September 25, 2025 • 18 mins
Join Isabel Anderson on a captivating journey through Hawaii and the Philippines, as she shares a fascinating travelogue that doubles as a rich history lesson. This book is a treasure trove for anyone intrigued by the South Pacific, offering a compelling glimpse into the transformations that have taken place since Mrs. Andersons travels. Prepare to be enthralled by her vivid storytelling and insightful observations.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section eighteen of the Spell of the Hawaiian Islands and
the Philippines by Isabel Anderson. This LibriVox recording is in
the public domain recording by William Tomco The Spell of
the Hawaiian Islands and the Philippines by Isabel Anderson, Section eighteen,
Chapter nine the Moros, Part one. On reaching Minanow, the
(00:27):
land of the Moros, we went ashore at Camp Overdon,
where we were met by army officers and doughertyes drawn
by teams of six mules. After a handshake at the
commanding officer's home, we were furnished with a big escort
of cavalry and started climbing up up among the hills.
Soldiers were hidden in the tall grass all along the
(00:47):
way to make sure that nothing would happen to the
great White Sultan with the big red flag, as the
Morose called the Secretary. Army men could not go out
alone even in those days, for they were attacked by
banns and killed principally to get their weapons, which the
Moros were very keen to possess. The Datos, the head
(01:08):
men of the Moro tribes were allowed to have guns,
but none of the other natives. A storm came up, however,
not long ago, on Lake Lanao at Camp Keighley, and
for fear that his boat would upset, General Wood had
a great deal of ammunition thrown overboard, which it was discovered,
was subsequently fished up by the natives. The Moros are
(01:29):
Mohammedan Malaise. They came in their boats from islands further south,
and in thirteen eighty were converted to Islam by an
Arab wise man, Mikadoum, who made his way to Sulu
and Mindanao. One hears then of Rajah Baginda, who came
from Sumatra in fourteen fifty. His daughter married Abu Bar,
(01:52):
the lawgiver, who established the Mohammedan church, and after his
father in law's death, became sultan and founded a dinah.
In the old days, the Moros were all pirates and
slave traders. Both Spanish and American authorities have tried to
suppress slavery, but it still exists. It is said a
woman will bring about forty pesos a Dato's slaves to
(02:16):
day are well treated and form part of the family.
A slave, moreover has a chance to rise in the
social scale. For Piang whom we met, was once a slave,
but became a powerful chief and a friend of the Americans.
The ruler of all the Moros is the Sultan of Sulu,
whom we did not see because he was in Europe
(02:37):
at the time we were in the islands. It is
said that a few years ago he would sometimes appear
in the market on the back of a slave, with
an umbrella held over his head. Here he would stay
while the people kissed his hands and feet. He may
have changed his customs since his trip. Dampierre, who visited
the northern islands of the Philippines, has also lived. Thus
(03:00):
notes of his stay on Mindanao, which are still true.
In the main he says, the island of Mindanoo is
divided into small states governed by hostile sultans, the governor
of Mindanow being the most powerful. The city of Mindanao
stood on the banks of the river, about two miles
from the sea. It was about a mile in length
(03:21):
and winded with the curve of the river. The houses
were built on posts from fourteen to twenty feet high,
and in the rainy season, looked as if built on
a lake. The natives going the different ways in canoes.
The houses are of one story, divided into several rooms
and entered by a ladder or stair placed outside. The
(03:41):
roofing consists of palm or palmetto leaves. The floors of
the habitations are of wicker work or bamboo. A singular custom,
but which facilitated intercourse with the natives and vice versa,
was of exchanging names and forming comradeship with a native
whose house was thenceforth considered the home of the stranger.
(04:02):
Alamund dinth name stands out in the meager Moro history
beyond all others, for he was the first and only
Christian ruler in this land. Even before he became a Christian,
he was a reformer and suppressed piracy. He not only
coined money, but had both an army and a navy,
and lived in such splendor as probably has not existed
(04:22):
since those days among the Moros. Alimud Din ruled about
the middle of the eighteenth century in the time of
Philip the Fifth of Spain. In return for ammunition to
enable the Spanish to keep down piracy, he allowed the
Jesuit fathers to enter his country. In time. However, they
caused trouble among the Moros. And civil war broke out
(04:43):
as Botulan, a relative of alamund Din's, preferred the Mohammedan
religion to the new ideas of the Jesuits. Alimund Din
and his followers took flight in boats and in time
reached Manila, where they interceded for Spanish protection. The Spaniards
showered him with presents, gave him a royal entrance into
(05:04):
the city, and finally converted him to Christianity. Later he
was sent back escorted by Spanish ships, but Baudolan's fleet
attacked them. As the Spaniards suspected Alamandin of becoming a
Christian that entirely for Christianity's sake, they threw him into prison.
