One of the soldiers lifted a shovelful of sand and threw it in the face of the man man in the grave. Some grains entered his eyes, but as he lay in agony, because gravel filled his mouth, he could only groan and sputter without speaking. "His mouth shall be filled with gravel," quoted the Jesuit, with unfeeling sarcasm. "Fill in the grave, men." The soldiers shoveled for a moment and the remains of Aglipay were buried from sight, literally buried alive. XVII. "HE AIN'T NO FRIEND." Of course, the death of Aglipay became noised abroad. Indeed, the Jesuit took no pains to keep it from being known, because he felt that the death of the leader would have an important effect in ending the schism. The death was a matter susceptible of proof from the fact that the body was found, but that he was buried alive could not be proven save from the participants in the tragedy, who were not required to testify against themselves. Rumors as to the horrors of the fate of Dr. Obispo Maximo spread through Manila and Luzon, and aroused the people to a high pitch of indignation. In a sense, it was for the time beneficial to the revolt, because hundreds now flocked to Saguanaldo, bringing their own weapons and ammunition, and every region through which he passed was eager to feed the soldiery, so that opposition to the friars gained strong headway again. It became impossible for the Americans to ignore the matter. In order to appease the inhabitants of Manila, the three soldiers were arrested and placed on trial, before a court martial, for killing a prisoner. They were found guilty and ordered shot. It was then that Violeta appeared before Judge Daft. "You must pardon these men," he said. "Must is a strong word," returned the Judge, flushing. "The reasons behind it are strong," continued the Jesuit. "The deed they did, while irregular, has simplified matters amazingly, by removing the head and cause of the schism, so that they did you an inestimable service. You can not afford to show ingratitude toward what they did." "But it was murder." "Manslaughter, perhaps. America is at war, not only with Spain, but also with this schisms, and all war is manslaughter. Rainey's victory was manslaughter. Manslaughter among soldiers is not a crime." "It seems to me you assume a great deal in saying that we are at war with this schism." "You will be, which is the same thing. The Aglipayans over all the archipelago are in arms." "Yes, and this deed precipitated it." "Precipitated it, perhaps; that does not mean that was the cause of the revolt. It was bound to come anyhow, and the sooner it comes the cheaper it will be for America; the quicker you win, the greater your reputation will be. The United States could not occupy the archipelago and leave the Philippine republic intact, you know that." Judge Daft thought in silence, pacing the floor. Then, seating himself at his desk, he wrote: "Commander of American Forces: