Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-26

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A Native Va1et, Lsson, Philippine Islands.
inches in diameter at the head and tapering
down to an opening of 21f inches. The head
was covered with dried snake skin and the
musicians beat time with the fiat ends of
their fingers
The dancers circled around in perfect
time to the music, with hopping, shutting
step, swaying the body and arms gracefully,
and maintaining very sober face. The
male dancer kept his arms outstretched
almost constantly, occasionally changing
the position of the two blankets which
hung from his shoulders The woman
swayed her body with greater freedom and
grace than the man, varying the movement
with an an occasional serpentine twist of
her waist Her blanket hung from her left
shoulder and reached nearly to her knees,
but unlike her male companion she never
changed its position. After the dance more
wine was passed around, and then wooden
platters of smoking boiling pork. 1t wasn't
half bad this supper of Fork and wine.
mers. The gongs were of copper, gently
lutions of the dancers. The two drums were
wooden cylinders, feet long, about
The cup-shaped hollow, q mile or SO
across in which La Trinidad is situated,
was at some remote time the crater of vol
cano. 1t is at least 1000 feet above sea
level. The nights are cool enough for a
thick blanket, and the morning after our
arrival was surprised to find that the air
was so chill that it turned my breath into
light vapor. The water, which is precipi-
tated in rain into this crater during the
rainy season, finds an outlet in an under
ground river which flows from beautiful
little lake and disappears abruptly into fis-
sures at the base of the rim of the old
crater. 1t emerges on the other side of the
mountain and goes rambling away down o
rocky gorge and amid scenery which, to
say the least, is sublime.
An Island in a Crater.
An island in the center of this crater lake
is in habited by Spanish trader who has
spent seven or eight years up here, traf6ck-
ing in gold dust principally and occasionally
buying little silver and copper ore from
the natives. We visited his island home
The road ran along the pebbly shore of the
lake to stone pier, at the end Of which was
ricketty bamboo platform extending far
ther out over the placid waters. At it's ex-
tremity we found q boat about Is feet long
and two wide-a dugout-with paddle
wheel at the stern rugged to work by hand.
Half a dozen ducks rose from the reedy
borders of the lake as we pushed of, which
led the commander in chief of the army of
Spain in these parts to remark that there
was some excellent duck shooting here
apouts.
We found the trader working in his gar
den: planting coffee bushes around his little
kitchen. While our host was showing us
through his house his housekeeper,a a stoutly
built Indian girl, was set to work pounding
corn in stone mortar. Grain is pounded
into meal only as it is used. The dwelling of
the trader was comfortably furnished with
modern furniture, every bit of which had
of native carriers. His handicapped side
board was covered with choice glass and
chinaware, and 1t was evident that though
he lived among the barbarous he retained
his love of civilization and its luxuries. Be-
fore We left his dusky housekeeper served q
dinner which in quality and service was as
metropolis of Oceanica. The news that my
friend and companion was an orchid hunter
had spread through the mountain within 48
hours of our arrival, and on the fourth day
an Indian appeared at the door loaded
down with rare specimens of these beauti-
ful plants. One of the most striking was
pure white growing directly from the stem.
Two Others had spotted leaf foliage. 1t did
not take long to strike bargain with the
Indian, who sold his treasure Tor mere
trifle.
A Trip to the Gold FIeldA
The gold fields to which 1 have referred
are situated furtnef up the mountains, out
side the crater, and they are worked in the
most primitive manner. The trail led
through gorges and along precipices that
made me dizzy. At one point where we
wound around a spur in the mountains the
ledge along which our ponies clambered
was not an inch over four feet in width,
with sheer descent at our feet of 300 or 800
feet.
Kapouga, IS Xxi from La Trinidad, is the
gold region village. Our arrival attracted
universal attention, but the unlucky natives
who crowded around us were sent skurry-
some to bring grass for the horses others to
pound grain Ior cakes for our dinner. Half q
dozen women were seated under the main
house. Their hands and arms were tatooed
in remarkable way. One young woman
with beautiful dark eyes and long glossy
black hair had her shoulders and neck fam
tastically ana indellibly decorated in this
was two copper bH SINS two feet in diameter,
made by a native workman out of tine cop
per which they had mined in the hills.
The gold Is found In q creamy quartz rock.
The Quartz is broken or the lodges, then
ground between stones and this powdered
stuff is washou in spring water to obtain the
tiny particles OF gold or traffic. In the first
women at work. The women sat fat on the
ground while the man squatted on his
Launches alternately smashing quartz and
washing the residue in a small copper basin.
The surroundings were barren and cheerless
in the extreme. 1t strikes me that an enter.
prising American miner might, IN connec-
tion with Spanish partner for protection,
find enough TO repay him amply for his
trouble among these mountains of Luzon.
John RARE ID H.