Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1898-08-19
MY ESCAPE.
AN ADVENTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES


apProriate phrases aud applying them
70 Pete. Then j glanced around al
the view, which was superb, with the
sun setting ID indescribable glory
over the calm China sea
In the glow | could see a steamer.
which knew must bethe mail steamer
from Hongkong. probably bringing
me letters and Easter remembranees
from friends In far-away America.
Suddenly the dog jumped up and said
"Woofr' l muz2led him with one
hand and reached for the rife with
the other, with visions of ig1anas be-
fore me, but none appeared Pete
wriggled himself loose and ''woofed''
again, cooking his ears toward the for
est at the base of the bluff. / turned
my head aud listened.
Now / could family hear the thump-
ing roll of galloping horses, mingled
with the crashing Of breaking bush.
As ] stood up and stared a pony ap-
peared, bursting out Of the Jungle,
followed by another and still another.
Almost before / realized what they
were, full 90 Of them had come tearing
ont Of tile woods and we're charging
mp the slope toward me. f y = e 3
In the forest wander hordes of these
native ponies, discarded as old or use
less by their owners, who, as a rule.
are too indolent TO dispose of them
otherwise. We had encountered
tn M while hunting, but. had never
seen 50 many together and was won
dering what could have caused such a
stampede when, Just as the last one
appeared, / saw small, black, monkey
like creature dash out after him, fol-
lowed by score OF others, driving the
terrified animals up the hill with shrill
whistles aud shrieks.
"NegritoslT ! Thought, remenber-
ing what we had been told about their
sometimes driving crowd OF these
wandering ponies over some precipice
to be killed on the rocks below and
thus afford their pursuers an unctuous
feast OF horse-fesh for many days.
This was evidently what the black men
were doing now.
l saw that the ponies would quickly
arrive at the top and carry me over
with them if something was not done
promptly; so l seized Pete by the
sernf Of his neck and ran for the head
of the side path by which l had come
up; but / was Just too late; the fren-
zied mob of scarecrows was almost
upon me before l could get there.
In desperation l waved the rifle
aloft with one hand end poor Pete
with the other, mingliug a wild shout
with Pete's expostulating yells. So
strange an apparition, combined with
the sounds from the dog, had the effect
Of causingmany Of the drove of ponies
TO swerve past me. and heard them
60 slidiugand crashing down the other
side OF the bluff, while others turned
sharply and ran down the path. One
OF these, however, lost his footing in
turning so suddenly and fell head
long.
He rolled over SO quickly that had
iib AAAit w btt OuA VI tub way, uhh hc
struck me squarely on the ankles.
Pete few one way and the rife
another as pitched forward on top
of the kicking brute. We fell just at
the head Of the path, blocking the way
for the last three or four ponies, who
halted trembling and snortihg.
As l scrambled up ! caught a
glimpse of the Negritos, who had
stopped at the sight Of me and were
gazing in amazerient, calling to each
other with short, sharp whistles.
Their great heads, coveted with masses
of frizzly hair, out Of all proportion
TO their dwaYfed, naked bodies, gave
them most uneanny aspect, like
crowd of gnomes. l felt as if / were
the hero Of some fairy tale in the
power of goblins, and for an instant /
experienced the same horrid eeping
sensation that one feels at the first
shudder Of an, earthquake.
Every moment l expected a cloud Of
arrows to come whizzing about me,
and remember wondering whether
they would be baroed or smooth; but
the fierce little black men seemed too
asionished to do anything but stand
like statues and whistle. Yet 1t wg
certain that they would soon let e
their deadly arrows. By some instinct
| grasped the ponys short, rough name
as he struggled to his feet and fol
lowed alongside the animal as he
headed down the path, keeping his
shoulders and forelegs between my
self and the blacks. Pete had picked
himself up aud was close at my heels.
Aswe disappeared perfect storm
of whistles pierced, the air. The
ponies behind, frightened afresh, came
crowding against my protector, who
lashed out viciously aud started to
run down the narrow path. Seeing
there was danger Of being crowded
over the edge, / swung on his back,
holding tight to his name. and let him
take his own course.
Fortunately for me the little beast,
although abnormally y bony and NANCY
in appearance, had retained his eve.
sight and the wonderful sure-footed-
ness that all Philippine ponies pos
sess. He was evidently accustomed
TO rider, for he picked his way down
the rough passage at sliding sort Of
troi, closely followed blythe other
ponies aud Pete, who must have been
having a preearious time of it among
equme legs and hoofs. 13a-a
Far ahead j could hear the clatter-
ing Of the ponies that had gone down
first, while over all else were the weird
squeaks and piping Of the savages.
They must have been in close pursuit,
but unable either ], to pass the rear
ponies or to get shot at me on ac-
count of the windings of the path. l
crouched low and held on with. all my
might. expecting at every step te.feel
he blow Of some barbarous II, isile.
fore n.eslized where ys ! srs l