r'll'liil'IHiil !t!l!!ll!!!!!! Class, BooL A^ Gopyiight]^?. COPHRIGHT DEPOSm Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/triptoorientvoyaOOains IN A .IINRIKISHA. NAGOYA JAPAN Cbe lLake0iDc ^ttm of aBnglisb IReaDing$ OCEAN STORIES A Trip to the Orient A Voyage on the Steamer Ecuador HONOLULU AMONG ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC THE MANDATE ISLANDS OF JAPAN With an Introductton By CARRIE G. AINSWORTH Chicago AINSWORTH & COMPANY C\\2 -■■:' Copyright 1922 by A INS WORTH and COMPANY FEB 28 72 0)Cl.A6o4762 FORB^WORD This volume is the second of a series of ocean stories and will be followed by additional narratives of voyages to the Far East. The publishers desire to express their thanks for the courtesy of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, which has furnished view of the Steamer ^'Ecuador'' on which the writer journeyed for nearly six weeks and who records her appre- ciation of the unfailing attention and courtesy of the officers and at- tendants. Many of the illustrations are furnished through the co-operation and sympathetic interest of the editorial staff of the ^^ Spirt of Mission." C. G. A. "All travel has its advantages. If the traveler visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own; and if fortune carries him to worse, may learn to enjoy his own.'' "The use of travel is to regulate imagina- tion by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are" — Johnson, INTRODUCTION In a previous volume, ^'Following the Con- querors,'^ which was the story of a voyage to the Caribbean Sea, more space was given to a consideration of discover}^ and in part of coloni- zation. The results following the early voyagers and the reasons why four European powers came into possession of our country were indicated by the larger description of the history of the early settlements, and the space given to the sequence of events which finally resulted in our possessions in the West Indies and in our con- trol of the Canal Zone. In the early part of the Fifteenth Century it was claimed that Portugal should have the prior right of voyages for discovery to the Far East by way of the Cape of Good Hope and that Spain should have the prior right to possession of lands discovered in her voyages to the West- ward. In course of time Portugal has retained but little results from her voyagers to the East and her chief and most valued holdings in Macao are under lease to Chinese and used for gam- bling purposes at a rental of $4,000,000 per year. Spain was at one time the leading European power holding possessions in the East, through her discovery and ownership of the Philippine Islands, but even these have now passed from her grasp and are our own. The English voyagers made known the Ha- waiian Islands, then called the Sandwich Islands, and these have come into our posses- sion, without controversy and with none of the stirring struggles and long and disastrous wars for control that so marked the discovery and development of the early settlements in the West Indies and the growth and unity of the United States. Our story gives comparatively little space to the early history of our voyagers to Japan and China. These were picturesque but not so star- tling in their course as the acquisition of North America. The facilities for travel, the constant and fre- quent intercourse by the palatial steamships that traverse the Pacific Ocean and the neces- sity of our keeping in commercial touch with our possessions in the Orient lend an especial interest at this time to what we have tried to show of the habits and customs of the people of the East, who are destined to be of con- stantly increasing importance in our inter- course with the world at large. CONTENTS Page Introduction 7 Leaving Home 11 On Shipboard 15 The Hawaiian Islands 19 Honolulu 23 The Volcano Kilauea 31 The Volcano House 36 The Lake of Fire 39 Hawaiian Sports 44 Queen Kapiolani 47 A Storm at Sea 49 The Island of Yap 53 The Mandate Islands 55 Fujiyama 60 The Inland Sea of Japan 62 Nagasaki 65 Hong Kong 67 A Chinese Dinner 71 The Philippine Islands 78 Manila 81 Northwest Coast of Luzon 88 Baguio 93 9 10 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT A VOYAGE ON THE STEAMER ECUADOR At San Francisco — Leaving Home A voyage to the Far East means some pre- liminary work. We provided ourselves with American Bankers ' checks which can be cashed at face value anywhere in the World. Our passports had to be examined and viseed by representatives of every Country we were to visit — Chinese, Japanese and English Consuls examine credentials and solemnly affix seals and collect fees. We had to produce certifi- cates or receipts showing we had paid all our Federal Income taxes. Baggage is collected and tagged, some for the hold of the ship, where at certain hours during the voyage it can be opened. Baggage needed during the voyage should be placed in the stateroom. We go on board in bright sunshine and are curious as to the arrangement of staterooms, dining room and social hall. Placid Chinese men servants in long blue gowns, white socks and slippers, moved with quiet alertness among the passengers and located bags and baggage 11 12 A TKIP TO THE OEIENT and soon order emerges from chaos and we go out on deck waiting for the hoarse whistle to give notice of onr saihng. The dock is crowded with friends of pas- sengers who are given rolls of bright colored ^'confetti" (long strips of narrow paper); these are thrown from the dock and the pas- sengers on board in turn throw them back to the dock until the steamer is strewn with the colored papers, as it slowly grinds away from the moorings out through the Golden Gate and South Westward toward the Hawaiian Islands. We watched with much amusement from the upper deck the stowing away of the Chinese who were going back to China for the cele- bration of the Chinese New Year, or to take the bones of their dead to rest in their ancestral graveyards. Our cargo consisted of flour, which we export to Japan in great quantities, cotton, canned goods, trunks, etc. ; in addition we had on board a great amount of silver bullion, to be unloaded at Hong Kong. Among our passengers were many Missionaries, men and women, old and young, over half of them bound for China. Many were the tales they told of escapes from death as they fled from the fury of the heathen Chinese, at the time of the Boxer rebellion, who thirsted after the blood of ^^foreign devils.'' Insurance agents from America, Raymond & ON SHIPBOAKD 13 Whitcomb tourists, commercial travelers from America, England, France, traders in silks, furs, straw braid, tea, teakwood and pearl, ex- The Quaintness and Mystery of the Orient Are Found in Chinatown porters and importers, were much in evidence, bound for the Orient, all helping with the aid of steam and electricity, to speed the way of the viewers of the world. The Pacific is a lonesome sea to traverse; a sail is seldom sighted ; only an occasional whale or school of porpoises break the tedious monot- ony, and make the traveler forget, for the mo- ment, its vastness. 