Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-05-24

aim, and manfully fighting till they
drive off their assailants or die in the
attempt.
If the history of the Spanish Moro
wars were written, 1t would be Of great
interest and show many a Homeric
combat. 1t must be said of the Span
ish soldiers that they met their dread
full foes with equal courage. Some
times the priests with cruciflx In hand,
would bravely lead their half-savage
converts against their oppressors amid
showers of spears and bullets. The
head of priest was considered great
prize by the Moro warriors. The soil
of Mindanao has been literally drench-
ed with the blood Of Moro, Spanish and
native in this long-drawn out and aw-
full conflict between the cross and the
Crescent. The malaria Of the Moro land
seems to fight for its inhabitants by
exempting them from its attacks, and
setting furiously upon all others who
invade the mangrove swamps and
flooded jungle. In all justice it must
be said that not superior valor, but
the invention Of modern weapons Of
warfare, checked the ravages Of the
Moro, and that the Spanish opened
the way and made possible peace
full American occupation. 1t now
falls to the United States to COM
plete the task of centuries, and to
stretch out protecting hand over the
Christian natives Of Mindanao, and to
suppress the last remains Of a slave
raiding system as ruthless, as sanguin-
ar and as devastating as the annals
Of the world can show.
The Moro physically is a man built
for the fatigues Of war, whether by sea
or land. His sinewy frame combines
strength and agility, and the immense
development of the thorax gives him
marvellous powers of endurance at the
oar or on the march. Trained to arms
from his earliest youth, he excels In the
management Of the lance, the buckler
and the sword. These weapons are his
inseparable companions. The typical
Moro is never unarmed. He fights
equally we'll on foot, on horseback, In
uis fleet war canoe, or in the water, for
he swims like a fish and dives like a
penguin. Absolutely Indifferent to
bloodshed or suffering, he will take the
life Of slave or stranger merely to
try the keenness Of new weapon. He
will set one of mis- sons, a mere boy, to
kill some defenceless man merely to
get his hand In at slaughter. II for
any reason he becomes disgusted with
his luck or tired Of life, he will shave
| Off his eye brows, dress himself en-
tirely in red, and taking the oath be-
fore his pandit, run amuck In some
Christian settlement, killing man, wo-
man and child, till he Is shot down by
the enraged men.
Wanton destruction Is his delight.
After plundering or burning some sea-
coast town in Visayas or Luzon, they
would take the trouble to cut down the
fruit trees. destroy the crops and
everything else that they could not
carry away. Yet, as they made annual
raids, 1t would have appeared to be
good policy to leave the dwellings, the
| fruit trees, and the crops, in order to
tempt the natives to reoccupy the
towns and accumulate material for
subsequent plundering.
Originally immigrants from Borneo,
from Celebes or Ternate, with some
Arab admixture, the Moros have FOR
centuries filled their harems with the
women of the hill tribes, and with Ia
gal and Visayas and even Spanish
women, taken in their piratical excur:
sions. They are now a very mixed
race, but retain all their warlike char
acteristics. OF late years the Moros
have found their slave raids more
dangerous than they care to face, and
even the powerful confederation Of
Lake Lanao was, till the Spanish
American war; hemmed in by chains
Of forts and by Christian towns.
The Mindanao Moros commonly wear
a bright colored handkerchief as mead
cloth, or turban, split shirt OF Chi
nese pattern, wide trousers and gaudy
sashes. The young men shave their
heads, but after marriage they let
their hair grow long. The dattos,
(chiefs,) mandarins and pandits, ina
tive priests,) usually cultivate mus
| tache, while 9TH rs pluck out all the
hair on the face. The poorer women
commonly dress IN white and wear
Jacket and a skirt coming down we'll
below the knee. The richer ones wear
silks of the brightest colors. A white
turban or head cloth is sign of
mourning.
A principal priest is called a sarif or
sheriff; and an ordinary priest a pen
ditto, or learned man. The learning of
these worthless Is of the most rudi-
mentary description, and consists In
being able to read the Koran In Ara
bic and to recite certain prayers which
they often do not understand. They
nave some wretched sheds for places Of
worship, which they call langa. Dur
lasts for seven days, they are supposed
to abstain from all nourishment.
However, at midnight, when they think
their god may be mapping, they In
dulge in a hurried meal on the quiet.
At the end of their week Of abstinence
Ithey undergo a publication by bathing
and indemnify themselves for their
fast by several sumptuous banquets.
They are forbidden to eat swine's flesh
or drink spirituous liquors. but they
are not at all strict in their religion,
and the savory smell Of roast pork has
been known to overcome their scru-
pies.
Their amusements are gambling, cock
fighting and the combats Of caraboas.
Their slave girls perform various IL
bidinous dances to the sound Of the
agun or brass gong and the calintan-
gang, a kind Of harmonlum Of strips
Of metal struck with small drum
stick.
The dance called the paujaly is usu-
ally performed at a marriage or any
importance. and the young dancers,
clad in diaphanous garments, strive to
present their charms in the most al
Turing postures for the entertainment
Of the dattos and their guests. They
have also a war dance, called the moro
moro. which is performed by their
most skillful and agile swords-men-
buckler on arm and campilan In hand