"Oh, he went up in the air at first, but it was finally settled to arrange signals from his house to the ship, and if he was actually attacked he could send up a rocket or two and we’d land in a jiffy. You see, there are only about fifty insurrectos in the hills, so it’s estimated, and there are two hundred government troops in the town, and the rebs are afraid to come in to attack, even though the federals are afraid of them. We are going to keep our search-lights on all night, and though we can’t see the Spigs in the bosky they’ll think we can, and that’ll be enough to scare ’em. After that Mr. Consul went ashore with a bundle of rockets under one arm and his old bumbershoot under the other, mollified but not satisfied." "Is that all you know?" inquired another inquisitive man. "You can’t expect me to remember everything; besides, I’m no evening paper," answered Jones. "You ain’t no yeller journal, that’s sure," said Joe Choiniski, sneeringly, from the edge of Jones’ audience. "I, for one, wouldn’t give two cents to read all you’ve chawed about so far." "Nobody asked you to butt in and listen," promptly answered Jones, looking at the speaker, who was none too popular, especially with the marines, "but I’ve got a dime thriller up my sleeve for the Sunday edition." "Loosen up, Jonesie," said a big marine, tossing into the circle a quarter, which Jones deftly caught, "here’s two bits; you can keep the change. What’s the scandal?" Rather proud at being the center of so much attraction, an honor not ordinarily accorded him, Jones continued: "Well, the chief thing old Perez was excited over is a bunch of money he’s got in his house. He’s about the richest man in town, and is a kind of banker too, and he’s got several thousands of dollars of government money in his keeping. He can’t get rid of it, for the railroad is busted up. He’s afraid to let the Commanding Officer of the government troops know about it, for the simple reason that a lot of pay is already due him and his men, and they’d be liable to confiscate it and his own coin too. He claims that the rebel chief is an enemy of his and wouldn’t hesitate to kill him and his whole family if he heard about the money and could get it. He can’t let the money out of his house for the reason he’s received word a federal officer is expected at any old time to get it, and if he didn’t have it ready for instant delivery, he’d always be in bad with the authorities, and----" "You have done enough talking, young man," interrupted First Sergeant Douglass, who overheard the latter part of Jones’ discourse, "and I want to tell you, if ever I hear you or any other orderly disclosing, without authority, official matters which you may happen to overhear while on duty in a position of trust, I’ll see that you get well and properly punished. You may not have thought of it in that light, but it’s a sneaking, unmanly trick, and marines are supposed to be men, not sneaks."