, I did not know you had this," replied the 
 major, after scanning the document. "You are 
 permitted, then, to go as far as Malolos, but remem- 
 ber that if you stay on the train beyond that 
 point you will be arrested and probably shot as 
 a spy." 
 
 " Thank you," said Dick. " That is as far as 
 I am going. And to have to take this kind of 
 
46 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 talk from a pompous Malay on American soil ! " 
 he muttered under his breath as he watched the 
 major climb down from the car. 
 
 Back came his fellow-passengers, the Filipino 
 officers. And now the reason for their absence 
 from the car was plain. Forbidden by the Ameri- 
 can authorities to wear their side-arms into Manila, 
 they had left them at Caloocan. When they re- 
 turned they wore a brave array of swords and 
 cavalry revolvers. They swaggered more than 
 ever ; all were smoking ; a few had cigarettes, 
 but by far the greater number puffed at long black 
 cigars. They chattered incessantly while reenter- 
 ing the car, their number being increased by two 
 or three other little brown officers. Quickly the 
 seats were filled. Some had to stand up. One of 
 these approached our hero. 
 
 ' ' Why should you have a seat ? " demanded the 
 Filipino. "Get up and give it to me." 
 
 A chorus of laughter greeted this order. Dick 
 flushed red with indignation. But he was in an 
 enemy's country, and felt it more and more as he 
 looked out on the swarm of insurgent soldiers 
 standing on the platform. 
 
UNWITTING TREACHERY 47 
 
 "The easiest way is the best, in this case," 
 reflected Dick, maliing a great efi"ort to keep cool. 
 He rose, and his tormentor glided into the vacated 
 seat. 
 
 The ride through this part of the island was an 
 instructive one. Great, broad, level rice fields, 
 with here and there a clump of forest, or grove 
 of banana trees, met the boy's gaze. Every mile 
 or two there was a village of thatched nipa huts, 
 with, in the centre of the group, a church and two 
 or three other stone buildings. Just the other 
 side of the Tulihan Kiver there were lines of such 
 formidable intrenchments that Dick opened his eyes 
 rather wide. 
 
 " Carramba! This young Americano is playing 
 the spy on us ! " shouted one of the Filipinos. 
 " See here, gringo, stand at the end of the car 
 and keep your eyes on the wood- work." 
 
 "I am not playing the spy," retorted Dick. 
 "I am on an errand of commerce." 
 
 ' ' Nevertheless if you do not stand at the end 
 of the car, and do as I told you, we will toss 
 your carcass out for the crows to peck at ! " 
 
 These little brown fellows were in a mood for 
 
48 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 bullying. Dick's helplessness gave him no alter- 
 native to obeying. With eyes flashing, he walked 
 to the end of the car, pushed on by several 
 hands. 
 
 At Polo several of the> officers left the train, 
 but others took their places. At Guiguinto there 
 was a further change of passengers, but all entered 
 alike into the spirit of making the American boy 
 stand where he could see nothing of the country 
 through which they were passing. At every rail- ■ 
 way station the platforms were found to be swarm- 
 ing with insurgent soldiery. It began to look as 
 if there were no limit to the number of Aguinaldo's 
 fighting men. Dick shuddered when he thought 
 of what bloody work it would be, even for an 
 army of the best fighting men in the world, to 
 disperse such hordes of enemies. 
 
 Barasoain was reached at last, after more than an 
 hour and a half on the way. This is the station 
 at which passengers for Malolos alight. All but 
 two of the officers left the train here. One of 
 them seized Dick by the arm. 
 
 "Come, Americano, this is where you get ofi", 
 and be quick about it ! " 
 
UNWITTING TEEACHEKY 49 
 
 Stepping down from the train, Dick found him- 
 self in the midst of a throng of soldier and civil- 
 ian Tagals. This boy, specimen of a hated race, 
 was the cynosure of all eyes at once. A young 
 lieutenant pushed his way up to him, remarking 
 sternly : 
 
 " Come, you cannot stay here without a pass." 
 
 " Here it is," replied Dick, tendering the docu- 
 ment. 
 
 " Wait here until I see about it," directed the 
 officer, and he vanished through the crowd. 
 
 " He's an Americano, and the Americanos are 
 no good," remarked one rebel soldier to another. 
 
 " Perhaps he sympathizes with us," jeered another 
 soldier. 
 
 . As the train moved out the crowd began to 
 press closely around the American boy. 
 
 " Let the senor," called a voice loudly, " shout 
 ' Viva la Republica Filipina ! ' " (Long live the 
 Filipino Eepublic.) 
 
 The suggestion caught like wild-fire. 
 
 "Yes, yes!" came a chorus of shouts. "Let 
 him say it, or let him perish." 
 
 ' ' You hear, senor ? " questioned the first one 
 
50 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 who had proposed it. " Now let us see how wide 
 you can open your mouth." 
 
 Dick took refuge in silence. The clamor grew. 
 Soon there were half a hundred men taking up 
 the cry. They pressed closer and closer to him. 
 
 ' ' Let him cheer for our republic or die ! " 
 dinned the demand. Dick, pallid but cool, clenched 
 his hands, determined that not even the fear of 
 death should make him a traitor by as much as a 
 word. 
 
 "What is this disturbance here? Let me see 
 the Americano ! " came the command, in a stern 
 voice. The crowd yielded, permitting a middle- 
 aged Filipino, dressed in the uniform of a colonel, 
 to reach Dick's side. 
 
 "Well?" demanded the colonel, brusquely. 
 ' ' What are you doing here ? " 
 
 " I came on business," replied Dick, while his 
 mob of tormentors surged about him in the effort 
 to hear what was said. "And I am provided 
 with a pass signed by one of your Filipino 
 officers." 
 
 " Let me see that pass," demanded the colonel. 
 
 " I gave it to a lieutenant here, a minute ago." 
 
" Let him Cheer for our Repdbuc or Die ! " Page 50 
 
UNWITTING TREACHERY 51 
 
 ' ' A lieutenant ? His name ? " 
 
 " That I don't know, as I never saw him before." 
 
 " Describe him to me." 
 
 Dick .started to obey, but his eye suddenly rested 
 on the very officer, standing on the edge of the 
 crowd. 
 
 " There's the man," cried Dick, pointing. 
 
 " Lieutenant," summoned the colonel, " step 
 here. This young man says he gave you a pass. 
 Where is it?" 
 
 The lieutenant, ' making his way through the 
 crowd, let his glance rove over the boy. 
 
 " The Americano?" he questioned. " He never 
 gave me anything like a pass ! " 
 
 For the first time Dick Carson began to scent 
 real danger. 
 
52 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 A PRISONER OF WAR 
 
 "But I did," protested Dick, "just a minute 
 ago. Surely you must remember it." 
 
 " Is the boy lying? " asked the colonel, looking 
 sharply at the lieutenant. 
 
 " He lies like an American, Senor Colonel," was 
 the unblushing answer. 
 
 Dick glanced from one to the other in deepest 
 amazement. How could he know that he was wit- 
 nessing a rehearsed play between the two? 
 
 "Enough!" said the colonel, crisply. "Lieu- 
 tenant, I place the American in your charge as a 
 prisoner. Take him to the carcel." 
 
 "The carcel?" repeated Carson, bewilderedly. 
 He could not understand why these officials, how- 
 ever much they disliked the Americans, should 
 want to send him to prison. 
 
 " Make way for the American prisoner ! " shouted 
 the lieutenant, derisively. "Come along, you 
 
 rlr.fr I » 
 
A PRISONER OF WAR 53 
 
 Jeering, the crowd fell back. Dick tried to 
 resist, but two or three of the brown soldiers 
 pushed him from behind with no gentle force. 
 
 ' ' There is a mistake here — a big one ! " shouted 
 the boy in Spanish. 
 
 "Tell the provost-general all about it, then," 
 advised the colonel, from a distance, as the prisoner 
 was hurried around to the rear of the station. 
 Here a caromatta stood. Dick was lifted almost 
 bodily into the rear seat, while the lieutenant fol- 
 lowed him. Amid a babel of insulting remarks 
 the vehicle left the depot, turning into a road that 
 leads to Malolos. 
 
 " "Why did you play such a trick upon me? " de- 
 manded the boy, turning an indignant face upon the 
 lieutenant. 
 
 But the little brown oiBcer merely chuckled. 
 His look admitted the truth of what our hero 
 charged. There was something sinister in the 
 Filipino's eyes. He lit a cigarette, blew out a 
 mouthful of smoke, and mockingly observed : 
 
 "I would recommend you, senor, to have noth- 
 ing more to say. It is the simplest way. What 
 will happen will happen." 
 
54 AGXJINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "This blackguard is right, after all," thought 
 Dick, writhing with inward anguish. "He didn't 
 lie about me in that fashion out of a mere whim. 
 Perhaps he was acting under orders. I shall do 
 better to keep silent and spend my time in think- 
 ing." 
 
 The road, hot and dusty, led between two lines 
 of nipa houses. In the larger yards there were 
 banana trees. Chickens and pigs abounded in 
 nearly all the yards. The street itself was thick 
 with soldiers, most of them without guns, and 
 lounging about smoking. Women, smoking cigars, 
 held the hands of small children who were puffing 
 at cigarettes. In many of the houses, as they went 
 by, Dick caught glimpses of insurgent soldiers, in 
 uniform, lolling about at home until summoned into 
 the field by Aguinaldo. Less than a mile from the 
 depot our hero passed the church, a massive pile of 
 fine architecture, where Aguinaldo and his "con- 
 gress " were then holding daily sessions. An arch, 
 gayly decorated, had been erected before the door 
 of the church. Insurgent soldiers were drawn up 
 before this arch, and at yarious points around the 
 building, while the spacious grounds around the 
 
A PRISONER OF WAR 55 
 
 church were filled by a mass of native men and 
 women, many of them in gala attire. Venders of 
 fruit, eggs, betel nuts, aerated waters, and cigars, 
 their goods displayed in baskets carried on their 
 heads, were doing a driving business. 
 
 Some one caught sight of Dick. In an in- 
 stant word flew about that an Americano had been 
 captured and was being taken to the place of execu- 
 tion. There was a rush for the caromatta. In a 
 twinkling it was surrounded. Imprecations, first, 
 and then fruit began to fly as the pony was brought 
 to a stop. 
 
 'f My friends," laughed Dick's conductor, good- 
 naturedly, " you are right to throw bad fruit at an 
 American. I do not blame you. But you are 
 also likely to ruin the uniform of a loyal soldier of 
 the republic. Stop, I beg you, and let us through." 
 
 With a good deal of laughing the request was 
 obeyed. In a minute more the vehicle was in 
 another plaza, where there was a second church, 
 larger and handsomer, even, than the congress 
 building, and, like the first church, used for Fili- 
 pino government purposes. Out. of this plaza to 
 the westward led a narrow street on which stood, in 
 
56 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 the midst of dwellings, the little two-story stone 
 and mortar building that the Spaniards had once 
 upon a time used as a jail. 
 
 Before the door of this building stood a half 
 dozen bare-footed soldiers, armed with rifles to 
 which the bayonets were fixed. Catching sight 
 of the oflScer, they lined up and saluted as the 
 caromatta stopped. 
 
 " Get out here," ordered the lieutenant, giving 
 the boy a shove, and Carson, stepping to the 
 ground, passed between the soldiers and entered 
 through the door of the carcel. It was cool in 
 here in the shadow, as contrasted with the 
 blazing heat outside, — so cool in fact that Dick 
 shivered slightly. There were three or four 
 soldiers in the corridor, squatting on benches 
 until the appearance of their officer caused them 
 to rise and stand at attention. 
 
 "Jose, aqui!" summoned the lieutenant, loudly. 
 
 '■'■ Aqui" the Spanish word for "here," is the 
 summons mainly used in Luzon. 
 
 Before long a fat, sleepy-looking fellow, bare- 
 footed and clad in white cotton shirt and trousers, 
 with a cigarette hanging listlessly from his lips, 
 
A PRISONER OF WAR 57 
 
 appeared. The revolver in a holster at his belt 
 and the bunch of keys which he carried in one 
 hand made it apparent that this fellow was the 
 jailer. 
 
 " Jose," said the lieutenant, shrugging one 
 shoulder in Dick's direction, ' ' here is a prisoner 
 whom Colonel Parma sends you. See that he is 
 taken good care of." 
 
 Jose, after looking the American boy scowl- 
 ingly over, nodded to him to follow, while the 
 lieutenant, turning upon his heel, left the build- 
 ing. Dick accompanied his new captor without 
 saying a word. He well knew that it would do 
 no good to waste time in argument with a fel- 
 low as stupid and unimportant as Jose appeared 
 to be. Jose turned to the right, leading the 
 way up a flight of damp, ill-smelling stairs. 
 Then down a cori'idor, past many cells, through 
 the grated doors of which Chinese prisoners 
 glanced apprehensively out, staring stolidly at 
 the latest acquisition to their ranks. 
 
 "In here," said Jose, languidly, pausing be- 
 fore a cell-door and unlocking it. There was a 
 Chinaman in there already, squatting on one of 
 
58 AGUINALDOS HOSTAGE 
 
 the two wooden benches which formed the only 
 furniture of the little cell. The Chinaman was 
 a loathsome sight, and malodorous. His trousers, 
 coming only down to the knees, showed two 
 calves covered with hideous-looking ulcers. 
 
 "You Melican man?" inquired the Chinaman, 
 looking at the boy, and speaking in broken Spanish, 
 as soon as Jose had turned the key in the rusty 
 lock and gone away. 
 
 "Yes," admitted Dick, dropping upon the other 
 bench and looking at his repulsive cell-mate. 
 
 "I heap solly for you," went on the Chinaman. 
 ' ' You Melican man ; Filipino do for you liliee 
 this." The Chinaman made a sufficiently clear ges- 
 ture of drawing one lean finger across his throat. 
 
 ' ' What you done ? " inquired the Chinaman, after 
 a pause. 
 
 "Nothing," answered Dick, shortlj''. 
 
 "No matter; Filipino allee same do this for 
 you" — again the not reassuring gesture across the 
 yellow throat. "You Melican man — that plenty 
 enough to do. Oh, yes ! You see ! " 
 
 Not very cheering, this information so readily 
 imparted ! 
 
A PRISONER or WAR 59 
 
 But Dick, trying to keep up a brave front in 
 adversity, answered with a smile. Then, the 
 Chinaman's curiosity exhausting itself, Dick let his 
 head fall forward into his hands. He thought and 
 thought and thought, trying to solve the enigma of 
 why he had been thus treated. That it was not 
 solely because he was an American he felt sure. 
 Yet, the more he thought, the greater the puzzle 
 became. 
 
 ' ' You got cigalette ? " asked the Chinaman. 
 
 "No; I don't smoke. Sorry I can't help you." 
 
 Disappointed in his hope of a smoke, the China- 
 man relapsed into silence, and, putting one foot up 
 on the other knee, began to examine his sores with 
 great interest. The odor exhaled by this Mongolian 
 was so disagreeable that Dick moved his own bench 
 as far away as the limits of the cell permitted. An 
 hour passed. Carson found himself no nearer a 
 solution of the mystery of his arrest. Soft foot- 
 falls in the corridor outside heralded the approach 
 of Jose, who, unlocking the door, ordered: 
 
 "Come with me, senor." 
 
 Through the corridor, down the stairs, into a 
 dismal office at the rear of the building young 
 
60 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Carson followed his conductor. At one side of the 
 room, behind a flat-top desk, sat a Filipino official 
 in military uniform. Colonel Parma was seated 
 near him. There were four other ofiicers present, 
 besides three private soldiers. At a sign from the 
 official behind the desk one of the soldiers ap- 
 proached Carson, inserting his hands into all of the 
 boy's pockets and dumping upon the desk all that 
 was found. 
 
 "Now, sefior," said Colonel Parma, "you will 
 account to the provost-general for your presence 
 in Malolos." 
 
 No task could have been more to our hero's 
 liking. He rapidly detailed his agreement with 
 "Mr. Tillerman," described his trip and his ex- 
 periences at the Barasoain station, and dwelt at 
 no little length upon the incidents connected with 
 the surrender of his pass. 
 
 " But Lieutenant Silvela has assured me," 
 broke in Colonel Parma, "that this American did 
 not hand him any pass." 
 
 " I did, though, upon my honor as an Ameri- 
 can," persisted hapless Dick. 
 
 With a snort the provost-general picked up the 
 
A PRISONER OF WAR 61 
 
 bill of "Mr. Tillerman," turned to the other 
 oflScers present, and inquired : 
 
 " Gentlemen, did any of you ever hear of a 
 resident of Malolos named Josemos ? " 
 
 One after another the officers thus interrogated 
 shook their heads. 
 
 "It has been well proven," said the provost, 
 glaring at Dick, ' ' that you had no pass ; that you 
 came to Malolos to collect a bill against a man 
 who does not exist. You are an American, and 
 have penetrated our lines. What are we to 
 think?" 
 
 Giving Dick no chance to reply, the provost- 
 general continued : 
 
 "It is clear enough that you are a spy. It 
 will be of no use for you to deny the charge. 
 Your fate must be decided under the rules of 
 
 war 
 
 1 " 
 
 To thunderstruck Dick Carson, surrounded by 
 the enemies of his race, this pronouncement came 
 like the clap of fate. 
 
62 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE prisoner's DREAM 
 
 "But if you will listen to me — only believe 
 me " — cried the astounded boy. 
 
 "I won't," interjected the provost, crisply. 
 ' ' Why should I ? All our prisoners would tell us 
 tales of innocence if we gave them the chance. 
 Jose ! " 
 
 " Si, mi general," answered the jailer, coming 
 forward from the doorway where he had been 
 lounging. 
 
 " Take the prisoner back to his cell, until it is 
 decided what is to be done with him." 
 
 Dick wheeled about and accompanied his jailer 
 without another word. He still felt sure there was 
 some terrible mistake that would soon be righted. 
 
 As the cell door opened and Dick entered, the 
 Chinaman looked up at him with some curiosity. 
 "When Jose had gone away the yellow man broke 
 out with : 
 
THE prisoner's DREAM 63 
 
 " You plenty lucky no got throat cut yet. No 
 matter ; you wait. Allee same come soon. You 
 Melican — that settle it. Wait ! " 
 
 "It looks as if I'd have to wait," smiled Dick, 
 bitterly. Then, looking curiously about him, and 
 lowering his voice, Dick asked : 
 
 " Chino, by what name do you call yourself?" 
 
 "Moy Yuen." 
 
 " Moy, did it never occur to you that there 
 ought to be some way to escape from a rickety old 
 back-number jail like this ? " 
 
 "Escape?" asked the Chinaman, indolently. 
 "What good that do?" 
 
 ' ' Wouldn't you like to be free ? — back in 
 Manila, or China?" 
 
 "Yep; plenty like," replied the Chinaman, 
 promptly. " But allee same, what good like? 
 Chino get out of here, he not go far. Plenty 
 Filipino see him ; bring him light back. So 
 what good escape? Maybe Chino get his throat . 
 cut, allee same Melican, allee same you." 
 
 "There's no use in trying to interest this 
 fellow in a scheme of escape," muttered Dick 
 to himself. "It strikes him as unnecessary 
 
64 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 trouble. But I'll keep my eyes open in my own 
 case." 
 
 Moy Yuen soon exemplified how little the matter 
 of getting out interested him by sprawling him- 
 self upon the hard stone floor and going into 
 sound, snoring sleep. Dick examined his surround- 
 ings thoughtfully. The door ofiered no .possibili- 
 ties, since he knew too little about locks to have 
 any hope of being able to pick one. On either 
 side of this cell were other ones. The back of 
 the cell Dick believed to be identical with the 
 wall of the jail. It was composed of mortar 
 and a peculiar kind of building-block much in 
 use in the Philippines — a block made up of small 
 stones, shells, and mortar pressed into shape. The 
 mortar, especially between the blocks, was so old 
 and crumbly that Dick believed the simplest kind 
 of an implement, backed by patience, would suffice 
 to pick it out. 
 
 "But if this is the back of the jail, that won't 
 do either," reflected the young prisoner. " As 
 we came in I remember seeing a guard pacing 
 along the side. If there's a guard on at night 
 — and there must be — it would be next to im- 
 
THE PRISONEE'S DREAM 65 
 
 possible to get out without making myself a mark 
 for Mauser bullets." 
 
 As for the implement, Dick felt in his pockets 
 to see what the searching soldiers had left him 
 of his belongings. He found nothing but a fold- 
 ing button-hook. Still, even this, with proper 
 use, might be sufficient to work out the mortar. 
 At this time of the day he could do nothing 
 but wait — and think. 
 
 How blissfully Moy snored ! Whatever fate held 
 in store for that Chino, as Chinese are called in 
 Spanish, Moy did not propose to spoil his health 
 worrying about it. With true Chinese philosophy 
 he made the best of the present. 
 
 "I wish I could sleep like that," fidgetted 
 Dick. "It would do me good, for I can't re- 
 member to have ever felt so used up and worn 
 out in my life. But I'm afraid sleep is out of 
 the question for a good many hours — I'm too 
 nervous." 
 
 He would have liked to get up and walk, but 
 the prostrate form of the slumbering Moy lay 
 across the floor in such fashion that the boy 
 could not take two steps without danger of step- 
 
66 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 ping on the Chino. He varied the monotony of 
 sitting by standing awhile; then, glad to resume 
 his seat, he let his head fall into his hands. He 
 was aroused, some time later, by the soft footsteps 
 of Jose. 
 
 "Wake up, you lazy Chino dog!" admonished 
 the jailer, showing his face through the bars. Thus 
 ordered, Moy sat up, rubbed his almond eyes, and 
 then got slowly up on his bench. Unlocking the 
 door, Jose entered. 
 
 " Supper enough for two dogs," announced Jose, 
 unfeelingly, holding out two strips of green leaf 
 from the banana palm. On each bit of leaf was a 
 pat of cooked rice. Moy snatched at his with the 
 greed of a famishing dog. Dick took the bit of 
 food offered him more deliberately, though hardly 
 less glad to get it, for he had eaten nothing since 
 morning. Moy made two mouthfuls of his food ; 
 Dick swallowed his share in four. 
 
 "That's not bad," smiled Dick. "What else 
 have you, Jose?" 
 
 " Water," said Jose, in a surly tone. 
 
 ' ' Can I have no more rice ? " 
 
 "Not until to-morrow. What do you think — 
 
THE prisoner's dkeam 67 
 
 that the Filipino republic has nothing to do with its 
 money but to feed Americanos ? " 
 
 " Let that pass, then," replied Dick, with pre- 
 tended blitheness. "You said something about 
 water. Can I have some?" 
 
 Jose stood glaring at the boy for some mo- 
 ments, but Dick returned the stare unconcernedly. 
 Jose then stepped back into the corridor, reap- 
 pearing with a rusty tin in which there was about 
 a quart of rather dirty-looking water. But it was 
 no time to be particular, so Carson, raising the tin 
 to his lips, drank until the jailer snatched the tin 
 away. 
 
 "Is the water supply limited, too?" queried the 
 boy, in a good deal of surprise. 
 
 " For Americans, yes," was the answer. " Here, 
 Chine, you may have all you want." 
 
 And the yellow prisoner, snatching the tin, 
 greedily finished its contents. 
 
 " In the morning," said Jose, once more glaring 
 at our hero, " you will be ready to get up at day- 
 light. I think I will set you to sweep out the cells 
 on this floor, and clean the corridor." 
 
 The insolence of the jailer's tone stung Carson to 
 
68 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 the quick. He did not relish being talked to in 
 such fashion by a fellow so inferior as Jose. 
 
 "Oh, there's all night to think about it," re- 
 torted Dick lightly. "I'll let you know in the 
 morning whether I am willing to do any of your 
 housework for you." 
 
 "Come, then," requested Jose. "I want to 
 show you what happened to two who thought they 
 would do as they pleased. It may change your 
 mind. You come too, Chino." 
 
 Out of the cell and down to the rear end of the 
 corridor the jailer led them. He waved one hand 
 toward the barred window. 
 
 "Look out into the river, and see what you 
 shall see," he directed. 
 
 Dick saw, and turned sick with disgust and 
 loathing. Moy Yuen took a peep, and his face 
 instantly took on a tint of sickly green. The poor 
 Chino's legs shook so that he could hardly stand. 
 
 On the surface of the water lay two Chinamen, 
 nearly nude. Lashed back to back, they were 
 bloated and hideous-looking. Each had had his 
 throat cut, great gaping wounds showing. From 
 their bodies ropes ran to trees on either side of 
 
THE prisoner's DREAM 69 
 
 the narrow river, or creek. Their bloated bodies 
 floated motionless on the water, a silent, ghastly 
 warning to all passers-by on the bridge close at 
 hand. 
 
 "Those two rascals had notions something like 
 yours, senor," exclaimed the jailer, as Dick turned 
 his face away from the fearful sight. ' ' They were 
 willing to work, but when told that they must work 
 without being paid for it, they refused. Well, 
 you saw what happened to them ! The same pun- 
 ishment awaits every stubborn prisoner. So, when 
 I tell you that you will be set to work in the morn- 
 ing, you understand that you will do the work." 
 
 With which grim remark, Jose motioned them 
 back to their cell. Dick went without a word, 
 white with anger and disgust. Poor Moy groped 
 at walls and cell doors to steady himself. He 
 seated himself on his former bench, with eyes 
 staring affrightedly ahead and teeth chattering. 
 Jose smiled grimly at the pair, mistaking Dick's 
 pallor for fright, locked the door, and left them. 
 
 As dark came on, Moy's terror increased. Inco- 
 herent appeals in Chinese escaped him. He was 
 praying to Buddha. 
 
70 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Hour after hour went by. Save for a dim oil- 
 lamp, burning near the stairway, there was no 
 light on that floor of the carcel. Every now and 
 then the Filipino who acted as Jose's night relief 
 came gliding through the corridor as still as a 
 ghost, to make sure that the piisoners were all 
 secure. In the stillness of the jail the gay chatter 
 of the natives in the street outside was plainly 
 audible. There was the sound of a band playing 
 up in the Plaza. At length even that sound 
 ceased. By degrees the street sounds became less, 
 ceasing utterly towards «leven o'clock. Still Dick 
 Carson sat on his bench, thinking, thinking, think- 
 ing, hoping that drowsiness would soon come to 
 his relief. All was still outside, now, save for the 
 occasional hail of a sentry to some belated passer-by. 
 
 Moy, who had been quiet, but sleepless, for an 
 hour, now broke into another long string of sup- 
 plications addressed to Buddha. When Dick finally 
 knelt down that night it was to a very dif- 
 ferent God that he prayed for courage and succor. 
 He fell asleep, to be aroused a little later by 
 a soft pressure against his body. 
 
 Stupid at first, Dick lay with his eyes half 
 
THE PKISONER'S DREAM 71 
 
 open, but not moving. Then, his eyes gradually 
 becoming accustomed to the darkness, he dis- 
 covered that his Chinese fellow-prisoner was softly 
 rifling his pockets. 
 
 "It's no use, Moy," laughed Dick. "Those 
 rascals downstairs didn't leave me anything for you 
 to take." 
 
 With a grunt, in which there was neither con- 
 fusion nor shame, Moy Yuen drew back, laid 
 himself upon the floor, and began a series of 
 premature snores. 
 
 Thus aroused, our hero did not find it an easy 
 matter to get to sleep again. Tired as he was, 
 the stone floor made such an uncomfortable bed 
 that he turned, twisted, and shifted many and 
 many a time in the vain effort to find the pro- 
 verbial "soft spot." It was of no use. He had 
 just resigned himself to lying awake for the rest 
 of the night when consciousness faded and he 
 dropped off into deep, dreamless sleep. 
 
 For a long time Dick's steady, full breathing 
 showed how fully nature had come to his relief. 
 At last, however, he began to toss in his sleep. 
 Dreams had come. 
 
72 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 At first he went over, step by step, with 
 horrible unrealness, his experiences on that memor- 
 able railway ride from Manila to Malolos. In 
 the dream-version of his arrest he found him- 
 self fleeing frantically down the street from Bara- 
 soain to Malolos with hundreds of Filipinos, all 
 brandishing knives, in full pursuit, while the lieu- 
 tenant charged with his delivery at the carcel 
 raced after fugitive and pursuers, calling upon his 
 captive to stop and surrender himself. But a 
 very lively and life-like fear of those ghastly 
 dream-knives kept the dreaming boy in continued 
 flight. 
 
 From that, his dreams took him into the office of 
 the provost-general, downstairs. Here the actual 
 scene, too, became much magnified and distorted 
 in the land of Nod. Dick found himself on trial, 
 with dozens of natives all testifying wildly that 
 they had seen this American boy kill their be- 
 loved president, Aguinaldo. His guilt seemed 
 proven in an instant. It remained only to decide 
 upon his fate. It must be something peculiarly 
 awful. All the witnesses took a hand in propos- 
 ing. 
 
THE prisoner's DREAM 73 
 
 " Heat a big kettle of cocoanut oil and boil him 
 alive in it," suggested one. 
 
 "No, no! Put him in a hole in the ground, 
 and toss in after him four cobras that have first 
 been made fighting mad. Let them sink their 
 poisonous fangs into him, and thus avenge his 
 deed." 
 
 Other suggestions followed that were even more 
 horrible. Dick, quite conscious in his dream that 
 he had committed no such act as that charged 
 against him, tried in vain to make himself heard. 
 The tossing body of this dreaming young sleeper 
 became bathed in cold perspiration caused by the 
 fearful mental pictures in which he was the chief 
 and doomed actor. 
 
 A change, ever so slight, came in the dream. 
 It seemed that his fate had been decided. Just 
 what it was the boy did not understand. He 
 realized only that it was something awful — the 
 most fearful torture that these enraged Filipinos 
 could invent. 
 
 Then the crowd rushed upon him. In the midst 
 of the tumult a voice as of one in authority broke 
 in. Obedient to that command, the frantic crowd 
 
74 AGUINALDOS HOSTAGE 
 
 stood back for an instant, and Herr Schwarz 
 appeared on the dream-scene. His face wore a 
 look of evil mockery. 
 
 "Well, boy," said this new dream-arrival, " so 
 you see what you have come to. Do you remem- 
 'ber how you refused me a great favor? It is in 
 my power, now, to save you from this crazy mul- 
 titude. I could do it easilj^ if I wanted. But I 
 refuse. As you declined to serve me, so I decline 
 to serve you. Go to your fate, knowing that you 
 have brought it upon yourself, and that you 
 deserve no sympathy ! " 
 
 Then Dick, in his dream, threw off the night- 
 mare of fear that had held him helpless even to 
 move. 
 
 " You are the cause of all this, Herr Schwarz ! " 
 he charged. 
 
 The German's face took on an even subtler look 
 than before, as he retorted : 
 
 "Even so. You preferred to be my enemy!" 
 
 Then, as visions do vanish in dreams, when 
 their mission is fulfilled, Herr Schwarz faded from 
 the scene. But the Filipinos still remained, their 
 fury not one whit abated. They rushed upon him. 
 
THE prisoner's DREAM 75 
 
 He felt himself borne onward by the moving 
 throng. 
 
 Struggling desperately, Dick suddenly awoke, 
 wet with chill perspiration, shaking in every bone 
 of his body. For a few moments he could hardly 
 realize that the dreadful scene was merely the 
 fancy of his fagged brain. 
 
 "Gracious!" muttered the boy, sitting up as 
 soon as he found the strength to do so, and wip- 
 ing his wet forehead and face on his sleeve. 
 ' ' That was a terror ! I don't believe I care about 
 going to sleep again, if I'm to be in for a night 
 of such stuff as that." 
 
 In the darkness he could just make out the 
 figure of Moy Yuen, who lay on his side, with 
 knees almost drawn up to his chin. The Mongol 
 was surely enough asleep this time, his breath 
 coming and going in deep, regular gusts, not a 
 move, not a tremor, not so much as a sigh 
 fluttering through the lips of the wretched Chino. 
 
 " That's one of the beauties of being a coolie," 
 thought depressed Dick. "With such a stupid 
 brain as his, he hasn't imagination enough to go 
 through such a fearful dream as mine." 
 
76 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Through the boy's mind at this moment, with 
 the mocking dream-face of Herr Schwarz still so 
 fresh in his memory, flashed the words with which 
 Mr. Taylor had warned him against the German. 
 
 " Merciful Heaven !" uttered Dick, starting sud- 
 denly to his feet and speaking half aloud. " I 
 begin to see through it all. That fellow who 
 called himself Tillerman was a decoy. That bill 
 against a man who does not live here — that pass 
 which was good enough until I reached Malolos 
 — its disappearance and my arrest. Somehow, 
 Schwarz is at the bottom of it all ! " 
 
MALOLOS HAS TIDINGS OF WAR'S TIKST SHOT 77 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 MALOLOS HAS TIDINGS OF WAR's FIRST SHOT 
 
 Dick expected his fate, one way or the other, to 
 be speedily decided. 
 
 In this his expectation was not realized. Thurs- 
 day and Friday he spent in his cell, except for the 
 brief spells that Jose required him for cleaning- 
 work in the corridor. This work Dick sensibly 
 concluded to perform without demur. To have 
 resisted would have been to invite punishment 
 which he was powerless to avert. Jose was not a 
 hard or cruel taskmaster ; the Filipino jailer was 
 too indolent to be harsh unless provoked. 
 
 But on Saturday morning Jose was at the cell 
 door early. 
 
 "Come, Chi no ! Come, Americano!" he mur- 
 mured. "Rouse yourselves. Here is breakfast, 
 and after you have eaten it you are to be sent out to 
 earn it. So be quick with your meal." 
 
 The door was unlocked. Each received his al- 
 
78 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 lowance of a small pat of rice on a banana leaf. 
 Each was then allowed to step out into the hall for 
 his drink of water. 
 
 "Now you will go downstairs," ordered Jose, 
 " and join the gang that is going out to work." 
 
 Dick and Moy Yuen hastened along the corridor, 
 down the stairs. After so much tedious confine- 
 ment they were glad of the chance to get out of 
 doors. 
 
 In the corridor below they found a group of 
 some two-score chattering Chinamen, under guard 
 of ten soldiers and a sergeant, all awaiting the same 
 order to start for the place of employment. With 
 the arrival of the two upstairs prisoners the whole 
 lot were made to form, two and two, Dick and Moy 
 Yuen bringing up the rear. The soldiers were 
 distributed along the line in such a way as to keep 
 the prisoners in order and nip any attempt at 
 escape with a bullet. 
 
 " Vamos!" (go) ordered the sergeant, and the 
 procession filed into the street. Across the bridge 
 over the little river they marched, out to the west 
 of Malolos on the road to Paombong. At a dis- 
 tance of a quarter of a mile from the jail the body 
 
MALOLOS HAS TIDINGS OF AVAE'S FIRST SHOT 79 
 
 of prisoners was wheeled to the left, marching in 
 under the shade of a big banana grove. The guard 
 was posted at the edges of the grove, to prevent 
 any escapes, and then the sergeant, acting as a 
 taskmaster, set the prisoners at work. 
 
 At one side of the grove stood a pile of jointed, 
 sun-dried bamboo. These pieces were some thirty- 
 feet in length and of an average diameter of about 
 four inches. The joints occurred at intervals of 
 about eighteen inches, and on the inside of the 
 bamboo, between these joints, was a hard, pith-like 
 growth, which effectually divided each bamboo 
 trunk into so many air-tight compartments. 
 
 ' ' You see that pile ? " asked the sergeant, direct- 
 ing attention to the bamboo. "There is material 
 enough there to make several thousand canteens. 
 That shall be your work, each day, until the pile 
 is gone. Now I will show you how to do it. 
 The dog who dares to be lazy shall miss his supper 
 to-night." 
 
 Picking out two of the Chinamen, the sergeant 
 directed each to bring a bamboo pole to the centre 
 of the grove. This done, he provided each with 
 a saw, ordering them to cut up the bamboo in 
 
80 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 such fashion that each piece should terminate in one 
 end, at the closed joint, and, at the other end, 
 some three inches beyond the joint. To each of 
 the other prisoners he gave a knife. 
 
 "It is said that you Americanos are very lazy," 
 sneered the sergeant, turning to Dick. "Well, 
 we shall see whether you will dare to be now. 
 Your work is to be done like this." 
 
 Picking up one of the short lengths of bamboo 
 which the Chinamen had just sawed oif, the sergeant 
 began to whittle at the end that protruded beyond 
 the joint. He cut it away to a scoop-like aflFair, 
 terminating in an end small enough to fit the 
 mouth. Then, with the knife, just below the scoop 
 he cut a small opening through the pith. This, 
 with the addition of a narrow shoulder-strap of 
 cotton tacked on, formed the canteen in which 
 the Filipino soldier carried his water while fighting, 
 or on the march. It carried water enough to last 
 the little brown fighter nearly all day. But with 
 the strap the prisoners had nothing to do. Each 
 soldier was left to put that on for himself. 
 
 The model that the sergeant thus quickly manu- 
 factured was passed from hand to hand, that each 
 
MALOLOS HAS TIDINGS OF WAR'S FIRST SHOT 81 
 
 of the prisoners might see what was required. It 
 was a simple idea that did not take long to 
 master. 
 
 " Now, to work with you, and woe to the lazy ! " 
 cried the sergeant. 
 
 Amid the squeaking of rusty saws and the low- 
 toned chug-chug of knives cutting through the 
 bamboo the work proceeded. The sergeant, squat- 
 ting in the centre, where he could watch them all, 
 smoked an innumerable number of cigarettes, 
 watching his slaves through his half-closed eyes. 
 But he was far from permitting himself to go to 
 sleep, that inexorable little Filipino. As speedily 
 as he detected one of the prisoners lagging for a 
 moment he would spring up, rush over to the 
 offender, and lay a half dozen stinging blows with 
 a green bamboo stick across the poor fellow's back. 
 In this matter the sergeant was over-zealous. 
 Dick, pausing to wipe away the perspiration that 
 streamed from his brow into his eyes, received his 
 half dozen strokes in a twinkling. An hour later 
 he received another half dozen no more merited. 
 Each time the boy flushed, trembled, and meditated 
 springing upon his cruel taskmaster. But, realiz- 
 
82 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 ing the hopelessness of such rebellion, he controlled 
 himself and took his chastisement as meekly as 
 he could. 
 
 By noon there were hundreds of canteens fin- 
 ished and stacked up after the fashion of a good 
 old American wood-pile. At this hour some 
 Filipino women appeared, bringing food for the 
 soldiers, who ate it while keeping an eye over 
 the prisoners. 
 
 "Well, what are you staring at, you dogs?" 
 demanded the sergeant, angrily, after gulping down 
 a slice of fish. "Do you expect to be fed? 
 Be thankful if you have something to eat to-night." 
 
 But, an hour later, finding that his slaves were 
 weakening without water to cool their parched 
 lips, the sergeant relented enough to permit four 
 Chinos, under guard of a soldier, to carry earthen 
 urns to the nearest stream, and Ijring them back 
 full of water. Thereafter the sergeant watched 
 to see who stopped work too often to go to a water 
 jar. Such an ofience, even if a fancied one on 
 the part of the taskmaster, was sure to meet 
 swift punishment with the bamboo. 
 
 Save for a drink of water about once an hour. 
 
MALOLOS HAS TIDINGS OF WAR'S FIRST SHOT 83 
 
 the sergeant did not permit his compulsory work- 
 men to idle away a moment. It was a fearful 
 test of endurance, for the temperature, even under 
 the shade of the trees, stood above a hundred 
 degrees during the middle of the day. There 
 were spots where the sun filtered through the leaves 
 of the banana trees and shone direct upon the 
 toilers. Yet to attempt to shift much in position 
 was sure to bring down a shower of blows from 
 that terrible bamboo stick, a dozen times re- 
 plenished through the day. The Chinamen, inured 
 to toil and heat, stood it fairly well. As for 
 Dick, accustomed to spend the hottest hours of 
 the tropical day in the cool recesses of an office, 
 with a laborless siesta (resting or nap time) from 
 noon to two o'clock, this hot, unremitting toil, 
 without food and with insufficient water, became 
 acute torture before the day was over. 
 
 By night-time more than two thousand of these 
 bamboo canteens had been manufactured. Just 
 before dark the sergeant, after collecting the saws 
 and knives, re-formed the procession, marching the 
 prisoners back to the carcel. Dick and Moy 
 Yuen were locked up in their former cell. Jose 
 
84 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 served them with the same pats of rice, reen- 
 forced with a little water. 
 
 The next day was Sunday, the fifth of Febru- 
 ary. If our hero had hoped for rest on this 
 Christian day of rest he was doomed to disap- 
 pointment. Soon after daylight, following a hasty 
 breakfast, he and Moy were ordered downstairs. 
 Here they found the same group of prisoners. 
 The march of the former day was reenacted. 
 But Dick's sharp eye noted a change in the de- 
 meanor of the sergeant. That little brown man 
 appeared greatly excited. The same excitement 
 was noticeable in his men in a no less degree. 
 Out in the streets the native population swarmed. 
 There were cheers and "vivas." Knots of Tagalo 
 men and women stood at every corner, talking 
 in their own dialect, and all speaking excitedly. 
 They even cheered the detail of soldiers escort- 
 ing the prisoners. Filipino flags were four times 
 as much in evidence on the buildings as they had 
 been the day before. 
 
 "What in the world is up?" wondered the 
 American boy. 
 
 He was not long left in doubt. Upon arrival at 
 
MALOLOS HAS TIDINGS OP WAE'S FIRST SHOT 85 
 
 the grove, after the prisoners had been set to work 
 duplicating the task of the day before, the sergeant, 
 looking mightily proud, came over and squatted on 
 the ground close to Dick. 
 
 " Well," began the little brown man, banteringly, 
 " it seems that your Americano soldiers are not so 
 brave as they bragged themselves to be ! " 
 
 "No?" asked Dick, wondering what was coming 
 next. 
 
 " They are no match for our soldiers who fight 
 for the Filipino republic." 
 
 " So I have heard your people say before," was 
 Dick's dry rejoinder. 
 
 "Well, it has been proven," cried the sergeant, 
 gleefully. "Last night we tested them. Last 
 night the first shot was fired ! Then a volley. 
 The war has begun. It is almost over." 
 
 Bamboo and knife fell from Dick Carson's sud- 
 denly nerveless fingers. He stared searchingly into 
 the sergeant's eyes, where an exulting look flashed. 
 
 ' ' Bosh ! " said Dick, simply. 
 
 ' ' You do not believe what I tell you ? " de- 
 manded the Filipino. 
 
 ' ' No ; I know the American soldier altogether too 
 
86 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 well to believe any such stuff as you are telling me. 
 The rebellion may have begun, but if that is true 
 you will see American soldiers here within two or 
 three days." 
 
 "Very likely," jeered the sergeant, "but they 
 will come as prisoners. Oh, our great presidente 
 had many more soldiers than you Americanos 
 thought for ! If you do not believe me, did you 
 not notice how happy our people are to-day? Our 
 great victory is in everybody's mouth." 
 
 " Victory?" repeated Carson, incredulously. 
 
 " Yes, victory. Since you will enjoy the news 
 so much, I will read it to you." 
 
