"And then, I think, there would be a swimming match. It saves time to
have your mind made up in advance in such matters."

[Illustration: Lieutenant John C. Fremont.]




CHAPTER IV.

THE BATTLE OF MANILA BAY.


The greatest event of the war between the United States and Spain took
place in a strange part of the world, far from both of those
countries. If you look on a map of Asia, you will find a large group
of islands in the Pacific Ocean, east of the China Sea. They are
called the Philippine Islands. The largest of them is called Luzon,
and its chief city is Manila, on a large bay of the same name.

These islands were discovered nearly four hundred years ago, by
Magellan, as we call him in English, a famous sailor and explorer. He
was the first to sail through the strait that is south of South
America; and so that strait is still called by his name. After passing
through that strait he led his fleet on, farther west, northwest, over
the Pacific Ocean, till he came to the islands east of the China Sea.
Magellan took possession of them in the name of the King of Spain;
for, though not a Spaniard, he was working in the interests of Spain.
He gave the islands a name, but the name did not cling to them; and
some time after, they were named Islas Filipinas--or, as we say in