The Law of the Bolo

ng often during the ten years which elapsed before he himself was gathered to his mundane fathers, but, somehow, life was very pleasant in h

ny preparations; so, in the end, the only journey he did make was when he wen

on which Cinicio Dagujob was hanged, of many familiar spots and o

. Curious, I am seldom wrong; but I was over those matters. Still, even an old soldier of thirty-five

osé n

, you know." He shook his head gravely. "Felizardo killed a priest, and even though that Father Pablo was a ladrone, the cloth

t the foot of the mountains, and with that both he and Don José Ramirez go out of this story, leaving only Felizard

, though [44]he made no remark about them, even to the comrade who was leaning on the rail beside him, for, as a rule, the more he liked a thing, the less he said about it. It was only when his aversion was roused that he was moved to speech. If any one had told him then that those same mount

both the breeds being good ones. From his father he had inherited his sense of chivalry, his inability to know when he was beaten, and a certain dec

ered that they had misjudged their man. The superfluous flesh he had [45]recently acquired during a leisurely trip to Europe was soon got rid of, his education raised him above the level of the majority of his comrades, and before the transport left San Francisco he was a full Serjeant. Still, he was in the

reign of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity-Liberty to do what was good in your own sight, and evil in the sight of every decent man; Equality, so far as the goods of a richer man than yourself were concerned; Fraternity in the Cain-and-Abel sense. The tao repeated the words, taking them to mean

id, "then they will send an army to put those who remain in order.

ing represented by a few score of coffee-coloured little men in khaki uniforms, with huge red sashes, huge red epaulettes, and even more huge sabres, which they loved to jangle over the cobble-stones of the towns, greatly to their own glory, and much to the detriment of their scabbards. Felizardo, hearing of them, laughed again-his official uniform was a suit of white duck and a broad-brimmed straw hat-then he

ys were generals, wearing that same gorgeous uniform, he waxed wroth, and ordered that those distinguished soldier-diplomats should be brought to him

even the third, who was of a tougher breed, had none of his truculence left when he found himself face to face with that quiet, wizened little man. Moreover, the ends of the scabbards

atriot generals should do better than that," he said. "I fear you would be certain to die for your [48]country if an en

of the weapons in question strapped round his waist. But the envoys did

Where is the message you have to bring

a large seal. Felizardo read the paper carefully, then handed it to a youngster who was standing behind his chair. "Burn that, En

the eldest to stand to one side, he called

-keeper at the Palace, and the other

rones which burned San Juan two years ago. Do not [49]deny it. I know you." Then he nodded to his men. "Hang him," he said curtly; a

, in my mountains, where I am the sovereign chief, there is only one law, the Law of the Bolo, to which every man becomes subject the moment he sets foot on my land. Tell them that in Manila. See that you tell it faithfu

re to come to Catholic patriots-solemnly excommunicated the whole band; but when they called for a volunteer to deliver copies of the resolutions to Felizardo, none was forthcoming, even though they promised a general's commission to [50]any man who underto

's mountains, and thought of the shelter to be obtained there, or rather of the shelter which might have been obtained there, had Felizardo not been a tyrant and an Enemy of the People. Yet none even

s and their rapes, and their other abominations, and made governors of provinces, and commissioners, and even judges; and from these the Civil Government first learned of Felizardo and his wicked ways, how he had flogged, and even hanged, pure Filipino patriots; and Mr Commissioner Furber, the head of the new department of Constabulary and Trade-a rather infelicitous, or invidious, combination-decided that Felizardo, the Enemy of the People, must be rooted out and destroyed; for Mr Commissioner Furber, like Mr Collector Sharler of the Customs, who had a native wife, was a firm believer in that great and glorious and democratic doctrine, which declared that the Filipino was the white

he Army how beautifully it could manage without professional assistance, raised a force of its own, the Philippines Constabulary, the rank and file of which was composed of any stray natives who felt sufficiently energetic to enlist, whilst the officers consisted mainly of discharged private soldiers. The equipping

himself promoted captain of a company of some sixty surly, ragged little men, natives of Manila [53]and its immediate neighbourhood, who could neither drill nor shoot, whose o

lay their grievances before a fellow-countryman, an ex-colonel of the Army of Liberty, who was now chief secretary to Mr Commissioner Furber. Meanwhile, Captain Hayle's subaltern, a youth from Boston, had married a native woman, a proceeding which aroused all Basil's bitterest Southern prejudices. The inc

docile man, even if he were a Southerner-Furber himself came from Boston-was distinctly surprised and pained, as Basil had intended he should be. Still, in the end, they parted, if not good friends, at least with a temporary understanding. So many useful officers had resigned recen

so often admired, of a gang of brigands and murderers seemed to promise him both. That same night, after dinner, he went to the Orpheum, the music-hall of Manila, and, meeting Clancy of the Manila Star in the entrance, was taken into the

s in the Spanish days, and Basi

ladrone called Fe

been recognised by the Spaniards as the chief of that range of mountains over there. He was an outlaw, certainly, but a regular ladrone, never.

