The Law of the Bolo

dined at the Military Club, where they made much of him, although, as a rule, the Army regarded the Constabulary much as i

e across the Bridge of Spain, into the newer part of Manila. They passed one or two native police slouching along, looking what they really were, more like thieves than thief-takers. With the exception of these, however, the stre

pped his knife, then took to his heels and fled down the street, right into the arms of a gigantic Sikh watchman from a neighbouring Government building-you can make your Little Brown Brother into a judge of the High Court, but you cannot trust him to guard Government stores-who, hearing shouts, had hurried up. The Sikh did n

nd in the major's forearm, and keeping his foot on the nec

. "Shall I--?" he nodded expressively towards the othe

wish you would look after him whilst we go along the street and

e-house. He attacked me with a knife, and in the struggle I happened to kill h

bout. I shouldn't have had much of a show if I had been alone, as I suppose they expected me to be. Hullo! what's that building lighted up? The Manila Star, isn't it?

his paper to press-he was his own chief sub-editor-

the hand, major; and you seem to have got it in the ribs,

t through my clothes," he said. "It can only be a scratch. I wish you woul

cy groaned. "My luck. If it had been half an hour earlier, it would have been a fine

ancy walked down the street with Basil to the scene of the attack. T

ver to where the other lay, in the middle of the road, and Clancy gave a low whistle. "This one I do know, though. He is, or rather he was, in the Education Depa

ce to the whole matter. Even the sight of the Constabulary officer's uniform was insufficient to make them outwardly civi

not saluting. Do you hear? I will take no insolence from you

y to go to the station in the mo

captain's room, the latter gave him a queer look. "Want me on busines

tood. "Has h

d, and you-well, your ribs don't show. The night captain called up Some One; and he said that, with the Vagas and Guiterrez business,

he?" Ba

t son, just back from London, where they seem to allow any fool-doctrine to be ta

grimly; "one gets tired of this sort of busi

Spain, into the Pasig; but he got orders to discover an accidental death, a fall from an upper window-you understand?-and they're going to hav

or's hand, and the Sikh wondering how he could purify himself after having touched such vermin, bu

ruck him. "Clancy knows," he said. "Clancy

one so for Furber; no, sir. Awkward sort of an Irishman, unless you handle him right. They'd have deported him long ago, if he had b

he coastguard steamer this

previous night when Basil called on him to see if there were

mountains, and there you are to remain. We want no more of these theatrical marches, ending in massacres of deluded peasants. I have had reports from the Presidente and other local officials, as well as from some friends in Manila, which

face; consequently, [187]he missed Basil's expression, though, perhaps,

anila it would be unsafe to dismiss him. I could almost wish that those men last night--" He broke off sud

his colleague. "I wish to blazes they had knifed the swine," he said. "He's put a stop to the sale of that hemp la

urber's a bit pious, but he don't forget all the same, nor does Sharler. This Vagas business has hit 'em hard; and Mrs Sharler, Vagas's sister you know, has a to

uard steamer, and laughed grimly. "A bit futile, isn't it?" he r

red in Manila. She shuddered a little when she heard how he had been ordered to superintend the exec

eant as an insult, I know; b

thought a little coldly. "Why, Captain Hayle?

ould die, if I had to go into the prison and shoot him myself." And th

u should have been so bitter against

moment, though, by dint of questioning her maid, who in turn questioned others in the town, she got some clue to the truth a few [189]days

was grateful for what the other had not said in his report, a

night?" he added.

n men back with me, and I want to get across to Silang as soo

effort it was costing him to say those word

of Scouts round to co-operate with mine." Bush's voice recalled Basil s

h his mind. "Bush is going up to Felizardo's mountains. Would Bush ever come back?

things, an officer in the service of the United States, so he spoke very gravely. "I have been up there, Bush, and I know what it means. Two companies of Scouts are utterly useless

n, then checked himself. "Thanks for the information," he

t up at once. "No," he said, "Scouts are not Constabulary, so you may have different luck from what I had. I hope so." Bush, ashamed of his outburst, muttered some thanks, but Mrs

ly alarmed, then some of the outlaws had come forward and explained matters. After that, everything had gone very smoothly. Felizardo's men had plenty of fresh meat, the Constabulary had some especially choice cigarettes; consequently, it was no difficult matter to do a deal. On the second morning, three of the soldiers were actually guests in the outlaws' camp, but a return invitation was declined. The chief had given definite orders on that point. Then, suddenly, there had come the news of the killing at Igut-wonderful, splendid news, which had ma

