For Love and Glory.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8186, 18 July 1906, Page 2

For Love and Glory.

CHAPTER XXXII.- Continued At b certain hour they were to join the company of Maoabeles ana go on board the warship. Once clear of the harbour, with no chance of communications, the plan would be explained to the native soldiers, and during the voyßge around the island of Luzon they would be instructed in their duties, disguised as Tagalog soldiers, and made ready foi the hawk's on the dovecot. It would be the privilege of Armand and his comrade, m ngling with the brown men, to iastil more or less enthusiasm in their breasts, p ovided they showed any lack of zeal. Altogether the adventure smaked of nuoh glorious excitement as must appeal to the heart of any mm who loved the hunt, whose nerves were wont to tincle as bis pack of hounds gsv6 loud tongue in the chase. It was simply superb. Both of them thanked the soldier in.a way that must have pleased bin?; on bia part, Punston knew it would be worth something to have these two heroio souls among the Macaboles to leaven the lump. There was not uouoh time to waste. Whatever needful preparatons bad to be made, it were well they went about them. Both men we:e impressed with the gravity of the affair, and made their wills before leaving the haunts of civilisation, a lawyer friend of Armand's attending to the details with out knowing the nature of the entrtprise upon which the two friends were about to start.

It was, perhaps, a wise precaution . . T ... 1 Although the general had his plans laid.with suoh remarkable care, who could say that they would ever come out of the wilderness again? As good men as tbey had met their fate at the hands of the wily insurgents, who had a habit of shooting from ambnsb. Armaria spent the balance of the evening with the Morrisons. He was not very lively company. A weight seemed on his spirit?, and every time he looked at Tessie ■he had a strange feeling pasu over him, as though it were the last ohance he should ever have to watch hei—•as thoußh something terrible lay in store for him. Of course, it was only a fit of the bines, partly caused by something he had eaten which refasea to properly digest. He even took himself to task several times for being about to start on a fool's errand, when doubtless he could bring matters to a foous without stirring a step from Manila. All the same, he was just as determined as ever to carry bis project tnrouph, being a man very much set in his ways; and since those papers had persisted in eluding him several times, he could never be really hap- ' py until hft had wrested them from that same Godiago. Of course, there was considerable feminine curiosity over the fact that Armand and MoGregor expected to be away for two weeks or more. 5 Evangeline pouted and teased, so that her big lover was compelled to bind her to seorecy and then relate a wonderful cock and bull story concerning some rara avis wbiob he and Armand were very eager to capture, a bird the like of which was not anown, and which, in their hande, wenld bring them great re nown. As for Tessie, perhaps she subsue peoted this Dew, adventure had to do with her in some way or other, for she looked searohingly at the young man many iimes when sht thought h° could not see her, with a more or less troubled expression on her face, for be it known she was beginning to feel anxious lest this startling change in the disposi tion of Radoliffe might not bring 1 misery instead of satisfaction, alter all.

When a man assumes the livery of a bero —when he searches for danger and throws himself recklessly into the breaah whenever there is fighting to be found—well, it is likely to cause his friends much anxiety; it is the heritage of fame; let a man take that step, and farewell to the peace he once knew. Armand gave the young lady no satisfaction. If he sucoeeded in this task, he meant to have a full understanding upon his return, crowned with the laurel of victory; if, on the other hand, he made a failure, well, in due season a sealed letter, left with

the lawyer, would be placed in her " hand, and she would have the pleasure of knowing how he loved her to the last. So they said good-night aDd good-bye. J;lf his fingers clasped her hand with a warmer pressure than they had shown of late, he would not commite himself to speech, and lessie sighed when he had departed, angry with her miserable pride that held back the contrite words she had many times bad upon the tip of her tongue, and determined that when he came back agaiD, no matter what course he would take, her duty was plain, and she -would pursue it. He deserved everything. CHAPTER XXXIII. HOW IT FEELS TO BE A MACABELtt. . It was the sixth of March. Armand and McGregor bad joined the little party on board the Vioksburg,. but so olever was their disguise, and so well did tbey carry oat their part, that many who saw them did not dream of doubting their claim to Macabele blood. Each wore an old blue and white uniform, such as the soldiers of the insurgent army onoe sported, straw bats covered their heads, their skin had been beautifully browned, so that even the loud freckles of the Scotchman did not show, and tbey were armed wih Remington rifles, j

