they have always done it, of course
from their point of view it is their military duty. I don't see any way
out of it. Do you?"

"It wouldn't break my heart if they failed to do their duty in this
case," said Cleary. "For heaven's sake, don't tell him what you think.
Let's keep him feeling agreeable by our conversation. He's fallen in
love with you, Sam. Perhaps he'll give you to one of his daughters and
she may marry you or eat you, whichever she pleases."

"I wish you wouldn't joke about these things," said Sam. "It's a
serious piece of business. There's no glory in being tomahawked here in
the mountains."

"And I haven't got my kodak with me either," said Cleary.

"What made you come into my country?" asked Carlos. "Did you not know
how powerful I am? And what have I ever done against you?"

"We came because we were ordered to," said Sam.

"And do you do what you are ordered to, whether you approve of it or
not?"

"Of course we do."

"That is very strange," said Carlos. "We never obey anybody unless we
want to and think he is doing the right thing. I tell my men here what
I want to do, and if they agree to it they obey me, but if they don't I
give it up. But you do things that you think are wrong and foolish
because you are ordered to. It is very strange!"

"We are military men," said Sam. "It requires centuries of civilization
to understand us."

"How do you kill your prisoners?" asked Carlos.

"We don't kill them," answered Sam.

"I don't know about that, Sam," said Cleary in English. "We didn't take
many prisoners at San Diego."

"That's a fact," answered Sam, in the same language. "We didn't take
many. I never thought of that."

"Don't tell him, tho," added Cleary.

"But when you soldiers have to execute an enemy for any reason, how do
you do it?"

"We shoot them with rifles," said Sam.

"Is that all?"

"No; we make them dig their graves first," interposed Cleary. "That's a
hint to him," he whispered. "It's better than the stew pot."

"Dig their graves first!" exclaimed the chief, and he turned to his men
and explained the matter to them. They were evidently delighted.

"What are they saying?" asked James again.

"They say that that is a grand idea, and that they will adopt it. They
think civilization is a great thing, and they want to be civilized,"
said Carlos.

"There, I knew they weren't cannibals!" said the colonel.

There was silenc