nd covered both ears to shut out the sound. Moreover, she turned her
back upon the guns, explaining that she feared their flash might make
her blind. Meanwhile the datto and his followers stood calmly and
unflinchingly erect with uncovered heads, to show their respect for
that great American, George Washington, who little thought that in the
first year of the twentieth century his birthday would be celebrated
on American territory ten thousand miles away from the United States.

That night we dined on shore with the commanding officer, and though
the mess china, silver, and napery were not of the best, the dinner
was one to remember in one's prayers. Moreover, it was extremely
well served by swift and noiseless Chinese servants, who poured the
wine at the psychologic moment, and needed no premonitory lift of the
eyebrows to remind them when a course should be taken out or brought
in. Throughout the repast the regimental band played patriotic airs,
and only the consciousness of being at a formal dinner in our best
clothes restrained us from humming the music or beating time to it
with fork or spoon.

The table was decorated with an ornate floral design in the centre,
from which trailed wreaths of green to every plate. It was extremely
effective, and I spoke of it to one of the hosts, who told me in a
whisper that he had been rather astonished earlier in the evening
by the gorgeousness of these decorations, especially as there were
no florists in Zamboanga, and on asking one of the Chinamen where he
had obtained the flowers, was not a little startled to hear that they
had been stolen from a neighbouring cemetery. I looked with admiration
upon this resourceful Celestial, and then felt mildly irritated at the
completeness of the whole _menage_. Dinners by men always exasperate
me. They show so clearly how unnecessary women really are in the
scheme of domestic existence.

After our black coffee and liqueur, we sat out on the broad _cahida_,
or covered veranda running around three sides of the house, and watched
the rockets from the shore and ship replying to each other in the
clear, starlit night, while a theatrical-looking moon came up slowly
out of the bay, leaving a trail of red light on the rippling water.

The next morning we planned to call on Datto Mandi and his wife,
having promised ourselves that pleasure the afternoon before, but
the day dawned so fiercely hot that I, for one, rather wilted in my
resolutions, u