pleasant to have gone out to meet him on
the battlefield, and when I speak thus I feel safe to make the assertion
that many more were of the same disposition.

After these formalities were over I had opportunity of examining the
guns of the sultan's body guard, also the ammunition. The guns were so
rusty that I would have considered it safer to be shot at by one of them
than to shoot the gun. The barrels were almost closed with rust.

A lot of the bullets were wrapped with cloth, and stuck in the shells.
Some of the bullets were loose, and some were driven in very tight. All
of the shells had the appearance of being in use a long time, and that
they had been fired as many times as they would stand.

A man was taking his life in his hands to go out into the country alone.
Many people have been killed in this way. There is a tribe that would
cut off a man's head for amusement, or to see how it looks.

Guards were kept on duty all the time, and no American was permitted to
go outside of the wall without having a pass. This was kept up for a
long time after we went to Jolo, and was then restricted to one thousand
yards from the fort, and no less than four men together. The Morros gave
us very little trouble, doubtless the result of extreme caution. They
never had an opportunity of making any demonstration, so it is uncertain
what they would have attempted had the opportunity been given them. They
are too treacherous to be trusted about anything whatever.

They have very little knowledge of firearms; probably the only guns they
ever had, and also those of the sultan's body guard, were old, worn-out
guns given or sold to them by the Spanish. With our improved rifles I
believe that one man could withstand the attack of twenty of them armed
with bolos, that is to say, were the American in some fortification, and
opened fire on the Morros when they came in his range. They, of course,
would not fight in this way, their method being one of sneaking
treachery. They slip up behind the unsuspecting victim and behead him
with their bolo.

I was anxious for them to engage the Americans in a fight. I desired to
know something more of their methods, but they seemed not to care to
fight us. They are a wandering people, seemingly with no definite
purpose. As night suits their sneaking better than open day time they do
as much traveling, or more, in the night than in the day time. They
could be seen on the hills around Jolo with torche