The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-11-20

80 pesos a month; or, reduced to our
standard, S1.75. There is a small in
crease as with us, for the ascending
grades of enlisted men, and, upon
reaching commissioned officers, the pay
I for the lowest rank in that class is 10
pesos.
| First Lieutenants receive an advance
over that sum of pesos, and that rate
| of increase continues up to Brigadler
General, making the monthly pay of
the latter grade So. 80 a month, reck-
oned in our money. In addition, all SOL
diers receive a daily ration of rice, an
amount that in times of plenty may be
as much as one and one-half pints, but
from late reports this has been cut
down to about one-half a pint.
The soldiers are expected to supple
ment this scanty issue with fish and
frogs Fish and frogs, like pigs and
children, are plentiful in Filipino land
The irrigating bitches, no matter how
shallow or narrow, are favorite feeding
places for fish. Everywhere may be seen
little groups of children dipping with
tiny nets for fish or chasing frogs
through the swamps or inundated fields
with what seems to be the top of a
bird cage, while nearby their elders.
with carabao drawing plows of model
, dating back hundred years, are pre-
pairing the water-soaked squares ior
rice. ce
PLANTING RICE.
The fighting has delayed rice plant
| ing in this vicinity to some extent, but
the natives have now about concluded
their work. Perhaps the Filipino i'll the
| fields is at his most curious employ
ment. His methods and materials are
so crude. his hours so, long and the
tasks SO uninviting, that an American
| farm laborer would be staggered could
/ he but see these people as they work
| in driving rain or under burning sun.
| Not until the heavy rains are on is
any move made to prepare the fields.
With the narrow one-handled plows the
water soaked plats are slowly broken
up; then a harrow made of bamboo
| poles with teeth of the same wood is
| dragged many times over The now
| quaking bed, driver and carabao sink
| ing alike to the knee in the mud
The rains that every day now brings
| shortly complete the work of prepara-
tion and all is ready for the planting.
For this task the entire family is en-
listed. The children distribute the
| bundles of shoots brought on sleds
from the thickly sown bed near the
house, and the women and older girls
with dresses tucked high and backs
bent sharply form in line and with
wonderful skill separate the slips enc
by one from the bundle, thrusting them
door IN, fIa ,,1r6 ,41 ia1, n,
backing motion they slowly progress,
keeping an unbroken rank.
With an appreciation of the tendency
Of women to gossip while at work
some of the l1eadmen provide music
ians who play lively airs on native man
dolins and shrill f1ageolets, this device
keeping the chatterers fairly quiet and
at work. It is odd to see the planters
bobbing UP and down in time to the
music, but not more SO than is the
sight of the women with the great ma
tive hats worn over the small of the
back, protecting equally from driving
rain or scorching sun.
SHUTDOWN AT SANTA RITA.
Shutdown is now at hand at Santa
Rita along the village streets troop
mud-stained laborers from the rice
fields, chatting shrilly together or nois-
lily greeting the women vendors of eggs
or bananas who sit under shelter of
wall or in cave-like doorway; in the
green bamboo fringed plaza a four
mule wagon loaded with bread is sur
rounded by detachments from the COM
panies, the weary mules standing with
collars slipped forward and down. |
dropped ears waiting their release,
while from far overhead, from among
the bells of Santa Rita, the last quick |
glance over darkening road and hazy
field has been taken for the day, and
the corporal with hand curved up by his |
mouth leans far out and calls down to
his Sergeant:
Nothing seen towards Guagua; all |
quiet towards Porac" and one more day
is at an end.
Night comes swiftly, and soon the
candle CLEANS from the quarters of the
men are fairly rivalled by the dazzling |
fireffies wheeling and turning through |
and over their favorite puego tree; but |
perhaps before day dawns the red
rockets of the insurgents, their signal |
for attack, will rush starwards, and an /
other fight will be at hand
1t is thus that we live by day and
watch by night while waiting for such
prosaic things as a train of army wag- |
ons of familiar blue and a great herd /
of frowsy, dusty mules; for it must be
confessed that but seldom has anv I
force ever needed transportation more
solely than does this army.