September 25, 2025 • 17 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 nineteen of the Spell of the Hawaiian Islands and
the Philippines by Isabel Andersen. This LibriVox recording is in
the public domain recording by William tom Coe The Spell
of the Hawaiian Islands and the Philippines by Isabel Andersen,
Section nineteen, chapter nine The Morrows, Part two. We had
(00:25):
two more hours of horseback riding. We hoped to see
a boar hunt, but owing to some misunderstanding, it did
not come off. Then after a stand up luncheon at
Major Brown's, we started down the trail again in a Dougherty.
It was a beautiful drive through the forest on the
island of Mindanao. We first crossed open grassy uplands, then
(00:45):
dipped down through the great glades of the most tropical
forest I have ever seen, with towering hard woods and
tree ferns, with bamboos and clinging air plants and orchids.
And there was mystery and wonder about the giant growths.
The trees seemed taller than the elms of New England
or the cedars of Oregon. They dripped with huge leaved,
(01:07):
clinging vines which grew higgedly piggledy, covering everything. The grass, too,
with waving purple tassels, grew higher than a man's head,
twice as high as the pygmy brown people who have
their houses in these trees. The tree dwellers just referred
to are the Manabos and the Bagobos with pointed teeth.
(01:29):
For Mindanao is not entirely inhabited by Moros. There are
supposed to be no less than twenty four tribes on
this island alone. They built in trees to escape the
spear thrusts of their neighbors through the bamboo floors we
were to make their acquaintance later. A drenching rain came
on that afternoon, through which the escort jogged along while
(01:51):
we clung in our darties, nearly shaken to pieces, and
reaching Malabang on the other side of the island as
much fatigued as if we had been on horseback all
the way. The military post here was most attractive, with
the prettiest of Nepa houses for the officers, and the
parade lined with shading palms and flower boarded walks. A
(02:14):
charming station. We were corded with Lieutenant Berry and his wife,
a delightful young couple in their thatched house and dined
with Major Sergeant, the commanding officer, who has written some
good books on military topics. The celeby sea was calm
and lovely. When we left Malabang, we passed along the
coast of Mindanao toward a long lowland that lay between
(02:36):
the high mountains of the island. This was the plain
of the Cotobato, a great river which overflows its banks
annually like the Nile, and has formed a fertile valley
that could be turned to good account. The mouth of
the river is shallow, so that we were transferred to
a stern wheel boat that was waiting, and began to
work our way up against the rapid current, past low,
(02:59):
uninteresting banks that were proving rather monotonous, when suddenly we
turned a point and saw the town of Cotobato. The
Moros and the other tribes were in their full splendor here.
Soon down this tropical river, where crocodiles dozed and monkeys
chattered and parakeets shrieked, there came a flotilla from the
Arabian Nights, manned by galley slaves. On the masts and
(03:23):
poles of one of the barges floated banners and under
the canopy of green saturrel Princess. Some of the boats
were only dugouts with outriggers, but they were decorated too,
and all the tribes were dressed in silks and velvets
of the brightest colors. There was great excitement and much
cheering as we approached the landing stage, and the troops
(03:43):
stood at attention, while the rest of the shore was
alive with the throng of natives in all the colors
of the rainbow. The Secretary inspected the troops, and we
saw for the first time the moral constabulary, wearing turbans
and sashes, but with bare legs, neverthele less, they looked
very dashing. Indeed, the Morrows were so different in character
(04:05):
and appearance from any people we had seen before, that
they might as well have come down from the stars.
The Secretary was taken to meet the Dattos as they
stood in lined beneath the great trees, with the motley
crowds of retainers behind them, in such a medley of
colors as I had never imagined before. The sunlight filtered
through the trees upon the barbaric costumes, while the gaily
(04:27):
dressed women stood behind the men and peered over them.
The brown men looked dignified and very self respecting too,
although the scene was like the setting of a comic
opera where the imagination had been allowed to run riot.
There we saw Datto, Piang and Gimbungen, a very fat datto.
