f Spanish occupation
suffered the loss, by abduction, of a female infant. An interesting
story to this effect has been communicated to me by Bogobos, who
attribute the crime to the Hill People."

The mailboat limped in early in the afternoon, waking the torpid town
into semblance of interested activity during the brief duration of its
stay. But before she had disappeared over the horizon native Davao had
relapsed into stupid placidity, and the Chinos had stored the meager
cargoes dropped for them--print goods, cigarettes, matches, rice, a
few small agongs, and, probably, a little opium. The lethargy of the
tropics during the hot hours is entire and complete: the angel Gabriel
himself will fail of unanimous native response unless he toots his
cheerful summons during the cool hours between dusk to dawn.

Terry still sat in the cool orderly room at the cuartel, energetically
clearing his desk of the last accumulations of the paper work he found
a chore, when the dapper sergeant entered with his mail. Sorting
quickly through the dozen official envelopes in anxious search for one
addressed in the neat hand that always quickened his pulses, he
discovered, miserably, that there was none from her. Fighting off the
discouraged feeling that accompanied lapses in her correspondence with
him, he slowly opened a letter from Ellis. Ellis' letters, few in
number, had always been cheerful but brief statements of how matters
went on at home, usually business affairs. He put Ellis' letter in his
blouse pocket to read after dinner, then attacked the pile of official
mail: he wanted no unfinished office work to keep him in the morrow,
as he planned another quiet look at Malabanan's place. When the
Sergeant bore in the lighted lamp Terry ordered him to have the launch
ready at daylight.

Night had wrapped the town when he crossed the plaza to his quarters.
Matak, silent as ever but of more cheerful countenance, set the table.
At his second laconic announcement Terry rose and crossed to the
dinner table, and as he seated himself a white missile was tossed
through the open window by an unseen hand and landed with a thud on
the bare floor. Matak brought it to him, and unwrapping the paper from
about the pebble Terry read the note. It was from the secreto whom he
had planted near Malabanan's plantation.

Sir:

At eight o'clock last night Malabanan left here with a
newcomer named Sakay and 22 of his "laborers."

From