"Brutal, doubtless. But such things were common in those days,"returned the admiral.
"God pity us, they are too common in Manila in these days. Thereputation of the friars was such in those days that when some of themwent to Japan it was reported in that land that they were advanceguards of the Spanish army, getting a foothold, and that after themwould come the army to protect them. The Mikado ordered the friarsout, but they defied him. Then the Japanese emperor adopted heroicmeasures. He gathered together 150 lepers and sent them to Maynila,saying that Japan did not allow Roman friars in that country, but,since these friars were fond of this kind of people, he sent them aship load."
"That, too, seems to have been inhuman. How were the lepers received?"
"Oh, the friars built the hospital of St. Lazarus for theirreception. You can see it beyond those palms."
"That was rather a Christian act."
"The friars have done some good. But they insist on foreign friarsruling instead of native priests, and to maintain their supremacykeep the people uneducated. Then they claim ownership of large tractsof the best land, and exact high rentals. The people have rebelledagainst their exactions over and over again. Long ago the king ofTagals killed the alcade of Tayabas province, and made the peoplebelieve that the earth would swallow the Spaniards when they wereattacked, but his rebellion was put down with great slaughter."
"No wonder, General. This confirms my information that the inhabitantsare not free from superstition."
"Eso fue en los dias antiguos [5], Admiral. The people were crudethen. Perhaps they were like your American Indians. But they wereoppressed, and they began even then the rebellion against Spain and thefriars which they have maintained for over 300 years, from the dayswhen Soliman, the native king, set fire to Maynila and fought themfrom the forests, to the last rebellion of Rizal and the religiousdeflection of Aglipay."
"It seems to me a man of ability, like you, General, ought to be ableto win."
"We will win. But we have hoped so that the great North Americannation that pitied Cuba and that is fighting for her independence willso pity us and give us independence. I assure you, Admiral, we haveendured longer and more than Cuba has done. The oppression had beenadmitted by our masters. The Augustinians and Jesuits accused eachother of cruelty and the Jesuits were banished. It was not till 1859that they were permitted to return. I told you about the destructionof Manila by earthquake in the olden days. That was not the last orworst seismic disturbance."
"I had heard as much."
"In 1863 the city was again destroyed by earthquake, which killedthousands of people and left much destitution. The grafting thatfollowed was scandalous and caused much dissatisfaction. It was in1872 that the great insurrection occurred. But for an error in signalswhich started the trouble before the people were ready to support it,it would have succeeded. As it was, many were executed and shot. Atanother time the people were promised amnesty if they would lay downtheir arms, but when they did so thousands were massacred. Then camea period of organizing secret societies to work against the friars,who were also rulers."
"But these are only incidents that come in the history of every land."
"Por Dios, Donde se hallaria otro pais que has sufrido tanto. [6]Think of it! Up to 1811 the Philippine islands dared not trade withany country but Mexico, not excepting their neighbor, China. Thenthe picturesque, half-moon-shaped galleons of Mexico did all thecarrying of the Philippines and charged prices such as would enrichthem in spite of the pirates they frequently met. For this tradeMexican promoters and the Spanish crown received their tribute, andthe Spanish friars, too, had their share. The people were abjectlypoor. Even the soldiers were often unpaid, and begged their supportfrom the people whom they subjected. The friars charged exorbitantrentals on the lands they claimed. They encouraged the people tobuild cathedrals, monasteries and churches, but the cathedrals,monasteries and churches did not belong to the people after they hadbuilt them. They charged the people rental on graves in consecratedground, and when the rent was not paid they evicted the dead. They madethe price of marriage so high that many of the people lived togetherout of wedlock. The friars selected the women of the people theyfancied and openly consorted with them, and the children of friarsare common throughout the islands. The people are poor, living forthe most part in grass houses, while the friars are rich and live inluxury; and this has been going on for centuries."
"Bad, very bad; the morals of the tropics and the Orient."