What a delightful bugaboo name. Also Nak, whose ear had
(04:51):
been cut off in a fight, we were told. But
strange as it may seem, he said, he had clapped
it onto his face again and tied it on, and
it had grown there, so it hung attached somewhere down
on his cheek, and gave him a very peculiar appearance.
When the Moros conquered the Filipinos, this Dado had the
captured women stripped and made to walk before him, and
(05:13):
then took them off to the mountains. When he was
taken prisoner later by the Filipinos, he was compelled to
work in chains in the streets under a canopy. The
princess received us, a native woman whose descent was traced
for many hundreds of years, said to be a pure Morrow,
although she looked rather Chinese, and who was recognized as
(05:34):
of the highest social superiority, but had little political power.
She herself was draped in varied colors, while her chamberlain
wore a brocade coat of crimson and gold cloth. Behind
her stood her maids bearing the gold beetlenut boxes and
chow trays and umbrellas of her rank. Our luncheon with
(05:54):
the commanding Officer, Major Heiberg and his wife was eaten
in delightful little kiosks of unipa and bamboo, which had
been built in a small palm grove. The dancing girls
of the princess, who had long nails protected by silver covers,
gave us a performance afterward. Curiously enough, their dance was
(06:14):
very Japanese in character. Then some manobos picturesque in short
skin tight trousers and bolero jackets, with bags and boxes
beautifully worked in bright beads, danced a graceful, monotonous step.
The women have a swaying snakelike dance, with waving arms
and jingling of bracelets and hiplets. If I may be
(06:35):
allowed to coin the word At last, after so many adventures,
we found ourselves again on board the Rizol. An enchanting
spot on this boat was a projection over the bow
on which one could sit curled up high above the water.
On this perch, we felt like the red winged sea
gulls that circled far above us. We passed over a
(06:55):
sea of polished jade, which at night shone with phosphorescence
like gleaming silver. Next morning, August twenty third, we approached Zamboanga.
Five American ships, all decorated, came steaming out to meet
us and fill in behind in order making a lovely
sight on the bright, smooth seas. As we neared the town,
(07:16):
we suddenly saw a large flotilla of Native boats with
Tom Tom's beating and thousands of flags fluttering. Such a
gay sight. Banners of all shapes streaming and flapping and waving,
and such colors and combinations of colors, stripes of green
and purple and orange, in designs of lemon and red
and magenta, serpentine flags and square ones hung in all
(07:40):
sorts of ways, and bright colored canopies under which sat
the sultans and green umbrellas and yellow and bang off
with their small latankas tiny native made cannon a most
exciting reception. We landed under triumphal arches and were driven
in state carriages through lines of schools children who sang
(08:01):
and threw as flowers from old Spanish gardens. The post
was really beautiful, for it had much left from old
Spanish times, and what had been done over had been
done with taste. The green parade had a terraced canal
passing through it, and avenues of palm. The officers quarters,
smothered in flowering plants and fronting out over the glittering
(08:22):
blue sea, were large and airy and finer than any
we had seen before. It is considered one of the
best posts in the Philippines and seemed cool and pleasant.
There was the usual procession, first the troops of the
garrison and the constabulary, then thousands of visiting Moros bagobows
(08:43):
and manno bows of every color of skin and clothes,
many of them whoping and leaping, and then a tiresome
following of hundreds of Filipinos who had joined in to
make a political demonstration. It is said the Filipinos did
not wish the Moros to take part in the procession.
Exciting times followed at the meeting after this parade, where
(09:05):
both Filipino and Moro speakers were heard. Said of Filipino,
addressing the secretary, you have just visited our province and
have just learned its conditions. At such places in it
through which you have passed, you must have seen quite
a number of Moros. But I believe that a separation
could very well be established to the end that both people,
(09:27):
the Christian Filipino and the Filipino Moro, might have the
government that corresponds respectively to each of them. For it
is a very regrettable thing that, on account of the
presence of the latter, we Christians should be unable to
enjoy the liberties that reason and write would grant us.
