The suburban citizen., 1900-03-24


count of the Igorrote natives
who have been enlisted in our army
and who accompanied Major March
during his pursuit Of AguinAldo:
Major March and his column of 100
travel-worn men, accompanied by
twice as many Igorrote "azadores,"
or burden bearers, reached Bagnan
at nightfall. The Major knew that
Aguinaldo had left the town several
hours before, but hoped to get some
information there which would put
him on the right track.
At Bagnan, which was merely a col
lection of huts on steep, sloping
mountain side, hundreds of Igorrotes
we're waiting to greet us.
AS the column entered the town the
Presideuta gave a signal with his
cane and they burst into loud shout
ing, "Viva Espanoll viva Espanolp
The Major looked discouraged. Be-
fore he did anything else he called up
the Presidenta aud a selected chorus
of lusty lunged Igorrotes aud taught
them to repeat after him, "Viva
Americauosl viva Americanos" The
Igorrotes were willing. "Viva Ameri-
canos" meant as much to them as
Viva Espanol," or viva Chicago, or
anything else, They are much like
the Chicago newsboys. They wanted
something "to holler," and one thing
was as good as another and meant
about as much.
1t was discouraging to the Major,
after he had carefully drilled his
chorus and informed thehl who we
were and whence we came, to have
ono Of them point at him rs he walked
away and say in breathless tone to
the other Igorrotes about him, "Aqui-
naldo." Major March explained that
be was not Aquinaldo, but it did no
good.
Only a few had any clear idea of
who or what Aguinaldo was, and
Major March came as near realizing
their ideal as anybody, so they at
once applied to him that name.
There was not much TO cat in Bag
nan. The chief, and, in fact, about
the only, food Of the people seemed
to be a species of sweet potato, which
was not sweet IN spite of its name,
but which the soldiers eagerly bought
as welcome change from the ever.
lasting rice.
The men made camp fires and
crowded about, for the evening was
decidedly cool. The Igorrotes sat
stolidly huddled up in their blankets
in the middle of the road and every
where else they could get that was di-
rectly in the road. It was impossible
to step without walking over an Igor
rote. The soldiers would scowl at
them to move out of the way, but
they merely looked stupidity ahead
and continued to squat where they
were.
Finally, the exasperated soldiery,
having exhausted vocabulary Of ex-
pletives that would have made an old
and hardened army mule fall to his
knees in repentance and tears, spoke
no more to the Igcrrote brethren. If
they wanted one to get out of the
road they simply pushed him over
and rolled him down the trial. If
they wanted one to go to the spring
after water they merely put a canteen
in his hand, pulled him to his feet,
turned his face toward the spring and
gave him a kick. The momentum
usually suffced to carry the Igorrote
20 the water and the alluring glare of
the camp fire brought him back. If
he forgot the water, two soldiers
would kick him. at once, and the iu-
creased stock Of energy was generally
sufficient to carry him to the spring
and enable him to fill the canteen be-
fore he ran down.
Major March and his officers took
possession of little building which
the Spanish friars had erected aud
used as a mission and school house.
There were great cracks on the floor,
and the cold mountain wind swooped
into the room with a roar. it was as
cold as the lake winds in winter, We
tried to sleep, but the floor was the
hardest / had ever slept on. The
wind howled and shrieked and it was
so cold that we would wake up every
now aud then with our teeth chattering
and our feet and hands fairly numb.
Added to the cold were some $50
distinct and separate smells peculiar
to Igorrote towns. Each different wind
as it whistled up through the holes in
the floor was laden with a new and
more appalling smell. We took the
blankets from our shivering bodies
and wrapped them about our heads to
keep out the Igorrote odors, but those
vigorous and perniciously active
smells would have gone through
brick wall, and all we could do was to
try to sleep.
Many of the soldiers, especially
those who had no blankets, sat all
night crowded around their camp
fires, where the cherry blaze and the
fresh smell of burning pine kept away
both the cold and the smells.
OF course, they had their troubles,
too. They would sent Igorrotes after
fresh wood for the fire and the Igor
rotes would never come back. They |