Part 18 (1/2)
”They say,” continued Carlos, in a somewhat embarra.s.sed manner, ”that if you are condemned to death, they wish one of you would kill himself, so that they can see how it is done.”
”There's a chance for you, Sam,” said Cleary, but Sam did not seem to see the joke.
”I am very sorry,” said Carlos, seating himself nearer to Sam, ”I am very sorry that we may have to kill you, for I like you; but what can we do? It is a rule of our tribe to kill prisoners of war.”
”I really don't see what they can do, if that is the case,” said Sam in English. ”If that is their law, and they have always done it, of course from their point of view it is their military duty. I don't see any way out of it. Do you?”
”It wouldn't break my heart if they failed to do their duty in this case,” said Cleary. ”For heaven's sake, don't tell him what you think.
Let's keep him feeling agreeable by our conversation. He's fallen in love with you, Sam. Perhaps he'll give you to one of his daughters and she may marry you or eat you, whichever she pleases.”
”I wish you wouldn't joke about these things,” said Sam. ”It's a serious piece of business. There's no glory in being tomahawked here in the mountains.”
”And I haven't got my kodak with me either,” said Cleary.
”What made you come into my country?” asked Carlos. ”Did you not know how powerful I am? And what have I ever done against you?”
”We came because we were ordered to,” said Sam.
”And do you do what you are ordered to, whether you approve of it or not?”
”Of course we do.”
”That is very strange,” said Carlos. ”We never obey anybody unless we want to and think he is doing the right thing. I tell my men here what I want to do, and if they agree to it they obey me, but if they don't I give it up. But you do things that you think are wrong and foolish because you are ordered to. It is very strange!”
”We are military men,” said Sam. ”It requires centuries of civilization to understand us.”
”How do you kill your prisoners?” asked Carlos.
”We don't kill them,” answered Sam.
”I don't know about that, Sam,” said Cleary in English. ”We didn't take many prisoners at San Diego.”
”That's a fact,” answered Sam, in the same language. ”We didn't take many. I never thought of that.”
”Don't tell him, tho,” added Cleary.
”But when you soldiers have to execute an enemy for any reason, how do you do it?”
”We shoot them with rifles,” said Sam.
”Is that all?”
”No; we make them dig their graves first,” interposed Cleary. ”That's a hint to him,” he whispered. ”It's better than the stew pot.”
”Dig their graves first!” exclaimed the chief, and he turned to his men and explained the matter to them. They were evidently delighted.
”What are they saying?” asked James again.
”They say that that is a grand idea, and that they will adopt it. They think civilization is a great thing, and they want to be civilized,”
said Carlos.