There is nothing to differentiate the island of Basilan from the manyothers in the Sulu group. The natives seemed far from hostile, however,and Lieutenant Lewis remarked upon their docility to Sergeant Greer.
"Don't let 'em fool you, sir; they're not to be trusted," he replied.
"Oh, Sergeant, I think we are all too scared of the dirty beggars. Ifwe ever stop dodging them, they will stop lying in wait for us."
The old man's face did not reveal his misgivings, but he wonderedwhere this young upstart would lead the men and inwardly cursed thewar department for sending troops into the jungle under the commandof a baby. He was soon to change his opinion of this particular "baby."
Camp was pitched near the water's edge in a tall cocoanut grove thatsupplied them with food and water as well as shade. The chores over,liberty was granted to explore the island. The sergeant shook his head;he seemed to feel the inexperience of the new officer and oversteppedthe bounds of discipline when he warned him again of the treacheryof the natives, advising him to keep the men in camp.
"That will do, Sergeant," replied the lieutenant. The old man stiffenedinto a salute, wheeled, and disappeared down the company street.
At sunset retreat was sounded, and after all the men had beenaccounted for, they gathered around the fires. Picturesque nativesmingled with the jolly soldiers, bartering and arguing over triflingpurchases. Through the warm fragrance, unfamiliar sounds keptreminding Lewis that he was far from home. The twilight deepenedinto night, and pipe in hand, he reviewed the strange scene. Folks athome were celebrating Christmas Eve. Somewhere the snow was falling,bells jingling, and a mother's prayers were being whispered for thefar-away boy in the Sulu jungle. Little Piang was squatting at hisfeet, silently watching the scene, happy because he was near hismaster. Suddenly the boy jumped up, dashed into the crowd, and yelled:
"Juramentado!"
A tall Moro, without any warning, had begun to shriek and whirl,cutting to and fro with his terrible campilan, and before any one couldprevent, he had felled two troopers. With a howl, Lewis plunged intotheir midst, pistol leveled, but before he could pull the trigger,the Moro buried the sword in his own vitals and pitched forward, dead.
"See, another!" cried Piang.
Just in time a bullet from the lieutenant's revolver silenced anotherdeadly fanatic. They had slipped into the gathering, well concealedbeneath enshrouding green sarongs, but Piang's quick eye had detectedthem before they had a good start.
"Piang has saved us from a terrible row, boys," said Sergeant Greer,and when the wounded were cared for, the rough soldiers tossed thegraceful boy on their shoulders and paraded through the camp, muchto the delight of the hero.
"I go to find the sultan to-morrow, sir?" asked Piang. "Him atIsabella, and I must give him Kali Pandapatan's message."
"Well, Piang, I am with you. I'm going to face that old codger andtell him what I think of his fiendish tricks of killing us off bythis beastly juramentado, when he claims to be at peace with America."
Lewis learned many things during the trip, and Piang delighted inguiding his friends through the jungle he loved so well, through thegrass eight feet high, under trees laden with strange fruits. Monkeyswere swinging in the trees chattering and scolding the intruders.
"You want monkey, sir?" asked Piang.
"Can you catch one without hurting it?"
"You watch Piang," chuckled the boy. The others hid, and Piangstruck a match. The tree, full of curious little people, shook asthey scampered about trying to see what Piang was doing. He paid noattention to them, and as he struck match after match, they graduallycrept nearer. Shielding the flame from the inquisitive creatures,he excited their curiosity until they were unable to resist, andsoon one hopped to the ground. Another came, and another. Piang paidno attention to the visitors, continuing to hide the flame in hishands. Lewis almost spoiled it all by laughing outright, for it wasindeed a ridiculous sight to see the little wild things consumed withcuriosity. Walking upright, their funny hands dangling from the stiffelbows, they advanced. One venturesome little gray form clinging tothe branch overhead by its tail, timidly touched Piang's shoulder. Itpaused, touched it again, and finally confidently hopped upon it,all the while craning its neck, making absurd faces at the sulphurfumes. Two little arms went around Piang's neck; a soft little bodycuddled up against him, and all the while the monkey twisted andturned in its efforts to discover the mystery of the flame.
The click of a camera sounded like a gunshot in the intense stillness,and up the trees went the little band in a flash, all but the prisonerin Piang's arms.
"Great, Piang," called Lewis. "I hope the picture will be good,for it was the strangest sight I ever saw in my life."
"Oh, me love monkeys," replied the boy, stroking and soothing thefrightened creature. "You want this one?"
"No, let the little beast off, I couldn't bear to cage it up." A bananaand some sugar repaid the monkey for the experiment and after he wasfree, he followed the travelers, chattering and begging for sweets.
