The San Francisco call., 1904-04-24


only by his own one experience. He
had won where others had lost.
The Americans learned something of
Dia bio : antecedents from the return
ing natives. He had been brought
there by a company Of insurgent regu-
lars from the Tagalog country as a
mascot He had always been on fair
ly good terms With them, except that
he occasionally displayed a very hasty
temper when Offended. He had strong
likes and dislikes. and his dislikes
usually outnumbered his likes. The red
trousers Of the insurgent cavalry uni
form were especially distasteful to his
esthetic sense. There had been only
one cavalry officer in San Ramon in
those days, a Colonel Lala who was
there on some vague mission for the
Iarlac Government, and he. or his
trousers. became the object of Di-
ablo's bitterest animosity. Whenever
the colonel appeared in the plaza
Dlablo's most intimate friends could
not hold him back, and the colonel
found il safer to keep indoors. He
openly advocated death for the goat
but the discipline of the already half
shattered insurgent army was then too
loose to permit of such tyrannical pro-
ceedings. With all his faults the Tag
olog regulars still had a genuine regard
for their camp follower. That he had
not been taken along in the retreat
showed only how hard pressed they
had been.
AS time passed Diablo became ap-
parently used TO his white asso-
ciates as he had been TO the brown.
He formed a rather intimate friend
ship with the first sergeant, who had
been the object of his special animosity
the first day. Him he would sometimes
honor with formal visit at quarters.
but toward the rest of the men, includ-
ing the colonel, who sometimes came
up from Vigan, Diablo's attitude was
one of contemptuOus liberation. If he
met them in the narrow streets he gave
them just one-half Of the right of way
not an inch more.
Diablo's attitude toward women was
peculiar. 1t was a fact that any hu-
man figure above a certain age that
wore skirts was an object to be ac-
lively avoided. The ColoneTs wife
came ND from Nigan several times,
and at once made overtures of friend
ship TO Diablo, but with calm dignity
he refused to meet her advances. He
showed no less aversion toward the
native women. If he met them in the
street he carefully stepped aside with
a chilly politeness and allowed them
to pass.
But strange TO say. when it came to
complete reversion. Small boys hs
could not endure. Little girls needed
no introductions to become his friends;
for them he even showed a marked
fondness- They might pull his beard
or punch his ribs or even crawl upon
his back, and he tolerated all with
a patience simply astounding in one
of his otherwise hasty temperament.
Bananas or turnips from their hands
were especially delicious. Toward all
of them he was distinctly paternal.
1t was the one soft spot in his world
hardened character.
Little Mercedes the daughter of a
local tobacco merchant, was once lost
for whole day. The surrounding
jungles were searched by American
soldiers and natives for many hours
until near sunset, when she was found
some distance up the mountain, MAX
ing faces and calling names to the
nervous little jungle monkeys. Had
she been alone she might have been in
some danger, but Diablo was found
patiently watching her from under a
nearby mango tree. He had followed
and kept his eye on her the whole
day, and when they found her, he
abruptly left and trotted back to
town.
Thus months passes and. except for
few lively encounters with various
men, both Filipinos and Americans.
who were absent-minded enough to
forget Diablo's prejudices against GER
tain peculiarities of dress, life in San
Ramon was peaceful enough. 1t was
not until il was rumored that the in
surgent guerrilla leader. Tino, was
coming down from the north that the
monotony of the tedious garrison life
was broken.
Then began the hikes into the neigh
had slight skirmishes with Tino's men,
but no great harm was done to either
side. A few prisoners were brought
in and an American corporal was
wounded, but Tino's game just then
was to lie low until the rainy season.
One evening the officers were gath
cred at mess, when a native boy came
in and silently delivered a letter to the
colonel himself He opened ii, read it
and then hastily excusing himself rose
and left the ROOM It was quite dark
as he made his way across the plaza
and entered the house of a local mer-
chant, rich mestizo known to be IA
vorable to the American cause for bust
ness reasons.
The colonel was met at the door by
the mestizo himself. who conducted him
into a rear room of the house There,
seated in a large cane chair, was a
yellow face was none the more attrac-
tive for a long, stringy, black mus
tache- As the two men entered he rose
and bowed.
Dis ees Colonel Lala," said the mer-
chant. and bowling he left the military
men together. The two seated them
selves close together and spoke in low
tones. the American listening mainly,
but occasionally nodding his head.
Finally the native drew from an inner
pocket Of his civilian white drill coat
a paper, thereby exposing the finely
striped white and blue uniform coat of
an insurgent officer. He hastily rebut-
toned the outer coat and spread the
paper before the colonel on a small
table.
The two men were still examining
this paper when a noise below caused
them to raise their heads. In the rear
of the room was a trap door of light
bamboo, covering Il stone stepway
that descended to the basement. Sud-
denly there came LOUD crash with
splintering of glass from between
the cracks Of the foor rose the smell