I think it is my duty to advise you that
(09:47):
the Moros who filed past the grand stand were brought
from remote and distant places with the exclusive purpose of
giving greater a claw to your reception. Moreover, it must
be borne in mind always in dealing with the affairs
of this province, that the Moros have no political influence,
possess no property, nor help pay the expense of the government. Then,
(10:09):
Datto Mandi spoke, I am here El Rajah muro Mandi
representing the Moros. As I look about, I see far
more Moros than the Filipino contingent. And if that is
so that is the reason it is called the Moro province.
Tremendous applause from the Moros when first the Americans came here.
(10:29):
From the very beginning, whatever they asked me to do,
I did. I was loyal to them. Ever, now I
have heard a rumor that we Moros were in the
hands of the Filipinos. If the American government does not
want the Moro province any more, they should give it
back to us. It is a Moro province. It belongs
to us. Tremendous applause by the Moros. Datto Sakiluran threw
(10:55):
down the Morrow challenge. I am an old man. I
do not want any more trouble. But if it should
come to that that we shall be given over to
the Filipinos, I still would fight applause. But Haji Nangnui,
who spoke of himself as a Samal, made the clearest
statement of the moral position. The Secretary of War must
(11:18):
look the matter in the face. We are a different race,
we have a different religion, we are Mohammedans. And if
we should be given over to the Filipinos, how much
more would they treat us badly then they treated even
the Spanish badly. Who were their own mothers and their
own fathers and generations? How do they treat them? Think
(11:38):
about it, think twice. We far prefer to be in
the hands of the Americans who are father and mother
to us now than to be turned over to another people. Applause.
In the evening, we died delightfully at the pershings. After dinner,
the Moros danced in the garden the spear and shield dance,
(11:58):
and the Bagobo women gave the scarf dance. The Bagobos
still offer human sacrifices. Their caps, if tied in a
certain way, show how many men they have killed. Their
dresses made of cloth which they weave from carefully selected
and dyed fibers of Manila hemp, and it is treated
with wax in such a way as to make it
(12:19):
very smooth and durable. In the glow of the red
light from Chino Charlie's famous lanterns, their picturesque costumes gleaming
with beadworks, added much to the brilliancy of the scene.
They love music and make some large stringed instruments. They
also play the flute from the nose, with one nostril
stopped up like the Hawaiians. The dancing under the palms
(12:43):
in the garden by the rippling seas, where the moonlight
flooded down radiantly, was quite like a strange dream. At
this dinner, I was told the story given by Dean Worchester,
by which the Moros explain why they do not eat pork.
Mohammud had a grandson and a granddaughter. As he was
king of the world, Christ came to his house to
(13:04):
visit him. Mahammud, jealous of him, told him to prove
his power by dividing what he had in a certain room,
where in fact were his grandchildren. Christ replied that he
had no wish to prove his power and would not divine.
Mahammud then vowed that if he did not answer correctly,
he should pay for it with his life. Christ responded,
(13:26):
you have two animals in there, different from anything else
in the world. Mahammud replied, no, you are wrong, and
I will now kill you. Christ said, look first and
see for yourself. Mahammud opened the door and out rushed
two hogs into which Christ had changed his grandchildren. Some
(13:46):
verses recited at General Pershing's dinner showed the feeling of
army officers about their life in the Philippines. A stanza runs,
What is it makes us fret so hard in this
benighted land? It isn't lack of courage and an at
lack of sand. It is in fear of Moros or
Bagobos from the hills. It's the many great discomforts and
(14:08):
the many many ills. It is interesting to read in
a recent number of the Manila Times that Zamboanga, which
seemed so like a picture handed down from Spanish days,
had absorbed a good share of American progressiveness and is
said to stand in a class by itself among Philippine towns.
Water Works in a hydro electric plant are under construction,
(14:31):
the water for which is to be brought along the
mountain side, a part of the way through tunnels to dig.
These experienced Igorot tunnel makers from Benguett were imported, who
are getting along amicably with the Moros. At Jolo or Sulu,
we were again greeted by a Moro fleet and some
diving girls and boys. This seemed the culmination of the
(14:54):
picturesque in our trip. The mountains of the islands are
not high, but rather cone shaped, and and as we
approached the town. We could see behind it the forested
slopes of steep Buddajo, where the great fight took place
in nineteen o six, and many Moros were killed in
the crater top of the volcano to which they had
retreated and from which they challenged and threatened the American forces.
