Page:A Sailor Boy with Dewey.djvu/124

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
110
A SAILOR BOY WITH DEWEY.

present cigarette, for it must be remembered that in the Philippines women as well as men smoke. To this smell of tobacco was added that of cooking with garlic, for garlic is the one vegetable that is never missing from the pot.

A dozen prisoners stood and sat around, some in deep anger and others in sullen silence. One, an Englishman, was nearly crazy.

"Hi'll show them who Hi am!" he bawled. "Hi'll sue them for a 'undred thousand punds damages, so Hi will!"

"What did they arrest you for?" I asked.

"What for? Nothing, young man, absolutely nothing. Hi said it was a beastly country, not fit for a 'og to live in, and then they collared me. But Hi'll show them, blast me hif Hi don't!" and he began to pace the floor at a ten-mile-an-hour gait. Soon a guard came in and threatened him with a club, and he collapsed in a corner.

There were no seats vacant, and Dan and I took up our places near a window, which was barred with half a dozen rusty-looking iron sticks set in mortar which was decidedly crumbly. As we stood there I tried one of the bars and found I could wrench it loose with ease. I mentioned the fact to Dan.

"Look out of the window and tell me what you see," he returned, and I looked.