The throne was restored to him in seventeen sixty three
(05:24):
by the English, who occupied this part of the island
for a short time. The Moros are not supposed to
eat meat or drink wine, although they have been known
to drink whisky and soda with Americans, as well as
eat pork and beans on occasions. There are no mosques
in this region or holy dancing girls who can do
no wrong, but there are moral priests or panditas, who
(05:48):
go from house to house. They have little education, but
some of them have traveled. It is accustom for a
relative of the deceased to watch and protect a moral
grave for many months. Such a mourner can sometimes be
seen squatting near by under a yellow umbrella. The Moros
have as many wives as they can afford, but not
(06:08):
more than they can afford, for it is an insult
to speak of a man's wife as begging bread. The
Moros are smaller than the East Indian Mohammedans, but are
strong and slight and have fine features. They appear especially
cruel and determined because their teeth are black from bu Yoh.
In war time, many of the women fought beside the men,
(06:29):
and it is supposed to be they who mutilated the
Americans found dead on the field after battle. The people
whom we met on the road with their ponies loaded
with hemp, seldom smiled and did not bow, But they
looked us straight in the eye, and there was no
touch of sulkiness about them. It is very difficult to
distinguish the men from the women, as they dress much alike,
(06:52):
but you see few of the latter on the road
for being Mohammedans. Most of them are kept at home.
They are not veiled like other Moslem women, except when
first married. The costumes of the Moros differs to such
a degree, and for no reason that I could discover,
that it is difficult to describe them. Many wear tight
trousers which are something like those of the Spaniards, so
(07:14):
tight that they are sown on the men and never
come off until worn out, and are often bright red
or yellow in color. On the other hand, some wear
very loose, baggy trousers or skirts of different shades. Indeed,
they are the most gaily dressed people I have ever seen,
and their brown skins set off the vivid yellows and
(07:35):
greens and reds and magentas and purples of which their
trousers and jackets and turbans and handkerchiefs are made. The
jackets have a Chinese appearance, the turbans might be old
and dinas of the South. The sashes which are woven
in the Morow houses are of silk, bright green and
(07:55):
dark red being the predominant colors. They are knotted on
one side, generally a chris or a bolo, being held
in the knot, and are tied about the waist so
tightly that the men look almost laced, and perhaps that
accounts for their womanish appearance. When the American army first
occupied this region, they treated the Moros well and found
(08:16):
them friendly. Take for instance, Zamboanga in the south, an
especially interesting region. When the American soldiers entered, the Spanish
guard left the garrison and the Spanish population and the
priests followed. The Americans found outside the town gates a
large barbed wire bird cage, where the Moros had been
compelled to leave their arms before entering the town at
(08:37):
night to avoid an uprising. The government of Zamboanga at
this time was reorganized by the American officers. A Filipino
presidente was appointed, a dato to head the Moros, and
a captain Chinese as he was called to manage his people,
who were mostly merchants and pearl fishers. Mindanao was under
(08:59):
a millid terry's civil government that worked wonders for in
a few years, many of the Moros were brought under control,
and they became loyal Americans. Although they had always been
bitter enemies of the Filipinos and the Spaniards, they say
they have found the Americans brave and have not been
lied to by them, and so they seek our protection.