14 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT A heavy swell attended us for the first four days out; then the weather became calm, the cool air gave way to a touch of summer, and the last two days were tranquil and life on deck delightful, for we were under the lee of the Hawaiian Islands, two thousand miles and seven davs from San Francisco. Cabin de Luxe on Steamer Ecuador THE STEAMER '^ECUADOR" ON SHIPBOARD The first act after leaving the dock is to in- vestigate one's stateroom and make the ac- quaintance of the unknoAvn roommate. Travel was very heavy on this particular trip so in- stead of selecting what one wanted you took what you could get. The staterooms for first- class passengers have two bed berths, one on each side of the cabin. There are two wash bowls and two closets, and everything necessary for your comfort. I found my roommate to be an interesting young woman from Rhode Island, and we were soon very agreeable com- panions. Then followed the call to dinner. Everyone responded and ate heartily of a well- prepared meal. Each stateroom has assigned to it a room boy who looks after your needs while on the voyage — all the boys are Chinese. A bath boy has charge of a certain number of rooms. He prepares the bath water and desig- nates the time one may take his bath. Another boy is given you as your dining-room boy and he waits on you at your meals. Upon leaving the ship, you are expected to give liberal fees 15 16 A TEIP TO THE ORIENT ON SHIPBOARD 17 to the steward and Stewardess and the partic- ular boys who have so willingly and well at- tended to your needs. You find many of your traveling companions missing at meals the second day. They prefer to remain in their berths and many of them do so for the first few days on account of sea- sickness or cold weather. As the boat gets into a warmer climate, the deck becomes very popular and the deck steward (also a Chi- nese boy) sees that your steamer chair is placed where you will be most comfortable. He also makes arrangement for the deck games. For shuttle board, he draws on the deck with chalk the figures for the game; as this game gives one a good deal of exercise, it is a pop- ular one. Deck tennis is also a strenuous game. A net is put up across part of the deck. The game is not played with racket and ball but with small rings or hard rope which must be thrown over a staple on the deck. In the recreation room, cards, dominos, and other table games are played. The boat has on board tAvelve Filipinos, who furnish the music for meals and dancing. The Captain appoints a social committee, composed of men and women passengers. This committee plans the social events on the voyage. Dancing and cards are on the program for every evening. Once a week there is a formal dress ball or masquerade 18 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT party, or a concert in the social hall. During the voyage athletic contest games are played. A record is kept of each player, and at the end of the trip prizes are awarded to the best play- ers. All holidays are celebrated in the social hall with music and speeches suitable to the day, and a special dinner is also prepared. One of the great dinners of the trip is the Captain's dinner, given the night before landing. On Sun- days, religious services are held. If a priest of the Roman Church is on board, he holds mass in the early morning. Other denominations hold service at eleven o 'clock. If no clergj^man is on board, the Captain holds the service. Ships go- ing through warm countries have put up a large canvas swimming tank. This is filled each day with fresh sea water. A large number of the passengers go in swimming every day and have great sport in trying to play tricks on each other in the water. The life on a long voyage is something like that at a large hotel at the sea shore. THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS Foremost among our possessions in the Pa- cific are these Islands, formerly known as the Sandmch Islands. There are over fifteen islands in the group but only seven are of any importance. They seem very small on the map and their total area is but little more than that of the State of Connecticut. Hawaii (Ha-wi-e) is the largest island and the one from which the group takes its name. The islands were discovered in 1542 by Gaetano, a Spanish navigator, and first came to world notice in January, 1778, by Captain Cook, an English navigator, who named them in honor of his friend and patron, the Earl of Sandwich. A year later he visited the islands a second time and was welcomed with great joy by the Natives. Unfortunately his sailors quarreled with the Natives and Captain Cook was killed. The first Missionaries to visit the islands came from Boston in 1820 ; they were permitted to stay for one year and at the end of the period were permitted to remain. It is largely due to their efforts that the Hawaiians have reached their high state of civilization. 19 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 21 The government continued in power until a revolution took place owing to the dissatisfac- tion of the people at the efforts of the then reigning Queen to abolish the constitution. A provisional government was established with Sanford B. Dole as President and Hawaii be- came a republic July 4, 1894, and in 1898 the Islands were annexed to the United States. When Captain Cook came to Hawaii, he found the Natives similar to our Indians, black eyes and hair and brown skins. The men were tall and well formed wearing but little clothing — merely a cloth around the waist and hips. The women had clear skins, fine white teeth and red lips, wearing short skirts reaching to their knees. The children wore no clothing. They lived in grass houses ; bamboo poles were used for the framework, fastened together with ropes made from fibre of the palm leaf, with low doors, but no floors. The people lived out of doors and cooked their meals outside their huts. They used their houses only when it rained and to sleep in. Mats were used for seats and for beds, blocks of wood for pillows and tapa cloth for blankets. This cloth was made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree and is but rarely seen now. They had no iron or steel, no metals, no cereal grains, no cotton, no wool. Strings of oily nuts were tied on grasses and hung up in their houses for light. The nut at 22 A TEIP TO THE OEIENT the