Wanderings among South Sea Savages and in Borneo and the Philippines by H. Wilfrid Walker
page 50 of 181 (27%)
page 50 of 181 (27%)
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-- Meetings with the Negritos -- Friendliness and Mirth of the Little
People -- Negritos may properly be called Pigmies -- Their Appearance, Dress, Ornaments and Weapons -- An Ingenious Pig-arrow -- Extraordinary Fish-traps -- Their Rude Barbaric Chanting -- Their Chief and His House -- Cure of a Malarial Fever and its Embarrassing Results -- "Agriculture in the Tropics" -- A Hairbreadth Escape -- Filipino Blowpipes -- A Pigmy Hawk in Pigmyland -- The Elusive PITTA -- Names of the Birds -- A Moth as Scent Producer -- Flying Lizards and other kinds -- A "Tigre" Scare by Night -- Enforced Seclusion of Female Hornbill. When collecting in the Philippines, I put in most of my time in the Florida Blanca Mountains, in the province of Pampanga, Northern Luzon. I arrived one evening after dark at the good-sized village of Florida Blanca, which is situated a few miles from the foot of the mountain, whose name it shares. I carried a letter to the American schoolmaster, who was the only white man in the district, and had been a soldier in the late war. It seemed to me a curious policy on the part of the American government to turn their soldiers into schoolmasters, especially as in most cases they are very ignorant themselves. I believe, however, the chief object is to teach the young Filipinos English, and so turn them into live American citizens. The Americans are far from popular in the Philippines, and when in Manila I was strongly advised not to wear KHAKI in the jungle for fear of being taken for an American soldier. The American's house was dark and still when I arrived at Florida Blanca, but whilst I was wondering what to do, I was surprised to hear a small voice, coming out of a small adjoining house, say in good English (though slowly and with a strong accent), "Thee -- master -- has -- gone -- into -- thee -- mountains -- to -- kill -- |
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