Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-05-18
MISCELL A N Y.
philippine Islanders.

The Philippine lslaads, group which forms
one boundary of the Chinese Sea, have seldom
been visited BY travellers of the book-making sort
Resentig. however, Frenchmau, M. de la I'll
roniere. has pablished work in which he mar
rates his adventures in those islands, during res
idence of many years, and which contains vast
amount of entirely new information, respecting
the islands and their inhabitants. From Black
uood's review of this work, we extract a passage
Of great Interest,"
we were silently pursuing our way, we heard be-
fore US a chorus of shril veices, more resembling
those of birds than Of men. Presently we per
eeiyed at short distance about forty savages, OF
bDth sexes, and all ages, and having completely
the appearance of animals. They were gathered
round a large fire, hard by stream. We took
few steps forward. presenting our guns at them.
On perceiving us, they shrieked, aud were about
to fy but showed them packet of cigars, and
made sirns that we wished to present these to
them. When they understood this, they drew
I'D in a line, like soldiers on parade; 1t was the
signal that we might approach we did SO, ci-
gars in hand, and, commencing at one extremity
of the line, | distributed my GIFT. II was very
important to make friends otthem, and, according
TO their usages, to give to each an equal part
The distribution over, our NuS COuiPiSeC
the savages had nothing more TO fear from us, nor
we from them. They all began smoking. A
deer was hanging from tree; the chief took
bamboo knife and cut offthree large pieces of ven
ison, threw them into the glowing embers, and.
minute afterwards, withdrew them, and present
cd niece to each of u.s. The outside ofths saw
are carbonado was rather burnt aud ashy, the in
side quite raw and bloody. 1t would not do to
show repucnance; my entertainers would have
baen scandalzed. and wished 10 live with them
for a few DAYS in harmony, 50 ate my bit OF deer,
which, upon the whole, was not 50 very bad; my
Indians followed my example, and thenceiorward
treachery was out of the question"
Nj. de In Gironiere found it very difficult to
make himself understood, but the next day he fell
in with woman who spoke the Iagal tongue
She acted as his interpreter; and from her he OBJ
tanned such information as he desired concerning
the Aietas. These people appeared TO him to be
far more like monkeys than human beings;- even
their voices resembling the cries and jabbering OF
the animal. whilst their gestures Were monkey all
over. Their superiority consists IN knowing how
90 make fire, and to use bow aud lance. Their
color is the ebos black of the / frcau negro; their
utmost stature hardly attains five feet English
their bar is woolly and as they know not how to
rat rid oft ii forms q strange sort OF crown, or
/ halo round their heads. Their features resemble
those OF the AEricau blacks. but the lips are less
prominent. Their sole dress Is grdle, eight or
ten inches broad made of the bark Of trees They
feed on roots, fruit. and the produce Of the chase
/ A bamboo lance. a paim-wOOd bow, and poisoned
arrows. are their weapons They eat their meat
nearly raw, and live in groups or tribes composed
Of fifty or sixty persons. iuri1g the DAY, the
| old people. the uyalds, and children SIT at0uud
the FIRE. whilst the others 90 hunting when they
have enourh food to last for some days. they all
remain round the fire, and at night they sleep
promiscuously in the ashes ''It IS eXtreuely Gu
rious to see thus assembled some fifty Of these
brutes. of all ages, and all more less deformed
The old women are especially hdeouS; their de-
crept limbs. their pol-bellies, and their extraor-
dinary hair, giving them the appearance of turies
or Witches Nothing human can possibly be
more DEGRADED than these Ajetas. They have nc
religion; they neither worship sun nor stars, nor
bow before permanent idols, but adore, for the day
any rock or tree trunk in which they trace re-
semblance to an animal Their language has very
few words; their children take for sole name that
of the place where they are bern They have grea
respect for old age, and for The dead. Fer years
after the decease ofone ofthem. they place tobacco
and betel-nut upon his grave, above which his bow
and arrows are suspended Every night--so they
believe-he quits his grave to go a-hqnting.- =
They have no furaeral ceremony. They lay tht
corpse at full length in the grave, and cover i
with earth. But when an Ajetas is i'll of a NAL
ady deemed incurable, OF has been slightly wound
ed with poisoned arrow, his frieuds place hin
in large hole, his arms crossed upon his breast
and bury him alive, All the weapons ofthe Ajeta
are poisoned. 4 wound from one Of their arrow
would not suffice to check the career Of so stron:
an animal as the stag, But the least scratch O
the poisoned Dart produces an ,mquencha5a tbirSt
and as soor as the animal drinks he dies. TIL
hunters then cnt away the flesh from around tn
wound, for otherwise the whole carcase woul
quickly acquire 50 intensely bitter favour tha
even the Ajetas mot very dainty ieoders) COIL
not eat il. When in Sumatra, NJ de la Gironief
had investigated the nature of the poison used b
the Malays Cor their arms, aed had found ii 10 b
simply q strong solution of arsenic in lemon juice
Fle was curious to know what the Ajetas used
They took him 70 large tree, tore off bit {
{ the bark, and told him that was what served thei
for poison. He chewed some in their presence
it ,yas unsuPporiably bitter, but otherwise harm