“This rank business is what is hurting the army and navy too,” Phil exclaimed testily. “Just because a man has one more stripe on his sleeve he thinks he knows more than every one below him, and considers a suggestion from a subordinate unpardonable insubordination, almost akin to mutiny. Well, Mr. Tillotson can keep his own plan, but, Syd, I am going to work out our end of it.” While Phil spoke he drew the chart toward him and glanced carefully at the land in the neighborhood of Binalbagan. “Do you see that marsh behind the town?” he exclaimed suddenly to Sydney whose eyes were upon the chart. “That’s probably mangrove, and they can’t get through that, so if they’re attacking, it’ll be from the side. If Tillotson lands his men to the northward and we take a position to the southward we ought to make a big haul. I told O’Neil to have the Colt gun ready and if it comes out as I hope it will, we’ll land it there,” pointing to a spot on the chart showing a low hill to the left of the town. Sydney agreed heartily with Phil’s plans, and berated soundly the attitude of the army man. “I suppose,” Phil said in apology for him as they parted, one to turn in, the other to keep watch until midnight, “that he’s had so much fighting he’s grown careless.” At midnight Phil was awakened, and relieved Sydney on the bridge, while the latter went below to get a few hours’ sleep before he would be needed in the work to be accomplished. Phil gazed through the darkness ahead of the gunboat; the dim outline of the land along which they were traveling could be seen on the port hand. The coast was bald and he knew he could without danger run as close as he desired to its precipitous cliffs. The more he thought of the scornful carelessness of the young lieutenant the angrier he became. What right had he to consider such an expedition one to require no plans? What if he landed in an ambush? “He should consider the lives of his men,” he exclaimed hotly. The midshipman already knew that a large part of the garrison were not at Binalbagan, having gone on an expedition to the north coast; a sergeant and twenty men had remained to guard the men’s barracks and supplies, to say nothing of the natives who had professed friendship to the Americans and lived close under their protection. These poor souls, Phil knew, were between two fires; if the soldiers were defeated they would be killed by their enraged countrymen, while if their countrymen claimed and received aid from them they would at once be put in prison by the Americans, and yet if they refused to subscribe to the cruel demands of the insurgents their lives would pay for their rashness as soon as they wandered outside of their village.