Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-16
PHILIPPINE WILDS
Odd Pictures of Life and Scenery in
Southeastern MiDdanao.
LAND OF UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES
1t May Be the Dairy Country Of
Our New Possessions.
GREAT WEALTH OF TIMBER
Copyrighted, 1900. by Frank q. Carpenter.
neciaI Corrpsnondpnce Of The Evening Star

Copyrighted, 1900 by Frank g. Carpenter.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
DAVAO, April %, 1900.
I am in the town of Davao. at the head
of the Gulf of Davao. In the southeastern
part Of the great Island of Mindanao, in
the widest region of our Philippine possess
sions. In coming here I sailed 800 miles
from the bay of Illano. about the province
of Cottabato. going southwark to about
three hundred miles above the equator.
then turning to the north and steaming
through this enormous bay almost to its
head.
We had mountains in sight all the way.
The country is more rugged you go to-
ward the east, and we are now right under
the shadow Of Mt. Apo, the highest Of the
Philippine peaks. 1t lies nine miles almost
due south of Davao town, but its slopes are
populated with savages. and, as far as Is
known, only one white man has ever gone
to it's top. This was M. Montana, who as
cended It in 1850. He estimates It's altitude
at 102S0 feet, but the Spanish authorities
claim that it is 700 feet higher, or more
than two miles above sea level.
Mt Apo Is volcano with an enormous
crater. which promises at any time to break
out into eruption. As I write 1 can see
great clouds of vapor rolling out of it's side
toward the east, and early this morning l
noticed this vapor was mixed with flames
Of fire.
The lower part of the volcano Is wooded
There are huge tree ferns at its base and
Its sides are almost covered with mass of
dark green. The summit looks chalk-like
IN the distance, and on the south side there
are no trees whatever. The land at the
foot of the mountain slopes down toward
the gulf. It Is a natural pasture covered
with rich growth of grass, falling so
gently that 1t would seem to be an excel
lent place for a town There are, I Judge,
about eight or ten miles of such slopes. a
mle OF so WIDE, all covered with masses of
green. 1t would be a profitable site for a
stock grazing ranch.
Monkeys, Parrots and wild Hoxx.
The country surrounding Davao Is al
most a wilderness. Only a short distance
back from the town the jungle begins If
YOU walk a few miles in any direction YOU
come into land Of monkeys, parrots and
wild hogs. There are monkeys everywhere
even in the town itself. Nearly every one
of our soldiers has his pet monkey, a little
brown or drab animal with well-wrinklvd
face and short tail. There are some taillc,s
monkeys In this part of the world, and
some little ones not bigger than your two
fists. One of the company cooks has a
monkey named Bob which lives in the out
door kitchen and makes war on every white
stranger that comes within reach. A pet
pup belonging to the company has been
adopted by Bob and the person who touches
the pup at once has a fight on his hands.
Bob goes for him and the offender Is lucky
if he does not find the monkeys teeth In
his leg.
There are parrots here of many colors,
I'll" most common being large white par
rots with tufted heads. They fly about 1T
1ocks of twenty or more and may be seen
aEywhere In the woods or about the pay.
Another parrot is of a bright red. with
wings of an evanescent green. 1t Is not
Lore hn tn t,,t
great whistler. singer and talker. 1t is
caught and sold by the people, and you can
buy a good talker for about a dollar and
a half gold.
Then there are doves here which have
golden brown bodies and green wings:
white snipe which fly along the shores and
great bird as big a turkey and in looks
not unlike one. am told that there are
black parrots and green parrots, although
1 have seen only the white and red ones.
There are white herons and wild pigeons
three times big as our pigeons at home.
The woods contain many wild hogs and
there are also deer of various kinds.
How They Hunt In Mindanao.
The soldiers go off for a hunt now and
then in the forest. and they usually are
well paid for their time. The natives are
fond of hunting and help them. The other
day the ex-presidente of the town took a
party of the officers and soldiers out to
hunt "a la Mindanao." He had a half
dozen great nets, each Jix feet high and
fifty feet long, which his men carried out
to the woods. They took them to an open
place and 50 set them up that they fenced
1t in. The lower ends Of the nets were
fastened to strong. short poles driven firm
ly into the ground. and the upper ends.
through which rope was run. were hooked
over high poles in such a way that If any
thing ran against the net II would slip of
at the top and fall down. inclosing the OBJ
structdng animal in such way that the
N,nr rIo1 nn1 rfrr lad iY,cf HI
net the more tightly 1t would be held.
These nets ran around the three sides of
square of about two acres. From the cor
ners Of the opening the hunters placed
themselves in long lines ready to shoot any
thing that came in the direction OF the net
A corps Of retainers and slaves with spears
and bolos were then started out with dogs
to beat up the woods for several miles
around They were SO arranged that all
the game was driven toward the net. and
after an hour or so, half dozen deer,
two hogs and a drove OF peccaris came
rushing toward the opening Several were
shot by the soldiers and three hogs tangled |
themselves up in the net and while thus
struggling were killed.
Pig shooting Is one of the common amuse-
ments Of our southern Philippines. 1t is the |
chief sport of the Sulu Islands as well as |
Mindanao, and the sultan. I am told, has |
his regular hunts during the season. The |
pigs are black, fierce-looking animals, of |
the kind known as razor-backs. such as you
find in the mountains of the south They |
will fight when brought to bay. so that
the sport is by no means unaccompanied |
by danger. The flesh OF the wild hog Is |
delicious. 1t is exceedingly sweet. and has |
q gamey flavor.
As Big as Massachusetts.
I am surprised at the extent of this Is |
land Of Mindanao The province of Davao |
Is larger than the state of Massachusetts,, |
but doubt whether it's cultivated portion
is greater than the District of Columbia |