The National tribune., 1901-04-04

lection. This country has always been
overrun with various fighting forces, and
peaceful natives in going from place to
place required some sort of weapon Tor
protection.
The peace bolo is simply war bolo
with the end or point ground off. The
Spanish idea wss that one could hack
with the peace bolo for quite while
without-aoing serious damage, while with
the pointed war bolo single thrust Will
often kill. The peace bolo is therefore
e common instrument in the possession
of the natives of these islands. The
bolos can be seen stuck into the belts of
the natives on the street.
THE WAR BoLo.
Then there is the terrible war bolo.
This tool ranges from 10 to 40 inches in
length, including the handle. The blade is
often four inches wide. 1t is deadly
weapon. Cases are known in which
single blow of the bolo in the hands of
experienced natives has cut the victim
through from the skull to the middle of
the body. A deft blow will sever the
neck or remove limb.
The bolos are carried by the guerrillas,
the iadrones, and the freebooter in gen
eral.
The Insurgent soldiers usually carry
rifles, but each force of rifemen is sup
ROTlc0 ny COLDpdLItS VI ulcAs Auc
natives count very much on the bolo,
and frequently do more execution with
this weapon that with rifles. They al
ways miss their aim with guns, but are
very accurate with the bolo.
! visited recently bolo factory at Mia
goa, Island Of Panay. The process of
manufacture is interesting.
The first operation in the making Of
the deadly Filipino war bolo consists in
selecting the material for making the
blade. In former years the Spanish
failed to supply the islands with iron
of any description, and most of the bolos
were made from the steel springs from
carriages, hoop iron, and other scrap ma
terisl which happened to work its way
70 the islands in various forms. During
the past year or two iron has been sent
here for the special purpose of bolomak-
Ing. Ieol steel is preferred, but the ma
tiyes are glad to get hold Of any metal
There is plenty of iron in the mountains
and hills OF the Philippine group, but the
mines are not worked.
After the metal is selected and drawn
down to the right proportions by much
kammering, the form Of the blade il
marked out In squire i, and the blade
takes its first formation when the sup
plus metal Is Clipped off. A day is con-
sumed in this first operation, but the value
Of labor of the machinist in this line OF
york in this country is but 20 cents per
day.
Next the partly-shapsd blade is drawn
down at the point by hammering and
grinding, 30 that the blade Is shaped like
that shown in Fig. 2.
sHARPENINa.
The next process is that OF putting an
sdge on the blade and finishing off the
point. This Is q delicate process, and
sls most competent workmen are chosen.
Ths blade is also trued during this work,
and the future worth of the instrument
depends largely upon the character of the
work at this stage.
The native workman uses a stone for
sharpening which is found here, and which
is very like the stone used for the
same purpose in America. The pieces
OF wood, b, serve as handles for hold
Ing the blade, and the native sits on the
ground with the stone between his legs
and proceeds to put in about day or
even more at sharpening and preparing
q suitable edge on the bolo.
In some cases the final sharpening is
Gone on hard wood. The wood Is
smoothed and cocoanut oils applied until
hard, even surface results.
Again, the natives often use revolving
stones built up from the fine, sifted sands
Of the beaches, mixed with cement-like
stuff and nodded into the form of grind
trg-wheel, like 0, Fig. 4. This wheel fit.
to bearings which rest in a frame of wood
and 10 revolved by means Of belt run
ming in the grooved pulley d. The bell
Ia usually turned by larger wheel, op
Grated By boy. In grinding or polish
Ing the blade of the bolo, the rest T /.
utilized. The blade is held in position
against the, revolving wheel on this wooG
rest and the edge Of the bolo properly
finished.
FFupERING
The temDerins of the blade begins a
the very start and continues ut Ysriou: