Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-10-30

The others have not advanced much
beyond weaving and making pottery.
Like all savages, they are extremely
hospitable and generous and treach-
erous and only the women are indus,
trious. The men have perfect pas
sion for gambling and fighting chick
ems, but, strange to say, have never
seen one drunk or disorderly.,
In this archipelago there are eleven
large islands and possibly two thou
sand small ones. The total area is
smaller than either California or
Montana, but is greater than Japan
or England. The population is only
about one-fifth as. large as either of
those countries, but with present ag-
ricultural conditions is probably fully
up to the limit of what can be sup.
ported. The birth rate is very high
and various methods are resorted to
to relieve The distressing pressure of
being overpopulated. On the islands
of Panay and Negros, whenever any
one dies it is customary for the rela-
tives to go out at once and kill the
first stranger they meet, so that the
two can journey to the next world
together. This doubles the death
rate and probably keeps it about equal
to the birth rate. The Gaddanes
and Tinguancs practice head hunting
when the fire tree is in bloom and it
is said to be impossible for a young
man to marry who has not taken at
least one head with which to adorn
his dwelling. The over populated
parts of Europe are full of beggars,
but l have never seen beggar
among these people, be it said to their
credit, except the blind and the very
old. In the cities the blind beggars
squat down and step while in that
position and hold out one hand and
sing little begging song to the tune
of The Carnival of Venice.
There are no native wild animals
here except deer, monkeys and thou
sands of bats, some of the largest
bats being as much as two feet across
the wings. When they sleep they
hang by one hind foot and wrap
themselves up with their wings.
The doves, hawks, swallows, king
fishers and other birds which have
seen are amaller and differ from
those in the United States except
the crow. He is all right. One cliff
swallow builds a nest which the
Chinese eat and for which they pay
a higher price than for any other
article of food.
Among the interesting reptiles are
man,,eating crocodiles, pythons as
much as % feet long and harmless
lizards three feet long. There are
numbers of these lizards in the old
houses and walls in Manila, and
when they try to sing it is a great
joke on account of the close resem-
blance between their note and some
English words. One little newt stavs
about the houses and keeps them
pretty free of bedbugs, flies and
other troublesome household insects.
Fish are abundant and in great
varieties. | do not know much
about fish, and besides l am trying
to tell tho truth in this letter and
fish stories might have bad effect.
The catfish, with his feelers, is the
most familiar to me. The natives
fish great part of the time and it
seems to delight them very much,
whether they catch anything or not.
During the other part of their time
they usually sleep or Just squat still
and let their food digest.
l was surprised to find the insects
so remarkably similar to those on the
other side of the earth. While they
are nearly all modified in some way.
yet the same red ants, wasps, butter
flies, bees, moths, crickets, grass
hoppers, firetlies, reaches, spiders.
mosquitoes, snap beetles, etc., are ali
here and are struggling for existence
IN just the same way. In the States
thcre are little white insects called
wood lice, which resemble ants, and
stay under plank which remain on
damp ground. Here they are called
white ants and are the most dreaded
pests, for they come into the houses
IN the wot season and can eat out
the interior of books, furniture, wood
work and other things in single
night They never expose them
selves to the light, and therefore
can destroy anything before their
presence is suspicionod. My valise
had been on the floor near nv bed
for several days, and they made
hole through the floor and into it
and ate up some South Carolina
newspapers without bothering any
thing else.
There is big grasshoppcr which
appears occasionally in swarms of
thousands upon thousands. | have
seen clouds of them passing over
head for hours. The mon, women
and children turn out in great glee
and catch them with nets and by
every other method. They boil
them, bake them, fry them, make
them into pies, candy them and