(09:21):
Although the morow and the head Hunter are so different,
they are alike in one respect. If they care for
an official and had confidence in him, they do not
want him changed. It is the man they are willing
to obey, rather than the government. Of course, there are
thousands of them, fierce as ever back in the mountains,
and they are still fanatic and wild even among those
(09:42):
who are under control. The greatest care has to be exercised,
for they have the hatred of the Christians deep in
their hearts, and they may run amok at any moment
and kill till they are killed, but this is a
part of their faith. They ask no quarter, and nothing
stops them but death. Besides the danger of their attack
by religious mania, they have a great desire for rifles,
(10:04):
as I have said, and they are always jumping the constabulary,
attacking small parties suddenly from ambush and cutting them down
with their knives, or killing sentries, so that constant care
has to be used, and the sentinels walk at night
in twos, almost back to back, so as to have
eyes on all sides. A few weeks before we arrived,
(10:26):
there had been several cases of jumping. An American Army
officer told me the fights with the Moros generally occurred
on the trails among the hills. As the foliage is
so thick, it is easy for the natives to conceal
themselves on either side, sometimes in ditches, and give the
Americans a surprise. For this reason, a droop was found
(10:47):
necessary for single file fighting. Every other soldier was taught
to respond to the order of one and two when
an attack was made, the ones shot to the right,
the twos to the left. This proved successful. The same
officers said the Morrows would often use decoys to lead
the troops astray. Seeing fresh tracks, they would hasten on
(11:07):
in pursuit and be led away from their supplies, while
their enemy would be left behind to attack them in
the rear. Walking on the mountain trails was very hard
on the soldier's shoes, and on one of these expeditions
their boots gave out, so they were obliged to make
soles for their shoes out of boxes and tie them
on with leather straps. Up up, we drove. The clatter
(11:30):
of the cavalry could be heard in front and behind,
and the Dougherty how it did rattle. It was a
pretty sight to see the party traveling through the tropical
forests and winding across the green uplands with their pennons
and the secretary's red flag, which made a great impression
on the natives we heard, and the wagons rumbling along
(11:51):
with the rear guard behind and the scouts in the distance.
John the Colored Man snapped his whip, and the mules
trotted along, and the air became cooler, and we drove
over a plain where real mountain rice was planted. Occasionally
a Moro shack could be seen in the distance. At
an outpost, where we stopped to change mules, we saw
(12:13):
a beautiful waterfall, perhaps the loveliest that I had ever seen,
called Santa Maria Cristina. From a greater height than Niagara,
it plunged down into a deep valley of giant trees.
It reminded me of a superb waterfall near Seattle. At
last we reached Camp Keighley on the mountain plain, a
forlorn lot of unpainted houses with tin roofs and piazzas,
(12:36):
but beautifully situated like some station in the Himalayas. There
was splendid mountain scenery, disappearing into the distances and views
of the ocean far away, and on the other side
the great Lake of lanao An inland sea more than
two thousand feet above the ocean, with imposing ranges about.
This lake, which has always been the center of Moro life,
(12:59):
is rounded by native villages, and the military post is
important and much liked by the officers quartered there. The Secretary,
my husband and I were billeted on Major biachcom the
commanding officer, Missus Dickinson, had not felt quite equal to
the trip. The major's house was very attractive, and his
little German housekeeper gave us excellent food and made the
(13:22):
orderlies fly about for our comfort. We went almost at
once to the market place, which was intensely interesting. The
gorgeous colors and gold buttons of the costumes were magnificent.
Brass bowls for chow were for sale, and beetlenut boxes
inlaid with silver and round silver ones with instruments attached
to clean the ears and nose. There are four compartments
(13:45):
in these beetlenut boxes, for lime, tobacco, the beetle nut,
and a leaf in which to wrap the mixture called
boo yoh. Here we saw the spear and shield dance.
The dancer had a head dress that covered his forehead
and ears, making him look quite ridiculous, absolutely as though
he were on the comic opera stage with shield and spear.
(14:06):
He danced as swiftly and silently as a cat, creeping
and springing until your blood ran cold, especially as you
knew he had killed many a man. In the afternoon,
after reviewing the troops and inspecting the quarters, we crossed
a corner of the lake and landed at a moral village.
It was raining hard and the mud was deep. We
(14:27):
waded through a street, followed by the people in their
best clothes, one in a black velvet suit, another in
a violet velvet jacket. I saw only two women in
the streets. They were not veiled, but brilliantly dressed, but
had red painted lips and Hannah on their nails. The
moral constabulary here wore red fezzes and khaki, and the
(14:48):
officer in command at the time was of German birth.
