General Weyler went to work in true Spanish fashion to clean the rebels up. This he could not do because he could not catch them. So he ordered the whole populace into concentration camps. In spite of the violent statements common at the time, the fact is that such an order is not forbidden by the recognized laws of war, nor is it an uncommon occurrence. It was practised both in the Civil War and in South Africa too. The horror of it was that it was impossible properly to feed these people—particularly since the rebels made all business a crime and the introduction of food to "towns occupied by the enemy" a cause for summary execution.
Filibustering on a grand scale started in the United States. Although most of our available coast patrol earnestly and vigorously endeavoured to stop it, the Spaniards claimed continuously and bitterly that our winking at these forays prolonged the trouble.
On the other hand the Spaniards persisted in considering as "pirates" all filibusters they
