ure!" responded the other, meditatively, taking a whiff
or two at his pipe to see that it was really lighted before he threw
the match overboard. "To be sure! And it's a great mon that same
Garge must have bin, a great mon, Dinnis. Sure, St. Pathrick himself
couldn't touch him with a shillaly."

"And for why?" demanded several Irishmen, truculently, their ire
aroused at the invidiousness of the allusion.

"Because St. Pathrick, God love him, aint never been counted as
ranking alongside of Christ, and this here Garge Washington seems
to be of more importance than ayther of thim. Why, on Christmas we
didn't have no holiday--divil a bit of it--just a bite more to ate for
dinner, with no shore leave, and the haythens working us and working
thimsilves all day as if it had been an ordinary Chuesday 'stead of
Christmas, which is Christ's birthday, while on Garge's birthday the
whole ship cilibrates. Ah, he certainly must have bin a great mon,
that same Garge."

But notwithstanding our philosopher's grumble, he enjoyed his shore
leave to the utmost, and he and Dennis came back on the evening boat
hilarious as could be and reciprocally dependent upon one another
for support.

That morning Datto Mandi, the Rajah Muda or heir to the Sultanate of
Mindanao, came on board to pay his respects to the Powers-that-Be. The
datto was accompanied by his wife, for notwithstanding he is
a Mohammedan, he has but one, and the wife of his Philippine
foster-brother, besides a large retinue of followers and slaves. He
also brought with him a band, and as a rival orchestra had come out
earlier, we stationed the first one in the bow of the ship, and the
datto's musicians in the stern.

All would have been well had not a spirit of emulation caused the bands
to play different selections at one and the same time, resulting in a
discordant war of notes and the death of harmony. Peace was restored by
some native rushing valiantly to the front and forcibly stopping the
band on the forward deck, after which each set of musicians waited,
with no little impatience, its turn to play, and after once getting
the floor, or in this case the deck, held it longer than was quite
parliamentary.

The datto proved himself a most delightful man, with an earnest,
sensitive face and a manner indicative of such innate refinement that
we found ourselves most favourably contrasting him with some of the
Tagalog and Visayan dignitaries already met.

It is said that a