plain business. There was no departure from the strict,
straight line of military government, and the threatened entanglements
firmly touched passed away. There was nothing omitted, or superfluous,
and the purpose and programme of policy was made clear by events. The
confusion overcome by the genius of common sense there was order, all
rights respected, the administration was a success from the beginning
and continued, and is to be continued--security is established, there
is public confidence in the air--the "faith and honor of the army"
are inviolable, Manila is ours, and there is peace. If war comes in
that quarter of the globe we shall stand on ground that earthquakes
cannot shake.

CHAPTER XII

The American Army in Manila.

Why the Boys Had a Spell of Home Sickness--Disadvantages of the
Tropics--Admiral Dewey and his Happy Men--How Our Soldiers Passed
the Time on the Ships--General Merritt's Headquarters--What Is Public
Property--The Manila Water Supply--England Our Friend--Major-General
Otis, General Merritt's Successor.

The American soldiers in the Philippines were most devoted and
cheerful, patient under hardship and pleasantly satisfied that they
were as far to the front as anybody and seeing all there was to see
during the siege of Manila. They were out in tropical rains, and the
ditches they waded were deep with mud unless filled with water. They
were harassed by the Spanish with the long-range Mausers at night and
insufficiently provided a part of the time with rations. At best they
had a very rough experience, but kept their health and wanted to go
into the city with a rush. They would rather have taken chances in
storming the place than sleep in the mud, as they did for twenty days.

When the defenders of Manila concluded that the honor of Spain would
be preserved by the shedding of only a little blood in a hopeless
struggle and fell back from very strong positions before the advance
of skirmish lines, and the American columns entered the city, keeping
two armies--the Spaniards and the insurgents--apart, and, taking
possession, restored order and were sheltered in houses, it soon
began to occur to the boys, who came out of the wet campaign looking
like veterans and feeling that they had gained much by experience,
that they were doing garrison duty and that it was objectionable. The
soldiers who arrived on the Peru, City of Pueblo and Pennsylvania
were shocked that they had missed the fight and d