The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1900-09-06
TIE nLooDrH1Rsrr soLo-MEs
Iney Had Our Friday Harbor soldier Boy
In Tight Place-Lice-Picking Monk
eys-Pretty Rice Cleaners = Fliiplno-
Chino Mix-up, Etc.
CUYAPo, P. l., July II. 1900.

NnnO Mlx-up, Etc.
CUYAPO, P. l., July IL, 1900.
DEAR PARENTS
Your welcome letter received SOM
days since, but 1 have been too busy I.
answer. was placed on the sick repor
Yesterday morning and the doctor say,
ne Is going to keep me for while, but
don't think he will. We have been OF
the go almost day and night for som,
time, and wet most of the time. have .
touch OF disentery. The doctor has pu
me on diet of mailed milk to day and
never tasted anything so good. 1t is thu
hrst have eaten in three days. Well, all
who come down into this country mus
have sick spell. have held Off lonee,
than any of the boys who came with me
and now that it has come / will take Il
like little man. 1t will be nothing
more than staying around quarters few
days, as am still on my feet and expect
to stay on them, for l feel better al
ready.
The beads sent you were from the
Egrotes, and are handed down from gen.
Grafton to generation and are worn only
by the women. They are ceremonial
beads, used someway in their religious
rites. This tribe wOrships the sun and
moon. | have been able to find out but
very little Of their religious or wedding
ceremonies, but they are very virtuous
and industrious. much more 80 than
the Filipinos, who tell me there is tribe
of very light colored Egrotes farther back
In the mountains; that the girls were In
great demand by the Spaniards and the
rich Fiiipinos, who married them; that
as soon as one Of the girls marry out of
the tribe she Immediately discards her
beads and never wears them again.
Their language is entirely different from
the Filipino language and very hard to
learn, which makes it difficult, at least
for me, to find out much about them as
regards their origin, customs and re-
ligion.
We do not allow the natives to carry
either guns or bolos. A few nights since,
native cut another ones head off with a
bOlO, just outside of town. We captured
the murderer, took him to headquarters
and turned him over. You can judge some
thing of the danger of coming to close
quarters where weapons are used with
which they can whack mans head off
with a single blow. Those natives who go
armed with these great knives are called
bolO-men. A couple of weeks ago, while
in pursuit of band of natives who were
taking lot of arms across the country,
wo came upon grass field of several
square miles covered with tall grass that
reached above our heads when mounted
on our ponies. Surprising that the natives
might be in nicing in this field to escape
us, we formed a skirmish line thirty
yards apart and started in. There were
81 4 L.
when heard one of the boys call out,
alto! alto! alto!" (halt, halt, halt. and
then ''bang!" went his Kreg rifle, then
others took up the cry, and the first thing
l knew, four or five of the boys were
shooting and yelling like lot of Conan
che Indians. At this stage Of the game
l concluded to come to a halt, too, and see
what was up; but scarcely had my pony
come to a stand when three bOlO-nen
sprang up within ten feet Of me with
their bOlOs in their hands. My rifle ieaped
to INV shoulder almost before knew it.
and WAS calling "alt,! alto!'' and they
stood still. The surprise was mutual.
ordered them to throw down their bOlOs
and move away from them. The firing
had ceased and heard the signal to rally
(come. together) [ was OH the extreme
right and did not feel like taking those
fellows through the tall grass by myself,
when did not know how many more
we're hidden within Il few yards of me, so
signalesl for help, and the two boys
nearest to me were soon ut nay Siite
When the eight of us got together we
found that we had killed one, wounded
two and captured f,ur others. There
ns,,st have been i, large b,nd, Il part of
whom got away with thu guns: 1t was
now SO late that we were forced t. give
mp the search in order to take our prison
ers into Rosalus and report, anu then ride
fifteen miles home, for we had yet to re-
port at Cuyapo that night. But this is
only one Of the little incidents that hap
pen. very frequently here.
Some two weeks ago, in town about
five miles from here, a Filipino organized
a band of fifty-one bandits. They went
out to small bariO, pricked their arms
till they bled and then, with the blood for
ink, signed pledge to fight against
Americans till death. We have captured
the list, but as yet we have not been able
to get hold Of the leader.
,Fhey thresb rice as follows: After
harvest they haul it to the house, where
they have trough, dug out of hollow
log like the horse trOughS OF MISSOURI.
Into this trough they throw four OR five
sheaves Of rice and then pound 1t with
sticks until separated from the straw, and
continue this way till all is threshed.
Then, to separate the kernel from the
made by digging out the end OF log.
when it is pounded with pestles until
separated. It is then taken out and tossed
up and down in the air, OH large platter,
until the wind has blown away all the
chatf and only the rice remains. All this
work is done by the women. The pestles
are made Of a piece Of heavy wood, eigh,,
teen inches long, large at both ends and
small i'm the middle. They grasp 1t i'm the
middle and strike with the end. Three
or four girls will get around morter,
while a great stalwart man plays OH
guitar. Each one Of the girls strikes SO
rs to time the music, like l, 2, 3, 4; l, 2, 5,
4. OF course, it requires cOnside fable
practice to become skillful. 1 have tried
It several times with the girls, but always
made q dismal failure. What always
strikes me as kind Of serio-comic part
of the work is, that the great lout who
plays the guitar seems to think, as he sits
there thumbing the music, he is actually
doing his part OF the labor with the young
women who are sweating over tie morter.
How I would like tn take him by the
scruff of the neck and give him lesson