n to wonder if his brother would ever turn up again.

"I suppose I'll have to write to Walter and to Uncle Job about this,"
he muttered dismally. "But I hate to do it, especially if Larry does
turn up, for I know it will worry both of them greatly."

The road was thick with palms and plantains and trailing plants, the
latter of gorgeous colorings. Nipa huts and bamboo cottages were
numerous, but the inmates kept themselves well hidden as the little
army passed by. In the distance were paddy-fields and cane-brakes, and
along the road were numerous mud-holes, some of which had to be
bridged over before the artillery could pass in safety. More than once
horses and cannon got stuck, and many a shoulder had to be put to the
pieces to budge them.

"If there was no war, this would be a delightful spot in which to
spend a vacation," remarked Gilbert, who had come up for a little
talk, as was his habit when they were pushing ahead in irregular
formation. "I reckon the natives take solid comfort in their homes."

"I suppose it puts you in mind of the South at home," returned Ben,
with a smile, "It is nice, certainly. But I fancy this continual heat
would make one mighty lazy in time."

"Well, the natives are lazy, you can easily see that," laughed the
young Southerner. "I wish I could get a good drink of water," he
added, a minute later.

They soon came to a pretty dwelling, set in a perfect wilderness of
flowers and shrubs. Toward the side they made out a well, and ran
forward to fill their canteens.

The pair were at the well when a shrill cry from one of the side rooms
of the house attracted their attention. Looking up, they saw a native
girl waving her hand frantically at them. The girl was nicely dressed
and evidently belonged to the better classes.

"We only want a drink!" shouted Ben, thinking that the maiden might
imagine they had come into the garden to steal.

But the girl shouted more loudly than ever, and waved them away from
the well. "Bad! bad!" she cried.

"Oh, no, we are not so bad as you think," Gilbert shouted back; and
was about to take a drink from a cocoanut-shell dipper which hung
handy, when the girl came out of the cottage on a run and dashed the
dipper to the ground. At the same time an evil-looking Filipino
appeared at the doorway, shook his fist at the girl, and then suddenly
ran for the barns behind the dwelling and disappeared.

"I want a drink and I'm going to have it," began Gilbert, st