The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-17

some of the palms have great punches of
green and yellow cocoanuts hanging to
them and others be loaded with the round
green and yellow nuts of the hetel Let
there be bananas here and there beds
or nipa, great fcrn-like punches of leaves,
each fifteen feet long and yard Wide.
sprouting up from the ground Put IN
cotton trees from twenty TO thirty feet
high. their leaffess branches standing out
at right angles with their white trunks,
and great halls of white wool hanging TO
them Let there he flowers % strange
shapes and colors Hang an orchid here
and there upon dead branch and I'M
der all put turf as thick and rs green
as that of the blue grass of Kentucky
and YOU have some idea OF Davan. which
has but few weeks been occupied by
our troops You mus, add however. the
houses. cottages more picturesque than
any you find in the mountains OF Switaer-
land Some, in fact look IKE Swiss
chalets, except that they are built upon
high poles and you must mount stairs
10 reach the first floor Some have walls
OF basket work OF woven bamboo. 9th
ers have walls OF boards, and no, n few
walls OF gray thatch composed OF grass
or nipa The roofs OF all the houses are
OF the nipa palm sewed to a framework
IF bamboo poles IN such way that 1t
comes out over the walls with wide ex-
tending caves. There is not a glass win
dow, chimney nor n biz Of plaster In tho
whole town The windows are mera holes
IN the walls with shutters which can hs
raised or slid back. and the floors Of
most of the houses are Of strips Of hnn-
boo. In some cases SO far apart that YOU
have to be careful not to catch your toes
In the cracks while walking over them IN
your bare feet
Fences OF Growing Pickets.
hrti4aS al Ftofu
from the street. fenced on by pickets
driven into the ground. The picke,s have
been put in green. and il is an evidence
Of the richness of the soil that the most
OF them are sproutiug cut green branches
ana leaves. There are no gardens about
the houses no beds OF flowers. nothing
but grass and trees ~ various kinds
A common tree Is the mango, which
here grows as big the giants Of our
forests and which is now loaded down
with fruit. The boys and girls may be
seen everywhere throwing clubs into the
branches Of these trees and knocking
down the fruit. just as our boys gather
chestnuts
Speaking of the children. they swarm
The crop of humanity is bigger than any
other, every family having from six to a
dozen The Inhabitants Of the town ara
Nisayans or Christians. and their children
are exceedingly bright Although the
troops have been here only "a few DAYS
the little ones have already learned 90 say
good morning" good evening" ana
good day" They hardly understand ths
precise meaning ~ the words and they
will frequently rive the. three citations
nt th@ words nj once. They also say
Americana much bueao." and seem very
much pleased 10 have the soldiers here
Maj fdggett viii open a school Tor them
next week. and he IL now having a uew
roof put on tho schaolhouse. fia vii
have ono hundred and sixry children ~
school nEe to start with. ard will h.rin
with two female tea hers nnd one nslo.
tie expects 20 have them Taught Enrliah
aud 90 make English the principal study
lie says she children are very quick fa
Learn. and h" believes thvv viii ba made
into American citizens iu fhr future
Our Soldiers in thu Philippines
rnl here % UaVao, % az every other