The Law of the Bolo

re had been heard of the outlaw, and a new band of ladrones had been formed in the neighbourhood of Calocan, th

gujob—the Church had seen to that fact being suppressed—but the corporal knew, in fact he

k to Spain. A villain, that Pablo; but still [23]your Felizardo was wrong to kill him. Nothing can save him now. I told you that night, even after we found how splendidly he had boloed those ladrones, that he would not come back. I was right, of course. Have I not be

wn life, many years before, in Spain. “No, corporal. He went be

ld not forget it, not having room for two. I have loved women, Senor, and women have loved me, many of them; but as for

back to marry—and found dead; therefore, he always listened patiently to those stories of subsequent love affairs, none of which ever had the

r thirty years’ service in these accursed Islands, one must not begin to neglect one’s duty, Senor.” At the door he stopped and looked back. “Think n

t was also a ladrone,”

es. How can she, when she has the souls of all these savages to save? Still, if I ever get the chan

shall never go back to Spain, he and I. It is getting too late now, and

aining a temporary hiding-place; but the moment he had found this, and even whilst he was bringing the girl round with some of the wine he

was the cloth, and not the man beneath it, which mattered. Felizardo faced the issue squarely. Somehow, it seemed as though he had learned many things during that night. He had taken up the bolo, and thenceforth the Law of the Bolo must be

r for her than for him. He put it to her very gentl

. “No priest would do it, even though I captu

ing eyes. “What matter? I s

r you to go back, even now. The good S

rst kiss she had ever given him, a

unning inland for many miles. The lower slopes of the range are covered with dense jungle; but when you have climbed a thousand feet or so, you leave all this behind, and find bald rock, and

est harshness and danger, the very antithesis to the dreamy life amongst the cocoa-nut groves and the hemp-patches; now, however, he thought of them in a very

urch might insist on a hue-and-cry of an unusually vigorous nature; but he was afraid of coming across some of the local ladrones, who would assuredly take vengeance

ed, narrow little streams, which on the paths you cross by shaky pole-bridges; and twice he had to cut down hemp-palms, and make rafts on which to get to the other bank of larger streams.

pared for everything,” she said; and he fel

y-killed fowl, whilst there was a basket of sweet potatoes beside him. It was his first definite act of ladronism, and he shifted uneasily under her gaze, until

e skirting; and from that point onwards, until they were well up the lower slopes of the range, there was plenty

e jungle, and there they lived li

here for ever,” Dolores sai

king the bay. We will take one. Then we can store a supply of food, and, if I can get a pi

then they went into a third—and came on two men and a

hand; but the woman held the other back. “He may not be an enemy, and at

ire—and his eyes were staring and bloodshot. He did not stop to ask any que

n, as he wiped his bolo on the white tunic of his attacker, Feli

eathed the bolo, which, despite

ueer little sob, gratitude, relief, horror perhaps, which brought Dolores running to her side, and they cried together; w

is late foe’s place, and the stranger poured

ke. “Why did you come up he

Carlos, pointed to the woman:

nd I killed a priest, for h

ains, we hear things?…. Let me, let us, stay here with you in this cave—as I said, you are the

and so was started his band, which afterw

have no men who were outlaws merely because of their own vicious natures, to whom ladronism was a natural calling. There were many of these already in the mountains, and they formed a rival b

ds, and with the tao to [31]the south, from whom he bought live-stock, the money he gave being obtained from Presidentes and Tenientes and planters,

e the Guardia Civil was; but very little came down from the mountains, at least to the white men, and, of that little, practically none reached Calocan. Consequently, five years after Feli

t seem to do much harm, and it would cost a fabulous sum to hunt them out from amongst the cav

elizardo is th

e, that is it. Probably he is dead by now; he was not of the true ladrone [32]breed. Anyway, I was right

for your pension?”

and—and not old, declare I am no longer fit for my work? No, if they offer i

e foot of the mountains, on the edge of the bay. Most of the tao had been killed; the Spanish trader had been tortured to death, and all the women and girls carried off. Troops were being hurried from Manila—in the

e dignified to ride [33]in full uniform, at the head of your men. Now, however, not only his horse, but his great thigh-boots as well, would have to remain behind. Even his sabre must be carried by a native orderly. St

nd beside the post in the plaza, where they had done him to death, in the hope of making him confess how he had hidden the wealth he did not possess, was all that remained of the Spanish merchant himself; seeing which, the corporal swore great oaths, unconsciously drew his hand across his eye

so he marched inland on the trail of the robbers. It was not difficult to follow them, at least for the first few miles; they were a large body, and they were taking along m

s’ service, a man should be fit for anything, inured to all hardships. Probably it was only fancy after all, he told himself, as he squared his shoulders, and looked back sternly for any possible stragglers. Then suddenly, his orderly, who was just behind him, cried out that he had seen a ladrone scout, moving amongst the trees; and a moment later, almost before the corporal had time to take his sabre from the orderly, the ladrones were on them,

off three of his fingers before he could fire, though he was hardly conscious of the fac

en the native sergeant went down, and the enem

the corporal cried to hi

, rushing down the hillside, yelling. The corporal braced himself up. His strength was

s were slaying his enemies for him. The corporal lowered [36]the point of his sabre—he had lost a great deal of blood, and the weight of the weapon now see

pression; then he began to remember, vaguely at the outset, seeing everything as through a mist of blood, which cleared away suddenly when it struck him that he was a prisoner am

them again, to see a native, whose face was somehow famili

en raised himself on his unwounded

last time, outside Don José’s warehouse, you saved me? Now”—h

n the Regulations; for this same Felizardo was a ladrone who had slain a priest. At first, he tried to think

Igut captured some of my men’s wives—that was all. We

t intend to show any anxiety, but he wan

o back to Calocan at once; or, if you would honour me,

l’s deepest wrath; but somehow he realised, almost with a sense of humiliation, that this native was a stronger ma

brokenly: “Thank you, Senor. I told Don José we should never see you again, eithe

d Don José that? Well, we shall see

might get you a pardon, even now,

sternly; then he shrugged his shoulders and laughed. “And, an

day’s unnecessary delay. Then they started back to Calocan, his own men paddling the canoe. The corporal was very unhappy. He knew now that he must be invalid

rescue, Felizardo had made him promise not to tell how the mountaineers had rescued him. He wished now he had not given that promise—it was, probably, like the rest of the business, [39]contrary to the Regulations—but, having given

sings on him; whilst there was even an orderly from Manila, commanding him to go to the Governor-General himself, a Grandee of Spain, as soon as his wounds permi

, whilst this time he felt himself an impostor. He took his glass of wine with trembling hands, put it to his lips, then set it down untasted. He might have to deceive every one els

nd on his arm. “I know the truth, my

t in his chair and gaspe

ght in. He wanted me to see you said nothing foolish, and he wanted

lence, then the corporal broke o

osé n

id kill a priest;” there was almost a n

on José

ill hear all, and say nothing? Then you will go back to Spain with your pension. Why not? You tried your best

d received, coupled with his modesty. How could one doubt when one had been to Igut and seen the relea

la to see him start o

Holy Father—now?”

can. Why should I have changed—I, who have had

not Felizardo changed you?

ucated, he would never have been able to read that letter, and would n