When they came to Isabella, capital of Basilan Island, Piang scurriedoff in search of the sultan. The men amused themselves watchingthe excitement they created. An American soldier is a wonderful anddreadful thing to these wild folk.
"The sultan, he out in other barrio. Me catchim." This beinginterpreted meant that Piang would guide them to his house.
When they finally came to a clearing, Lewis wondered why Piang stoppedin front of a filthy hut, half-way up two cocoanut-trees; he wasimpatient to be off, as he wanted to reach the sultan's palace beforedark. Piang was arguing with a dirty woman cleaning fish in the river.
"Piang, what's the idea? Let's get on," impatiently said Lewis.
"This His Excellency Paduca Majasari Amiril Sultan Harun Narrasid'shouse," replied Piang with awe.
"Gee, what a name!" exclaimed Lewis. "And to go with that dugout,too. Say, Piang, I suppose we could call the old chap Pad for short?"
Piang grinned, but instantly went on his knees, head touching theground as a sullen, dark face, a white scar slashed across the cheek,appeared at the opening.
"What does the beggar mean by that grunt, Sergeant?" asked Lewis.
"That's the old boy himself, sir, wanting to know why you havedisturbed his royal sleep."
Lewis was dumfounded! This dirty, insignificant creature the sultan! Hewanted to laugh, but the solemn little figure, prostrate before theman, made him say quietly:
"Piang, get up, I want you to talk to him."
Timidly the boy raised his eyes to his august lord; another gruntseemed to give Piang permission, for he rose and faced Lewis.
"What you want Piang to say? Be careful. He not like joke and mightchop off Americanos."
Lewis realized it was no trifling matter to meet this scoundrel alonein the jungle, far from reinforcements. His message was simple, short,and impressive:
"Ask him why the devil he allowed those juramentados to invademy camp?"
With much ceremony Piang addressed the sultan, bowing and scrapingbefore him. The low, ugly growls in response made Lewis furious,but he refrained from showing his anger. The sultan's reply amazed him.
He expressed his regrets indifferently, that the camp had beendisturbed. But (he threw up his hands to indicate his helplessness)who could stop the sacred juramentado? Not he, powerful sultan thathe was. To-day was a feast of the Mohammedans. To-day was a mostholy day, and, of course, the sultan could not be held responsibleif some of his men had become excited. True, many good Americans hadmet their death in this way; it was most unfortunate, but how couldit be stopped? Did the Christians not have their Christmas, and didthey not kill turkeys and cut trees? The Moros are a fierce peopleand celebrate their feast days in a more violent manner.
Poor Lewis! Thoroughly exasperated, he tried to argue through Piang,but finding it hopeless, he told the boy to finish Kali Pandapatan'sbusiness with the sultan as quickly as possible.
Discouraged, he started back through the jungle, won
dering how manymore fanatics had broken loose during his absence. The sultan wasdeliberately picking the troops off, a few at a time, always insistingthat he was at peace with the Americans. The war department, many milesaway, was unable to understand the situation. Orders required thatthe Moro receive humane treatment, and forbade any drastic measuresbeing taken against the juramentados, saying time would cure it. Itwas outrageous, and intelligent men were being made fools of by thesultan, who understood the state of affairs perfectly.
The jungle began to irritate Lewis; it was a constant fight. Theterrible heat, the tenacity of the vines and undergrowth seemeddirected toward him personally, as he stumbled and fought his wayalong. How impossible to deal with the crafty sultan according toChristian standards! He should be given treatment that would bringhim to terms quickly, and Lewis longed to get a chance at him.
Suddenly an idea flashed into his head. He hurried Piang, biddinghim find a shorter cut home, as night was gathering.
"Sergeant Greer, come to my tent immediately," ordered the lieutenantwhen he had looked over the camp and found everything safe.
"Allow no one to enter, orderly," he said and closed the flaps.
"Sergeant, I have a plan and I need your experience and advice tocarry it out. That old sultan is a fiend, and I am going to get him!"
"That's been tried many times, sir, and he is still ahead of the game."
But after Lewis had talked rapidly for a few minutes, disclosingthe plan that was slated to best his majesty, a smile broke over theweather-beaten features of the sergeant, and he slapped his thighsin appreciation.
"Well, sir, we can try it, and if it does work, headquarters willflood you with thanks; if it fails, and I warn you it might, you willbe cut into hash either by the sultan or the war department." Thiswas good advice from the old soldier.
"I know it, Sergeant, but I am going to take the risk if you are withme." The enthusiastic young man dashed out of the tent to make thenecessary preparations for the great event.