e time one of my men announced his death.

"Ah!" said Alila, "if I had not taken the anten-anten from him he
would be still alive."

I searched the small book through and through; prayers and
invocations that had not much sense were therein written in the
Tagalese language. A good friar who was present took it out of my
hands. I imagined that he had the same curiosity as I had, but by
no means; he rose up and went into the kitchen, and in a short time
after came out and told me that he had made an auto-da-fe of it. My
poor lieutenant almost cried with vexation, for he considered the
little book to be his property, and thought that in possession of it
he would be invulnerable. I should also have wished to have kept it,
as a curious specimen of Indian superstition. The next day I had much
trouble to persuade my stout friend, Father Miguel, to bury Cajoui in
the cemetery. He maintained that a man who died with the anten-anten
upon him ought not to receive Christian burial. To make him accede to
my wishes it was necessary to tell him that the anten-anten had been
taken from Cajoui before his death, and that he had time to repent.

A few days after Cajoui's death it was my faithful Alila's turn to
encounter danger, not less imminent than that to which I had been
exposed, at the time of my combat with the bandit chief. But Alila
was brave, and, although he had no anten-anten, fire-arms did not
frighten him.

Large vessels--real Noah's arks--freighted by various merchants,
sailed every week from the town of Pasig for that of Santa-Cruz, where
every Thursday a large market was held. Eight daring and determined
brigands went on board one of these vessels: they hid their arms among
the bales of goods. The ship was scarcely out at sea when they seized
them, and a horrible scene of slaughter ensued. All who endeavoured
to resist them were butchered, even the pilot was thrown overboard;
at length, finding no more resistance, they plundered the passengers
of the money they had upon them, took every article of value they
could find, and, loaded with their booty, they steered the vessel to
a deserted spot on the shore, where they landed.

I had been informed of this nefarious enterprise, and went with haste
to the spot where they landed. Unfortunately I arrived too late, for
they had already escaped to the mountains, after they had divided the
spoil. Notwithstanding the slight hope I entertained of overtaking
them, I set off in p