Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-20

the same whitenes5 of the eyeball. and,
would, | venture, have the same whiteness
of the teeth were it not that they chew
betel. This turns the teeth black.
Our Negrito cousins will never be GUS
toners for American goods. The average
department store carries enough cotton in
stock to outfit the whole nation. The pyg-
mics OF the mountains go almost naked.
Their women wear strings of beads or
smells about the neck and a waist strip of
cotton which extends to the knees. The
men have only a string and a breech cloth.
l cant say that l like the looks of these
people. They have very thin legs and very
full stomaChs, possessing what is known in
Porto Rico as the banana belly" an en-
largement Of the abdomen which comes
from their diet. Their food is roots and
Wild fruits, especially wild bananas, and
also such game as they can find in the
mountains. They have no settled farms,
although we pass now and then a little
patch of rice or Indian corn. Such patches
are not bigger than bed quilts and they
are found in natural clearings. The Ne
gritos merely scratch the surface Of the
ground and SOW the seed, taking up new
places year after year.
Hunters or the Philippines.
The Negritos are good hunters and trap
pers. They catch many deer and wild hogs.
| saw several deer traps on our way
through the mountains. One which we
passed this morning was merely a long
bamboo pole fastened to the trees across
a path, down which the deer came to n
drinking place at a stream. The pole had
loops Of rattan so hung from 1t that when
a deer ran under 1t the horns would catch
in the loops. The loops had a slip moose
and as the deer pulled away they frightened
and held him until the Negritos who were
watching could spear or shoot him while
so entangled. In places there are long
rows of these traps. They must be of
value, although 1t would seem that the
deer could easily pull loose.
I am told that the Negritos are excellent
archers. General Fred Grant has a large
collection of their bows and arrows, gath
cred from different parts Of these noun
tains. The bows are Of a black, hard wood
and the strings are of twisted rattan; the
arrow shafts are of bamboo and the arrow
heads are OF iron with needle-like points
and so barbed just above where they join
the wood that II is impossible to pull them
out. Some have detachable heads fastened
by strings to the shafts. When an animal
is wounded the arrowhead stays in the
flesh, held there by the harpoon-like barbs,
and the shaft flies of and drags along the
ground, catching on every obstruction and
impeding the flight OF the animal.
| am disappointed in not seeing more
Negrito houses. learned that most Of the
pygmies live in caves, although they now
and then build up little shelters or sheds
made of grasses and bamboo poles. These
sheds seem to be for temporary use. A
Negrito can erect one in a couple OF hours
and so he leaves it at will. They wander
about from place to place, sleeping where
night overtakes them and not caring for
permanent habitatiCn. They have little
clothing OF belongings, and the women can
easily carry the household utensils. which
consist Of but a few cups and shells. Out
side some OF the huts you can see the re-
mains OF the cooking. The stove consists
Of three stones placed in the shape OF a
triangle, so that a pot can rest upon them
over the Goals. The people eat with their
fingers and dring from the streams.
l hear that the savage Negritos in all
parts of the island are afraid OF white peo-
pie and that they will run at their approach.
For this reason little is known OF their
customs. Those used as slaves are can
tured so young that they can tell but little
about their own people. The race is ap-
p~arently as weak Intellectually as II is