CHAPTER IV
CERVERRA'S INNOCENT SHOP
"D'ye know what I'm thinking about?" demanded Private Kelly, as heturned to look out southward from Fort Benjamin Franklin.
"Not being a mind reader--no," replied Hal.
"I'm thinking this country is a fine place to dream about."
"It's worth it," declared Sergeant Overton, with unsullied boyishenthusiasm.
"Worth it--huh!" retorted Kelly, who had served longer in the Army."Mind ye, I said this was a good country to dream about. But to livein--give me 'God's country.'"
The United States soldier on foreign service, invariably alludes to homein this way.
Send him to the fairest spot on which the human eye ever rested, and thesoldier will still longingly speak of home as "God's country."
"Then I'll be polite," retorted Sergeant Hal, "and say that I wish,Kelly, that you could be at home. But as for me, I'm glad I'm here."
"Wait until you are in your third enlistment, and have put in anothertwo years in the islands, after this time," growled Kelly.
"Why, where can you find a more beautiful spot than this?" demanded HalOverton, gazing across the fields toward the town of Bantoc. "I neversaw a more beautiful spot. I wonder if there are many like it in thetropics?"
"Beautiful?" rumbled Kelly. "Sure! But ye can't eat beauty. 'Tis a longway from anywhere, this spot, and that's what I've got against it."
"Grumbling again, Kelly?" asked Sergeant Noll Terry, joining them.
"Not grumbling," retorted Kelly. "Just giving my opinion. But this boysergeant is trying to make me think this swamp on northern Mindanao isan earthly paradise."
"Well, isn't it?" challenged Noll. "I know what ails you, Kelly. Whenall is peace and comfort, with three 'squares' a day, and not a heap todo, your old soldier is always kicking. But just send you and the rest,Kelly, hiking up through those mountains yonder, give you twenty miles aday of rough climbing, drown you out with rain and let you use up yourshoes chasing a lot of ugly brown men, and never a kick will we hearcoming from you."
"Sure, no," replied Kelly philosophically. "'Tis then we'd be doing asoldier's work, and a kicker on a hike is as useless as a coffee-coolerat an afternoon tea."
"In other words," laughed Hal, "a real soldier of the Regular Army is aspatient as a camel when things are all going wrong. The only time whenyour real soldier kicks is when he's having it easy and is toocomfortable to be patient. Curious, isn't it?"
"Oh, well, 'tis no use talking to you two," retorted Private Kelly,shaking his head and strolling away. "Ye've not seen much of serviceyet."
"That's another joke," laughed Hal in a low voice, as soon as Kelly hadstepped out of hearing. "Here's a man like Kelly, with fairly longservice to his credit, but he's a private still, and probably alwayswill be. If the colonel made him a corporal, Kelly wouldn't rest untilhe had the chevrons taken from his sleeve so that he could be a privatesoldier again. Now you and I, Noll, work like blazes all the time, andwin our promotion, yet Kelly considers us only boys, and boys who don'tknow much, either. Either one of us can take Kelly out in a squad andwork him until he runs rivers of perspiration, and he can't talk backwithout danger of being disciplined. Yet all the time, Kelly, under ourorders, is thinking of us, half contemptuously, as boys who don't reallyknow anything about soldiering."
"That's because we're young," laughed Noll.
"And because we're also boyish enough to have a little enthusiasm leftin our make-ups. Noll, how do you really like our new station?"
"I wouldn't be anywhere else," retorted Sergeant Terry, "except somewhere else in the Philippines, possibly. One of the prospects thatcaught me for the service was the chance of seeing some of our foreignpossessions."
"It's what catches half the young fellows who enlist to-day," went onHal. "I've been looking forward to the Philippines from the day I firsttook the oath in the recruiting station."
"Well, we're here," replied Noll, breathing in the warm air with lazysatisfaction. "And I'm mighty glad that we're in for two years of it."
The Thirty-fourth had come out to the islands as a complete regiment.They had reembarked at Manila also as a regiment, but now the time hadcome when "Ours" was well scattered through the southern islands of thearchipelago.