 From under his soiled blue and white jacket the 
 sergeant drew out a copy of the native paper 
 printed in Malolos. It was printed in Spanish, and 
 the great flaring head-lines, in which the word " vic- 
 toria" was conspicuous, covered half of the first 
 page. 
 
 "It was what was to be expected," said the ser- 
 geant. " Our great and brave army was in Manila 
 last night within an hour after the fighting began." 
 
 " In Manila?" echoed Dick. 
 
 " Certainly, for the Americanos had not only our 
 
' Theke are no Amekicans Left outside the Walled City " 
 
 Page 87 
 
MALOLOS HAS TIDINGS OP WAE'S FIRST SHOT 87 
 
 troops to fight. The Filipino populace in the city 
 rose and assailed the Americanos from the rear. 
 Oh, our brave fellows had a splendid time cutting 
 the Americanos to pieces ! In one stone house they 
 captured thirty Americano soldiers. They were 
 hacked to pieces with knives. And our troops are 
 parading the streets of Manila to-day — that is to 
 say, those who are not keeping the remaining 
 American soldiers penned in the Walled City." 
 
 Dick stared in amaze at the sergeant, who con- 
 tinued to glance over the paper and to talk with the 
 air of a man who believes every word he utters. 
 
 ' ' There are no Americans left outside of the 
 Walled City," resumed the sergeant, gloating over 
 Dick's distress. " If they attempt to come out 
 they will be cut to pieces as they were last night. 
 Moreover, we have thousands of Chinos at work 
 digging mines under the Walled City. By to-mor- 
 row those mines will be in readiness. General Otis 
 will be ordered to surrender, with the two or three 
 regiments of troops that he has left. If he does 
 not, then the Walled City will be blown up, and the 
 last of the Americans destroyed." 
 
 There could be no doubt that the sergeant 
 
88 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 believed all he read in the paper. It was true 
 that the rebellion had opened, and the first battle 
 had been fought, but the result had been a disas- 
 trous defeat for the Filipinos, who had been driven 
 to a greater distance from the city, with the loss 
 of hundreds of their comrades. The natives in 
 Manila and the Tagals on the firing-line knew the 
 truth. But along the towns all the way from 
 Caloocan to San Fernando the most exuberant tales 
 of a Filipino victory had been circulated among 
 natives only too glad to believe the falsehoods. 
 
 ' ' Our presidente is a great leader ! " cried the 
 sergeant, his eyes glowing and snapping. " There 
 is not another in all the world like Don Emilio 
 Aguinaldo." 
 
 To this, two of the soldiers of the guard who 
 had drawn near replied with cries of approval. 
 Dick hardly knew what to think. He knew how 
 numerous the insurgent army was ; knew, also, 
 how many thousands of the little brown men in 
 Manila would take huge delight in attacking the 
 Americans from the rear. At the thought of the 
 Malays looting the city, burning and pillaging, 
 the boy felt heart-sick. The thought of American 
 
MALOLOS HAS TIDINGS OF WAR's FIRST SHOT 89 
 
 women and children being ruthlessly butchered by 
 the insurgents made him turn hot and cold in 
 swift succession. 
 
 "It is all the fault of the Americans," spoke up 
 one of the listening insurgent soldiers. "They 
 would not go away and leave us in peace. They 
 laughed at our wish to be a free people. Very 
 well ; we have answered them by speaking in 
 blood ! " 
 
 " I don't believe it," said Dick, bluntly, after 
 some moments of thought. 
 
 " Don't believe what?" queried the sergeant and 
 the soldiers in one breath. 
 
 ' ' I don't believe one word of this yarn of 
 victory. There may have been a fight, but if 
 there was your insurgent army was badly beaten." 
 
 "That is a lie," said the sergeant, wrathfully, 
 flourishing his paper; "as this journal shows." 
 
 "It's absurd," ridiculed Dick, " the very idea of 
 the insurgents in occupation of Manila after having 
 fired on the Stars and Stripes ! Why, under those 
 circumstances you couldn't stay in Manila one 
 hour." 
 
 The sergeant laughed heartily at this specimen 
 
90 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 of what he considered Americano bombast. When 
 he could speak once more, he demanded : 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 " Because Dewey and his fleet would blow 
 Manila off the face of the earth 1 " 
 
 Dick Carson fairly hurled this answer at the 
 listening insurgents. It struck like a bombshell, 
 demolishing the house of cards which they had 
 erected out of their hopes. 
 
 " Oh, well," growled the sergeant, after a few 
 moments, " when the time comes to deal with 
 your Dewey we shall know what to do with him. 
 As for you, dog, go on with your work, and 
 make up for all the time you have lost in talking, 
 or you shall feel a tenfold dose of my bamboo 
 stick over your back." 
 
 Dick picked up the bamboo and the knife, 
 resuming his task. The two soldiers returned - to 
 their posts, kicking a Chino or two on their way. 
 As for the sergeant, he smoked a number of 
 cigarettes in rapid succession, taking occasional 
 peeps at the paper which had previously given 
 him such comfort. He looked graver and more 
 thoughtful by this time. 
 
MALOLOS HAS TIDINGS OF WAE'S FIRST SHOT 91 
 
 Some one, passing along the road on horseback, 
 stopped opposite the grove. Dick, bending over 
 his work, was conscious that a pair of eyes were 
 closely studying his face. So close and ardent did 
 that gaze soon become that Dick was forced to 
 look up at the newcomer. 
 
 It was Herr Schwarz I 
 
92 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 HEER SCHWAEZ BETRAYS HIMSELF 
 
 "That scoundrel here?" muttered Dick, with a 
 start of surprise. 
 
 Though Herr Schwarz's look was as bland as 
 oil, there was something in his air that made the 
 American boy shiver. 
 
 Perceiving that he was observed, Herr Schwarz 
 came quickly forward, his face expressing, now, 
 the utmost concern. 
 
 "My young friend Carson?" he cried. "Can 
 it be possible, and a prisoner? Indeed, this is a 
 sorry sight for my eyes, for though you once 
 played me a little trick, I hold you no ill will." 
 
 Dick, whose face had been paling and flushing 
 by turns, looked at the other with a penetrating 
 scrutiny that plainly put the German ill at his ease. 
 Having finished his glance, our hero, without a word, 
 picked up his bamboo and knife once more, and, 
 though his fingers trembled slightly, resumed work. 
 
HERE SCHWARZ BETRAYS HIMSELF 93 
 
 " I am astonished — amazed, to find you here," 
 went on the German, but Dick only whittled the 
 faster, while Herr Schwarz, standing over him, 
 unrebuked by the sergeant, tried to make out 
 what was passing in the boy's mind. 
 
 When the &itua,tion had become insupportable 
 by reason of the long-continued silence, the ser- 
 geant held up his newspaper with its flaring head- 
 lines, and observed : 
 
 " The prisoner does not believe the glorious 
 news. He cannot be convinced that the Ameri- 
 canos have been defeated." 
 
 "It is true, nevertheless," replied Herr Schwarz, 
 gravely. 
 
 No more was needed to break Dick's silence. 
 Looking up with an ironical sneer on his lips, 
 he demanded : 
 
 "Herr Schwarz, may I ask you one ques- 
 tion?" 
 
 " Two, if you like," replied the German, 
 blandly. 
 
 " You declare that the Filipinos won last 
 night?" 
 
 "Assuredly they did; and, by this time. Gen- 
 
94 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 eral Otis must have capitulated Manila, including 
 the Walled City. If he has not done so it will 
 be the worse for all Americans." 
 
 "You assert that to be the truth?" insisted 
 Dick. 
 
 " Of course." 
 
 "How did the American defeat happen?" 
 
 " Your American troops were volunteers. They 
 were no match for the Filipinos, many of whom 
 served as regulars under Spain. America has suf- 
 fered through having volunteers in the field." 
 
 "For the first time in American history, then," 
 retorted Dick. " The American volunteer has 
 always shown himself to be the superior of any 
 other troops in the world." 
 
 Herr Schwarz gave his shoulders a brief Teu- 
 tonic shrug. 
 
 "Have it as you will," he said, indifierently. 
 ' ' You asked for the news and I have given it 
 to you." 
 
 "Herr Schwarz, just one more question." 
 
 ' ' I will answer it with all the pleasure in the 
 world," replied the German, his face beaming with 
 pretended friendliness. 
 
HERE SCHWARZ BETRAYS HIMSELF 95 
 
 ' ' Does it hurt you to tell the trutli f " 
 
 ' ' What do you mean by that ? " demanded the 
 German, hotly. 
 
 " My question was plain enough, wasn't it? 
 You don't like me. I stood in the way of your 
 rascality once, and you have not forgiven me. 
 You tell me things that are not true about the 
 defeat of the American soldier, in the hope of 
 hurting my feelings and causing me to feel more 
 dejected than ever." 
 
 "I hurt your feelings?" echoed Herr Schwarz, 
 in a voice of great surprise. " My dear young 
 man, I have no such unworthy idea. I deeply 
 deplore your sufl'ering and humiliation." 
 
 Yet underlying this avowal, sincere as it was 
 probably meant to sound, there was such an 
 undercurrent of mockery that Dick would have 
 been blind not to have perceived it. 
 
 Rising, he looked the German fully and con- 
 temptuously in the eyes. HeiT Schwarz took a 
 step backward, seeing which, Dick disdainfully 
 tossed away the 'knife with which he had been 
 working. As the conversation had been in Eng- 
 lish, the sergeant, not understanding a word of 
 
96 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 it, had sat looking curiously on. Now he, too, 
 arose, and watched, with his bamboo switch ready. 
 
 " Herr Schwarz," demanded the boy, " have you 
 any curiosity to know what is passing in my 
 mind ? " 
 
 "■Well?" demanded the German, slowly. 
 
 " You hated me because I interfered with your 
 dishonest work. You resolved to punish me. 
 Well, you have succeeded, since it was you who 
 brought about my visit to Malolos and my aiTcst 
 and torment." 
 
 "I?" echoed Herr Schwarz, stepping back and 
 staring hard at the boy. 
 
 "Yes, you! And why deny it? You can 
 have nothing to fear from me now. I am help- 
 less to escape. Why did you come down to 
 this spot, if it were not to see me and to exult 
 in my helplessness? Well, are you satisfied? To 
 see me a prisoner among these Filipinos, help- 
 less and treated like a dog, must satisfy your 
 highest ideas of revenge. Herr Schwarz, you 
 must feel that you are truly one of nature's noble- 
 men ! " 
 
 "Ach! You are too severe, my young friend, 
 
HERE SCHWAEZ BETRAYS HIMSELF 97 
 
 with one who sympathizes with you, and who 
 would be delighted to serve you." 
 
 Again there was that undercuri-ent of mockery 
 that quickly struck Dick Carson's ear. Turning 
 upon his heel in cool contempt, he walked over to 
 where his knife lay, picked it up, turned his back 
 upon the German, and resumed his seat and work. 
 But Herr Schwarz was not yet through with his 
 sport. There was a glint of delight, now, in his 
 narrow little eyes, as, winking at the sergeant, he 
 once more approached and stood over the American 
 boy, who was swelling with righteous indignation. 
 
 " My young friend," began the German, jeer- 
 ingly. 
 
 ' ' Haven't you and I said enough to each other ? " 
 questioned Carson, not looking up, but going on 
 with his work. 
 
 "My young friend, you are the living symbol 
 of the pride that is its own destruction," went on 
 Herr Schwarz, seating himself on the ground and 
 lighting a big black cigar. " "When I first saw 
 you here I was sorry for you. It was in my mind 
 that perhaps I could be of service to you. But 
 your words and your manner rather drive that idea 
 
98 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 out of my head. I think now that I shall leave 
 you here to suffer." 
 
 "Just as you intended to do fi-om the first," 
 retorted Dick, bitterly. "I knew too much of 
 your plans. You decided to get me out of the 
 way. In the present condition of things in Manila 
 that was easy. A man whom you sent, and who 
 called himself Tillerman, induced me to come here 
 on a pretended errand for which 1 was to receive 
 big pay. I came, was arrested, and am well out 
 of your way. I ought to have been sharp enough 
 to have seen it in time. Mr. Taylor warned me 
 to be on the lookout against some just such miser- 
 able trick as this." 
 
 "He did, eh?" queried Herr Schwarz, opening 
 his narrow eyes a little wider and half grinning. 
 "Go on!" 
 
 " I think I have said all I want to say," rejoined 
 Carson, not deigning to turn around, and look at 
 his tormentor. 
 
 "You always make the mistake of being uncivil 
 to me," protested Herr Schwarz, in a bantering 
 tone. "You made that mistake in Manila — eh?" 
 
 "If you call my refusal to become a scoundrel 
 
HERR SCHWARZ BETRAYS HIMSELF 99 
 
 incivility, certainly I was guilty of it. I would do 
 the same thing again." 
 
 "Then you have learned no lesson, eh?" de- 
 manded Herr Schwarz, harshly. 
 
 At this Dick dropped bamboo and knife once 
 more, wheeling around on his seat to look trium- 
 phantly at his questioner. 
 
 "Ah! Then you admit at last, Herr Schwarz, 
 that you were and are at the bottom of my trouble? " 
 
 Herr Schwarz bit his lip in vexation at being 
 thus easily trapped by the boy. Next, as if seeing 
 a further opportunity of torturing his young victim, 
 he asked : 
 
 " Well, suppose I do admit it — what then?" 
 
 " I don't see that anything remains to be said," 
 retorted Dick. "You admit yourself to be too 
 great a rascal for an honest man to talk to." 
 
 At this Herr Schwarz purpled with anger. He 
 arose, raised his fist, and advanced upon the l)oy. 
 But the vigilant sergeant darted in before him, 
 laying over Carson's shoulders a half dozeii sharp 
 cuts with the bamboo. Dick stood it without 
 flinching, though the pain made him writhe in- 
 wardly. The German bowed to the sergeant. 
 
100 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " Thank you, my friend," he said, gruffly. 
 Then, turning to Dick, he added : 
 
 "You see, boy, that I am not one to be trifled 
 with here in Malolos." 
 
 " I notice that," replied Dick, quietly, as, smart- 
 ing under the cuts, he sat down once more and 
 took up his work. 
 
 "Had you been polite enough, I might have 
 helped you. As it is, sergeant, you will do me a 
 great favor by laying the stick over this young fel- 
 low's shoulders as often as seems necessary." 
 
 By way of reply the sergeant saluted. Herr 
 Schwarz stood regarding his young enemy with 
 wicked satisfaction. He lighted his cigar, which 
 had gone out m the excitement, and smoked con- 
 templatively. 
 
 ' ' Bah ! " remarked the German at last. ' ' I can't 
 waste any more time on such an impolite young 
 cub as you are. Besides, I have more important 
 business on hand than talking with you." 
 
 ' ' Business ? " repeated Dick, now turning and 
 looking curiously into his enemy's face. 
 
 "Of course," growled the German. "What is 
 there so strange in that ? " 
 
HERR SCHWARZ BETRAYS HIMSELF 101 
 
 " Perhaps nothing," answered Dick, quietly. 
 " At the same time, it seems a little queer to me 
 that after the Filipinos and the Americans have 
 begun war you should come from the city of the 
 one to the city of the other — and on business ! " 
 
 "It is by business that I live," said Herr 
 Schwarz, coolly. 
 
 " Are you sure that your business would bear 
 the light of an investigation by the United States 
 Government?" was the quick question. Dick was 
 now closely scanning his enemy's face. 
 
 "What do you mean?" blurted Herr Schwarz, 
 taking the cigar out of his mouth and looking very 
 disconcerted. 
 
 Dick rose that he might better face the German. 
 His eyes flashed with honest anger and scorn. 
 Matters were fast approaching a crisis. Moy Yuen, 
 who had heard the whole conversation from his seat 
 close by, now rose and passed with an armful of 
 canteens. One of these he dexterously dropped on 
 the boy's foot. But Dick Carson was too much 
 aroused to heed the warning. He gazed into the 
 German's eyes until the latter began to show signs 
 of discomfort. 
 
102 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "I mean," said Dick, spealdng slowly, "that I 
 am just beginning to understand what has brought 
 you to Malolos. It was not merely to see me, and 
 to gloat over my misfortune. You say you have 
 business here ? That business is something under- 
 handed, in connection with the Filipino govern- 
 ment." 
 
 "Bah!" said Herr Schwarz, regaining his 
 assurance. 
 
 " You are living in Manila," went on Dick, spir- 
 itedly, " under the protection of the United States 
 Government, a pretended friend of that government. 
 Yet you are betraying that government and giving 
 aid of some kind to the Filipinos ! " 
 
 " Stop that talk ! " cried Herr Schwarz, angrily. 
 
 "So it hurts, does it? I have driven the truth 
 home? You might as well admit, Herr Schwarz, 
 that you are engaged up here in a kind of business 
 that is little short of treason — which would be 
 treason if you were a citizen of the United States." 
 
 Herr Schwarz had at first turned crimson with 
 wrath ; from that his face passed to a deep pallor. 
 Dick, on whom these changes of color were not lost, 
 felt that he had hit the truth exactly. The German 
 
HERR SCHWARZ BETRAYS HIMSELF 103 
 
 seemed terribly ill at ease. This was only a pass- 
 ing condition, however. He soon recovered his 
 courage and his impudence. 
 
 ' ' Even supposing that what you say is true, what 
 would happen, my young friend?" 
 
 "If it should become known in Manila," hinted 
 Dick, " do you suppose there would be any danger 
 of your being shot by a file of soldiers ? " 
 
 " Shot?" stammered Herr Schwarz, turning pale 
 again. "Oh, what nonsense you talk, my young 
 friend ! " 
 
 "Perhaps I do," rejoined Carson, picking up a 
 new piece of bamboo, and whittling away as if for 
 dear life. " Just the same, I've an idea that you'd 
 pay half of your fortune sooner than have General 
 Otis know that you have been up here in Malolos 
 to-day, walking about as if you were quite at 
 home." 
 
 Herr Schwarz uttered something under his breath. 
 He had lost his air of mockery and gloating, and 
 from that passed to an air of persuasion. He put 
 out one hand with a gesture of denial, saying : 
 
 " My young friend, you are over-excitable. 
 You make much out of nothing. There is nothing 
 
104 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 in my business here that I should object to having 
 the Americans know." 
 
 But Dick Carson looked highly incredulous. 
 
 " Oh, if I could only get a hint of your visit 
 here, and your words, to General Otis ! " he cried 
 earnestly. 
 
 In an instant the German flared up. Turning 
 on his heel, he took a step away. 
 
 "You never will!" retorted Herr Schwarz, 
 looking back an instant over his shoulder. The 
 three words rang with menace. As if afraid to 
 trust himself to say more, the German walked 
 hurriedly away. 
 
 "Well," snarled the sergeant, bringing his 
 bamboo down in a vicious blow over the boy's 
 shoulders, " are you going to waste the whole day? 
 You shall have nothing to eat to-night." 
 
 Two more sharp cuts, which it would have been 
 folly to resist, caused Dick Carson, without turn- 
 ing to look after the rapidly vanishing German, 
 to ait down upon the ground and resume work 
 with redoubled vigor. 
 
THE FARCE OF TRIAL 105 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE FARCE OF TRIAL 
 
 Dick Carson's first feeling, after the abrupt close 
 of the intei'view, was one of elation. He had 
 tricked the German into making admissions which 
 that worthy must now greatly regret. Our hei'o 
 had proven, moreover, the correctness of his own 
 suspicion that Herr Schwarz was the author of 
 his misfortunes, and had gone even further in forc- 
 ing the German to admit that he was an agent 
 of, or had underhanded dealings with, the Filipino 
 government. 
 
 Second thought, which came while the boy 
 whittled away with redoubled energy, was not so re- 
 assurins:. Had he not ano;ered a man who could 
 make his present bad situation trebly unbearable ? 
 
 Watching his chance, Moy Yuen, with the most 
 stolid countenance in the world, found chance to 
 pause close to the American boy. 
 
 "You plenty fool," grunted the Chinaman. 
 
106 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "You talk much; makee Dutchman plenty mad. 
 He big man, too, with Filipinos. What he say, 
 they do. You catch plenty bad fix, now ! " 
 
 With which sinister prophecy, delivered in the 
 lowest tone audible, Moy Yuen trotted off to his 
 work, leaving Dick a prey to the conviction that he 
 had, as the Chinaman had hinted, talked altogether 
 too much. 
 
 Had there been any possible doubt on the sub- 
 ject, the sergeant would have effectually dispelled 
 it. Every few minutes he took occasion to vent 
 his spite on our hero, who, knowing how futile 
 it would be to remonstrate, suffered in heroic 
 silence. 
 
 An hour later four Filipino soldiers marched 
 to the grove under command of an officer. The 
 latter called the sergeant aside, whispered to 
 him, and displayed a paper. There was a short, 
 whispered conference, after which the sergeant 
 strode over to our hero. 
 
 "Well," announced the little Filipino, roughly, 
 "you are wanted." 
 
 " All right," answered Dick, rising and put- 
 ting down his implements. "By whom?" 
 
THE FAROE OF TKIAL 107 
 
 "Dog, it is not for you to ask questions, 
 was the brutal reply. "Follow me, and keep 
 your mouth closed." 
 
 Dick submitted to being led toward the squad, 
 who silently surrounded him. At the command 
 the squad stepped off, the sergeant accompanying 
 it. Dick wasted no time on useless conjecture 
 as to what this latest move meant. "Whatever 
 it was, he was satisfied that it boded no good 
 to him. As the squad reentered Malolos, passing 
 through throngs of people joyous over their sup- 
 posed victory of the night before, the American 
 boy again became the butt of popular derision 
 and abuse. 
 
 At the bridge over the little stream that had 
 to be passed before reaching the carcel, a mob 
 stopped the guard. The leader of the mob was 
 a short, thick-set Filipino with a deeply pitted 
 face. His trousers came only to his knees ; be- 
 low he was barefooted. Over his muscular torso 
 there was nothing but a thin cotton shirt, open 
 in front, while the absence of sleeves revealed a 
 pair of muscular arms. In his right hand he 
 carried a short, keen-edged bolo. Many of the 
 
108 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 men in the mob behind him were similarly armed, 
 while some carried merely sticks of bamboo. 
 
 " Come, make way, my brothers," cried the 
 Filipino officer, impatiently. 
 
 " We have a favor to ask," replied the mob's 
 leader, coolly. 
 
 "A favor?" 
 
 "Yes; give us the prisoner." 
 
 " Impossible ! " exclaimed the officer. 
 
 "But I have just learned that I had two 
 brothers killed by the Americanos in the fight 
 last night." 
 
 ' ' And I my father — the best of fathers ! " 
 cried a young Filipino, vociferously. 
 
 " And I a brother!" 
 
 ' ' And I a brother and two cousins ! " 
 
 From a score or more came the quick enu- 
 meration of relatives slain the night before by 
 American bullets. It was a scene of babel, the 
 mob surging slowly but doggedly closer to the 
 white prisoner, despite the menacing bayonets of 
 the guard. 
 
 " You see, lieutenant," insisted the mob's leader, 
 sullenly, " the best and wisest thing you can do 
 
THE FARCE OF TRIAL 109 
 
 is to give the prisoner to us. Many of us have 
 suffered losses. By doing as we will with this 
 Americano some of that bitterness can be wiped 
 out. Give him to us." 
 
 " Impossible," repeated the lieutenant. 
 
 " Then," retorted the leader of the mob, look- 
 ing backward over his shoulder with a ferocious 
 grin, " we can make the matter simple for you. 
 We can take the prisoner without your consent." 
 
 ' ' Yes, yes ! Take the Americano ! He is ours ! " 
 shouted the brown ragamuffins, those in the rear 
 pressing forwai'd so determinedly that those in 
 front were pushed forward upon the very points 
 of the bayonets. 
 
 ' ' Sergeant, look after the prisoner ! " ordered 
 the lieutenant, with a resolution that had hardly 
 been looked for. " Men, cock your pieces ! Take 
 aim ! " 
 
 "No, no!" uttered the mob, in hoarse remon- 
 strance. "We are Filipino citizens, and cannot 
 1)0 treated in this way. If the soldiers dare to 
 fire, not one of them shall live after it ! " 
 
 The mob by this time numbered more than 
 forty men. There had been a sprinkling of women 
 
110 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 at the rear at first, but on the order to aim, they 
 hastily scampered away. Not so with the men. 
 They were Malays, fierce and reckless where pas- 
 sion ruled. They yielded not one inch before the 
 glittering muzzles that would soon send a flight 
 of bullets through them. 
 
 "You see, lieutenant," cried the leader, exul- 
 tantly, " my friends are not to be scared by a 
 handful of soldiers. Come, give up your prisoner, 
 and save yourself to fight against the enemy." 
 
 "I have no love for the Americano, but I am 
 acting under the orders of the provost-general," 
 replied the lieutenant, firmly. "I know who most 
 of you are, and it will be worse for you if you 
 do not at once get out of my way. Therefore, 
 step back, and let us pass, or every one of you 
 shall be tried for treason against the republic." 
 
 But the mob was not yet in a mood to give 
 way. They stood sullenly still, some of them 
 furtively handling their bolos in preparation for a 
 rush. The lieutenant and the leader eyed each 
 other with resolution. 
 
 "If they get hold of me, Heaven help me!" 
 quivered Dick. 
 
THE FARCE OF TRIAL 111 
 
 But the lieutenant's predicament had been wit- 
 nessed from the carcel. A squad of ten soldiers, 
 formed by twos, with a sergeant at their head, 
 came out of the door on the double quick. Spread- 
 ing out into a platoon, they charged the crowd from 
 the rear, giving some of the brawlers a slight touch 
 of steel. Finding themselves between two walls of 
 bayonets, the mob wavered for an instant, then called 
 out that they were willing to disperse. The ten sol- 
 diers formed at the side of the street to permit the 
 mob's escape, after which Dick Carson was hurried 
 into the carcel, safe on the inside of the guard-line. 
 
 " Stand here," ordered the lieutenant, halting 
 Dick in the corridor that led to the provost-gen-, 
 eral's office. The officer and the sergeant disap- 
 peared inside of the office, and it was five minutes 
 before, they reappeared. 
 
 "Come," said the lieutenant, plucking Dick by 
 the sleeve, and ho led our hero into the office. 
 
 The provost-general sat behind his big desk. 
 At either side of the same desk sat clerks. There 
 were three or four Filipino officers lounging in the 
 room, besides two soldiers on guard on either side 
 of the provost. 
 
112 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 That official, a native apparently not more than 
 thirty years of age, attired in a striped blue and 
 white uniform liberally bedecked with gold lace, 
 looked Dick Carson searchingly over when that 
 young man was halted six feet from his desk. 
 
 "So you are not satisiied with the clemency 
 which I had shown you ?" demanded the provost, 
 crisply. 
 
 " I do not understand you," protested Dick. 
 
 "It is a simple matter. On account of your 
 youth I was merciful with you. While you were 
 proven to be an Americano spy, I treated you, as 
 you are a boy only, as a mere prisoner of war. 
 How have you repaid me? By plotting treachery 
 against us ! " 
 
 "I?" echoed Dick, thunderstruck. 
 
 "Yes; you have secretly incited the prisoners 
 with whom you are associated to escape. You 
 tried to persuade them to rise upon the guard, 
 overwhelm them, and make a dash for liberty." 
 
 Dick looked utterly confounded, as, indeed, he 
 felt. Knowing how innocent he was of this charge, 
 he could see in it only the venomous malice of Herr 
 Sohwarz. His astounded look seemed to sive the 
 
THE FAROE OF TRIAL 113 
 
 provost a good deal of satisfaction, for he observed, 
 snappily : 
 
 "Your looks confess all. You do not need to 
 deny the charge." 
 
 "But I do deny it," uttered Dick, hotly. 
 
 ' ' Is the charge true, sergeant ? " asked the 
 provost, turning to the non-commissioned officer 
 who had charge of the prisoners. 
 
 "It is true, your excellency," replied the ser- 
 geant, bowing. "Quite true. I myself over- 
 heard him talking with some of the Chino 
 prisoners ! " 
 
 Despite his desperate effort to remain cool, Dick 
 Carson could not help turning upon the sergeant, 
 staring at him in astonishment and virtuous indig- 
 nation. 
 
 " You never heard me say anything of the sort," 
 asserted the boy, defiantly. ' ' You couldn't, for I 
 never said it." 
 
 " The sergeant is answering me, not you," broke 
 in the provost, harshly. " Prisoner, do you mean 
 to deny that you would escape if you found a 
 chance to do it ? " 
 
 "I'd escape in a minute !" rejoined Dick, with 
 
114 AGUINALDOS HOSTAGE 
 
 spirit. "What prisoner wouldn't, if he had a 
 good chance ? " 
 
 "You have condemned yourself," said the pro- 
 vost, coldly. " I do not think there is any more 
 to be said by you. Step back." 
 
 The sergeant who had been our hero's accuser 
 now clutched at Carson's sleeve and led him almost 
 to the door before he halted him. Dick gazed at 
 the fellow with lofty disdain. 
 
 " Gentlemen," said the provost to the officers 
 near him, "you have heard the testimony. We 
 will now consider what is to be done." 
 
 Around the provost gathered the Filipino officers. 
 They talked in whispers. 
 
 "I'm guilty, fast enough," muttered Dick in- 
 wardly, with grim irony. "I couldn't help being 
 guilty after that kind of testimony. I suppose, 
 now, I'm in for a good dose of the bastinado. I 
 wonder if Herr Schwarz will give himself the 
 pleasure of being present at the torture ? " 
 
 No playful punishment is the bastinado. The 
 victim is thrown to the ground, his wrists tied to a 
 stake. Ropes are passed over his body and 
 fastened to stakes on either side, thus binding 
 
THE FARCE OF TRIAL 115 
 
 him down. His feet are tied across a plank, soles 
 up, and upon the bottoms of the bare feet thus ex- 
 posed, vicious blows with a bamboo are rained down. 
 The victim of a bastinado is seldom able to stand 
 upon his feet for a fortnight afterward. It is an 
 old Spanish form of punishment which the Filipinos 
 have copied with a good deal of delight. 
 
 Dick Carson's soles began to twitch in anticipa- 
 tion while he watched the officers conferring. 
 Their faces were mild and calm, showing, in fact, 
 little expression as they whispered together. At 
 length they parted. 
 
 " Now it's time to know the worst," quivered the 
 American boy. "Show them, old fellow, for the 
 honor of your race, that an American can endure 
 torture with the greatest coolness in the world ! " 
 
 "Prisoner!" summoned the provost, and the 
 sergeant led the boy once more before the desk. 
 Dick was calm, a trifle defiant ; he looked his 
 judge unflinchingly in the face. 
 
 "Prisoner," said the provost, severely, "since 
 you have not appreciated the kindness at first 
 shown you, there is but one sentence possible. 
 You are to be shot ! " 
 
116 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "Shot!" echoed Dick Carson, thunderstruck. 
 This blow, so unexpected, completely staggered 
 him. For a moment he trembled, then took a step 
 nearer the desk, but the sergeant pulled him back. 
 
 " Shot ! " he repeated, incredulously. 
 
 " Within the hour," answered the provost, with 
 a cruel smile. "How? Have you Americanos 
 no courage in the face of death ? " 
 
 ' ' Plenty ! More than you could ever show in 
 the same fix ! " retorted Dick, his eyes flaming as 
 he drew himself proudly up, and steeling himself 
 against the trembling of his limbs. "But this 
 unjust sentence " — 
 
 "Say no more!" was the harsh interruption. 
 "Jose!" 
 
 The jailer, who had been listening from the corri- 
 dor, glided into the office. 
 
 " Take the prisoner to his cell," ordered the pro- 
 vost. " He has an hour of life left. If he should 
 desire a priest, you may get him one if you care to 
 do so." 
 
 It would have been useless to try to say more. 
 Crushed by this new and terrible turn of events, he 
 submitted to being led from the room, through the 
 
To BE Shot in an HonK! Page 117 
 
THE FARCE OF TRIAL 117 
 
 damp, gloomy corridor and up the stairs to the cell 
 which he had occupied since coming to Malolos. 
 
 "So," jeered Jose in his ear, "you could not 
 learn the lesson that I recommended to you ! " 
 
 Dick made no answer. Jose thrust him through 
 the doorway, noisily clanging the cell door after 
 him. Click ! Having secured the condemned one, 
 Jose went away to dream over a cigarette. 
 
 For two or three minutes Dick did not stir. He 
 stood like one dazed, with his back to the door, 
 thinking dully over the events of the last hour or 
 two. It seemed to him that it must be all a dream, 
 a most horrible one, in which Herr Schwarz and the 
 Filipino provost-general played the goblin parts. He 
 did not sob ; did not tremble. He simply wondered, 
 in a dulled sort of way, if it could possibly be true. 
 
 To be shot in an hour ! How much of that time 
 had already passed? The thought made the boy 
 rouse. Swift as thought, he wheeled about, stealth- 
 ily trying his door. It was securely locked, nor 
 had he so much as a match-end with which to attempt 
 to force the bolt. His glance travelled quickly 
 around the cell. He saw nothing that could pos- 
 sibly be used as an implement to aid escape. 
 
118 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "I guess I might as well give it up," he mut- 
 tered, grimly. ' ' There's no show to get out of 
 here until the hour is up — until they come for me. 
 I wonder how these Filipinos manage an execution. 
 Do they stand at the cell door, thrust their rifles 
 between the bars, and make it a matter of butchery 
 — murder? Or do they have a parade ground, 
 where they shoot their prisoners in sight of the mul- 
 titude ? And — and — I wonder how it feels to be 
 struck by a bullet ? " 
 
 There was a sort of dull ache around his heart, a 
 choking feeling in the throat. An observer, had 
 there been one, might have thought that Dick Car- 
 son was stolid, apathetic — indiiferent in the face of 
 his doom. The truth was, the boy was too weighed 
 down by the sudden misery of his situation to feel 
 keenly the whole terror of his position. 
 
 ' ' If they would only let me write a letter in the 
 time I have to wait," he thought bitterly. 
 
 "But no — that is quite out of the question. 
 Even if these scoundrels gave me pen, ink, and paper 
 they would see to it that my last letter was not 
 delivered. They are too treacherous to be trusted 
 in anything where an American is concerned." 
 
THE FAECE OF TRIAL 119 
 
 Strive as he would to keep his mind oflF such 
 thoughts, he could not help conjuring up in advance 
 the scene of the execution. He had heard that 
 the Filipinos were very poor rifle-shots. He fell to 
 wondering how close the muzzles of the rifles would 
 be to his head. 
 
 "I hope they don't botch the job," he thought, 
 desolately. "It would be fearful, I should think, 
 to be fatally wounded, and then to have two or 
 three more volleys fired into me. Will Herr 
 Schwarz be there to see the miserable work which 
 I fear he inspired ? " 
 
 It would not do to think of bitterness and 
 enmity in this last hour. Carson rose and paced 
 the short stretch he had in the cell, trying to 
 drive away all thought of the German. Then he 
 knelt down and prayed, as his dead father had 
 taught him to do. He felt calmer when he rose once 
 more, and looked idly out of the cell door 
 wondering how nearly the hour was up, and 
 whether his executioners would be late. He 
 hoped not. Since there was no hope, it would 
 be better to have the terrible suspense over with 
 as quickly as possible. 
 
120 AGtriNALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " I'm sorry for Schwarz, if he had any hand in 
 this business," reflected the boy. " It will be 
 fearful for him to look back upon it afterward. 
 He didn't want to have me put out of the way 
 in the first place ; that seems certain. If he has 
 done this it must have been because I hit the 
 nail on the head when I accused him of being 
 an agent of the Filipino government. He may 
 have been so afraid of being arrested bj^ General 
 Otis' order that he didn't dare to have me left 
 alive on earth, with always the chance of my 
 escaping and getting to Manila." 
 
 Undeniably the minutes were slipping by. Dick 
 began to feel certain that more than half of his 
 last hour of life had slipped away. It would have 
 been a great relief had he possessed a watch with 
 which to keep track of the flying minutes. 
 
 " There's one thing you've got to remember, 
 old chap," mused the condemned one. " For the 
 honor of the United States, you've got to meet 
 the end with all the coolness of a hero, no mat- 
 ter if you find yourself scared to death. It will 
 all be over quickly enough — and then there won't 
 be anything to trouble you ! " 
 
THE FARCE OF TRIAL 121 
 
 How still it was in this upper corridor, with 
 the occupants of all the cells away at their 
 enforced labor ! Dick remembered that he had 
 thought the work hard. How glad he would be 
 to be back there now, with the sergeant's blows 
 and all ! 
 
 A wistful look came into his eyes. Surely there 
 was some mistake about it all that would soon be 
 righted. He was too full of life and health to be 
 so near death. If he could fall as a soldier does, 
 fighting, with his face to the enemy, the thought 
 of death would not be at all terrible, but to be 
 executed like a felon ! No, no ! It could not be 
 coming to pass ! 
 
 Sighing, he stood leaning against the wall. Sud- 
 denly a sound caught his ear that made his flesh 
 turn to ice. It was the soft patter of bare feet 
 coming up the near-by stairs — the rhythmic tread 
 of soldiers marching. A command rang out, and 
 the patter of feet ceased. Another command was 
 followed by the clank of rifle-butts on the stone 
 floor of the corridor. 
 
 It was the firing-squad ! The hour had come ! 
 
 Jose, looking a trifle less sleepy than usual, 
 
122 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 appeared at the door of the cell, thrusting the 
 key into the lock. 
 
 " Come, Americano," leered the fellow, putting 
 his eyes close to the bars, "you have not fainted 
 with fright, have you ? " 
 
 " No ! " cried Dick, turning quickly. 
 
 "I hope your knees are good and strong under 
 you," went on the fellow, maliciously. " It is not 
 every day that one has to go through such an 
 ordeal as you will have to face." 
 
 " I am all right," answered Dick, in a clear 
 voice, stepping firmly toward the door. " And 
 so the time has come?" 
 
 Click ! The turn of the key was Jose's answer. 
 Stepping back and swinging the door outward, he 
 beckoned, and said : 
 
 " Yes, the hour is up ! Come ! " 
 
FACING THE FIRING-SQUAD 123 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 PACING THE FIRING-SQUAD 
 
 Steady as steel was Dick Carson when he 
 stepped from the cell into the corridor. Head up, 
 with eyes showing no trace of dismay, he looked 
 at his executioners, four brown little Filipino 
 soldiers who stood leaning on the muzzles of their 
 guns, while their officer, the same who had lately 
 conducted our hero to the carcel, stood noncha- 
 lantly rolling a cigarette. 
 
 " Well, seiior," observed the teniente, putting 
 the cigarette into his mouth and lighting it, ' ' we 
 will try to have your business over with as little 
 trouble and delay as possible. Be kind enough 
 to step in between my men, and we will take you 
 to the ground." 
 
 At the word of command the first two soldiers 
 brought their guns to a carry and started down 
 the stairs. Dick followed them, the last two 
 soldiers bringing up the rear. Through the lower 
 
124 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 corridor and out of the door they marched, and, 
 now that the moment had come, Dick Carson was 
 inwardly amazed to find how calm he had become. 
 
 The news of the execution must have travelled, 
 for at the very door of the carcel the mob began. 
 What a yell went up when the hapless boy 
 appeared ! It was as if so many wild beasts had 
 scented blood. But there was no attempt made to 
 rush the prisoner. His doom was known, and 
 appeared to satisfy every one. Only, a few of the 
 women cast pitying looks upon the handsome, 
 manly young fellow destined to become a prey to 
 Mauser bullets. 
 
 Soldiers had been stationed along the street on 
 either side to keep a clear way for the execu- 
 tioner's party. The precaution was a necessary 
 one, since without it the crush would have been 
 frightful, so eager was every native to get a 
 glimpse of the Americano who now possessed such 
 a tragic interest for them. 
 
 Between the lines of soldiers the little party 
 marched up the short street to the Plaza, or 
 square. Here natives had gathered to the number 
 of several thousands, with a sprinkling of Filipino 
 
FACING THE FIRING-SQUAD 125 
 
 soldiers off duty. Dick had at first scanned the 
 faces of the people in the throng. Finding them 
 almost without exception animated by ferocious 
 glee, he turned with disgust from them, and kept 
 his eyes on the ground. 
 
 As they turned into the Plaza, however, a band 
 struck up a lively air, and the cheering became 
 intense. Looking up, our hero saw the band 
 stationed on a platform, near the middle of the 
 Plaza, while, right under the musicians, the popu- 
 lace swarmed with an eagerness that gave the 
 soldier guards a great deal of trouble to preserve 
 order. 
 
 As the firing-squad and condemned one came 
 upon the scene, a company of soldiers drove the 
 crowd back enough to give room to the principal 
 actors in the approaching tragedy. 
 
 ' ' There is the Americano ! " shouted scores of 
 people at once, and thousands of necks were 
 craned for a view of the boy. " Ah, he shall see 
 that we know how to punish our enemies ! " 
 
 At a point almost in the center of the Plaza 
 stood a pile of sandbags. Dick saw them and 
 recognized their meaning with a slight twitching. 
 
126 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 He knew that he was to be stationed against them, 
 and that the bags of soil were tc prevent the 
 carrying of the bullets further than was intended 
 or desired. 
 
 ' ' Halt ! " commanded the lieutenant at last, and 
 Carson found himself within six feet of the sand- 
 bags. There was a rattle of fire-crackers, set off 
 by boys in the rear of the multitude. Though the 
 band was playing, thousands of throats sent up 
 yells that drowned out all sound of music. There 
 were yells of glee, of malice and taunt. The 
 people were making a merry occasion of this awful 
 scene, nor were the deluded, ignorant natives 
 wholly to be blamed for it, since it was this sort 
 of thing that they had learned from their former 
 masters, the Spaniards, during three hundred 
 years. 
 
 When the crowd had cheered until it was out of 
 breath the Filipino band began to play again. It 
 was a lively, joyous, exultant air that made thou- 
 sands of faces beam with anticipation of the coming 
 sport. The lieutenant in charge of the firing-squad 
 rolled and lighted another cigarette. Dick gazed 
 about him, sick at heart, yet outwardly calm, look- 
 
FACING THE FIRING-SQUAD 127 
 
 ing in vain, now, for one friendly or compassionate 
 face in the whole throng. It was a vain search ! 
 
 ' ' Now let us have the death ! " shouted a voice 
 when the music ceased, and hundreds took up the 
 cry. An officer who had been standing beside the 
 band held up one hand as a sign for silence. 
 He was a full minute in securing it, but at last the 
 multitude became still, save for the popping of an 
 occasional pack of fire-crackers in a side street. 
 
 "Citizens of the republic," called out this officer, 
 ' ' you shall have your spectacle — never fear ! But 
 let there be no undue haste about it, for your pleas- 
 ure would then be over all the sooner. And, first 
 of all, it is necessary that I should read the death- 
 warrant, that every citizen may know that this exe- 
 cution is according to the law." 
 
 In a hurried, monotonous voice the officer began 
 to read the warrant. It had the merit of brevity, 
 that document. The clamor began again as soon as 
 the reading was finished. 
 
