er or glorious sunset reminded the
Malate hero of something he had seen in the trenches and at once he
began to dilate upon it with great attention to details and a lofty air
of his own importance.

So it went on. The recruits vainly sought for relief. He tried to stem
the tide of persecution by relating stories of his own. But as soon as
he made such an attempt he was immediately "bawled out" and his
tormentors proceeded with a fresh tirade. Finally one of the groaning
victims hit upon a happy plan, and after it was carried out it
effectually stopped the torture. When in the future the mendacious
veteran essayed to array himself in a cloud of glory by narrating
legends of personal prowess, he was unceremoniously suppressed by the
rookies, who sang:

It may be so; I do not know,
But it sounds to me like a lie.

Instantly upon the starting of this little hymn it was taken up by every
soldier in the barracks and the unlucky veteran, crestfallen and beaten,
was only too glad to retire into seclusion.

* * * * *

During those five months in which the soldier was learning the
peculiarities of Oriental life and sweltering under the rays of the
Southern sun, he adopted any means of causing the speedy destruction of
time. After the singularities of his new surroundings had ceased to be
uncommon he began to look about himself in search of other amusement.
Naturally a person who adapts himself easily to his environments, he
took up with the games of the Filipinos, and, as a consequence, soon
after the appearance of the American as a prominent figure on the
streets of Manila, it was no unusual occurrence to behold the huge,
good-natured Yankee engaged in friendly sport with the diminutive and
fiery Tagalan.

As cock-fighting is the national game of the native the soldier seized
upon this diversion with an enthusiasm that was truly remarkable. The
slender and wiry game cock was in great demand. The feathered pugilist
became the hero of the hour. The price of "pollos" jumped above par two
or three times over. On the shady side of every street could be seen
little knots of men eagerly awaiting the outcome of a battle in which
these kings among all the fowl tribe were engaged. And the victory was
not decided without great loss, for frequently the champion proclaimed
himself conqueror by mounting the gory body of his late enemy and
crowing with great vigor. Men bet on their favorites with as