top was first lighted, and this burned until the next one caught fire. Their food was fish (which was eaten raw), pork, fowls, poi, yams, sugar cane, bananas, and cocoanuts. Men and women did not eat at the same table and after a boy was five ^^ears old he never sat at the table with his mother or sisters. All the land belonged to the King who made his chiefs proprietors of the soil if they would render him tribute and military service. The people of a hundred years ago were heathen and their priests taught them to believe in various gods and especially in a goddess Pele who was said to live in the crater of the largest volcano. Today we find a very different state of af- fairs; they have given up idols and their hea- then religion and have become Christians. Sun- day is strictly observed and the laws prohibit business of any kind on that day. The Prot- estant and the Roman Catholic Church are represented on the islands. The Catholic Church has a fine college and one of the Catholic Sis- terhoods has charge of the leper settlement on the Island of Molokai. Honolulu is the largest city in the Islands and is situated on the Island of Oahu. Hilo is the second to^\ai and is the Capital of the Island of Hawaii on which is located the Volcano Kilauea. AMONG ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC Early in the morning of the sixth day, the faint gray outline of Molokai, the home of the lepers, was visible. It is the first island of the group to appear to the traveler arriving from San Francisco. As we near Oahu, the white fleecy breakers roll over coral reefs and tumble into the bluest of blue waters as if playing hide and seek with the mermaids. Presently Diamond Head, with truncated cone, comes into view. It was once a soaring mountain, but now, its head blown off by volcanic explosion, stands Sentinel over this island. We sail under its shadow through the narrow, crooked, and dangerous passage be- tween the buoys, into the harbor of Honolulu. The '^Ecuador'' slips into the crowded docks. Scores of brown skinned boys amuse us by jumping into the water where they wriggle and dive to catch the silver coins thrown to them, which they bring up in their teeth. The docks are filled with people — white dress is the pre- vailing style, there being almost entire absence of black garments, and bright colors are much in evidence. The city, of fifty thousand people, lies low, 23 24 A TKIP TO THE OEIENT and its one storied houses might easily be slipped into the water by a tidal wave. Back from the city green valleys radiate like spokes in a wheel into the range of mountains, so broken and ragged that their tops form a lacy design of domes, peaks, and spires against the deep blue sea. Each broken top tells a story of volcanic force sometime in its existence. Punch- bowl, an ejxtinct volcano, stands behind the City.' • The broad and ample lanais, as porches are called, of our hotel, are filled with easy-chairs, hammocks among palms, hanging-baskets, and blooming plants, and we find a siesta on the lanai a pleasant change from bare decks, and ocean swells. We look out upon a garden filled with feathery-topped palms, evergreen shrubs, and the purple bougainvillea, with its mass of bloom creeping over trellis, up into the tops of trees, and knitting shrubs together in a perfect tangle. Brown mima birds, with the single feather, hop about and sing their minor notes of welcome to the stranger within their hops. They are importations, and their numerous de- scendants are no blessing to their fields of ex- ploitations. We take a stroll through the streets. There are avenues of royal palms set in hedgerows HONOLULU 25 of the scarlet hibiscus that nods its large blooms at us from myriads of stems. There is the thirsty banyan, the slender- leafed tamarind dropping its pods on your head, the glistening green broad-leafed bread- tree, tattered bananas, flower-filled magnolias, leaning cocoa palms, the paypaya with its yel- low fruit, like the muskmelon, nestled close to a cluster of branches fully sixty feet from the ground, and among all this wealth of tropical green, the ponciana regia, filled with crimson bloom, and the golden shower, mth its yellow poppy-like flowers, all combining to make a walk through the streets of Honolulu an Elysian scene, for we are mthin the tropic of Cancer. Houses are usually one-storied, with broad verandas, on which family life is lived more than within doors. They sit well back from the streets, overlooking spacious grounds filled with roses, tuberoses, the snow-tree, and myriad flowers that make the air heavy mth perfume. There are great beds of carnations, the flowers most used for leis and wreaths that Hawaiian flower-women sell on the streets for decorations, especially for departing friends. Instead of the bouquet used by us, a lei is thrown around the crown of the hat by loving hands as the husband, father, or friend leaves home for busi- ness. Leis are made by stripping flowers of all green and stringing the bloom on threads in 26 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT such a manner as to make the whole string per- fectly round. My remembrance of native girls is of brown, velvety-skinned necks, arms, and legs adorned with these flowery leis, riding donkeys or play- ing by the roadway, always laughing and dis- playing a row of white, even teeth. Older women place hibiscus in the hair, and the race seems to be devoted lovers of flowers and good cheer ; they are proverbially happy, kind, gentle, cour- teous, and generous. Before the missionaries * ^ civilized ' ^ them a child was at liberty to sleep and eat wherever it happened to be, and a ^'homeless child" was unknown, for any home was its home — a beautiful custom. The narrow valleys are carefully cultivated, the taro plant being the chief diet of the people, and nearly every family will have a patch of it growing near the home. The larger valleys are given over to the culture of sugar-cane, the chief source of wealth for the Sugar kings. There are mission schools and kindergartens doing good work among all classes, especially among Chinese. Kindergarten teachers tell me that it is almost impossible to teach Chinese children to play, but when they once learn they are like little monkeys — they will do nothing but play. There is much generosity in the support of these schools, especially by influential natives. HONOLULU 27 Most generous contributions have been made by wealthy natives for the dissemination of learning, the promotion of the arts and sci- loLANi School, Honolulu This 'building was the Mrthplace of Samuel Chairman Arm- strong, founder of Ham.pto7i Institute^ Virginia, whose father teas a inoneer missionary in Honolulu ences, and this, too, by a people who fifty