, none the less, it had been effective, and, even if the tao of Silang had seen a good deal of the Constabulario

being practically cut off from the outer world, which, to his mind, now meant from Mrs Bush. Unfortunately, however, his contentment did not last very long. Before he had been at Silang a week, he had begun to hunger for news from the other side of t

knowing that every day of delay must make disaster more certain. Then [193]suddenly a messenger had come

in the lower end of the town an hour previously, and he had divined that she knew. Still, there had been something almost wistful in the man's eyes, some hint of the lover which had been, and a word, the right word, woul

lary in general, and Basil Hayle in particular; then with a curt "Good-bye" he had stalked out into the plaza, where Lieutenant Vigne was awaiting him

him. Was he quite sure of that? They gave him a much-needed glass of spirits and a cigarette, and then asked him again. Was he still sure there were none others? No, now he came to think of it there were some left, a little group, which, with Bush as its rear guard

to pay one of his rare visits to Mrs Bush, whom he admired as much as he loathed her husband. She came down to

breath. "Ah! A

Bush is bringing them back. I hear, though, that there are many wounded. I have told them to clear out my [

g ready. The surgeon, who had come up with Lieutenant Vigne, and had himself escaped untouched, forgot half his weariness when he glanced round. "Thank God!" he said. "I was afraid there might be nothing, not even hot water. Do you think you could help me, Mrs Bu

ff like water. "You can do that when you've been through Hell, Mrs Bush," he said, noticing her look. "I

can't do that, doctor. You must come to th

l certainly die before dawn, two others are just on the border line. If I

behind the door, and covered him over very gently; then she went back to the house to look for her husband, whom, so far,

and the Supervisor, Senora," a v

g she took a definite step, writing a long letter to Captain Basil Hayle, giving him an account of the expedition as she had heard it from the doctor, in itself a

. The Scouts, winded by the long climb up the muddy hillside, had been able to put up no effective resistance against the bolomen, who came in under cover of the smoke. Those who did escape, leaving some seventy of their comrades, including Lieutenant Vigne, dead in the j

impossible for the Commission to do as it had done in the case of Basil Hayle's disaster, suppress news of the whole affair. The Army had the

proceeded to make matters much worse for his colle

best authority. It seems amazing that the Scouts should have retreated before such a small body, leaving so many dead behind them. The Governor-General is most pertur

t, every foot of the way, by unseen riflemen, until its nerve was gone, and it decided to return to the cover of the bush, where the bolomen speedily got to work on it. No trace of a permanent camp was ever found, the enemy was never seen, save when he himself had chosen the time and pl

do to us? I understand that, from the first, he has only asked to be left alone. I know he hanged some

y, and as soon as the plain-spoken General had gone, sent for Mr Commissioner Furber and one or two distinguished officials who had held great positions under the i

"then I shall know that no chance of esc

o's men. The first pair of mestizos drew five thousand pesos for a start, then, probably in a fit of mental aberration, wandered aboard the Hong Kong [200]steamer, and were seen no more in the Philippine Islands. The second pair were more successful; in fact, possibly because they were escort

is district, began to come in to Manila, until there were fully three thousand of them ready, if not exactly eage

ad better let him stay at Silang. He must be pretty weary of the place by now, and he may resign. I

ople of the place. Mr Commissioner Furber stayed with the Presidente, and was n

eated to Mr Furber, tended to confirm his prejudice against women from the South. He, in turn, repeated the words to the Presidente, who thereupon made a remark about Mrs Bush and Captain Hayle which would have caused most white men to throw h

p on to the pass which you crossed going to Silang, and started to sweep the upper heights, whilst the others closed in gradually. They wer

nte of Igut accompanied him, rather reluctantly, feeling, perhaps, that he was going rather t

matter for the troops themselves, especially when none of the men happen to be mountaineers by birth. Still, the little fellows did their best, despite the

d, it was obvious that, somehow or other, the head-hunters had secured twenty-four fres

her came in, this time from one of those two traitors in Felizardo's own camp. The band had broken up suddenly the previous night. The outlaws, feeling the game was hopeless, had gone, each his own way, slipping through the cordon of troops in the darknes

a load of anxiety seemed to slip fr

hem bring him down here, to Katubig. I have had a set of irons brought. As for the two-the two men

into them. They were going to capture the great Felizardo, after all; and each man would be able to declare to the girls in his village that it was he who had done the deed. They surrounde

rrible little old man? Was he [204]really going to be captured at last, after nearly thirty-six years?

s before that look that they cowered, rather than before the revolver in the outstretched hand. The horse went through the line as if no

the white officers sat down and mopped their foreheads, and wondered what Commissioner Furber would say. Then a thought struck one of them. "Where are those two spies of Furber's? I wonder whether--" He did not finish the sentence, but took h

serjeant. [205]"He has done it, single-

breath. "It is ill work t

r news of the capture of Felizardo, when one of the half-dozen members of the Igut police, who were serving as escort, suddenly tumbled up th

into the clearing, followed by a score of bolomen; but Commissioner Furber stood up to face the danger, like a white man should. It was, in a se

ittle veranda, which was fortunate for him; otherwise, he wou

then he spoke. "You are the Senor Furber? Good! I am Felizardo. [206]I was

loss for words. "I ... you"-he stammered a little-"you are at

me, which is very different. I am the Chief of these mountain

the point with this outlaw and Enemy of the Sovereign People. "It

htly; so his life was to be spared. "You are in my power. Your troops cannot be here for at least an hour, time enough in which to ki

Vagas. Read that, Senor," and he handed a letter to the white man, who, after having read it, looked very sternly at the trembling magistrate of Igut. Somehow, Mr Furber's views had changed

wo men, who dragged the Presidente out of the shack. The shivering wretch caught hold of Furber's leg as he was hauled

e cutting down the body of the Presidente, the officer in command hurried to the shack, where he found the C

after all, sir," th

at the Commissioner said, very quietly: "I know. Feliza