Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/588

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LEONARD WOOD 565 Wood ordered Colonel Scott to take a few men and make a sympathetic call. The rajah repulsed all friendly advances and refused to let Colonel Scott see his boil. Captain How- land put his company into line with a snap, and the Moros came running from all sides to see what was up. The rajah decided to accept the company as a guard of honor while he called on General Wood, saying that he thought the open air walk might soothe his complaint Upon reaching camp he was greeted cordially by General Wood, and showed about the camp, being allowed especially to see a few pieces of artillery mow down a grove of trees. After this visit Bajah Mudah became enthusiastically friendly. No plan of governing the entire province had ever been worked upon. The system of tribal monarchies prevailed. General Wood divided the entire province into districts ruled by district governors, and the districts into wards where the native datus were made rulers with the sub-chiefs under them. By incorporating many fragments of tribal law into the new government and giving the native chiefs practically the same power except that they were to be responsible to the central government. General Wood got around the snag of rebellion that he might have struck had he placed one chief above an- other arbitrarily. He gave every petty chief a share in the government and took none of the legitimate powers away from the tribal officers. In short, he brought unity out of chaos — not, however, without bloodshed. Datu Ali and his tribe refused to give up their slaves and fortified themselves against attack. The Americans routed them from their fort and killed the datu. A similar fate over- took the fanatical Tarracas, who had never been conquered, and believed their position at a crater's edge impregnable. They were practically annihilated. In keeping up the spirits of the soldiers during the dismal round of garrison life Wood proved himself almost a wizard. He took time from his plans of civil and military action to arrange baseball games and all sorts of contests between the different regiments during the dry season; and during the wet season prepared other diversions. There still remained