years ago had no written language and were entirely without means of education. Educa- tion has made marvelous strides among Ha- waiians, and attendance upon free schools is compulsory. The superstition of the Kahuna still clings to the people; even children pine away under 28 A TEIP TO THE OEIENT the threat of an enemy to Kahuna them, which means to pray them to death. They believe that misfortunes are caused by evil spirits that pursue them, and even the higher education fails to fully do away with this ancient in- herited belief. Native and half native women appear in the streets in the holahu, a Mother Hubbard, which at first attracts the envying comments of stran- gers. It is surely a comfortable and suitable dress for the climate, and more sensible than artistic. The native Hawaiians always accorded wo- men perfect equality with men in all things. A woman has held for many years the place of judge of the court that deals with water boun- daries and her judgments were much respected. Her son was a member of the first legislature. Hawaii is named Eainbow Land. Showers sometimes fall on one side of the street and we walk in the dry on the other side of the street. Rain falls in the recesses of the moun- tains, and I have seen seven rainbows at one time, with ends linked together, hanging over the face of the ridge of mountains back of Honolulu. One should secure apartments at his hotel on the mauka (mountain) side, that he may watch the rainbows in their coming and going. A Fern Tree in an Hawaiian Forest 29 30 A TKIP TO THE OEIENT Directions are indicated by mauka, toward the mountain, and mauki, toward the sea, never by right and left, as with us. There are many amusements to attract the stranger, such as visiting the other islands, watching surf riders, hula dancers, climbing Diamond Head, Punchbowl, and Pali, riding around Oahu on the railway, visiting shops of Chinese and Japanese, sugar plantations and mills, and attending luas — ^native feasts — ^if one is so fortunate as to be invited to one of the latter. A TRIP TO THE VOLCANO OF KILAUEA ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAII* The Ohia trees form a handsome feature in the landscape, with their thick tall stems, glossy foliage, and light crimson flowers. The f rnit is a small pink waxy-looking apple, slightly acid, pleasant to the taste when you are thirsty. The candle-nut trees attain to a large size, and their light green foliage and white flowers have a very graceful appearance. Most of the foli- age, however, is spoiled by a deposit of black dust, not unlike what one sees on the leaves in a Chicago garden. This may be caused by the fumes of the not far-distant volcano, or it is some kind of mould or fungus. After riding about ten miles in the blazing sun, we reached a forest, where the vegetation was quite tropical, though not so varied in its beauties as that of Brazil or of the still more lovely South Sea Islands. There were ferns of various descriptions in the forest, and many fine trees, entwined, supported, or suffocated by numerous climbing plants, amongst which were blue and lilac convolvulus, and magnifi- cent passion-flowers. The protection from the * From A Voyag-e in the "Sunbeam," by Lady Brassey. 31 32 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT sun afforded by this dense mass of foliage was extremely grateful; but the air of the forest was close and stifling, and at the end of the five miles we were glad to emerge once more into the open. The rest of the way lay over the hard lava, through a sort of desert of scrubby vegetation, occasionally relieved by clumps of trees in hollows. More than once we had a fine view of the sea, stretching away into the far distance, though it was sometimes mistaken for the bright blue sky, until the surf could be seen breaking upon the black rocks, amid en- circling groves of cocoanut trees. The sun shone fiercely at intervals, and the rain came do^vn several times in torrents. The pace was slow, the road dull and dreary, and many were the inquiries made for the ^^ Half- way House," long before we reached it. We had still two miles farther to go, in the course of which we were drenched by a heavy shower. At last we came to a TAPPA MAKING native house, crowded with people, where they were making tappa or kapa — the cloth made from the bark of the paper-mulberry. Here we stopped for a few minutes until our guide hur- ried us on, pointing out the church and the ^' Half-way House" just ahead. KILAUEA 33 We were indeed ^lad to dismount after our weary ride, and rest in the comfortable rocking- chairs under the veranda. It is a small white wooden building, overhung with orange-trees, with a pond full of ducks and geese outside it, and a few scattered buildings, including a cooking hut, close by. A good-looking man was busy broiling beef-steaks, stewing chickens, and boiling taro, and we had soon a plentiful re- past set before us, with the very weakest of weak tea as a beverage. The woman of the house, which contained some finely worked mats and clean-looking beds, showed us some tappa cloth, together with the mallets and other in- struments used in its manufacture, and a beau- tiful orange-colored lei, or feather necklace, which she had made for herself. The cloth and mallets were for sale, but no inducement would persuade her to part with the necklace. It was the first she had ever made, and I was afterwards told that the natives are supersti- tiously careful to preserve the first specimen of their handiwork, of whatever kind it may be. Directly we had finished our meal about three o'clock — the guide came and tried to per- suade us that, as the baggage-mules had not yet arrived, it would be too late for us to go on to-day, and that we had better spend the night where we were, and start early in the morning. We did not, however, approve of this arrange- i54 A TBIP TO THE ORIENT ment, so the horses were saddled, and, leaving word that the baggage-mules were to follow as soon as possible, we mounted, and set off for the ^^ Volcano House." We had not gone far before we were again overtaken by a shower, which once more drenched us to the skin. The scene was certainly one of extreme beauty. The moon was hidden by a cloud, and the prospect lighted only by the red glare of the volcano, which hovered before and above us like the Israelite's pillar of fire, giving us hopes of a splendid spectacle when we should at last reach the long-wished-for crater. Pres- ently the moon shone forth again, and gleamed and glistened on the rain-drops and silver- grasses till they looked like fireflies and glow- worms. At last, becoming impatient, we pro- ceeded slowly on our way, until we met a man on horse back, who hailed us in a cheery voice with