The National tribune., 1901-10-17

I'M, BUT HE ONLY JEERED AT THEM"
| Silently they worked along to the river,
and rs quietly padded down the swift cur
rent of the Pasig, under the Puenta
| d Espana, above whose massive arches an
| American sentry was pacing, along the
guarded stone docks in front of the Custom
| House, and finally past the light house
and jetty into the bay.
| The canoe was then turned northward,
and urged on with strong and steady strokes
until it entered the bayou at Malabon, five
miles above the city. When the bridge
was reached the canoe was grounded. and
Bulger, his legs unbound and the gag re-
moved from his mouth. was conducted TO
hut and given bed on the hard floor
of bamboo strips. while sentinel mounted
guard outside till morning.
Soon after daylight he was aroused, and
after breakfast of rice and fish, he was
conducted into the presence of Gen.
Garcia. At Caloocan. two miles away,
where the American army lay behind
breastworks waiting for Gen. Otis to get
ready to advance upon Malolos, the bugles
had sounded the first call and reyeile, fol-
lowed by mess call and sick call. and the
sound had made him angry all through at
the attempt to despOil him of his honor
for he realized that circumstances might
make it difficult TO explain his absence
from his company.
tOo "itH ttli pdItld EeCtlNeO MIN WIN
the ELUSIVE and ceremonial courtesy the
Filipinos have learned from the Spaniards.
and offered him a commission in the In
surgent army if he would give them his
services, he called the astonished General
BLACK Niger" with a number of less
printable names. and treated him to
specimen of army invective that would
have made his hair stand if it had not
grown pOmpadour naturally. There Were
several undesirable places where he said
he would see him before he would do any.
thing of the kind. Poor Marial When
Bulger was returned to his hut prison I'M
der guard, she went to him, but he re-
fused to see her. He called her a cat and
other names even less complimentary, and
1t was probably well for them both that
she did not understand the meaning of any
of them. But his few Spanish explosives
and his manner were plain enough, and
she was plunged in grief, though she hoped
for a change when his anger wore away
and he realized that his life would be i'm.
periled by his stubbornness. Filipino
would commit any treachery under such
circumstances, and she naturally judged
him by the only standard she knew. But
Bulger remained firm, even under threats
of the bolo and starvation, the latter of
which was more than mere threat, as he
realized after going a whole day without
food. Daily he was offered position and
honor and daily he refused, His guards
scOwled upon him and made suggestive
motions with their hands TO show how they
would be pleased to slit his throat. Once
they went so far as to take him out,
blindfold him, tie his hands behind his
back and prepare to shoot him, but he only
ieered at them and called them a lot of
measly niggers. and even told the Aid Of
Gen. Garcia, who hastily rode up to stop
the execution, that he was nothing but a
monkey in uniform.
During this week of trial Maria lowered
as near as he would permit her, and he
little realized that the small quantity of
food he received was struggled in to him
through her influence.
When Corporal Bulger failed to answer
to his name at reveille roll call the morn
ing after his abduction, the Sergeant called
it again in surprise, and then marked him
absent. The Iieutenant's eyes glistened
as he realized that at last he had chance
to send his victim before court martial
He supposed that the delinquent had merely
oversight himself. but the chance was too
good 20 lose, so he directed him to enter
Bulgcr on the morning report as absent
without leave.
Great was the surprise in Company
when it was discovered that the most
exemplary soldier Of them all had remained
out of quarters over night, and this was
intensified when the day passed and he
iiieu 10 dppthI
The Lieutenant said nothing more to the
Sergeant and instituted no search. The
men knew this and wondered, and soon the
rumor spread that he had been a victim of
foul play and that the Lieutenant knew
something about it.
All sorts of stories were written home
about it, depending much upon the imagi-
nation of the writer. but the story of the
Lieutenant, intended for the ears OF
Florence Hamilton. was the most sensa-
tional. II was to the effect that the miss
ing man had married Il Filipino woman
and deserted to the insurgents, and that
he would he Court-martialed and shot as
soon as caught On the tenth day he had
the Sergeant change absent without
leave" to ''deserter' on the morning re-
port.
Meanwhile the half starved Corporal
had been taken from his hut and sent I'M
der guard to the Filipino intrenchments
facing Caloocan. where he was compelled
to put on a Filipino uniform and become
the servant Of some of the officers.