"This is not all. The friars exercised the power of secretinvestigation, and one never knew when he was safe. A friar mightreport a man as a conspirator against Spain, and, while meetinghim and showing friendship for him in public, secretly secure hisbanishment. There have been cases which I could name, where friars,coveting the wife or sister of a man, have procured his banishmentor even secured for him an appointment at a distance, so that theymight have the way open to accomplish their purposes. There was a fearwhich beset every man, even those who through fear were nearest tothe friars, that if his eyes should light upon his wife or daughterin an envious way, if he did not give them up he was lost."
"Surely, General, this is exaggerated."
"The half has not been told. In Lenten time, which was the periodwhen the country folk came to confess, the parish friar would givestrict orders to the scribes of the church that in the distributionor giving out of the certificates to the penitents among himselfand his coadjutors they should give him the young unmarried womenand servant penitents, whom he obscenely solicited through words andmanipulations in the confessional."
"Why, this is horrible."
"It is, indeed. Some reverend friars arrogated to themselves rightswhich in feudal times were called rights of pernada, or the rightto enter the bed of a new bride before the husband. The parish friarconverted himself up to a certain point into an absolute lord, masterof lives and property, and, if he so willed, made and unmade everythingaccording to his fancy. Master of the will of the people more throughfear than out of love for him, he nominated town authorities thatpleased him, which nomination elevated almost always the greatestflatterer of all his parishioners, and it is plain that all weightydeterminations dictated by the municipal authorities were not properinitiatives, but those of his amours."
"It does not seem possible. Why, that is worse than Cuba."
"Imagine paying rental on a grave for the bones of a dear one, untilyour money was exhausted, and then seeing the remains dumped intoa pile of bones along with scores of other victims. Imagine beingrequired to produce a certain crop each year to be turned over to thefriars, and if you failed, becoming indebted to them so that there wasno hope of your ever paying out. Imagine being compelled to sell yourrice to the friar at the price he might offer, and being forbiddento take it to an open market where the price was higher. Would yourebel against such conditions?"
"The American would not tolerate it even for a moment."
"That is not all. They were cruel, not only in the treatment of theirservants by beating them, but they also took great delight in being eyewitnesses to tortures and beatings of men and in prisons and jails bythe civil authorities. They were always, when witnessing these acts,accompanied by some of the higher Spanish civil authorities, andthese acts were usually carried out at the instigation of the friars."
"I did not know of all these things."
"Would to God that you knew, Admiral. Listen! In 1781 the growing oftobacco on Luzon was made a government monopoly. If farmers refused toplant a certain amount of tobacco the land was taken from them. Lawrequired the natives to 'tend the tobacco that when raised belongedto the government; that is, to the friars. If the crop was less thanthe amount estimated for each farmer, he was heavily fined and becameresponsible for that much more the year following. If the crop wasabove the estimate, the government seized it all and destroyed whatit could not sell to advantage."
"No doubt you have suffered much."
"Cuba does not know suffering, Admiral. Yet yo
u liberty-lovingAmericans are warring to give Cuba her freedom. Give us freedom,too. Promise me, Admiral."
The insurgent general, with the impetuosity of the tropics, fell onhis knees before Admiral Rainey and seized his hands.
"America will see you have your rights. Arise," the admiral said,flipping a speck from his coat as he spoke. The insurgent leaderreverently kissed the hand of the admiral, and, crying, "You willbe hailed as the great emancipator," signaled to his attendants, andprepared to leave the flagship. Under Rainey's guns the company madeits way to shore, not far from the old moat outside the city's walls,now overgrown with grasses and vegetation, which served for drainingthe outlying country.
III.
WON BY A WOMAN.
As General Saguanaldo and his men drew to shore, a small Englishwoman approached him from a clump of bamboos that grew near the shore,hiding the new city from sight.
"What do you here, Madam Rizal?" asked Saguanaldo, bowing low. "Youalways bear important news."
