The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-07-07

Immediately east of Biacnabato, in
the Province Of Bulcan. lies mountain
country, the roughness Of rz1ich is prob
ably unexcelIed on the gl5be. says the
Los Angeles Times" The spaniards
never penetrated this region farther
than Biacnabato, otherwise known as the
Hole in the Wall" because Of the
frowning peaks that --co,npass It on
three sides. and thers Aguinaldo out
faaked the Spanish geEeEai and almost
annihflated his army. The American,
however, has crossed me range to the
east and penetrated the coscurest trails.
As one leaves the great valley, the
bananas. mango and coccanut groves
give way to a dense underground, i'm
penetratrabIe except by narrow trails,
while giant mahogany trees. festooned
with creepeFs TO the topulost branches,
almost shut out the light in places.
Ferns Of ,yandrous growth abound in
the shade. and a species of cactus,
equipped with thorDs. in contact with
which even the khaki is worthless.
abounds- REALISTICALLY SHAPED peaks
rise up. abrupt and precipItotss on all
sides. aad afford splendid sites Of OBJ
servation against the intruder The
F'iIipinos Of the adjacent valley towns.
when they heard that thu loco Ameri-
cano" was preparing to explore this
vague and unknown region, were mora
convinced than ever that he was loco"
indeed. The ground is vegetable
mound formed By the deposits of ages.
Great trunks Of trees. that erumble at
a touch into nothingness, lie strewn
everywhere.
These mountains exhibit no regularity
of formation. like our Sierras, with theiH
canyons radiating systematically from
THE great central range, but like the
kopjes Of South Africa seem to be
5umbIed together in terrible confusion.
The rivers nov flow between precipftous
cliffs. and in some places disappear
altogether in undergo md channels.
Everywhere a prodigaitty and reckless
ness Of nature, unknown IN more north
err ATTITUDES, is apparent. One OF the
! eculiarities OF the great forest that
forcibly impressed the writer was the
dearth of animal life. a stray flock of
screaming parrots. Z few wild pigeons,
a wild hog rushing across the trail, or a
few monkeys we're all that could be
seen. Deer tracks n large numbers
we're to be found at the water'E edge.
but the deer kept out OF sight.
However deficient. though. this region
may be in vertebrate life, It fully makes
up for it in its plethora of insects.
Ants, from microscopic sizes to mon
sters over an inch in length, are found
everywhere in countless millions, and
woe betide the nlucky individual who
runs aEou1 of them. The rotten tree
trunks are the home of enormous cent?
pedes whose stings are far more serious
than those OF their California counter
parts. Between the centipedes and the
ants a ceaseless warfare is carried on.
but the victory is invariably with the
ants, who carry their victim away
piecemeal. after he has succumbed to
on the underside OF his body, which Is
unprotected by a horny shell. An inces-
SAINT buzzing procIaims the existence, /.
1t were not made manifest IN more dis
agreeable ways. of winged insects IN
every. conceivable shape and color they
are here. and in some places almost
render life unbearable. In the deeper
and more remote recesses of these
mountains, where great trees and para
site growths form almost a solid roof,
even ct midday a semi twilight prevails.
and the moisture drops from the trees
almost like rain The ground is like
velvet, dark and yielding, and damp
almost TO saturation
A small leeeh. thin as a hair. fnhabits
these damp places and inserts itself be-
tween Ieggins and shoes and gorges it
self with blood till it resembles a small
pencil. After coming off guard one
morning, feeling a tickling sensation in
my feet. took of Saaes and leggins and
picked of at least a dozen OF these
nuisances, all distended to the burstiugl
point, I felt quite weak for days after
ward. The streams are the home of a
species larger than the little land leeeh
When the battalica camped one after
noon. after a long and weary climb. by
the side of a beautiful brook. clear IS
crystal, running over siaty rocks. few
could resist the temptation to battle; but