done out on the sidewalk. Many of the shopkeepers were Spanish, but there were a fair sprinkling of Germans and Englishmen, intermixed with a large number of Chinese and Japanese and native Filipinos. At this time the city had a population of something less than a hundred thousand, and of these less than five thousand were Europeans and less than five hundred Americans.
The streets were filled with Spanish soldiers who eyed us sharply as we passed them.
"It doesn't look peaceful-like, does it?" remarked Dan, as we hurried along.
"Not much!" I returned. "It looks as if everybody was waiting for somebody else to knock the chip off of his shoulder, so to speak."
"If the natives were thoroughly organized in this rebellion they could wipe the Spaniards out in no time, to my way of thinking," I said. "I reckon they don't know their power."
"You are right, Oliver, the Tagals can whip the Spaniards, I am sure of that. And I think they ought to be free."
"So do I. The islands belong to them."
"Yes, and" Dan broke off short. "Hurry up, it looks as if it was going to rain," and he caught me by the arm.
I understood perfectly well why he had so quickly changed the subject. Both of us had
