Sit down there now,
and I'll see that you get some breakfast. You can tell, perhaps, that
I ain't no Filipino, nor never was one. I'm from Arizona, U. S. A.,
and I'm fightin' with these rebels for what there is in it just now.
I'm mighty curious to find out how you come to be out in these
diggin's, youngster."
Archie was willing enough to tell all about himself. He liked this
man, in spite of his being with the rebels, and he felt that he would
be able to make friends with him if he were careful to do so. And the
best plan seemed to be for him to tell all about himself, how he
happened to go to New York, and how he had been sent out here as a boy
correspondent for the Enterprise. The man from Arizona listened to the
recital with open mouth and eyes, and he frequently laughed outright
at some of the experiences Archie described. When the narrative was
finished, he seized Archie's hand, and said, "My name's Bill Hickson,
and you can count on me after this fer a friend, youngster. I'll swan
if I ever heard tell of sich nerve in my life. I'll see that you get
out of this scrape all right, but you must be careful to keep up
appearances of being under guard. I'm a big-bug in this Filipino
shack, but I wouldn't dare to let you out openly. So you jist kind of
lay around and look despondent, and depend on me to make things as
easy for you as I can. You kin come down-stairs now, if you like, and
I'll present you to my friends.
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