(15:18):
It is an island of fierce piradical Moros, and even
the Americans had not tried to do much there. It
was dangerous to go outside the little walled town at all,
and all the natives coming in were searched for their weapons,
which were taken away at the gates. Only a few
months before a fanatic Moro tried to attack the gate guard,
(15:39):
but fortunately was killed before fatally injuring anyone. The walled
town is a most artistic little Spanish place, built once
upon a time by the exiled Spanish governor Asturia, who
made it a gem of a town, with small balustraded
plazas and a hanging garden, sea wall and a miniature
wall with battlements and gates and streets set out with
(16:02):
shading trees. The pretty officers club and quarters overhung the wall.
The gates of the town are closed at night, and
all the natives must leave for their houses outside before
the retreat, but there is a native market and a
town built out on piles over the water, which we visited.
We drove out to a plain palm fringed and backed
(16:22):
by mountains that overlooked the sea, where there was a
review of the cavalry and a large company of mounted
Moros who carried many American flags among their waving banners
within the walls. In a grand stand in the little
plaza where the natives thronged, there was a meeting between
the Secretary and the chief Datos, and the Hadji, who
(16:42):
had been vizier of the sultan, made a wide speech
full of promise of loyalty. Our governor had won the
good will of the people about him, and the Hajji
said that when his people were certain of our good intentions,
they would come in willingly and be loyal. But for
so many years they had been misled by previous rulers.
(17:03):
We amused ourselves by going to Chino Charlie's and buying lanterns,
and lunched at the Officers Club. Afterward, we went out
on the pier inhabited by the Chinese and looked for pearls.
Jolo pearls are famous, but we saw none of real value.
We watched the chinamen drying copra, and went through their market,
where water slugs were for sale. Finally we sailed across
(17:27):
the bay. Our visit to the Morrows was full of
color to the end, for the sun was setting gorgeously
as we put out to sea. End of section nineteen.
Recording by William tom Co
Section nineteen of the Spell of the Hawaiian Islands and
the Philippines by Isabel Andersen. This LibriVox recording is in
the public domain recording by William tom Coe The Spell
of the Hawaiian Islands and the Philippines by Isabel Andersen,
Section nineteen, chapter nine The Morrows, Part two. We had
(00:25):
two more hours of horseback riding. We hoped to see
a boar hunt, but owing to some misunderstanding, it did
not come off. Then after a stand up luncheon at
Major Brown's, we started down the trail again in a Dougherty.
It was a beautiful drive through the forest on the
island of Mindanao. We first crossed open grassy uplands, then
(00:45):
dipped down through the great glades of the most tropical
forest I have ever seen, with towering hard woods and
tree ferns, with bamboos and clinging air plants and orchids.
And there was mystery and wonder about the giant growths.
The trees seemed taller than the elms of New England
or the cedars of Oregon. They dripped with huge leaved,
(01:07):
clinging vines which grew higgedly piggledy, covering everything. The grass, too,
with waving purple tassels, grew higher than a man's head,
twice as high as the pygmy brown people who have
their houses in these trees. The tree dwellers just referred
to are the Manabos and the Bagobos with pointed teeth.
(01:29):
For Mindanao is not entirely inhabited by Moros. There are
supposed to be no less than twenty four tribes on
this island alone. They built in trees to escape the
spear thrusts of their neighbors through the bamboo floors we
were to make their acquaintance later. A drenching rain came
on that afternoon, through which the escort jogged along while
(01:51):
we clung in our darties, nearly shaken to pieces, and
reaching Malabang on the other side of the island as
much fatigued as if we had been on horseback all
the way. The military post here was most attractive, with
the prettiest of Nepa houses for the officers, and the
parade lined with shading palms and flower boarded walks. A
(02:14):
charming station. We were corded with Lieutenant Berry and his wife,
a delightful young couple in their thatched house and dined
with Major Sergeant, the commanding officer, who has written some
good books on military topics. The celeby sea was calm
and lovely. When we left Malabang, we passed along the
coast of Mindanao toward a long lowland that lay between
(02:36):
the high mountains of the island. This was the plain
of the Cotobato, a great river which overflows its banks
annually like the Nile, and has formed a fertile valley
that could be turned to good account. The mouth of
the river is shallow, so that we were transferred to
a stern wheel boat that was waiting, and began to
work our way up against the rapid current, past low,
(02:59):
uninteresting banks that were proving rather monotonous, when suddenly we
turned a point and saw the town of Cotobato. The
Moros and the other tribes were in their full splendor here.
