Chapter I: Front Matter

A
UNITED STATES
MIDSHIPMAN
IN THE
PHILIPPINES

_by_

Lt. Com. Yates Stirling Jr. U.S.N.

Author of

“A U.S. Midshipman Afloat”
“A U.S. Midshipman in China”
“A U.S. Midshipman in Japan”
“A U.S. Midshipman in the South Seas”

Illustrated _by_ Ralph L. Boyer

THE PENN PUBLISHING
COMPANY PHILADELPHIA
MCMXIII

COPYRIGHT
1910 BY
THE PENN
PUBLISHING
COMPANY

Introduction

The writer has attempted to describe in this volume the life of two young midshipmen of the United States Navy, serving in a small gunboat in Philippine waters.

The fighting between the United States troops and the lawless bands of Filipino bandits (for they were bandits, more or less, after Aguinaldo’s army had been dispersed) was in most cases “hand to hand” and to the death. The navy had but small share in this war, but in some instances the helpful coöperation of their web-footed brothers saved the soldiers from embarrassing situations.

Midshipman Philip Perry and his classmate at Annapolis, Sydney Monroe, first made their appearance in “A United States Midshipman Afloat.” They had a part in stirring adventures during one of the frequent South American revolutions. Here they became involved in diplomatic intrigue, and had some success; but unfortunately diplomatic successes cannot always be proclaimed to the world.

“A United States Midshipman in China” told of the adventures of the same boys in China during a threatened uprising of fanatical Chinese against the foreigners. Here again diplomacy counseled silence, and their reward for saving the day was a mild rebuke from their admiral. One of the principal characters in all three books is Jack O’Neil, a typical modern man-of-war’s man.

These books are written in an endeavor to portray the life led by young officers in the naval service. The writer’s own experiences warrant the belief that the incidents are not unusual. The midshipmen are not merely automatons. To one of Napoleon’s pawns an order was an order, to be obeyed, right or wrong. But the doctrine, “their’s not to reason why” when “some one has blundered” is no longer accepted as an excuse for poor results. In these days of progress we court-martial an officer who stubbornly obeys an order, when he knows that to do so will injure the cause he has sworn to uphold.

Further account of the boys’ stirring adventures will be found in “A U. S. Midshipman in Japan” and “A U. S. Midshipman in the South Seas.”

Contents

I. THE START FOR PALILO 9

II. A POLITE CAPTOR 25

III. A LEAK OF MILITARY INFORMATION 41

IV. LANDED IN CAPTIVITY 54

V. CAPTAIN BLYNN MARCHES 71

VI. THE “MINDINAO” 83

VII. THE GUNBOAT COÖPERATES 101

VIII. THE PRIVILEGES OF RANK 119

IX. THE KATIPUNAN SOCIETY 138

X. IN THE SHADOW OF A SUSPICION 158

XI. A TRAITOR UNMASKED 175

XII. THE MIDSHIPMEN RECONNOITRE 189

XIII. UNWELCOME COMPANIONS 212

XIV. CLEVERLY OUTWITTED 225

XV. A NIGHT OF ALARM 241

XVI. A FILIPINO MARTYR 259

XVII. A DARING PLAN 277

XVIII. A RIVER EXPEDITION 292

XIX. A WILLING CAPTIVE 308

XX. THE STRUGGLE FOR THE STRONGHOLD 324

XXI. THE GUNBOAT TAKES A HAND 336

XXII. THE ESCAPED OUTLAW 346

XXIII. COLONEL MARTINEZ 355

XXIV. THE GUNBOAT ON GUARD 366

XXV. CONCLUSION 377

Illustrations

PAGE

SOME ONE TURNED ON THE CURRENT _Frontispiece_

HERE WAS FREEDOM WITHIN HIS GRASP 69

“I AM IN COMMAND HERE!” 126

“HELLO, HERE ARE SOME CANOES!” 205

UP THE FACE OF THE CLIFF 288

HE GAZED DOWN INTO THE STILL FACE 333

A MAN STEPPED SILENTLY FROM BEHIND A TREE 356

A United States Midshipman In the Philippines