Since
the occurrences of the afternoon all the people had locked themselves
into their houses, to await the departure of the Americans. But, even
though the casino was closed, the Yankees managed to have a good time.
They sang and danced and played the banjo until an early hour in the
morning, when they finally went to sleep, leaving only two for a night
watch, for there was no danger that the insurgents would return, after
their engagement, in which they had lost six men.
When morning came, some officers landed from the cruiser, and all the
villagers were summoned to the public square and made to swear
allegiance to the American flag.
In the afternoon the cruiser steamed away again on her errand of
forcible pacification, and more days of quiet watchfulness followed,
as the vessel steamed along near the shore. There were many small
villages along this coast, but all of them seemed peaceful and free of
insurgents. The captain even said that some of the people in them
probably didn't know that there had ever been a war between Spain and
the United States. Archie, who had enjoyed his experiences during the
occupation of the last village, now began to be impatient again at the
long quiet. The day when the cruiser bombarded the administration
building would be a memorable one to him, and the succeeding events
were just such as he had been longing to see for months.
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