The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-07-21
STAR CORRESPONDENT SUPPLIES
DETAILS.
Line of Mausers in Action Sounds Like
Chinese New Year Fireworks-Coun-
try Around Manila.
,ial correspondence Of The Star.

Special correspondence of The Star
MANILA, June 1.-Trees locate
where a view can be obtained of the
surrounding country have their top
limbs cut off and are occupied by the
native sharpshooters. 1t is customary
to bury the sharpshoOter near the tree
instead of the common trench. These
trees are called "gugu" trees.
In all engagements, our regiment has
been in, the Filipinos have used two or
three times as much ammunition as we
have and, as the Mauser rifle makes a
pop like a firecracker, the opening of
engagement sounds like a Chinese New
dant ammunition of good quality. The
reloaded shells in which fire cracker
| powder is used with babbitt metal bull
let's, are of couse inferior.
The towns of San Ildefonso and San
Miguel were taken by eighteen scouts
under Chief Young with two companies
| to prevent the scouts being f1anked.
San Ildefonso is a miserable collection
of native shacks and the land for miles
| in all directions is fit for nothing but
grazing.
San Miguel is a large place like Lulu
| eng, and has always been a hot bed of
insurrection. The country surrounding
| 1t is of a swampy character with tall
grass six and seven feet high, numer-
| Gus streams and bushes, and offers op-
| portunities for bushwhacking that is
| impossible in an open country.
| There are three churches in San Mi
| guel, all in commanding positions. and
all loopholed. In reality all churches in
| the Philippines are forts as well as
churches. There is large block house
and many stone buildings all loopholed
| There are several nice houses of wood
| the others of native construction. A
! small stream that divides the town is
spanned by a fine iron bridge; this
bridge, the corrugated roofs of build
ings, a short section of barbed wire
fence, a billiard table and three pianos
all out of tune, are the only evidence OF
| outside civilization. A pottery, where
tiles, bricks and pots used by natives
for holding water and cooking was just
outside the town. A small drug store
"boticu" on a corner of the main street
on the other corner hop maker, who
admits on his sign that he Is a com
positor de sombreros." In all towns Wis
tied, the people had gone leaving few
toothless old men and lepers to lool
after the best houses.
The insurgent barracks at San Mi
guel had white flag ten feet squar,
and two old men in the window, told III
| complimentary things in Spanish. al
we passed by. White flags and compli
ments mean nothing in this country
and only make the enlisted men angr!
and sarcastic
The natives come in after few hour!
and sell, or try to sell fruits eggs anC
) chickens, at Klondike prices to Amer
leans. Large number of native soldiers
put on their ''amigo" uniforms of whit
and roam about looking for their los
wives" They are not molested in tn
cities, but out in the country, native
prowling about in the vicinity of th
; outposts, looking for lost wives ar
taken into camp and their services ded
icated to public works.
At Maasin rations were a little shor
for day or two and foraging was per
mitted. Some of the boys found fiei
of sweet potatoes and also found tn
insurgent outpost from San IldefonsC
The natives were captured; dug tn
potatoes and carried them into camI
The prisoners are fed on hard tack an
corned beef. The Filipinos are grea
: admirers of corned beef, and testimon
2 ials as to it's excellent taste, value a
a food, and in fact everything elaine
/ on the label could be easily secured.
: ]. B. FINLEY.