"I have a circular which Bishop Lonzello has been distributingthroughout Luzon. Did you win a promise from the admiral to aid usin our struggle?"
"He told me to go ahead and do the best I could against the Spaniards."
"But no promise definitely to help us gain our independence?"
"N-o, I can't say that he did."
"Grant me permission, then, to lay this document before him. I am ofhis own race, and believe I can induce him to aid our cause."
"Let me see the paper."
Mrs. Rizal handed the paper to the insurgent general, and as he readstood gazing abstractedly over the water. She was yet a young woman,but her face revealed both sorrow and determination. She was thewidow of the late insurgent, Dr. Rizal, who was the best educated andprobably the most manly of all who had opposed the exactions of thefriars in the interest of the native population. He had accomplishedbut very little, and only a short time before had been shot by theSpanish soldiery, at the instigation of Lonzello and others. Thewidow, after that event, seemed to have no object in life but tocarry on the work her husband had begun, and became an invaluable aidto Saguanaldo. She grasped situations he could not understand. Sheadvised with the good sense of a veteran. She went from place to place,singing, talking and encouraging. She was always active in the causeof Philippine independence, and no task, no privation, was so greatas to deter her. But perhaps the service that most appealed to theFilipino leader came through her friendship with Ambrosia Lonzello. Shemanaged that the aling [7] might meet her lover, and at the same timeprotected them from the friar, her father, so that he never suspectedthat his enemy was the lover of his daughter.
"Go, and God bless you," said the insurgent, after he had finishedreading the friar's address.
Again the boat pushed from shore, this time bearing, not Saguanaldo,but Mrs. Rizal. When they arrived at the American flagship thewoman introduced herself to Admiral Rainey and gave a history ofher husband's struggle and his fate. There was more feeling in herrecital than there had been in Saguanaldo's and the admiral wasclearly touched by it. When she had finished the story she said:
"And, Admiral, our enemies are your enemies. The men who are fightingus are warring you also. I do not ask you to take my word for it,but I bring you a circular which is being distributed over the islandby Friar Lonzello, which I ask permission to read to you."
The admiral gave his consent and the woman read, translating fromthe Spanish as she proceeded:
There appeared at dawn, on a sad day for this country, my beloved sons, mastering our beautiful bay, the North American squadron, that in a few months, and in spite of the heroism of our sailors, destroyed our ships and raised upon one of our plazas, blessed soil of the nation, the flag of the enemy. Do not ignore who it is and what he attempts, who with such haughty pride, would trample right under foot and impose himself upon us. It is the alien, who wishes to subject us to his hard yoke. It is the heretic, who desires to snatch from us our religion. It is the insatiable commercialist, who, with the ruins of Spain and her possessions, wants to swell his fortune. Unhappy Spain, if the invader achieves his purpose! Poor Filipinos, the day that the North American establishes here a permanent government! Very soon you will see an impassible barrier between you and your proud masters. You would then have neither office, employment nor participation in the government or administration of the cities. You would soon form a separate class, reviled as pariahs, exploited like miserable serfs, reduced to the condition of day laborers, and even to that of a beast or a machine fed with a pinch of rice or corn, that your master would throw in your face as a daily ration, in order to not see himself deprived of the product of your labor and sweat; he regaled with the treasures and fruits of the country that is yours and not his. You would soon see your temples in ruins. The cross would disappear from your cemeteries, the crucifix from your schools.... Fortunately the Filipinos recognize all the perils that threaten. Perhaps us a unit for your defense, and as a single soul raise to heaven your ardent supplications. To arms, to arms, and to prayer! To arms, for Spanish people, when its patriotism is wounded and its religion attacked, is capable of great achievement. To prayer, because the victory is with God and against infidels.
