THE SURPRISING DOCTOR 67
walls,
and thus there were three castes of monkey on the island: the wild
fellows of the forest, the citadel pets, and the betwixt and betweens
who hung about the city walls.
At
about this time there appeared at our mess a little white-haired
gentleman, calm and dignified of bearing. He said he was a doctor of
medicine and had traveled throughout the Philippines to find a likely
spot where a man might practice the healing art, live by his craft and
find time besides to commune with Nature.
At
meal-times he chewed his garbanzos carefully and always seemed much
engrossed in thought. Only now and then he would put a pointed question
to one or another of the company. He said he was not in the least
concerned about the continual fighting with the Moros, and anyhow what
business had they, the Americans, to lord it over the simple brown
fellows ? I think this remark was provoked by the fact that young
Cole, the Governor's secretary, who sat with us, would hear and report
the words to his chief. Dr. Russell was never afraid to say what he
thought, and never sought for the softer word to turn away wrath.
Early
one morning after breakfast he went for a stroll alone outside the wall
to see a bit of the island. By one o'clock dinner-time we were all
anxiously awaiting his return; by half past one most of the boys were
sure that the Moros had got him. "But you will see," I said, "he'll
just have been having a good look at what he wants to see."
Sure enough, soon after in strolled the doctor, and the boys shouted with one accord, "Where the devil have you been, Doc?"
"I went for a stroll," he said as he cut a slice off the loaf, "and visited the cemetery."
"There
you are, boys," I chimed in; "didn't I tell you he would make for the
place of most interest to him? A cemetery is a physician's warehouse."
The doctor looked across at me. There was a twinkle in his eye, and from that moment we were fast friends. His coming
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