The National tribune., 1901-04-04

The temperiDg is chiefly done by heat
ing the blade to a cherry red and dipping
into an oil tank at the proper time. Co
coanut oil is used.
The natives are adopts at tempering the
metal blade of the belo, but they always
make failure of it when they attempt
to temper carriage springs, tools. or any
other article. In fact, the average me-
chanic of the Philip sines does not con
slider If worth his while to work at ordi-
nary things. Bolo-making is considered
high art in the islands, and the bolo
manufacturers pay the highest wages.
PUTTING IN THE GUARD.
The genuine fghting-bolo has no orna
ments or tixings of any sort, but is mere
ly a fierce blade of steel, averaging<30
inches in length, three in width at widest
parts, provided with a hard wood or horn
handle, and both edge and point ground
down to a fneness that assures the deal
ing of death-blows when in the hands
of the trained boloist. But for the pur
pose of protecting the hand, a large pro-
portion of the bolos are fitted with metal
guards at h. Fig. 5.
If there is no guard provided, and the
boloist makes hard thrust, his hand is
liable to slip forward andSOver the foot
contacts with the object struck. The
hand would therefore be cut severely,
and to avoid this danger the guard is
put on.
The guard is a fiat steel piece, grooved
so as to slip over the small end of the
bolo handle, and when pushed up to the
shoulder, which is ground for the pur-
pose, and the handle adjusted, the guard
remains firmly in position and serves its
PURPOSE we'll
There are many types of handles on
the F'ilipino's bolo. In Fig. 6 is shown
the common fighting class. This sort of
bolo handle is made to fit the regula-
ton war bolo. There are no figures cut
on it. 1t is the plain wood, horn or
fitted to blade that teens with far
more CORY record than the ornamented
styles.
The woods for the making of the
handles of the bolos must be carefully Sc
lected. Pine would never do. Only the
hardest of woods suffice for this import
ant work. There are plenty of excellent
woods in the islands for this work. The
so-called bullet wood is used in many
cases. This wood is so called because it
is nearly as hard as a metal.
The story goes that n rebel force ran
out of ammunition when fighting with
the Spaniards, and the soldiers were set
to work making bullets from this wood,
using the same with good effect. The
wood is too hard to cut with edged tools
and has to be worked down with files for
the purpose, and by chopping and grind
ing.
Then there is the acre wood, so termed
by the Americans, for it exists by the
acre almost everywhere. 1t is a very
good wood for bolo handles, and is like
hickory. Black walnut, mahogany, and
nIc ,z%
here, and the planks from the ponderous
trees are used freely for building cow
sheds and the like. These woods are
utilized in the more costly forms of bolos.
SOME ARTISTIC BoLo HANDLES.
Passing a few stages beyond the or
dinary fighting bolo with its nice, bloody
record, we find that about 10 per cent
of bolos made are for the purposes of Or
namentation of homes or as relics for
foreigners to send to their countries. These
bolos are fitted with precisely the same
sort of a>war blade as the others, but the
handles are entirely different; usually
some of the dark species of hard woods
are selected and worked down into artis-
tically carved heads, as in Fig. Z.
The artist may devote a week to shap-
ing out the pattern desired; but his sal
ary is but % cents per day on an aver
age, so the entire cost is not excessive
The native carver is provided with an
inferior set of crude tools for purposes of
carving the ornaments the designs speci-
fly, but he usually manages to work the
figure into the wood. Frequently costly
pearls are used for the eyes, and some
times silver and gold bands are fitted
around the handle.
TEETH OF FORMER SLAIN.
After genuine war bolo has achieved
a suitable record, the owner often has
the blade, which has been so frequently
stained with blood, supplied with new
and appropriate handle, the mouth piece
of the figure being set with some of the
teeth of the fallen foe. One of this kind
of handles is shown in Fig. g. The teeth
are usually arranged as shown. If the
eyes are set with pearls, the entire de-
sign makes very striking appearance.
A bolo of this description could not be
purchased for money. The owner would
part with it only at death.
The real war bolo is furnished with
case made of wood, bound firmly with
braided bamboo, which has been split
and properly twisted, or with bands of
horn or metal. These cases are slung at