Richmond planet., 1900-02-10
San PnDo, MAaALAEs, Jan. L, 1900.
A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
VOL. XVII, NO 8.

New Year dswned this morning
clear and q typical ideal Filipino
morning and Mt Arrayst seemed to
wish us q happy New Year, ss il
arose msiest;cally out of the tropical
pastures. This great mountain has
never been penetrated ey foreigners.
So Lieutenants Schenek and Sharon
volunteered TO take q detachment of
90 men and 60 TO the top.
Acting accordingly, they started out
at Z g. m. OF December Both. was
one OF the party. 1t was q difficult
undertaking because wa had to find
our own trail. We marched along the
wagon road, leading from here and
there, struck trail that led through
cane field and thence into the dense
underbrush of the foothills. We
marched along this trail for an hour
or more and didn't reach the mouu-
tains.
ADVANCE ORDERED.
So Lieut. Schenek ordered the ad-
vance 60 strike out eastward through
the woods We followed in silence keep
ing close together, because it was
tine place for ambush and no one had
ever been there before. We expected
ment But the dense underbrush,
formed by an everlasting tsngle OF
roots, vines and other impedimsn snts
to progress that caused quite an ex
change OF oaths. It would have been
t1ne trip for q botanist, provided he
had plenty patience.
The roote of gigantic trees hao grown
along the ground and interlocked. A
fellow had to bew down all the time.
l would slip through to catch up.
When q root and vine combination
would rap around my leg and throw
me in one direction and my rifle an
other; would regain my feet TO have
the bolt OF my rifle caught and the ri
ne again torn from my hand. At first
thought an insurgent or q gigantic
ape had reached out OF q tree and
snatehed my rifle and I was quite un-
easy assure you.
SLOW PROGRESS.
So slow and tiresome was our pro-
gress that my seven pound rifle be-
came dead weight and could hardly
carry 1t. We finally got out of this
tangled mass and the Lieutsnent ord :
cred SONS one to climb q tree and To-
cate ourselves. One of the boys climb
apparently 200 yards to the eastward.
We puliea on, but it was the longest
200 yards in existence. We finally
reached the mountain and had a rest
OF fifteen minutes.
Time up, we pulled up the rugged
mountain for half an hour and matted
on q ridge above a swift flowing
stream. We took off our cantOens and
adozen OF the strongest took them
down and flled them with the most re-
freshing water on ear tn, even better
then the well with the old oaken buck
ct. While they were gone Lieut.. Sha-
ron divided his sack of American
smoking tobacco with US. We all en-
1oyed hearty smoke from our pipes,
took nourishing and refreshing pull
at the canteen and onward up the
mountains.
AS we advanced up, we could see a
great gorge on either side. We finally
reached point where it was 1900 feet
to the gorge, also to our discomfort
We noted that the time was Retkinc
smaller. We finally reached the
worst. The path was six inches wide
and elantinR 60 the gorge. It was OF
the side OF little hill and we had tc
caseh hold OF grass, which, had il
given away. would have sent one tc
the death, 1900 feet down in the dash
ing stream below. We finally passed
this and went down q steep, narrow
path TO level where we rested.
NO DINNER FOR TIE MEN.
We had no dinner and tho oRBoa,