The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-24
A LETTER FROM THE PHILIPPINES.
Mr.. Henry Safer Writes of His Life on Panay
Island.

Mr.. Henry Safer. who is now in the
Philippines, n member of the 18th T..
S. Infantry band, has recently written
to his mother here from Saya, an in
land town Of Fancy Island. In course
of his letter he says
The surroundings here do not present
subjects for an interesting letter to you.
Our duties consisting of only, two hours
work each day. Morning rehearsal, guard
mount, and evening concert, and on Sat
urdays we have the whole day after
guard mount to ourselves. | will give
you a meagre description of a trip / took
on one of these days. and one that | will
rot soon forget.
A quartette of we boys concluded to
make the trip to Conception, a coast
town seven miles distant from Sava. SO
Immediately after guard mount we start
ed We had to climb and descend noun
tains with some fatigue to reach our
destination, but all felt at the end we'll
repaid for our trouble. The road in it
self was a picture worth going seven
miles to see. Winding around the hill
and mountains like an immense stairway,
supported on the lower side by con-
tnuous wall of stone, covered with
mantle of the evergreen ivy vines, be-
spangled with sweet-scented flowers of
every hue. On the other side is cliff
rising in many places hundreds OF feet
above your head. The view from many
points of the road is a feast for the eye.
Just imagine yourself standing in the
shadow OF one of these gigantic cliffs, the
the bright sun shining all around, while
beneath you, you will behold a raging
cloud and rain storm, spending fury on
the valleys and meadows in the distance
below. This scene was presented to us
while on the trip. The natives who had
been working in their fields were running
in haste to escape the storm, playing be-
meath our feet. Nothing but the evidence
of sight can describe the grandeur of such
n scene. Continuing on our way we
came to a cocoa-nut grove, where we
refreshed ourselves with "Toba," a nice
kind of drink we get from the trees only
by climbing, "but we got it, From
here on to Conception we had ride on
a carabou cart, given us by a native.
arriving in the town with sharpened APP
petites. The next thing to do was to salts
fly them. Giving a native the necessary
order, we soon furnished with the bill of
fare-"chicken and rice After some
rest and a battle in the surf we were
on the return trip. On our out bound
way we had located drove of fine tur-
keys, and considering next day being
Easter, concluded it an appropriate time
for feast. and decided that these fine
birds should compose the substantial
part of it. The next thing in order was
to secure them. Easy thought" but
more difficult to accomplish; we soon
got the willing assistance of all the pic
aninies, and after some little trouble
we had them secured and were about to
depart, when a brand new difficulty pre-
scented itself in the form of the irate
patriarch of the household, the only So
luton of which, after some wrangling
and much fun on our part, and many
iestculations on the part of the old
father, we reached second settlement.
which left the old fellow so appeased
that he, by much persuasion, prevailed
on us to remain until he went for joint
of toba. He soon returned all smiles
and politeness with his joint of toba
You will wish to know what a toba joint
is. Ask a soldier who has been in the
Philippines and he will tell you 81 bet
We accepted cigars, made on the spot,
by the old Filipino and started for home.
Our journey was finished without farther
incident worthy of note. The next Gay
being Easter Sunday, and after our
nights rest we had almost forgotten
the fatigue of our trip the day before
but the anticipated feast brought to
mind the burdensome weight of those
aforementioned birds.
The next time we saw them they had
been prepared for more easy transporta-
ton At dinner call--"What a sight for
a soldier" Easter feast! dinner to
beat the band.
One of our boys has ever since borne
the name of Gobler. He called to the cook
for thirds on turkey.
HENRY SAFER.
18th U. 6. Infantry Band, Iloilo, p. l.,
Philippines.