ntil business called my especial Signal Corps officer
to town, whereupon I yielded to his persuasion and accompanied him,
the other members of the party having left the ship some hours before.

On disembarking, we turned directly into the Mohammedan quarter. This
is just beyond the bay to the south, and the several streets teemed
with Moro inhabitants, the men and women in their gaily coloured
clothes making the place more like a water-colour sketch than ever. On
the banks of one of the many streams that intersect the town, bathers
clad in a single garment held stone jars of water above their heads
and let the contents slowly trickle down over the entire body. On the
steps beside them coloured stuffs were spread to dry in the sun, giving
an added splash of green and red to the already variegated landscape.

Reaching the datto's house, we found it decorated gaily in the Moro
colours for our reception, while at the top of the stairs stood the
future Sultana, petite and self-possessed, but with more animation
than on the previous day. She was genuinely glad to see us, and from
the _sala_ we could hear the voices of our friends who had preceded us.

"So sorry we are late," I said with sudden compunction, for the
decorations told their tale, and then, as airily as I could in Spanish,
"Did you think we were not coming?" The future Sultana smiled her
sweet, grave smile. "No, indeed," she said; "you promised you would
come, and Americans never break their word." The Rajah Muda came out
just then and spared my guilty blushes.

He, too, was delighted to see us, and the little sister-in-law bobbed
about like a distracted butterfly, while the prospective Sultana grew
almost effusive in her gracious hospitality, and as we sat down in
the _sala_, reached over and gave my hand a little shy caress. She
was so very pleased that we had come.

This _sala_, or drawing-room, was a spacious apartment, and had
evidently been arranged by the Philippine sister-in-law, as it was an
exact counterpart of those in all native houses. There was little in
the room save chairs and tables, and these were all of black bamboo
arranged in two long sociable rows from every window. Between the
chairs stood an occasional table, suggestive of something eatable
or drinkable to come, and on every table and nearly every chair were
sepulchral looking antimacassars of macreme cord.

Swarms of servants and slaves hung around in every available door,
all of the