Page:A Sailor Boy with Dewey.djvu/52

40 among themselves and against the Spanish tax-gatherers, who have their offices located everywhere. You see there is a terribly mixed population, of Tagals, Malays, Papuan negroes, Chinese, Japanese, and Caucasians, with half- and quarter-breeds without number. I understand the Spaniards can count over a hundred different kinds of natives alone, and in the islands over a hundred and fifty different languages and dialects are spoken. It's a great country. But, come, we must rouse up something to eat."

"I have my pistol and some cartridges," I said, and showed my weapon.

"Keep your ammunition until you actually need it, lad. We can knock over something alive, as the natives do, with clubs."

In such a tropical forest clubs were soon found, and, holding these ready for use, we tramped on, through thick, dank moss and under masses of trailing vines.

"There they go!" shouted Watt Brown suddenly, as a whir sounded out ahead. A dozen or more good-sized birds had arisen and his club brought down two. Then came another whir to our right, and I let fly and brought down a beautiful white pigeon that weighed all of two pounds. Another pigeon was wounded and I managed to catch it alive and wring its neck. With this haul we returned to the beach.