AS MAN TO MAN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12478, 18 April 1901, Page 7

AS MAN TO MAN.

(By FREDERICK PALMER.}

Hate is,, a strong word, but not too •trong for-.thi , feeling of Private Hain,<&' t>f the-'Kanjans, toward his captain. It wa§. the-mo'st-uncomfortable kind of-.hate, tfia'{£ which 'festers in a rugged and-out-spoken nature by the compression of en--iogced silence. Haines had been a month. . y*&tjbe home company of militia of Blashlong enough to be a cap-. tsm, when, at the outbreak of the "war, the town passed into a furore of patriotism ■which promised social' ostracism for any young man who remained at national organisation, Gordon retained his rank; Haines remained in the file. It .was jiot, tie .only .volunteer company that standout';with the idea that war stood fifi£. rollicking comradeship, only to - find tßafr privates. ■ were privates and officer's were* Officers; \ .«"Suffice it to say, injHaines's case, that he and.-the. captain were in love with the girl; and, moreover, that Haines had'last "seen her as the train pulled out of Slash-ton, waving her handkerchief to tfie" r officers' car. In face of her repeated promises to write he had not received a wordjn response, to his many letters. Suspicion-, had grown into conviction that the captain had used-his position to destroy anything in her hand addressed to him. Brooding on the march by day and in his ■ "blankets" at night had construed 1 every act of the captain relating tb himself into one of spite.. ■-■His : assignment to the Pepperbox was the crowning humiliation. The Pepperbox, so named by the captain, was an anti- ' quated harbour launch, remodelled into * gunboat, for use on the Laguna de Bay, ft lake whose waters the Pasig carries under the bridges of Manila. Nine feet beam and thirty feet over all, with a leaky boiler and a sputtering engine, a native pilot and a native engineer, the Pepperbox was not nothing of flight; painted leaden, with a Colt's automatic fore and a one-pounder* aft and bulwarks cf half-inch sheet iron, she'"was not a thing cf power. Gordon had been chosen for her command because ' he- was by profession, a steamboat captain. Haines, had been selected for one of the guard of five soldiers because he was a mechanical engineer. As Haines reasoned, however, the captain merely wanted an excuse for keeping his rival where he could still' *rub the vinegar of rank into open sores. .Gordon had ran over too many bars in the"" Missouri not to be aggressive. His idea K was, to stir the insurgents up whenever .he. had an ' opportunity. That, he said, kept them thinking. The Pepperbox's first assignment was the carrying of orders to'Lawto'n,. who had taken an expedition by water to Santa Cruz, the capital of Laguna Province, half-way down the lake. On the return journey Gordon had stopped'at-Calamba, where he had enjoyed himself" for half a hour by silencing the in- 1 surgent trenches. When he reported this •to -headquarters in Manila, expecting commendation for his enterprise, he was told in decisive language that his business was to carry despatches ; that his armament was .'meant only to assist his escape in case of .trouble, and that if he did anything of the ■ort again it would go hard with him. . -Therefore, as the launch Te-enteied the lake., at dawn.the next morning he was not only as., irritable as his crew from loss 'of sleep,"'but,-'the.reproof still rankling in'his -• ihJhd; I he 'Wra'i."in a mood to' agree/with 'nobody; "'"''He' fold himself that 'he aniglib ae well be crocheting tidies or 'towing coal oufr td I Dawey r: as commanding the Pepperbox: 1 /"■Wißho'ub any hope of excitement, he was in for'worry all day and worry all night and complaints at both ends of the line because he neven was on time> • While he sat in the bow, the men lounged in cramped positions in the stern. After the danger of running on bars at the en-] trance of the river was passed, in the hope' -of getting some -sleep- he stretched himself 98cf$9i4ffk ( :$i£h tbe platform,of.th,erigjnl%; as »-.pHlow'", 'and'called to Haines to^etrWrn' know if anything unusual happened. The Pepperbox chugged on with Oriental endurance. Every throb of her engine af-fected-to be a despairing, complaining last. It was some time before Haines notice'd that the pilot was taking an altogether different course from the two previous trips. When finally he did observe that the launch was ! well "into the centre of the lake and pointing dQwardctne-: right shore- instead of ,the ■ * JefVhe' d&iaanded an explanation of Manuel the pilot;.'/' . - "All same. ,. -Go straight. No go ronnd.' Mucho bueno "(very good). Me savez all ri*," wasXthe; reply in a mixture of pidgin English and "Spanish. Haines would have said no more if he had not noticed that the engineer was engrossed'in the conversation. The engineerhad' the reputation of understanding Eng.lish mucih. better than he pretended. When he saw that Haines was looking at him he became most -animatedly engaged with his duties. '.' I, believe you're up to some deviltry, '.Hainis exclaimed, and, forgetting his resolution, he.seized the captain by the arm and ..shook him. " The captain woke with a start and a pounding headache. He instantly looked to the' three'essentials and found that the launch was upright, .going at her usual ■peed, and there was no firing. " Well, what is it?" he asked irritably. ' ■ " Every time before we've gone just under "the lee : of that island yonder. Now "we're going clear to the other side of the lake. I- don't believe we've got eight feet under

