Читать книгу The Boy Travellers in the Far East, Part Third - Thomas Wallace Knox - Страница 16

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In the afternoon Mr. Segovia called at the hotel to make a suggestion for an excursion into the interior. He explained that he was not at all pressed with business at that season of the year, and could spare a few days for a trip inland: he offered to make all the needed arrangements, and proposed that they should start on the following morning.

A GROUP OF NATIVES OF MANILLA.

"The island of Luzon," said he, "on which Manilla stands, is the largest of the group; its length is 520 miles, and its greatest breadth about 140. The estimate of its area is 40,000 square miles, and the next largest island, Mindanao, contains 33,000 square miles; the remainder of the group are much smaller, and of less consequence. It would take you several months to visit all of the islands, and you would find them so much alike as hardly to pay for the expense and fatigue. But you can make a small tour of Luzon, and see the principal features of the Philippines; and if everything is satisfactory, we will set out to-morrow."

The proposition was at once accepted, and the gentleman departed to make the necessary arrangements. "You need get nothing," he said, "beyond what you wish to wear, and may take your roughest clothes for that purpose; I will see to all the provisions and everything else we want, and will come with a carriage to take you to the boat that will be ready for you."

As soon as he had gone, Frank suggested a visit to a book-store he had seen not far from the hotel, in the hope that they might find some books about the islands to carry with them on their journey. Fred agreed to the proposal, and away they went. They soon returned with two books in the English language and one in French, and they passed the evening in the study of these works, in which they found much that was interesting.

The volumes in English were "Travels in the Philippines," by F. Jagor, and "Twenty Years in the Philippine Islands," by Paul de la Gironiere. The latter book was originally published in French, and was written by Alexander Dumas, from the notes of Gironiere, who had led the life of an adventurer and planter in the Philippines. It contains a good deal of truth mixed up with a variety of interesting incidents from the imagination of the famous French novelist. The work of Jagor is more recent than the other, and also more authentic.

Their kind entertainer was true to his promise, and came with the carriage at an early hour; but he was not too early for the Doctor and his young charges, and it did not require many minutes for them to be ready to start on their expedition. "We want to get off as quickly as possible," said Mr. Segovia, "in order to make a good distance before the heat of the mid-day sun compels us to halt. You have been long enough in the tropics to know that the middle of the day should be devoted to rest."

The boat was waiting for them at a landing-place just above the bridge; it was of native construction, and had a rude appearance; but as soon as our friends entered it they found it very comfortable. It reminded them of a Chinese house-boat, and their guide said it was built after the Chinese model, with slight changes to suit the wants of the Philippines. There was a space on the forward deck, where they could sit under an awning or roof of bamboo and pandanus leaves; it was not sufficiently high to enable them to stand beneath it, but this was no great inconvenience, as there were plenty of little loop-holes where they could look out and study the scenery.

The baggage was stowed in a sort of hold beneath the cabin, or in a space at the stern; in the latter instance, it was under the eyes of Mr. Segovia's two servants, who sat there, and occasionally gave some needed assistance to the crew. The latter consisted of six men and a padrone, or captain; the captain was a Chinese Meti, while his crew were Tagals, or natives of the islands. They were obedient, but not very energetic, and it was very soon apparent that the voyage would not be a rapid one.

VIEW ON THE RIVER PASIG.

The route of the excursion was up the Pasig to a large lake known as the Lake of Bay. The Pasig forms a natural canal, about twenty miles long, between the lake and the sea, and there are no falls in any part of the way to obstruct navigation. There are numerous villages and farmhouses on the banks of the river, and the boatmen made all sorts of pretences for stopping, in order to make the journey as long as possible. They had been hired by the day, and were anxious not to get through a good contract in a hurry.

Mr. Segovia finally made the padrone understand very plainly that he would be held responsible for all delays, and if the men did not do their duty there would be a deduction from the amount to be paid. This had the desired effect, and after that they behaved better. "Stop as long as you like at the villages," said the gentleman, "and I will keep a record of your delays, and make your pay accordingly." Nothing could be more reasonable than this, and the men were not long in seeing it.

SCENE ON THE SHORE.

With rowing and sailing it took nearly all day, with a rest of two hours at noon, to reach the Lake of Bay. They halted for the night at a little village close by where the river begins, and while the sun was yet in the sky our friends took a stroll by the shore of the lake. It seemed to them a very large lake, and the boys were not at all surprised to learn that the circumference of this sheet of water was more than a hundred miles, and that it washed the shores of three fertile provinces—Manilla, Laguna, and Cavite. It abounded in fish, and their attention was called to a fishing-raft, with a curious system of bamboo poles, by which the net was managed. Doctor Bronson explained to the boys that everything about the concern was of bamboo, with the exception of the fibre of the net; and even that, he said, might possibly be of bamboo, as this article can be used for coarse netting, though it is too brittle for fine work.

A BAMBOO FISHING-RAFT.