 " You will stand a little closer to the barricade," 
 directed the teniente, placing both hands upon our 
 hero's shoulders, and backing him up to the bags. 
 At the same time the four soldiers of the firing- 
 
128 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 squad took their places in line a dozen feet away, 
 and now stood leaning indifferently on their guns, 
 the least concerned of all present. 
 
 There was a movement in the crowd, a pair of 
 broad shoulders forcing their way, and a new spec- 
 tator came upon the scene. He stood in the front 
 rank, looking on with eager, snapping eyes, though 
 his face was a trifle pallid and haggard. 
 
 ' ' Ach ! So this is what the people are cheering 
 for ! " ejaculated the newcomer, who was no other 
 than Herr Schwarz. ' ' So this is what my poor 
 little friend has come to, is it? Ach! It is an 
 awful thing to be stubborn and unfriendly." 
 
 Though Dick heard the voice, and recognized it 
 in an instant, he did not deign to look in the Ger- 
 man's direction. Beyond showing a trifle more of 
 pallor he gave no sign of this fresh annoyance. 
 
 " Be of good cheer, my young friend," gibed Herr 
 Schwarz. " This is only a pleasant spectacle for 
 a fun-loving people. You are not to be hurt, for 
 the soldiers fire only paper carti'idges at you. 
 Should one of the soldiers make a mistake and put 
 a ball cartridge in his gun, though, it would be ter- 
 rible, would it not? " 
 
FACING THE FIRING-SQUAD 129 
 
 Still Dick did not even look in the German's 
 directipn. He had even regained his composure of 
 face, and looked at the lieutenant, wondering why 
 that official was waiting ; why he did not order his 
 men to take aim and fire. 
 
 As sure as day was day, Herr Schwarz did not 
 mean to be robbed of this final sport. With the 
 assurance of one who is much at home he left the 
 crowd, passed the line of guards that was holding it 
 back, and walked deliberately over to the spot 
 where Dick stood. Just then the band struck up 
 another lively air, and again the childish crowd 
 began to cheer and yell. 
 
 "It is too bad, this fate of yours," began the 
 German, with a hypocritical grin. " And yet it is 
 all your own fault. You and I might have been 
 friends, and then you would have been safe and 
 happy at this moment." 
 
 Slowly Dick's head moved around until his eyes 
 rested on the other's face with a glance of cool, 
 superb contempt. Herr Schwarz seemed to find 
 himself deprived of the triumph which he had ex- 
 pected to cry over the young American. 
 
 " All your own fault," repeated Herr Schwarz. 
 
130 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 But Dick had turned away again. He was 
 at this moment beckoning to him the Filipino 
 teniente. 
 
 " Lieutenant," began the boy, " in America there 
 is a reptile whose breath is an offence to all decent 
 manhood. That reptile is called the rattlesnake." 
 
 " That may be," replied the Filipino, " but I do 
 not see why it should interest me." 
 
 "The rattler," resumed Dick, quickly, "is 
 known as a synonym for treachery, cowardice, and 
 dastardly attack." 
 
 " Even so," demanded the lieutenant in surprise. 
 "What of it?" 
 
 " I hear one of those despised reptiles rattling 
 now ! " exclaimed the boy, turning suddenly to look 
 upon Herr Schwarz with a look of such utter con- 
 tempt that the latter tried to retort angrily, but found 
 himself unable to do more than sputter. To hide 
 his confusion before the crowd,_ Herr Schwarz then 
 tried to turn it off with a laugh, and slunk back 
 into the crowd, quickly vanishing altogether. 
 
 " Why are you waiting? " questioned Dick of the 
 lieutenant. " Can't this be gotten over with decent 
 speed, now? " 
 
FACING THE FIKING-SQUAD 131 
 
 " The band is still playing," was the answer. 
 " Besides, it is likely that if we wait a few moments 
 longer there will be more people here to see what 
 is to happen. It is hard to understand why you 
 should be impatient," he added, with a smile. 
 ' ' When I receive the signal your hands will be 
 bound. When the band begins to play the Filipino 
 anthem, then you may know that it will be but a 
 question of seconds, for when the anthem starts 
 that is the signal for me to give the order to fire. 
 Ah, my colonel is making me a signal that your 
 hands are now to be bound." 
 
 ' ' Is that humiliation necessary ? " questioned 
 Dick. " Can you not at least allow me to die as 
 a brave American?" 
 
 " Your hands must be bound," was the crisp 
 rejoinder. "It is the custom. It is always 
 done." 
 
 From the vicinity of the bandstand came two 
 soldiers with cords. Passing between Dick and the 
 barricade, they told him to hold his hands behind 
 him. Paling slightly, our hero obeyed. Quickly 
 and skilfully they knotted his wrists together, secur- 
 ing the arms just above the elbows with other 
 
132 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 cords. Their work done, they saluted the officer 
 and stepped aside. 
 
 " Now kneel," commanded the lieutenant. 
 
 "What for?" shot back Carson, all the color 
 rushing to his face now, his lips quivering with 
 pride and indignation. 
 
 " The condemned always kneel before the firing- 
 squad," replied the teniente, with a show of mild 
 surprise at the question. 
 
 " It would be infamous for an American to meet 
 death on his knees," protested the boy. 
 
 " It is always done, nevertheless." 
 
 " Make an exception in my case," pleaded Dick, 
 anxiously. " Lieutenant, I bear you no ill will for 
 this afternoon's work. Do me this favor of allow- 
 ing me to meet my death standing, and I will die 
 grateful to you." 
 
 " There can be no exceptions. Down on your 
 knees, and be quick about it ! Do you hear the 
 crowd? There will be trouble if this thinsr is 
 much longer delayed." 
 
 In truth, there were signs that the rabble meant 
 to make itself soon heard and felt. The early 
 afternoon sun was beating down fiercely on the 
 
FACING THE FIErN-G-SQUAD 133 
 
 Plaza. The people, standing for the most part 
 without shade, felt the heat and glare so keenly 
 that they were becoming ugly. 
 
 ' ' Kneel ! " insisted the lieutenant. 
 
 "I won't!" 
 
 All Dick Carson's American spirit had come to 
 the top. He straightened up, shooting a glare of 
 defiance at the lieutenant and every one else in that 
 eager throng. On that one point not even torture 
 could have made him yield. 
 
 " Then," came with a shrug of the young officer's 
 shoulders, " I will make you." 
 
 "That's the only way you can accomplish it," 
 said Dick, promptly. 
 
 Without more ado the teniente made a sign to 
 the two soldiers who had bound the boy. Stepping 
 up to him, they threw him to the ground in a 
 trice. In so doing they struck him three or four 
 savage blows with their fists. The crowd, regard- 
 ing this as so much of extra spectacle, yelled with 
 delight. 
 
 ' ' You cowards ! " groaned Dick under his breath. 
 
 Though he knew the helplessness of resistance, 
 he kicked out in lively fashion with both feet, 
 
134 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 giving the two soldiers a good deal of work to 
 secure and properly bind his legs. 
 
 It was done at last, however. With a good 
 deal of deliberation the two little brown soldiers 
 raised him to his knees, using their last cord to 
 secure his hands to his ankles in such fashion 
 that the boy found it impossible to move. At a 
 sign from their superior the pair glided back 
 toward the guards. 
 
 Crisp orders rang out. Eager as spectators at 
 a thrilling play, the people craned their necks 
 forward. The order to aim was given, bringing 
 the gleaming muzzles of four Mauser rifles in line 
 with Dick Carson's head. 
 
 Then, amid breathless silence, the band on the 
 platform began to play the Filipino anthem. The 
 teniente held up his sword, the order to fire trem- 
 bling on his lips. 
 
THE LITTLE BROWN DICTATOR 135 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE LITTLE BROWN DICTATOR 
 
 Over the strains of the playing band, over the 
 cheering and shouts of " viva," there suddenly 
 came from the eastern edge of the populace a 
 new and different yell. That new tone of the 
 people was frantic with enthusiasm. 
 
 ' ' "Wait a moment ! Stop ! " shouted the officer 
 on the platform. 
 
 Looking toward his superior, the little lieutenant 
 saw that the order was intended for him. In a 
 twinkling he gave the order for his men to un- 
 cock their pieces and again stand at " order arms." 
 
 Some one was approaching, and that some one 
 was of importance, for the dense crowd was surging 
 in two opposite lines as if to make room for that 
 some one to pass. Hats went frantically up in the 
 air. Women were snatching off ornaments of pina 
 lace and waving them on high with fanatic joy. 
 
 " Viva el Presidente! Viva!" rolled up the 
 
136 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 heavy volume of acclaim. That explained it all. 
 Aguinaldo was coming — Aguinaldo, the little 
 brown dictator of ^he Tagalos — the man of the 
 hour, who was hurling his devoted people upon 
 the Americans in suicidal columns of mad revolt. 
 
 ' ' Viva el Presidente 1 Viva Aguinaldo ! " 
 
 Having finished the anthem, the band started to 
 play it over again, with more volume, more snap, 
 more enthusiasm, as the chorus of wild huzzas 
 welled up. On the air there came a new shout : 
 
 ' ' Viva la Republica Filipina ! " (Long live the 
 Philippine Republic !) 
 
 Now the crowd made way close to the scene of 
 the coming execution, for it was toward this spot 
 that the little dictator was evidently coming. 
 Ponies' heads appeared, and then little brown sol- 
 diers in gorgeous uniforms, as Aguinaldo's cavalry 
 body-guard rode up, the sun flashing on their 
 drawn sabres. 
 
 Behind them came a handsome barouche. On 
 the front seat, erect and proud, sat a little Filipino 
 officer. In front of him, as he faced to the rear, 
 stood another little man, dazzling in his handsome 
 uniform, the numerous " orders" pinned upon his 
 
THE LITTLE BROWN DICTATOR 137 
 
 breast, with one hand resting on the jewelled hilt 
 of a sword, the other hand lifting a stupendously 
 decorated sombrero in acknowledgment of the wild 
 plaudits of the crowd. 
 
 Following close to the wheels of the carriage rode 
 a dozen oiEcers of the dictator's staff, then another 
 detachment of the body-guard. Behind the body- 
 guard swarmed thousands of people who were 
 proud of the honor of marching in the hero's wake. 
 
 And this little man, bowing right and left with 
 elate smile, was Don Emilio Aguinaldo y Fama, 
 "president" of the Filipino "Republic," now 
 greeted with wild joy because he had struck the 
 promised blow at the Americans. He was in the 
 height and pride of his power. Not even his defeat 
 of the night before had humbled or dismayed him, 
 for he was confident that his little soldiers, who 
 could cheer so well, would yet speedily retrieve 
 their defeat. 
 
 Close to the stand Aguinaldo's carriage stopped. 
 The little dictator now held up his hand for silence, 
 which was instantly granted him. 
 
 " How now, colonel?" he demanded of the officer 
 with the band. 
 
138 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "A spectacle for the people, your excellency," 
 replied the colonel, saluting. "A prisoner con- 
 demned by the provost court is about to be 
 shot." 
 
 "It is well, then," answered the "president." 
 " I will stay until it is over. But who is the con- 
 demned one ? His offence ? " 
 
 " A prisoner, who was inciting the others to plot 
 an escape." 
 
 "Ah! AChino?" 
 
 " No, your excellency ; an Anaericano." 
 
 " An Americano? " repeated the little dictator in 
 astonishment. " I did not know that we had such 
 a prisoner in Malolos." 
 
 "He is over there now, your excellency, kneel- 
 ing before the barricade. The squad was about to 
 fire when your excellency arrived." 
 
 "Then let me not long delay the satisfaction of 
 my people in such a sight. But first I wish to see 
 the papers." 
 
 Springing nimbly down from the platform, the 
 colonel approached the dictator's carriage, holding 
 up a single sheet. 
 
 "Ah, this is only the warrant," said Aguinaldo, 
 
THE LITTLE BROWN DICTATOR 139 
 
 perusing it. "Have you not the other papers in 
 the case ? " 
 
 "Your excellency, they are at the provost 
 office." 
 
 " And that is but a step from here, so let them 
 be sent for, — yes, and the provost himself. Say 
 that the president commands haste." 
 
 As the colonel called a younger officer and des- 
 patched him on the errand, a low murmur of 
 discontent began to rise. 
 
 "Patience, my people," requested Aguinaldo, 
 and the tumult was still. 
 
 Dick Carson, who had not heard all that was said, 
 but who had at last gained the knowledge that the 
 little brown "president" was now at hand, began 
 to tremble with a new hope. 
 
 " If I could only speak to him ? " he insinuated 
 to the lieutenant, who now stood close beside him. 
 
 " As much as dare to try," was the stern re- 
 joinder, " and I will have one of my soldiers stop 
 your mouth with the butt of a musket." 
 
 Dick subsided. After all, for what could he 
 hope from the president? If Herr Schwarz were 
 powerful enough to bring about this dastardly 
 
140 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 revenge, was it likely that Aguinaldo would inter- 
 fere and offend a powerful and useful friend? 
 Our hero did not know that the execution had 
 been postponed by order of Aguinaldo, but sup- 
 posed that it had merely been deferred until 
 some more pressing business could be attended to. 
 
 Back came an officer, followed by the provost- 
 general, who carried in his hand two or three 
 documents which, after saluting, he passed to the 
 president. 
 
 Aguinaldo scanned the papers, while the crowd 
 silently fumed. 
 
 "General," said the man of the hour, "it does 
 not seem to me that a very good case was made 
 out against the condemned one." 
 
 "I and the officers of the court were satisfied, 
 your excellency," replied the provost. "Besides, 
 he is an Americano." 
 
 "Yes, an Americano!" cried several of the 
 crowd who stood near enough to hear what was 
 said. "He should die!" 
 
 "Let the condemned one be brought here," 
 ordered Aguinaldo. ' 
 
 The order was passed along. One of the soldiers 
 
THE LITTLE BROWN DICTATOR 141 
 
 who had bound our hero now slashed at the cords 
 around the boy's legs. With his hands still tied 
 behind him, Dick was led to the side of the 
 carriage. 
 
 "There is the dog, your excellency," announced 
 the provost-general, pointing at Carson. 
 
 Aguinaldo looked him over curiously. Dick 
 returned the glance unabashed. 
 
 "May I speak? " he asked. 
 
 ' ' Silence ! " ordered three or four officers in 
 the same breath. 
 
 Aguinaldo continued to reflect. His mind ran 
 back to the defeat of the night before — the defeat 
 which he had proclaimed to his people as a 
 victory. Though still inclined to be hopeful, the 
 little dictator had felt moments of depression that 
 day. He had just received confidential news that 
 the Americans were again engaged in driving his 
 forces further back from Manila. Perhaps, after 
 all, the Americans were braver and harder to 
 whip than he had thought. 
 
 "Is it possible that I am yet to be defeated ? " 
 mused Aguinaldo, as he continued to look reflec- 
 tively at the American boy. ' ' Perhaps — who 
 
142 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 knows — the day will come when I shall be a 
 prisoner in the hands of the Americanos. If that 
 day comes, I shall have many enemies who will 
 eagerly ui'ge my death. What if" — 
 
 Here he let his gaze wander to the impatient 
 rabble, who, despite their worship of him, had 
 stood the glare of the hot tropical sun on their 
 heads until they were becoming ugly. 
 
 " Perhaps if I spare this boy now, the day will 
 come when a remembrance of it will cause the 
 Americanos to be more lenient with me. It will do 
 me no harm to have a hostage to mercy. As I save 
 this boy's life now, may the Americanos spare me if 
 ever I should fall into their hands through the for- 
 tunes of war ! " 
 
 Rousing from his revery he said, quickly : 
 " Let the prisoner's hands be untied." 
 In an instant a shout of protest went up from 
 those of the crowd who heard. But one of the 
 soldiers had already begun to slash at the cords 
 around Dick's wrists. 
 
 "You have heard my order," said Aguinaldo, 
 eying the rabble sternly. "Why this shout 
 against my authority?" 
 
THE LITTLE BROWN DICTATOR 143 
 
 " But he is an Americano ! He deserves to be 
 shot ! We are cheated of the sport which we have 
 waited here an hour to see ! " shouted back many of 
 the angry people. 
 
 " Am I your president, or am I something base, 
 that you murmur against me?" demanded Agui- 
 naldo, with that grandiloquence which he knew so 
 well how to assume. 
 
 " Viva el Presideiite! Viva Aguinaldo! Viva 
 la Republica Filipina ! " shouted several of the 
 staff, taking their cue from their chief. 
 
 In a twinkling the cry was taken up by thousands 
 of the civilian part of the crowd. The Filipino is 
 impressed by the show of power ; he worships the 
 holder of it. Aguinaldo's boldness had succeeded 
 where hesitation would have created trouble. 
 
 "Prisoner," said Aguinaldo, beckoning our hero 
 to him when the tumult had begun to subside, 
 " you have beneiited by my mercy. See that you 
 show yourself worthy of it. Your life has been 
 spared. Show that you can be grateful for it." 
 
 " I beg to assure you of my gratitude," answered 
 Dick, sincerely. " I beg to be permitted to say 
 enough more to convince you that my arrest in the 
 
144 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 first place was an unjust one, or made through a 
 mistake. I came to Malolos several days ago on a 
 pass signed by one of your own officers. My errand 
 was a business one, and it is only just that I should 
 be permitted to go through your lines to those of 
 my countrymen." 
 
 "Silence!" commanded Aguinaldo, in a voice 
 sterner than he had yet used. " It is not for you 
 to question the justice of our laws. You are a 
 prisoner, and a prisoner you will remain. Colonel 
 Pluma ! " 
 
 One of the staff officers behind the carriage dis- 
 mounted and approached on foot, saluting respect- 
 fully. 
 
 "Colonel, you asked me the other day for a 
 Chino to act as your body-servant. I was com- 
 pelled to refuse you, as all the Chinos in our 
 hands are needed to dig on the fortifications. 
 But here is a prisoner who is not worth as much 
 as a Chino. Nevertheless, he may make an ac- 
 ceptable servant to you. He is yours." 
 
 ' ' I thank your excellency for your gracious 
 favor," responded the colonel, saluting, then bow- 
 ing very low. 
 
Aguinaldo Makes a Speech Page 145 
 
THE LITTLE BROWN DICTATOR 145 
 
 " Now take the Americano from my sight. I 
 have something to say to my people." 
 
 "Come with me," whispered Pluma, leading 
 our hero roughly by the arm. " Stand beside 
 my horse. When I ride, trot beside me. If you 
 lag you shall be whipped until you find your 
 speed ! " 
 
 Saved from death at the last gasp, Dick Carson 
 was not disposed to grumble over the humiliation 
 of being made to play the servant to this conse- 
 quential little brown officer. The boy's heart 
 throbbed with gratitude for the present deliver- 
 ance. He would hold his peace and keep his 
 eyes open in the hope that the same kind fate 
 would soon show him the way to escape a second 
 time, and to find his way to the camps of his 
 own countrymen. 
 
 Aguinaldo, sombrero in hand, had mounted 
 upon the cushions of his carriage in one of his 
 characteristic poses of importance. The people, 
 realizing that he was about to speak, forgot 
 their late disappointment and greeted him with 
 cheers. Holding up his hand for silence, the 
 little presidente began : 
 
146 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "My people, I thank you for your loyalty to 
 your chosen leader. You all know of the glori- 
 ous victory which Heaven enabled our arms to 
 win last night. There will be a little more fight- 
 ing and our republic will be firmly established. 
 Should the Americanos send other armies here, 
 you all know what the result must be. Our 
 republic can never die while her sons are so loyal 
 and so ready to rush to arms. We have a soldier, 
 now, to carry every gun in our possession ; we 
 have bolo men by thousands, for whom there are 
 yet no rifles ; but we shall soon have more rifles, 
 and our army must swell to j)roportions that must 
 amaze the world. I ask more of you to go into 
 training for the glorious service ahead of us. 
 Those who cannot get bolos should join the 
 instruction regiments and drill with the wooden 
 guns, that they may know how to handle real 
 rifles when they arrive from Hong Kong. Show 
 your loyalty by the number of your volunteers ! " 
 
 Frantically the ' ' vivas " rolled upward in greet- 
 ing of this appeal. After a minute of this wild 
 enthusiasm, Aguinaldo held up his hand once more 
 for silence, that he might make himself heard. 
 
THE LITTLE BROWN DICTATOR 147 
 
 ' ' There will be a little more fighting, to-night 
 and to-morrow, my people. Therefoi-e I must 
 leave you to go down on one of the trains that 
 are taking our troops to the field of victory. I 
 promise you that I shall lead our cause in person 
 now, as I have in the past." 
 
 With those closing words the little brown dic- 
 tator stepped down, seated himself, and, amid 
 more boisterous clamor of " vivas," rode oflF, his 
 escort turning sharply toward the east, trotting 
 down the long dusty street that led to the rail- 
 road station. As before, cheering throngs closed in 
 behind the escort and streamed in the presidente's 
 wake. 
 
 "Keep close, dog," Colonel Pluma roughly 
 warned our hero. "It will be worse for you 
 if you lag behind and fall into the hands of the 
 crowd ! " 
 
 " Thank you," muttered Dick, under his breath, 
 as he trotted on foot beside the horse of his new 
 "master." "I wouldn't for the world lose the 
 chance of keeping with you. Going to the front, 
 are you? That's just where I want to go, too ! 
 It will be hard luck, indeed, if I can't, by watch- 
 
148 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 ing, find a chance to make a dash toward the 
 American lines ! " 
 
 With this thought uppermost in his mind, the 
 American boy's feeling was one of exultation. 
 His eyes sparkled with the enthusiasm of the 
 daring thought. What mattered it to him that 
 the fierce sun scorched down on him in a way that 
 otherwise would have made running a torture? 
 
 As the Barasoain station was neared the streets 
 were found to be lined with battalions of native 
 troops, eagerly awaiting their turn to be shipped 
 by rail from the ' ' capital " to the front. Four 
 long trains lay waiting on the narrow-gauge track 
 and its siding. Troops were filing aboard amid 
 scenes of the most extravagant joy. It was to 
 be such an easy victory over the cowardly 
 Americanos ! 
 
 Foremost of all on the track was the special 
 train that was to bear Aguinaldo, his staff, and 
 some of his picked troops to the front. 
 
 Colonel Pluma, detaching himself from the 
 presidential column as it halted, rode up to one 
 of the hindmost cars, already packed to suffocation 
 with armed Malays. 
 
THE LITTLE BROWN DIOTATOE 149 
 
 "Here, my children," called the colonel, "take 
 this Americano in with you. Do not kill him, 
 for he is my servant." 
 
 One of the grinning soldados swung the door 
 open. Dick, glad to get in out of the scorch- 
 ing sun, clambered inside. The car, a third- 
 class, squalid affair, reeking with awful odors, 
 was already more crowded than it should have 
 been. 
 
 " Make way and a seat for his excellency," 
 gibed one of the soldados. 
 
 This sally was greeted by a roar of laughter. 
 Two or three of the little wretches slyly drew 
 their bayonets from their scabbards, giving the 
 boy sharp jabs with the keen points. 
 
 "I am alone, friendless, and quite helpless," 
 said Carson quietly, in Spanish. "Go on and 
 have your fun, gentlemen." 
 
 " Why does no one give his excellency a 
 seat ? " demanded one of the insurgents, as two 
 more bayonets were jabbed into the back of his 
 legs, causing Dick to wince with the pain. 
 
 ' ' There is some room on the ceiling. Let him 
 sit there," responded another. 
 
150 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 « ' Yes ; let him sit up there on the points of 
 our bayonets ! " 
 
 Had it not been for the fear of provoking Col- 
 onel Pluma's wrath, it is certain that the Ameri- 
 can would have quickly found himself pinned to 
 the ceiling on points of steel. 
 
 These soldados were from the very dregs of 
 the Tagalo tribe. They were of the peons, or 
 laborers, dirty, ignorant, cruel, and many of them 
 hideous with the rot of leprosy. They were the 
 descendants of the Malay pirates who had scourged 
 the eastern seas in ages past. A trifling smatter- 
 ing of education, centuries of tyrannical oppression 
 by the Spaniards — that was all the difi'erence. 
 
 But Dick Carson, despite his trying surround- 
 ings, was secretly jubilant. He was going to the 
 front — near to his own countrymen ! 
 
A CBUEL "MASTEK" 151 
 
 CHAPTEE XI 
 
 A CRUEL ' ' MASTEK " 
 
 Jammed in the middle of that sweating herd of 
 humanity, sickened by the dense clouds of tobacco 
 smoke, still the victim of many sly persecutions, 
 Dick waited with devouring impatience for the train 
 to start. 
 
 Finally the bell rang. Amid cheers from the 
 crowd that lined the tracks the presidential train 
 rolled slowly down the track. It went past the 
 huge freight-shed, whose sloping zinc roof was 
 crowded with native boys who had failed to get any 
 other good point from which to view the military 
 spectacle. Down past the road to Quingua went 
 the train, then stopped. The other three trains 
 were not yet fully loaded. Aguinaldo, lover of 
 show, would not rejoin his army around Manila 
 until he could do so at the head of battalions of 
 men light-hearted and eager for the fray. 
 
 Away down the line toward Guinguito the 
 
152 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 people from all the country around swarmed to 
 watch the departure of reenforcements to their 
 victorious army. In their credulous joy it did not 
 occur to them to ask themselves whj^ a victorious 
 army needed such reenforcements. There were re- 
 peated " vivas" for " el presidente " and " elejercito" 
 (the army), while soldados, leaning from the car 
 windows, answered their well-wishers in kind. In 
 a rather palatial car up forward, Aguinaldo and 
 his personal staff were lunching on costly viands, 
 eaten from china dishes of rare workmanship. 
 They drank from costly cut glass. Whenever 
 possible so to do, the little dictator lived with 
 great pomp. 
 
 One after another the trains were filled with as 
 much of sweltering humanity as they would hold. 
 "\^en all was ready the signal was given. The 
 four trains now started down the track amid noisy 
 demonstrations. 
 
 Guiguinto was passed without a slowing-up of 
 speed, but at Bigaa, some six or seven miles below 
 Malolos, the presidential train slowed up, causing 
 those that followed to do the same. At the station 
 the foremost train came to a stop. Dick, packed 
 
A CRUEL "master" 153 
 
 in tightly as he was, could see nothing. Indeed, 
 he cared little for the sights that might be seen ; 
 his mind was entirely on the finish of the journey. 
 Along the platform came tramping a Tagalo soldier. 
 
 "Where is the Americano?" he demanded, halt- 
 ing by the door of the last car. 
 
 "Here," answered several of the fellow's com- 
 rades at once. 
 
 " Come out, Americano," was the gruff order. 
 
 Dick felt a quick sinking at the heart. If he 
 must leave the train here, what was to become of 
 his cherished hope of escaping to the American 
 lines? It was of no use, however, to think of 
 resisting the order. Helped along by the lusty 
 shoves of his car-mates, he reached the door, 
 from which he was pushed out, landing on the 
 station platform on his hands and knees. Gl^ul 
 laughter greeted his unceremonious exit from the 
 car. 
 
 "Hurry down there," said the messenger, point- 
 ing. "Your master wants you. Make haste, or 
 I'll take you to him on the point of my bayonet ! " 
 
 ' ' Master ! " That was a new word to the free- 
 born American boy. But this was not the best 
 
154 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 time to stand on his dignity. Swallowing his re- 
 sentment, he walked in the indicated direction. He 
 made out Colonel Pluma standing under the portico 
 of the little depot. 
 
 "So, you lazy rascal, you have got along at last, 
 eh?" demanded the colonel, regarding him with a 
 wrathful frown. "There is some baggage of mine," 
 pointing to two valises. " Pick it up and follow 
 me, or you shall feel a bamboo over your shoul- 
 ders." 
 
 Poor Dick ! Flushing red with indignation and 
 humiliation, he clenched his hands. For an instant 
 he was on the point of open rebellion. 
 
 "What's the use, though?" he quivered. " It 
 won't help me just now to be too independent, and 
 it would hurt my plans." 
 
 Walking to the two valises, he picked up one 
 with either hand, turned to the colonel, and awaited 
 further orders. That worthy, not deigning to use 
 more words, turned on his heel, starting to walk 
 across a field at the rear of the depot. The valises 
 were heavy, but Carson, though dripping with per- 
 spiration, struggled under them manfully, deter- 
 mined not to give way to fatigue. 
 
A CRUEL "master" 155 
 
 In the distance lay a little river, one of those 
 tide-water streams that intersect the country at 
 every few hundred yards in this part of the island. 
 Close to the nearer bank of the river hundreds of 
 Chinese coolies, under guard of soldiers, were 
 throwing up thick embankments of earth. At 
 the first sight of this work, Dick Carson's heart 
 bounded for joy. Colonel Pluma, happening to 
 turn at this instant, saw the boy's happy look and 
 stopped to look at him closely. 
 
 "Well," growled the fat little Filipino, "what 
 makes you look so delighted ? " 
 
 "Happiness," promptly replied Carson. 
 
 "Happiness?" repeated the colonel, sneeringly. 
 
 " Yes. I was told at Malolos this morning that 
 the Tagalos had won a great victory over my coun- 
 trymen." 
 
 "It was true," rejoined Colonel Pluma, boast- 
 ingly. 
 
 " If that is so," challenged Dick, " why are you 
 building intrenchments fifteen miles away from 
 Manila?" 
 
 A Spanish oath escaped Colonel Pluma in answer 
 to this audacious query. He glared hard at the 
 
156 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 smiling American boy, who did not flinch before 
 that gaze. Dick was no longer to be deceived. 
 The sight of the intrenchments, which were being 
 erected with great haste, had opened his eyes. He 
 knew well enough, now, that the tales of victory 
 by the Filipinos were all buncombe. 
 
 ' ' Don't you ask any more questions ! " cried the 
 Filipino, in a towering passion. "Don't you open 
 your mouth, except to answer me when I speak to 
 you. Follow me, and remember that you are 
 dumb." 
 
 Walking up to the nearest point of the trenches, 
 Pluma pointed to a near-by mango tree. 
 
 "Put the valises there," he directed. "Stay 
 there with them until I call you." 
 
 Philosophically Dick obeyed, squatting on the 
 ground beside the bags in the grateful shade. He 
 was suiFering for a drink of water, yet knew better 
 than to ask for it at present. 
 
 Watching Colonel Pluma, it did not take him 
 long to guess what that worthy's work was. It was 
 plain that he was the engineer officer in charge of 
 making the fortifications. The colonel walked up 
 and down the line and inspected the work, givino- 
 
A CRUEL "master" 157 
 
 orders to the coolies, and to some younger Filipino 
 oflScers who appeai'ed to be his subordinates. 
 
 " They expect a stubborn fight," mused Carson, 
 noting that the embankments were several feet in 
 thickness, and that the coolies were making loop- 
 holes, framed with bamboo, near the top of the 
 parapet. " This place is about fifteen miles from 
 Manila, which means that the American troops 
 should be here by to-morrow at the latest. A 
 good many of our poor lads will doubtless be shot 
 from these loopholes." 
 
 " Americano ! " came the sharp summons. 
 
 Dick, looking around him, saw Colonel Pluma 
 regarding him. 
 
 " I suppose this is where I have to run like a 
 dog," sighed the boy. 
 
 He started to walk briskly toward the colonel. 
 The latter tossed him a key, saying : 
 
 " Open my valise, the smaller one. You will 
 find a box of cigars. Bring me five or six." 
 
 Picking up the key, Dick turned without a word, 
 made his way back to the baggage, got the cigars, 
 took them to the colonel, and also handed back the 
 key. 
 
158 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " Go back there, and be quicker, the next time 
 I call you," ordered Pluma, with a frown. 
 
 Facing about, Dick started to return. He had 
 taken but two steps when he felt an outrageous kick 
 from behind. Wheeling like a flash, he found him- 
 self confronted by Pluma's blazing eyes. 
 
 " Do you know enough to salute me, when you 
 receive an order?" breathed the colonel, wrathfully. 
 
 Poor Dick choked helplessly. For an instant he 
 had to battle with himself to restrain his natural in- 
 clination to leap upon the fat little tyrant and bear 
 him to the earth. Turning, he started rapidly to 
 walk to the tree. 
 
 " Come back," raged Pluma. " Come back and 
 salute me ! " 
 
 Fearing a second kick, Dick quickened his pace 
 without replying. 
 
 Crack ! A shot rang out loud and clear, and 
 Dick heard the ball go whizzing by his ear. Facing 
 around, he saw a smoking revolver in the Filipino 
 colonel's hand. 
 
 " Come back and salute me," was the order, 
 sternly repeated. 
 
 " I suppose I've got to," grimaced the boy. "It's 
 
A CRUEL "master" 159 
 
 cheaper than being killed. Confound the little 
 bully ! If I were armed too, how soon he'd change 
 his tune ! " 
 
 ' ' Are you going to keep me waiting until dark ? " 
 fumed the little brown man. Dick quickened his 
 pace to a trot, halted four feet from Pluma and 
 brought his right hand up to the rim of his hat, as 
 he had seen soldiers do. 
 
 "That is better," said the colonel. "Do not 
 wait to be told again." 
 
 How it went against the grain for Carson to again 
 salute ! But he did it with the feeling that it was 
 only by patience under persecution that he could 
 hope to find a chance for liberty. 
 
 " Go back to my baggage now." 
 
 For the third time the boy saluted. Wheeling 
 squarely, he walked back to the tree, sinking upon 
 the grass and waiting for his burning cheek to cool. 
 His mortification was only increased by noting that 
 several of the Chinos, having witnessed the incident, 
 were now grinning at him. 
 
 Yet our hero soon came to the conclusion that, 
 bad as his lot was, it was considerably better than 
 that of these poor Chinos. They were compelled 
 
160 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 to stand out in the blazing sun, toiling like beavers. 
 If a Chino, driven almost out of his senses by heat 
 and thirst, dared to mutiny against the task-masters, 
 it was his fate to be killed and thrown into the 
 nearest river. Every coolie found within the insur- 
 gent lines was made a slave of in this fashion. 
 
 From the coolies Dick let his gaze wander to the 
 Filipino soldiers. The section of intrenchment that 
 our hero could see was probably some half 
 mile in length. Within those limits he judged the 
 number of Tagalo soldiers in view to be between 
 two and three hundred, exclusive of a few score 
 engaged in guarding the coolies. At a distance of 
 some yards back of the intrenchments was an irreg- 
 ular line of little bamboo " shacks," none more than 
 three feet in height. Each of these shacks was cap- 
 able of sheltering three or four of the insurgents 
 from the rays of the sun. 
 
 What was that that sounded so faintly away to 
 the southward ? Quick as a flash Dick was upon his 
 feet, eagerly straining his ears for a repetition of the 
 sound. It came. This time he could not mistake 
 it. Faint as it was, it was the boom of a cannon. 
 In a few seconds he heard it for a third time. 
 
A GRUEL "master" 161 
 
 "Fighting!" the boy muttered ecstatically. 
 "American fighting! There is a battle on. Oh, 
 God grant that our brave fellows may not be 
 long in reaching here, and in sweeping on up to 
 Malolos ! " 
 
 After two or three minutes of strained, quivering 
 attention, he heard the cannon-fire resumed again. 
 
 ' ' The Utahs are making Old Glory respected ! " 
 Dick murmured rapturously, his eyes growing 
 misty as he thought of that grand old flag being 
 borne in triumph across the field to the tune of the 
 cannon's roar and the rifle's sharp rattle. 
 
 He listened with absorbing anxiety for the sound 
 of rifle-volleys, but could not hear them, from 
 which he concluded that the scene of battle was yet 
 too far away for that sound to be audible. But he 
 did hear the cannon again, after an interval. To 
 Carson's fevered fancy it sounded as if the guns 
 were coming much nearer to Bigaa. 
 
 " Was there ever such sweet music before? " he 
 wondered, sinking down to the ground. He was 
 choking now, and crying quietly from sheer joy and 
 pride in that dear old flag ! His lips framed softly 
 the words of the " Star Spangled Banner," the 
 
162 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 grand, simple melody rising in his soul like an 
 anthem. Over and over again he hummed it. 
 ' ' America " and ' ' Columbia " trembled next on 
 his lips. The choking sob vanished from his throat, 
 the mist clearing from his eyes, until that hapless 
 American boy, a helpless and despised prisoner in 
 the camp of the enemy, far from the flag whos'e 
 glory he was singing, revelled in the happiness of 
 kings over those few occasional and distant mutter- 
 ings of cannon manned by some two hundred sturdy 
 Western volunteers. — 
 
 Fortunately for Dick, he was not disturbecHin that 
 hour of happiness. Colonel Pluma," having heard 
 the sound too, had hurried over to the railway 
 station to learn from the telegraph ope^/dtor how 
 the fate of war was goinsr. When he returned to 
 the intrenchments the colonel looked very grave 
 indeed. He hurried the already drooping Chinese 
 with such persistent ugliness that Carson augured the 
 most favorable news of American triumph. Still, 
 the sound of rifle-firing did not come within hear- 
 ing. That was all that was needed to fill the boy's 
 cup of happiness. 
 
 Just before dark the fat little colonel approached 
 
A CRUEL "master" 163 
 
 the tree. Had he not been absorbed in his own 
 thoughts he would have noticed that the American 
 did not salute, but stood up, quietly eying him. 
 
 "Pick up the valises, and follow me," was all 
 Pluma said, as he started toward a distant grove 
 of mango and banana trees ; and the boy silently 
 obeyed, following in his wake. 
 
 All afternoon Dick had been wondering; where 
 the town of Bigaa lay. He was not long, now, 
 in finding out. As they stepped into the edge of 
 this grove to the westward they came upon a well- 
 beaten road. A little further on Carson caught 
 sight of several bamboo and nipa houses, each 
 standing m a neat little yard. The road was a 
 long one, leading past many of these compact nipa 
 houses. The frames were of bamboo ; the floors, 
 raised from the ground some three or four feet, 
 were of woven bamboo. The roofs were thatched 
 with nipa, a peculiar flag that grows in the swamps 
 of Luzon. Doors, and blinds for the windows, 
 were woven of the same material. 
 
 To Dick, as he followed his " master," it seemed 
 as if this street of nipa houses was endless. It 
 appeared to circle around the town, while from it 
 
164 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 many shorter streets branched out. Here and there 
 a more pretentious building of artificial stone was to 
 be seen. In the yards, even in the street, hens and 
 chickens grubbed about for food, while the dirty 
 little slate-colored pig of the Philippines was visible 
 at every turn. In this mass of animal life children 
 played, Filipino women worked ; and men lounged 
 at the front windows of the houses, smoking an 
 endless succession of cigarettes. It was the hour of 
 the evening meal, and from the rear end of every 
 house could be heard the sizzling of frying, with 
 many varieties of odors floating out upon the air. 
 A church, its doors wide open and three or four 
 barefooted soldiers lounging there, was passed. 
 Dick, straining under the weight of the two heavy 
 valises, began to wonder if the colonel intended 
 to walk forever. But Pluma, strolling slowly, 
 and toiling under no weight, Ijut deriving huge 
 satisfaction from the black cigar he was smoking, 
 seemed content to wander. He kept on, for a dozen 
 houses past the church, before he turned into a 
 yard. He passed around to a door at the side of a 
 rather pretentious nipa house, ascended the ladder- 
 like steps, and halted inside to survey his " slave." 
 
A CRUEL "master" 165 
 
 "Bring the baggage up here," he ordered, and 
 Dick, obejnng, set the valises on the floor just 
 inside the door. 
 
 " Not there, you rascal, not there ! " cried Pluma, 
 harshly. " Pick them up and place them where I 
 show you ! " 
 
 "And after that?" asked Dick, quietly. Be- 
 lieving that he had thoroughly intimidated his new 
 body servant, Pluma did not notice the dangerous 
 quiet of the boy's manner. 
 
 " After you have taken the valises into my bed- 
 room," roared the colonel, "you will go into the 
 kitchen, light a fire, and prepare my supper from 
 the materials you will find there. If you are not 
 quick about it I will take some of the skin off 
 your back. Now pick up the valises ! " 
 
 Eight there was where Col. Manuel Pluma, of 
 the Philippine army, received the greatest surprise 
 of his life. 
 
 For Dick Carson, drawing back his foot, deliber- 
 ately kicked one of the bags into the corner of the 
 room. Turning swift as a flash, he kicked the other 
 valise out of doors. 
 
166 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 AN ORDEAL OF TORMENT 
 
 Uttering a cry of rage, Colonel Pluma darted 
 backward, letting his hand fall upon the butt of the 
 revolver in the holster at his belt, for there was 
 something in Dick Carson's flashing eyes that made 
 it seem likely he intended to kick his tyrant after 
 one or the other of the bags. 
 
 " You scoundrel ! " roared the little colonel, turn- 
 ing as near white with passion, as it was possible for 
 his deep mahogany skin to do, " pick up those bags 
 and bring them to me. If you have broken any- 
 thing in either of them you shall pay their value." 
 
 "If you want them," retorted Dick, defiantly, 
 as he threw his head back, " go and get them 
 yourself ! " 
 
 "Are you my servant, or not?" demanded 
 Pluma, his eyes burning with a dangerous light as 
 he drew his revolver from the holster. 
 
 " I was a prisoner of war, though not justly so," 
 
AN ORDEAL OF TORMENT 167 
 
 rejoined Dick, proudly. "Still, prisoners of war 
 must suffer some humiliation, I suppose. Had you 
 been a little more decent with me, I should have 
 gone on working for you as long as was necessary. 
 But I will not be a dog for any man, not even for 
 the sake of living. I shall never do another stroke 
 for you. No ; don't waste time pointing your pistol 
 at me, for I am not to be scared by it. I'd much 
 sooner be killed than degrade myself by playing 
 the servant to a bullying, degraded little savage 
 like you ! " 
 
 At this fearful insolence, actually directed at 
 himself. Colonel Pluma fairly gasped. Though he 
 stood glaring at the boy, he slowly put his revolver 
 back in his holster, seeing which Dick smiled 
 disdainfully. 
 
 " We shall soon tame you, my Americano ! " ex- 
 claimed the little colonel, in a voice hoarse with rage, 
 as he pushed his way past this mutineer to the door. 
 Looking down the street, Pluma beheld three insur- 
 gent soldiers to whom he loudly called. They 
 came on a run, and to them, as they entered the 
 house, the colonel pointed out the American boy. 
 
 " Seize the rascal," he ordered, and Dick, though 
 
168 AGUINALDO'S JHOSTAGE 
 
 he fought with a good grace, speedily found himself 
 on the floor, with the three Tagalos holding him down 
 with no gentle force. Colonel Pluma darted into 
 another room, returning with a piece of cord, which 
 he handed to one of the soldiers. 
 
 " Tie the rascal," he directed. "Then take him 
 out and tie him to that mango tree in the yard." 
 
 Nothing loath, and scenting further amusement 
 with this Americano, the soldiers obeyed. Colonel 
 Pluma following them into the yard to see that the 
 work was done to his satisfaction. When Dick had 
 been made so fast to the tree that it was impossible 
 to move hand or foot, Colonel Pluma ordered the 
 soldiers to run and fetch a half a dozen stout bam- 
 boos. When this had been done his next command 
 was : 
 
 "Now, each of you pick out a stick to his own 
 liking. Lay them across him one at a time, until 
 you are all tired. We shall see whether he will 
 continue insolent." 
 
