The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-01

TO the camp, pan of this sand was washed
and fine colorings found From observa
tons made, based upon rather intimate
acquaintance with the gold-bearing districts
of the West, l have no hesitancy in stating
that the precious metal is to be found in
easily accessible quarters of Luzon in ouan-
titles paying handsomely for the little
trouble to be undergone.
On the morning of the second day we rose
early and, long before daylight, had break
fast over. Our path now rapidly ascerded,
and by noon we were some two thousand
feet 1 should judge, above sea level. The
mountains, more or less rocky, were also,
in many places, rich in quartz, iron SEEM
ing to predominant. En fact. the quartz
does not differ very materially from Cripple
Creek ORE The peaks were covered with
dense forests, the altitude apparently MAX
ing but slight difference in the nature of
the vegetation. Camphor rapau, ebony,
cocoanut and various woods strange to us
abounded, while the underbrush was heavy,
thick and almost impenetrable, owing 70 the
vast amount of creepers and overhanging
vines. The fiocks of humming birds, great
swarms of the little things made the jungle
hideous for US These birds, in large num-
bers, made bold to attack us and our
horses. Their sharp bills, together with the
sting left by their futtering wings beating
in our eyes and faces, coupled with the
boldness and tenacity of their nature, rom
dered them most formidable enemies. 1t
was scarcely possible to beat them off, and
we were all wounded more or less by the
angry creatures, while the noise made was
almost deafening.
While supper was being prepared we
struggled off into the Jungle Coming at
last to a clearing, my companion, a man
named Shea, and myself paused in astonish-
ment at the beauty of the scene about us.
Our hating place was the summit of high
ridge, some $500 feet high. No high jungle
INSTRUCTED the view and a splendid piano.
rama of the country lay at our feet. 1t was
a broad valley, ending abruptly at the
farther side in the precipitous rise of a high
mountain. The tiny river glided like
glistening, silver serpent far down beneath
Us. In the distance to the right and left of
the far peaks ridge after ridge of tree
capped hills lowered high to the purpling
sky Every rocky crag was set out in
cold, bold and black relief. The setting sun
sent its rays athwart rock and tree and
great bars of gold alternated with streaks
of bloody red stretched away from the
golden center, shot around the edge of
white clouds and fell prone upon the green
of shrubs and trees and the gray of rocks
and powders. The most wonderful tints
| and shades were the result. 1t seemed a
! fairy land of color and of magic lights and
| tints.
Several large and finely-colored birds,
doubtless of the crane variety, long in limb
/ and bill and swift of foot, were shot. An
unusually large monkey also fell before our
rifles. Following the fall of this animal, the
! -
pathy were raised by it's comrades. More
fortunate in their quest the other men Sc
cured young goat 1t was a choice supper
of broiled meat and savory coffee we had
that night.
NEW SIGHTS AND SOUNDS.
The following morning it was determined
to cross the stream in a northerly direction,
continue thus for half a day or more and
| then strike westerly again toward Manila.
During the morning of the third days
! travel we crossed several little streams,
! the formation of whose sides and bottoms
| all gave flattering indications of mineral.
/ A duck, of "A variety new to us. made an
| excellent dish for dinner. An arrow, forty
inches long. made of bamboo and tipped
with iron, found half buried in the soft
earth near where we ate.
The jungle into which we had penetrated
was dense and it was only because of the
height of the trees and freedom from UNI
derbrush that it at all possible for us
to travel through It. The discovery of
| huge snake. hanging suspended to a limb
above our heads. caused us to keep a sharp
lookout above and in the endeavor to avoid
danger we were rewarded for our eXertion
by the sight of beautiful parrots and other
birds and of white monkeys.
| have not mentioned al length the flow
| ers observed during TIE trip. 1t is not for
pen to describe them, however, and scarcely
fer artists brush to reproduce the graceful
beauty of these children of the jungle, in
deed born to waste their sweetness on the
desert air" a swarm of humming birds,
sufficient danger always to cause us to turn
aside from the direction of the sound pro-
claimed the vicinity of paradise of unusu
/ ally sweet-scented flowers. Likewise, but at
tracted by the birds, snakes hordes of them,
lay hidden in the grass preying upon the
enemies of the flora A torrential rain in
the afternoon served more than all else, to
illustrate and impress upon us the density
of this gloomy Jungle Though the rain de-
seconded in sheets only here and there did
| the water penetrate the fastness of our
roofing
| The remainder of the trip was without adj
venture. We arrived in Manila at 10 o'clock
the night of the fourth day. We had ira
versed. without a guide, a country untrav-
/ eled before by an American, and covered a
! full hundred miles of Philippine jungle. Our
course lay through a region of incompar-
able beauty and riotous fertility, and the
result fixing satisfactorily the presence Of
| gold. was sufficiently grand to pay us for
the trouble.
Later. similar trip. for the purpose of
gathering more complete informa ton, to be
used in government circles, led over
! longer course. five hundred miles, and occu-
pied much more time. The report rendered
upon this latter, it is not at present deemed
proper to publish The preparation, how
ever. induced the narration of the above
! which is taken directly from complete notes
| in my diary of the trip.
f. HARRINGTON BAKER
Freedom.
| 7 care not who were vicious back of me