an unmistakable American accent. It was the landlord of the ^^ Volcano House," Mr. Kane, who fearing from the delay that we had met with some mishap, had started to look for us. He explained that he thought it was only his duty to look after and help ladies visiting the volcano, and that he had intended going down as far as the '' Half-way House" in search of us. It was a great relief to know that we were in the right track, and we enjoyed the VOLCANO HOUSE 35 gallop through the dark forest, though there was barely sufficient light to enable one to dis- cern the horse immediately in front. When we emerged from the wood, we found ourselves at the very edge of the old crater, the bed of which, three or four hundred feet beneath us, was sur- rounded by steep and in many places overhang- ing sides. It looked like an enormous cauldron, four or five miles in width, full of a mass of cooled pitch. In the center was the still globing stream of dark red lava, flowing slowly towards us, and in every direction were red-hot patches, and flames and smoke issuing from the ground. A bit of the ''black country'' at night, with all the coal heaps on fire, would give you some idea of the scene. Yet the first sensation is rather one of disappointment as one expects greater activity on the part of the volcano ; but the new crater was still to be seen, containing the lake of fire, mth steep walls rising up in the midst of the sea of lava. Twenty minutes hard riding brought us to the door of the ''Volcano House," from which issued the comforting light of a large wood fire, reaching halfway up the chimney. Native gar- ments replaced our wet clothing, and we sat before the fire in luxury until the rest of the party arrived. The grandeur of the view in the direction of the volcano increased as the evening wore on. 36 A TRIP TO THE OEIENT The fiery cloud above the present crater aug- mented in size and depth of color; the extinct crater glowed red in thirty or forty different places; and clouds of white vapor issued from every crack and crevice in the ground, adding to the sulphurous smell. THE VOLCANO HOUSE I was up at four o'clock, to gaze once more on the wondrous spectacle that lay before me. The molten lava still flowed in many places, the red cloud over the fiery lake was bright as ever, and steam was slowly ascending in every direc- tion, over hill and valley, till, as the sun rose, it became difficult to distinguish clearly the sulphurous vapors from the morning mists. We walked down to the Sulphur banks, about a quarter of a mile from the '* Volcano House,'' and burnt our gloves and boots in our endeavors to procure crystals, the beauty of which gen- erally disappeared after a very short exposure to the air. We succeeded, however, in finding a few good specimens, and by wrapping them at once in paper and cotton-wool and putting them into a bottle, hope to bring them home un- injured. On our return we found a gentleman who had just arrived from the island of Kauai, and who proposed to join us in our expedition to the crater, and at three o'clock, in the afternoon. KILAUEA 37 we set out, a party of eight, with two guides, and three porters to carry our wraps and pro- visions, and to bring back specimens. Before leaving the inn the landlord came to us and begged us in an earnest and confidential man- ner to be very careful to do exactly what our guides told us, and especially to follow in their footsteps exactly when returning in the dark. He added, ^' There never has been an accident happen to anybody from my house, and I should feel real mean if one did: but there have been a power of narrow escapes.'' First of all we descended the precipice, 300 feet in depth forming the wall of the old crater, but now thickly covered with vegetation. It is so steep in many places that flights of zig- zag steps have been inserted in the face of the cliff in some places, in order to render the descent practicable. At the bottom we stepped straight on the surface of cold boiled lava, which we had seen from above last night. Even here in every crevice where a few grains of soil had collected, delicate little ferns might be seen struggling for life, and thrusting out their green fronds toward the light. It was the most extraordinary walk imaginable over that vast plain of lava, twisted and distorted into every conceivable shape and form, accord- ing to the temperature it had originally at- tained, and the rapidity with which it had 6q a tbip to the orient cooled, its surface, like half-molten glass, cracking and breaking beneath onr feet. Some- times we came to a patch that looked like the contents of a pot, suddenly petrified in the act of boiling; sometimes the black iridescent lava had assumed the form of waves, or more fre- quently of huge masses of rope, twisted and coiled together; sometimes it was piled up like a collection of organ-pipes, or had gathered into mounds and cones of various dimensions. As we proceeded the lava became hotter and hotter, and from every crack arose gaseous fumes, affecting our noses and throats in a painful maner ; till at last, when we had to pass to leeward of the molten stream flowing from the lake, the vapors almost choked us, and it was with difficulty we continued to advance. The lava was more glassy and transparent- looking, as if it had been fused at a higher tem- perature than usual, and the crystals of sul- phur, alum, and other minerals, with which it abounded, reflected the light in bright prismatic colors. In places it was quite transparent, and we could see beneath it the long streaks of a stringy kind of lava, like brown spun glass called '^Peles Hair.'^ At last we reached the foot of the present crater, and commenced the ascent of the outer wall. Many times the thin crust gave way be- neath our guide, and he had to retire quickly KILAUEA 39 from the hot, blinding, choking fumes that immediately burst forth. But we succeeded in reaching the top; and then what a sight pre- sented itself to our astonished eyes ! I could neither speak nor move, at first, but could only stand and gaze at the horrible grandeur of the scene. THE LAKE OF FIKE We were standing on the extreme edge of a precipice, overhanging a lake of molten fire, a hundred feet below us, and nearly a mile across. Dashing against the cliffs on the opposite side, with a noise like the roar of a stormy ocean, waves of blood-red, fiery, liquid lava hurled their billows upon an iron-bound headland, and then rushed up the face of the cliffs to toss their gory spray high in the air. The restless, heaving lake boiled and bubbled, never remain- ing the same for two minutes together. Its normal color seemed to be a dull dark red, cov- ered with a thin grey scum, which every mo- ment and in every part