Vol.XLIV.

Nol.

A

FTER Captain Pershing had smashed the forts of the Sultan of Bacolod, he came to the Agus river, opposite Pantar, Mindanao, a distance of fifteen miles, for supplies and a day's rest.

Seated beneath the tent-fly in the cool of the declining day, he recounted the events of the march from Vicars, describing, with words. all too few, the reduction of the Moro stronghold. The work was well done and the officers and men were given credit for it.

It should be known that the campaign had been unsought, unprovoked by him. Had the Sultan refrained after repeated admonitions, from his vulgar tirades and defiant threats, to murder any Americans passing through his territory, he would have been spared the humiliation which befell him.

the first time he had communicated with Bullard; it is equally true that while he was "talking friendship' on the north shore he was showing his black teeth on the south. A fine double game he was playing. If Pershing did not come, his prestige would be greater among the neighboring Sultans; if Pershing should "call" his bluff he would run to Bullard with protestations of peace in the hope of saving his face, in any

event.

In the meantime he was working his slaves night and day in the moats and on the parapets. The most strenuous efforts were being made to render the cottas impregnable. Nor was this all. His runners were busy conveying messages calculated to poison the minds of dattos of other sultanates, assuring them that he could not be dislodged, while he bragged of his ability to feed the remains of Pershing and his soldiers to the wild boar. The game failed, as double games are prone among both savage and civilized

men.

Bullard secured two translations of the letter sent him, but accepted. its declarations with large grains of salt, though deeming the matter of sufficient importance as to justify an official wire. It was clear that the Sultan of Bacolod was already spelling out the writing on the wall.

Vol.XLIV.

Nol.

A

FTER Captain Pershing had smashed the forts of the Sultan of Bacolod, he came to the Agus river, opposite Pantar, Mindanao, a distance of fifteen miles, for supplies and a day's rest.

Seated beneath the tent-fly in the cool of the declining day, he recounted the events of the march from Vicars, describing, with words all too few, the reduction of the Moro stronghold. The work was well done and the officers and men were given credit for it.

It should be known that the campaign had been unsought, unprovoked by him. Had the Sultan refrained after repeated admonitions, from his vulgar tirades and defiant threats, to murder any Americans passing through his territory, he would have been spared the humiliation which befell him.

Because, forsooth, Pershing was long in coming, he had conceived the notion that the American

com

mander was afraid to venture along the west and north shores of Lake Lanao. But at length receiving tidings that the "Datto Americano" was about to leave Vicars with a large force, he despatched a swift messenger to Major Bullard at Pantar asking that he might be permitted to make a peace presentation of himself and suite at that place.

It is quite true that this was not

Bullard replied that the "way was open for any Moro to make known his friendship to the Government of the United States. He must possess but one tongue and talk straight. If the Sultan had two tongues, he possessed one too many. Americans are not double-tongued; they talk to all Moros the same way; they prefer to help the Moros rather than hurt them, but Moros must not wait too long nor impose too far upon good nature."

Perhaps the destruction. of the forts at Bacolod could have been further delayed by a temporizing policy, already too long enjoined; but that destruction was as ultimately inevitable as that a cool dawn is followed by a hot day in the tropics.

Among the slain of Bacolod sultans and dattos were recognized, but the author of the trouble had escaped under cover of the night.

He lived to fight another day. He sought new fields and pastures green on the east shore, along which in due time the robust "regular" trudged upon a missionary errand in his behalf.

Now we were not a little curious, after the Bacolod column had departed on the return to Vicars, to know just what effect the campaign would have upon important engineering work then in progress in the vicinity of Pantar. Hundreds of Moro laborers were finding employment at good wages on the military road as graders and timber cutters. Would the dattos recall all these and bestow them armed in ambush along the trails frequented by our men?

Apart from having our camps shot into, an occasional soldier hacked with krises, sentinels attacked at night, and hunting parties assailed, while in request of boar or deer, we had enjoyed remarkable exemption from trouble with these disciples of Mahomet. We had done more in six months than the Spaniards had been able to accomplish in six years.

on precisely the same ground. Not one of our men had been killed along a route that had cost the Spaniards a thousand lives to traverse. Behind logs, banks and stumps, our men had gathered hatfulls of empty Mauser shells ejected by Castillians when they were sorely pressed by the Moros.

It was now necessary that we should touch the pulse and take the temperature of our neighbors.

Accordingly Captain James A. Ryan, commanding troop C. 15th Cavalry, an officer well and favorably known to the chiefs of the Bayabaos, was directed to make a reconnoissance into unvisited territory and call en route going and coming at any cotta or dwelling he might choose.

Lieutenant Charles Burnett was soon busy with the details of preparation. Surgeon Godfrey, a chaplain and a hospital attendant were taken along for service in the event of "accidents." We quitted Pantar early next morning. Our horses, stripped of everything but halters, were put into the Agus river much against their will. They knew what it meant to swim in such a stream. They had scarcely got beyond their depth when the current swept them some distance below; they came out on the "home side" and frisked merrily back to camp.

A second attempt was successful. After officers, men and equipments had been ferried across in bancas, we were soon on our way. The air was cool, the sky slightly overcast, the spirit of adventure, a darling passion, was awake in horses and men alike.

Our course lay over grassy hills toward the southwest. It soon became evident that Moros were observing our movements from hills and lookouts. We were greeted with salutations by a datto, who invited us into his casa to partake of boiled eggs. The eggs might not be like Caesar's wife, but he wisely knew that other kinds of food were not,