town,"
Scotty commented.

"Pedestrians are nothing but the raw material for accidents," Rick
agreed. "Look at that!"

Among the busses, the cars, and the jeeps that ranged the boulevard
trotted a half-dozen two-wheeled carriages drawn by tiny horses. These
were the _calesas_ of bygone days, still competing with Manila's
countless taxis for passengers.

"We should hire two and have a chariot race," Scotty suggested.

They had a sandwich and a cold drink made with _calamansi_, the pungent
small Philippine limes, then walked across the boulevard to where the
great wall of the old city rose high in the air. The wall was of huge
stone blocks, rising about four times the boys' height into the air. It
was perhaps twenty feet thick at the base.

Within the walls there had once been a city of a hundred thousand
people, but it was there that in World War II the Japanese had chosen to
make their last stand. Most of the people of the city had been wiped
out, along with their Japanese captors, and of the ancient buildings
only a cathedral remained. The area had been bulldozed flat in most
places, and Quonset-type warehouses, called _bodegas_, had replaced the
ruined Spanish buildings.

"Rick, look at this!" Scotty called, pointing to a fern-like plant that
grew near the wall. "Watch." He touched it and the leaves rolled into
tight tubes. "How about that?"

A Filipino gentleman, immaculate in a white nylon suit, watched them for
a moment, then joined them. "The plant is strange to Americans, I think.
It is a sensitive mimosa. You have the mimosa in America, but not this
variety."

"It's good of you to explain, sir," Rick said.

"Not at all. In Tagalog, the plant is called _makahiya_. It means,
literally, 'I am ashamed when you touch me.'"

"It's ashamed, so it closes up," Rick said. "That's charming. Tagalog
must be a picturesque language."

The Filipino nodded. "It has a certain flavor. Allow me to introduce
myself. I am Colonel Felix Rojas of the Philippine constabulary."

Rick took his first good look at the Filipino and immediately recognized
the soldierly bearing and lean fitness of the professional soldier. He
introduced himself and Scotty.

Colonel Rojas smiled. "The young men who are going to dine with the
esteemed Assistant Secretary tonight, eh? Welcome to our country." He
bowed and walked away, leaving them openmouthed. Then, as an
afterthought, he turned. "Surprised? Don't be. We are interested in
strang