Their guide informed them that all the waters of Luzon were abundantly supplied with fish, so that this article of food was very cheap. He said a man could live on five cents a day, and have all he wanted to eat; this was the price for the interior provinces—three cents for rice and two for fish and cabbage—but he admitted that in Manilla food was dearer. There a man can hardly subsist on five cents a day, though he can get along very well on ten. Most of the fishes are coarse and of a muddy flavor, and there are not many varieties eaten by foreigners.

They were lodged in the house of a gentleman who was acquainted with Mr. Segovia, and was glad to have the opportunity of entertaining strangers. "We are away from civilization," said he, "and are delighted to welcome any one who can give us news of the outer world, and relieve the monotony of our life. Hardly a dozen persons come here in a year, and therefore you may be sure that all who do are heartily welcome."

They were bountifully fed at the table of their host; and as he was anxious to talk on almost every conceivable topic, it was very late before they went to bed. The next morning the journey was resumed to the estate of Jala-jala; it was formerly owned by the author of "Twenty Years in the Philippine Islands," and was rather extravagantly described in his book. The shore along the lake is flat, and serves as an excellent pasture for the cattle belonging to the establishment, and back of the shore there is a wide area of slightly elevated country, covered with rice and sugar fields. Beyond these fields is a hilly region backed by a mountain that is thickly wooded to its summit, and abounds in game birds and animals

of several kinds. Three sides of the estate are surrounded by water, as it stands on a broad peninsula; there is another peninsula of nearly the same extent farther up the lake, which is likewise the home of a wealthy planter.

The owner of Jala-jala was absent; but the manager invited the strangers to remain as long as they chose, since such was the custom of the country to all visitors who came properly introduced. He offered them horses to ride in any excursions they wished to make over the property, and told them, in true Spanish style, "The house and all it contains are yours." Mr. Segovia was well known at the place, and his presentation of Doctor Bronson and the youths was all that could be desired to make them entirely welcome.

The invitation was accepted by advice of their introducer, and their slender baggage was taken to the spacious house, where rooms were assigned to them. Their morning journey had given them good appetites, and they were quite ready for the substantial breakfast of curry, broiled chicken, and various kinds of fruits to which they were soon called. Then they rested awhile on the veranda, and strolled through the gardens, which were finely laid out, though somewhat neglected in cultivation. Early in the afternoon they were invited to a horseback-ride, and as soon as the animals were ready they started. A couple of Spanish Metis accompanied them, partly to show the way, and partly to vouch for them to any of the herdsmen they might encounter.

A STAMPEDE OF BUFFALOES.

"You must know," said Mr. Segovia, "that this estate has more than a thousand buffaloes, two thousand bullocks, and six or eight hundred horses. The horses are about half wild, and the bullocks more so, while the buffaloes are the worst of all. It is dangerous to go about here on foot, as the cattle are excited at seeing a white man walking, though they pay little attention to a native. The herds are watched by herdsmen, to prevent their straying off the pasture-grounds, and also to guard them against thieves, who are sufficiently numerous to cause considerable loss if not closely watched. Sometimes the herds become alarmed from various causes, and then a frightful stampede occurs, in which they run for miles. On this very estate I once narrowly escaped being trampled to death in a stampede of a herd of buffaloes; they had taken fright at the rumbling of the ground during an earthquake, and in their headlong flight they nearly ran down my horse and myself. I just managed to get out of the way; if my horse had stumbled and thrown me, my death would have been certain.

"They are dangerous animals to encounter in hunting," he continued, "as they will face a man who attacks them, and attempt to pierce him with their terrible horns. Perhaps you would like to hear of my first buffalo-hunt in Luzon."

The boys answered that it would give them great pleasure to listen to the story, as it would certainly be very interesting.

"Then I will tell you about it," was the reply. "It was in the mountains, some distance in the interior, where the country is very thinly settled, and the animals are entirely wild. The mode of hunting is to station yourself on the edge of a wood which is known to contain buffaloes; you must have a gun on which you can depend, and, above all, you must have full possession of your nerves. When all is ready, you send two or three Indians with dogs into the woods, to beat up the game and rouse him to the proper condition of anger. This is what I did, and I stood for at least half an hour without hearing a sound.

"The Indians remove nearly all their clothing, so that they can climb trees and get out of the way of the infuriated buffalo whenever he charges at them, and only the most active of the young Indians are selected for this work. By-and-by I heard the barking of the dogs; it kept coming nearer and nearer, and in a little while one of the Indians showed himself at the edge of the forest and sprung into the limbs of the nearest tree. I brought my rifle to my shoulder, and stood ready to receive the assailant. As he came out of the forest, he stopped a moment, as if bewildered at not seeing the Indian; when he looked around his eyes rested on me, and then he came onward, crashing through the small bushes, and trampling down everything that stood in his way.

"He made straight for me, as if intending to run me down, and did not pause till he was not ten paces away. Then he halted for a few seconds, and lowered his head to rush upon me with his horns.

"This is the critical moment when the hunter should deliver his fire, and he must aim directly at the centre of the animal's forehead. If the gun misses fire, or he fails of his aim, he is lost.