" That's all right. We draw only four.— I Manuel" (to the pilot), "why you go this fashion ? We no belong over there?" " Manuel's jargon stated that Santa. Cruz lay straight ahead aTound the point of beach and the village toward which the Pepperbox ■ was being steered. So it did. He had previously followed the track of the big -launches. Now he was taking advantage j of the Pepperbox's light draught and a | •shallow channel, which enabled him to cut off five miles. •" Yeh," piped the engineer, too absorbed in the subject to remember that he was ignorant of English. "Many times go so '. Me sayez. No Can go fast, no have go so far. Muchobueno, eh?" I The captain was'delighted at the prospect •f delivering ins message an hour less tardily ' than he had expected. It meant, if Lawton was very tired, that his " So you are here, ; eh?" would be a little more, patient; or, if he was in good humour, his " Well! I never expected you back with that thing, captain. What did you do? Walk along the bank and tow.Mr?" a little more, jovial. ' Haines forgot his-position. He was conscious only, the captain was trying _ to »rgue him'down,'' ' "*. ', ' • "It's'tie .first I've heard of this channel," -he said. -? This, wonder is they didn't take it before;, vould be easy enough for these two Gugus-.tio run us' on a bar and leave us istuck thefe'td'fight it out with three or four hundred that lay in hiding to jump us." j " Nonsense! They know that if they attempted anything of the sort our first act wtould, be*to' blow their brains out." ] "■?' Well, .a' gpdd'many of 'em did try it on fche ?>ight of 3?eb. 4." y all,- Haines," eaid the captain / aharply. " '~ ».BraziJLg,with auger, Haines made a salute<if ironical' deference, which was not lost on bis superior. ;, ".jjopiJMainzeJ, and: you, engineer, there," the-'eaptain said,'.tapping his revolver, "you pavez you play any tricks—one, two, bang, I twJifjff'' "No more 1 Manuel, no more engineer." | >yjjjij- J si£-'..Muoh(i bueno," replied the engi- | ' neer. """ You.favez me long time. All time j Americano. ■ No insurrecto. Goddam Agui- • »*Wo;-vHeno good. '■ ■- f-Manuel was speechless and trembling ' His, .appearance and the engi- " jirot'estatibns quite satisfied the c;iptai&j' 'who. lay down on the deck again. Manuel 'began timorously to change the courae. But his nope of deceiving the engineer, who was grinning with confidenceywaa futile.' { lf the captain, had known whitfr'-hef&W'nr'Tagal to Manuel which Jo point the bow dead <m- to the he would have rushed Ho it hard'a-port with kii'<«ra hkuds. Instead, he lay idly gaz-,

ing at .the water, a victim of the difficulties of teaching and governing a race, which can speak treason gleefully to the faces of its rulers. 'Meanwhile the engineer partially uncovered something he had hidden in the coal and felt again in his pocket, to make sure that his matches were there.

