The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-06-20
A PHILIPPINE VOLCANO.
4 VISIT TO IT AND THE THINGS
 SEEN

Century.
 The provinces of Rizal and Laguna are more disaffected than any others in the Island of Luzon. and have been filled with ladrOne bands. which still exist in a scattered condition. The route to the volcano. Taal. lies through these provinces. There is a line of steam launches-hoats perhaps ninety feet in length-and mismanaged by F'il- ipinos. which takes the traveller part of the distance from Manila to Taal, pass
 ing through the whole length of the River Pasig, and through the lake from which the district of Laguna takes its name. Along the river is continuous line Of native villages, the inhabitants being engaged in fishing and farming. As fishermen their methods are unique. Some of the men just wade out till their heads only are out of water, and then, taking a long breath. they so below, and actually catch their fish with their hands. This may appear to be incredi-
 ble, but we saw it-saw them actually come up with the fish; it is true that their catch was made only once out of dozen dives, but they got there at times. Others use nets, wading in the river and holding the net. which is a sort of trap mounted on bamboo sticks, in front of them as they walk along the river bed. The fish are plentiful, or their methods would have poor results. The women do most of the farming.
 Their agriculture is extremely poor, It was the dry season, and the crops were very much parched. The land is fertile plain, and the river was run ming within a few yards of the parched crops. A tenth of the energy spent in fishing if applied to irrigation would have given them more food than they needed, but they know nothing of irri- gation. If the Lord sends them water, well; if not, then there is no water.
 The boats, managed by Filpinos, wait at different points for reasons that would not stop an American rowboat; once we were stopped in broiling sun, in the middle of the lake, waiting for other steamer, which had two cows to be transferred to our boat. We had about one hundred and fifty passengers aboard, and the Filipino passengers seemed quite content. to wait until the boat should start, no matter how long it might be. On a recent occasion one of these boats was out in the lake all night because it had run. out of coal, and in the morning the officials of the the passengers because it was ''Otro dia.'
 We were eight hours on this twin screw launch making about thirty-five miles. Arriving at Calamba, military post, we found the people we'll enough disposed to Americans, and willing to oblige in every way. Throughout the trip we found these people far better disposed to us in all places where there was or had been a military post. There was a very good military road from this place to Tanaauan, where he had to change vehicles. It is not the termi- nus of the military road, nut the road takes another direction. Here there was no military post, and the behavior of the people was in marked contrast with that we had experienced at Ca lamba. The road from Calamba to Ambalon, the village nearest the volca- Ia wild dream, or rather nightmare. The vehicle, drawn by two native ponies, was complete and perfect work of the evil one. It rattled, jolted and threat ened to go to pieces The native road was the very. worst road I have ever seen, and have ridden a bicycle on all the by-roads of Connecticut and New York state for twelve years. The seat of the vehicle was of hardwood; the makers had not considered the possi- bility of their ever containing any one larger than a Filipino, and the head of a fairly tall American just touched the roof. Every time the cart struck the stones the Americans head struck the roof, and as this road was all stones, the tops of our heads were pretty well mashed by the time the lake was reached. Then there was a mean con- trivance placed on the back of the seat; it was intended to represent a back rest, but it was of hardwood, with the sharp side out, and so placed that it just caught the back of an American. in a place where the bone is most promi- nent. The misery of that ride will nev- CT be forgotten.
 The end of this ride brought us to the lake, Bombon or Taal Lake, which is about ten miles long and seven or eight wide. The volcano is on an island in the center of the. lake. and is reached by dugout boats. with outriggers of bamboo to steady them The natives here were very poor, and some of them told me how much they regretted the departure of the soldiers who were sta tioned here some time ago. Tn the first place the soldiers spent money there, and money is as scarce with them as with any community I know of. And in the second place, we found that the soldiers had become personally popular with the people. One boy told me how he had played with the Ameri- can boy, son of one of the soldiers, and how he regretted parting with him.
 With rnpar6 to tho 5o