Soon down this tropical river, where crocodiles dozed and monkeys
chattered and parakeets shrieked, there came a flotilla from the
Arabian Nights, manned by galley slaves. On the masts and
(03:23):
poles of one of the barges floated banners and under
the canopy of green saturrel Princess. Some of the boats
were only dugouts with outriggers, but they were decorated too,
and all the tribes were dressed in silks and velvets
of the brightest colors. There was great excitement and much
cheering as we approached the landing stage, and the troops
(03:43):
stood at attention, while the rest of the shore was
alive with the throng of natives in all the colors
of the rainbow. The Secretary inspected the troops, and we
saw for the first time the moral constabulary, wearing turbans
and sashes, but with bare legs, neverthele less, they looked
very dashing. Indeed, the Morrows were so different in character
(04:05):
and appearance from any people we had seen before, that
they might as well have come down from the stars.
The Secretary was taken to meet the Dattos as they
stood in lined beneath the great trees, with the motley
crowds of retainers behind them, in such a medley of
colors as I had never imagined before. The sunlight filtered
through the trees upon the barbaric costumes, while the gaily
(04:27):
dressed women stood behind the men and peered over them.
The brown men looked dignified and very self respecting too,
although the scene was like the setting of a comic
opera where the imagination had been allowed to run riot.
There we saw Datto, Piang and Gimbungen, a very fat datto.
What a delightful bugaboo name. Also Nak, whose ear had
(04:51):
been cut off in a fight, we were told. But
strange as it may seem, he said, he had clapped
it onto his face again and tied it on, and
it had grown there, so it hung attached somewhere down
on his cheek, and gave him a very peculiar appearance.
When the Moros conquered the Filipinos, this Dado had the
captured women stripped and made to walk before him, and
(05:13):
then took them off to the mountains. When he was
taken prisoner later by the Filipinos, he was compelled to
work in chains in the streets under a canopy. The
princess received us, a native woman whose descent was traced
for many hundreds of years, said to be a pure Morrow,
although she looked rather Chinese, and who was recognized as
(05:34):
of the highest social superiority, but had little political power.
She herself was draped in varied colors, while her chamberlain
wore a brocade coat of crimson and gold cloth. Behind
her stood her maids bearing the gold beetlenut boxes and
chow trays and umbrellas of her rank. Our luncheon with
(05:54):
the commanding Officer, Major Heiberg and his wife was eaten
in delightful little kiosks of unipa and bamboo, which had
been built in a small palm grove. The dancing girls
of the princess, who had long nails protected by silver covers,
gave us a performance afterward. Curiously enough, their dance was
(06:14):
very Japanese in character. Then some manobos picturesque in short
skin tight trousers and bolero jackets, with bags and boxes
beautifully worked in bright beads, danced a graceful, monotonous step.
The women have a swaying snakelike dance, with waving arms
and jingling of bracelets and hiplets. If I may be
(06:35):
allowed to coin the word At last, after so many adventures,
we found ourselves again on board the Rizol. An enchanting
spot on this boat was a projection over the bow
on which one could sit curled up high above the water.
On this perch, we felt like the red winged sea
gulls that circled far above us. We passed over a
(06:55):
sea of polished jade, which at night shone with phosphorescence
like gleaming silver. Next morning, August twenty third, we approached Zamboanga.
