dug near the edge of a little bamboo thicket on
a slightly elevated piece of ground. As the flickering rays of the
tropical sun began to shoot above the pale, ashen-gray hue of the
eastern horizon, the prisoner was led to the foot of his prospective
tomb. The firing squad took its place in line.

The guns had been carefully loaded in advance for their deadly work;
all but one contained blank cartridges. As usual, after loading, the
guns were intermixed, so that no man might know which one contained
the deadly bullet.

"Ready!" commanded the sergeant who had charge of the squad,--the
corporal having taken his usual place in line with his men.

"Click," went the hammers of the rifles in unison, as they were
brought to a full cock.

"Aim!" came the next command in a firmer tone. The soldiers brought
their rifles to their shoulders. Every barrel was pointed at the
chest of the prisoner, who now for the first time, began to tremble
and turn a sickly yellow.

"Fire!" commanded the sergeant.

"Bang!" went the united roar of the guns; and as the light powder smoke
cleared away and the echoes reverberated through the woods of northern
Luzon, the firing squad stepped forward to view their heroic dead.

A private jumped into the grave and turned the corpse over onto
its back.

That night Frank W. Pugh, of the regular army, a member of this
unfortunate firing squad, who died later at Fort Worth, Texas, of
fever contracted in the Philippines, sitting in his little dog-tent,
meditating, wrote in his diary, which is now preserved in the archives
at Washington with other relics of the war, the following appropriate
poem:

A CHRISTMAS COURT-MARTIAL

"The night was dark and threatening rain,
No stars were in the sky;
We caught him hiding in the pines--
A Filipino spy.
A slender youth with coal black eyes,
Brim full of frightened tears;
We turned him over to the guard,
I fear with callous jeers.

Next morning it was Christmas day,
The sun was shining hot,
A drum-head court had said, "The spy,
Is sentenced to be shot."
Erect before the officers,
He still disdained to speak,
Although a single crystal drop,
Empearled his olive cheek.