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Behind Hakkut came another and younger man, the datto's sword-bearer. Hakkut was carrying his own heavy, straight-edged sword. For a moment or two he stood blinking upon the scene of carnage and death below him as he halted on his porch. Then his gaze swept to the regulars behind the machine gun, standing alert with bayonets fixed, ready for that solitary word "charge!"
Draney must pay some tribute to the Datto Hakkut." Lieutenant Prescott and Sergeant Hal Overton glanced quickly at one another, though neither spoke. "That is all, Sergeant," said the officer, by way of dismissal. "Return to your men." "Very good, sir." At a few minutes past six it was dark, for the sun goes down early in the tropics.
"What are we going to do?" asked Cortland, his face becoming even graver. "We have a very small command here, but there's only one thing we can do. Hakkut has defied us, and, unless he is punished for it, the native respect for American authority in these islands will soon be less than nothing. What are we going to do?
However, the datto made no move to attack, though Captain Freeman believed that the rebel, by this time, must have twelve hundred fighting men, at least, in the forests below. "Hakkut may realize the difficulty of assaulting us here, and may be waiting for huge reinforcements," Captain Freeman confided to his two lieutenants.
As it is, it takes an Army corps to keep the natives in anything resembling order. Yet, of course, the government, in this especial case, could exert itself and send an expedition of a regiment of infantry, a squadron of cavalry and two batteries of light artillery, say, against Datto Hakkut." "That would be enough to wind these rebels up in short order, sir," murmured Hal.
Into the closely packed ranks of the brown men who sought to defend the datto's house the Gatling poured its raking fire with fearful effect. Whatever the issue of this madly fought battle, it began to look as though the Datto Hakkut were doomed. "Have your men fix their bayonets, Lieutenant Prescott!" commanded Captain Freeman. "Fall in, men! We'll take the datto on the rush!"
Therefore, during our comparative inactivity, we must provoke Hakkut into as many assaults as possible upon this position. The more attempts he makes the more his fighting men will be demoralized when we at last fight our way through his lines." During that night no attack was made, and the men had little to do beyond carrying out guard duty.
"Why, I imagine, sir, that you hope your seeming inactivity will provoke Hakkut into trying to carry this hill by assault. This hill, defended by regulars, will be no easy place to take from us, and Hakkut will lose so many of his men that the experience will be a good lesson for him." "That's the idea," nodded the commanding officer. "Now, gentlemen, you understand the plan thus far.
This crab, as Captain Cortland already knew, was the sign manual of that arch scoundrel of brown skin, the Datto Hakkut. The crab was meant to signify that, while the datto could move forward, he could also crawl sideways or backward that he was strategist enough to crawl out of any trap that the soldiers might set for him.
After the troops of the big expedition had been withdrawn, however, then Hakkut and his land pirates would come out again at their own convenience." "Wouldn't it break up Hakkut's game altogether, sir, if the government kept enough troops here to be able to send a crushing force against him whenever he raised his hand?"
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