After we had passed through a bamboo trail, we came
into a little open place with three fine moral houses
about set up above the ground on great posts. Made
of tree trunks. Unlike Filipino houses, the hat facades all
carved in a rough and handsome sort of Arabesque, painted
(15:10):
in bright reds and blues, and with pointed roofs and
colored cloths fluttering out of the open spaces. They made
fine effects. The long cracks in the walls served us
peep holes, where the snapping black eyes of the many
wives of the dattos were peering out at us. In front,
in the little green space, pennons were planted, and there
was a huge Chinese looking sea serpent or dragon on wheels,
(15:34):
with a body of gaily colored stuffs and a rearing,
movable head. This cavorted about in time to the endless
noise of the tom toms. A crowd of natives stood
around in their fanciful raiment. Into one of these houses
we were invited. We mounted the ladder to the one
large room in the front, into which the sliding panel
(15:54):
shutters admitted the air freely, so that it was cool
and shaded. Here sat the wire and the slaves in
a corner, playing on the long wooden instrument with brass pans,
which they struck, producing high and low sounds with a
little more tune than the Egorots. The big room was
bare except for a long shelf on which was some
woven cloth and a fine collection of the native brass work,
(16:18):
for this is the center of the brass workers. We
moved on through the little town of Nepa Houses to
visit Old Datjo Manilibang, whose house was not as fine
as those we had seen before, but where we were
admitted into two rooms. From the entrance, we streaked muddy
feet across the bamboo slatted floor into his reception room,
where a sort of divan occupied one side, on which
(16:41):
the secretary was asked to sit. Behind this cushioned seat
were piled of boxes with the chief's possessions, and here
he sits in state in the daytime and sleeps at night.
The women who were huddled together on one side of
the room wore bracelets and rings, and one was rather pretty.
At dawn we we were up and off again. What
(17:01):
a day we had two hours on a boat crossing
a lovely lake surrounded by mountains, on the shore of
which some of the wildest morrows live. Our boat was
a big launch, a sort of gun boat, which, strangely enough,
the Spaniards had brought up here and sunk in the
lake when the war came on, we were told, and
which had been resurrected successfully. It was a steep climb
(17:23):
up the opposite side of the lake, but most of
us scrambled up on horses till we topped the ridge
and came to Camp Vickers, a station with fine air
and outlook, but rather small and pathetic. The picturesque moros
had gathered here to greet the Secretary, and their wail
of welcome was something strange and weird. A dotto would
(17:44):
come swinging by, followed in single file by his beetle
box carrier, chowbearer and slaves. Some of the chiefs rode
scraggly ponies on high saddles, with their big toes and
stirrups of cord almost up under their chins, and with
bills on the bad harness that rattled gaily, And of
course the tom Toms kept up their endless music. End
(18:08):
of Section eighteen, recording by William tom Coe
Section eighteen of the Spell of the Hawaiian Islands and
the Philippines by Isabel Anderson. This LibriVox recording is in
the public domain recording by William Tomco The Spell of
the Hawaiian Islands and the Philippines by Isabel Anderson, Section eighteen,
Chapter nine the Moros, Part one. On reaching Minanow, the
(00:27):
land of the Moros, we went ashore at Camp Overdon,
where we were met by army officers and doughertyes drawn
by teams of six mules. After a handshake at the
commanding officer's home, we were furnished with a big escort
of cavalry and started climbing up up among the hills.
Soldiers were hidden in the tall grass all along the
(00:47):
way to make sure that nothing would happen to the
great White Sultan with the big red flag, as the
Morose called the Secretary. Army men could not go out
alone even in those days, for they were attacked by
banns and killed principally to get their weapons, which the
Moros were very keen to possess. The Datos, the head
(01:08):
men of the Moro tribes were allowed to have guns,
but none of the other natives. A storm came up, however,
not long ago, on Lake Lanao at Camp Keighley, and
for fear that his boat would upset, General Wood had
a great deal of ammunition thrown overboard, which it was discovered,
was subsequently fished up by the natives. The Moros are
(01:29):
Mohammedan Malaise. They came in their boats from islands further south,
and in thirteen eighty were converted to Islam by an
Arab wise man, Mikadoum, who made his way to Sulu
and Mindanao. One hears then of Rajah Baginda, who came
from Sumatra in fourteen fifty. His daughter married Abu Bar,
(01:52):
the lawgiver, who established the Mohammedan church, and after his
father in law's death, became sultan and founded a dinah.
In the old days, the Moros were all pirates and
slave traders. Both Spanish and American authorities have tried to
suppress slavery, but it still exists. It is said a
woman will bring about forty pesos a Dato's slaves to
(02:16):
day are well treated and form part of the family.
A slave, moreover has a chance to rise in the
social scale. For Piang whom we met, was once a slave,
but became a powerful chief and a friend of the Americans.