 The stoutest of the three little soldiers picked out 
 a switch to his liking, tested it over his palm, and, 
 eyeing Dick keenly, advanced toward him. Swish I 
 Across Dick's chest landed the blow, with such force 
 
AN ORDEAL OF TORMENT 169 
 
 that the boy, valiant though he meant to be, could 
 with difficulty keep from crying out. That blow, 
 surely, must have raised a welt under the clothing. 
 A second blow, and a third, came in quick succes- 
 sion. Then the soldier paused, surveying the boy 
 in a good deal of astonishment, for not one cry had 
 come from the sufferer. 
 
 "It seems that I am not strong," mocked the sol- 
 dier, taking breath before he started in with a re- 
 newed castigation, much more furious than before. 
 
 Still no sound came from Carson. It was grow- 
 ing dark under the mango tree. His inquisitors 
 could not see how white the boy's face was, how 
 tensely drawn the lines of suffering in his face. 
 
 Out of breath, the soldier stopped. Wiping the 
 perspiration from his forehead, he muttered : 
 
 "Never have I seen a man with tougher hide. 
 Juan, you try a few touches while I am fanning 
 back my breath." 
 
 As the first soldier stood on one side, listlessly 
 i-aising the breeze with his hat, the second rained 
 down a dozen terrific blows. Poor Dick ! He felt 
 as if his blood were coming with every blow ; his shirt 
 was moist ; he dared not look down, for fear that he 
 
170 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 would see the red stains. Yet, with teeth tiglitly 
 clenched, he determined to bite his tongue off 
 sooner than utter one groan. By the time, 
 however, that the second Filipino had worn his 
 withe out, tears that Carson could not keep back 
 were slowly stealing down his cheeks. 
 
 "Now let us see if you are stronger," hinted 
 Colonel Pluma, turning to the last soldier. Is 
 there no hombre (man) strong enough, or withe hard 
 enough, to make this Americano cry for mercy ? " 
 
 At hearing this, Dick Carson smiled for an 
 instant, despite his pain. It gratified him to feel 
 that his fortitude had been so great as to disap- 
 point his tormentors. In another moment, how- 
 ever, blows were falling across the former cuts 
 with a keenness that brought fresh tears to his 
 eyes. Not a sound, though, got past his lips. 
 
 " You are stubborn," commented Pluma, grimly, 
 as he stepped closer to the boy after the third flog- 
 ging. ' ' Ah, we have made you cry, have we ? 
 And now you will be more tractable? You will 
 obey my every command after this ? " 
 
 " Never ! " said Dick, desperately. 
 
 " Ah, you need more of this whipping ! " 
 
AN ORDEAL OF TORMENT 171 
 
 " Just as you like, but you can never make me 
 serve you again." 
 
 From glaring savagely at his victim, Colonel 
 Pluma bent over to snatch up one of the switches 
 that had not been used. He poised it as if about to 
 supplement his soldiers' work with some of his 
 own. Changing his mind, however, he tossed 
 away the switch, saying : 
 
 " We shall see, Americano, how long your stub- 
 bornness will last. Not until you promise to be 
 docile shall you be cut free of that tree. Until 
 then, though it be for a week, you shall remain 
 where you are. Nor shall you taste food. We 
 shall see how long your courage will last under 
 such treatment. Come away, my men, and leave 
 the Americano to reflect." 
 
 Turning on his heel, Colonel Pluma went into 
 the house, followed by the three soldiers. While 
 the colonel lighted a cigar, and seated himself at 
 one of the front windows where he could overlook 
 the street, the three men went into the rear room, 
 where the smoke of a fire and smell ot food told 
 how they were preparing their officer's supper. 
 
 In the meantime Carson underwent the most 
 
172 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 acute torture. His flesh, raised in ridges and 
 welts by the unmerciful thrashing, seemed fast 
 swelling. The cutting of the cords against the 
 lacerated flesh gave him acute agony. An hour 
 went by, during which Colonel Pluma had tossed 
 away his cigar and gone to his supper. Dick's 
 body was rapidly stiffening. Even had he been 
 liberated now, he would have been hardly able to 
 walk. 
 
 Yet, after what had passed, his will was not one 
 whit broken. 
 
 "They may kill me," he muttered between his 
 tight teeth, " but let them if they want to. It 
 would be better to die than to submit to this treat- 
 ment every day. That sergeant at Malolos was 
 bad enough, but this colonel is a fiend. I could 
 never feel any respect for myself again if I sub- 
 mitted to him." 
 
 Their work over, the soldiers came out into the 
 yard, one of them carrying a guitar. Seating them- 
 selves at the rear of the yard, they lighted cigars, 
 — for every grown-up native smokes, — and the 
 man with the guitar began to play softly. 
 
 From where Dick stood bound to the tree, he 
 
AN ORDEAL OF TORMENT 173 
 
 could get a good view of the interior of the house. 
 The front room was lighted by two oil lamps. 
 Here Colonel Pluma sat at a desk, poring over 
 papers, presumably plans of fortifications. For 
 an hour or more he scanned them, occasionally jot- 
 ting down something. He seemed to have forgotten 
 all about the wretched Americano bound to the tree 
 out in the yard. 
 
 Out in the street, of which Dick had a glimpse 
 also, men and women strolled by in small parties. 
 Children played noisily, the boys with guns of 
 bamboo, for Avar was then the business of all ages 
 out in the Filipino country. Music came from other 
 yards near by. There was laughter on every hand, 
 for these light-hearted people could be merry even 
 in the face of the enemy. 
 
 Then, up near the church, a native band began 
 to play. The natives are born musicians and music- 
 lovers. Everybody within hearing seemed to rush 
 at once to get as close to the band as possible. 
 
 An officer galloped up to the house, dismounted, 
 and went inside. He had a few minutes' conversa- 
 tion with Colonel Pluma, received some papers, 
 came out with them, mounted, and rode away. 
 
174 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Dick, looking into the house, saw something that 
 filled him with more bitterness than ever. The 
 colonel, having finished his day's work, was now 
 slowly preparing to retire. No thought was to be 
 siven to the Americano outside. 
 
 Up the street the concert had long ago ceased, 
 the people of Bigaa dispersing to their homes. 
 One after another the lights in the little nipa 
 houses went out. There was no sound now, save 
 for the occasional hail of a sentry at one of the 
 street corners : 
 
 ^^ Para! Quien vive? Vamos!" (Halt! Who's 
 there ? Pass on ! ) Those frequently uttered words 
 of the sentries burned themselves into the boy's 
 aching brain during that long night. The passage 
 of a patrol party of the insurgents, which happened 
 five or six times during the dark hours, was a relief 
 in the monotony of suffering. 
 
 By daylight Colonel Pluma was up. Going to 
 the front window, he summoned a soldier to come 
 and prepare his breakfast. An hour later, having 
 eaten, and now with the inevitable cigar between 
 his teeth, the fat little colonel strolled out into the 
 yard. 
 
AN ORDEAL Or TORMENT 175 
 
 "Eh, my Americano?" he jeered. "Humble 
 now ? " 
 
 Not a word did Dick answer. He looked the 
 little brown man fully in the eyes, then glanced out 
 toward the street. 
 
 ' ' Not yet ready to beg ? To promise ? Oh, 
 well, you shall have plenty of time ! " 
 
 Saying which, the colonel strolled to his gate, 
 where he lounged in the shade of two banana trees 
 until a horse was brought around for him. 
 
 By this time the people of Bigaa were passing by 
 in little groups on their way to morning market, 
 for, having no ice, and food being quickly perishable 
 in that hot climate, each meal must be marketed by 
 itself. 
 
 One of the first groups caught sight of our hero, 
 stopped, and stared at him. Others collected, until 
 Dick found himself being closely regarded by sev- 
 eral scores of men, women, and children. 
 
 "He is being fattened for the colonel's table," 
 laughingly guessed one of the men. 
 
 « ' No ! He is a target for our children to practise 
 at with stones ! " shrilly pronounced a woman. 
 This notion, greeted with yells and laughter, would 
 
176 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 have been speedily acted upon had not a soldado 
 appeared and warned them that Colonel Pluma would 
 stand no nonsense ; that this Americano tied to the 
 tree was wholly the colonel's affair. After that the 
 soldier remained about, spending most of his time 
 in the house. 
 
 As for Dick, his agonies of the night were 
 doubled now. Every bone ached; his mangled 
 flesh throbbed ; his tongue, frightfully parched for 
 want of water, felt several times its normal size. 
 
 " Soldado!" he called desperately, toward noon. 
 In an instant the little insurreclo came bounding out 
 of the house. 
 
 "Is it forbidden for me to have water ? " asked 
 Dick, thickly. 
 
 ' ' Yes ; unless you agree to be a better servant 
 hereafter." 
 
 Dick slowly shook his head, turning his glance 
 away. So he remained until evening, when Colonel 
 Pluma, returning to his quarters, stopped for a mo- 
 ment to look the boy over in silence. 
 
 Again Dick spent the night in agony. Around 
 midnight, for a few minutes, a shower fell. Eun- 
 ning out his tongue, Carson greedily drew the few 
 
AN ORDEAL OF TORMENT 177 
 
 drops that he could secure "in this way into his 
 mouth. But his thirst was increasing at a frightful 
 rate. 
 
 The next day was a repetition of the former one. 
 Pluma came for a moment, merely to look at him. 
 Dick had made up his mind to die sooner than 
 humble himself before this bullying little brown 
 man. He did not even look at Pluma, who, after a 
 snort, went away. 
 
 But during the day a few knots of soldiers 
 dropped in, sitting on the ground before hita, eating 
 and — most fiendish of all — drinking before his 
 eyes. Dick had to shut his lids tight, to keep out 
 the tantalizing sight. Seeing this, the little rascals 
 poured water slowly on the ground, that the suf- 
 ferer might hear it trickle. 
 
 Night time found Dick out of his senses at inter- 
 vals. He was grateful for those lapses of feeling. 
 His torment, now, was beyond all description. Life 
 had ceased to attract him ; he hoped only that the 
 end might come soon. 
 
 Colonel Pluma did not come near the boy that 
 night. The next morning, however, after break- 
 fast, he sauntered out to the tree. 
 
178 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " You must have had enough, eh, by this time? " 
 smiled the colonel. 
 
 Dick did not answer either by look or word. 
 
 " Come, my Americano, you have a strong will, 
 
 — a fearful one, — but how can you hope to win ? 
 We Malays are patient. What will happen to you 
 if you remain here for twenty-four or forty-eight 
 hours ? " 
 
 "Death!" said Dick. He had no idea how 
 much the cifort to speak that word would cost him. 
 His swollen tongue felt larger than his mouth. 
 The sound came as a hoarse whisper, but Pluma 
 understood. 
 
 ' ' Ah, death ! And can you welcome it so cheer- 
 fully?" 
 
 ' ' Sooner — than — yield my — will — to yours 
 
 — again ! " 
 
 Colonel Pluma looked incredible. If all Ameri- 
 cans possessed the will power of this young speci- 
 men of the race, what a terrible people they must 
 be ! But his horse being led around at this mo- 
 ment, the colonel mounted and rode away. 
 
 Dick Carson was rapidly dying now. He knew 
 it, and hoped only for a speedy end. He could 
 
AN ORDEAL OF TORMENT 179 
 
 never hope to see the dear old flag again, but he 
 could, at least, die proud of the fact that he had not 
 allowed a Tagalo to debase him into a fawning 
 slave. 
 
 Toward noon that day a Filipino woman who had 
 passed the house several times, always looking at the 
 victim tied to the tree, discovered that the soldier set 
 to guard the prisoner had his eyes closed in a siesta. 
 "With a finger across her lips, this barefooted woman 
 stole into the yard, creeping up with mouse-like 
 stillness to the tree. From under the folds of her 
 cotton waist she quickly produced a gourd of water, 
 holding it to the boy's lips, patiently guiding it 
 until thirst-perishing Dick had greedily absorbed 
 the last drop. 
 
 " Por la gracia de la Santa Maria!" (By the 
 grace of the Holy Mary) whispered the woman. 
 Then she held up a morsel of food. 
 
 "No," uttered Dick, painfully. "But God 
 bless you for that water ! " 
 
 Casting a frightened look about her, the woman 
 fled. To Dick it seemed like the flight of an 
 angel. 
 
 Then there followed the long, hot afternoon. 
 
180 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Dick had looked for the creature of mercy to come 
 to him with another gourd of water. But she 
 came uot. As for the ordinary passers-by, they 
 were no longer interested in him. They had seen 
 this stubborn Americano so often that the novelty 
 had worn off. 
 
 There was one man, however, a Tagalo of 
 apparently about thirty-five years of age, who 
 passed by not a few times on this "Wednesday 
 afternoon. Like most of the men in Bigaa, he 
 wore the Filipino uniform, and was plainly an 
 officer. 
 
 just before dark this man approached the bam- 
 boo fence, leaning over it and looking long and 
 compassionately at the boy. 
 
 Colonel Pluma did not come home for supper as 
 early as usual. Doubtless he was detained by extra 
 work at the fortifications. But this other man, he 
 of the compassionate face, did come again, just 
 after dark. Dick knew now that he had delirium, 
 for he saw this queer visitant come into the yard, 
 approach the tree, take out a knife, and rapidly 
 sever all the cords that bound the boy to the 
 
AN ORDEAL OF TORMENT 181 
 
 What an absurd bit of delirium it was ! For 
 Dick felt himself, freed of the tree, leaning on the 
 shoulder of this compassionate native, who whis- 
 pered in his ear : 
 
 "You are ill ! Very ill ! It is a shame ! Come 
 with me ! " 
 
182 AGUINALDOS HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 IN OTHER HANDS 
 
 QuEEE what funny freaks delirium plays with a 
 fellow ! 
 
 Dick Carson fancied that he was two-thirds led 
 and one-third carried down the narrow palm-bor- 
 dered street, past little groups of Filipino soldiers 
 and civilians who stared curiously at him and at 
 his conductor, and that he kept on under the 
 guidance of this stranger until they came to the 
 door of a church. 
 
 And here was where the curious part of his odd 
 trance came in, for in the church, the chancel and 
 body of which were fitted up with bamboo cots, 
 looking wonderfully like the old, narrow, four- 
 poster beds, he was undressed by his conductor 
 and another Filipino, and laid upon one of these 
 cots between two wounded Filipinos who lay on 
 the adjacent cots. And, after being laid here, the 
 same sti'anger of the delirium came again to him. 
 
IN OTHER HANDS 183 
 
 with salves and strips of cotton cloth, and bound 
 up all the sore spots, making them all feel won- 
 derfully more comfortable. After that he drank 
 something which the stranger gave to him, and 
 then the delirium came to an end and a blank 
 followed. 
 
 It was morning when Carson again opened his 
 eyes. Now he knew that it had not been a dream 
 at all, but a merciful reality. He still ached, and 
 there was some fever in his veins, — but ofi, the 
 bliss of lying there at ease, with no new torment 
 adding ! Nor had he had his eyes open more 
 than two minutes when the stranger of the night 
 before approached him, holding a glass of water 
 in one hand. 
 
 ' ' Will you drink ? " asked the stranger. 
 
 " If you please." 
 
 "Now how do you feel?" asked the Filipino, 
 gently ; and, wonder of wonders, he was speaking 
 in Dick's native English. 
 
 "Much better, thanks. This seems like heaven, 
 after what I have been through. Last night I 
 thought it was all a part of the fever. But what 
 will Colonel Pluma say ? " 
 
184 AGUINALDOS HOSTAGE 
 
 "I think he will say nothing," was the quiet 
 answer. "But do not worry about him. You 
 will look to me, after this. I am Doctor Musebo, 
 a surgeon in the Filipino army. You shall be 
 treated here like one of my own people — at least 
 until you are strong again. And now, will you 
 have some breakfast?" 
 
 "I believe I do feel hungry," admitted Dick. 
 
 Away went Doctor Musebo. In a few minutes 
 a Filfpino attendant came to Dick's cot with a bit 
 of fried chicken, fried plantain, and — best of all 
 — a small earthen jar of water. 
 
 When Dick had eaten most of the breakfast and 
 drunk at least three pints of that blessed water the 
 attendant deftly removed the bandages, bathing the 
 boy's lacerated flesh and applying more of the 
 salve. The bandages once more applied, Dick 
 was covered with a sheet of cotton cloth and left 
 to his thoughts. These were, in the first place, 
 wholly contented ones. Doctor Musebo, whatever 
 the color of his skin, was a gentleman. He was 
 humane, and Dick had perfect confidence that he 
 was not being nursed back to health merely to 
 be the butt of more brutality. 
 
IN OTHER HANDS 185 
 
 ' ' He's a brick ! " murmured the boy, with grate- 
 ful enthusiasm. 
 
 Then, finding that he could raise himself on his 
 elbow without added pain, he looked about him. 
 At the lower end of the church was the altar, hand- 
 somely decorated, and showing also many of the 
 religious figures. Overhead, the ceiling was artisti- 
 cally painted with scenes from the Bible. But from 
 the body of the church everything of a religious 
 nature had been removed. In two long rows down 
 the church were bamboo cots to the number of at 
 least fifty. All but ten or a dozen of these were 
 occupied, for the most part by wounded men. 
 While some of the little Filipinos lay patient in 
 their agony, others moaned loudly. Doctor Musebo 
 was engaged in probing the wound of one little 
 insurgent soldier, who howled at each thrust of the 
 probe. 
 
 Before Carson realized how exhausted he was, he 
 sank back, falling instantly asleep. It was in the 
 afternoon when he again opened his eyes. The 
 frantic screams of a man brought the boy's senses 
 to the alert in a second. Dick awoke in time to see 
 a stretcher being carried past him, a clumsy afiair of 
 
186 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 bamboo on which rested a blood-covered little 
 insurrecto, the first glimpse of whom gave our hero 
 a thrill of sympathy. The poor fellow's right ear 
 was gone, and all that side of the face horribly 
 mangled. His arm, bare from the shoulder, seemed 
 mashed to a jelly and running with blood. For a 
 quarter of an hour after being transferred to a 
 cot he continued to shriek, Dr. Musebo working 
 patiently over him in the meantime. Then, the 
 patient having fallen asleep under a drug, the little 
 native physician came down the aisle. He caught 
 sight of Carson's horror-struck face, and stopped 
 to speak with him. 
 
 "Your American shells are infernal affairs," said 
 Musebo, with a dreary smile. 
 
 "Was he hit by a shell?" asked Dick, awe- 
 struck. 
 
 " Yes ; he was one of three men. He can hardly 
 live until dark. The other two men were killed 
 outright, and so horribly mangled that their captain 
 could not recognize them." 
 
 " It's horrible ! " shivered Dick. 
 
 "Yes; all war is horrible," answered Musebo, 
 sadly. " Only fools exult in it. But such horrors 
 
IN OTHER HANDS 187 
 
 are necessary sometimes. It is for us physicians 
 to do all we can to make it less terrible." 
 
 " And you believe in this insurrection against 
 the American government?" asked Carson. 
 
 "Yes, most certainly, for I am a Filipino and a 
 Tagalo, and my people's hopes are mine. But I 
 wish we might have our freedom without all this 
 bloodshed." 
 
 " Then you think the Americans ought to leave 
 the islands ? " 
 
 " Without a doubt, but they will not. There are 
 people in your country who covet our natural 
 wealth, and they will never leave us, unless we de- 
 feat them, or weary them with fighting." 
 
 " You must hate me," suggested Dick. 
 
 ' ' A true physician never hates the wounded or 
 sick, no matter to what -race they belong. But I do 
 not love you Americans. I am frank enough to tell 
 you that." 
 
 " Yet you take splendid care of me." 
 
 " Because you are ill." 
 
 " And after I am well again." 
 
 "Then you will be a prisoner of war. You shall 
 not be harmed while you are with me. Some of my 
 
188 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 people, I admit, have not yet learned how prisoners 
 of war should be treated. But give us time. A^"e 
 have much to unlearn that Spain has taught us. As 
 for me, I have lived in England, and I have learned 
 how white men regard the rights of men captured in 
 war." 
 
 "You have been so kind to me," said Dick, 
 gratefully, "that I already feel as if I loved you. 
 Am I to remain here after I get well ? " 
 
 "That cannot be unless you are willing to work 
 here in the hospital." 
 
 "Say, I'll do it," agreed Dick. "My father — 
 he's dead now — was a doctor in Hong Kong, and I 
 was used to helping him. Oh, you'll find me a 
 famous helper, I promise you ! " 
 
 " Yet you refused to work for Colonel Pluma." 
 
 "Because he wanted to treat me like a dog," 
 cried Dick, with spirit. "He could have killed 
 me, and welcome, before I'd have done another 
 stroke for him. But with you it's different. 
 Working in a hospital is a work of mercy, 
 and I agree to do my best for you, until — 
 until " — 
 
 " Until when? " asked Musebo, with a smile. 
 
IN OTHER HANDS 189 
 
 "Until I find a chance to escape, if one comes 
 my way." 
 
 ' ' Then you would leave us if you got a chance ? " 
 
 " Of course," said Dick, frankly. 
 
 Dr. Musebo smiled and rose. But he held down 
 his hand to the boy, who pressed it warmly. 
 
 " You and I are going to have no disputes," pre- 
 dicted Carson. 
 
 An hour later the shell-torn man woke up. His 
 shrieks were now unceasing. A native priest came 
 and administered the last rites. Just before dark 
 the yells ceased ; two native soldiers bore out 
 through the church a litter on which lay the dead, 
 ghastly victim of war. 
 
 After another night of good sleep the American 
 boy woke so refreshed that he arose, sat on the 
 edge of his cot, and finally reached for his clothing, 
 which lay on the floor. 
 
 ' ' You are feeling stronger ? " questioned Dr. 
 Musebo, coming toward him. 
 
 "Much! I'm ready for work now, as soon as 
 you can find it for me." 
 
 " The first work," smiled the little doctor, " is to 
 get more strength. Come with me." 
 
190 AUUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 He led the American down the aisle between the 
 cots, around past the altar, and out through a back 
 door. Pointing to a nipa house in the corner of the 
 churchyard, Dr. Musebo added : 
 
 " Go over there and see what you can eat for 
 brealifast. When you have done that come back to 
 me. Filomeno ! " 
 
 Answering the summons, an almost black Tagalo 
 thrust his head out of one of the windows of the nipa 
 shack. 
 
 " Give the prisoner some breakfast," called Dr. 
 Musebo. 
 
 " Bueno ! " replied Filomeno. " Bueno," besides 
 being the Spanish word for " good," means also 
 " all right." 
 
 Crossing the yard and clambering up the steps into 
 the shack, Dick found himself in a building of one 
 room, given over to the work of cooking for the 
 patients of the hospital. Over a stout table of 
 mahogany wood three or four inches of earth had 
 been spread. Resting on the earth in a row were a 
 half dozen Filipino stoves. These were curious 
 affairs of unglazed earthenware, shaped like large 
 shallow saucers. In these charcoal was ignited, and 
 
IN OTHER HANDS 191 
 
 over the glowing coals were set other shallow dishes 
 of the same kind of earthenware. Boiling and fry- 
 ing were done in the same style of dishes. In some 
 of the pots rice was slowly cooking ; in two, bits 
 of chicken were being fried brown. 
 
 Filonieno faced the boy with an unfriendly frown. 
 
 " I suppose you will have to be fed, since the 
 doctor says so," growled the Tagalo. " If I had my 
 way, all Americanos would be fed on water and air 
 — and little of that ! " 
 
 Snatching up the scooped-out half of a cocoanut 
 shell, Filomeno, using his fingers, scooped a couple 
 of small handfuls of rice from one of the pots over 
 the fire. Looking at this as if he feared he had 
 been too generous, the cook finally handed it with 
 a grudging air to the captive. 
 
 ' ' Eat it, and may it choke you ! " he growled. 
 
 So hot was the rice that it required much blowing 
 before Dick could hold it in his mouth. There 
 being no forks or spoons in sight, Dick was forced 
 to eat it, native fashion, with his fingers. But it 
 tasted good while it lasted. Having finished, Dick 
 Ifet his eyes roam wistfully from the chicken to 
 more rice. But Filomeno chose to ignore the hint. 
 
192 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "Thank you," said Dick, quietly, setting down 
 the shell at last. " It was very good." 
 
 Filomeno gave a grunt, as if displeased. Cross- 
 ing the yard, Dick reentered the church and went 
 up to Dr. Musebo, who was bending over one of 
 the brown patients. 
 
 " I am ready to go to work when you have any- 
 thing for me to do," announced Carson. 
 
 " Come and let me show you how to put on this 
 bandage." 
 
 So well did Dick accomplish the task that Dr. 
 Musebo looked decidedly gratified. From that he 
 passed to other tasks equally well accomplished, 
 even helping during the forenoon in two operations 
 where bullets had to be removed. Dick's new 
 friend seemed to take a real pride in him. 
 
 " I suppose Filomeno gave you nothing but rice 
 this morning," smiled the little physician. " After 
 this I will see that you have meat once a day, I 
 am glad I interested myself in you. Certainly you 
 do not deserve the reputation for stubbornness that 
 Colonel Pluma gave you." 
 
 " Not when I am well treated," replied Dick. 
 
 After that day life became much more pleasant 
 
IN OTHER HANDS 193 
 
 for him, so far as his own affairs went. There were 
 constantly new arrivals at the hospital. Sometimes 
 all the cots were full, and even the neighboring 
 houses had to be used for the reception of patients. 
 Dr. Musebo, who was the only physician there, had 
 his hands always full of work. There was a Fili- 
 pino who shared the day work of attendance with 
 our hero. At night there was but one attendant on 
 duty. The wounded came in steadily, showing that 
 fighting between the natives and the Americans was 
 fairly frequent. Occasionally Dick heard the boom 
 of cannon off down by Manila, but never the sound 
 of rifle-fire. It was plain that the Americans were 
 not gaining ground, or they would long ago have 
 reached Bigaa, which was but fifteen miles from the 
 city. 
 
 What did this all mean? Of course Dick heard 
 constantly that the Americans were being defeated. 
 It was certain, at least, that his countrymen were 
 not advancing, and this knowledge made him feel 
 gloomy. 
 
 " We have killed thousands of the Americanos. 
 They will not last much longer ! " 
 
 This was the claim made by all the insurgent 
 
194 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 soldiers brought into the hospital. The Malay 
 officers stationed in Bigaa, and who occasionally 
 went down to the front, repeated the claim. They 
 were so plainly jubilant that Dick, who at first 
 patriotically discredited their stories, became at last 
 despondent. Day after day slipped by. February 
 vyent by, and March came in. Once in a while he 
 heard the boom of cannon, but as March began to 
 draa: on its length this did not bring the American 
 advance. And so the month of March went on 
 until its remaining life was limited to a few days. 
 Would the Americans never push up into this part 
 of the country? 
 
 In the meantime, what was really happening? 
 General Otis had pushed his lines out as far 
 as Caloocan, three miles north of Manila. On 
 the east the Americans held La Loma, four miles 
 from the city. On the south they were four miles 
 from Manila, in sight of Paranaque. Further they 
 could not go until the American commander re- 
 ceived more troops. His few regiments held a line 
 shaped like a half circle around the city. If they 
 pushed further out into the country, this line would 
 become lengthened, and therefore weakened. The 
 
IN OTHER HANDS 195 
 
 first duty was to protect the rich city of Manila 
 from a possible raid by the insurgents, breaking 
 in through some weakened point in the defence. It 
 was impossible to extend this line until more regi- 
 ments arrived from the United States. 
 
 In the meantime, three great transports were 
 coming from New York through the Isthmus of 
 Suez. They carried General Lawton and more 
 than five thousand soldiers. Across the Pacific 
 other transports were speeding, bringing the flower 
 of our young American fighting manhood. Until 
 these troops arrived at Manila it was unwise to 
 attempt more of advance than had already been 
 accomplished. Yet in the United States people 
 who did not understand were blaming Otis for his 
 " weeks of inactivity." Even impatient soldiers in 
 the trenches outside the city were fuming at being 
 held in check. 
 
 Everywhere, opposite the American trenches, 
 and only a few hundred yards distant, were the 
 insurgent trenches, thick with the eager little brown 
 men. All day long they watched for glimpses of 
 American soldiers, firing as often as a mark pre- 
 sented itself, Whenever they scored a "hit " it was 
 
196 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 natural for Uncle Sam's men to return the savage 
 compliment. Aguinaldo had at that time a hundred 
 thousand Malay soldiers. There were rifles for 
 only twenty-five or thirty thousand of these men. 
 Those who lay in the trenches to-day, eagerly watch- 
 ins for shots at American soldiers, were relieved on 
 the morrow by other Filipinos, who, taking their 
 comrades' guns, were equally anxious to harass 
 Uncle Sam's men in every way possible. To vary 
 matters, and to keep the few regiments of American 
 troops as sleepless and worn-out as could be 
 done, there were furious night fusilades by the 
 insurgents. Battalions of the little brown enemy 
 would dart over their earthworks under cover of 
 darkness, fire swiftly, and give the impression that 
 a general attack was imminent. By the time that 
 the drowsy American troops had turned out 
 and begun to fire, the little rascals would be 
 safe back behind their own works. It was the 
 ability of the Filipinos to relieve their men behind 
 the guns every few hours that made these tactics 
 possible and tremendously harassing. 
 
 So well did this succeed that Aguinaldo and his 
 leaders, after the first signal defeat of February 4, 
 
IN OTHER HANDS 197 
 
 soon began to believe that they were really winning. 
 Insurrectos, off duty for a day or two after fighting, 
 circulated up through the insurgent country, carry- 
 ing with them such tales of victory that every 
 native in Luzon, outside of Manila, looked for 
 speedy victory by the rebels. 
 
 Dick Carson, being without military experience, 
 and possessing little better knowledge of the situa- 
 tion than the grumblers in the United States, was to 
 be excused for his despondency, especially in view 
 of the reports of Filipino victories that he con- 
 stantly heard at Bigaa. 
 
 "If I could only get down to the front ! " he 
 often sighed. "It would be worth the chance of 
 death just to have one fair try for a dash to the 
 American lines ! " 
 
 This was the chance that seemed likely never to 
 come. Dick was too obviously an Americano for 
 him to make the attempt to get away from Bigaa, 
 even by night. The country was swarming with 
 Filipino soldiers ofi" duty. He had only to be 
 caught away from his protector to be slain on sight. 
 It was not only from the soldados that he had to 
 fear death ; most of the women, all of the children 
 
198 AGtriNALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 between Bigaa and Caloocan, would have been quick 
 to kill or denounce. 
 
 Within the grounds of the church that served as 
 a hospital he was safe. Dr. Musebo's protection 
 there was all-powerful. The wounded Filipinos 
 and those who lived near by knew the tender care 
 he gave to patients. He was admired for it. 
 Yet, at half a mile distance from the hospital, 
 Dick Carson's life would not" have been woi'th a 
 centavo. 
 
 One night, after a day of more than usually 
 fatiguing work in the hospital, our hero went out 
 into the churchyard for a half hour's indulgence in 
 the cool, sweet evening air. Slowly he paced to the 
 rear of the churchyard. On the other side of the 
 fence were the yards of two native houses. Reach- 
 ing the fence, Dick stood leaning over it, staring at 
 the darkened houses. 
 
 Of a sudden he heard the voices of a party enter- 
 ing the nearer house. The sound of one of those 
 voices made him tingle all over. 
 
 Scr-ratch! A tiny point of light, flickering 
 around a match-end, preceded the lighting of a 
 lamp. As the illumination streamed out throuo-h 
 
IN OTHER HANDS 199 
 
 an open window Dick beheld the members of the 
 party. 
 
 ' ' Herr Schwarz and three Filipino officers ! " 
 choked the boy, darting back and sinking down to 
 the ground. " What treachery is afoot here?" 
 
 Then, after an instant of palpitating uncertainty, 
 Dick Carson quivered : 
 
 " I'll find out, if it costs me my life ! " 
 
200 AGU-INALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV 
 
 IN COUNCIL OF TREACHERY 
 
 Dick's brain fairly buzzed as he lay upon the 
 ground, revolving with lightning speed plans for 
 finding out just what was going on in the house on 
 the other side of the fence. 
 
 Had he stood upright, he might have been seen 
 from the house. It was certain that in the reflected 
 light he would have been visible to any passer-by in 
 the street before the church. Eealizing all this, 
 he actually wallowed in the dirt in his efforts to 
 hug closer to the ground. 
 
 " This won't do," he reflected, after a moment. 
 "I can't hear a word of what's being said. I've 
 simply got to get nearer. Yet how, without being 
 caught ? " 
 
 It was, as he said, quite useless to remain where 
 he was. Only the murmur of voices came to him. 
 Eaising his head ever so little, he peered through 
 the bamboo palings into the next yard. There was 
 
IN COUNCIL OF TREACHERY 201 
 
 a low banana palm within seven or eight feet of one 
 of the windows of the house. 
 
 "If I could only get up into that — up into the 
 foliage ! " he breathed, trembling with eagerness. 
 
 Desperate as it was, this was the only chance he 
 saw of getting close enough to the little group. 
 
 Peering back over his shoulder, Dick's view took 
 in both the church and the street beyond. For the 
 moment there was no one in sight. Eising to his 
 knees, with a whispered prayer for success, the boy 
 crept rapidly toward the fence. Two or three of 
 the palings were broken ; he managed to bend them 
 enough to creep into the next yard. 
 
 Now his heart beat so rapidly he was afraid its 
 noise would betray him. But he had started for- 
 ward ; going back was out of the question. In the 
 next yard, as he crept over the semi-lighted ground, 
 he could see the heads of the four men as they sat 
 close to the window. If one of them should 
 turn his head and look out upon the ground, he 
 would be sure to see the prowling one. 
 
 The die was cast ! Trembling with the dread of 
 discovery, he continued to move forward. It was 
 no more dangerous, now, than going back would be. 
 
202 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Close to the corner of the house Carson halted for 
 an instant. From here he was invisible to those 
 inside. A passer-by in either street, however, was 
 likely to discover him. Waiting only a few mo- 
 ments to still his trembling and quiet the suffocating 
 beating of his heart, Dick crept boldly toward the 
 banana palm. He reached it — placed the palm's 
 trunk between himself and the house, and, shaking 
 almost as if with ague, rose slowly to his feet. 
 
 At this moment a burst of laughter came from 
 the house. 
 
 ' ' Now's my chance ! " quivered Dick. 
 
 Grasping the trunk of the palm, he began a 
 rapid, squirrel-like ascent. Up he went, the noise 
 from the men in the house drowning out the slight 
 scratching noise of his climbing. He was up among 
 the leaves now, breathless, flushed, but triumphant. 
 With the nicest care in the world he began to move 
 the leaves so that they formed a screen betweec 
 himself and the inmates of the house. This done, 
 he had to think of the street. With a little more 
 arrangement, he felt fairly safe from all observa- 
 tion. At the same time, he had a very fair view of 
 all that went on inside the house. 
 
Dick Overhears Herr Schwarz Page 202 
 
IN COUNCIL OF TREACHERY 203 
 
 " But you have not yet told us," observed one of 
 the Filipino officers when the laughter had died 
 down, ' ' how you managed to get out of Manila. 
 We have heard that General Otis and his officers 
 are very strict. I know quite well that some of our 
 own people have tried to get through the American 
 lines to come out to us, and have been arrested for 
 their trouble." 
 
 ' ' Ach ! It was easy enough for me," replied Herr 
 Schwarz, with a little laugh. "I have a pass signed 
 by General Otis, and he knew that I was coming- 
 through the lines to Bigaa." 
 
 ' ' He knew it ? " echoed all three of the Fili- 
 pino officers together, staring very hard at the 
 German. 
 
 " Ach ! Yes ! It was a little ruse of mine." 
 
 " Ah ! But you have not explained yourself." 
 
 "I will do so, my friends. Well, then, just 
 b,efore you began your insurrection, it happened 
 that a fellow named Limpe, one of my clerks, 
 decided to return to Germany. In a little busi- 
 ness that he undertook for me he used the name 
 of Tillerman." 
 
 "He did, eh?" quivered eavesdropping Dick. 
 
204 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 ' ' Oho ! I think I could guess what that business 
 was ! " 
 
 " It occurred to me," went on Herr Schwarz, 
 " that it might be just as well for me to have 
 Limpe keep the name of Tillerman, so I paid him 
 something to ship to Germany under that name. 
 So, you see, there is no record at the office of the 
 captain of the port that any such man as Limpe has 
 sailed from Manila. After the rebellion opened I 
 went to General Otis in a fine state of frenzy, and 
 told him that I had good reason to believe that my 
 poor clerk, Limpe, had fallen into the hands of the 
 Filipinos. I begged him to use every eflTort to get 
 my poor clerk released by the insurrectos, and that 
 credulous old general promised that he would. 
 
 " Well, yesterday, as I wanted to come out here, 
 I went to General Otis and told him that I was re- 
 solved to risk my own life in order to save my poor 
 clerk. I asked General Otis to give mc a pass that 
 would enable me to pass the American lines. He 
 was very much alarmed for me, and did not want to 
 give me the pass. He assured me that he believed 
 I was sure to lose my life if I dared to go out 
 among the Filipinos." 
 
IN COUNCIL OF TREACHERY- 205 
 
 ' ' Ha ! ha ! ha ! " roared the three Filipino offi- 
 cers in concert, while Herr Schwarz grinned with 
 appreciation of the joke. 
 
 " So I assured the old general," resumed the 
 German, "that I would much rather risk my life 
 than that my poor Limpe should be surrendered to 
 the most uncertain fate. In short, I made General 
 Otis think I was so generous and noble that there 
 were tears in my eyes as he signed the pass. He 
 shook my hand for a full minute — that credulous 
 fellow — and made me promise that, if I got back 
 alive, I would come to him at once and let him know 
 the success of my efforts." 
 
 At this conclusion there was a burst of fresh mer- 
 riment from the auditors — all except the unsus- 
 pected one in the banana palm ! 
 
 ' ' And that Limpe — have you found him ? " de- 
 manded one of the laughing Filipinos. 
 
 " Well, partly," said Herr Schwarz, dryly. " Be- 
 fore I go back I shall get a letter from your General 
 Luna in which he will admit that Limpe is one of 
 his prisoners. But your good Luna will also add 
 that he has been informed that Limpe is an Ameri- 
 can citizen, and that he will have to hold him until 
 
206 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 he can investigate that point. So, you see, I will 
 ffo back and show the letter to General Otis. At 
 the same time I will pretend to give him a little 
 information about the Filipino defences, and then 
 the next time that I want an American pass to get 
 out here it will be the easiest thing in the world to 
 say that 1 am coming out to make one more effort 
 for Limpe's release. If I need half a dozen passes 
 that excuse will be good for them all." 
 
 ' ' It won't if I ever get to Manila with this 
 story ! " raged the listening boy behind the banana 
 leaves. 
 
 " But now to come to the business that has 
 brought me here," continued the German, helping 
 himself to a fresh cigar from the box that was 
 passed around the table by one of the officers. " I 
 have just received word that my correspondent in 
 Hong Kong has succeeded in chartering a steamer 
 all right." 
 
 "Eh? What's that?" muttered Dick, all ears 
 now. 
 
 ' ' My correspondent has also succeeded in getting 
 hold of the number of Mauser rifles that you wanted 
 — six thousand." 
 
to 
 
 IN COUNCIL OF TEEACHERY 207 
 
 " Oh, I'm glad I'm here ! " thrilled Dick, gazing 
 gloatingly at the unsuspecting Herr Schwarz. 
 
 " My correspondent has also four million car- 
 tridges for the rifles. They are hidden in a house 
 on the outskirts of Hong Kong. Both rifles and 
 ammunition will be shipped aboard the vessel at the 
 point and on the date agreed upon. The vessel 
 will clear for Manila with these munitions of war 
 safely hidden in her hold. She will anchor as far 
 out in the bay as permitted to do, and the first very 
 dark or stormy night — whenever she receives the 
 agreed-upon signal — she will slip her anchors and 
 sneak up the bay without lights, landing the cargo 
 near Paombong, as we have already arranged. My 
 friends, you are sure to have the rifles and all the 
 cartridges you can use. There can't possibly be a 
 failure about the delivery of the goods." 
 
 "Oh, there can't, can't there?" muttered Dick, 
 vengefully. " There may be, if I can escape, or 
 get a note to Manila. And I'll take three times as 
 many chances, now, for escape ! " 
 
 The clink of glass caught the eavesdropper's ear. 
 Bending a little lower, Carson saw a Filipino soldier 
 entering the room, bearing a tray on which were 
 
208 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 four glasses and a bottle of some kind of wine. 
 With the precision of a waiter the little soldier 
 filled the four glasses, then withdrew. Herr 
 Schwarz raised his glass to his lips, in which ex- 
 ample he was followed by his companions. 
 
 " Here's hoping," proposed Herr Schwarz, taking 
 a sip of the wine, " that every bullet I send you 
 will go through the body of some American ! " 
 And he drained the glass, amid the noisy approval 
 of his hearers. 
 
 " Oh, you scoundrel ! " shook Dick, glowing with 
 the white heat of honest rage. " You are living in 
 Manila, doing business under the protection of the 
 flag. You pass for an honest man and a friend to 
 the Americans, and get favors as such ! Yet you 
 are out here among the enemy, plotting to deliver 
 rifles and cartridges that will be used to shoot down 
 American soldiers ! You treacherous rascal ! " 
 
 " You will be very well paid, my German friend, 
 for the cargo you are going to sell us," said one of 
 the Filipino officers. 
 
 " Ach! Not so well as I had expected," replied 
 the German, with a deprecating wave of his hand. 
 " My Hong Kong correspondent had to pay much 
 
IN COUNCIL OF TREACHERY 209 
 
 more for the goods than I had expected. But no 
 matter ! I shall have done you a great service, and 
 you will do nie a great service by the sooner rid- 
 ding the islands of these Americans." 
 
 "Perhaps you will make more money on the 
 next cargo that you sell us," hinted another of 
 the group. 
 
 " Ach ! I hope so, for after all, I am a merchant, 
 and live by the profits I make. I have the matter 
 so well arranged now that I shall be able to de- 
 liver you a half dozen such cargoes, if you need 
 them." 
 
 Then this quartet, in council of treachery, drew 
 closer to the table, Herr Schwarz studying several 
 papers which his companions showed him. Every 
 one of their remarks was wholly audible to the 
 listener in the banana palm. Many were the de- 
 tails that were arranged within the next quarter of 
 an hour. Every one of them burned into the eager 
 American boy's brain as if seared there by a red- 
 hot iron. He was sure that he would not forget a 
 single important point in the plot that was unwit- 
 tingly being unfolded to him. 
 
 "Hullo!" gasped the dismayed Dick suddenly. 
 
210 J^GUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 under his breath, as the realization of a new peril 
 dawned upon him. A sound near the front of the 
 house had distracted his attention. Looking in 
 that direction, he saw the soldier who had served 
 the wine coming straight toward the banana palm. 
 