The second battalion and headquarters, with the band, had disembarked atIloilo; two companies had been left on the island of Negros, and twomore on Cebu. B and C Companies had been left at Fort Franklin, in theMisamis district on northern Mindanao, and the remaining two companieshad been carried on to Zamboanga.
On its return trip the "Warren" had picked up the scattered militarycommands which the Thirty-fourth had relieved. Two companies of theThirty-second infantry had gone from Bantoc the day before.
Mindanao is the second largest and the most fertile island in thePhilippine group. The natural beauty is as great as the fertility. If itwere not for the occasional ferocity of some of the tribes this islandcould be turned into one vast net-work of plantations as rich as anythat the world can show.
Bantoc was a sleepy, sunlit little town, half Spanish and half Moro.Thanks to American rule, the streets were clean and order reigned. Therewere about forty stores and other mercantile establishments in Bantoc,for this town was headquarters for a large country district. The peopleof Bantoc, outside of the small white population, were more than halfMoros, the other islanders belonging to the Tagalo and other alliedtribes. Almost without exception these people were lazy andgood-natured. A newcomer would have difficulty in believing that suchmen as he met in Bantoc could ever give the soldiers trouble. It was tothis town that the few planters and many small native farmers sent richstores of rice, cocoa, hemp, cotton, indigo and costly woods.
There was also the port of Bantoc, through which these products weresent out to do their part in the world's commerce.
The native leaders of the population of Bantoc were wealthy little brownmen. There was much money in circulation, the leading Moros and Tagaloshaving handsome homes and entertaining lavishly. There was a nativefashionable set, just as exclusive and autocratic as any that exists ina white man's country.
Fort Franklin overlooked the bay at the opposite end from the port. Yetit was a "fort" only in being a military station. There was no artilleryhere, and the only fortifications were semi-permanent earthworks,fronted by ditches, thrown up around the officers' quarters and thebarracks and other buildings. The parade ground and recreation spaceswere outside these very ordinary fortifications.
"The whole scene looks too peacefully lazy to match with the yarns wehear of trouble breeding among the Moros in those mountains yonder,"remarked Hal musingly.
"If trouble is coming, I hope it will come soon," returned SergeantNoll. "The only one thing that I have against our life out here is thatit threatens to become too lazy an existence. If there's going to be anyactive service for us, I want to see it happen soon, for active serviceis what I came to the Philippines for, anyway, as far as I had anyinterest in the trip."
"From the gossip of the town and barracks, I think we'll have ourtrouble soon enough," Hal replied. "You have fatigue duty thisafternoon, haven't you, Noll?"
"Yes; thanks to your detail," replied Noll.
"But I couldn't help the detail, old fellow. Fatigue was for you in yourturn. I'm sorry it came to you to-day, though, for I've a pass and I'mgoing to run over into Bantoc. I want to see more of that queer littletown."
"Going to be back for parade?"
"Yes; my pass extends only to parade. I never want to miss that when Ican help it."
Hal glanced at his watch, then back at barracks, where hardly a soldiershowed himself, for all had caught the spirit of indolence in this hot,moist climate of Mindanao.
"Well, I must be going, Noll. Don't work your fatigue party too harduntil the men get used to this heat."
"Small danger of my working 'em too hard," laughed Noll. "It's only as asort of special favor that the fellows will work at all."
Hal, wi
th a nod to his chum, stepped out on to the hard, level, whiteroad that led from Fort Franklin to Bantoc.
It was a pretty road, shaded at points by beautiful palms; yet the shadewas not sufficient to protect the young soldier all the way into town.Ere he had gone far he found it necessary to carry his damp handkerchiefin one hand, prepared to mop his steaming face.
"Mindanao is certainly some hot," he muttered. "It keeps a fellowsteaming all the time."
Yet there was plenty to divert one's thoughts from himself, for alongthis road lay some of the prettiest small farms to be found on northernMindanao. Instead of farms they really looked more like well-keptgardens.