The ruler of all the Moros is the Sultan of Sulu,
whom we did not see because he was in Europe
(02:37):
at the time we were in the islands. It is
said that a few years ago he would sometimes appear
in the market on the back of a slave, with
an umbrella held over his head. Here he would stay
while the people kissed his hands and feet. He may
have changed his customs since his trip. Dampierre, who visited
the northern islands of the Philippines, has also lived. Thus
(03:00):
notes of his stay on Mindanao, which are still true.
In the main he says, the island of Mindanoo is
divided into small states governed by hostile sultans, the governor
of Mindanow being the most powerful. The city of Mindanao
stood on the banks of the river, about two miles
from the sea. It was about a mile in length
(03:21):
and winded with the curve of the river. The houses
were built on posts from fourteen to twenty feet high,
and in the rainy season, looked as if built on
a lake. The natives going the different ways in canoes.
The houses are of one story, divided into several rooms
and entered by a ladder or stair placed outside. The
(03:41):
roofing consists of palm or palmetto leaves. The floors of
the habitations are of wicker work or bamboo. A singular custom,
but which facilitated intercourse with the natives and vice versa,
was of exchanging names and forming comradeship with a native
whose house was thenceforth considered the home of the stranger.
(04:02):
Alamund dinth name stands out in the meager Moro history
beyond all others, for he was the first and only
Christian ruler in this land. Even before he became a Christian,
he was a reformer and suppressed piracy. He not only
coined money, but had both an army and a navy,
and lived in such splendor as probably has not existed
(04:22):
since those days among the Moros. Alimud Din ruled about
the middle of the eighteenth century in the time of
Philip the Fifth of Spain. In return for ammunition to
enable the Spanish to keep down piracy, he allowed the
Jesuit fathers to enter his country. In time. However, they
caused trouble among the Moros. And civil war broke out
(04:43):
as Botulan, a relative of alamund Din's, preferred the Mohammedan
religion to the new ideas of the Jesuits. Alimund Din
and his followers took flight in boats and in time
reached Manila, where they interceded for Spanish protection. The Spaniards
showered him with presents, gave him a royal entrance into
(05:04):
the city, and finally converted him to Christianity. Later he
was sent back escorted by Spanish ships, but Baudolan's fleet
attacked them. As the Spaniards suspected Alamandin of becoming a
Christian that entirely for Christianity's sake, they threw him into prison.
The throne was restored to him in seventeen sixty three
(05:24):
by the English, who occupied this part of the island
for a short time. The Moros are not supposed to
eat meat or drink wine, although they have been known
to drink whisky and soda with Americans, as well as
eat pork and beans on occasions. There are no mosques
in this region or holy dancing girls who can do
no wrong, but there are moral priests or panditas, who
(05:48):
go from house to house. They have little education, but
some of them have traveled. It is accustom for a
relative of the deceased to watch and protect a moral
grave for many months. Such a mourner can sometimes be
seen squatting near by under a yellow umbrella. The Moros
have as many wives as they can afford, but not
(06:08):
more than they can afford, for it is an insult
to speak of a man's wife as begging bread. The
Moros are smaller than the East Indian Mohammedans, but are
strong and slight and have fine features. They appear especially
cruel and determined because their teeth are black from bu Yoh.
In war time, many of the women fought beside the men,
(06:29):
and it is supposed to be they who mutilated the
Americans found dead on the field after battle. The people
whom we met on the road with their ponies loaded
with hemp, seldom smiled and did not bow, But they
looked us straight in the eye, and there was no
touch of sulkiness about them. It is very difficult to
distinguish the men from the women, as they dress much alike,
(06:52):
but you see few of the latter on the road
for being Mohammedans. Most of them are kept at home.
