who gloried in the euphonious name of Gogo,
was particularly assidious in his attentions, and would come close up
to us and say, "_I-ese--i-ese--dam'me--i-ese!_" going into paroxysms
of mirth the while, and wrinkling up his handsome little face at the
mere remembrance of the water so cold it was hard.

That night the shore officers took their Christmas dinner with us on
the _Burnside_, and a very jolly evening we made of it. The saloon
was entirely covered, ceiling and all, by American and ship's flags,
interspersed with palms, while over the sideboard were suspended the
American flag and Union Jack intertwined, this last in honour of our
two cable experts, both of them being Britishers. We women donned our
smartest frocks, the electric piano, slightly out of tune, did rag-time
to perfection, the _menu_ included every conventional Christmas dish,
and yet--and yet it was not Christmas, and all the roast turkey and
plum pudding in the world could not make it so. It was a very jolly
dinner, to be sure, well served and with charming company, but it
was not a Christmas dinner. Only Half-a-Woman's presence saved it
and the day from utter failure.

The next morning the presidente of the town, other officials, and some
of the leading men and women of Dumaguete made a visit to the ship,
and were voluble in their surprise at what was shown them,--the
electric lights and fans, the steam galley and ice-machine; the
cold-storage room, where one could freeze to death in a few moments;
the little buttons on the wall which one had only to touch and a
servant appeared to take one's orders; the wonderful piano that
"played itself,"--all were duly admired and exclaimed over.

But what seemed to please and astonish them most of all were the
bath-rooms with their white porcelain tubs, tiled floors, and shining
silver knobs, which one had only to turn in order to have hot or cold
water, either salt or fresh, in the tub, the basin, or the shower. Even
the electric piano failed to impress them as did this aqueous marvel,
and they crossed themselves and called on the Virgin and all her
angels to testify that verily the American nation was a mighty one.

The men were of course greatly interested in our gallant armament of
rapid-fire guns, and when the quartermaster, who is a crack shot, hit
an improvised target in the water several times in succession with a
one-pounder in the stern of the ship, the Filipinos were astounded,
and stared at h