The record-union., 1899-10-29
A NIGHT IN MANILA.

An injury received at Cavite shortly
after we entered Manila. incapacitated
me for further service. l was furlough-
ed and might have come home on the
transport to San Francisco, but wish
ed to see a little more of life in the
Philippines.
Two American friends of mine, with
an eye to future business, had bought
a number of houses of departing Span
ish residents on a street leading off
the Escolta, and at their request
hired a native servant and went to
live in one of these houses, to look at
ter the property and hold down the
claim for them, as they say in Ne
braska, till they should take posses
sion themselves. The casa, or house,
where l became thus domiciled was a
typical Spanish structure of Manila
built around an enclosed open patio,
or inner courtyard, with strong walls
and grated windows. The roof over
the wider front portion of it was Of
corrugated iron, as is common here on
account of earthquakes; but the lower
portions at the wings and rear were
provided with roofs of red earthen
tiles.
Having the whole house to choose
from, l selected two rooms on the sec
ond floor fronting the street The
Spanish family who had lived here had
left much of the old furniture, curtains.
bamboo chairs, bedsteads. colchons and
other articles not worth moving away
Even the braziers for cooking still
stood on the gallery outside the door
l had but to fetch in my personal be-
longings and begin my bachelor house
keeping.
You get mozo. or native male SER
want, for S4 a month here, and this
boy does everything for you, even to
laying out your clothes and fetching in
your meals. For indolent life at mod
crate cost, Manila is the ideal city in
time of peace. The mozo does all the
small buying and it is often necessary
to trust him with several of the big
silver dollars which constitute the me-
dium of exchange here.
Although l found the old casa shut
up, it was far from being wholly uEoc-
cupied and empty A Chinese "chow"
dog, with a black tongue, curly hair,
and tail that was still trying hard to
keep in it's peculiar curl, was in the
patio when 1 unlocked the outer eoor
and entered. The forlorn creature
seemed uncertain whether to bark at
me for an intruder or whine for food,
and she watched my face with sad.
longing eyes, perhaps pleading for her
three little puppies.
dirty, lean white cat, with a brok-
en- TAIL was also peering out from
under a rank banana stalk The
whole patio was now overrun with
neglected flower plants, shrubs, pepper
vines and a "fre tree"
Mosquitoes had bred in the little half
dry pool of the fountain, and a lizard
three or four long feet wasA- squatting
on the rim of it. There were five more
Of these lazy lizards about the court.
and late that afternoon they began to
Sing"
l thought that half a dozen lock
smiths had entered and were filing keys
below, till my new mozzo told me the
noises were made by lizards.
The first night after taking possess
sion | spent down at Cavite with some
friends; but the mozo remained and
availed himself of my absence to smug-
gle into the patio two tough looking
game cocks of his own. for all these
native boys are incorrigible cock
fighters
He also kept a yeeping turkey there,
for what purpose / never knew, and
raised "hongos' s''-mushrooms-in a dark
back room of the ground floor. Still
he was a very good mozo. as Manila
moZos go, and was usually on hand
when he was wanted.
The old house had still other denizens
which did not learn about till the sec
ono night, which was the first time
that | actually passed there. anyone
living In Manila - even a newcomer of
q lew weeks experience of the city and
It's nhabitants-would have understood
matters better than | did. At Cavlte
l mad lived either in barracks or al a
hospital.