swelled and cracked, and emitted fountains, cascades, and whirlpools of yellow and red fire, while sometimes one big golden river, sometimes four or five, flowed across it. There was an island on one side of the lake, which the fiery waves seemed to at- tack unceasingly with relentless fury, as if bent on hurling it from its base. On the other side 40 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT Avas a large cavern, into which the burning mass rushed with a loud roar, breaking do^vn in its impetuous headlong career the gigantic stalac- tites that overhung the mouth of the cave, and flinging up the liquid material for formation of fresh ones. It was all terribly grand, magnificently sub- lime; but no words could adequately describe such a scene. The precipice on which we were standing overhung the crater so much that it was impossible to see what was going on im- mediately beneath; but from the columns of smoke and vapor that arose, the flames and sparks that constantly drove us back from the edge, it was easy to imagine that there must have been two or three grand fiery fountains b?low. As the sun set, and darkness enveloped the scene it became more awful than ever. We retired a little way from the brink, to breathe some fresh air, and to try and eat the food we had brought with us, but this was an impos- sibility. Every instant a fresh explosion or glare made us jump up to survey the stupendous scene. Sometimes there were at least seven spots on the borders of the lake where the molten lava dashed up furiously against the rocks — seven fire-fountains playing simultaneously. With the increasing darkness the colors emitted by the glowing mass became more and more 41 42 A TEIP TO THE ORIENT wonderful, varying from the deepest jet black to the palest grey, from the darkest maroon, through cherry and scarlet, to tjie most delicate pink, violet, and blue; from the richest brown, through orange and yellow, to the lightest straw color. And there was yet another shade, only describable by the term ^^ molten — lava color/' Even the smokes and vapors were rendered beautiful by their borrowed lights and tints, and the black peaks, pinnacles, and crags, which sur- rounded the amphitheatre, formed a splendid and appropriate background. Sometimes great pieces broke off and tumbled with a crash into the burning lake, only to be remelted and thrown up anew. Not two inches beneath the surface, the grey lava on which we were standing and sitting was red-hot. A stick thrust through it caught fire, a piece of paper was immediately destroyed, and the gentlemen found the heat from the crevices so great that they could not approach near enough to light their pipes. OVER A FURNACE One more last long look, and then we turned our faces away from the scene that had en- thralled us for so many hours. The whole of the lava we had crossed, in the extinct crater, was now aglow in many patches, and in all di- rections flames were bursting forth, fresh lava was flowing, and steam and smoke were issuing KILAUEA . 43 from the surface. It was a toilsome journey back again, walking* as we did in single file, and obeying the strict injunctions of our head guide to follow him closely, and to tread exactly in his footsteps. On the whole it was easier by night than by day to distinguish the route to be taken, as we could now see the dangers that before we could only feel; and many were the fiery crevices we stepped over or jumped across. Once I slipped, and my feet sank through the thin crust. Sparks issued from the ground and the stick on which I leaned caught fire before I could fairly recover myself. 44 . A TRIP TO THE ORIENT HAWAIIAN SPORTS The natives have many games of which they are very fond, and which they play with great skill, including spear-throwing, transfixing an object with a dart, kona, an elaborate kind of draughts, and talu, which consists in hiding a small stone under one of five pieces of cloth, placed in front of the players. One hides the stone, and the others have to guess where it iSj and it generally happens that, however dex- terously the hider may put his arm beneath the cloth and dodge about from one piece to another, a clever player will be able to tell, by the move- ment of the muscles of the upper part of the arm, when his fingers relax their hold of the stone. Another game called Parua, is very like the Canadian sport of ^' Tobogganing, '' only that it is carried on, on the grass instead of on the snow. The performers stand bolt upright on a narrow plank, turned up in front, and steered with a sort of long paddle. They go to the top of a hill or mountain and rush down the steep, grassy sunburnt slopes at a tremendous pace, keeping their balance in a wonderful man- ner. There is also a very popular amusement, called Pake, requiring a specially prepared HONOLULU 45 smooth floor, along which the javelins of the players glide like snakes. On the same floor they also play at another game, called Manita or Ura Manita. Two sticks, only a few inches apart, are stuck into the ground, and at a dis- tance of thirty or forty yards the players strive to throw a stone between them. The ura which they use for the purpose is a hard circular stone, three or four inches in diameter, and an inch in thickness at the edge, but thicker in the middle. Mr. Ellis, in his ^^ Polynesian Researches,'' states that ^^ These stones are finely polished, highly valued, and carefully preserved, being always oiled or wrapped up in native cloth after having been used.'' The people are, if possible, more fond of this game than of the Pake, and the inhabitants of a district not unfrequently challenge the people of the whole island, or the natives of one island those of all the others, to bring a man who shall try his skill with some favorite player of their own district or island. On such occasions seven or eight thousand peo- ple, men and women with their chiefs and chief- esses, assemble to witness the sport, which as well as the Pake is often continued for hours together. With bows and arrows they are as clever as all savages, and wonderfully good shots, at- 46 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT tempting many wonderful feats. They are swift as deer, when they choose, though somewhat lazy and indolent. The performers begin by swimming out into the bay and diving under the huge Pacific rollers, pushing their surf- boards — flat pieces of wood, about four feet long by two wide, pointed at each end — edge- wise before them. For the return journey they select a large wave; and then, either sitting, kneeling, or standing on their boards, rush in shorewards with the speed of a racehorse, on the curling crest of the monster, enveloped in foam and spray, and holding on, as it were, by