ofed house being much cooler.

Manila is built of stone; the buildings look very old, but are good yet.

One night when the Thirteenth Minnesota Regiment was on police duty, and
no one was allowed on the streets after seven o'clock at night, with a
fellow soldier I started out to go to a dance outside of the city walls;
we knew that if we were caught we would be court martialed. To avoid all
the risk possible we went out before seven o'clock, and took chances on
getting back to quarters safely. We could not return to our quarters
without passing sentinels, that much was certain, but how to pass them
safely was the question then most important to us. I had an army pistol,
and with that in my hand I directed my friend to play the part of a
prisoner and march before me. We proceeded in that way only a short
distance when a guard halted us. I explained that I had a prisoner
carrying him to headquarters. The guards were to see orders for a pass
or whatever orders I might have, but this one allowed me to pass on with
my prisoner without showing any orders. We passed in by all the guards
and patrols on the streets, and were halted and some questions asked and
answered, but none of them asked to see any orders regarding my
prisoner, who all the time was just in front of me. I was afraid that
every guard and patrol would demand my orders, and then our scheme would
fail, and we would be in trouble. I told them it was late and I must
hurry in with my prisoner, and so we passed them all and reached our
quarters in safety. The men worked a great many schemes to get out and
in, but it was for my friend and myself to play the part of prisoner and
guard first.

I never tried any more schemes on the guards, but was always in at
night; I did not like to risk so much just for a little fun. We were
very careful about keeping our little scheme from the officers, but told
some of our comrades about it, and enjoyed the joke with them.

CHAPTER IX.

On the seventeenth day of May the Thirteenth Regiment and two battalions
of the 23d Regiment went on board the Spanish transport, "Leon," and
sailed for the Island of Jolo.

I was a member of one of the battalions of the 23d. We boarded the
"Leon" under a Spanish crew and sailed under the Spanish flag. The
"Leon" was a large vessel of rapid speed, and made the run from Manila
to the Island of Jolo in a little more than forty-eight hours, a
distance of 800 miles south of Manila. Land w