 ' ' Did his sharp eyes make me out ? " wondered 
 the boy. He began to tremble with fright. It was 
 less of fear for himself, however, than for the dread 
 that he might fail in his cherished idea of getting 
 word of this information to General Otis. 
 
 He had eyes, now, for none but the approaching 
 soldier. How fraught with terror those seconds 
 were ! For the soldier came direct and briskly 
 toward the palm. 
 
 " K he has seen me," groaned Dick, inwardly, 
 "everything is lost! They would order me. shot 
 without a second's delay." 
 
 He held his breath in veiy suspense. Would 
 those few seconds never end? Though it all took 
 place in a twinkling, it seemed to the tortured boy 
 like ages before the soldier halted under the palm. 
 
 "Who's that out there?" demanded one of the 
 Filipino officers, leaping to his feet and springing to 
 the window to peer out. 
 
IN COUNCIL OF TREACHERY 211 
 
 Herr Schwarz and the other plotters reached the 
 window almost in the same instant. 
 
 " It is I, Felipe," answered the soldier, from the 
 foot of the palm. 
 
 ' ' And what are you doing there ? " 
 
 Poor Dick, his eyes roving in terror from the 
 soldier to the quartet framed in the window, felt 
 that his last moment had come. Though he was 
 partly screened by the leaves, he felt sure that he 
 could not long remain screened from the observa- 
 tion of so many pairs of eyes. 
 
 ' ' I left my bolo here at the foot of the tree 
 this afternoon. That is all, caballeros," answered 
 Felipe, bending over and picking up from the 
 ground a heavy, rather rusty knife which he fast- 
 ened at his belt. With a salute, he turned to walk 
 away. 
 
 ' ' Ach ! "We are like so many scarecrows ! " 
 declared Herr Schwarz, in his loud, laughing voice, 
 and the four went back to, their table. 
 
 Dick, who could yet hardly credit his miraculous 
 escape from detection, dared not take a good breath 
 for the next full minute. He watched Felipe go 
 out into the street and vanish. He saw the plotters 
 
212 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 bending low over the papers on the table. He had 
 learned all he needed to know. It must be now, or 
 never, he felt, if he was to make good his escape. 
 With what trembling he slid to the base of the 
 palm ! The journey on hands and knees to the 
 broken palings in the fence seemed never-ending ! 
 But he found himself at last in the churchyard. 
 A few yards more on his hands and knees ; then, 
 still trembling, he rose to his feet and walked, try- 
 ing to appear unconcerned, to the back door of the 
 church. 
 
 Once inside the door, he tried to still the quiver- 
 ing of his every muscle. There were a few simple 
 things remaining to be done for the patients. 
 These tasks performed with feverish haste, Dick 
 sought one of the empty cots, as was his custom, 
 stretched himself out, and soon pretended to be 
 asleep. 
 
 But sleep was not destined to come to him. His 
 brain was busy, busy, busy — revolving plan after 
 plan for escaping in order to get word of Herr 
 Schwarz's plot to General Otis in time. 
 
 "Escaping is not likely to be an easy matter," 
 reflected Dick Carson, feverishly. "I must think 
 
IN COUNCIL OF TREACHERY 213 
 
 over every step of the affair carefully. The least 
 bungling is likely to spoil all my chances. If those 
 rifles and cai-tridges get through to the Filipinos 
 through my failure in any way, I shall feel as if I 
 were the murderer of every American soldier shot 
 by them ! " 
 
 He was still thinking over ways and means, his 
 tired head hot with plans that formed only to be re- 
 jected the next instant, when he heard a voice at 
 the street door of the church say : 
 
 "This is our hospital, Senor Schwarz. Won't 
 you come in and see it ? " 
 
214 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 " you're no FILIPINO " 
 
 Flop ! As quick as a flash Dick Carson turned 
 over on his side. His arm he threw across his face. 
 He began gently to snore. If Herr Sohwarz came 
 into the hospital the boy hoped that his screened 
 face would escape recognition. 
 
 But his fears were groundless. Herr Schwarz 
 muttered something about not being interested in 
 such sights, and the party at the door passed on. 
 
 " Thank you, my German friend," grimaced 
 Dick, and in the next moment the mad rush of plans 
 through his brain had begun again. His impa- 
 tience grew to despair as he realized the probable 
 impossibility of one so palpably American as he 
 was ever covering the long miles to Manila, 
 through a country swarming with suspicious 
 Malays. 
 
 In the end, towards morning, he fell asleep. A 
 little after daylight, according to habit, he awoke, 
 
"you're no filipiko" 215 
 
 rose unrefreshed, and began the daily routine of 
 tasks. For the first time his mind was far away 
 from that work. It was a wonder that Dr. Musebo 
 did not notice how absent-minded his young captive 
 assistant was. 
 
 Towards ten o'clock there came a lull in the 
 work. Dick sauntered outside, crossing the road 
 to sit under the shade of a big mango tree. He 
 wanted badly to think. Hopeless as the problem 
 seemed, he was less willing than ever to give it up. 
 
 If he could escape to the American lines he could 
 go to General Otis in person and warn him. But 
 the very importance of the news, which Dick alone 
 of all loyal Americans possessed, made him hesitate 
 over any plan of escape that seemed too risky. If 
 he were killed by a Filipino sentry, or hacked to 
 pieces in pure malice by a party of bolo men who 
 might catch him on the way to freedom, the secret 
 would die with him and Herr Schwarz would suc- 
 ceed in his nefarious plot. If he could not success- 
 fully escape, the only other hope lay in finding some 
 way to get a message to General Otis. But this 
 latter plan was clearly more difficult than the 
 former. 
 
216 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Dick's head ached with the impossibilities that 
 rose before him. 
 
 "I'd give my life, gladly," he murmured, "if 
 the sacrifice of my life would ensure the news get- 
 ting: throuffh to Greneral Otis. But — oh dear ! — 
 it wouldn't ! " 
 
 Dick looked despairingly about him. It was a 
 lazy hour in Bigaa. The hottest part of the day was 
 coming on, and the indolent natives had already 
 gone indoors, for the most part. There were but 
 four people in sight — all men. The nearest lay 
 lazily on the ground under another n'^tfo tree 
 some eighty feet down the street on the/ i side. 
 The little fellow wore the tattered uniforin of a Fili- 
 pino soldier. A narrow belt was buckled about his 
 waist ; on the ground beside him lay a bolo. This 
 little man lay looking up at the fleecy clouds in the 
 otherwise clear sky. He smoked cigarettes one 
 after another, and appeared a picture of lazy, com- 
 plete comfort. 
 
 Dick remembered having noticed the same fellow 
 lounging about on a day perhaps a week before. 
 Now he regarded him more closely, though he did 
 not quite understand why. Soon, however, a look 
 
"you're no FILIPINO" 217 
 
 of astonishment began to creep into our hero's 
 face. 
 
 " Can it be possible?" Carson muttered, slowly. 
 
 He watched the fellow a little while longer, then, 
 rising, sauntered slowly along to the next mango. 
 
 ' ' Buenas dias ! " lazily hailed the little fellow, 
 looking around and nodding. Dick nodded in re- 
 turn, went closer, and indolently sank on the ground 
 less than four feet from the bolo man. 
 
 "I am enjoying my ease," went on the little 
 fellow, in Spanish. " I have had much hard work 
 to do lately." 
 
 " See here," broke out Dick, suddenly, in a very 
 low but intense tone, " you're no Filipino ! " 
 
 " Ah, yes ; of the Pampanga tribe," was the an- 
 swer, given in a voice that sounded indifl'erent 
 enough. Yet Dick fancied he detected a slight start 
 on the part of the other. 
 
 " No, you're not," said Dick, positively. " Shall 
 I tell you why I know better?" 
 
 " Ah, yes, if you have the time, and do not find 
 the day too warm," replied the little fellow, blowing 
 out three or four rings of smoke and watching them 
 wind slowly upward. 
 
218 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 The conversation between them was in Spanish 
 on both sides. 
 
 " Well, in tlie first place," went on Dick, slowly, 
 after making sure that there was no one else within 
 ear-shot, " a few moments ago you tried to light a 
 match on your trousers. No Filipino does that, 
 because friction matches are not used here in 
 Luzon, and any native who has grown to the smok- 
 ing age knows that the match will light only on the 
 box." 
 
 "You are amusing," replied the other. "But 
 you are mistaken. Up in my province of Pampanga 
 we use more friction matches than of any other 
 kind." 
 
 Without attempting to dispute this, Dick went 
 on : 
 
 " Moreover, you're wearing your belt. That's an 
 American trick. A native always takes his off 
 when he wants to lie at ease." 
 
 " What are you trying to make out?" demanded 
 the little fellow, turning on his elbow and looking 
 more closely at Carson. 
 
 " JSfang pok illang maru." 
 
 " I don't understand you." 
 
" YOU'kE no FILIPINO" 219 
 
 ' ' Of course you don% for I spoke to you in Pam- 
 panga dialect." 
 
 With a muttered cry of dismay, the little fellow 
 sat up, sending a piercing look at Dick. 
 
 " Lie down again," said Dick suddenly, in Eng- 
 lish, " or you'll attract attention to us both." 
 
 Without a protest the little fellow sank back upon 
 the grass. 
 
 " So you understand English?" asked Dick, half 
 mockingly. 
 
 " Oh, a leetle bit," answered the other, speaking 
 very slowly. "Once I work in Maneela — for 
 Engleeshman — and so learn a little." 
 
 " Bosh! " retorted Dick, energetically, but with- 
 out raising his voice ever so little. " You tell me 
 that you are a Pampangan, and yet you don't know 
 a word of that tongue, though you get along first 
 rate with English. Now let me tell you some- 
 thing, my friend. What I said to you wasn't 
 Pampanga — at leas^, I can't see how it was, for 
 I don't understand a word of that dialect myself. 
 Now we understand each other. You look like 
 a Filipino, but you are an American. You can't 
 deny it." 
 
220 AGUINALDOS HOSTAGE 
 
 Deep brown as the other's skin was, Dick fancied 
 he saw the pallor struggling to show itself. 
 
 " There doesn't seem anything left for me," Dick 
 went on quickly, " but to denounce you to the Fili- 
 pino authorities. If you're a native you can con- 
 vince them of it easily. If not " — 
 
 Dick paused. Though the other looked bravely 
 at him, the secret texTor that our hero saw lurking 
 in that face made him wildly happy. 
 
 " Are you going to turn me over and have me 
 shot? " asked the other, now speaking in the clearest 
 of English. He gazed searchingly into Dick's eyes. 
 
 " Am I going to tear down the Stars and Stripes, 
 rend the folds of that sacred flag, and dance on it ? " 
 asked Dick, with blunt irony. 
 
 "Why not?" asked the other, with quick, cool 
 contempt. "You must be an American, yet you 
 are serving under the Filipino flag ! " 
 
 " I am a prisoner," answered Dick, " or you may 
 be very sure that I would not be here. I woi'k for 
 the Filipinos — yes, in the hospital ; but sooner 
 than do a thing directed against our flag I'd let 
 them take me out and shoot me. Is that the kind 
 of an American you are ? " 
 
"you're no FILIPINO" 221 
 
 More searchingly than ever the other gazed into 
 Carson's eyes. 
 
 " Judge for yourself," was the answer, finally 
 given. " I take my life in my hands every time 
 that I get into these togs and come out to this part 
 of the island." 
 
 " A spy ? " whispered Dick, thrillingly. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " And an American? " 
 
 ' ' To the honor of my mother I hope to live and 
 die as true a one as lives under the grand old flag ! " 
 
 They were looking intensely at each other now, 
 all distrust vanishing like the mist. 
 
 " God bless you ! " murmured Dick. "But why 
 did you deny it at first, when I spoke to you. 
 Could you not see that I, too, am an American?" 
 
 " Some of our boys have deserted, and are be- 
 lieved to have gone over to the enemy, for pay. 
 At first I took you for a renegade American," con- 
 fessed the little fellow, shamefacedly. 
 
 "I don't know that I can blame you," replied 
 Dick, soberly. " But you trust me now?" 
 
 " As I would every other true American ! " 
 
 ' ' You expect to get back to the American lines ? " 
 
222 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 ' ' To-night, or I'm in hard luck, for there's a big 
 battle expected to-morrow." 
 
 ' ' There's no knowing how soon we may be inter- 
 rupted. Speak quickly and truthfully with me," 
 implored Dick. 
 
 " I will, old fellow," came the sincere promise. 
 
 ' ' You are a regular government spy ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 ' ' You report to General Otis ? " 
 
 "Sometimes, but not often. More often I go 
 direct to the chief of the secret service." 
 
 " But you can get a warning from me to General 
 Otis?" 
 
 "If I live to get through the lines." 
 
 ' ' Have you heard anything about a cargo of arms 
 and amnmnition that is either on its way from Hong 
 Kong or about to start from there ? " 
 
 " Not a word," returned the spy, opening his eyes 
 wider. 
 
 " / have. Overheard the plot last night. I will 
 tell you all the details now." 
 
 The spy had again thrown himself at full length 
 on the ground. He was lazily sending upward the 
 suioke from cigarettes, as before. Dick carefully 
 
" you're no FILIPINO " 223 
 
 repressed all signs of animation in his face as he 
 went on, that no one seeing them from a distance 
 would imagine the talk of any consequence. 
 
 In quick, short sentences our hero detailed the 
 whole of the plot that he had overheard the night 
 before. His fellow-American listened without 
 interrupting. 
 
 "Splendid!" cried the listener, softly, when 
 Carson had finished. "This will be worth more 
 to General Otis than all I've learned since I first 
 began coming up into this country in disguise. 
 The navy will nip that German's scheme in the bud 
 as sure as shooting is done with gunpowder ! But 
 who are you ? General Otis will be sure to ask me 
 dozens of questions about you." 
 
 As quickly as he could, Dick told his new friend 
 all that was necessary about himself. 
 
 "My name's Owen — Nelse Owen," the spy 
 informed him. " I used to be a sailor, and that's 
 how I happened to turn up here at Manila. I'm 
 small, and have high cheek-bones, and my hair is 
 dark. That, with a knowledge of Spanish, made it 
 easy for me to play the Filipino, with the aid of a 
 little dye for the skin. But don't you think. 
 
224 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Carson, we'd better separate now? If we stay 
 together too long some one is sure to see us. 
 With such news as this buzzing in my brain, I 
 don't dare take any chance of getting myself 
 suspected." 
 
 " Yes, we'd better separate," agreed Dick. " I'll 
 go back to the hospital. But tell me one thing 
 before I go. There is no danger, is there, that the 
 Americans will be defeated in this war?" 
 
 ' ' Danger that we'll be defeated ? " echoed Owen 
 in amazement. " Oh, I understand. You've been 
 hearing the Filipino side of the story, and nothing 
 else. No, no ! Rest easy, my boy. There isn't a 
 chance that we'll be whipped. On the contrary, 
 Malolos is pretty sure to be in American hands 
 before many days are past." 
 
 " Thank you. That's the best news I've heard in 
 weeks. And now I'll go." 
 
 "Just one word, though," hinted Owen, detain- 
 ing him. "I can promise you that General Otis 
 will want to know all about you. He'll use every 
 effort in his power to get you out of this fix. Are 
 you kept regularly with the hospital ? " 
 
 " Yes ', under Dr. Musebo." 
 
"you're no FILIPINO" 225 
 
 "Musebo? Good! I'll remember that name." 
 
 "But see here," whispered Dick, earnestly, "I 
 don't want my release, if it comes, managed in any 
 way that will put Herr Schwarz on his guard. Tell 
 General Otis, for me, that I don't want him to 
 do anything on my behalf that will put the Ger- 
 man on his guard in the matter of this plot to 
 land arms. If necessary, I'd rather be sacrificed to 
 the flag." 
 
 As Dick was speaking, the sharp rat-tat of a horse's 
 hoofs rang out up the street. Turning, he saw a 
 horseman ride into the churchyard, dismount, and 
 hurry inside the church. 
 
 " See here," whispered Nelse Owen in his ear, 
 ' ' why can't you manage to escape through the lines 
 with me to-night. Would you take the risk? " 
 
 ' ' Would I ? " thrilled Carson, his eyes flashing 
 fire at the thought. 
 
 " I'll try to be around here this afternoon, at two 
 or three o'clock, then. Don't be disappointed if I 
 fail you, but I'll try not to. In any case, you'll 
 mighty soon hear from me." 
 
 Dr. Miisebo, bareheaded, could now be seen 
 hurrying out into the churchyard. 
 
226 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " Americano ! " he called, then, catching sight of 
 our hero, beckoned him vigorously. 
 
 "Now, I've got to go," muttered Dick, "and 
 quickly too ! " 
 
 He started to run. 
 
 " You dog ! " yelled Owen after him, in Spanish. 
 
 Whack ! The toe of the spy's boot struck our 
 hero as he ran forward. Whizz-zz ! Nelse Owen's 
 bolo cut the air, close to his head, landing in the 
 dirt. 
 
 But Dick knew quite well that this bit of acting 
 was intended to deceive Dr. Musebo and any one 
 else who might be looking. 
 
 " "What was that soldado doing to you?" asked 
 Musebo, as our hero pantingly reached the church 
 door. 
 
 "He was insulting me, because I am an Ameri- 
 can," replied Dick. " I suppose I lost my patience, 
 but that was no reason for him to try to lay my 
 head open with his bolo." 
 
 " No, it was not," rejoined Musebo, with some 
 indignation. ' ' But you must remember that some 
 of our soldados are rather stupid. They are hot- 
 headed, so it will be best for you to remain patient. 
 
" you're no FILIPINO " 227 
 
 no matter what they say. Now, hurry inside. I 
 have hours of work for you. I cannot spare you for 
 a moment more until we are ready to start." 
 
 " Start?" echoed Dick. 
 
 " Yes ; we are going to the front." 
 
 Dick's pulses throbbed with happiness at this best 
 of news. 
 
 " There is to be a battle very soon," went on Dr. 
 Musebo, as they entered the church together. 
 " You must hurry and pack supplies for me, so that 
 they can be sent down on the train this afternoon. 
 But remember one thing, Americano," added the 
 little Filipino, impressively. 
 
 "Well, doctor?" 
 
 " Now that we are going so close to the Ameri- 
 canos it will be necessary for me to watch you. 
 If, from this moment, you make the slightest attempt 
 to leave my side except by my orders, I shall kill 
 you with my own pistol ! " 
 
228 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTEE XVI 
 
 DICK AT THE FRONT 
 
 Dick's face lengthened instantly at these words. 
 
 Dr. Musebo had so far proven himself a good 
 fellow, and a humane man, but he was not of the 
 kind who would tolerate any fooling. 
 
 " It looks as if that settles my hope of getting 
 over to our own lines to-night," muttered the boy 
 to himself. 
 
 Dr. Musebo led him to an ante-room at one side 
 of the altar. It was this room that served as a dis- 
 pensary. 
 
 " There are the boxes," said the doctor, pointing 
 to two packing-cases. " You know what I will re- 
 quire in the way of bandage cloth, instruments, and 
 drugs. Pack them as carefully as you know how, 
 for you will have to answer to me for any loss or 
 damage. Be as quick as you can about the work." 
 
 Obedience being the only course, Dick went to 
 work with a will. The first time he looked up he 
 
DICK AT THE FRONT 229 
 
 saw a soldado standing in the doorway, watching 
 him. Musebo, unwilling to take any chances, had 
 placed him under guard. 
 
 " This will interfere with Owen's plans," thought 
 Dick, as he began to sort over bandage cloths at a 
 table. "T hope he'll understand, and won't waste 
 any time hanging about here. Besides, if I'm going 
 to the front there may be a splendid chance for me 
 to make a break for ray own liberty ! " 
 
 The thoug-ht of this, with many inward prayers 
 for the safe arrival of Nelse Owen at Manila with 
 the momentous news, filled Dick's head as he packed 
 the two cases. It was in the middle of the after- 
 noon that he finished the packing, which he had 
 done with the greatest care. A native carpenter 
 came in and nailed .up the two boxes. 
 
 " Sit down on one of them," directed Musebo, 
 " until I send for you. We will soon start for the 
 train." 
 
 " Doctor," appealed Dick, "have you any objec- 
 tion to my going outside to get the air for a few 
 moments ? " 
 
 " Stay where you are," was the rather sharp 
 reply, and Dick had no choice but to submit. 
 
230 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Fifteen minutes later a squad of bolo men marched 
 into the room. Under the surgeon's direction they 
 lifted the cases, bearing them out to the street door. 
 Here a "bull cart " was in waiting. This clumsy 
 vehicle, which is found everywhere in the Philip- 
 pines, is a mere platform, without sides, perched on 
 the axle of two very heavy wheels which seldom 
 have tires. The " bull " is the male of the water 
 buffalo species. These animals, huge and some- 
 what shaggy, are fastened to the shafts by a yoke. 
 Through each bull's nose runs a ring, to which is 
 tied a cord by means of which the driver, walking 
 on the left, guides the great animal. Travel by bull 
 cart is approaching speed when it reaches the gait 
 of a mile and a half an hour. These great beasts, 
 however, will pull enormous loads. They will feed 
 for months upon nothing but grass, but several 
 times a day, when in sight of water, will balk. If 
 allowed to go into the water and wallow a few min- 
 utes, they will then submit to being led out and 
 again yoked up. But the bull that is denied his 
 desired bath becomes a very stubborn and even dan- 
 gerous animal. 
 
 After the packing-cases had been put on the cart 
 
DICK AT THE FRONT 231 
 
 four crude-looking stretchers made of bamboo were 
 next loaded on. The eight men who had moved 
 the cases then formed by twos, back of the cart, 
 standing there patiently until Dr. Musebo sprang 
 upon the cart, seating himself on one of the boxes. 
 
 "As for you, Americano," ordered the surgeon, 
 ' ' walk beside the cart and take pains not to lag. 
 Forward ! " 
 
 With many shouts on the part of the driver, the 
 bull was started. Down the street went the lum- 
 bering, creaking cart, the bull paying little attention 
 to the driver's loud talk, and none whatever to the 
 frequent reports of the whip-lash just above its 
 head. People looked on as the doctor's outfit went 
 by, but they did not cheer. The sight of the 
 stretchers made them think too keenly of the other 
 and darker side of war. Out to the end of the 
 palm-bordered avenue, and then across the hot, 
 blazing field to the railway. Here, at the station, a 
 train of a dozen flat cars was being loaded, so many 
 Filipinos being engaged in the work that they fre- 
 quently got in one another's way. Musebo inquired 
 and found out to which of the cars his outfit had 
 been assigned. His two cases were quickly loaded 
 
232 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 aboard. His eight Filipinos and Dick got aboard 
 the car, seating themselves on the iioor. 
 
 Cases of Mauser and Eemington cartridges, seem- 
 ingly without number, were being loaded on other 
 cars. One car was piled high with sacks of rice. 
 On a handful of this grain the little Filipino soldier 
 can live for a day. But Dick turned away from the 
 loading to look back at the pretty little town of 
 Bigaa. He looked in vain, for it was completely 
 hidden in that dense growth of banana palms and 
 mango trees. Only the tip of the church's spire 
 was visible. 
 
 "We have enough cartridges there," smiled Dr. 
 Musebo, pointing to the ammunition cars, " to kill 
 all the soldiers in all your American armies." 
 
 " Perhaps," assented Dick, coolly, " if your sol- 
 dados know how to shoot." 
 
 ' ' Then you think they do not ? " 
 
 " I know nothing about it. I have never seen 
 them shoot. But let me tell you, that when our 
 Americans get to shooting, it won't be safe for any 
 of you who shows his head at a distance of a thou- 
 sand yards." 
 
 Dr. Musebo smiled again. Just then the en- 
 
DICK AT THE FRONT 233 
 
 gino's whistle sounded, and the train began to move. 
 Dick, seated on one of the cases, took along, shrewd 
 look at the intrenchments which Colonel Pluma had 
 been engaged for days and days in constructing. 
 They were, indeed, wonderfully strong affairs. 
 Dick did not believe that even field cannon would 
 produce much impression on them. And each 
 trench was loop-holed, so that the Malays could fire 
 without exposing their heads above the top. 
 
 " I'm afraid it w.ill be a tough job for our brave 
 fellows to take those ti-enches," sighed Dick, though, 
 when he found the doctor's quizzical regard turned 
 upon him, he smiled back confidently. 
 
 It was a beautiful country through which the train 
 now slowly rolled. But for the frequent glimpses 
 of palms and other tropical trees, and here and there 
 a glimpse of a nipa house, our hero might have im- 
 agined himself in some level, fertile part of the 
 United States. 
 
 At other points along the road, as they passed, 
 Dick saw trenches that had been dug, not with 
 haste, but with every care and deliberation, with 
 every detail that could make them stronger and 
 safer closely observed. It isS well known to our 
 
234 AGUINALDOS HOSTAGE 
 
 War Department that European officers served with 
 the Filipinos, teaching them how to fortify. From 
 Bigaa down, every trench was now completed and 
 in readiness for fighting. 
 
 "What's that?" cried Dick, starting suddenly 
 from his seat and listening. 
 
 "Rifle-fire," smiled Musebo. "We are now 
 nearing the lines. Ah! Did you hear that?" — 
 as something went siz-zz-zz ! by the boy's ear. 
 ' ' That was an Americano bullet. How did you 
 like it?" 
 
 ' ' Well enough ! " answered Dick. ' ' I'd like to 
 be behind the gun that fired it. But I hear only a 
 few shots from time to time. This is not a battle?" 
 
 "No; nothing but a few outpost affairs. To- 
 morrow, perhaps, we will show your Americanos 
 what a real battle is." 
 
 The train was now slowing up. It halted oppo- 
 site a dense woods, the natives who had come down 
 on the train immediately jumping off and beginning 
 to unload. Dr. Musebo got leisurely down to the 
 ground, signing to Dick to keep close at his side. 
 
 "Now listen to me," ordered the surgeon. 
 ' ' To-morrow morning we expect the Americanos to 
 
DICK AT THE FRONT 235 
 
 attack us. If they do not, it is very likely that we 
 shall attack them. These litter-bearers of mine will 
 go wherever they are needed, but you will always 
 keep close to me, and help me to dress the wounded. 
 Do not try to get away ; do not hesitate to go 
 where I tell you because of danger ; and do not dis- 
 obey me. If you do there will be no time for 
 argument, and I shall do what is necessary." 
 
 Saying which, with a smile Musebo touched the 
 holster in which his revolver rested. 
 
 The surgical supplies being unloaded and taken 
 into the woods, not far from the track. Dr. Musebo 
 ordered one- of the boxes opened. From this he 
 supplied Dick and the litter-bearers with bandage 
 cloths. 
 
 It was dark now. A Chi no, escorted by a sol- 
 dado, came up, bearing a heavy basket of cooked 
 rice at either end of a bamboo pole swung over his 
 shoulder. Musebo and his party were fed a few 
 handfuls apiece from this stock. 
 
 "Come," said the doctor, "we will lie down 
 now. As we are only about a mile from the 
 Americano lines, it will be necessary to tie 
 you." 
 
236 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 After Dick had lain down upon the ground one 
 of the litter-bearers produced a cord, with which he 
 lashed the boy's wrists behind him. His ankles 
 were also secured. Lying there, under the gloom 
 of the great trees, Dick looked up at the stars and 
 thought — thought about many things, yet chiefly 
 about the success of Nelse Owen's efforts to get that 
 important news to Manila. Dr. Musebo and his 
 litter-bearers were soon snoring, but the American 
 boy lay awake. He heard " taps" sounded by the 
 buglers of the many Filipino battalions in the neigh- 
 borhood, and was awake long after that. Just 
 when he went to sleep he did not know, but the 
 next thing that he realized was that some one was 
 tugging at his ankles. He awoke with a start. It 
 was one of the natives, cutting his bonds, while 
 Musebo's voice called : 
 
 " "Wake up, Americano ! It is time for us to be 
 starting." 
 
 It was still dark, the bright beauty of the tropical 
 stars undimmed by coming light. Dick rolled over 
 on his stomach to make it easier to liberate his 
 hands. When this was done he rose to his feet, 
 stretching his cramped limbs. 
 
DICK AT THE FRONT 237 
 
 "Forward!" cried Musebo, starting off, and 
 pulling Dick to his side as he did so. The eight 
 natives fell in behind in single file with their 
 stretchers. Their way led to the railroad track, 
 their course south. 
 
 ' ' Closer to ■ the American lines ! " thought Dick, 
 with a thrill. 
 
 On their way down the track they passed a line 
 of trenches, manned by comparatively few soldiers, 
 most of whom yet lay asleep on the ground. A 
 little later in the day some of these brown men 
 would be in their last sleep. 
 
 Plodding onward, the little party was passed, 
 every now and then, by some mounted staff officer 
 hurrying to the front. Save for such sounds, and 
 the crunching of their own feet on the gravel, all 
 was wonderfully still. Even the vigilant outposts 
 had taken a rest from "potting" each other. 
 
 And so at last they came to another trench. 
 Here there were alert sentries at every few yards 
 along the works. On the ground men lay thickly 
 together, getting their last snatch of sleep, though 
 a few were already astir, kindling cautiously- 
 screened fires here and there in order to boil a 
 
238 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 bit of rice or coffee. This was the Filipino front 
 of battle ! 
 
 " Here we are," said Dr. Musebo, stepping down 
 the hank into the field at the right. " Now for the 
 
 music 
 
 r » 
 
 Swiftly on the heels of his challenge, as if in 
 answer to it, sounded an American bugle a few 
 hundred yards to the southward. On the air came 
 the lively, inspirating notes of the ' ' first call to 
 reveille." Other bugles took it up. A wave of 
 martial melody swept down the lines behind which 
 our khaki-covered men had spent the night. Away 
 in the far distance the call died out on the last 
 trumpet to take it up. Now, over the Filipino 
 camp, sounded the call which the Malays had chosen 
 for the rising note. It was longer than ours, 
 with more flourishes to it. At the first notes the 
 sleepers sprang to their feet, well aware as they 
 were that this was to be a day of battle. From the 
 parapets the peering sentries jumped down, though 
 a few leaned over the works, watching with cocked 
 rifle, ready to shoot at any sign of a camp-fire that 
 might show on American ground. 
 
 Over in the east the light was just beginning to 
 
DICK AT THE FRONT 239 
 
 break. Dr. Musebo, who had taken up his ground 
 with his little corps, was saying to Carson : 
 
 " When it is necessary for me to call you to a 
 wounded man, come quickly. But I do not ask 
 you to show your head above the trench. Just 
 crouch low and run to the spot as fast as you can. 
 If you are not hit in the first few volleys you will 
 soon learn how to shield yourself." 
 
 Dick had been nervous ever since his arousing 
 that morning. He had passed through the feelings 
 which every man experiences just before his first 
 battle. He felt that he would rather be dead than 
 prove a coward — yet he wondered unceasingly if 
 he would be hopelessly afraid. As he peered over 
 the top of the redoubt, now, he felt a tremulous 
 uneasiness under the belt. 
 
 Crack ! Close to him a crouching Malay fired a 
 shot at a man he fancied he saw in the American 
 lines. A few sputtering shots up and down the 
 Filipino trench followed. Over in MacArthur's 
 lines all was now as still as if the Americans had 
 retreated without firing a shot. 
 
 Rapidly the light came on, for in the tropics 
 there is but a short period of transition between 
 
240 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 night and day. Above the horizon poked the red 
 rim of the sun. 
 
 Cr-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-rack ! Over by La Loma, some 
 four miles away, there was a sound lilie several 
 packs of fire-ci-ackers going off all at once. It 
 was answered by a burst of the same kind of sound, 
 perhaps a little sharper. Over there the Americans 
 had opened up on the Filipinos, who were replying. 
 The battle had opened. 
 
 Close to Dick, the Filipino soldiers, discarding 
 their hats, were crowding the trench, watching along 
 the sights of their guns, showing only the tops of 
 their dark heads along the redoubts as they waited. 
 Of a sudden there came a few scattering shots, and 
 then every Malay within sight was working his gun 
 as fast as he could fire. For a few seconds they 
 had it all their own way. But a crash — a sheet of 
 living fire — ran alone; the American trenches. A 
 fiendish swish of bullets swept by whei-e Dick 
 Carson stood. Several of the little men dropped — 
 some dead, some writhing on the ground with blood 
 streaming from terrible wounds, while others, less 
 badly hit, laughingly set down their guns and 
 crouched back to have their injuries dressed. 
 
DICK AT THE FRONT 241 
 
 " Here !" called Dr. Musebo, pulling Dick after 
 him. They went, almost on their knees, in rapid 
 succession from man to man, passing by some as 
 altogether too badly hurt for any possible aid. All 
 the while bullets were flying over the redoubt, 
 striking men here and there, throwing up dirt in 
 tiny jets, or cutting twigs from the bushes. 
 
 Boom ! The American artillery, manned by stal- 
 wart men from Utah, had opened fire. In a second 
 or so the shell exploded, striking in a group of offi- 
 cers, killing a few and mangling others hori'ibly. 
 There was more work at this point than Dr. Musebo 
 could do.' Most of the Filipinos were still firing 
 fast and furiously ; but a few, becoming panic- 
 stricken, were crouching down behind the trenches, 
 or, at best, shoving only their hands into sight and 
 firing at random. 
 
 Several more shells struck, most of them doing 
 fearful execution. Dr. Musebo, on his part of the 
 line, had more work than five surgeons could have 
 accomplished. His stretcher-bearers were already 
 far to the rear, and it would be some time ere they 
 could return for more wounded men. Now on the 
 air dinned a yell the like of which cannot be 
 
242 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 described. It was defiant, exulting, terrifying — the 
 cheer of the United States troops charging. 
 
 Over the American trenches swarmed men in 
 brown khaki. On they came, fleet as sprinters, six 
 feet apart in single line, firing, firing, and still j'ell- 
 ing. At their first appearance some of the Filipinos 
 turned and fled. Others remained to fire two or 
 three shots, but soon gave it up and joined the fugi- 
 tives. The rout was general. 
 
 " Come on, we can't stay here," shouted Musebo 
 in Dick's ear. 
 
 They rose, joining the mad flight. A dozen 
 steps, and Dick fell. 
 
 "He'll think I'm wounded," flashed through the 
 boy's mind. So, instead of rising, he writhed and 
 groaned. Musebo, who had halted on seeing him 
 fall, came back and held a cocked revolver at his 
 head. 
 
 "No tricks!" admonished the little surgeon, 
 sternly. "If you are not able to keep with me, 
 I shall blow your brains out ! " 
 
 Up rose Dick, and speeded on, Musebo now keep- 
 ing behind him. As the Filipinos fled, bullets 
 overtook many of them. Would that American 
 
DICK AT THE FEONT 243 
 
 cheering and firing never cease? How long they 
 ran Dick did not know, but the fugitives came at 
 last to the next line of trenches. Dropping behind 
 the friendly walls of earth, they prepared to make 
 another stand. 
 
 But a few volleys were all they fired. Those 
 eager Americans, not content with taking one 
 trench, had cleared it and were now charging the 
 second. It was of no use for the little brown men 
 to dally here. They were losing lives too rapidly. 
 It was as if the shades of all the Amei"ican soldiers 
 that ever were were raining down bullets from the 
 clouds ! The little brown men began to despair. 
 It was of no use to contend, at this point, against 
 these six-foot brutes of men who had no idea of the 
 nice little subtleties of the game of war as the 
 Filipino wished to play it. The second trench was 
 abandoned, almost as soon as the attempt had been 
 made to defend it, and Aguinaldo's army was again 
 in full retreat, followed by the tantalizing cheers and 
 awful bullets of those masterful Americanos. Now 
 the Tulihan Eiver lay before the insurgents. They 
 leaped into it, swam, — some of them drowning, 
 but most of them reaching the other side, — and 
 
244 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 getting safe into tlieir third line of trenches before 
 the Americans burst through the woods. Dick and 
 Dr. Musebo were in the flock of fugitives that 
 crossed dry-shod on the railroad bridge. 
 
 Here the Filipino officers prepared for their last 
 desperate stand. They had things their own way 
 at last, for the trenches were close to the river, and 
 the Americans, had they attempted to swim the 
 stream under a galling fn-e, would have lost so 
 heavily that the day might have gone against them. 
 Besides, it was understood that one American 
 brigade had been sent around on the extreme 
 flank to get in behind the little brown men. So 
 MacArthur's fighting-front settled down in the 
 edge of the woods to wear out the dusky foe 
 by sharpshooting. The distance that now sep- 
 arated the two armies was between three and four 
 hundred yards, with the river about half-way be- 
 tween them. 
 
 Dick Carson, on first gettmg behind the trench, 
 dropped down out of breath. Musebo, who had 
 followed with a cocked pistol pointed at the boy's 
 back, sank with him. 
 
 " You may thank Heaven that you are still 
 
DICK AT THE FRONT 245 
 
 alive !" panted the little surgeon. "This is a 
 terrible battle!" 
 
 " A battle?" echoed Dick, scornfully. " That's 
 what you call it, but / should call it a foot-race ! " 
 
 " The Americanos can never get across that 
 river," vaunted Musebo. 
 
 On Dick's tongue there trembled a caustic retort. 
 Prudence made him bite his lips and keep it back. 
 Musebo had been, so far, a just man, but defeat 
 makes its victim savage. 
 
 Both sides were volleying again. In the trenches 
 around Dick men seemed to fall at the rate of so 
 many per minute. Dr. Musebo found himself in 
 constant demand, always forcing his assistant after 
 him. Whenever the Malays became discouraged, 
 there would be a lull in the firing for a few 
 moments, but the least provocation would start it 
 up again. 
 
 Thus hours passed. Dick, constantly busy, was 
 aware that the sun had crossed the meridian and 
 was moving toward the western sky. Except for 
 this he paid little heed to the flight of time. Men 
 were dying all around him, but the Filipinos were 
 holding pluckily to their last stand, and the Ameri- 
 
246 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 cans were not crossing the river. Incessantly 
 busy, Carson had ceased to wonder whether he 
 was afraid. He had no time for fright. Yet his 
 escapes were close and marvellous. Several times, 
 when he had unwittingly exposed his head above 
 the redoubt, bullets had flown so close that he was 
 sure his ears had been touched. Shells had ex- 
 ploded so close as to strike down men standing 
 within a yard of him. It is a marvel how some 
 men escape death in battle. 
 
 " Those two cannon the other side of the river 
 are giving us the most of our trouble ! " exclaimed 
 a Tagalo major, and, after peering through his 
 field-glasses over the top of the redoubt for some 
 moments, he called out loudly : 
 
 * ' I want a dozen men with Mausers — men who 
 have served in the Spanish army, and who are 
 sure they know how to shoot. Let no blunderers 
 offer themselves." 
 
 Hardly were the words out of his mouth when 
 more than forty of the little brown men came 
 crouching close to the officer. He questioned 
 them until he had decided upon twelve of the 
 applicants as sharpshooters. 
 
DICK AT THE FRONT 247 
 
 "You see those cannon," he said, pointing 
 down the railway track. " Station yourselves 
 where you can get the best view of them. I want 
 you to pick off the gunners. Get them as fast as 
 you can. Make it so hot and deadly for the men 
 about the guns that they can't stay there. We 
 must silence those pieces ! " 
 
 Standing himself close by a tree behind the 
 trenches, the major saw through his glasses that 
 his little sharpshooters were doing their work fairly 
 well. Two of the gunners fell" and were carried 
 off. One of the stretcher-bearers engaged in this 
 work was also shot. So fearfully close did the 
 Malays manage to send their bullets that it was 
 plain the gunners at the American pieces were 
 becoming " annoyed." At this juncture up came 
 a little American colonel with a squad of picked 
 men. Under the direction of their colonel these 
 men began to locate and pick off the Filipino 
 sharpshooters. In a very short time four of the 
 brown major's detachment had been laid low by 
 American bullets, and Dr. Musebo was having a 
 busy time of it. 
 
 Eecognizing that the American officer must be 
 
248 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 one of high rank, the Malay major ordered his 
 men to try to pick him off. Bullets whizzed past 
 the colonel's ears, threw up the ground spitefully at 
 his feet, hit men around him, but the little Ameri- 
 can officer seemed invulnerable. He was Colonel 
 Harry Egbert, of the Twenty-second Infantry, one 
 of the oldest and most valued officers in the 
 American service, and doomed to fall on the very 
 next day, while dauntlessly leading his regiment. 
 
 "You are wanted, Senov Doctor, on the other 
 side of the track," called a little inaurrecto, hasten- 
 ing on a crouching run to Musebo. 
 
 "Very good," said Musebo, rising quickly from 
 a man whose wounds he had just finished binding. 
 " But we should have more of my craft herfe. 
 There is more than I can do ! Come along, 
 Americano." 
 
 With Dick in his wake the little doctor started. 
 It was not far to the track, which was covered 
 by a thick parapet of earth. 
 
 "Bend low, and be quick across here!" cried 
 Musebo, as he himself dodged down to keep out 
 of the way of the bullets, which were here as 
 thick as hail. 
 

 Just ahead of Dick a Shell Exploded Page 249 
 
DICK AT THE FRONT 249 
 
 Gaining shelter below the railway embankment, 
 the little doctor turned to see how our hero got 
 by. In the next instant Musebo uttered a cry of 
 amazement and rage. 
 
 For he was just in time to see Dick Carson 
 spring up on the parapet, sway there an instant 
 in the storm of bullets, then leap to the track 
 beyond and start on a mad race for the American 
 lines. 
 
 Just ahead of Dick a shell exploded, throwing 
 dirt in his face. Around him the air was full of 
 the hum of bullets. But Carson minded it not. 
 He meant to reach the American lines or die in 
 the attempt. 
 
250 AGUIiVALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 OF THE STUFF OF HEROES 
 
 ' ' It's now or never — to be free or dead ! " 
 quivered Dick Carson, as his feet struck the 
 ground outside the parapet. 
 
 A clever runner at all times, he fairly outdid 
 himself now. By the time that the exploding 
 shell filled his mouth and nostrils with dirt he 
 had sprinted a full fifty yards from the Filipino 
 redoubt. 
 
 Never slackening for a second, Dick blew the 
 dirt out and got his breath for an even better 
 burst of speed. 
 
 So quickly had it all happened that Dr. Musebo, 
 with his eyes on the boy at the moment of the 
 break for freedom, was the first to see and realize 
 it. 
 
 " Stop him ! Shoot him ! " cried the little sur- 
 geon, directing the attention of a score of the brown 
 soldiers to the fugitive. 
 
OI' THE STUFF OF HEROES 251 
 
 Cr-r-r-r-rack ! rang out the rifles, in an irregu- 
 lar volley. Dick heard the bullets go speeding by 
 him with a sound like the rising of a wind. 
 Dr. Musebo bit his lips with vexation. 
 ' ' Can't you do better than that ? " he cried 
 angrily. ' ' Fire ! Keep firing until you bring 
 him down. He must never escape. He can tell 
 the Americanos too much about us ! " 
 
 By this time hundreds of Filipinos could see the 
 figure flying down the track. Divining at once that 
 something was wrong, all turned their rifles in 
 that direction. 
 