The Pepperbox was now so near shore -that the little swells were breaking on the beach only a few yards away. At the same time as the men, the captain saw a heavy pole stuck in the bottom of the lake standing upright ten feet above the surface of the water and directly in front, of the bow W the launch. All called to Manuel in a breath. He turned the launch sharply on the inshore of this mark, which had been sot there for a specific purpose. As the captain sprang to his feet a dozen Mauser bullets fired from a trench, on shore cracked by and the Pepperbox grounded and keeled over on her side. -In his disgust, the captain first of all seized Manuel" who was already about to jump, and threw him overboard. ' _ ■ "Nolan, -you can handle the one-pounder alone!" he cried. "I'll take care of the Colt, and every man Jack of the rest jump in and push her off. Once afloat, we'll coax our friends out here up to their necks and then throw a hailstorm into, 'em, _ The men were in the water and had then shoulders against the hull before they realised that the still revolving screw-was driving the Pepperbox farther and farther into the sand. As Haines straightened up and yelled to the engineer .to know why" he hadn't reversed the engine, he saw tarn .roing overboard head first. Then he was tossed to one side, stunned by an explosion and'blinded by coal-dust and spray. ...• The captain was h'u'rleu over the bow As he wiped the water out of his eyes *rd looked at the cloud of steamed smokewhich hung over the rennms ot tne x tu perbox he remarked, in his Western drawl: "Well, the crockery's broken now, au right." Then he saw the engineer swimming away, and drew, feu revolver and put a bullet through the engineers head at tne second shot. That poor creature was as much a victim as a culprit. The *alfrbreed agitators in Manila, too cowaroly to undertake any masterly deed themselves, had assured him that the explosion would toll everybody on board, while he could save his awn life by merely jumping otit -into the lake after lighting the fuse. He knew nothing of the,nature of dynamite, wnicb they had smuggled in from Hongkong, through . Chinese merchants. They .knew 1 nothing of the nature of dynamite, witft the difference that they pretended to know everything. It was easy for him to. believe all they said in a land so long tongue-tied by Spanish rale as to make bold and imaginative lying under the new order of things the open way to insurgent, leadership. V.- ■ The fate of Manuel was worse: than that of the engineer. He was so. frightened by the decisive manner in which ythe cap' tain threw him overboard that -he; forgot everything except awe of the white man's presence and will to do. his bidding. He had placed his shoulder against the hull, at the very point where the concussion burst the sides. His terriblymangied body served as a buffer, which saved the life of Haines, who was standing partially behind him as he called to the engineer. Haines's eyebrows were singed, his face and shoulder cut, the top of his hat sliced off by a flying piece "-of -the boiler, his - shirt torn and-his'face blackened. Nolan lay on -the deck, the smokestack across his stomach, and a. sliver' of steel through his. forehead; His gun "was-dismounted and lying in the water. Simmons, standing nearly opposite to Manuel on the other side of the launch, met an equally sudden death. Worley, gashed and badly burned, was still alive. He had regained his feet, and stoQd,. begging piteously for someone to put an end to his agony. Smith and Haines alone .were fit- for duty. Captain -Gordon had grasped . the situa-)-tjon;;&t.cOHS»e,,,.fout, not before ■ heC'.&e,|isi\# i shout from the shore, and saw forty or fifty insurgents rush out into the water. Smith and Haines could lay hands upon only one rifle in condition for use. While Haines took that, with the body of the launch as a breastwork, Smith helped poor Worley into the larger of the two bancas (dugouts) which were towed by the Pepperbox, and did what he could to relieve bis pain. With odds of fifty against,two, Gordon .naturally chose the lesser -.evil---of being.killed with his face, instead of; his Sack,- toward the enemy. He clutched.at the mecijanism of the Colt—which -still stood, though with the bolts of.its support loosened, on the tilted platform of the deck—as a dying man clutches at a straw. It was in working order. . A hundred rounds of ammunition, remained. The rest had been destroyed by the .explosion. - " One Colt is good for a regiment," said Gordon. "Haines, wait until they get up close! Wait till I give the wor3!"

On the insurgents came, yelling.,.triumphantly : as ' thfey splashed - through', the , water, while the captain waited, his fiiiger j on the trigger and his eye glancing along the baiirel.i When they were within fifty yards he.fired one shot to make sure of his j aim. It ! was right. He jammed the elevating lever hard on. "Now!" he cried to Haines j and while Haines's rifle cracked, tat-tat-tat the Colt spoke, as its barrel swung back, and forth, distributing with mathematical impartiality its stream of leaden pellets. „, • -, "■. This was a bitter and tragic surprise for the advancing manikins. The messenger from the great mihds in Manila which had evoked the great plan said that all the manikins would have to do after the explosion was to take possession of the wreck and corpses. Some fired back; some fell in the .manner of a man who trips over a wire m the- dark; and in' a moment all who were hot dead or wounded scampered hack to the cover of their trench. Gordon did not hear tie few bullets which passed as he fully exposed himself according to the American precept, that a shield for a' machine gun prevents good marksmanship! He followed the retreating foe with "enough fire to bring the lesson home. Then he counted the cartridges remaining in the belt, sixteen in all. "How many shots have you left?" he asked Haines. "Ten," was the reply. • ;■ The captain looked around in all directions as if to ascertain whao next was in store' for him.' Behind the 'bluff three miles or more away he saw a column of, smoke. He know'that this must come from the stack.of the Gasinan, a much larger'* improvised gunboat, which was, proceeding 'in his'direction." A quarter of a mile away from the village, along the road leading from the interior, ha saw a column of about two hundred insurgents. In *he second and more determined attack whioh was sure to come they could reach the wreck of the Pepperbox, despite all he could do with his sixteen cartridses, long before the Gasinan, which carried a twelve-pounder and two' six pounders and two Colts, would be in range. ,' , m i "Haines, you.and Smith take Worley m the lar"o banea and make for the centre of the lake. The Gasinan will pick you rip. I'll remain here." ""Don't do -that, captain," Smith protested while Haines in silence took a watersoaked cigar from his pocket and began, chewing it vigorously. " Orders I" the captain rasped. Smith had a mother at home to whom he was sending ten dollars of his "15.60d01s per" • His death meant that she would be sent to the poorhouse. He obeyed. Before coin" he secured Nolan's watch and a few trinkets to give to Nolan's sweetheart at home Haines still stood in the water i -■with bis rifle on the deck in front of him, chewing his cigar. "Ain't you cQimn'?" called Smith. ." No," he' replied. -■ "Man, you must," said the captain.. "If you don't pull you'll be killed or taken prisoner, and that's worse." "So will you. I'm going to stay, orders' or no orders, by G—!' "AH right," the captain assented. "Go on, Smith." Gordon was touched by what he took for Haines's loyalty. -He now blamed' himself for;'holding the grudge of rivalry'against the private —but' not for long. Haines leaped up on the deck as soon as Smith had j