the milk-white manes of their furious coursers. It looked a most enjoyable amusement, and I should think that, to a powerful swimmer, with plenty of pluck, the feat is not difficult of ac- complishment. The natives here are almost amphibious. They played all sorts of tricks in the water, some of the performers being quite tin}^ boys. Four strong rowers took a whale- boat out into the worst surf, and then steer- ing her by means of a large oar, brought her safely back to the shore on the top of a huge wave. HONOLULU PRINCESS KAPIOLANI The former Queen Kapiolani was a nice look- ing woman, with a very pleasing expression of countenance. She is the grand daughter of the heroic Princess Kapiolani, who, when the wor- ship and fear of the Goddess Pele were at their height, walked boldly up to the crater of Kilauea, in defiance of the warnings and threats of the high-priestess of the idolatrous rites, pro- claiming her confidence in the power of her God, the God of the Christians to preserve her. This act did much to assist in the establishment of Christianity in the island of Hawaii, and to shake the belief of the native worshippers of Pele in the power of the fearful goddess. We visited the room which contains the por- traits of the Kings and Queens of the Sandwich Islands for many generations, the early ones attired in their feather capes, the later ones dressed in European Costumes. Most of them were the work of native artists, but the por- traits of Kamehameha II and his queen were painted during their visit to England, by a good artist. Their Majesties are depicted in the height of the fashion of the day, the king wear- ing a blue coat and brass buttons, with many orders on his breast, the queen having on a very short-waisted, tight-fitting white satin 47 48 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT dress, a turban surmounted by a tremendous plume of white feathers, and a pearl necklace and bracelets; rather a trying costume for a handsome woman with a dark complexion and portly figure. They both died in England and their remains were brought back for burial, in H. M. S. ''Blonde,'' commanded by Lord Byron. There was also a portrait of Admiral Thomas, whose memory is highly reverenced here for the happy way in which he succeeded in terminating the disputes arising out of the English claim to the Island in 1843, and in restoring King Kamehameha III to his own again. The collection likewise included excellent por- traits of Louis Philippe and Napoleon III. Curi- ously enough, each of these were sent ofP from France to the Hawaiian Islands, by way of Cape Horn, while the original was in the zenith of his power and fame ; and each reached its des- tination after the original had been deposed and had fled to England for refuge. ROYAL. ROBES But the most interesting object of all was still to come — the real feather cloak, cape and girdle of the Kamehamehas, not generally to be seen except at a coronation or christening. The cloak, which is now the only one of its kind in existence, is about eleven feet long by five broad, and is composed of the purest yellow, or A STOEM AT SEA 49 rather golden, feathers, which in the sunlight, are perfectly gorgeous, as they have a peculiar kind of metallic lustre, quite independent of their brilliant color. A STORM AT SEA After leaving Honolulu for the first ten days out, a head wind made a heavy swell; then the waves rose higher and higher, the wind blew with the fury of demons and soon we were in the grasp of the dreaded typhoon. The sea became grand and awe inspiring, beyond the power of description. It was lashed into a white fleecy foam, the misty spray apparently joining with the clouds, producing an outlook over the ocean much like a blinding blizzard of snow on a western prairie. The powerful waves strik- ing the ship every few moments made her quiver and fall back in her track and sound as if she were being bombarded by heavy cannons. For fifteen long hours the barometer continued to fall and we were in a gale raging at sixty-five nautical miles per hour. The clouds that hung over us were of inky blackness. One moment the Ecuador would ap- parently sink into an awful chasm of water, and then climb up on the waves, literally mountains high, only to slip into another abyss of water that threatened to swallow her up in the eternal depths of the Sea. She was finally compelled 50 A TEIP TO THE ORIENT to ''heave to'' and merely move enough to keep from falling back in her track, the only time when this had been necessary on the part of this ship. Her steel ribs kept the passengers from the nerve racking sensation that is often experi- enced in lesser storms, and emphasized the wis- dom of knowing something of the seaworthiness of a vessel upon which one takes passage. The decks were very slippery and as we kept roll- ing about a good deal, there were some bad falls among the passengers. We had a splendid though stormy sunset which did not beUe its promise for the wind shortly afterward became stiffer and stronger until at last we were tumbling about in all directions as we rushed through the water. The dining tables tilted till they could go no further and then paused to go back again; but not quickly enough, for the glasses began to walk uphill and go over the edge in a most ex- traordinary manner. On deck the night looked brilliant but most terrible. The full moon made it as light as day and illuminated the fountains of spray blown from the waves by which we were surrounded. We rode through it all, the Ecuador dipping her head into the sea, shiver- ing from stem to stern, and then giving herself a shake preparatory to a fresh start, just like A STORM AT SEA 51 a playful waterbird emerging from a prolonged dive. At midnight a tremendous sea struck us and for a moment nothing could be seen as the steamer was completely drenched in spray and foam. It was just like being behind the falls of Niagara with the water coming over you from every quarter at once. It was only loose spray, however, for not a green sea did she take on board the whole night through. I was the only passenger on deck and the shock sent most of the others out of their beds. A typhoon at sea is a grand exhibit of the forces of nature wonderful and fearful to ex- perience, but once safely through, we are glad to have witnessed it ; a rich experience for our memories. The Pacific Ocean is misnamed. In voyages across it one meets the worst storms of ocean travel and more severe than anything on the Atlantic or the Mediterranean. Steadily and safely we rode through the gale to go on deck in the morning and gaze upon a sea as calm as a mill pond. The usual course of steamers from Honolulu to Yokohama is to follow the great circle and thus avoid the storm