 It was a fearful ordeal, with the little steel- 
 jacketed bullets thicker than hornets and twice as 
 mad. Three or four times within as many seconds 
 our hero felt something touch him. Whether he 
 was wounded or not he did not know — hardly 
 cared. There was no time to stop. 
 
 Almost dead ahead of him he could make out 
 the flashes from the American riflemen standins 
 near the field-pieces. He was under fire from 
 front and rear ! 
 
 A hundred yards, a hundred and twenty-five, a 
 hundred and fifty ! He was covering the gi^pund 
 
252 AGUINALDOS HOSTAGE 
 
 at wonderful speed, yet to Dick's tortured mind, 
 while he was the centre of that brisk fire from 
 scores of riiies, the time seemed like ages to 
 him. 
 
 Not far ahead, now, was the railroad bridge. 
 If he could reach that alive — dart over it — he 
 would be on the American side of the river. 
 
 Onward he raced, as if even more than the 
 Filipino army were behind him. It was marvel- 
 lous that he did not drop, riddled through and 
 through. Time after time in those few seconds 
 he felt again the same sensation of being touched. 
 Now it dawned on him what it meant. His clothes 
 were being pierced, his flesh scratched, perhaps, 
 but what did he care? The goal was in sight — 
 coming every instant nearer ! 
 
 A moment later, Dick, with every nerve of vision 
 strained on that little group of Americans across 
 the track, saw the colonel order his men to cease 
 firing in his direction. They had made out a fellow- 
 countryman, and now the little colonel was enthu- 
 siastically waving him on. 
 
 Carson was almost at the bridge. In another 
 moment his feet would touch the planks. Though 
 
OF THE STUFF OF HEROES 253 
 
 his breath was coming shorter, he tried to redouble 
 his burst of speed. 
 
 Tiien something rose in front of him — the figure 
 of a little Malay soldier, another and another. 
 They seemed to spring from the ground faster than 
 the dismayed boy could count them. There were 
 six of the Tagalos, all between him and the bridge. 
 Armed only with bolos, they had been hiding in the 
 grass to harass a possible American charge over the 
 narrow structure. 
 
 Now, heedless of American bullets, they placed 
 themselves in Dick's way. The nearest raised a 
 bolo, aiming a vicious blow at the boy's head. Dick 
 barely dodged, planting his fist in the Malay's face 
 and staggering him. But the next Malay dealt Dick 
 a blow on the side of the head that sent him to the 
 ground between the rails. They piled upon him as 
 if bent on executing him on the spot. But one 
 of their number interfered. 
 
 ' ' Don't harm the rmichacho ! " he cried. ' ' The 
 Americanos don't dare fire on us while we have one 
 of their people a prisoner. We'll carry him back. 
 "We can reach the trench safely if we take him 
 there alive." 
 
254 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Acting on this advice, two of the Tagalos yanked 
 Dick to his feet. He fought and struggled with the 
 energy of desperation, but they were too many for 
 him. 
 
 "Fire! Shoot these rascals! Never mind if 
 you do hit me ! " he shouted, hoping that he could 
 make the American officer hear. 
 
 Colonel Egbert and five or six of his men were 
 now racing toward the bridge, bent on the rescue of 
 this gallant young American citizen. But the Fili- 
 pinos, snatching up their prisoner, proved them- 
 selves more fleet of foot. A hail of Filipino bullets 
 greeted the little rescuing party. Colonel Egbert 
 would not have stopped for that, but he saw that 
 the race would be a hopeless one. So he halted his 
 men at the bridge as he saw the little brown men 
 and their retaken captive near the Filipino trench. 
 
 ' ' Up with him ! " and Dick went over the hateful 
 parapet with as little ceremony as if he had been a 
 sack of rice. He was back in the enemy's lines, a 
 prisoner again, and a doomed one, he did not doubt. 
 But he had made the effort for life and freedom, and 
 a good stout effort, too. Let what must come now. 
 
 As Dick was seized by a half a dozen men at 
 
OF THE STUFF OF HEROES 255 
 
 once, Dr. Musebo hastened toward him, whipping 
 out his revolver. 
 
 " So this is the way you repay my kindness, you 
 ungrateful Americano dog ! " shouted the little 
 surgeon. " You shall die for it, and hy my hand 
 that once saved you ! " 
 
 He cocked his pistol, taking quick aim, but in 
 that one instant the little surgeon cooled down. 
 
 "No, I will not punish you now. I will wait 
 until I am cool and can be just," he muttered. 
 
 Then, nodding to two of the bolo men to ap- 
 proach, Musebo added : 
 
 " You two, since you have no guns with which to 
 fight, take this prisoner to the rear. Keep him 
 there until I am able to come to him to-ni^ht. Do 
 not hurt him ; remember that he is my prisoner, 
 and that I alone must decide his fate." 
 
 " Come along, then," said one of the pair, 
 roughly, clutching Dick's sleeve and brandishing 
 his bolo in a way that discouraged the idea of dis- 
 obedience. 
 
 Flanked on either side by these new custodians, 
 Dick was hurried up the track. American bullets 
 beginning to drop around them too thickly, Dick's 
 
256 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 conductors darted down the embankment at the 
 left of the track, proceeding afterwards in more 
 safety. A half a mile away from the redoubt they 
 halted, finding comparative safety in a little gully. 
 
 "Sit down on the ground," ordered one of the 
 pair. ' ' If you try to get on your feet without the 
 order from us, it will be your last moment of life. 
 It is a shame that the doctor should forbid us to 
 finish you at once ! " 
 
 "I shan't try to escape until I get a better 
 chance than this," retorted Carson. 
 
 His captors, being in enforced idleness, began 
 to smoke. There was a deep shade in the gully 
 that was grateful to the boy, who had been ex- 
 posed for hours to the full glare of the sun. Eest- 
 ing on his back, he soon fell asleep. The sounds 
 of battle, raging a half a mile below, mingled with 
 his dreams. 
 
 " He has a nice throat," whispered one of the 
 Tagalos, looking at the other, in a sinister way. 
 " I would like to see the blood spurt there. And 
 to think that I have been carrying a bolo for 
 months, yet have never had a bit of practice at 
 lopping off a man's head at a blow. Eh?" 
 
or THE STUFF OF HEROES 257 
 
 " Don't you think of it," advised the other 
 brown man. " Dr. Musebo used to be General 
 Luna's physician, and he has great influence with 
 the general. Added to that, the general has pro- 
 claimed that he will order shot all insurrectos who 
 do not obey orders." 
 
 " But we were told to kill the Americano if he 
 tried to escape. Whose word can be taken but 
 ours ? " persisted the first Malay, picking up his 
 bolo and beginning to feel the edge. 
 
 " Ah, and that would be very well, if the medico 
 believes us," replied the other, shrugging his 
 shoulders. " But if our word is not believed, then 
 it might be very dangerous for us to brave the 
 wrath of one who has Genei'al Luna's ear ! " 
 
 ' ' Bah ! You are too cowardly ! " 
 
 " Not a coward, but I believe in being prudent." 
 
 Utterly exhausted, Dick slept on, unaware of 
 the plot that was brewing against his life. 
 
 " Well, then," agreed the reluctant one, " if you 
 are determined upon it try your bolo on the 
 Americano's neck." 
 
 Eising, the first Tagalo went closer, poising his 
 weapon and calculating the blow with the air of one 
 
258 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 about to undertake a praiseworthy experiment. 
 He was about to strike, when a new thought 
 entered his head. What if his comrade should 
 expose him to the doctor? 
 
 " On second thought," said the murderous one, 
 coming back and sitting down, " I think I will 
 humor the doctor." 
 
 " You are wise," rejoined his comrade, dryly. 
 
 Dick did not awake until it was almost dark. 
 When he did, he sat up at once, listening eagerly 
 to the few sputtering sounds of a dying-out battle. 
 He felt, at once, that the Americans had not 
 crossed the river. 
 
 " Your countrymen do not seem to like fighting," 
 jeered one of the Tagalos. " They are retreating 
 below the river." 
 
 "That's a lie," was Carson's contemptuous in- 
 ward thought, but he wisely held his peace. 
 
 By dark everything had quieted down. The 
 stars shone on a bit of dark landscape, jarred only 
 by an occasional shot. 
 
 An hour later Dr. Musebo and his stretcher- 
 bearers came along, walking to the spot when one 
 of Dick's guards hailed them. 
 
OF THE STUFF OF HEROES 259 
 
 " Now I have time to attend to you, you un- 
 grateful Americano," cried the little surgeon, 
 harshly. " Do you know what General Luna 
 ordered me to do with you? He told me to have 
 you shot. I have seen enough of blood, how- 
 ever, for to-day. I am going to show you a little 
 mercy." 
 
 Then, turning to his bearers, Musebo ordered 
 them to tie the boy to a tree and to give him as 
 severe a flogging as they cared to do. This com- 
 mand was hailed with a shout of glee. • Carson was 
 quickly stripped from the waist up, tied with his 
 face to the tree, and bamboo sticks began to play 
 a ferocious tattoo on his back. He had all but 
 fainted when the little doctor stopped the punish- 
 ment and permitted him to lie on the ground. 
 
 " If you are grateful," said Musebo, sternly, 
 " you will thank me for sparing your life. If 
 you ever again try to escape I pledge my word 
 to you that I will have you shot for it. Now we 
 will tie your hands and feet, and let you go to 
 sleep for the night." 
 
 Sore in body, disconsolate at heart, our hero 
 got very little sleep that night. Despite the 
 
260 AGUINALUO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 warning, he was as much determined upon a dash 
 for freedom as ever. 
 
 Before daylight Dr. Musebo aroused him. The 
 surgeon waited for orders to take his corps for- 
 ward. These orders came at last, the little party 
 moving down the track just after daylight, after 
 the sounds of battle had recommenced in most 
 vigorous fashion. 
 
 As Dick came once more in sight of the scene 
 of yesterday's battle his heart gave a great leap 
 for joy. The Americans were on the northern 
 bank of the Tulihan River, cheering and firing 
 like fiends. 
 
 The Filipino retreat had begun ! 
 
"ON TO MALOLOS ! " 261 
 
 CHAPTER XVm 
 
 "ON TO MALOLOS ! " 
 
 "Make haste!" cried Dr. Musebo. "There 
 will be many men hurt, now that we are run- 
 ning. We shall be needed ! " 
 
 He set the example himself by running down 
 the track to meet the fugitives, through whom a 
 storm of iron was passing with dreadful havoc. 
 
 But a Filipino officer, coming up on a gallop- 
 ing pony, intercepted them. 
 
 " Medico, you are ordered to travel to the 
 rear as fast as possible ! " shouted the officer, as 
 soon as he got within hailing distance. 
 
 " But I am needed down there," protested 
 Musebo, pointing to where his tribesmen were 
 stubbornly retreating before the fiercely-pressing 
 Americans. 
 
 "It is General Luna's order that you go to 
 the rear, and keep out of all danger. Dr. Bicerba 
 has just been killed. If you fall, there will be no 
 
262 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 surgeon to look after our wounded. We will send 
 the worst of the wounded to you. That is General 
 Luna's order." 
 
 ' ' But my stretcher-bearers ? " 
 
 " They may go to the front. You cannot. To 
 the rear ! " 
 
 With a queer compression of his lips, the gritty 
 little surgeon, after sending his bearers forward, 
 turned back, saying : 
 
 " Keep ahead of me, Americano. I shall have 
 no time to bother with you if you balk." 
 
 Now that American soldiers had taken on the 
 gait of victory, nothing could stop them. Though 
 the little brown tribesmen fought with the despera- 
 tion of despair, they could not stem the tide of 
 the enemy. Polo fell into the victors' hands. 
 Other near-by villages were abandoned by Agui- 
 naldo's followers. As they retreated, the Malays 
 made frequent halts, firing from behind the dike 
 ridges of the rice fields, from behind the roots of 
 trees. Clumps of bamboo swarmed with them. 
 A few of the more daring took to the shelter of 
 the foliage high up from the ground, firing from 
 these unobserved posts until American soldiers 
 
'< ON TO MALOLOS!" 263 
 
 came close, discovered them, and tumbled them 
 out of the trees like so many squirrels. It was 
 the retreat of a brave army, but none the less a 
 hopeless, though gradual fleeing. 
 
 By noon the little doctor was far to the rear, 
 our hero with him. A hospital train of three 
 box cars and a locomotive had been provided 
 by General Luna. To this bearers brought such 
 of the wounded Filipinos as could be brought from 
 the firing-line. But most of the Tagalo wounded 
 fell into American hands, and were much better 
 cared for in the big hospitals at jManila. 
 
 As the insuro;ents ^ave ground, Musebo's hos- 
 pital train steamed slowly back. Dick, in the 
 intervals between work, could, by gazing down the 
 track, watch the slow but resistless advance of his 
 fellow-countrymen. 
 
 When night fell the hospital train was a little 
 distance above Meycauayan. The next morning, 
 Tuesday, the Filipinos were driven out of that 
 place. Through the day the forces led by Luna fell 
 back on Bigaa and the surrounding country. Here 
 were the magnificent trenches built by Colonel 
 Pluma and his associates. With these fine forti- 
 
264 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 fications the place was like a Gibraltar. Tuesday 
 njo-ht Dick and the little doctor were back at the 
 church-hospital in Bigaa. The Filipinos were 
 confident. Though they had suffered reverses, 
 they could never be prodded past Bigaa. Here 
 they would make their stand, give up as many of 
 their lives as needful, and the Americanos would 
 be hurled back from this impregnable position. 
 
 It had been found needful to abandon more and 
 more of the wounded to the Americans. Few but 
 officers had been brought back, and Musebo, now 
 that he was once more in his regular hospital, did 
 not find his time largely taken up. Tuesday 
 night a large group of Filipino officers gathered 
 in the churchyard, and Dick, listening from the 
 doorway, learned that they had no expectation of 
 further defeats. While small bodies of the insur- 
 gents had been left near Meycauayan and other 
 near-by places to harass the American advance, 
 the greater part of Aguinaldo's army had been 
 drawn back to Bigaa. Most of the Filipino offi- 
 cers were quiet, after their four days of defeats, 
 but none the less confident that at last the tide 
 of American victory must now ebb. 
 
"ON TO MALOLOS ! " 265 
 
 Dick went to sleep that night with the linowledge 
 that his countrymen were but a few nailes away. 
 He was up just before daylight, listening for the 
 first sounds of battle. Just after daylight he heard 
 the volleying begin. It came nearer, nearer, 
 nearer ! A staff officer who looked haggard with 
 anxiety rode up with an order that the hospital 
 and its patients should be loaded on a train as 
 speedily as possible. 
 
 "We are not losing — we can't be!" cried Dr. 
 Musebo, incredulously. 
 
 "No," said the officer, "but General Luna 
 wants the hospital further to the rear." 
 
 Bolo men swarmed into the hospital, giving 
 their services in such numbers that but one trip 
 was needed to carry all the wounded and the 
 hospital appurtenances to the track, nearly half a 
 mile away. 
 
 These had got no further than the door, when 
 another swarm of bolo men, led by three officers, 
 entered the church, snatching down the altar 
 decorations and the holy images, and carrying off 
 the priestly vestments by armfuls. Books from the 
 library, the church records, were carried off. 
 
266 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Even the religious pictures and stained-glass win- 
 dows were wrenched from their places and taken 
 away. Dick, standing by the door with the little 
 doctor, saw this. He felt that the holy place was 
 being desecrated. He saw other droves of bolo 
 men going through the houses, snatching every- 
 thing that had been left behind by those of the 
 frightened inhabitants who had already fled further 
 north. Sheaves of rice straw were placed in the 
 houses, all ready for the incendiary match should 
 a retreat from Bigaa become a necessity. Later 
 on he heard it charged that the American soldiers 
 had burned the town, looting the churches and 
 houses. There was nothing left for the conquer- 
 ors to have looted, had they been so inclined. 
 The thousands of bolo men who swarmed at the 
 rear of the Filipino lines attended to the loot- 
 ing, and under the orders .of their own native 
 officers. 
 
 All this time the volleying was coming nearer. 
 The streets were thronged by scared women and 
 children, fleeing to the fields to the north. A 
 few shells, thrown by the American artillery, 
 burst in the town. That showed how near Gen- 
 
"ON TO MALOLOS ! " 267 
 
 eral MacArthur's forces were, and the last of the 
 populace fled. 
 
 "Come on," said Dr. Musebo, gruffly. "We 
 must go to our train." 
 
 Hardly had they reached it when the engine 
 began slowly to roll the cars back up the track. 
 Women and children, already footsore, and shak- 
 ing with fright, pleaded to be taken aboard, but 
 this was denied them. The part of the populace 
 that did not fight must look after itself. 
 
 Early in the morning the American troops reached 
 the trenches at Bigaa. They went over them with 
 the greatest of ease, and found the town burning 
 fiercelyfrom one end to the other, hardly a house 
 escaping the conflagration. 
 
 Nothing seemed able to stop the American troops. 
 Guiguinto was taken, though the little insurgents 
 again fought with the keenness of despair. Friday 
 night saw General MacArthur's little ai'my in sight 
 of Malolos. " President" Aguinaldo, his " cabinet" 
 and " Congress," took a special train in haste for 
 San Fernando, fourteen miles north, where they 
 established the new ' ' capital " of the Filipino 
 " republic." 
 
268 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 And the church from which this ' ' government " 
 had fled was given over to Dr. Musebo. Here he 
 established a large hospital, now overflowing with 
 wounded Malay officers and some wounded men. 
 Dick and the other attendants were forced to work 
 almost without sleep. 
 
 " Here we stop, whether to live or die ! " 
 
 That was the boast of the Tagalos on that Friday 
 night, after nearly a full week of continuous, stub- 
 born, and truly splendid resistance. Malolos must 
 never fall. Its defences had been strengthened, and 
 here the greater part of Aguinaldo's army, under 
 General Luna, was now concentrated. Besides the 
 riflemen, there were bolo men almost without limit. 
 As fast as a rifleman fell, a bolo man took his place, 
 using the same gun. Aguinaldo might lose a 
 thousand men in battle, but what did it matter? 
 He could replace them as fast as they fell ! 
 
 Against Aguinaldo's twenty-five thousand rifle- 
 men, backed by legions of bolo men. General 
 MacArthur had employed only about twelve thou- 
 sand Americans, but they were the flower of our 
 people's manhood. MacArthur could not replace 
 his losses in battle. Aguinaldo could. That week 
 
"ON TO MALOLOS ! " 269 
 
 of splendid fighting was not the least glorious page 
 in the annals of American military history. 
 
 Friday night General Luna and some of his staff 
 came to visit two of the Filipino colonels who had 
 fallen wounded and were in the hospital. Their 
 visit brought there other Filipino officers. General 
 Luna stopped at the doorway of the church as he 
 came out, his officers forming about him. He 
 turned to Dr. Musebo, who had followed him. 
 Dick, lurking in the shadow under a gallery, heard 
 what was said. 
 
 " Medico," directed the general, " I have ordered 
 a train to be ready for you at the station. Be- 
 tween now and two o'clock in the morning I want 
 you to move on board that train all of your patients 
 who can stand being moved." 
 
 "Surely, general," protested Musebo, with a 
 ring of bitterness in his voice, " you do not intend 
 to give up Malolos to the Americanos." 
 
 Despite the fact that the little doctor was a 
 favorite of his, Luna frowned heavily. 
 
 "You had no need to say that, medico. No, I 
 do not intend to give up Malolos. Here we make 
 our most desperate stand. We will never give the 
 
270 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 city up to the Americanos while there are enough 
 of us left to fire a hundred rifles ; and you know 
 how many thousands of men I have at my command. 
 But, in the case of your patients, among them are 
 some of my best officers. I would not take the 
 slightest chance of having them fall into the enemy's 
 hands. More than that, when we are attacked the 
 Americanos will use their artillery. A few shells 
 dropped in this church might cause the death of 
 many officers whom I cannot spare." 
 
 "I will begin to move the patients at once, mi 
 general,'" replied Musebo, saluting. 
 
 One of the officers whispered something in Luna's 
 ear. The general listened, nodded his head, and 
 again turned to the surgeon. 
 
 " Medico," he went on, " you have an Americano 
 captive with you." 
 
 "Yes, mi general, and I am making him most 
 useful to me. He knows well how to dress 
 wounds." 
 
 "That may be," replied General Luna, with a 
 shake of his head, "but you can surely find among 
 my men one who will be as useful to you as this 
 accursed Americano." 
 
"ON TO MALOLOS ! " 271 
 
 " Then what do you wish me to do with him? " 
 
 " If we successfully defend Malolos to-morrow," 
 replied Luna, slowly, " we can decide afterward 
 about the Americano. But if Heaven should will it 
 that we retreat, this Americano would only hamper 
 us. I do not like to have people from the enemy 
 with us in our times of ill luck." 
 
 " Then you wish me to leave him behind, that he 
 may fall into the hands of his own countrymen ? " 
 inquired Musebo. 
 
 " Yes, but dead!" replied the general, decisively. 
 "Medico, in case we have to retreat to-morrow, my 
 orders to you are to promptly kill this white 
 niuohacho. Let his carcass lie where it falls, for his 
 countrymen to learn how we regard them." 
 
 Dr. Musebo bowed, then, straightening up, 
 saluted like the soldier that he was. 
 
 "I will obey, mi general, though it goes against 
 the grain." 
 
 " I am confident that I shall win to-morrow, how- 
 ever," said Luna, moving off. 
 
272 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 "APRIL fool" on AGUINALDO 
 
 No Filipino who was at Malolos then will forget 
 that April 1st as long as he lives. 
 
 Though Aguinaldo had moved his capital to San 
 Fernando, he had hoped and expected to save Malo- 
 los from the clutch of the " Yankee invader." But 
 our troops came forward with such a wild rush, 
 firing such fearfully well-aimed volleys, that the 
 Filipinos, used to defeats by a continuous week of 
 them, broke and fled, and their first " capital" was 
 speedily in the hands of the Americans. A few 
 shells were dropped, there was a little desultory 
 fighting in the streets, and Malolos was indisput^ 
 ably ours, the ground littered by dead and badly 
 wounded Filipinos, while all who could get away 
 were fleeing to the northward, most of them to 
 Calumpit and Quingua. It was a grim American 
 perpetration of ' ' April fool " on the little Malay 
 presidente. 
 
"APRIL pool" on aguinaldo 273 
 
 To Dick Carson, however, the aflfair was tragically 
 the reverse of a joke. He had determined to try to 
 hide, in the hope that his countrymen would be in 
 the town before he could be discovered. As if pen- 
 etrating that design, however. Dr. Musebo had 
 ordered him, the night before, to sleep on the 
 ground, just outside the church door, where he 
 would be constantly under the eyes of a pair of 
 sentries. Kept busy, however, in helping move 
 the wounded to the hospital train, Dick was not 
 permitted to lie down at all until nearly three in the 
 morning. The church-hospital was empty, save for 
 the presence of Musebo and some of his litter- 
 bearers, who were waiting to attend to the wounded 
 of the morning. Utterly tired out, Dick caught 
 hardly forty winks of sleep. Naturally, his fate at 
 daylight, in case the Filipinos lost the day, filled 
 his mind. 
 
 At daylight Dick was aroused by a shove from 
 Musebo. He sprang up, performing whatever 
 duties were required of him, but he felt half dazed. 
 The battle began two miles further down the line, 
 and was hardly begun when it was over. Some of 
 the wounded had been brought in on the backs of 
 
274 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 their fleeing comrades. These were quickly dropped 
 on stretchers. 
 
 "We are defeated," said Dr. Musebo, mourn- 
 fully. At the same time, with a queer change of 
 color and a strange look in his eyes, he drew his 
 revolver, cocking it. He turned, for an instant, to 
 see that all the stretchers holding wounded men had 
 been picked up, either by his own men or by bolo 
 men. Again he turned to Dick. 
 
 "It is time for me to be off, Americano," he said, 
 in an odd voice, to our hero. " You heard General 
 Luna's order to me last night. I am going to obey." 
 
 With a hand that trembled slightly — for he was 
 not at heart vicious — the little doctor raised his 
 pistol and took aim. Dick did not think it worth 
 while to run, for he had learned that the little 
 medico was an excellent shot. But the boy's heart 
 turned to ice as he steeled himself to bravely face 
 his executioner. 
 
 Whizz-zz-zz ! A bullet that some excited Ameri- 
 can soldier had shot high from a distance went 
 singing past our hero's ear. It landed with a spite- 
 ful thud in the shoulder of a bolo man who held 
 the rear end of one of the stretchers. With a howl 
 
"APRIL fool" on aguinaldo 275 
 
 the wounded man set down his end, taking to his 
 heels like u iiash. 
 
 Not daring to hope, Dick Carson sprang forward, 
 seizing the abandoned handles of the stretcher, and 
 turning his back on the medico. With a gulp in 
 his throat, little Dr. Musebo looked at his intended 
 victim. 
 
 "The boy is doing a work of humanity," he 
 choked, and shamefacedly let down the hammer of 
 his pistol and returned it to his holster. 
 
 " To the train, as fast as you can go, all of you," 
 shouted Musebo. 
 
 There was a scurrying of feet as the wounded 
 were borne away at a trot. Dick Carson, lately 
 within an inch of death, thanked Heaven for that 
 inspiration and its fortunate result. They reached 
 the train, after a quick flight down the road, and the 
 wounded were lifted up on to flat cars, the train 
 starting immediately. 
 
 Not looking at the doctor, Dick went to work in 
 trembling haste to dress the wounds of the man he 
 had helped to carry. From that wounded man he 
 went to another. When he took a look at the 
 medico, Musebo pretended not to see him. 
 
276 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "He's changed his mind, I hope," murmured 
 Dick, still palpitating with the narrowness of his 
 escape and the uncertainty of the near future. 
 
 Calumpit was reached, and the work of transfer- 
 ring the woi^nded was begun. They were moved to 
 another train, which was to bear them to San Fer- 
 nando, where other native physicians would look 
 after the sufferers. 
 
 " Make haste," said Musebo, approaching our 
 hero as he was engaaed in the work of moving the 
 wounded. " I am ordered to Quingua, and you, of 
 course, will go with me. We go back as far as the 
 Bag-bag River on the train that brought us here." 
 
 " That looks as if the work of killing me had 
 been indefinitely postponed," reflected the boy, with 
 a thrill of joy. " If General Luna doesn't see me, 
 I may be all right." 
 
 His surmise proved correct. At the Bag-bag 
 River, where insurgents by scores were already busy 
 cutting one of the spans of the great steel bridge, 
 to prevent the advance of the Americans, Dr. 
 Musebo was provided with a horse which he rode, 
 while his attendants, Dick included, were made to 
 walk. Shortly after noon Quingua, a pretty little 
 
"APRIL fool" on aguinaldo 277 
 
 Filipino town with an imposing stone church, a 
 few other stone buildings, and some scores of nipa 
 huts, was reached. In the church the upper end, 
 near the altar, was still reserved for purposes of 
 worship, but the other half of the edifice, near 
 the street, was turned over for hospital purposes. 
 Here Dr. Musebo installed himself. At first there 
 was nothing to do, but after a couple of days 
 wounded began to come in from outpost affairs 
 and brushes with American scouts. Nothing more 
 was said about General Luna's order, and Dick 
 proved himself as useful as he had done in the same 
 routine of hospital work at Bigaa and Malolos. 
 But our hero was conscious that a stricter watch 
 than ever was kept on his movements, for the pur- 
 pose of nipping in the bud any design on his paxrt 
 to escape. 
 
 Curiously enough, Carson's thoughts were less on 
 escape than on the subject of Herr Schwarz's plot 
 to land arms for the insurgents. 
 
 " I wonder if Owen got through with the informa- 
 tion? Whether General Otis believed he warning, 
 and acted upon it?" These fruitless conject- 
 ures ran through his mind a hundred times a day 
 
278 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 during his captivity at Quingua. The Americans, 
 meanwhile, were resting at Malolos, and in tliat 
 vicinity. For three weelis after the taking of Ma- 
 lolos no forward movement was attempted by Gen- 
 eral MacArthur's troops. Men were being refreshed 
 by rest after their arduous fighting under that 
 tropical sun, and needed supplies were being 
 forwarded up the one-track railway. There were 
 frequent brushes as the outposts of the two armies 
 kept in touch with each other, and that was all. 
 Quingua, an important post on the left wing of the 
 insurgent army, and defended by at least a thou- 
 sand insurgents, was sure to be the scene of impor- 
 tant fighting when the next forward move was 
 started. 
 
 On about the tenth day at Quingua Dick received 
 a sudden shock. He was standing in the doorway 
 of the church, looking down the street, when he 
 caught sight of a European coming up the street 
 on a native pony, escorted by four Filipino sol- 
 diers who had brought him in from one of their 
 outposts. Across his saddle still hung the white 
 flag which he had used in approaching the Fili- 
 pino lines. 
 
"APRIL fool" on aguinaldo 279 
 
 A closer and harder look, as the European rode 
 nearer, revealed in him Herr Schwarz. 
 
 ' ' Gracious ! " shivered Dick in the doorway. 
 "■He mustn't see me here!" 
 
 He drew in behind the wall, trying hard not to 
 look concerned, in order that Musebo nor any of 
 the other hospital men should notice his uneasi- 
 ness. Yet he could not move away altogether ; a 
 fascination held him there, an attraction mingled 
 with curiosity. 
 
 Next door to the church was a stone building 
 in which lived Colonel Porlac, then Filipino com- 
 manding oiEcer at Quingua. 
 
 "Welcome, my dear friend! But how did you 
 manage to get out here to us again ? " Dick heard 
 Porlac call as the horse stopped outside the com- 
 mandante's house. 
 
 "By my flag of truce, of course!" laughed 
 Herr Schwarz. 
 
 ' ' But how did it happen that that suspicious 
 old General Otis permitted you to come through 
 his lines ? " 
 
 " The same old excuse," laughed Herr Schwarz, 
 as he swung himself down from his saddle and 
 
280 AGtriNALDOS HOSTAGE 
 
 grasped the Filipino's hand. "I have come 
 through to try once more to secure the release of 
 my German friend whom you hold prisoner. 
 Ach ! You Filipinos are a hard-hearted race. 
 Ha ! ha ! But I have something more important 
 to tell you. To-night you may expect that good 
 news, at the time and place we arranged some 
 time ago." 
 
 ' ' That means that the shipload of arms and 
 ammunition is to be landed to-night ! " quivered 
 Dick, who had overheard every word. " Did 
 Nelse Owen get through with my message? Oh, 
 if I could only get out of here, there might still 
 be time to make sure ! " 
 
 Herr Schwarz had gone inside the coimnandante's 
 house by this time. His further conversation with 
 Colonel Porlac was not audible. 
 
 Trembling, dizzy, and sick, Dick turned to go 
 about his work, fearful of attracting attention to 
 himself. Dr. Musebo, a half an hour later, called 
 him to help in dressing the wound of one of the 
 patients. The little medico soon looked at the 
 boy in surprise. 
 
 "Your hand is shaking, muchacho." 
 
"APRIL fool" on aguinaldo 281 
 
 "Is it?" queried Dick, starting, and watching 
 his hands more closely. 
 
 ' ' Yes ; you tremble all over. Are you not 
 well?" 
 
 "Not as well as I might be, I suppose," 
 answered the boy, gladly catching at the excuse 
 thus offered. 
 
 ' ' Your people can hardly expect to have good 
 health in this climate," said Musebo, grimly. 
 
 Did he suspect? Dick wondered with an ap- 
 prehensive thrill. But when the work was fin' 
 ished the medico merely suggested : 
 
 ' ' Now that you have nothing more to do for a 
 little while, go and lie down on one of the cots. 
 A siesta is needed in this climate." 
 
 Selecting a cot on which he was not likely to 
 be seen by a stroller-by from the doorway, Dick 
 threw himself down, turning his face away from 
 the street. He was glad of the chance to lie 
 down, be quiet, and think. His mind ranged 
 over plans of escape. The more he thought of 
 them the more hopeless they seemed. For him 
 to get the warning through to General MacArthur 
 in time, he must escape during daylight. The 
 
282 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 country around Quingua was alive with rifle and 
 bolo men, and an American caught away from 
 Musebo's protection would be killed before any 
 questions were asked. It was out of the question 
 to escape, Dick felt, with a throb of bitter disap- 
 pointment. Glad as he would have been at any 
 time to escape, his freedom at this critical mo- 
 ment would be- three-fold more precious, 
 
 "But probably Nelse Owen got through safely, 
 and has carried the warning to General Otis," the 
 agitated boy kept repeating to himself. 
 
 Yet once in a while this objection cropped up : 
 
 " If Owen is alive and safe he would be sure to 
 be still prowling through the Filipino camps. It's 
 strange that I've never seen him since that day when 
 I told him so much ! " 
 
 Tortured by the suspense, Dick really worried 
 himself into a slight touch of fever. When he rose 
 to go about his duties his face was unduly flushed. 
 
 ' ' The Americano does not stand the climate 
 well," thought Dr. Musebo, watching his young 
 captive. "After all. General Luna's order was 
 quite unnecessary. The fever of Luzon is likely to 
 get into his veins. He will not live, then, to go 
 
"APRIL fool" on aguinaldo 283 
 
 north of Quingua with us, if the Americanos should 
 drive us from here." 
 
 Not once during the afternoon did our hero take 
 the risk of going to the door. 
 
 ' ' If Herr Schwarz should see me here it would be 
 all up with me," Carson realized. "My only 
 safety will be in ' lying low ' until that German is 
 out of the town." 
 
 Just before dark Musebo slipped out of the church 
 to go over to the commandante's house to pay a call. 
 Dick watched him covertly, with a good deal of mis- 
 giving. What if he should mention to Herr Schwarz 
 that he had an American boy captive — an Ameri- 
 can boy named Carson? 
 
 Just after dark Musebo returned. He hardly 
 glanced at our hero. On the little medico's face was 
 a look of happiness and exultation. 
 
 ' ' He has heard that the cargo of arms is to be 
 landed to-night," thought Dick, sick at heart. 
 ' ' Heaven grant that he and the rest are deceivinof 
 themselves ! Six thousand more rifles in the hands 
 of the Filipinos would mean the loss of a good 
 many more Americans ! " 
 
 Shortly after eight o'clock Dick sought out a bam- 
 
284 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 boo cot near the door and lay down, after moving 
 the cot to a position where he was not likely 
 to be observed from outside. Hour after hour 
 passed. Dick could not sleep, nor did he care to, 
 though he lay with his eyes closed. There was 
 sound of high revelry over in the commandante's 
 quarters. Had they already received news of the 
 safe arrival of the rifles and ammunition from 
 Hong Kong? Dick began to feel certain that 
 this must be the explanation of the merriment, 
 and the thought made him feel hot and cold by 
 turns. 
 
 Towards midnight, when the town of Quingua was 
 utterly still, except for the occasional sound of a 
 voice from the commandante's house, Dick tried to 
 go to sleep. Just as he was falling into a light 
 doze he heard the sharp rat-tat of hoofs coming 
 down the street. Some one was riding hard, as if 
 the bearer of momentous news. Coming nearer, 
 the gallop was brought down to a trot. Just as the 
 horse stopped an excited voice rang out : 
 " Oomnlandante I iSenor Oommandante / " 
 "Well?" roared Porlac's voice from the house. 
 " Who is it?" 
 
"APRIL tool" on aguinaldo 285 
 
 " It is I — Major Bustameute. I bring you dis- 
 quieting news." 
 
 Tliere was a sound of scrambling feet, a dismayed 
 exclamation in German. In that stillness these dis- 
 turbing sounds were brought distinctly to Dick 
 Carson's alert ears. 
 
 ' ' Ach ! What is wrong ? " demanded Herr 
 Schwarz's voice. It was plain that he and Porlac 
 had run out into the street to hear the messenger's 
 news. 
 
 "That cargo of arms" — began Major Busta- 
 mente. 
 
 " Yes, yes ! Speak faster, stupid ! " 
 
 " It has been seized by an Americano war 
 vessel ! " 
 
 His face radiant with joy, Dick Carson sat bolt 
 upright on his cot, uttering inwardly the one word : 
 
 "Glory!" 
 
 Then, sinking down again, for fear of being 
 watched, he lay there, throbbing with happiness as 
 he listened to what followed. 
 
 ' ' Seized ? " fairly screamed Herr Schwarz. ' ' Ach ! 
 That is impossible ! Man, you are dreaming." 
 
 "It is a fact, nevertheless," asserted the mes- 
 
286 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 senger, disconsolately. " Was I not there? Did 
 I not see it with my own eyes? Did I not take 
 part in the fight by which we tried to drive off the 
 Americanos? A dream, perhaps, — but I have seen 
 a dozen of our men die to-night in the effort to 
 save your ship from the Americanos ! " 
 
 "Tell us what happened," suggested Colonel 
 Porlac, who, while his voice rang with disappoint- 
 ment, was yet the coolest of the three. 
 
 " Well, we lay hidden at the mouth of the river, 
 as agreed upon," replied Bustamente. " Your ship, 
 Senor Schwarz, sailed as close to the coast as it 
 could. A small blue light was burned over the 
 bow. Everything seemed clear of the meddling 
 Americanos, so I ordered my men to push off in 
 the bancas. We would have been alongside, and 
 in two hours would have had the last of the cargo 
 on shore, where the bull-carts were in readiness. 
 But, just as our bancas were starting out, two 
 launches from a cove a half a kilometre north of 
 us steamed suddenly out. They belonged to that 
 accursed Americano navy ! Straight for your ship 
 they steamed, and your captain, seeing them com- 
 ing, turned and tried to get away. But each of 
 
"APRIL fool" on aguinaldo 287 
 
 the launches opened fire with a cannon, sending so 
 many shot over your vessel that youi captain 
 stopped his engines to escape being sent to the 
 bottom of the bay. 
 
 " Well, Senor Schwarz, as you may imagine, I 
 was perishing with anger at this unlooked-for an- 
 noyance. I had two hundred men ; sixty of them 
 had rifles. I ordered them to open fire on the 
 launches. What a fire of Mauser bullets we sent 
 at them ! The launches turned their cannon on us. 
 Diablo! How those Americano sailors can shoot! 
 In a twinkling they had sunk two of my hancas, 
 and forty of my poor fellows were in the water. 
 
 " Just at that time there came from up the coast 
 a big Americano war vessel, throwing her search- 
 light over everything and making the dark bay 
 almost as light as moon-time. Of course there was 
 nothing more to do, so I picked up as many of my 
 poor fellows as possible from the water, and we 
 hastened back into the river. We saw Americano 
 sailors pour aboard of your ship, Senor Schwarz." 
 
 "It is not my ship," denied the German fiercely. 
 " No one can prove that. I took good care not 
 to appear in the business." 
 
288 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " There has been some traitor ! " exclaimed Major 
 Bustamente, wrathily. " Everything about the 
 adventure showed that the Americanos had been 
 warned in advance. Almirante Dewey's sailors 
 were waiting for the ship, and it seems they knew 
 just where to wait, and when to expect the ship." 
 
 " The one thing certain is," said Porlac, heavily, 
 ' ' that we do not get the rifles and cartridges for 
 which we had hoped. Sefior Schwarz, I ofier yoii 
 my great sympathy." 
 
 "But of course you will make good my losses," 
 cried Herr Schwarz, eagerly. " I did my best. It 
 was not my fault that the plan failed." 
 
 "Make good your losses?" echoed Colonel 
 Porlac. " No, no, my friend, that is just what we 
 cannot do. You charged us a very high price for 
 those rifles. You charged us so much for them 
 that we agreed to pay only in case the cargo was 
 delivered safely into our hands. That was our 
 agreement ; you will remember it. Therefore we 
 can pay you nothing." 
 
 "It is a terrible loss to me ! " cried Herr 
 Schwarz, a sob choking his voice. "I had a for- 
 tune invested in that cargo ! " 
 
" APEiL fool" on aguinaldo 289 
 
 "We are very sorry for you, but it cannot be 
 helped," replied Colonel Porlac, gravely. " Come 
 inside, my unfortunate friend, and have a glass of 
 wine to cheer you." 
 
 Dick Carson, who had heard every word of the 
 high-pitched conversation, Avas, as you may imagine, 
 quivering with delight. 
 
 " The whole cargo in Dewey's hands ! " he palpi- 
 tated. " The Filipinos have lost those guns ! 
 That's the news of a lifetime ! Hurrah ! hurrah ! 
 liurrah!" 
 
290 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 AGUINALDO HEAES SOMETHING 
 
 ' ' Are you going to sleep forever, muchacho 9 " 
 
 Standing over the boy's cot, Dr. Musebo gave 
 him a vigorous shake. 
 
 It was morning, with the sun more than a half an 
 hour up. Dick, filled with happiness, had sunk into 
 a heavy, dreamless sleep that might have lasted 
 until noon, had it not been for this interruption. 
 
 " I'll get up at once," promised the boy, rubbing 
 his heavy eyelids. 
 
 "You would better make great haste," was the 
 rejoinder, " for, after we get through with our regu- 
 lar work here, we have a journey to make." 
 
 A journey? Dick thought it best to ask no ques- 
 *tions, so, springing up, he drew on the few gar- 
 ments that he had laid aside for the night. A 
 refreshing dip in water at the rear door of the 
 church, and he was ready for work. As he came 
 through the church, however, he heard Herr 
 
AGUINALDO HEARS SOMETHING 291 
 
 Schwarz's voice in the street. For the life of him the 
 boy could not resist the temptation to go close to 
 the street door, that he might overhear what was 
 being said. He even managed to get an unsuspected 
 peep at the German's face. 
 
 Herr Schwarz looked as haggard as a man who 
 
 Do 
 
 had not slept in many nights. He appeared utterly 
 crushed by his commercial disaster. He was ex^ 
 changing a few words with Comma ndante Porlac 
 before mounting his pony to ride back to the Amer- 
 ican lines. 
 
 " Glad he's going," muttered the American boy, 
 with a thrill of relief. Then, through fear of mak- 
 ing Dr. Musebo suspicious, Carson hurried back to 
 his tasks. 
 
 Later in the morning he discovered the nature of 
 the journey. There was much sickness among the 
 Filipino soldiers in the intrenchments along Bag-bag 
 Kiver. Acting under orders, the medico, accom- 
 panied by a stock of medicines on a bull-cart, was 
 going along these lines, examining the sick and pre- 
 scribing for them. When all was ready, at about 
 eight in the morning, Dr. Musebo mounted a pony, 
 Dick riding on the bull-cart with the boxes of medi- 
 
292 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 cines, while a Chino prisoner drove the water- 
 buifalo. 
 
 It took them until nearly eleven to make the triii. 
 Dr. Musebo found much to do, at least one in every 
 four of the insurgents proving to be ill. The 
 progress along the line was slow. Dick had all he 
 could do to hand out the medicines as ordered. It 
 was hot work, too, as the cart was without awning, 
 but the little brown soldados, glad to get the medi- - 
 cines, showed their gratitude by offering Carson 
 water as often as he wanted it. 
 
