Show I A REBELS I i This is not really my own story it Is I my grandfathers Still since It Is all In tho family I may as well tell It I and besides It lias special Interest r now when so many people in this land 1 are looking and longing across the Pa I dUe to where our flag floats over Ma j I nila bay In the year 1S49 my grandfather a man of 20 shipped IH common sailor on I I tin I threemasted ship Polly Ann of r New Bedford bound from New York to the Philippine with a cargo of flour i The voyage vas uneventful and 136 I days after passing Sandy Hook the Polly Ann dropped anchor In Paslg river Manila During the ships stay there grandfather i grand-father who was of an Investigating disposition looked the city over pretty well and believing there were chances I for a wideawake Yankee to make a I fortune In the Islands he quit the ship I and took service with a trading IIrm on the harbor front In ten years he was managei of n business of his own and a man of iniluenco among the foreign I traders The Spaniaids too looked up j to him and reunited him I As his business gicw he was unable to manage all the details of the Increas I j i lug trade and so he called to his help a j i young Filipino named John Aguado a j I bright young man half Spanish courtly manners and a good education He had I received hln schooling at a monastery I and grandfather trusted him implicitly for III the course of time he made him his chief clerk and adviser I Aguado was absolutely fearlessthat was where his Malay blood showed out grandfather would remark when he I himself had oecaslon to refer to the story They Here out hunting one day i in a Jungle tract some ten or fifteen miles from the city when they were I i charged by a maddened buffalo that flashed out of a water hole upon them I They both ran for cover but grandfather grand-father by some misstep tripped on a I vine and fell and before he could regain i re-gain his feet the animal was upon him I It was no time to use a gunthey were armed with nothing but light fowling i pieces for pigeonshooting When I I grandfather fell Aguador who was alIt I i a-lIt tie behind him leaped to one side to j j pass him but h was not thinking of I I saving himself Qulrkly drawing his I creese which was another mark of the Malay In him he rushed back upon the I buffalo and stabbed It through the neck again and again with all the dexterity of a vetrean matador The buffalo fell I dead In I his tuuks and grandfather crawled uway with a broken arm From that time on the two men were I like brothers Juan seemed glad that I he had hud un opportunity to show his I I regard for his < mplo er jind benefactor i and grandfather wa too miuh of n man to be anything but 1 generous to one j who had saved his life But It was about the end of their comradeship One day a native from I up country called at the warehouse for I Aguado They retired to a distant part of the building and talked long and quietly together Then the stranger strang-er vent away and the clerk returned to I his desk That night when it came time for closing Aguado said Senor I must leave you I am wanted at home and it will be useless to try to detain me Grandfather was surprised beyond I I belief almost but he did not try to dis susulo him He paid his arrears of salary added a handsome bonus and I SLId goodbye to the only man In the East of whom he was truly fond I Two years passed and not a word came from Aguado hut that was not very strange 91 the province where ho lived had been In open revolt for somo I I lime and as the fighting on both sides i was constant and relentless cominu I I nlcation with Manila was practically cut off I However as time went on the rebellion I rebel-lion was crushed and the Insurgents I were scattered and captured Tho I leader of the revolution one Luis Ber I ceo was a man of considerable generalship I general-ship and resources for without munitions muni-tions or money he had held his ground against the Spaniards for a long time and had Intrigued successfully among the native troops sent to oppose him But he could not hold out forever and he too was a fugitive I Then it wns that the Government resorted re-sorted to an expedient often tried in Spanlnh countries price was set on Luis Berccos head Placards were I posted In Manila and throughout the islands wherever Spanish authority I wan recoftnled proclaiming a reward 1 of 40000 Mexican dollars to the one who would bring tho head of the Insurgent leader to the authorities My grandfather had often seen these announcements and wondered what sort of a man It was who caused the I CaptainGeneral so much annoyance Both the CaptainGeneral and hlrmlf I were soon to know One afternoon the CaptainGeneral sat alone In his office Ho was In a I complacent mood