"
"Perhaps. But there are some curious war rules. Some of the armies
shoot all natives in soldiers' uniforms because they are soldiers, and
then they shoot all natives who resist them in civil dress, because
they are not soldiers and have no right to fight. I suppose they ought
to go about naked. They used to kill their prisoners with the butt-end
of their rifles, but that breaks the rifles, and now they generally use
the bayonet."
"Here are some newspapers," said he on another occasion. "You've been
made a brigadier for capturing Gomaldo. Isn't that great? But they
_will_ call you 'Captain Jinks' at home, no matter what your rank is.
The papers say so. The song has made it stick."
"I'm sorry for that," said Sam. "It would be pleasanter to be called
'General.'"
"It's all the same," said Cleary. "Wasn't Napoleon called the Little
Corporal? It's really more distinguished."
"Perhaps it is," said Sam contentedly.
"Some of the papers criticize us a little too," added Cleary. "They say
we are acting brutally here and in the Cubapines. Of course only a few
say it, but their number is increasing."
"They make themselves ridiculous," said Sam. "They don't see how
ludicrous their suggestions are that we should actually retire and let
these countries relapse into barbarism. As that fellow said at Havilla,
they have no sense of humor."
"And yet," retorted Cleary, "our greatest humorists, Mark Swain, Mr.
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