Yes; they had in a way. They had not the official
power, but one will yield after a while to constant pressure. I did
not expect anything of them; I did not think they would do anything. I
would not have taken them; I did not want them; I did not believe in
them; because, when I left Hongkong, I was led to suppose that the
country was in a state of insurrection, and that at my first gun,
as Mr. Williams put it, there would be a general uprising, and I
thought these half dozen or dozen refugees at Hongkong would play a
very small part in it." [99]
The picture of the poor admiral, busy getting his fleet ready
for battle, pestered by officious consuls on the one hand and by
irresponsible Filipinos on the other, is pathetic; but it had its
humorous features, which were not lost on the Admiral himself. I
quote the following:--
"_Senator Patterson_. Was there any communication between you and
Pratt in which the matter of a written pledge or agreement with
Aguinaldo was discussed with reference to the Philippine Islands?
"_Admiral Dewey_. No.
"_Senator Patterson_. What became of the correspondence, Admiral,
if you know?
"_Admiral Dewey_. It is all in the Navy Department. When I turned
over my command my official correspondence was all sent to the Navy
Department.
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