sole object of gaining time, and hence I
broke the seal, read the contents, the governor protesting and saying that
was a letter for my captain. I replied: 'I represent him here. You are now
my prisoners, and will have to come on board ship with me.'

"They protested and pleaded, and finally the governor said:

"'You came on shore to talk over matters, and you make us prisoners
instead.' I replied: 'I came on shore to hand you a letter and to get your
reply; in this reply, now in my hand, you agree to surrender all under
your jurisdiction. If this means anything at all, it means that you will
accede to any demands I may deem proper to make. You will at once write an
order to your military man at Agana (the capital; this place was five
miles distant), directing him to deliver at this place at four P. M. (it
was 10.30 A. M., June 21st) all ammunition and flags in the island, each
soldier to bring his own rifle and ammunition, and all soldiers, native
and Spanish, with their officers, must witness this.'

"They protested and demurred, saying there was not time enough to do it,
but I said: 'Senors, it must be done.'

"The letter was written, read by me, and sent. I took all the officers
with me in a boat, and at four P. M. went ashore again and rounded in the
whole outfit. I was three miles away from my troops, and I had only four
men with me. At four P. M., when I disarmed 108 men and two officers, I
had forty-six men and three officers with me.

"The key-note to the whole business was my breaking the seal of that
letter and acting at once. They had no time to delay or prepare any
treacherous tricks, and I got the 'drop' on the whole outfit, as they say
out West.

"The native troops I released and allowed to return to their homes
unrestricted; they had manifested great joy in being relieved from Spanish
rule. While it is harsh, it is war, and in connection with the Spanish
treachery it was all that could be done.

"Twenty-four hours would have--yes, I believe even four hours with a leader
such as the governor was, a lieutenant-colonel in the Spanish army--given
them a chance to hide along the road to Agana, and at intervals in the
dense tropical foliage they could have almost annihilated any force that
could land.

"The approaches to the landing over shallow coral reefs would have made a
landing without a terrible loss of life almost an impossibility.

"We have increased by conquest the population of the United St