i for certain documents I docu-ments before him related to the disposition dispo-sition of the surrendered Insurgent I baiihi i who had been harrasslng his chosen province for thc last two years Suddenly without any naming the door opened behind him and a man I stepped quickly Into the room at tho same time slipping the bolt again into its place He wns dressed like a priest In a long black gown and bad a hood over his head Peace upon you he said coldly and I Don Xavier Marcla turned In his chair Who are you and what do you want Do not talk too loud said the visitor visi-tor pushing back the cowl from his I face Who am 17 See for yourself i The CaptainGeneral gave a start of I I terror and his face blanched It was i Herceo the Insurgent chief who stood before him Listen to me senior and Ill tell you I what I want You have offered b 10000 for my head See I have brought it myself and claim the money Lterceo stepped nearer and drew from I I unOsr his cloak a long native knife i 1 cant very well carry Mexican dollar dol-lar T will tak Spanish bank notes I Hurry I Gen Marcla ground his teeth in rage I but dared do nothing except obey He I knew well the character of the man he was dealing with From a desk near by I I he counted out the equivalent of 10000 III Bank of Spain notes and handed them to the rebel leader l who began to I back toward the door Goodday senor he said politely and sprang out A guard at the Mid of the hall I tried to restrain him but Bereeo cut j I him down with his knife and then I tblotting away his monks garb he raohed 1 the trfnt and made good his escape I That mime night grandfather sat smoking on his wide veranda which looked out upon the bay One or two acquaintances from the neighboring eompounds had dropped In i for a chat I but by 10 oclock he was alone again As he ant dreamily gazing out at the twinkling lights at the shipS nt anchor he heurd a step on the stairway behind him lie thought It was hIM Chinese servant Soon however a familiar voice spoke Senor excuse the intrusion He turned around and there stood his former clerk Tuan Aguado Why Juan what a pleasure But sit own how you startled me Come and tell me all about yourself Aguado smiled Arc we quite alone I sonorV he asked glancing around fur tlvcly Yes entirely so the servants have gone to bed know all Well then you want to about myself T can tell you In a word J am Boirco My grandfather was a cool man Tome inside Its damp here he said and led the way to a room back of the veranda Briefly Aguado told him what had taken place In the last two years The him the day man that had called upon lie left brought evil news His home I village had been destroyed and his father a petty olllcial up country had been imprisoned on some trumpedup charge and bin two brother had been killed in a light with their Spanish guards He had long known what Spanish rule was in the out provinces but alas his revolution dd not succeed Next he told how he had Just braved thc CaptainGeneral In his very palace and wrung from him the price set upon his own head By the grace of God I escaped but it will not be for long unless senor you help me Not knowing what I should havo done in your place Juan said grandfather grand-father slowly Im not the man to SeC you handed over to Gen Don Xavier MarcIa anyway Let me think After a while grandfather said I think I have It A Captain friend of mine sails for Hongkong on the morning morn-ing breeze Tf I can get you on board Come put on I bin ship you arc safe some of my clothes F dont think the I authorities will bo looking for you here I They dont know that Lulz Bcrceo Is 1 such a dear friend of mine and I think we can get out to the ship all right Talking English they made their way quietly to the harbor front and called a sampan They looked like two belated i English Captains going out to their ships IpA halfmile out In the bay lay the j I John Dorset ready to weigh anchor I My grandfather hailed and when the Captain appeared he climbed on board I leaving Aguado below in the boat Grandfather drew the Captain below I and told him who the man was in the I sampan and what he wanted I Capt Higgins of the John Dorset was Ian I-an old sea dog of the genuine Yankee I type He liked a man who had what he I called sand for ballast as Luis Ber i ieo evidently < < hud j Shiver my mainmast but Ill tatte I I him said Capt Higgins He can have my cabin till we are well r > ast Corrr gldor and out to sea This Is about the end of the story i Aguado escaped safely to Hongkong A I year or two afterward just before I I grandfather sold out his business and I Marled home he received a package ironi a Chinese port It contained a beautifully Jeweled Malay Icris with the j lIam Juan Aguado upon the blod > Detroit Free Press I |