Jose Lonzello, Bishop of Manila. [8]
Shortly afterward two boats put forth from the battleship for theshore bearing, not only Mrs. Rizal, but also a quantity of guns andammunition, as well as other equipments for campaigning. They weremet at the shore by Saguanaldo and his men with demonstrations ofjoy and Mrs. Rizal delivered her message from the admiral with thefeeling of triumph:
"Tell General Saguanaldo," the message went, "to take and hold thecity of Manila. The American battleships will see that the Spanishforts do not interfere. But destroy as little property as possible,and maintain order and discipline."
IV.
"BY THE DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT."
It was a dark night. The sports that had characterized the earlyevening, and the throng of gay promenaders that had ranged thestreets devoted at night to the business of pleasure instead of thepleasure of business, had given place to rest and quiet. The citywas asleep--soundly asleep. It was the sleep of exhaustion thatcomes after play that is the hardest of work. Gambling houses wereclosed. The cock-pit, where a few hours before so many had gatheredto participate in the great Spanish amusement, was deserted. Even atthe arsenal of Cavite, eight miles away, all was silent except forthe tread of sleepy sentinels.
New Manila, a modern city of more than a hundred thousand mixedpeople, lay on the east of Passig river, a place of merchandisingand cosmopolitan in its sport and games of chance. But, though it wasthe more important of the two towns that were yet one, it was withinthe walled city that the public buildings and the great cathedralwere located. Several stone bridges spanned the Passig river, eachopening to a gate in the wall, which was often 150 feet through, buthollow, with rooms inside for the storage of forage, the stablingof animals, etc. In olden days the wall was a formidable defense,and was supplemented, where the river did not flow, with a moat. Butnow the moat was neglected and covered with a green scum, and snakesinfested it while disease was breeded from it. And the wall was nolonger a defense. The soldiers were careless now. In truth, they werepoorly paid and none too loyal to Spain. It may have been for thisreason that at one of the gates, this night, there was an opening thatwould admit a man, yet that was not observable from a distance. Forsome strange reason no one seemed to be watching. Dark figures filedinto this gate, and crept under the walls to the true gate, enteringthe city. A squad here, a few there, but, all told, hundreds. Again,for some mysterious reason, no soldiers were on guard. The city wassafe anyhow; it had not been invaded for many years, and the proudCastilian felt that no one would dare to challenge him.
Up unfrequented streets a few figures stole silently, unobserved. Itwas so dark that, even had they been seen, few would have known
thatthey were armed. It was so silent that the city seemed a place of thedead instead of the living, and the superstitious natives who werethus stealing into the city were more apprehensive of apparitions thanof the Spanish soldiery. As the men entered from many streets theyconverged to one place. They then moved in small squads silently onthe sentries, capturing and silencing them. They moved to the publicbuildings and took possession of them. They ran down the Spanish flagand in its place hoisted the insurgent flag. It was the crowning workof Saguanaldo.
Before this time, under his leadership, the insurgents had takenpossession of Malalos, and even now they were active all over theisland of Luzon. An election was under consideration, and Saguanaldo'scandidacy for president was uncontested. It was a peculiar situation,due to a lull before the storm. The American fleet, after havingsunk the Spanish vessels, hesitated about taking possession of theislands lest complications might ensue; yet it was such a menace tothe Spanish forts that they realized their helplessness. With boththe Spaniards and Americans doing nothing, the insurgents were ableto accomplish more than they had ever done before. Their successfilled Saguanaldo with delight. He arranged his troops to the bestadvantage and was soon in possession of the city.
Then suddenly the stars winked out and over the wooded uplands tothe east the sun arose.
"It is the sun of Filipino independence," said Saguanaldo, pointingto the orb of day. "How quickly has the darkness passed and how brightthe new era of the Philippines is." And then the soldiers cheered.
When morning come and the people understood the changed situationMrs. Rizal called on Ambrosia Lonzello that she might felicitate withher. "Ambrosia, the city has been taken and is in the hands of theinsurgents," began the older woman. "It means Filipino freedom. Evenif we are not able to maintain our own independence, then America willbe our protector. And the night is past. Oh, thank God, thank God!"