“Do you see that gun there, sir?” O’Neil exclaimed, suddenly nodding his head toward a Spanish howitzer mounted on the cliff just to the right of the trail. “It’s manned by Espinosa’s men!”
“That’s bad,” Phil replied anxiously; “and you notice, it commands the river.”
“Good-morning,” in Spanish from behind them caused Phil to swing about quickly and gaze into the amused but wicked eyes of Colonel Salas. “So we are to have the pleasure of your company as our guest, after all?” the Filipino continued tauntingly. “General Espinosa is making great preparations for your reception. It is needless for me to tell you how delighted he is that you have changed your mind. He was very angry at me for not insisting on your coming with me the other day.”
Phil regarded the little native, a fine scorn in his eyes. He would have liked nothing better than to have answered him in the same ironical vein, but he realized that to do so and anger him would only make more difficult their position.
“He will be here to pay his respects shortly,” Salas continued ironically. “Ah! here he comes now.”
With his heart beating fast and the muscles in his throat tightening, Phil saw Espinosa sauntering toward them. He was dressed in the uniform of a Filipino general, made in the Spanish fashion, of a mouse-colored duck with a rolling collar, on which a silver star glistened. He came slowly forward, a wicked smile on his face.
“Señor Perry! So! I have you now in my power?” he said in a low, hard voice. “I knew that my time would come. Your cleverness caused me some inconvenience. Colonel Martinez is still to be accounted for. But”—and he shrugged his shoulders—“that is but a matter of days. You can see that I am now master of the situation. I shall annihilate your untried, inefficient volunteers with as much ease as I can kill flies on the wall of a butcher shop. Your general dare not call in his men from the garrisons in the north. After I have worn out and killed those sent against me, then I shall attack Palilo itself. Then when I have the city in my hands and your general has withdrawn or surrenders, I shall wire to Manila my willingness to accept civil government. I shall go through the form of surrendering to the vanquished Americans, and shall be made the governor of Kapay. I shall then carry on my authority under your own flag. Is it not a very clever plan? Ah, there is one point that I have forgotten, a governor of an island as rich as Kapay must have a suitable dwelling. Very well. Señor Rodriguez is no more; his house is vacant and adequate for the worthy purpose; and the señorita—how well the title of wife to the governor of Kapay would become her!
“So you see, señor, after all, Espinosa has lost nothing,” he ended with mock politeness.
Phil glared angrily at this vain, boastful Malay half-breed. How dare he even think of marrying a girl like Maria Rodriguez? Phil knew that she would rather die first.
“Every man in the American army will fight you to the last fence,” Phil exclaimed savagely. “Your villainy and treachery are too well known among even your own people, who serve you only through fear. You will never be made a governor under the civil government. That won’t aid you to carry out your vengeful purposes upon those whom you might choose to call your enemies.”