"It's the finest spot in the world to be lazy in," thought the youngsergeant, as he glanced here and there over the charming scene. "If Isettled down here for life I'd want money enough to pay other fellows todo all the work for me."
Though Hal did not know it, from the window of one room in a house thathe passed a pair of unusually bright, keen eyes glared out at him.
"That is he, the _sergente_, Overton," growled Vicente Tomba to himself."Since we have Senor Draney's orders that the _sergente_ is to leavethis life as soon as possible, why not to-day? He is going to Bantoc,where it will be easy to snare him. And his friend Terry is not withhim. That pair, back to back, might put up a hard fight--but one aloneshould be easy for our _bravos_. Then, another day, we can plan to getthe _Sergente_ Terry."
Hal was not quite in Bantoc when a Tagalo on a pony rode by him at agallop. Hal glanced at the fellow indolently, but did not recognize him,as it was not Tomba, but one of that worthy's messengers.
Up and down the principal street Sergeant Overton wandered. He glancedinto shops, though only idly, for to-day he was not on a buying mission.
At last the cool-looking interior of a little restaurant attracted him.He entered, ordering an ice cream. When this was finished he ateanother. It was so restful, sitting here, that when he had disposed ofthe second order, he paid his account but did not rise at once.
"The _sergente_ is newly arrived here?" asked a white-clad Filipino,rising from another table and joining Overton.
"Yes."
"Then you have not seen much of Bantoc?" asked the Filipino, speaking inSpanish.
"Not as much as I mean to see of the town," Hal answered in the sametongue.
"Then possibly, Senor Sergente, you have not yet seen the collection ofancient Moro weapons in the shop of Juan Cerverra."
"I haven't," Hal admitted.
"Then you have missed much, senor, but you will no doubt go to see thecollection one of these days."
"I'd like to. Where is the shop?"
"Four doors below here. If you have time, Senor Sergente, I am walkingthat way and will show you the place."
"Thank you; I'll be glad to go," answered Hal, rising promptly. His wasthe profession of arms, and a display of any unfamiliar weapons was sureto attract the young sergeant.
Juan Cerverra, despite his Spanish-sounding name, proved to be afull-blooded Moro. He wore his Moro costume, with its tight-fittingtrousers and short, embroidered blouse. There were no customers in theshop when Hal and his Tagalo acquaintance entered.
In another moment Sergeant Hal was deeply absorbed in several wall casesof swords and knives, all of them of old-time patterns. It was a sightthat would have bewildered a lover and collector of curios of past ages.
One case was filled entirely with fine specimens of that once-dreadedweapon, the Moro "campilan." This is a straight sword, usually, with avery heavy blade, which gradually widens towards the end. This is aheavy cutting sword, and one that was placed in Sergeant Hal's hands,though Cerverra claimed that it was two hundred years old, had an edgelike a razor.
"How much is such a sword as this?" Hal inquired.
"Forty dollars," replied Cerverra.
"Gold!"
"No; Mex."
Hal felt almost staggered with the cheapness of things here, as comparedwith the curio stores in Manila. Forty dollars "Mex" meant but abouttwenty dollars in United States currency.
"I have some cheaper ones," went on Cerverra. "Here is one at eighteendollars."
"I'm going to have one of these campilan," Hal told himself.
In his interest he did not note that the Tagalo who had brought him tothe shop had left him and was standing on the sidewalk outside.
"Are you interested in these creeses?" inquired Cerverra, passing downthe shop and pointing to another wall case.
The creese is an ancient Malay knife, with a waved, snaky blade--aweapon with which the Malay pirates of the past used to do fearfulexecution.
Hal stepped before the wall case. "They are very interesting looking,"he replied. "What does a good creese cost?"
The young sergeant did not wait for an answer.
Click! A spring bolt on the under side of a trap door on which he wasstanding shot out of place.
Down dropped the trap door with such suddenness that Hal Overton did nothave even time to clutch at anything.
Then the trap door, relieved of his weight, flew back into place.
Sergeant Hal shot down a steep incline, too smooth for him to be able tostay his downward progress.