 All of a sudden the medical party heard cheering 
 ahead. There were shouts of " viva el jpresidente ! '' 
 soon after which a little Malay, in gorgeous uniform, 
 cantered into sight, followed by a single mounted 
 staff officer. 
 
 It was Aguinaldo, but he was no longer the pom- 
 pous, complacent little fellow that his people had 
 known a few weeks before. The happy look was 
 gone from his face ; there were lines of care there, 
 and, though his attire was still striking, there were 
 signs of less care being now bestowed upon it. 
 
 While Aguinaldo frequently bowed in answer to 
 the cheers of his followers, his gaze was never- 
 
AGUINALDO HEARS SOMETHING 293 
 
 theless fastened upon the earthworks. Every 
 yard of their length he inspected. Close to the 
 medico's cart he drew rein, beckoning to his staff 
 officer to come up and listen to what he had to 
 say about the weakness of the trenches at that 
 point. 
 
 Glaring as the sun was, Dr. Musebo uncovered, 
 suspending his own work until the little ' ' presi- 
 dent " should pass by. Noting that Dick kept his 
 hat on, the medico signed to him to take it ofi^. 
 Good-naturedly Dick obeyed, though he walked to 
 the shade of a tree near by. 
 
 Suddenlj' Aguinaldo looked up. As it happened, 
 his glance fell upon the American boy. In the 
 first instant the insurgent leader gave a slight 
 start. Then he recognized our hero. 
 
 ' ' So you are the boy • whose life I saved at 
 Malolos ? " he said abruptly. 
 
 " The same," answered Carson. 
 
 " You have nothing to complain of as to your 
 treatment among us ? " 
 
 " Nothing, except that I was made a prisoner 
 unjustly in the first place." 
 
 " Yet Colonel Pluma told me that he had to 
 
294 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 give you up, because you were inti'actable," said 
 Aguinaldo, eying the boy closely. 
 
 "That was because he treated me brutally. I 
 doubt if Dr. Musebo has any complaint to make 
 against me." 
 
 ' ' How is that, medico f " questioned the presi- 
 dente, turning to Musebo, who saluted respectfully 
 as he replied : 
 
 "The prisoner has been very useful to me, and 
 a very cheerful worker. I can only complain that 
 he tried to escape during the first day of the fight- 
 ing at the Tulihan River." 
 
 Aguinaldo's questioning glance turned to the boy. 
 
 " Of course I tried to," spoke up Dick, with 
 spirit. " What prisoner won't escape when he 
 gets a chance? I'd do it again, if the chance 
 came, but it doesn't seem likely to do so." 
 
 If Aguinaldo had been closely examining the 
 boy whose life he had saved as a hostage to fate, 
 Dick's scrutiny of the Tagalo was no less keen 
 and thorough. Emilio Aguinaldo was now at the 
 middle stage of reverses. He had been forced 
 from his capital, and had been obliged to admit 
 that his soldiers, though far more numerous, were 
 
AGUINALDO HEARS SOMETHING 295 
 
 no match for the masterful Americans. He had 
 seen the insurgent regiments from which he had 
 hoped for the most scattered lilce chaff before 
 the i-eckless, resistless charges of the American 
 infantry. When the conflict was again resumed 
 in good earnest it seemed unavoidable that the 
 insurgent army should be driven further back into 
 the island. Indeed, it was but a question of a 
 few weeks or a few months when the once boast- 
 ful insurgent army should be broken up into little 
 guerilla bands, chased hither and thither through 
 the deepest jungles of Luzon by Otis' tireless 
 columns. 
 
 "Your Americanos fight well — much better 
 than I had expected," said Aguinaldo, with a 
 wistful smile, and sighing as he spoke. 
 
 ' ' They would fight much better if there was 
 any need for them to," was Dick's prompt re- 
 joinder. " They are the best troops in the world. 
 Never have they lost a war." 
 
 " They will lose here, though," said Aguinaldo, 
 his face brightening up a trifle, as if he partly 
 believed that hopeful prediction. " They have 
 driven us back, lately, but that is almost at an 
 
296 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 end. Your Americano army has already lost 
 thousands of men in battle. Your people will 
 soon become tired of fighting us at such a cost." 
 
 " Don't you believe that," said Dick, seriously. 
 ' ' I know the American people better than you 
 do. They will spend thousands of lives, millions 
 in money, before they would withdraw from a war 
 before the day of complete victory. Now, will 
 you be oifended if I give you a little advice ? " 
 
 " A wise man always listens to advice — follows 
 it, if he finds it good," replied Aguinaldo, again 
 smiling slightly. 
 
 " My advice is to stop this awful slaughter by 
 seeking peace." 
 
 "Peace?" echoed Aguinaldo. "Have I not 
 sought it? I still pray for it. There can be 
 peace on any day that the Americans are ready 
 for it. All I ask is for the American army to 
 leave these islands. Let General Otis say that 
 he will stop fighting. Let him call in his troops, 
 embark them on ships, and leave us to work out 
 our own destiny. That will bring peace, and an 
 honorable one." 
 
 "That kind of a peace," answered Dick, shak- 
 
AGUINALDO IIEAES SOMETHING 297 
 
 ing his head, " will never come. America sees her 
 future work here. She will carry it on, whether 
 through peace or war, but she would much pre- 
 fer peace. Our people hold no ill will toward 
 yours. Cease the fighting to-day, disband the 
 insurgents, and in a week you would find all for- 
 given and forgotten." 
 
 "No, no, no!" cried the little presidente, pas- 
 sionately. "Leaders may be killed in battle, our 
 armies may be scattered at times, but fighting will 
 never stop as long as there are American soldiers 
 here and the American flag flies over Manila. 
 My people have entered upon this war to fight 
 it out to the end, though it takes twenty years." 
 " If you live much longer, then," rejoined Dick, 
 ' ' it will be to repent the folly that brings grief 
 into the homes of thousands of Filipino families." 
 "Stop, you dog!" ordered Dr. Musebo, dart- 
 ing at our hero. " You are annoying his excel- 
 lency." 
 
 The staff officer, who had been sitting mute in 
 saddle behind the presidente, now raised his whip 
 as if he would ride forward and lay it over the 
 shoulders of this presumptuous Americano. 
 
298 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " Do not harm the ^nuchaclio" interposed Agui- 
 naldo. "He is merely saying what he has heard 
 his countrymen say at Manila. Alas ! They do 
 not understand us, and this war must go on for 
 a long time yet. There will be thousands of sad 
 homes in the United States, and the people there 
 will blame me for it. There will be thousands of 
 Filipino families from which father and brother will 
 be absent in the grave. I shall be fortunate if my 
 own people do not reproach me. Good-by, Ameri- 
 cano, and remember what I have told you to-day." 
 
 With a sign to his staff officer, Aguinaldo 
 cantered away. 
 
 "You have made his excellency unhappy," cried 
 Dr. Musebo, angrily. " Why did you speak at 
 all?" 
 
 "Because your presidente first addressed me." 
 
 "Then why did you not speak with more con- 
 sideration for his excellency's feelings ? " 
 
 " He is the enemy of my country, and I told 
 him only the truth. This would be a happy day 
 for the Filipinos if he would heed my advice and 
 disband the insurgents. Sometimes one can get 
 wise advice even from a boy." 
 
AGUINALDO HEARS SOMETHING 299 
 
 "Or a fool," sneered Musebo. "I would ad- 
 vise you to hold your tongue after this." 
 
 After that the little doctor remained sulky 
 towai'd our hero. Though a friend of General 
 Luna, Musebo was also a warm admirer of Agui- 
 naldo, and hated the boy for having disturbed the 
 serenity of the presidente. 
 
 It was toward the middle of the afternoon when 
 their work among the sick was done. Musebo 
 gave the word to turn about and return to Quin- 
 gixa. On the way back the medico's attitude of 
 dislike continued. 
 
 "It looks as if I shouldn't be as great a favor- 
 ite with him after this," thought Dick, grimly, 
 and with some uneasiness. " If he receives orders 
 again to do away with me he's likely to obey." 
 
 It was almost dark when the little church at 
 Quingua was reached. Dick had no sooner fol- 
 lowed the doctor inside than the latter turned 
 upon him with : 
 
 '■'■Mucliacho, the water is low in our barrel. Go 
 to the well and get enough to fill it." 
 
 This was the first time Carson had been or- 
 dered to perform menial work. Without a word 
 
300 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 he snatched up the bucket that was used for car- 
 rying water, and went out into the back yard 
 where the well was. As he neared the well he 
 saw a bolo man hovering near by. A few steps 
 further on Carson saw that the fellow was looking 
 at him closely. Dick kept on to the well ; the 
 bolo man walked closer also. They came near 
 enough to see each other clearly. Dick gave a 
 start of amazement. 
 
 " Nelse Owen?" he whispered quiveringly. 
 
 " Yes," replied the other, also in a whisper. " I 
 am here on purpose to see you. I got your mes- 
 sage to General Otis.'' 
 
 "I was sure of it, for I knew the arms were 
 seized." 
 
 " And I have a message for you — a long one." 
 
 "Don't give it tome just now, then," begged 
 Dick. "That is, if you can wait. I have been 
 sent out to get water in a hurry. If I am too long 
 away suspicion will be excited, and we are both 
 likely to be caught." 
 
 " I can wait," said Owen, composedly. " Go at 
 your work. I will prowl around until I get another 
 chance to talk with you." 
 
AGUINALDO HEARS SOMETHING 301 
 
 Splash ! went the pail into the well, as Owen 
 sauntered slowly off. Hauling it up by the rope, 
 Dick hastened toward the rear door of the church. 
 A message for him ! What could that mean ? Dick 
 hardly dared to think, but kept at his work with 
 breathless haste until he had emptied the dozenth 
 bucket of water into the barrel. His face was now 
 flushed with the exercise. Dr. Musebo noted it, 
 and said, gruffly : 
 
 '■'■ Mucliacho, I did not tell you to kill yourself. 
 Remember that if you are not more careful you 
 will get the fever. Now go out into the air for a 
 little while ; but be careful not to cool too rapidly." 
 
 Eagerly enough Dick obeyed the order. Setting 
 down the bucket, he went out through the rear 
 door, walking slowly toward the well, until he 
 again got a glimpse of Nelse Owen in the shadow 
 of a clump of trees. 
 
 " Have you time to talk now? " whispered Owen, 
 moving to our hero's side. 
 
 "Yes, and dying with curiosity to know what 
 your message can be about." 
 
 ' ' How do you like your captivity ? " asked Owen, 
 carelessly. 
 
302 AGUIXALDOS HOSTAGE 
 
 " No better than ever." 
 
 "You would escape if you could?" 
 
 " Oh, if I only had the chance ! " 
 
 And Dick looked eagerly at the spy. 
 
 " I haven't seen you for some days," went on 
 Owen. " That wasn't my fault. I was sent down 
 to the South Line, to do some work that I was 
 better fitted for than any one else in the government 
 service. But to-day General Otis ordered me to 
 find you and to thank you for the message that you 
 sent him. It resulted in a splendid haul. General 
 Otis also ordered me, in case you wanted to escape, 
 to do all in my power to aid you." 
 
 "Escape?" breathed Dick, rapturously. "But 
 how is it possible? Had I been able to find a way, 
 I should hav-e been in the American lines long be- 
 fore this." 
 
 "It is possible," rejoined Owen, coolly. "It 
 will also be full of danger." 
 
 ' ' Danger ? What do I care for that, as long as 
 there is a single chance of getting away?" pro- 
 tested Dick, eagerly. "To be back in Manila, 
 among my own countrymen, — no longer a prisoner ! 
 Oh, it seems too good to think about ! And I 
 
AGUIN'ALDO HEARS SOMETHING 303 
 
 could give our American generals some news that 
 might be worth their while. To-day I was at the 
 Bag-bag River. I saw the fortifications, and have 
 a perfect description of them in my head." 
 
 "That will be useful, decidedly so," replied 
 Owen. " So, then, you are ready to make the 
 attempt with me? It will be an attempt full of 
 peril. Once we start, there can be no turning 
 Ijack. It will be either escape for us both, or 
 death at the hands of butchers ! " 
 
 Dick's eyes were shining like stars. 
 
 " We'll make the effort," he whispei'ed, "come 
 what may ! Give me your orders, I beg you ! " 
 
304 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 ' ' FILIPINO DICK " 
 
 Instead of replying at once, Nelse Owen stood 
 looking searchingly around him in the darkness. 
 
 Stirring as Dick's first thrill had been over this 
 unlooked-for prospect of precious freedom, it was 
 only now that the real sensation of the thing came 
 over him. He began to feel incredulous. Could it 
 be possible that he was to have a chance to escape? 
 Could it be true that General Otis had sent aid to 
 him? Was Nelse Owen a real, tangible being? Or 
 was he some whimsical creation of a dream? 
 
 Dick pinched himself, rubbed his eyes. Slowly 
 he began to feel certain that he was really wide 
 awake. But it was all so queer, so exciting, that 
 he caught his breath with a sharp sob. 
 
 ' ' What is your best time to slip oj0F unobserved ? " 
 whispered Owen. 
 
 Dick reflected for a moment. 
 
 " Probably about nine o'clock. Unless Dr. Mu- 
 
, "FILIPINO dick" 305 
 
 sebo has something unusual to keep him up, he will 
 be on his cot by that time, and fast asleep. Then I 
 could saunter out, as if intending to get a breath of 
 fresh air before turning in." 
 
 "Then at that hour shall I look for you in the 
 road, just below the churchyard gate?" 
 
 " If I'm alive and able to walk ! " vibrated Dick, 
 passionately. 
 
 " Don't fail me, then, — and above all be careful. 
 If you excite the least suspicion it may run my 
 neck and yours into a noose ! " 
 
 " If anything happens that I can't get out just at 
 nine, I'll be along as soon after as possible," prom- 
 ised Dick. " Don't fear my disappointing you," he 
 added, with a wistful smile that caused Nelse Owen 
 to grasp his hand and wring it. 
 
 " Now you'd better get back, in case you're 
 expected," whispered Owen. "I've got plenty to 
 do to take up my time. As to the arrangements, 
 don't worry on that head. Leave it all to me. 
 I've made every preparation that was possible." 
 
 With a last warm handshake, Dick turned and 
 moved slowly toward the church. Once inside, he 
 found Dr. Musebo bending; over a wounded man 
 
306 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 who had fidgeted off the bandage over his thigh. 
 Dick glided swiftly to the side of the cot, silently 
 helping the medico to replace the bandage. 
 
 "Are you feeling better?" asked Musebo, turn- 
 ing to the boy when the task was finished. 
 
 " I feel less feverish," answered Dick, and he 
 spoke the truth, for he felt as if turning to ice all 
 over. 
 
 There was more work to be done. He moved 
 about, helping Musebo in every task, thankful for 
 this abstraction from the wild thoughts and grue- 
 some doubts that kept assailing him. Yet, despite 
 this work, the time dragged wretchedly. Would 
 the early evening never pass? 
 
 "He will not last much longer," thought the 
 Tagalo, when, his hand accidentally touching Car- 
 son's, he found how cold it was. 
 
 At last the work was over. It was a little past 
 eight o'clock. Dick sought the cot nearest the 
 door, thrilling with thankfulness when he found it 
 unoccupied. He sank down upon it without remov- 
 ing any of his clothing, turne^^n his side, and 
 pretended to sleep. There was no clock in the 
 church ; his watch had been taken from him when 
 
" FiLiPiKO dick" 307 
 
 he was first arrested at Malolos. But the sentries 
 gave the call " all's well" at the passing of every 
 hour, and that must be his clock. 
 
 How the minutes dragged ! Lying there on his 
 cot, alternately hot and cold, Carson discovered 
 that there were a good many more than sixty sec- 
 onds in a minute ; that the dolt who declared there 
 were but sixty minutes to an hour should have been 
 confined in a mad-house ! 
 
 At last he heard the sound that sent the blood 
 jumping through his veins : 
 
 ' ' Numero ocho, aler-r-rta ! " 
 
 It was the cry of the sentry at the door of the 
 church, and was intended only to show that the 
 sentinel on post number eight was awake, and alert. 
 But to Dick it meant the peal that summoned him 
 to liberty or death. 
 
 He sat up, rising slowly in order not to excite 
 suspicion. Up the street he heard the faint sound 
 of number nine declaring that he was " aZerto " 
 also. 
 
 Dick was trembiiog so that, for a moment, he 
 did not dare trust himself to make the efi'ort to 
 stand. 
 
308 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 ' ' This won't do ! " he muttered, angry with him- 
 self. ' ' Steel yourself, old fellow ! Are you going 
 to be a coward when there's a real' man waiting 
 outside, ready to risk his life to save you?" 
 
 With a resolute wrench he stood up, all the 
 trembling vanishing. Slowly he walked toward 
 the door, pretending to yawn. He walked through 
 the doorway, feeling as if he were in a dream, all 
 the while nerving himself for whatever might 
 happen. 
 
 The sentry saw him coming, and halted in his 
 pacing to look at the boy. It was a situation that 
 required explanation. 
 
 Dick pretended to yawn once more, then, stifling 
 the gape, he said to the insurgent : 
 
 "It is hot in there. I am afraid I am going to 
 have the fever. The medico told me to walk a 
 little way down the street if I wanted to." 
 
 The sentry looked at him more closely, but Dick 
 stood the ordeal without flinching, going so far as 
 to yawn again while under inspection. 
 
 " Bueno! " (all right) said the sentry, beginning 
 once more to pace his beat. 
 
 On toward the gate walked Dick, not daring to 
 
"FILIPINO DICK" 309 
 
 show too much haste. In the shadow of the stone 
 wall our hero saw a man lying on the ground. It 
 was not difficult to recognize him as Nelse Owen. 
 
 " "Well, I see you're here, all right," was the 
 spy's whispered greeting as ho arose and stepped 
 to the boy's side. 
 
 ' ' Yes ; I have got so far all right, but if I'm 
 missed there will be a first-class row." 
 
 " Come with me," ordered Nelson, reaching out 
 his left hand and grasping the boy by the wrist. 
 In his right hand the spy swung his bolo jauntily. 
 Stopping briskly, Owen conducted his friend along 
 until they came under the suspicious eyes of the 
 next sentinel. 
 
 Before the latter could speak, Owen spoke up 
 confidently : 
 
 " I have my orders, or you would not see me in 
 such bad company as this Americano has proven 
 himself to be." 
 
 " You have your orders? " demanded the sentry. 
 
 " That is what I said, comrade." 
 
 ' ' Whose orders ? " 
 
 " Comviandante Porlac's. Perhaps you are also 
 going to inquire what the commandanle's orders 
 
310 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 are ? " hinted Owen, with just a tinge of haughti- 
 ness. 
 
 "No, no," replied the sentinel, quickly. " If 
 you have the commandante's orders, that is enough 
 for me. I hope you are not going to bring the 
 Americano back with you." 
 
 This was said with a sinister leer. 
 
 "I shall be disobeying orders if I do," smiled 
 Owen, with a significance that was, of course, lost 
 upon the sentinel. 
 
 "You see how easy it is, so far," whispered 
 Owen, when they had gone a few yards down the 
 still, almost deserted street. " Keep up your grit. 
 The worst of it is yet ahead of us." 
 
 A little further along they came to a crossing of 
 the road. Without hesitation Owen turned to the 
 south wai'd. They were halted by the sentry here, 
 but permitted to proceed after a moment. 
 
 "Is that the last one ?" whispered Dick. 
 
 "Not by several scores," was the low reply. 
 ' ' Here we are ! " 
 
 Turning swiftly, to make sure that there was no 
 one in sight, Owen next led his captive swiftly 
 under the trees to the left. 
 
" FILIPINO dick" 311 
 
 " Duck low, now, and creep after me," whispered 
 Owen, letting go his clutch on Carson's wrist. " If 
 we are seen, it is all up with us ! " 
 
 Ahead of them stretched a marshy rice field. A 
 fringe of bushes running out into the field offered 
 partial concealment to them. Crouching low, they 
 darted through those bushes as fast as Owen dared 
 to set the pace. After proceeding some two hun- 
 dred yards they came to a great, spreading tree, 
 under whose dark shadow the spy abruptly halted. 
 
 "Now we shall bo busy, if the things haven't 
 boon found," muttered Owen. Getting down upon 
 his knees, he crawled a half a dozen paces, halting 
 and fumbling in the roots of some jungle bushes. 
 
 "All right, so far," he whispered, turning and 
 holding up a bottle. 
 
 " What is it?" Diqk wanted to know. 
 
 " Bottle of flesh stain. I'm going to change you 
 into a Filipino." 
 
 " You couldn't," darod Dick, smiling for the first 
 time since he had left his cot at the church. 
 
 " A Filipino like myself," rejoined Owen, 
 dryly, as he regained our hero's side. 
 
 " Oh ! That's different. Success to you ! " 
 
312 AGtriNALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " Get off about all the duds you've got on you," 
 ordered Owen, peremptorily. " Get pretty -well 
 down to your skin, for I want to make a rather 
 thorough job of you." 
 
 Disrobing in a fever of haste, Dick quietly sub- 
 mitted himself to the bath which Owen, by means 
 of a saturated cloth, applied to his skin. Where- 
 ever that cloth touched a brownish hue was left in 
 its trail. The stuff dried quickly, with a queer feel- 
 ing that made the boy's flesh twitch. 
 
 " Now for your hair," said Owen at length, pro- 
 ducing a small vial. 
 
 "What's that?" 
 
 " You'd be a healthy-looking Filipino, with your 
 color of hair," was the retort. " I'm going to turn 
 it black for you. This is a job for a barber, but 
 I've got the nerve to tackle it." 
 
 Tying a cloth around the boy's forehead, that none 
 of the dye might drip down on the skin, Owen went 
 at his task with a will. In about fifteen minutes he 
 had Dick's locks as black as a raven's wing, and the 
 stuff was quite dry. 
 
 Tux'ning, Owen again went in among the roots of 
 the bushes. He came back with an undershirt, and 
 
" FILIPINO dick" 313 
 
 trousers, and blouse of blue and white striped 
 drilling — stuff of the same cloth that had once 
 been used for Spanish tropical uniforms, and which 
 the Filipinos had now adopted as their own military- 
 livery. 
 
 " On with the rig," ordered Owen. Dick got 
 into it as quickly as ever boy was dressed. A tat- 
 tered straw hat he placed on his head. 
 
 " Now I guess you can come over and tote the 
 rest of the outfit yourself," gi'inned the spy, lead- 
 ing the way, as he spoke, to the clump of jungle. 
 
 From the place of concealment he drew foiih a 
 bamboo canteen, cotton strap and all. Dick placed 
 it over his right shoulder as he had seen the Malays 
 do. 
 
 "Here's something else you'll need," chuckled 
 Owen, holding up to Carson's view a rather rusty 
 bolo. 
 
 Dick snatched at it, twirling it around in his hand 
 in a true-to-the-life fashion that made Nelse laugh. 
 
 "I see you've had your eyes open," he added. 
 " Now, if you feel as if you had all your grit with 
 you we'll start on the really perilous work that's 
 ahead of us to-night." 
 
314 AGLINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "I'm ready for it, you may wager," declared 
 Dick, promptly. " What is it?" 
 
 ' ' You've got to play bolo man with me until we 
 get past the Filipino pickets — if we're destined to 
 have such luck — and over to the American pickets." 
 
 Dick's eyes shone with passionate fire. 
 
 "To be with the Americans once more ! Ah, 
 that is worth risking death a dozen times over ! 
 But wait one minute, if you can." 
 
 As Dick spoke, he bent over to pick up his 
 shoes, which had been discarded during the work 
 of the last half-hour. 
 
 "You can't put them on," negatived Owen, 
 promptly. ' ' Those shoes are too hopelessly 
 Americano." 
 
 "Leave them behind, then?" 
 
 "Yes, unless you want to be suspected. Give 
 'em to me. I'll hide 'em where they're not likely 
 to turn up for a day or two." 
 
 Taking the shoes, Owen went back to the jungle 
 from which he had taken Carson's disguise. 
 
 "Now," he announced, coming back, "we're 
 ready, all but for one detail. That may help us, 
 if we get into a tight box." 
 
"FILIPINO dick" 315 
 
 Spi-eading Dick's own discarded jacket and 
 trousers on the ground, Nelse made a half a 
 dozen sharp slashes in them with his bolo. Around 
 the edges of the cuts he sprinkled what was left 
 of the skin dye in the bottle. 
 
 " That'll do for blood-stains, in the dark," he 
 commented, with grim enjoyment of his joke. 
 Tying up the clothes in a compact bundle, he 
 tucked it under his arm, adding : 
 
 " Come along, Filipino Dick. Be careful about 
 speaking, from now on. Better still, don't say 
 anything at all. Yet if you must speak, use Span- 
 ish ; on no account say a word in English. Leave 
 all the talking to me, if you can. I'm a Pam- 
 panga, while all the sentries we are likely to pass 
 will be Tagalos. Since you caught me so nicely 
 a while ago, I've taken pains to learn a little of 
 the Pampanga lingo." 
 
 " I'll follow you," quivered Dick, " and do as 
 you say in everything." 
 
 "That's right. But don't hold that bolo so 
 gingerly. Grab it as if you meant to bag an 
 Americano or two." 
 
 Piloted by his friend, Dick retraced his steps 
 
316 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 out of the swamp, his bare feet sinking deep in 
 the gluey ooze. They were soon upon the road 
 that led to Malolos, the present location of 
 Mac Arthur's division. 
 
 " I'm finding every sharp stone in the road," 
 whispered Dick, before they had gone far. 
 
 " Don't think that ought to discourage you," 
 was the cheerful reply. 
 
 " It doesn't. But my feet will be bleeding badly 
 before we get to the American lines. What will 
 Filipino sentries think if they see a Tagalo who 
 is too tender to walk barefooted?" 
 
 " Oh, I'll tell any inquirers," replied resource- 
 ful Nelse, "that you got hit in the feet the other 
 day with fragments of a bursting shell, but that 
 nothing can dampen your ardor for the Filipino 
 Republic." 
 
 ' ' Nothing can dampen my ardor to get away 
 from it," smiled Dick. 
 
 He felt utterly happy, now. He knew, at last, 
 that it was no dream. The first step for freedom 
 had actually been taken. The others naight involve 
 more peril, but for that he did not care at this 
 moment. He had broken away from his direct 
 
Dick akd Nelse Owen Stopped by a Sentry Page 317 
 
"FILIPINO dick" 317 
 
 captors. It was but an hour or two of suspense, 
 now, after which he would either be a free man 
 again or a corpse. 
 
 How hot the sultry tropical night was ! Their 
 brisk, silent tramp along that muddy road brought 
 out the perspiration in liveliest fashion. He was so 
 warm that he halted, glad to find a drink of water 
 in the bamboo canteen swinging over his left hip. 
 
 "Tastes good, doesn't it?" whispered Owen, 
 wiping his own lips after a similar treat. 
 
 " I hope there's water enough to last for a 
 couple of hours. This excitement is making me 
 feverishly hot." 
 
 " Forward, now ! " 
 
 Nelse Owen moved so rapidly down the road 
 that Dick had fairly to trot in order to keep up. 
 
 Out of the darkness, so close to them that both 
 jumped, came the low, sudden challenge : 
 
 ^^ Para I Quien vivef" (Halt! Who goes 
 there?) 
 
 " Amigo! (friend) replied Owen, as both Amer- 
 icans came to a startled halt almost at the gleaming 
 muzzle of a Mauser rifle. 
 
318 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 A NIGHT OF DEADLY DANGER 
 
 Click ! Around them all was so utterly quiet 
 that the cocking of the rifle sounded thrice as loud 
 as it really was. 
 
 " Come forward, one at a time, to be questioned," 
 rejoined the sentry. 
 
 As cool as if it were all a rehearsal, Nelse Owen 
 obeyed the summons, halting at command when he 
 had progressed but three paces. 
 
 To Dick, looking absorbedly on, the scene was a 
 thrilling one. 
 
 " Who are you?" demanded the Filipino sentry, 
 suspiciously. 
 
 " A comrade in the cause, like yourself," replied 
 Owen, composedly, in Spanish. 
 
 " ATagalo?" 
 
 "No, a Pampanga; but none the less true to the 
 cause." 
 
 " But I heard you talking with your friend in 
 
A NIGHT OF DEADLY DANGER 319 
 
 English. Is that the language you speak up in San 
 Fernando?" 
 
 Nelse ought to have been staggered, but he 
 wasn't. 
 
 "English?" he laughed. " Of course ! I got 
 through the Americano lines and spent three weeks 
 in Manila, learning the little English that I know. 
 You see, I am a bolo man. English is the language 
 that helps me, when I am in a tight place, to get 
 close enough to an Americano sentry to use my 
 bolo on him." 
 
 "And your friend speaks English?" demanded 
 the sentry, who was still regarding both sus- 
 piciously. 
 
 " Only two words. I am trying to teach him 
 more. When he has learned the tongue of the big 
 Yankees he will be of much more use to ihe than he 
 is at present." 
 
 ' ' What are you doing on this road to-night ? " 
 insisted the sentry. 
 
 "Naturally, what we are sworn to do. We are 
 prowling towards the Americano lines." 
 
 " It may be all right," said the Filipino, dubi- 
 ously. ' ' But I think the best thing I can do is to 
 
320 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 hold you here until the officer of the guard comes 
 along. He will tell me what to do." 
 
 ' ' And you will have Oommandanle Porlac's cane 
 about your head and shoulders," growled Owen, 
 wrathily. 
 
 " On the contrary," retorted the sentry, " he will 
 praise me for doing what I thought my duty." 
 
 Dick's heart began to sink a trifle, in face of the 
 sentry's stubbornness, though he still had great 
 faith in his friend's resourcefulness. 
 
 " Come," said Owen, peremptorily, " we are 
 going on unless you insist upon detaining us." 
 
 "That is what I must do," replied the sentry, 
 holding his rifle pointed at the spy's breast. 
 
 " Diablo! You fellows who carry Mausers think 
 you are the whole army," cried Owen, testily. 
 " Well, then, hold us, since you seem bent upon 
 it. Oommandante Porlac's orders to me cannot 
 then be carried out. It is all right. I promise you 
 that by to-morrow morning you shall not be carry- 
 ing a rifle. I will see to it that you are sent to 
 labor with the Chinos. You ought to make- a fine 
 and handy man with a shovel on the intrench- 
 ments ! " 
 
A NIGHT OF DEADLY DANGEK 321 
 
 So confidently did the bogus Filipino speak that 
 the real Filipino began to weaken visibly. 
 
 "Oh, well," he replied sulkily, "we are all 
 friends of the cause, I suppose. If you are sure 
 that you have the commandante's orders, I will not 
 keep you here longer." 
 
 " And well for you that you did not, I can tell 
 you, my friend," snapped Owen. " Come along, 
 muchacho ! " 
 
 In a twinkling they were past the sentry, hurry- 
 ing down the road. 
 
 "That was a close squeak!" muttered Dick. 
 
 " For the sentry, yes," was the grim reply. " If 
 he had not listened to me, I should have sprung 
 upon him, brushing the muzzle of his rifle aside, and 
 would have slashed his head open with my bolo. 
 I don't care to do such work, but this is war, and 
 a fellow can't always be as particular as he would 
 at home." 
 
 Dick glanced down at the bolo in his own right 
 hand and shuddered. To shoot men with a rifle in 
 the heat of a spirited engagement seemed all right 
 — honorable warfare. But to spring upon a fellow- 
 being and try to split his head open with a heavy 
 
322 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 piece of sharp-edged iron — that would be a good 
 deal like butchery. Yet, as Owen had said, one 
 can't choose in warfare. If they became embroiled 
 in trouble with any sentry Carson determined to 
 be on the alert, and to spring quickly to his daring 
 comrade's aid. 
 
 A hundred and fifty yards down the road they 
 were again challenged, by a stout, good-natured 
 looking fellow, who eyed them sleepily and ac- 
 cepted their explanations, presented by Owen, in 
 perfectly good faith. Two hundred yards further 
 still down the road they were once more halted. 
 Their challenger, this time, proved to be a little 
 old man, so weazened and shrivelled that he prob- 
 ably did not weigh more than eighty pounds. Yet 
 his eyes were bright as glowing coals, and he patted 
 his rifle as he handled it. 
 
 "So you are bolo men?" he said, nodding at 
 Owen's explanation. "Good luck to you! I was 
 one myself, until yesterday, but I brought in the 
 right ears of four Americanos whom I killed with 
 my bolo while they were on outpost. It took me 
 a fortnight to get them^ but the four ears won me 
 a rifle. I am the last sentry down this road. From 
 
A NIGHT OF DEADLY DANGER 323 
 
 here on you will find no more of our forces except 
 the outposts and the bolo men. Look sharp, or 
 you will get the ears of no dead Americanos, for 
 there are many of our bolo men out to-night." 
 
 He stood grinning after them, waving a friendly 
 farewell as the pair of fugitives trudged down the 
 road. 
 
 "Confound the old reptile! Killed four Amer- 
 icanos, and carried in their ears, did he? " growled 
 Nelse. "I don't know what kept me from finish- 
 ing him in repayment. I suppose it's because I'm 
 not "quite as much of a savage as that ferocious old 
 head-hunter." 
 
 From that sentry they had gone nearly four hun- 
 dred yards down the road, when Owen clutched our 
 hero by the arm, stopping him. 
 
 "Did you see them?" asked Nelse. 
 
 "No. What?," 
 
 "The outpost. I just saw three or four figures 
 dart across the road. That tells me where they 
 are. Come on, but be ready to halt the instant we 
 are challenged, or whenever I give the sign." 
 
 Dick, therefore, fell a little behind the spy, peer- 
 ing anxiously ahead as they kept on stealthily down 
 
324 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 the road. Some hundred yards further along they 
 were stopped by a Filipino who stepped out from 
 behind a tree. 
 
 '■'■ Bueno" said this fellow, as soon as he caught 
 sight of their insurgent uniforms. "But I had 
 better walk along with you. Our comrades are 
 watchful to-night, and they might fire on you by 
 mistake." 
 
 This soldado therefore accompanied them, calling 
 out in a low voice after they had gone a little way. 
 From the outpost an answer came, and Dick and 
 Nelse were permitted to proceed, their late "con- 
 ductor vanishing back into the darkness. 
 
 "Good evening," hailed Nelse, as they came in 
 sight of a dozen figures squatted in two groups on 
 either side of the road. A chorus of low grunts 
 answered his salutation, and Carson, for the first 
 time, saw a real outpost. These little bands of 
 soldiers are posted all along the front of the army 
 in the field, remaining on duty, usually, for twenty- 
 four hours at a time. A part of the men are per- 
 mitted to sleep, the rest keeping awake and alert 
 for any possible forward movement by the enemy. 
 In case the opposing army attempts a night attack 
 
A NIGHT or DEADLY DANGER 325 
 
 the outposts discover the movement in time to fire 
 a volley from their rifles, falling back if necessary 
 upon the main body of the army, which is by this 
 time aroused. It is a point of importance for a 
 general to have his outposts posted where the enemy 
 will not expect to find them. Hence the changing 
 of outpost parties is generally done after dark. 
 
 There were twelve men and a sergeant on this 
 outpost, all huddled in the deepest shadow to be 
 found at this point in the road, and all as silent 
 as possible. 
 
 ' ' What do you mean by talking so loudly ? " whis- 
 pered the sergeant, angrily, in Spanish. 
 
 "Your pardon," whispered back Nelse in the 
 same tongue. " I did not realize that you were so 
 close to the Americanos." 
 
 ' ' Then surely you are a poor one to send out 
 looking for them, if that is what you are doing," 
 replied the sergeant, sarcastically, as he contemptu- 
 ously eyed the bolos carried by our two friends. 
 
 " Do not be so sure that I am as stupid as I 
 seem," shot back Nelse, commencing to undo his 
 bundle of Dick's discarded, slashed clothing. " See 
 here, what do you say to this ? " 
 
326 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Curiously the sergeaDt took up the clothes, ex- 
 ami nins the coat and then the trousers. 
 
 "Where did you get them?" he demanded. 
 
 ' ' Where should I get them but over among the 
 Americanos?" whispered Owen. "It was just 
 after dark to-night. If you will examine you will 
 find that the blood is hardly yet dry." 
 
 The sergeant said nothing, but glanced envi- 
 ously at Owen. 
 
 " I am going back for some more of these," said 
 Owen, carelessly, as he started to \vrap up the 
 clothes again. " If you are here at daylight I 
 may have a rare sight to show you. How far away 
 is the nearest American outpost?" 
 
 "Down the road, about a thousand metres, as 
 we judge," replied the sergeant. " They have not 
 fired on us to-night, so we cannot be certain, but 
 you may be sure the Americanos are guarding 
 this road, and there is no outpost of ours below 
 here." 
 
 " Come along, muchadio," ordered Owen. 
 
 "Good luck to you!" whispered three or four 
 voices as the pair of pretended bolo men started 
 down the road and melted into the darkness. 
 
A NIGHT OF DEADLY DANGER 327 
 
 " We shall do well to get into the woods soon," 
 whispered Owen, when they had gone a little way. 
 " I have no fancy for being on this road when we 
 come upon the American outpost. Our fellows will 
 think us rebels, and they are too good shots for us 
 to take any chances." 
 
 ' ' American outpost ! " Those two words danced 
 through Dick's happy brain. To think that only a 
 few hundred yards down the road were friends and 
 countrymen in plenty, and back of them the whole 
 of MacArthur's division ! He longed to break into 
 a run. Only prudence forbade. It might prove far 
 more risky to reach the American outpost than it 
 was to leave the last Filipino soldados to the 
 rear. 
 
 " What's that noise? " demanded Dick, suddenly, 
 plucking at his comrade's sleeve. 
 
 Both halted, straining their ears to make out the 
 sound at their rear. After a moment Nelse flopped 
 to the ground, holding his ear against the earth. 
 
 "A horse's hoofs," he thrilled, " stopping at the 
 outpost, too ! Dick, my boy, unless I'm mistaken 
 your escape has been discovered. That rider must 
 be a messenger with the alarm ! " 
 
328 AGTJINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 "Up quick, then, and run!" quavered Carson, 
 bending over to pull Owen to his feet. 
 
 ' ' And get ourselves potted by Uncle Sam's sharp- 
 shooters ! No, thank you ! " retorted Nelse, still 
 lying upon the ground, but with his eyes turned 
 back toward the Filipino outpost. " Get into the 
 edge of the woods, and lie still until further orders. 
 Don't talk ! I've got to think ! " 
 
 Just oflF the road bounded Dick Carson, crouching 
 low under a tree, his fascinated gaze bent on his 
 friend. Our hero did not tremble. The events of 
 the night had steeled him. Hencefoi'th he was' sure 
 to be cool in action, daring in risks, and quick to 
 obey orders. 
 
 ' ' There's a half dozen of the rascals coming down 
 the road as fast as they can," reported JSTelse, peer- 
 ing, but not yet stirring. " Now, four are taking 
 to the woods, two on either side ; the other two are 
 still in the road. That was an alarm, sure enough. 
 Now, then, look lively, and don't waste a second ! " 
 
 As Nelse gave this last command, he partially 
 straightened up, darting into the woods, never turn- 
 ing to see if Carson were following him. But Dick 
 was right at his heels. 
 
A NIGHT OF DEADLY DANGER 329 
 
 Acting as if on instinct, Nelse darted into a clump 
 of jungle, turning like a flash and holding the bushes 
 parted for Dick to follow. 
 
 ' ' Lie low ! Don't dare to breathe aloud ! And 
 get as good a grip on your boh as you know how / " 
 
 Dick obeyed, his heart beating fast from his re- 
 cent exertion. But that soon passed, and he mar- 
 velled to find how cool he had become. He became 
 grimly conscious that he was ready for all the fight 
 that the events of the night might now bring forth. 
 His bolo no longer seemed to him an implement of 
 butchery, but one of righteous self-defence. 
 
 Out on the road they heard the patter of bare feet 
 as the two Filipinos out there ran by. Dick smiled 
 at the thought that they would not much longer keep 
 on in that direction without getting into danger. 
 But there were four more in the woods — two on the 
 same side of the road with themselves — to be reck- 
 oned with. 
 
 Before long the pair hidden in the jungle heard a 
 rustlinar to the north of them. It was one of the 
 soldados from the Filipino outpost. In a few mo- 
 ments more, peering out between the roots of the 
 bushes, they could catch a vague glimpse of his out- 
 
330 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 line, as he moved along twenty feet away. He 
 went slowly on ; it was some time before his prawl- 
 ing ceased to be audible to the hidden fugitives. 
 
 Then all was still again — so still that Dick fidg- 
 eted to set out again, but he knew that Nelse Owen 
 understood much better what the situation required. 
 A half an hour passed without a stir or sound on 
 the part of the hidden ones. Then Owen gave a 
 sudden, significant grip at Dick's arm. 
 
 Softly pattering feet told the rest. Looking out 
 to the road, Dick counted five shadowy figures file 
 past. Owen wriggled until he got his mouth 
 against one of Dick's ears to whisper : 
 
 "That accounts for all but one — the fellow 
 we've got to look out for." 
 
 Another half-hour passed by. In that deep forest 
 of bamboo and mahogany the stillness was complete, 
 until — 
 
 Swish ! swish ! Not more than fifty yards dis- 
 tant from them, in the direction of Malolos, came 
 that sound. It was made by somebody coming 
 through the forest, painstakingly parting the 
 bushes. 
 
 Very, very slowly it came nearer, as if whoever 
 
A NIGHT OF DEADLY DANGER 331 
 
 was peering into the bushes was trying to cover 
 pretty wide sweep of territory. But at last the 
 sound came alarmingly close, and then the two 
 startled hiders in the jungle beheld a Filipino, 
 Mauser-armed, coming toward the very clump that 
 sheltered them. He was lookins; straight at the 
 bushes, holding the rifle before him. 
 
 Before Dick realized it, the muzzle of that rifle 
 penetrated into their very lair. A hand shot out and 
 grasped the barrel of the rifle, while in the same 
 instant, Nelse Owen rose to his knees, his right 
 hand poising his bolo. In the same second it left 
 his clutch, made a turn in the air, and the dull side 
 of the blade struck the side of the Tagalo's head. 
 
 With a moan, the insurgent sank to the ground, 
 letting go of his rifle, which was in the American 
 spy's hands as he leaped to his feet. 
 
 Darting out of the bushes, Nelse held the clubbed 
 gun aloft for a second only. Thump ! Squarely on 
 the top of the prostrate Filipino's head landed the 
 hard butt of the Mauser. 
 
 ' ' Have you killed him ? " shuddered Dick, emerg- 
 ing in his turn from the jungle. 
 
 "No," answered Owen, after bending over the 
 
a 
 
 332 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 fellow. "I ought to, I suppose, but I haven't the 
 heart to do it. It goes against the American grain, 
 I guess, to kill a helpless wretch, no matter how 
 great the provocation. But hustle, my boy ! There 
 isn't a second to spare. There are other outposts 
 along the Filipino front, and there's no knowing 
 how many of the rascals we may run into. Not 
 that I care, though," he added with a reckless laugh, 
 " now that we've got a rifle to fight back with." 
 