They are not veiled like other Moslem women, except when
first married. The costumes of the Moros differs to such
a degree, and for no reason that I could discover,
that it is difficult to describe them. Many wear tight
trousers which are something like those of the Spaniards, so
(07:14):
tight that they are sown on the men and never
come off until worn out, and are often bright red
or yellow in color. On the other hand, some wear
very loose, baggy trousers or skirts of different shades. Indeed,
they are the most gaily dressed people I have ever seen,
and their brown skins set off the vivid yellows and
(07:35):
greens and reds and magentas and purples of which their
trousers and jackets and turbans and handkerchiefs are made. The
jackets have a Chinese appearance, the turbans might be old
and dinas of the South. The sashes which are woven
in the Morow houses are of silk, bright green and
(07:55):
dark red being the predominant colors. They are knotted on
one side, generally a chris or a bolo, being held
in the knot, and are tied about the waist so
tightly that the men look almost laced, and perhaps that
accounts for their womanish appearance. When the American army first
occupied this region, they treated the Moros well and found
(08:16):
them friendly. Take for instance, Zamboanga in the south, an
especially interesting region. When the American soldiers entered, the Spanish
guard left the garrison and the Spanish population and the
priests followed. The Americans found outside the town gates a
large barbed wire bird cage, where the Moros had been
compelled to leave their arms before entering the town at
(08:37):
night to avoid an uprising. The government of Zamboanga at
this time was reorganized by the American officers. A Filipino
presidente was appointed, a dato to head the Moros, and
a captain Chinese as he was called to manage his people,
who were mostly merchants and pearl fishers. Mindanao was under
(08:59):
a millid terry's civil government that worked wonders for in
a few years, many of the Moros were brought under control,
and they became loyal Americans. Although they had always been
bitter enemies of the Filipinos and the Spaniards, they say
they have found the Americans brave and have not been
lied to by them, and so they seek our protection.
(09:21):
Although the morow and the head Hunter are so different,
they are alike in one respect. If they care for
an official and had confidence in him, they do not
want him changed. It is the man they are willing
to obey, rather than the government. Of course, there are
thousands of them, fierce as ever back in the mountains,
and they are still fanatic and wild even among those
(09:42):
who are under control. The greatest care has to be exercised,
for they have the hatred of the Christians deep in
their hearts, and they may run amok at any moment
and kill till they are killed, but this is a
part of their faith. They ask no quarter, and nothing
stops them but death. Besides the danger of their attack
by religious mania, they have a great desire for rifles,
(10:04):
as I have said, and they are always jumping the constabulary,
attacking small parties suddenly from ambush and cutting them down
with their knives, or killing sentries, so that constant care
has to be used, and the sentinels walk at night
in twos, almost back to back, so as to have
eyes on all sides. A few weeks before we arrived,
(10:26):
there had been several cases of jumping. An American Army
officer told me the fights with the Moros generally occurred
on the trails among the hills. As the foliage is
so thick, it is easy for the natives to conceal
themselves on either side, sometimes in ditches, and give the
Americans a surprise. For this reason, a droop was found
(10:47):
necessary for single file fighting. Every other soldier was taught
to respond to the order of one and two when
an attack was made, the ones shot to the right,
the twos to the left. This proved successful. The same
officers said the Morrows would often use decoys to lead
the troops astray. Seeing fresh tracks, they would hasten on
(11:07):
in pursuit and be led away from their supplies, while
their enemy would be left behind to attack them in
the rear. Walking on the mountain trails was very hard
on the soldier's shoes, and on one of these expeditions
their boots gave out, so they were obliged to make
soles for their shoes out of boxes and tie them
on with leather straps. Up up, we drove. The clatter
(11:30):
of the cavalry could be heard in front and behind,
and the Dougherty how it did rattle. It was a
pretty sight to see the party traveling through the tropical
forests and winding across the green uplands with their pennons
and the secretary's red flag, which made a great impression
on the natives we heard, and the wagons rumbling along
(11:51):
with the rear guard behind and the scouts in the distance.
John the Colored Man snapped his whip, and the mules
trotted along, and the air became cooler, and we drove
over a plain where real mountain rice was planted. Occasionally
a Moro shack could be seen in the distance. At
an outpost, where we stopped to change mules, we saw
(12:13):
a beautiful waterfall, perhaps the loveliest that I had ever seen,
called Santa Maria Cristina. From a greater height than Niagara,
it plunged down into a deep valley of giant trees.
It reminded me of a superb waterfall near Seattle. At
last we reached Camp Keighley on the mountain plain, a
forlorn lot of unpainted houses with tin roofs and piazzas,
(12:36):
but beautifully situated like some station in the Himalayas. There
was splendid mountain scenery, disappearing into the distances and views
of the ocean far away, and on the other side
the great Lake of lanao An inland sea more than
two thousand feet above the ocean, with imposing ranges about.