Five American ships, all decorated, came steaming out to meet
us and fill in behind in order making a lovely
sight on the bright, smooth seas. As we neared the town,
(07:16):
we suddenly saw a large flotilla of Native boats with
Tom Tom's beating and thousands of flags fluttering. Such a
gay sight. Banners of all shapes streaming and flapping and waving,
and such colors and combinations of colors, stripes of green
and purple and orange, in designs of lemon and red
and magenta, serpentine flags and square ones hung in all
(07:40):
sorts of ways, and bright colored canopies under which sat
the sultans and green umbrellas and yellow and bang off
with their small latankas tiny native made cannon a most
exciting reception. We landed under triumphal arches and were driven
in state carriages through lines of schools children who sang
(08:01):
and threw as flowers from old Spanish gardens. The post
was really beautiful, for it had much left from old
Spanish times, and what had been done over had been
done with taste. The green parade had a terraced canal
passing through it, and avenues of palm. The officers quarters,
smothered in flowering plants and fronting out over the glittering
(08:22):
blue sea, were large and airy and finer than any
we had seen before. It is considered one of the
best posts in the Philippines and seemed cool and pleasant.
There was the usual procession, first the troops of the
garrison and the constabulary, then thousands of visiting Moros bagobows
(08:43):
and manno bows of every color of skin and clothes,
many of them whoping and leaping, and then a tiresome
following of hundreds of Filipinos who had joined in to
make a political demonstration. It is said the Filipinos did
not wish the Moros to take part in the procession.
Exciting times followed at the meeting after this parade, where
(09:05):
both Filipino and Moro speakers were heard. Said of Filipino,
addressing the secretary, you have just visited our province and
have just learned its conditions. At such places in it
through which you have passed, you must have seen quite
a number of Moros. But I believe that a separation
could very well be established to the end that both people,
(09:27):
the Christian Filipino and the Filipino Moro, might have the
government that corresponds respectively to each of them. For it
is a very regrettable thing that, on account of the
presence of the latter, we Christians should be unable to
enjoy the liberties that reason and write would grant us.
I think it is my duty to advise you that
(09:47):
the Moros who filed past the grand stand were brought
from remote and distant places with the exclusive purpose of
giving greater a claw to your reception. Moreover, it must
be borne in mind always in dealing with the affairs
of this province, that the Moros have no political influence,
possess no property, nor help pay the expense of the government. Then,
(10:09):
Datto Mandi spoke, I am here El Rajah muro Mandi
representing the Moros. As I look about, I see far
more Moros than the Filipino contingent. And if that is
so that is the reason it is called the Moro province.
Tremendous applause from the Moros when first the Americans came here.
(10:29):
From the very beginning, whatever they asked me to do,
I did. I was loyal to them. Ever, now I
have heard a rumor that we Moros were in the
hands of the Filipinos. If the American government does not
want the Moro province any more, they should give it
back to us. It is a Moro province. It belongs
to us. Tremendous applause by the Moros. Datto Sakiluran threw
(10:55):
down the Morrow challenge. I am an old man. I
do not want any more trouble. But if it should
come to that that we shall be given over to
the Filipinos, I still would fight applause. But Haji Nangnui,
who spoke of himself as a Samal, made the clearest
statement of the moral position. The Secretary of War must
(11:18):
look the matter in the face. We are a different race,
we have a different religion, we are Mohammedans. And if
we should be given over to the Filipinos, how much
more would they treat us badly then they treated even
the Spanish badly. Who were their own mothers and their
own fathers and generations? How do they treat them? Think
(11:38):
about it, think twice. We far prefer to be in
the hands of the Americans who are father and mother
to us now than to be turned over to another people. Applause.
In the evening, we died delightfully at the pershings. After dinner,
the Moros danced in the garden the spear and shield dance,
(11:58):
and the Bagobo women gave the scarf dance. The Bagobos
still offer human sacrifices. Their caps, if tied in a
certain way, show how many men they have killed. Their
dresses made of cloth which they weave from carefully selected
and dyed fibers of Manila hemp, and it is treated
with wax in such a way as to make it
(12:19):
very smooth and durable. In the glow of the red
light from Chino Charlie's famous lanterns, their picturesque costumes gleaming
with beadworks, added much to the brilliancy of the scene.
