t catches half the young fellows who enlist to-day," went on
Hal. "I've been looking forward to the Philippines from the day I first
took the oath in the recruiting station."

"Well, we're here," replied Noll, breathing in the warm air with lazy
satisfaction. "And I'm mighty glad that we're in for two years of it."

The Thirty-fourth had come out to the islands as a complete regiment.
They had reembarked at Manila also as a regiment, but now the time had
come when "Ours" was well scattered through the southern islands of the
archipelago.

The second battalion and headquarters, with the band, had disembarked at
Iloilo; two companies had been left on the island of Negros, and two
more on Cebu. B and C Companies had been left at Fort Franklin, in the
Misamis district on northern Mindanao, and the remaining two companies
had been carried on to Zamboanga.

On its return trip the "Warren" had picked up the scattered military
commands which the Thirty-fourth had relieved. Two companies of the
Thirty-second infantry had gone from Bantoc the day before.

Mindanao is the second largest and the most fertile island in the
Philippine group. The natural beauty is as great as the fertility. If it
were not for the occasional ferocity of some of the tribes this island
could be turned into one vast net-work of plantations as rich as any
that the world can show.

Bantoc was a sleepy, sunlit little town, half Spanish and half Moro.
Thanks to American rule, the streets were clean and order reigned. There
were about forty stores and other mercantile establishments in Bantoc,
for this town was headquarters for a large country district. The people
of Bantoc, outside of the small white population, were more than half
Moros, the other islanders belonging to the Tagalo and other allied
tribes. Almost without exception these people were lazy and
good-natured. A newcomer would have difficulty in believing that such
men as he met in Bantoc could ever give the soldiers trouble. It was to
this town that the few planters and many small native farmers sent rich
stores of rice, cocoa, hemp, cotton, indigo and costly woods.

There was also the port of Bantoc, through which these products were
sent out to do their part in the world's commerce.

The native leaders of the population of Bantoc were wealthy little brown
men. There was much money in circulation, the leading Moros and Tagalos
having handsome homes and entertaining lavishly. There was a n