tian civilization, a Christian
ruler, should send regiments of bright young boys so far from all the
deterring influences of home and home life; send those who were the
light of happy homes, the idols of fond hearts, to face the dreadful
climate, the savage warfare, to colonize the graveyards in the sodden
earth, to be thrown into the worst evils of war, to face danger and
death, and with all this provided by the government that should
protect them this dreadful temptation to ensnare their boyish wills
and lead them into captivity.

"Then I could not leave Victor, but now that I can I feel that God is
calling me to go there to preach the gospel of Christ, to fight this
mighty foe, Intemperance, to preach the gospel of sane and clean
living and thinking. Knowing from my experience here in Victor, had I
no other knowledge of it, how that blessed gospel of love is the only
true liberty. For what advantage is liberty of the body when the soul,
the weak will, is bound in the most galling of chains?

"America is doing a great work in educating and helping this country,
and were it not for this evil I go to combat, its work would be
blessed of God and man.

"So, as I said, I sail to-morrow for the Philippines with three of my
native converts, good Christians, willing to die, if need be, for
their faith."

This letter had been written more than a month, so long had it been
comin' to me, and I wuz tickled enough to think that when we got to
the Philippines we should see Cousin John Richard.

CHAPTER XII

The shore of Manila looked dretful low and flat as we come up to it
some as old Shelmadine's land lays along the lake shore. So you'd
think that if it rained hard and raised the water a inch it would
overflow it. And the houses looked dretful low and squatty, mebby it
wuz on account of earthquakes they built 'em so. Josiah thought it wuz
so they could shingle 'em standin' on the ground. I inclined to the
earthquakes.

Our boat wuz small enough to go over the surf and up the Pasig River.
The water didn't look very clean, and on it wuz floatin' what looked
like little cabbage heads. Josiah thought they wuz, and sez he real
excited:

"Thank fortin if they have cabbages to throw away here I shall be
likely to git a good biled dinner, and mebby a biled puddin' with
lemon sass."

But they wuzn't cabbages, they wuz some kind of a water plant that
growed right there in the water. As we sailed along some queer lookin