 With what seemed but a single movement he 
 unfastened and snatched from around the waist of 
 the unconscious Filipino a belt at which were hang- 
 ing several boxes well filled with Mauser car- 
 tridges. For an instant Owen lingered — long 
 enough to throw back the bolt of his captured I'ifle and 
 ascertain that the magazine was full of cartridges. 
 
 "Follow me, and show how fast you can 
 sprint ! " next directed the spy, himself racing 
 through the woods with more speed than stealth. 
 
 For two or three minutes they raced along unob- 
 structed, save for the hindrance of the underbrush. 
 Then, as unexpected as a clap of thunder from the 
 skies, rang a volley to the rear of them, less than 
 three hundred feet away. 
 
A NIGHT OF DEADLY DANGER 333 
 
 ' ' I'm hit ! " growled Owen in a low voice that 
 brought Dick bounding to his side. 
 
 Wheeling about, Owen shot back the bolt of his 
 Mauser, sighting and firing in the direction from 
 which the shots had come. In hardly more than the 
 same number of seconds he fired all five of the 
 cartridges in the magazine. Then, throwing open 
 the magazine, he jammed in another clip. 
 
 "I guess I've silenced them," he conjectured 
 gruffly. 
 
 " Where are you hit? " breathed Dick. 
 
 " In the side. Guess it ain't as bad as it might 
 be. Kinder catch hold of me and help me to run. 
 It looks as if we'd better make good time, if we're 
 going to get through to-night." 
 
 For some distance they managed to run at a fairly 
 brisk trot. But after a while Dick began to feel 
 that his comrade's speed was slackening. A mo- 
 ment or two later Nelse pitched. But for Dick's 
 strength, quickly exerted, the American spy would 
 have fallen to the ground. 
 
 " Let me down," begged Owen, and Dick did so. 
 
 "Now, scoot! Run fast to the American out- 
 post. When you've gone a little further, yell out 
 
334 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 in good English that you're an American and a 
 friend. Get to the outpost, tell them what has hap- 
 pened, get a few of the boys, and come back to 
 me." 
 
 "But I can't leave you here like this, hvirt and 
 helpless ! " quivered distressed Dick. 
 
 "If you don't, I'm a goner!" gasped Nelse. 
 " Do as I tell you. Leave the rifle here with me, 
 and I ought to get along all right ! " 
 
 Hesitating but a second longer, our hero wheeled, 
 disappeared into the brush, and was gone, racing as 
 if a hundred lives depended on his speed. He had 
 gone some distance before he remembered the im- 
 portant part of his instructions. 
 
 Halting, then, he shouted : 
 
 " I am an American. Don't fire ! I'm coming to 
 you for help ! " 
 
 Some distance ahead he heard a confused babel of 
 voices. Then there was a tremendous crash just 
 ahead, a line of fire through the trees, a whizzing of 
 bullets through the air — and Dick Carson fell 
 wounded. 
 
AS OUTPOST AMBULANCE CALL 335 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 AN OUTPOST AMBULANCE CALL 
 
 ' ' It felt as if a sledge-haaimer hit me ! " ruefully 
 muttered Dick, as he laid his right hand where a 
 bullet had pierced his shoulder. The pain was 
 intense. 
 
 Before he could shout out there was another crash 
 ahead, a sharp fringe of fire, and once more the bul- 
 lets tore through the shrubl)ery about him. His hat 
 was carried off by one of the Krag-Jorgensen 
 bullets. 
 
 ' ' Stop that ! " he shouted in his loudest voice. 
 " You've wounded an American ! " 
 
 "An American, are you?" called a voice. 
 "Why the dickens didn't you say so?" 
 
 " I did, but you fired just the same." 
 
 " We couldn't hear what you said," answered the 
 same voice. " Took you for a Filipino. Are you 
 able to come on ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
336 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " Come along, then. But say ! Get into the 
 middle of the road, where we can watch you as you 
 come along. In this place it doesn't do to take 
 anybody's word for too much." 
 
 " All right. I'm coming," shouted the boy, add- 
 ing grimly : " Try not to make any more mistakes. 
 It hurts ! " 
 
 He retraced his steps a few paces until he came 
 upon his hat. As he bent over to pick it up, he 
 felt a shoot of pain through the wounded shoulder 
 that caused him to moan. As he walked toward the 
 road, he snatched a few leaves from a bush, holding 
 them over the double puncture of his wound. 
 
 Reaching the road, he hurried along as fast as he 
 could. 
 
 ' ' Are you ai'med ? " called some one in the dark- 
 ness just ahead. 
 
 " Only with a bolo." 
 
 " A bolo? That's a mighty queer weapon for an 
 American ! " 
 
 The thought of Owen lying back there in the 
 woods, perhaps dying, enabled Dick to put on a 
 burst of speed that would not have been possible 
 otherwise. In a few moments he found himself fac- 
 
AN OUTPOST AMBULANCE CALL 337 
 
 ing a dozen stalwart volunteer soldiers. He halted 
 at arms' length, smiling at the l)ewilderment with 
 which they stared at him. 
 
 " Boys, we're sold," roared the sergeant. " We've 
 let a Filipino come right up on us. But we've got 
 him, anyway. Amiga, hand that bolo over, and be 
 careful how you do it, if you've any notion of keep- 
 ins; on living." 
 
 The sergeant's revolver was in his hand, cocked, 
 as an effective guard against any treachery on the 
 part of this supposed Filipino. 
 
 " Funny where he learned to talk such mighty 
 good English," muttered one of the soldiers who 
 stood looking curiously on. 
 
 " Isn't it? " smiled Dick, as he passed his bolo to 
 the sergeant. " Did you ever run across a native 
 who could speak English as I do? Can't you un- 
 derstand that I'm an American, who has disguised 
 himself to escape from Quingua? See here ! " 
 
 "With the hand that was not disabled Dick tore 
 open his shirt, showing white flesh where the dye 
 had not touched it. 
 
 "A white man, by jinks!" ejaculated the ser- 
 geant. " My boy, I'm sorry we fired into you. 
 
338 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 Fellows, if any one of you has a bandage package, 
 do your best to dress this poor chap's shoulder." 
 
 " I guess that will wait," spoke up Dick quickly. 
 " Back in the woods, badly hurt by a Filipino bul- 
 let, is the man who made it possible for me to get 
 away from the Malays. You'd better send out and 
 get him in as soon as possible." 
 
 " How far out? " asked the sergeant. 
 
 " Less than half-way to the enemy. Hurry ! I'll 
 guide you there." 
 
 " I'll send four men," mused the sergeant, look- 
 ing around him, — " two to bring in the wounded 
 man, and two to fight, if necessary. But you wait, 
 younker, until we bandage that shoulder. You 
 don't want to bleed to death, do you?" 
 
 " I want to see my friend got in here safe, the 
 first thing I do," uttered Dick. "The woods are 
 supposed to be full of bolo men to-night. It would 
 be fearful if they should happen upon him, defence- 
 less as he is ! " 
 
 "Hurry up. Bill!" ordered the sergeant, and 
 one of the soldiers came running forward with his 
 haversack. Tossing a small package to one of his 
 comrades. Bill took a pair of scissors from his 
 
AN OUTPOST AMBULANCE CALL 339 
 
 haversack, and nimbly snipped off sleeves of blouse 
 and undershirt, baring the injured shoulder. In 
 a twinkling, between them, they had the shoulder 
 bound. 
 
 "That'll do until you get to the hospital," said the 
 sergeant. "I wish I could send more than four 
 men with you, but it wouldn't do to leave the out- 
 post too weak. Now hurry, boys ; and as for you, 
 younkor, try to go straight to the spot, for it won't 
 do to lose your way out there." 
 
 Carelessly throwing their pieces forward, ready 
 for a prompt shot, four men stepped out, following 
 Dick in open oi'der down the road. What splendid 
 specimens of soldier-manhood they were ! Dick 
 had thrilled with a national pride in them at the 
 first sight. Great, strapping fellows, with faces, 
 necks, and forearms bronzed near to the color of 
 copper — giants in blue shirts, khaki trousers and 
 leggins, tattered campaign hats, and frayed cartridge 
 belts. They were of the type of men whom Sen- 
 ator Beveridge, on his first glimpse of them in 
 the field, declared to be "great, splendid blonde 
 bulls." 
 
 Dick led the way unerringly to the spot where 
 
340 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGK 
 
 he had left Nelse Owen. The American spy still 
 lay there, trying to stanch the flow of blood with 
 a fragment of cloth torn from his blouse, but he 
 was lying in a pool of blood. 
 
 "Thank Heaven you've come, fellows," he mut- 
 tered fervently. "But be quick in getting out 
 of here. A few moments ago I heard the soft steps 
 of some one prowling around in the darkness. It 
 wouldn't be any fun to have a few bolos come whiz- 
 zing about your heads." 
 
 " Look out for the rascals, fellows," directed one 
 of the soldiers, " while I fix a first-aid packet as 
 best I can on our friend's cut." 
 
 The three spread out, covering the thicket from 
 any sudden approach. In a few moments Owen 
 had been cared for, and the amateur surgeon an- 
 nounced the fact. Two of them picked him up, 
 reaching the road with their burden, while the 
 other two soldiers vigilantly watched the rear. 
 Dick, armed with the Mauser which Nelse had 
 captured, aided them. 
 
 In this fashion they kept along the road until 
 they reached the outpost. No attack was made 
 upon them. 
 
AN OUTPOST AMBULANCE CALL 341 
 
 "Another Filipino, eh?" laughed the sergeant. 
 ' ' The woods seem to be full of American Filipinos 
 to-night. How badly are you hurt, Jack?" This 
 is the name by which soldiers address each 
 other. 
 
 "I'll be all right," answered Owen, cheerily, 
 " as soon as a doctor has had a chance to see 
 me." 
 
 "You won't have long to wait," rejoined the 
 sergeant. "The field officer of the day came gal- 
 loping down here to see what the row was about. 
 When he heard, he faced about and went back at 
 a gallop for an ambulance. The major and his 
 team ought to be here in ten minutes." 
 
 "We did a pretty mean job, that we can't brag 
 about," muttered one of the soldiers, sheepishly. 
 " Wounded two of our own side, and I don't sup- 
 pose there was a Tagal out in those woods that got 
 so much as scratched by us." 
 
 " You didn't hit me," protested Owen. " It was 
 a Mauser that got me." 
 
 "And we thought we were shooting Tagals," 
 went on the sergeant. " On an outpost like this 
 it doesn't pay to take many chances when you 
 
342 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 think the enemy are around. One of the Iowa 
 boys had his head chopped off, last night, by a 
 bolo man." 
 
 "We don't blame you," broke in Dick, earn- 
 estly. "We're too glad to be among Americans 
 again. I feared that day would never come." 
 
 Up the road sounded the heavy rumble of wheels. 
 
 " Here's the cart," announced the sergeant. 
 "Most likely the major is with it, too." 
 
 Up to the outpost rolled the covered ambulance, 
 drawn by a pair of monster mules. As it stopped, 
 from the seat beside the driver a portly man of 
 middle age, wearing the shoulder straps of a major, 
 leaped down to the ground, the soldiers straighten- 
 ing up and saluting him. 
 
 Behind the major came a young surgeon. He at 
 once investigated Owen's wound, saying : 
 
 " You're all right, my friend, but it's a good 
 thing you didn't have to wait an hour more. We'll 
 take you up to the Montana hospital at the depot. 
 As for you, my boy," uncovering Dick's shoulder 
 and examining the wound, " well, you'll have a 
 painful time for two or three days, and be all right 
 in a fortnight." 
 
AN OUTPOST AMBULANCE CALL 343 
 
 Owen was lifted into the ambulance and propped 
 up on a seat inside. Dick stepped in and sat down 
 on the other side, the major and the doctor follow- 
 ing them. 
 
 " Good-by, boys," sang out Dick, as the ambu- 
 lance driver started to turn his vehicle around. " I 
 was never so glad to see any one as I was to see you 
 to-night." 
 
 "Night?" laughed the major. "Look over 
 there." 
 
 He pointed to the east, where the first crimson 
 streaks of day were showing. Their adventure had 
 taken the whole nioht. 
 
 " Now, talk up," directed Major Penrose, as the 
 ambulance went slowly along the road, " I want to 
 hear all about you." 
 
 Dick told the story for both, as poor Owen was 
 engaged in catching his breath. Major Penrose 
 opened his eyes rather wide as the account pro- 
 gressed. 
 
 "Doctor," said the major, turning to the sur- 
 geon, " you will want to take Owen to the hospital, 
 of course. Do you mind if I keep straight on with 
 Carson to General MacArthur's headquarters ? The 
 
344 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 general will be very glad to hear what this young 
 man can tell him about the enemy's trenches at the 
 Bag-bag." 
 
 " It won't do Carson any harm, if he is attended 
 to as soon after as possible," decided Dr. Lamb. 
 
 " I guess you'll get to Manila before I do," put in 
 Nelse, turning to Dick. " If you do, of course 
 you'll be taken to General Otis. Well, then, he 
 sent me to Quingua on another matter. He gave 
 that German a pass to go to Quingua, in the ex- 
 press hope that I'd be able to hang around and hear 
 the German talking about that cargo that went 
 astray. Well, I heard him this morning. Tell 
 General Otis that I've got enough evidence to help 
 you convict the fellow." 
 
 As this conversation was not intended for their 
 ears, the major and the doctor looked out at the 
 road over which they were travelling. By the time 
 that they reached the Barasoain and Malolos station, 
 where the Montana hospital was housed, it was 
 broad daylight. 
 
 " See here, major," whispered Dick, earnestly, as 
 they drew near to the depot, " do you see those two 
 natives leaning against the corner of the building ? " 
 
AN OUTPOST AMBULANCE CALL 345 
 
 "Yes; they're friendly natives, I guess, who've 
 been hired as laborers by the government." 
 
 "Perhaps they are," was Carson's dry retort, 
 " but I've seen both of those fellows in the Filipino 
 camp at Bigaa, and again at Quingua." 
 
 "You're sure of that? " asked the major. 
 
 " As positive as I can be of anything." 
 
 " The little brown rascals are spies, then ! " mut- 
 tered the major. "Wait a moment and I'll fix 
 them ! " 
 
 While Owen was being transferred to the hospital, 
 the major went up to a soldier. 
 
 " Keep your eye on those two natives," he whis- 
 pered. If they stay here, don't molest them. But 
 if they try to go away put them under arrest, and 
 keep them here, pending further orders from me." 
 
 " Yes, major," answered the soldier, saluting. 
 
 " Well, we're all ready for a visit to General 
 MacArthur, I guess," remarked the major, as he 
 climbed into the ambulance. " Fortunately, the 
 general is an early riser. Go ahead, driver." 
 
 Then, as the ambulance went along at a little 
 brisker speed than had been possible while Owen was 
 a passenger, the major turned to our hero with : 
 
346 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " My relief goes on at daylight, so I've got a lit- 
 tle time to tote you around. Malolos looks a little 
 different from what it did when you were here last, 
 doesn't it?" 
 
 " A great deal different. In the first place, it 
 looks as if fire had swept through some portions 
 pretty well." 
 
 " The natives set the fires just before they lit 
 out. If they hadn't been so hard pressed by our 
 men they'd have made a more thorough job of it. 
 As it was, they left buildings enough to house all 
 our troops." 
 
 There were other changes. It was decidedly rest- 
 ful to the ])oy's eyes to see the streets no longer 
 patrolled by Filipino soldiers, but by splendid spec- 
 imens of American manhood instead. The streets 
 were cleaner, too. There were many Chinos to be 
 seen, but few natives. 
 
 How the memories came crowding back into 
 Dick's mind as he rode up that long, dusty street 
 and into the very plaza where he had once faced a 
 firing-squad! He remembered little Aguinaldo, on 
 that notable day when the Tagalo dictator had saved 
 the life of an American in the hope that the act 
 
AN OUTPOST AMBULANCE CALL 347 
 
 would add to his own safety if the time ever came 
 when he was captured by the Americans. 
 
 And there, over the balcony of one building on 
 the east side of the plaza, hung a great American 
 flag ! Dick's eyes grew moist as he gazed lovingly 
 at it. He, more than any of the soldiers in sight, 
 now knew what that flag meant. It flew from the 
 headquarters of General MacArthur, commander of 
 the army division on the North Line. The ambu- 
 lance drew up before the door, and Major Penrose 
 got out, followed by our hero. 
 
 They went upstairs, where an orderly standing at 
 the landing informed them that General MacArthur 
 was at breakfast, but would shortly be through. A 
 young lieutenant came out to greet the major, and, 
 gettinor a hint of the business that brought the visi- 
 tors there, showed them into the room next to the 
 general's office. At the major's suggestion, a sol- 
 dier was sent in with water, soap, and towels. Aided 
 b}^ the major, Dick man9,ged to wash off enough of 
 the flesh dye to transform himself again into a very 
 presentable white boy. The lieutenant brought in 
 an army flannel shirt of blue color, and a coat, 
 jtrousers, and vest of white duck, with a pair of soft 
 
348 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 canvas shoes. In these Dick, still with the major's 
 help, arrayed himself. 
 
 Then he was taken into the office, where General 
 MacArthur, just from his breakfast, received them 
 with a cordiality that went to the boy's heart. He 
 asked many questions about the insurgents, and es- 
 pecially the positions which they held at Quingua 
 and along the Bag-bag River, jatting down many 
 notes. Provided with paper and pencil, Dick drew 
 diagrams of the Bag-bag fortifications. 
 
 " These are excellent," cried the general, as he 
 watched the progress of the drawing. " Later this 
 morning I shall ride down to the hospital to see 
 Owen. With what you two can tell me, I shall 
 be well provided with inside information." 
 
 Here Major Peni'ose spoke about the two Filipino 
 spies whom he had detained at the station. 
 
 ' ' Good ! " nodded the general. ' ' I will have them 
 sent down to Manila, under arrest. Carson, if you 
 are feeling well enough, you would do me a great 
 favor to stop at the depot when you go back 
 there, and look over all our natives. If there 
 are any others whom you can positively identify 
 as insurgents, the major will cause their arrest.. 
 
AN OUTPOST AMBULANCE CALL 349 
 
 Major, I will give you the necessary written 
 orders." 
 
 Turning to the desk, General Mac Arthur wrote 
 for a few minutes, handing two sheets to Major Pen- 
 rose, and another to our hero. 
 
 " Your pass on the military train to Manila," said 
 General MacArthur. " Carson, you are a splendid 
 American. You have been of the utmost service to 
 us. I thank you heartily, congratulate you most 
 sincerely on your escape, and wish you all manner 
 of good fortune for the future. Major, my thanks 
 are due to you, too." 
 
 That being a sign of dismissal, both visitors rose. 
 
 The general shook hands with them, adding : 
 
 " Major, as neither you nor Carson has break- 
 fasted, I have given some orders. Will you both 
 step into my dining-room, and excuse me, as I am 
 very busy, or shall be, over this new information?" 
 
 An hour later the major and Dick, greatly re- 
 freshed, reached the depot. The two Tagalo spies 
 had attempted to go away, and were now seated on 
 the platform, under the watchful eyes of the soldier 
 ^vho had been assigned to watch them. An hour 
 more was spent by the major and Dick in looking 
 
350 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 over the various native men about, with the result 
 that three more were arrested as spies. Now that 
 the dye had been washed from his face, Dick was 
 recognized by all the quintet, who gazed at him 
 with looks divided between amazement and hate. 
 But it was a splendid morning's work for our hero, 
 who had thus rid General MacArthur of the pres- 
 ence of five spies at one swoop. 
 
 A few minutes were next spent in the hospital, 
 taking a temporary and grateful leave of plucky 
 Nelse Owen, who was now much more comfortable, 
 and pronounced as sure of recovery. Dick also had 
 his own wound more skilfully dressed. Then the 
 morning military train steamed in from Manila. 
 Accompanied to the door of the first-class car by the 
 major, Dick climbed in, got a seat, and looked out 
 at the officer who had been so kind to him. 
 
 Two loud blasts from the engine, and the train 
 began to move. Dick was now ofi" for Manila — 
 Manila and Herr Schwarz ! 
 
THE GOLDEN CRASH 351 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE GOLDEN CRASH 
 
 ' ' AcH ! This is impossible ! " 
 
 " Quite possible, I assui^e you, Herr Schwarz, 
 and very necessary. A check of yours for more 
 than ten thousand dollars, Mexican, has been pre- 
 sented at the bank. You have less than eight thou- 
 sand to your credit at the bank. We were compelled 
 to ask delay in payment of the check, and I was told 
 to step around and see if you wished to make a de- 
 posit that would enable us to meet your check." 
 
 ' ' But I am expecting heavy remittances by the 
 next mail. There can be no harm in your paying 
 this check. Surely my credit is good in Manila for 
 a miserable two thousand or so." 
 
 " Ordinarily, Herr Schwarz, it would be," re- 
 plied the young man who sat opposite him, the 
 assistant manaajer of the Hongr Kongf and Shanghai 
 Bank. " But in these days of commercial trem- 
 bling, when fortunes rise or totter in a day, we 
 
352 AGUIJSTALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 have been compelled to make the rule that we will 
 not pay out money that is not actually in our hands 
 to the credit of the depositor who draws the check. 
 You understand as well as we do why this rule is 
 necessary." 
 
 ' ' Suppose I give you my note for thirty days ? 
 You will take that for five thousand ? " 
 
 " You will pardon us, I am sure, but we cannot. 
 You have been remitting to Hong Kong so heavily 
 of late that, if your remittances should not come 
 to you as early as you expect, you might — pardon 
 me — be unable to meet the note as promptly as we 
 should like." 
 
 "To Hong Kong?" repeated the German, his 
 face taking on a strange ashen pallor. "I have 
 not sent a dollar to Hong Kong." 
 
 "The paper was drawn on a Berlin house," re- 
 plied the young man from the bank, "as I am 
 aware sinc3 we issued it to you. But it was nego- 
 tiated in Hong Kong, as I am in a position to 
 know, since our Hong Kong office cashed the 
 paper." 
 
 ' ' That was a breach of faith on the part of my 
 rascally correspondent there," faltered Herr Schwarz,' 
 
THE GOLDEN CRASH 353 
 
 under his breath. His pallor was increasing. It 
 required an effort for him to steady his voice enough 
 to say : 
 
 "Well, let the matter stand for to-day, Mr. 
 Bates. Say that I will have the check covered by 
 to-morrow morning. Meanwhile, I will devise some 
 way in which it can be done at the least cost to 
 myself." 
 
 "Very well," replied the banker, rising, and 
 pretending not to notice the deep agitation of the 
 German. " Good morning." He went out, leav- 
 ing the German alone in his ofBce, looking as if 
 changed to stone. 
 
 After a moment Herr Schwarz got up, tottered 
 to the door of his private office, turned the key 
 softly in the lock, and came back to sit down and 
 think. Nor did that stony pallor leave his face. 
 
 ' ' So the bank refuses to trust me for two or 
 three thousand?" he moaned, resting his face in 
 his hands and staring at the top of his desk. ' ' I 
 have dreamed golden dreams, and this is the end 
 of them ! It is the crash, and I am the victim, I 
 who hoped to be a rich man before the end of the 
 year ! If the bank had honored my check I should 
 
354 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 have made a few thousand profit by to-morrow 
 or the next day. It would have been a small start 
 toward building up my fortune again. I was a fool 
 to go into that speculation for sending arms to the 
 Filipinos. If it had not been for that I should 
 have had a clear balance at the bank of more than 
 a hundred thousand. The price of the goods, the 
 high charter price for the steamship, and the money 
 I was compelled to deposit in order to guarantee 
 the owners against the risk of seizure — ach ! that 
 was the fearful loss that has tossed me from the 
 honored position of a rich merchant to that of a 
 pauper. I wonder if Lebceuf would let me have a 
 little money ? But no ! that is impossible. He is 
 heartless, and, once he suspects that I am ruined, 
 he will not even look at me." 
 
 With a heart-broken sigh Herr Schwarz opened 
 a drawer of his desk, and took out his private set 
 of books, poring over page after page in them, in 
 the ho'pe that he would discover some forgotten 
 asset that would help him out of his present pre- 
 dicament. It was a vain hunt. 
 
 "All went well with me, up to a while ago," 
 pursued Herr Schwarz, in his thoughts. "The 
 
THE GOLDEN CRASH 355 
 
 first turning was the night I met that accursed 
 American boy, Carson. Through him I lost thou- 
 sands. Not even my scheme of having him made 
 a prisoner by the Filipinos availed me anything, 
 for the boy told the story of that tobacco deal to 
 Taylor, who saw Ellis in Hong Kong and posted 
 him, thus spoiling another chance of mine to make 
 thousands. I suppose the boy has died long before 
 this. I wonder if there is truly a Heaven, which is 
 punishing me for what I did to the boy? " 
 
 Herr Schwarz laughed bitterly. His thoughts 
 persisted in veering around to that one subject of 
 which he was trying his hardest not to think. 
 
 " Do the bank people suspect why I sent so much 
 money to Hong Kong ? Can they suspect ? Bates 
 looked at me strangely when he spoke of it. Does 
 he guess? Worse, does he knowf If it should get 
 to the ears of the Yankee military governor " — 
 
 Herr Schwarz broke off with a terrified groan. 
 He must think, and to think he must have action. 
 He looked at his watch ; it wanted a half an hour 
 of noon, but he decided to start home earlier than 
 usual. Perhaps in the less stifling air of Malate his 
 brain would think faster. 
 
356 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGK 
 
 Eising and putting on his hat, he went out 
 through his counting-room without looking at his 
 clerks. His carriage was waiting at the curb. He 
 sprang into it, saying to the Filipino boy the one 
 word " Home." Just in the interval of starting he 
 noted a clean-cut young man in white who had been 
 standing on the opposite curb. This young man 
 stepped into a quilez. On the Bridge of Spain, 
 over the Pasig, Herr Schwarz noticed that that 
 particular quilez was travelling in the same direc- 
 tion. Over in Ermita he saw it again. Herr 
 Schwarz now began to scan that quilez with ab- 
 sorbed interest. It followed all the way down the 
 Calle Eeal to the suburb of Malate. As Herr 
 Schwarz sprang out of his carriage in his own front 
 yard, he saw the quilez, still bearing the young man 
 in white, roll slowly by. 
 
 Going into the house, the German went straight 
 up to his bedroom. Selecting a strong cigar from a 
 box on the table, he sank into a reclining chair, 
 trembling all over. 
 
 ' ' Can it be that I am followed ? " he demanded of 
 himself. After a dozen agitated whiffs he rose and 
 went to the window, staring through the blinds. 
 
THE GOLDEN CRASH 357 
 
 There on the other side of the street stood the 
 young man in white. With a shudder the German 
 tiptoed softly to a rear room, peering out through 
 the blinds. It did not take him ten seconds to dis- 
 cover that another man lurked in the narrow lane at 
 the rear of his grounds. Like a man in a night- 
 mare Herr Schwarz returned to the front room, 
 locked the door, and sat down. His face was drip- 
 ping with cold ooze ; his eyes looked stony. 
 
 "There can be no doubt that I am under sur- 
 veillance," he uttered despairingly. "That can 
 point to but one conclusion. My part in that arms 
 affair has become known. First I was ruined ; now 
 I am to be arrested.". 
 
 It was some time before his dazed thoughts could 
 take further shape. 
 
 ' ' In Germany they would shoot me for taking 
 part in such business," he groaned, at last. " The 
 old Spanish governor-general would have given me 
 the same punishment. I wonder what the Yankee 
 law says on the subject? Ach ! I can't die — I 
 don't dare to." 
 
 So he sat there, the time slipping away, staring 
 stupidly at the walls of the room in the hopeless 
 
358 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 effort to think of something that he could do to 
 avert the crowning disaster to his evil fortunes. 
 
 In the meantime the train had borne our hero to 
 j\[anila. Hours earlier General MacArthur had sent 
 the telegram that had resulted in Herr Schwarz's 
 house being shadowed by two men of the secret ser- 
 vice. At the Manila station Dick was astonished to 
 find one of General Otis' aids awaiting him. There 
 was a carriage there, too, in which they were driven 
 straight to the Palace, over in the Walled City. 
 
 Dick had a long conversation with that gruif old 
 man of arms. In it he went over all the important 
 incidents of his captivity among the Filipinos, but 
 dwelt especially on what he knew of Herr Schwarz's 
 complicity in the plot that had so nearly succeeded 
 in landing arms for the insurgents. 
 
 "Carson, you have done splendidly — nobly," 
 said General Otis, warmly, at last. " You have 
 had some terrible experiences, but throughout it all 
 you have been American to the backbone. Perhaps 
 you will never understand what a great service you 
 have done your country in keeping thousands of 
 new rifles from reaching Aguinaldo. That plot was 
 so thoroughly arranged that, but for you, I am sat- 
 
THE GOLDEN CRASH 359 
 
 isfied the rifles and cartridges would have got 
 through to their destination. Be sure that I shall 
 not forget your great part in the matter. And now 
 I want you to do one more service for me. I have 
 two officers waiting who are going to drive to this 
 German's house. We know that he is at home. 
 Neither of the officers have ever seen Herr Sch^varz 
 to know him. To make sure that there isn't a 
 chance of the German escaping us, I want you to go 
 along to identify him. Will you? " 
 
 " Will I? " echoed Dick. " Why, of course, sir." 
 General Otis sent for the two officers, a captain 
 and a lieutenant from one of the regiments of infan- 
 try, and with them our hero set out in a carriage 
 that bore them swiftly to Malate. Captain Gliscoe 
 noted with a smile the young man in white clothes 
 standing on the opposite side of the street, before the 
 German's house. They drove into the yard, up to 
 the door, and alighted. A Filipino servant came 
 and stood in the doorway. 
 
 " Do not talk loudly, or make any noise of any 
 kind," ordered Gliscoe in Spanish, in a low voice, 
 as he clutched the native's arm. "Where is your 
 master ? " 
 
360 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " Upstairs," replied the Tagalo. 
 
 ' ' What is he doing there ? " 
 
 " I do not know. I went up there an hour ago 
 to tell him that tiffin was ready. He told me to 
 clear out — that he did not want anything to eat 
 to-day." 
 
 " Lead us up to his room — silently." 
 
 Without apparent curiosity the Tagalo servant 
 conducted them up the stairs, voicelessly pointing 
 to the door of the front room. Captain Gliscoe took 
 a quick step forward, with Lieutenant Swain at his 
 heels and Dick Carson bringing up the rear. 
 Knocking on the door, the captain cried : 
 
 " Open, Herr Schwarz ! " 
 
 From the inside came a voice so hoarse with ter- 
 ror and desperation that Dick did not recognize it, 
 but shuddered. 
 
 ' ' You will have to do your own opening, gentle- 
 men," answered the German. " I saw you coming, 
 and know who you are. Well, you will get in 
 here too late ! " 
 
 Without a word more Captain Gliscoe put one of 
 his powex'ful shoulders to the door and broke it off 
 the hinges. Too late, as the German had said, for 
 
THE GOLDEN CRASH 361 
 
 at that instant a deafening crash rang out. Into the 
 room rushed the three visitors, their faces quickly 
 filling with horror, for on the floor lay Herr 
 Schwarz, his head in a pool of blood, and near him 
 a revolver from which smoke was still pouring. 
 
 The German still lived, as deep groans from his 
 ashen lips proved. Without a word Gliscoe and 
 Swain lifted him to his bed. 
 
 "Well — you — came — too late," gasped the 
 dying man. 
 
 " Yes," answered Gliscoe, in a tone quiet but 
 stern ; ' ' you have yourself avenged the United 
 States. It will not be worth our while to try to 
 remove you. Do you want a clergyman, or any 
 friend?" 
 
 " Let Carson come here," requested the German, 
 feebly, and Dick stepped forward. He went close 
 to the pillow on which lay -the ghastly head. 
 
 " You spoiled my trade with Taylor," moaned 
 Herr Schwarz. 
 
 " Yes," answered Dick, tremulously, for the 
 scene was full of solemnity for him. "It was 
 the only honest thing I could do." 
 
 " And you also spoiled my trade with Ellis." 
 
362 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 " Again, honesty required it." 
 "I thought I had stopped you, by getting you 
 into the hands of the Filipinos," went on the Ger- 
 man, in a voice that grew steadily weaker. " But 
 Taylor saw Ellis at Hong Kong, and so my 
 scheme- was spoiled. Sir," turning to Captain 
 Gliscoe, "on what charge did you come here to 
 arrest nie ? " 
 
 " Principally," replied the captain, without eva- 
 sion, " for an attempt to smuggle arms and ammu- 
 nition to the insurgents." 
 
 "Did yoxi. have anything to do with that?" de- 
 manded Herr Schwarz, turning his dimming eyes 
 aerain toward Carson. 
 
 " Yes," answered Dick. " I was a prisoner at 
 Bigaa, overheard your plot there one evening, and 
 got word through to General Otis in time to nip the 
 business." 
 
 ' ' You ruined me," groaned Herr Schwarz. ' ' Boy, 
 all my bad luck has come through you. And now I 
 must die ! No matter — I forgive you." 
 
 Dick, who, you may be sure, did not feel that he 
 was in any need of forgiveness in this matter, knew 
 not what to say. Captain Gliscoe and Lieutenant 
 
THE GOLDEN CRASH 363 
 
 Swain stood back a little, listening and waiting for 
 the end to come. 
 
 Herr Schwarz closed his eyes, moaning piteously 
 for some moments. When he opened his eyes 
 again, he asked: 
 
 " Carson, I have been a scoundrel. I know it 
 now. Can you forgive me 9" 
 
 In that solemn place every bit of Dick's rancor 
 vanished like the mist. 
 
 " With all my heart," he murmured softly, gaz- 
 ing down pityingly at the stricken wretch, and laying 
 one hand gently on the sufferer's head. " More 
 likely I am really indebted to you, Herr Schwarz, 
 for your plotting, though it gave me some weeks of 
 a terrible kind of life, yet enabled me to serve my 
 country." 
 
 Some unintelligible words came from the Ger- 
 man's lips. They were the last that he uttered. 
 Captain Gliscoe called in one of the secret service 
 men to remain with the body, and the callers who 
 had come bent on arrest departed. 
 
 Thus the arms case closed with Herr Schwarz's 
 life. There was some suspicion that M. Leboeuf 
 was mixed up in the affair, but no proof could be 
 
364 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 obtained. That astute adventurer, however, becom- 
 ing uneasy over constant surveillance, closed his 
 affairs in Manila, at a loss, and quietly vanished 
 from the scene. 
 
 Nelse Owen recovered after a few weeks, and did 
 much more excellent work for the array in Luzon, 
 and in some of the other islands of-" the Philippine 
 group. 
 
 As for Dick, he felt bound to enlist. To his 
 surprise, when he mentioned that idea to General 
 Otis the latter firmly forbade it. Instead, he 
 sent the boy to act as a civilian orderly on the 
 staff of General MacArthur. In that way Dick 
 was able to see and take part in about all the 
 fighting that followed, from Malolos to San Fer- 
 nando. On a dozen occasions he proved his mettle 
 splendidly. 
 
 One day in early June a telegram came to Gen- 
 eral Mac Arthur's headquarters in San Fernando, 
 directing that Eichard Carson report without delay 
 to General Otis in Manila. The railroad not being 
 yet repaired above the Bag-bag River, it was not 
 until the next forenoon that our hero reached the 
 city. He went at once to the Palace, giving his 
 
THE GOLDEN CRASH 365 
 
 name to one of the clerks in an ante-room of the 
 general's quarters. 
 
 How handsome and manly Dick Carson looked as 
 he walked into General Otis' room ! He was clad 
 in army khaki, spurs jingled at his heels, and a cav- 
 alry revolver hung in a holster from his belt. The 
 sombrero that he held in his hand was battered 
 and worn with hard field service in rain and shine. 
 That boy looked every inch the soldier. 
 
 "Carson," said General Otis, looking vip • and 
 noting the boy's lines with approving nods, " per- 
 haps you thought I had almost forgotten your ^\ork 
 and the promised reward. I informed the President 
 of it, however. Yesterday I received a cablegram 
 from him. He instructs me to offer you, in his 
 name, a commission as second lieutenant in one of 
 the new regiments now forming for service in this 
 department. If you accept, you are to remain 
 here on staff duty until your regiment arrives. 
 Will you take it?" 
 
 If Dick failed to answer, it wasn't because he re- 
 quired time to think. He was stunned- with joy ; 
 knew not what to say. He knew that the army 
 offered the one life that could thoroughly suit him. 
 
366 AGUINALDO'S HOSTAGE 
 
 but he had never dared to hope for such luck as 
 this. 
 
 " "Will I take it, sir? " he finally managed to say. 
 " I wouldn't take a fortune for that appointment ! " 
 
 And Dick is now with his regiment in the Philip- 
 pines, doing his duty to the satisfaction of his supe- 
 riors, and is likely to be heard from again. 
 
 THE END. 
 
AMERICAN BOYS' SERIES 
 
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 A thoroughly first-class and carefully 
 selected list of books for American girls, 
 by some of our best known and most 
 popular American writers. Our aim in 
 this series has been to put in nothing 
 but the best and purest stories ; and the 
 names of such authors as Amanda M. 
 Douglas,Virginia F. Townsend, Mary A. 
 Denison, Adelaide F. Samuels, Sophie 
 May, and others, will bear witness to 
 the fact, as well as careful perusal of 
 the titles. Each volume complete in 
 itself 
 
 Uniform Cloth Binding New and 
 I 1.00 each 
 
 1. Battles at Home By Mary G. Darling 
 
 2. Captain Molly By Mary A. Denison 
 
 3. Daisy Teaters By Adelaide F. Samuels 
 
 4t. Deerinss op Medeuey By Virginia F. Townsend 
 
 5. Her Friend's Lover By Sophie May 
 
 6. Hollands, The By Virginia F. Townsend 
 
 7. In Trust By Amanda M. Douglas 
 
 8. In the World By Mary G. Darling 
 
 9. Into the Light By C. 6. O. 
 
 10. It Came to Pass By Mary Farley Sanborn 
 
 11. Lottie Eames By Adelaide F. Samuels 
 
 12. Mat Martin and other Tales of the Green Moun- 
 
 tains By Judge D. P. Thompson 
 
 13. Mills op Tuxbury By Virginia F. Townsend 
 
 14. Nellt Kinnakd's Kingdom By Amanda M. Douglas 
 
 15. Pretty Lucy Merwyn By Mary Lakeman 
 
 16. Rhoda Thornton's Girlhood By Mary E. Pratt 
 
 17. KooM poR One More By Mrs. T. W. Higginson 
 
 18. KuBY Ddke, a Story op Boarding School Life By H. 
 
 K. Potwin 
 
 19. Ruth Eliot's Dream By Mary Lakeman 
 
 20. Seven Daughters By Amanda M. Douglas 
 
 21. Six in All By Virginia F. Townsend 
 
 22. Sv/EET AND Twenty By Mary Farley Sanborn 
 
 23. Tatters By Beulah. 
 
 24. Which, Right or Wrong? By M. L. Moreland 
 
 25. Whom Kathie Married By Amanda M. Douglas 
 
 LEE and SHEPARD Publishers Boston 
 
ADDED IN 1900 
 
 AHERICAN BOYS' SERIES 
 
 Sixty titles Each complete in itself Uniform Cloth Binding 
 Price per volume fl.OO 
 
 Last year we increased this immensely popular series of choice 
 copyrighted books by representative American writers for the 
 young to fifty titles. This year we add the ten following well- 
 known books, making an important addition to an already strong 
 list 
 
 51. Field AND FoBBST or The Fortunes of a Farmer By Oliver 
 
 Optic 
 
 52. OnTWAKD Bound or Young America Afloat By Oliver Optic 
 
 53. The Soldier Boy or Tom Somers in the Army By Oliver 
 
 Optic 
 
 54. The Starry Flag or The Young Fisherman of Cape Ann 
 
 By Oliver Optic 
 
 55. Through by Daylight or The Young Engineer of the Lake 
 
 Shore Railroad By Oliver Optic 
 
 56. Cruises with Captain Bob around the Kitchen Fire 
 
 By B. P. Shillaber (Mrs. Partington) 
 
 57. The Double-Kunner Club or The Lively Boys of River- 
 
 town By B. P. Shillaber (Mrs. Partington) 
 
 58. Ike Partington and His Friends or The Humors of a 
 
 Human Boy By B. P. Shillaber (Mrs. Partington) 
 59.. Locke Amsden the Schoolmaster By Judge D. P. 
 
 Thompson 
 60. The Rangers By Judge D. P. Thompson 
 
 AHERICAN GIRLS' SERIES 
 
 Standard Books for Girls by American Authors Thirty titles 
 Each complete in itself Uniform Cloth Binding New and Attrac- 
 tive Dies Price per Volume .$1.00 
 
 We add this year five exceptionally strong copyrighted American 
 books for girls to last year's notable list of twenty-five titles. 
 These books have hitherto been attainable only at much higher 
 prices 
 
 26. An American Girl Abroad By Adeline Trafton 
 
 27. Dorothy's Experience By Adeline Trafton 
 
 28. Hester Strong's Life Work By Mrs. S. A. Southworth 
 
 29. Lucy's Lovers or Hillsboro' Farms By Sophia Dickinson 
 
 Cobb 
 
 30. Sally Williams the Mountain Girl By Mrs. E. L. 
 
 Cheney 
 
 LEE and SHEPARD Publishers Boston 
 
BOOKS BY 
 
 EVERETT T. TOMLINSON 
 
 HiPHn^oi' 
 
 THE WAR OF 1812 SERIES 
 
 By Everett T. Tomlinson Cloth 
 Illustrated Per volume ^1.50 
 
 Comprising 
 
 The Search for Andrew Field 
 
 The Boy Soldiers oS 1813 
 
 The Boy OfJicers o£ 1813 
 
 Teoumseh's Young Braves 
 
 Guarding the Border 
 
 The Boys with Old Hickory 
 
 Mr. Tomlinson, who knows the " ins and outs " of boy nature by heart, 
 is one of the most entertaining and at the same time one of the most in- 
 structive of living writers of juvenile fiction. In his younger days a 
 teacher by profession, he has made boys and their idiosyncrasies the ab- 
 sorbing study of his life, and, with the accumulated experience of years to 
 aid him, has applied himself to the task of preparing for their mental 
 delectation a diet that shall be at once wholesome and attractive; and that 
 his efforts in this laudable direction have been successful is conclusively 
 proven by his popularity among boy readers. 
 
 LIBRARY OF HEROIC EVENTS 
 
 STORIES OF THE AMERICAN 
 REVOLUTION 
 
 First Series 
 
 By Everett T. Tomlinson Cloth 
 
 Illustrated li.oo 
 
 STORIES OF THE AMERICAN 
 REVOLUTION 
 
 Second Series 
 
 By Everett' T. Tomlinson Cloth 
 Illustrated li.oo 
 
 Stories 
 
 OF THE 
 
 American 
 Revolution 
 
 fIttST SERIES 
 
 EVCRBTT T.TQM 
 
 So/d by all booksellers and sent prepaid on receipt of price 
 
 LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston 
 
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