The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-08
MUCHO"
BY HYLAND &. KIRK,
Pay Department United States Army

IAE AANEAa LII TN EA&a9 W13 &c ma
orally. and the nipa and banana trees
bWaying gently in the breeze cast their
moving shadows as IL they covered moth
ing more harmful than an iguana or other
i~traying denizcn OF the stream. Yet not
three rods distint from the opposite bank
aere concealed some forty hombres. each
armed with q death-dealing Mauser rifle.
Their uniforms resembled working clothes.
,t IS true, but that IN no wise affected the
Sragically severe character Of their pur-
pose. whatever that was.
The main road from Capiz 10 Dao runs
nearly parallel TO the Panay river at this
point, and about Z mile beyond Panitan,
a crossroad from the east fOrds the stream
connecting with the main thoroughfare.
On both sides Of the crossroad beyond the
ttream. concealed by trees and foliage, the
fiaemen were located.
None Of the people IN the town seemed to
know OF their presence. Taos came along
with bull carts and others walking, smok-
ing their cigariIos and tabaccOs placidly
enough. Carts from the opposite side OF
;the stream descended the sloping excava-
ition and swashed across behind the wal
flowing steeds. others from the barrio
:passed IN the opposite direction, and be-
.yond the sound OF the water. the yell of
1.-THE driver, the low murmur Of insects and
az occasional blrd-nOte, quietude reigned.
There was no reason, it is true. why the
presence OF an armed body of insurrectos
;Hhould have been suspected in that neigh
fborhbOd. The barriO was peaceful and the
native inhabitants. chiefly laborers. were
some OF them employed in one department
or another Of the United States govern
iment service, and besides there was one
:ccmpany Of regulars seven miles further
,out at Dao, another sixteen miles west
ward at Mambusao. and a third at Du-
imarao, eighteen miles directly south
About a week before this from one of the
iinsUrrecto companies serving under General
iDiocno. commander-in-chief in the province
Iof Capiz, Panay. one Of the soldiers, a
.thick-set, stolid looking Tao named Va
~:leriano. disappeared one day, a circum-
~:stance which excited some surprise among
-his comrades. Why had he gone and where?
Enquiry Of the company commander ELECTED
1.-THE rather doubtful information that it was
mo importe," which merely increased the
curiosity and deepened the mystery of his
disappearance. Valeriano was not an es-
i~pecially good soldier: he was too slow both
Ito understand ard to execute. but there
Twas one thing in which he surpassed all his
lcOmrades and possibly the entire
,and that was in his knowledge OF the cara
ibaO. He was an expert on that subject in
IA practical way. He had been born and
reared with them. played with the calves,
nursed the adults in sickness, even on one
occasion curing the frightful garrotillo and
preventing an epidemic. He had caught and
blamed wild oues. had trained tame ones for
Especial work. and taught them tricks Of
quite a surprising character. He knew their
periods OF life, how long they will live;
sknew just how much a carabaO knows and
,what he can be depended upon to do under
ordinary and extraordinary circumstances.
Valeriano often smiled when he heard
others talking about the carabaO in a
i derogatory way. for he knew very well that
when properly handled even this clumsy,
! slow. patient. bulky creature can be made
40 display some astOnishingly strong points.
It was known to mis- company commander
that Valeriano had in his possession a doc
ument containing his name and headed:
: y SUMPA NGA Dill MAG BUDHI,
, (Oath OF A~llegiance),
which would be sufficient TO satisfy any
American he might encounter that he was
a loyal amigo.
The day before the disappearance of
Valeriano a courier from an insurrecto
4: colonel located at Dumangas. Panay, had
. brought wore to the insurrecto commander
IN eastern Capiz that the chief pagador
(. OF the American forces in the Department
Of Visayas had just left uoilo on a gov
srnment launch TO pay the troops on the
east and rOrph coast Of Panay. He would
: probably be occupied one day at Sara on
the east coast, another at the town of
, Capiz. capital of that province, and fol-
lowing his usual custom. on the third day
would make an inland trip TO DaO. Nam
busao and Dumarao, TO pay the garrisons
at these stations; thence he would return
10 Capiz and continue his trip around the
: coast. The dispatch cited the rather in
terestins cir eumstance that on the down
trip the pagador's strong box would con-
tain over 100000 OIeXican currency, "A
, desirable acquisition certainly. and the
statement indicated a remarkable knowl-
edge of the facts.
quite in accord with this dispatch, the
American paymaster having completed the
| payment OF troops at Capiz, proceeded in
! land TO pay he interior posts of the prov
/ ince. As UncIe sam had provided no mule
(: flesh in the animate form at this period
the money chests had TO be conveyed by
bull carts. of which there were two, the
animals being changed every few miles or
the trip. Tbs major. clerk and Lieutenant
commanding :the escort were mounted, but
the twenty enlisted men travelled on foot
1t was the month of May, the weather
(: very dry and hot. with the sun shining
fercely. The draught steeds were chiefly
earabao. which by the yelling and prodding
! of their Visayan drivers, were forced along
at a very sl9w gait of three or four mile:
an hour. stirring UP the heated dust in 9
way that was anything bur agreeable tC
the human element OF the cOrtege. TX
avoid the dUft, the greater part of the es.
cort kept inzadvance OF the carts.
There were booths along the way viii
{ fruit, nuts. tuba and other things for sale
and many OF the escort sough 10 aIlay
: the intensity OF the heat by copiou:
draughts. from time TO time as they moved
along. OF sap from the cocoanut trees
{. whether tbs innocent beverage contained
something stronger or Tot. quite a nun
Der OF those. who drank It became slightly
exhilarated and seven or eight so violently
81 that they had 10 be carried in the carts
They reached Panitan, ten miles from Ca
|, piz. about 2 p. m. and halted for luncl
4 beyond the two. While their horses wer
being watersd and fresh steeds put on tn,