the
interpreter, explained that the eagle was of no monetary value, and
that he could not accept so expensive a knife or such a handsome turban
in exchange for it. The Moro seemed astonished, but appreciated the
reason, and had his first lesson in the apothegmatic saying that all
is not gold which glitters. Later the eagle was given to the Bongao
_vigilante_, who pinned it to the front of his fez, for was he not
a protector of the peace under the great American government?

To one side of Tampakan stood a plot of ground used as a cemetery. This
we saw from a distance only, the newly made graves presenting quite
a gala appearance, decorated as they always are with bright coloured
umbrellas, these being usually of yellow. When a Moro is buried
his grave is protected from the sun and rain, and must be watched
continually night and day for a period of three months, doubtless to
keep the corpse from being defiled by man or beast.

At about six o'clock we left Tampakan, being followed to the boats by
the entire male population of the town, even to toddling, naked boy
babies, while the women hung out of their windows in imminent danger of
a fall and shouted strange things at us in their own tongue, which the
Bongao _vigilante_ interpreted as "Good-bye, nice people, come again."

It was almost dark when we reached the _Hilda_, and she immediately
put off for the ship, though seeming literally to creep along, her
engine wheezing even more painfully than earlier in the afternoon. At
that rate we should certainly be late for dinner, and all were hungry
from the trip across.

But a more serious contingency awaited us, for within a half-hour after
starting, the native fireman came up on deck, his face blanched with
fear, to say the boiler would not work, and that unless we could anchor
at once we should be swept out to sea on the strong current. Soundings
were immediately taken, and the water found very deep, so, dragging
our anchor, and with our last remaining bit of steam, we reached a
place shallow enough for anchorage. It was literally the last gasp
of the engine that put us in safety, for a moment more and we should
have been adrift on the trackless sea.

Of course the next thing to be done was to send up distress rockets,
with which we had fortunately provided ourselves, that the _Burnside_,
whose lights we could faintly see far, far over on the horizon, might
know of our predicament; but as it was not yet dark enough fo