By St. George Rathborne. Author of "Dr. Jack," "The Witch from India," **' Captain Tom," * 'Mynheer Joe," * ( Dr. Jack's Wife," etc., etc.

together with a full supply of ammunition and wicked "bolos" that were keen enough of edge to decapitate a man if enough muscular force were applied. Altogether the twain felt as though they were in for a junketing trip, an adventure without parallel, and many a man in the army would have jumped at the chance to accompany Fred Funston, even though it necessitated worse punishment than temporarily playing Maoabebe. They carried out their part well. Of course, their size made them somewhat conspicuous, for most of the brown soldiers were small in stature. The latter came on board, some eighty in all, dressed in Uncle Sam's familiar garb as soldiers, it being thought wise not to give them their inturgent equipment until after the vessel sailed. So the gunboat put off and Manila was left behind. The two big seeming insurgents who stood forward and Icoked back at the city over the blue Btretcb of water experienced strange sensations when they realised what a singular adventure they had launched ihemselvesupon; hut if they felt any misgivings in their hearts, surely suoh could not te detected in their eager manner and the lowvoiced conversation with which they beguiled the time. They were as fall of delight as schoolboys when the hour of vacation arrived; and anticipated a glorious time. It is remarkable what some men will endure when seeking excitement. In spite of the pains taken to keep the undertaking a grave secret, certain facts had leaked out a be-. fore, and were talked of in army circles, even cabled across the water The bold scheme must have proven a failure had the insurgents in Manila or their secret friends in America been able to communicate with the Filipino chief tain. , | But the little town he as headquarters was eo remote and in aooessible that a messenger could not teach bim under weeks of severe travel, and in this lay their strongest hope of success. ' raw mtmt When that March night about them at the mouth of the vast Manila Bay, and their movements could no longer be seen, the gunboat changed her course and headed southward, intending to reaob the east coast of Luzon by way of the Straits of San Bernardino. The Maoabebe eoouts had now been fully informed as to the nature of the expedition, for up to this hour they had remained in the dark. Tbey*accepted it in various ways, according to the nature of the individual. Aguinaldo's fame as a leader was so puwerful that it gave them a shook tp find that they were detailed to effect his capture. Some even declared that not a man of the expedition wonld ever come back alive, and related stories of the wild country to which they were bound, and which was said to be infested with a race of savages as cruel as they were fieroe. Others bore themselves manfully, and then the ingenious nature of the game fully entered their heads they began to be impressed first by the oonsequence of their selection, and second by the humour of' deceiving the unsuspicious people of Casiguran and Palanan. Being thrown among them by the foroe of circumstances, it was part of the duty of our two friends to arouse the martial spirit,in these 'fellow*. r^ 1 They had much assistance in those who really gloried in the adventure. There was the first sergeant of the company, a little, wiry man, Pedro Bustos by name, who had served twenty years in the Spanish army, and received two medals for gallantry in fighting tho fierce Moros of Mindanao; be knew not the meaning of fear, and when Funston asked him his opinion of the project, the lean, brown warrior drew himself up at attention, cracked his heels together, smote himself on his br ast, and said, proudly: "My general, 1 cannot speak for the others, but at for myself, I am a soldier of the United States." With suoh material, one could even brave the perils of an "terra incognita." The days passed. By degrees our friends grew accustomed to living among the Maoabebes, being exceedingly well taken care of by Captain Barry, and lacked for no comforts that could be supplied on board the gunboat. There was a novelty in the experience that suited theii natures, just as some men enjoy living among the wandering Bedouins of the desert, or in the tepees of Indian tribes, giving up homes of luxury, for a life of rigor, pimply because the contrast holds a oharm. Besides, some of these fellows were wideawake ohaps, who had seen service under the cheiftain whom they were now about to destroy. ' """' (To be Continued.)