paddled out .of hearing. He cigar into the water and turned on the captain. " I've stayed for satisfaction, that s what I've stayed for!" he said. "There's time enough, if you've got any sand, for you to stand up to me, you "' and he used an expression which is unanswerable in words. " Certainly," Gordon responded quickly, "laying aside his revolver to give himself greater freedom. n "And those bars you set such store by, said Haines, indicating by a glance the captain's shoulder-straps. "Don't you take my word there's no rank in this?"" He tore off his open blouse, thus divesting himself of authority. "There, curse vou!"

Such was his rage that Haines, poised on the balls of his feet, did not wait for the captain to assume a position of readiness, but struck at his jaw with all the initiative force a* command. Gordon ducked enough to prevent the blow from landing fairly, and immediately grappled with his adversary. Haines was somewhat proficient in boxing, while the captain knew only of the rough-and-tumble tricks of boyhood days in a country town. Haines was the more agile; Gordon was of sturdier frame, bigger bones and harder muscles. All oblivious of the bullets which were again ( being fired from 'the trench, they grappled, each bending all his energy to ! overcome his adversary before the enemy | should overcome them both. Gradually Gordon's superior strength began to tell. -Realising this,, Haines tried to break away in order to strike a blow. The result was to give Gordon a- good hip hold. With Gordon uppermost, -the two fell against the platform of the Colt: Such was the impact that the loosened bearings gave way, precipitating the combatants into the water. With them went their last hope/' of defence, both the gun and the rifle. Their positions being reversed by the fallj Haines was the first to rise. As he waited an instant for Gordon to come up he heard the yells and splasbings of the insurgents as they approached in their charge, Gordon, made a staggering effort to ward off the blow wimed &t him. As his fist came in contact with a bare spot where the army shirt was torn away from Gordon's shoulder, Haines saw a red blotch which told him of a bullet that had just entered the flesh.' At the sight of it came a swamping sense of- repugnance to the hatred;and anger which had been in his heart. He had struck a wounded man who was making- a fair fight. He felt the buoyancy of strength and. sympathy to ■ protect Gordon's life against .all comers. ' As he lifted his adversary from the water he asked hoarsely for forgiveness. "Take the banca! Save yourself!" the captain Whispered. "It's all right for me. I must stay. I can't go hack to face the regiment or the folks at home after such a blunder. But finish me! I don't want 'to fall into the ''hands of those infernal savages!" .-..■', ; ' Haines made mo answer except immediate 'action -upon, for escape. He carried Gordon to the" stern of the Pepperbox, and swinging the banca around so that the hull would be out of sight of the insurgents, turned it bottom side up and succeeded in getting the captain and himself underneath it just as the insurgents reached the wreck. There they were quite out of sight,' and, by half kneeling, half standing, in a painfully cramped position, they could breathe, with the backs of their heads under water and their faces out of it.^ -; ; The .insurgents first of all busied themselves With the most important feature of their warfare—sacking the pockets of the dead before stripping them of their clothing, and slashing, kicking and spitting on the nude bodies. Haines was congratulating himself that they would not be discovered when a manikin leaped upon the bottom of the banca. Their- heads were driven under water, and rose out of it to see two brown legs very near their own and a pair of brown I hands .on the gunwale. With his free arm Haines prepared to strike as soon as tho ;manikui;^b«ulsiitFy ; to overturn-thebr ,-pooi~ fortress. At that moment there was a great splash not far distant. The brown legs leaped upon the deck. Then came a hurtling ;v&wish. - i <r;"That one passed over," Haines whisi.pered cheerlu /. • ! . Then came a crack-ung-thr-t-t! The Gasinian, coming on with the speed of her captain's wrath, had burst its third shrapnel fairly above the wreck; and the in- ' ;surgents/sought the shore.

.'■ As captain and private, both too weak to stand, lay on the deck of the Gasinian, her commander brought a letter to Gordon, which had been sent care of the division instead of the regiment. After he had read it, Gordon looked.over to Haines. " Jim," he said, using the familiar address for the first time in a year, "I guess the war fever has died but in Kansas. My sister Minnie says She's engaged to Hicks, the lawyer, who stayed at home."