They love music and make some large stringed instruments. They
also play the flute from the nose, with one nostril
stopped up like the Hawaiians. The dancing under the palms
(12:43):
in the garden by the rippling seas, where the moonlight
flooded down radiantly, was quite like a strange dream. At
this dinner, I was told the story given by Dean Worchester,
by which the Moros explain why they do not eat pork.
Mohammud had a grandson and a granddaughter. As he was
king of the world, Christ came to his house to
(13:04):
visit him. Mahammud, jealous of him, told him to prove
his power by dividing what he had in a certain room,
where in fact were his grandchildren. Christ replied that he
had no wish to prove his power and would not divine.
Mahammud then vowed that if he did not answer correctly,
he should pay for it with his life. Christ responded,
(13:26):
you have two animals in there, different from anything else
in the world. Mahammud replied, no, you are wrong, and
I will now kill you. Christ said, look first and
see for yourself. Mahammud opened the door and out rushed
two hogs into which Christ had changed his grandchildren. Some
(13:46):
verses recited at General Pershing's dinner showed the feeling of
army officers about their life in the Philippines. A stanza runs,
What is it makes us fret so hard in this
benighted land? It isn't lack of courage and an at
lack of sand. It is in fear of Moros or
Bagobos from the hills. It's the many great discomforts and
(14:08):
the many many ills. It is interesting to read in
a recent number of the Manila Times that Zamboanga, which
seemed so like a picture handed down from Spanish days,
had absorbed a good share of American progressiveness and is
said to stand in a class by itself among Philippine towns.
Water Works in a hydro electric plant are under construction,
(14:31):
the water for which is to be brought along the
mountain side, a part of the way through tunnels to dig.
These experienced Igorot tunnel makers from Benguett were imported, who
are getting along amicably with the Moros. At Jolo or Sulu,
we were again greeted by a Moro fleet and some
diving girls and boys. This seemed the culmination of the
(14:54):
picturesque in our trip. The mountains of the islands are
not high, but rather cone shaped, and and as we
approached the town. We could see behind it the forested
slopes of steep Buddajo, where the great fight took place
in nineteen o six, and many Moros were killed in
the crater top of the volcano to which they had
retreated and from which they challenged and threatened the American forces.
(15:18):
It is an island of fierce piradical Moros, and even
the Americans had not tried to do much there. It
was dangerous to go outside the little walled town at all,
and all the natives coming in were searched for their weapons,
which were taken away at the gates. Only a few
months before a fanatic Moro tried to attack the gate guard,
(15:39):
but fortunately was killed before fatally injuring anyone. The walled
town is a most artistic little Spanish place, built once
upon a time by the exiled Spanish governor Asturia, who
made it a gem of a town, with small balustraded
plazas and a hanging garden, sea wall and a miniature
wall with battlements and gates and streets set out with
(16:02):
shading trees. The pretty officers club and quarters overhung the wall.
The gates of the town are closed at night, and
all the natives must leave for their houses outside before
the retreat, but there is a native market and a
town built out on piles over the water, which we visited.
We drove out to a plain palm fringed and backed
(16:22):
by mountains that overlooked the sea, where there was a
review of the cavalry and a large company of mounted
Moros who carried many American flags among their waving banners
within the walls. In a grand stand in the little
plaza where the natives thronged, there was a meeting between
the Secretary and the chief Datos, and the Hadji, who
(16:42):
had been vizier of the sultan, made a wide speech
full of promise of loyalty. Our governor had won the
good will of the people about him, and the Hajji
said that when his people were certain of our good intentions,
they would come in willingly and be loyal. But for
so many years they had been misled by previous rulers.
(17:03):
We amused ourselves by going to Chino Charlie's and buying lanterns,
and lunched at the Officers Club. Afterward, we went out
on the pier inhabited by the Chinese and looked for pearls.
Jolo pearls are famous, but we saw none of real value.
We watched the chinamen drying copra, and went through their market,
where water slugs were for sale. Finally we sailed across
(17:27):
the bay. Our visit to the Morrows was full of
color to the end, for the sun was setting gorgeously
as we put out to sea. End of section nineteen.
Recording by William tom Co
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!