This lake, which has always been the center of Moro life,
(12:59):
is rounded by native villages, and the military post is
important and much liked by the officers quartered there. The Secretary,
my husband and I were billeted on Major biachcom the
commanding officer, Missus Dickinson, had not felt quite equal to
the trip. The major's house was very attractive, and his
little German housekeeper gave us excellent food and made the
(13:22):
orderlies fly about for our comfort. We went almost at
once to the market place, which was intensely interesting. The
gorgeous colors and gold buttons of the costumes were magnificent.
Brass bowls for chow were for sale, and beetlenut boxes
inlaid with silver and round silver ones with instruments attached
to clean the ears and nose. There are four compartments
(13:45):
in these beetlenut boxes, for lime, tobacco, the beetle nut,
and a leaf in which to wrap the mixture called
boo yoh. Here we saw the spear and shield dance.
The dancer had a head dress that covered his forehead
and ears, making him look quite ridiculous, absolutely as though
he were on the comic opera stage with shield and spear.
(14:06):
He danced as swiftly and silently as a cat, creeping
and springing until your blood ran cold, especially as you
knew he had killed many a man. In the afternoon,
after reviewing the troops and inspecting the quarters, we crossed
a corner of the lake and landed at a moral village.
It was raining hard and the mud was deep. We
(14:27):
waded through a street, followed by the people in their
best clothes, one in a black velvet suit, another in
a violet velvet jacket. I saw only two women in
the streets. They were not veiled, but brilliantly dressed, but
had red painted lips and Hannah on their nails. The
moral constabulary here wore red fezzes and khaki, and the
(14:48):
officer in command at the time was of German birth.
After we had passed through a bamboo trail, we came
into a little open place with three fine moral houses
about set up above the ground on great posts. Made
of tree trunks. Unlike Filipino houses, the hat facades all
carved in a rough and handsome sort of Arabesque, painted
(15:10):
in bright reds and blues, and with pointed roofs and
colored cloths fluttering out of the open spaces. They made
fine effects. The long cracks in the walls served us
peep holes, where the snapping black eyes of the many
wives of the dattos were peering out at us. In front,
in the little green space, pennons were planted, and there
was a huge Chinese looking sea serpent or dragon on wheels,
(15:34):
with a body of gaily colored stuffs and a rearing,
movable head. This cavorted about in time to the endless
noise of the tom toms. A crowd of natives stood
around in their fanciful raiment. Into one of these houses
we were invited. We mounted the ladder to the one
large room in the front, into which the sliding panel
(15:54):
shutters admitted the air freely, so that it was cool
and shaded. Here sat the wire and the slaves in
a corner, playing on the long wooden instrument with brass pans,
which they struck, producing high and low sounds with a
little more tune than the Egorots. The big room was
bare except for a long shelf on which was some
woven cloth and a fine collection of the native brass work,
(16:18):
for this is the center of the brass workers. We
moved on through the little town of Nepa Houses to
visit Old Datjo Manilibang, whose house was not as fine
as those we had seen before, but where we were
admitted into two rooms. From the entrance, we streaked muddy
feet across the bamboo slatted floor into his reception room,
where a sort of divan occupied one side, on which
(16:41):
the secretary was asked to sit. Behind this cushioned seat
were piled of boxes with the chief's possessions, and here
he sits in state in the daytime and sleeps at night.
The women who were huddled together on one side of
the room wore bracelets and rings, and one was rather pretty.
At dawn we we were up and off again. What
(17:01):
a day we had two hours on a boat crossing
a lovely lake surrounded by mountains, on the shore of
which some of the wildest morrows live. Our boat was
a big launch, a sort of gun boat, which, strangely enough,
the Spaniards had brought up here and sunk in the
lake when the war came on, we were told, and
which had been resurrected successfully. It was a steep climb
(17:23):
up the opposite side of the lake, but most of
us scrambled up on horses till we topped the ridge
and came to Camp Vickers, a station with fine air
and outlook, but rather small and pathetic. The picturesque moros
had gathered here to greet the Secretary, and their wail
of welcome was something strange and weird. A dotto would
(17:44):
come swinging by, followed in single file by his beetle
box carrier, chowbearer and slaves. Some of the chiefs rode
scraggly ponies on high saddles, with their big toes and
stirrups of cord almost up under their chins, and with
bills on the bad harness that rattled gaily, And of
course the tom Toms kept up their endless music. End
(18:08):
of Section eighteen, recording by William tom Coe
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!