Читать книгу The Boy Travellers in the Far East, Part Third - Thomas Wallace Knox - Страница 17

SHOOTING A BUFFALO.

"I fired just at the right time, and the bullet went straight to its mark. The buffalo made his plunge as he had intended, but instead of piercing me with his horns, he fell dead at my feet. The Indians then came up and praised my coolness, and predicted that I would become a famous hunter. I have shot a good many buffaloes since then, but it is fair to say I always have some one near me to deliver a shot in case my rifle should fail, and I stand close to a tree, and am prepared to jump behind it if possible. This is a precaution that every one should take, as you can never be certain that your gun will not miss fire, or your shot may fail to pierce the thick skull of the buffalo."

Frank asked how much the buffalo of the Philippines was like that of the United States.

"He is included in the same genus," was the reply, "but the species is quite distinct. The American animal is misnamed when he is called buffalo; he is properly the bison, and his scientific name is Bos Americanus, while the Luzon buffalo is described as the Bos Arna. The buffalo of the Philippines is an animal of more docility than the ox when properly domesticated, and is capable of rendering more services to man than his patient brother. But he must be tamed when very young—less than a year old; if suffered to reach two or three years without restraint, he is sure to be vicious, and is of no use except to be converted into beef. He is stronger than the ox, and will live on coarser food; he eats the bushes and vines that the ox refuses, and he is fond of aquatic plants, as well as those that grow on the slopes of the hills. When the heat is great, he takes to the water, and will spend the whole day there, browsing on the lilies and other things that grow in it. He stirs up the roots with his feet and devours them, and he will even hold his head under water to reach what is growing on the bottom.

A NATIVE PLOUGH IN LUZON.

"It would be difficult to name all the services he performs for the natives. If you look at Gironiere's book, you will find it stated that the Indian associates the buffalo with nearly everything he does, and from my observation I fully believe it. With the buffalo he ploughs, and on his back he rides or transports articles across mountains, by paths where even a mule would be unable to go. The Indian also uses the buffalo for crossing rivers and small lakes; he sits or stands on the broad back of the animal, which patiently enters the water, and often drags behind him a small cart that floats on the surface. As you go farther into the country you will see more of the buffalo, and learn how to appreciate him."

A BUFFALO YOKE.

At this point of the conversation the party arrived at the edge of a field where some twenty or more natives were at work, under the charge of a half-caste overseer. Some were ploughing with buffaloes or oxen, and others were driving the same animals in harrows. The boys stopped to examine the implements used by the natives, and found they were of a character that would be called exceedingly primitive in America. The plough consisted of only four pieces of wood and two of iron, and the workmanship was such that almost any man could produce with a few rough tools. Their guide told them that the wood came from the forests of Luzon, and cost only a few cents, and the pieces of iron for mould-board and share were sold in Manilla for half a dollar the set.

The next thing considered was the yoke for the buffalo; and while Frank sketched the plough, Fred made a drawing of the yoke, which was a single piece of wood made to fit the animal's neck, and bring the draught to the middle of the shoulder. It was held in place by a short rope passing under the neck, and the traces were fastened to the ends of the wood. "A plough, yoke, and traces, for a single buffalo, ought not to cost more than a dollar," Fred remarked; and the Doctor quite agreed with him. The further observation was made that when two or more buffaloes were used, they were harnessed "tandem," and not side by side as with oxen in most parts of the world.

NATIVE WOODEN PLOUGH AND YOKE FOR OXEN.

A stronger and heavier plough was shown to our friends, and Mr. Segovia explained that it was intended for oxen instead of buffaloes, and was used for stirring the ground where the lighter plough was insufficient. Frank observed that the yoke was not supplied with bows, after the American plan, but had a couple of upright pins at each end to enclose the neck of the ox. When the team is to be made up, the yoke is held over the necks of the animals, and dropped into place; and if they are at all restive, the space at the lower ends of the pins is closed by means of a cord. A rope, instead of a chain, forms the connection between the yoke and the beam of the plough. The latter has only one handle, on the theory that the ploughman needs the use of one of his hands for guiding his team, and consequently a double hold on the plough is impossible.

THE COMB HARROW.

From the ploughing-ground they passed a little farther on to where a stretch of muddy ground was being harrowed, so as to make it ready for planting rice. Two or three inches of water covered the ground, and the object of the harrowing was to convert the water and earth into a bed of liquid mud. For this purpose a novel kind of implement was used; it was called a comb harrow, and had a single row of iron teeth fixed in a wooden frame. The traces of the buffalo were fastened so that they had a tendency to draw the teeth forward, and the machine was steadied by a handle or cross-bar parallel to the beam in which the teeth were placed. It was a simple and very effective instrument, and Frank thought it might be used to advantage on certain parts of his father's farm in America.

The soil of the Philippine Islands is, in general, so rich that it yields very bountifully; and, as it is in the tropics, there is no season of frost, and snow, when cultivation must cease. Agriculture goes on through the entire year, and on some parts of the soil three and occasionally four crops can be raised. The year is divided into the wet season and the dry; in the former, the rain falls in torrents, and fills the rivers and lakes, together with artificial reservoirs, where water is stored for irrigating the fields in the time of drought. Crops are made to follow each other so that the soil may not be exhausted by repetitions; thus, in the mountain districts, it is customary to plant the ground with rice, and, as soon as it is gathered, it is followed by a planting of tobacco.

Formerly the island of Luzon produced large quantities of pepper for exportation, but at present there is hardly enough grown there to supply the local demand. Fred asked the reason of this, and was told the following story:

"The price of pepper was fixed by a measure called a ganta, which was used by both sellers and buyers. The Philippine Company had the monopoly of the pepper-trade, and were making a fine profit out of it, but it seems they were not satisfied to let well enough alone. One year, when the pepper-growers came to Manilla to sell their product for the season, they found that the agents of the Company had altered the measure by making the ganta of the Company double the ganta of the Indians, so that the sellers were enormously cheated. The Indians were angry at this trick, and immediately went home, destroyed their pepper plantations, and devoted their attention to other articles of culture."

"Served the Company right," said the boys, "provided the poor Indians were able to get along with something else."

"As to that," was the reply, "they were not likely to suffer, as they could raise tobacco, rice, sugar, and two or three other things, on the same ground; but it is proper to say that there are few articles that can be cultivated as easily as pepper. Pepper requires very little care; all that is needed is to take a little twig of it, bend the two ends together, cover the middle with a little earth, and tie the ends to a prop of wood six or eight feet long. The plant grows and clings to the prop till it reaches its top, and there it stays and takes care of itself. The owner has only to remove the weeds once in a while, and to stir up the earth around the foot of the plant so that it can absorb plenty of moisture. The grains are gathered as fast as they change from green to black, and are then spread out in the sun and dried."

TAGAL INDIANS CLEANING RICE.