e was a note of defiance in Hayle's voice. He was young, after all, a ba

that ragged crowd of yours? Why, man, it's absurd. Twenty companies like yours wouldn't suffice for the job. Your people must be stark ravi

not take your advice. I have been ordered to go, and

rs. "A fool and his folly," he muttered; "or, rat

to his serjeant, who repeated the news to the men, with the result that there were only three members of the company, the serjeant and two corporals, old soldiers of th

ported the occurrence to the Commissioner on the following morning;

so many absurd stories concerning this Felizardo, who seems to be a kind of supernatural person in

ght carbines," Hayle

en like this Felizardo who cause all the trouble?.... Well, Captain Hayle, there is a company in Manila now, one which was raised in the Island

er that he went back to the Commissioner, and reported that he was ready, adding: "It would be as well if one of these Manila men, who gave you the information about Felizardo, came along as guide." But all those same Manila men had, it appeared, very pressing private business which they could not leave, and, anyway, as the Commissioner said: "If you search long enough, y

. They had rebuilt Igut since the corporal's day, and there was now a regular plaza with half a dozen stone-built houses on it, and a gaol and barracks and many nipa-shacks and a church; in fact, there was accommodation for all classes of the community, save the pigs, and fowls, and pariah-dogs, which wandered at large, spreading disease. Still, even with these drawbacks, it was an important place. The Presidente was an ex-member of the Provisional Government, whom the army was j

iles or so through the jungle when you could go much more comfortably by water. It was nothing to Basil if the mestizo skipper happened to be in a hurry to get back in time for a big cock-fight. So, in the end, they disembarked at the village of Katubig, which consisted of a score of nipa-shacks alo

[60]with their carbines, and begged to be admitted to the band; but, though the chief had retained the weapons, which would be useful, he

tise anything of the kind, and he was both annoyed and astonished that the new authorities in Manila should think of interfering with him. It never occurred to him that, in addition to having incurred the enmity of the Manila mestizos, he was also an anachronism-that he represented a condition of affairs which Mr

t the same time, they are less ready to change their points of view, and the one fixed idea in Felizardo's mind was that the mountains belonged to him. Still, he did not want to bring on a crisis; and so he sent word to his outposts

us was he to see the band broken up, that he even offered to let his own servant guide Hayle and his men to the brigands' camp, which, he said, was some twenty miles away, towards the end of the

y through the dense jungle, with the [62]necessity of being prepared for attack at any moment, is a very different matter. It took two days to do the journey, and when the column arrived, weary

most men would have made their way straight back to Katubig, and then have started afresh; but the idea was utterly repugnant to Captain Hayle. He felt that, so far, he had shown himself a helpless amateur, and that to return meekly would be to make a public confession of failure. He spent half the night sitting besid

, and, before he lay down to sleep, he had decided to do the thing scientifically-to explore the range from end to end, even i

ted him to do-at the first streak of dawn he started to climb straight up the mountain-side, beyond the jungle

n a clear day, you could see Manila itself. Two large caves furnished the main shelter, but in addition to these there were half a dozen little huts, amongst which the men were sitting, smoking and playing cards, when Basil Hayle and his men suddenly appeared. For once, the rifle had its chance against the bolo, o

cially as most of them were young, and one, a mestiza, was extremely nice-looking. The position was rather awkward, he told himself. He had not the slightest intention of taking them along with him, and yet, if he left them up there, on that ledge of rock, with three or four badly wounded outlaws as

this? Then, suddenly, his eyes fell on the only unwounded prisoner, a sullen-looking youth, who had be

ent on: "Go and tell him to come and fetch these

ure that such was not to be his fate until he was actually out of sight round the next spur of the mountain; then he doubled back, an

ulary officer was concerned; for the force which presently arrived, expecting some such trap, had both rifles and bolos, and crept in cautiously from all sides; but, by that time, the Constabulary were miles away, scrambl

, he had secured [66]an additional two days' provisions, and so would be ab

be punished, had fled. Still, every one was glad to hear that the Senor Capitaine had inflicted a severe blow on that villain, Felizardo, who would doubtless now see th

ort. "How did you hear abo

ere is one here, a young tao by his appearance, who has been waiting for th

can knew him again; but the Teniente, who was watching closely, detected no sign of reco

r [67]service, assuredly it will be performed. On the other hand, in the mountains, which belong to Felizardo, there is only one law, the Law of the Bolo, and those who come as enemies will be met with the bolo. This was th

ed, "Felizardo's own daughter-the well-dressed, pretty mestiza, I suppose. I don't think I shall ment