t all was darkness. The candle was lowered to
the bottom. Nothing was to be seen but great dried pools of blood that
had leaked through the cracks above. One stone looked as though it had
been recently disturbed. I tried it, it was loose. When raised from
its resting-place, I saw a small roll of paper lying beneath. There
was nothing more.

A further search revealed nothing. The gory board was replaced and
I gladly walked out of this chamber of horrors, bearing with me the
piece of paper.

Reaching the light, I unrolled it. It was dimly written. Evidently a
bullet had been pointed and used as a pencil. The greasy sheet had
been torn from a prayer-book. Just above a chapter of prayers for
Easter Sunday was written in Spanish:

"To the Americanos:

"If my body is here when you make your entrance into the city,
give me a Christian burial. I am to die because I refuse to
fight you. My five companions have taken arms against you in
order that they may not die by the hands of the Tagalos. I
prefer death to fighting in the Filipino Army.

"Francisco Delgado."

The trail of blood showed me that his body had been carried out and
probably thrown into the river.

We could not perform his last request.

BENITO.

"A-a-a-hum!" "What's that?" was the waking remark made by Captain
Randolph Sever, as he slowly turned over on his back to face the
owner of the voice which had so dimly penetrated the dreamless slumber
resulting from a twenty-four-hour tour on outpost duty.

He struggled with his sleep-laden eyes and succeeded in opening one,
with which he looked at the intruder, but, on recognizing the Colonel's
orderly standing at his side, hastily arose to a sitting posture,
and proceeded to rub open the other optic; meanwhile repeating his
former question, but this time assuming a manner more in keeping with
the dignity of his rank.

"Sir, the Colonel presents his compliments, and asks the Captain to
step over to regimental headquarters."

Having delivered his message, he saluted and disappeared, leaving his
weary superior to gather himself into a more military appearance as
well as frame of mind.

Sever looked at his watch and found that he had slept for just
forty-eight minutes and fifteen seconds. He mentally berated the
whole outfit. "Stepping over to regimental headquarters" meant
a walk of a mile and a half through the relentless hot sun of a
tropical country; for the do