belt which one crosses in the more direct course to the islands of Japan. Unfortunately our steamer met with an accident in the loss of a blade from its propellor and 52 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT returned to Honolulu, causing a delay of three days and our captain decided to take the shorter course to Japan causing us to run into the storm just described. This brought us nearer to the Mandate Islands of Japan off to the Southward; and from the map of cable lines, the location of the Island of Guam, one of our own possessions, and the Island of Yap with its cable station can be located. The location of the Island of Yap is of great importance. It is about 250 miles east of Palao, the future Japanese naval headquarters of the Mandate, which is 500 miles east of Mindanao in the Philippines. Like many of the so-called islands in the Carolines, Yap is not a single island, but a cluster of ten small islands; four of which are fairly large and volcanic, all surrounded by a coral reef, about 15 miles in length and nearly five miles in width at its mdest point. Most of the legends and customs of the old days can be traced back to Yap, whose natives were the leaders and teachers for all the others. It is a curious fact that from the beginning of the World War the ocean cable to the Island of Yap was ^'sealed,'' and that since the Con- ference on the limitation of armament held at Washington began, efforts were made to re- sume messages but the operators found it im- TflE ISl.AND OF YAP 53 ^TOKVO f^ST^ i m^JGHAl -y/l/s rucHAu, v^ O^ FORMOSA ^''v ■KWAtlO CHOW- pis k%0 '7* \^ >^ f ( PHILIPPINES,-/^^ V \ TO U.S.A. -^ ' ''GUAM OurChii^MT^o^ Hy Courtesy of "Chicago Tribune." 54 A TEIP TO THE ORIENT possible for a time to get in contact with the outside world. The growth of our country to a leading posi- tion amongst the world powers has made us vitally interested in the maintenance of our communications with the outside world, partic- ularly in the Pacific Avhere our principal posses- sions are. Strung across the Pacific we have the Hawaiian, Islands, Samoa Islands, Guam, and the Philippines. The recent controversy over the control of Yap and the cables that center there was but part of our policy of se- curing for ourselves and the world unrestricted communication, a matter of great importance in the preservation of peace between the nations. THE MANDATE ISLANDS OF JAPAN These Islands are located between the Equa- tor and the tenth parallel of Latitude North, and consist of the former German islands. The Pelew, Carohne, Mariana (with the exception of Guam) and the Marshall Islands, are in- cluded under the mandate. The islands in these groups are mainly of coral formation and are of small size, exceeding 800 in number. The commercial value of the islands is small ; copra is the largest article of export. Anguar, one of the Pelew Islands, has deposits of high grade phosphates. The islands have considerable strategic value and, though they cannot by the terms of the mandate be fortified or used as naval bases, the islands will prove of great im- portance for commercial wireless stations and aviation bases. After the peace settlement the United States questioned the control exercised by Japan over Yap in the Caroline Islands. Yap, situated 500 miles east of the Philippines, is an important cable station for Trans-Pacific lines from Shanghai (China), Menado (Dutch East Indies) and Guam, linking up the United States mth the Far East and East Indies. The necessity of cables and radio communications has as- 55 56 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT sumed international importance ; the recent con- troversy on cable" control at Yap and other points has shown how vital the control of com- munications is to the welfare of nations. By the acquisition of these islands the posi- tion of Japan as a Pacific power has been strengthened. The expansion of Japan in the Pacific is not relished by Australia and New Zealand. These nations have adopted the policy of making their countries an area for white set- tlement only. With the disappearance of Ger- many from the Pacific, the United States, China, Japan, and Great Britain with her col- onies of Australia and New Zealand, are now the leading Pacific powers. France has posses- sions in the Pacific but she does not aspire to any political power in this area. The Mandate Islands of Great Britain and Australia are to the South and lie along the Equator from 150 degrees of Longitude west of Greenwich to 140 degrees East. Here is the charm of waving palms; of the shining beaches with their windrows of shingle, in which one gathers shells and coral ; of the sea breaking on the reef; of the native huts glimpsed through the trees; of the white terns flying low and screaming ; of tall herons wading in the shallow water at the edge of the sea; of the white clouds driven rapidly over the island b}^ the trade winds ; of the fleet of outrigger THE MANDATE ISLANDS 57 canoes sailing out at dawn or silhouetted against the setting sun as they return. The climate is hot, but is tempered by the trade Avinds; the temperature ranges between 78 and 86 degrees ; it rarely exceeds 90 degrees in any season. The sunshine in the middle of the day is blinding and scorching hot, but in the shade one suffers less than on many July and August days in the latitude of New York, in spite of the extreme humidity. About 4 o 'clock in the afternoon the heat of the sun's rays be- come moderated and the evenings are delight- fully cool. SUNRISE AND SUNSET AT SIX THE YEAR ROUND The sun rises at 6 and sets at 6 the year around ; there is no daylight-saving there. The only change of seasons is when the "westerlies" come in the rainy season. These tropical rains descend with great violence. In the year fol- lowing a three years' drought there was a rain- fall of 150 inches, 10 inches falling in one night. The violence of the wind resembles that of a blizzard, except that it is warm; but this is not a *^ hurricane." The Line islands are not in the hurricane belts, which lie to the north and south of the Equator. 58 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT There is never any fog on these warm seas, and the brilhance of the moon and stars is un- known in the north. The pointers of the * ^ Great Dipper/^ as it swings around in the heavens, are forever pointing to the Polar Star, forever out of sight below the horizon, and the pointers which mark the position of the ^'Southern Cross'' are forever pointing at that rather fee- ble constellation in the South. Here one enjoys such food as the cocoanut- crab, or robber-crab, which climbs cocoanut palms for the fruit, lives in holes in the ground, and resembles a lobster in appearance and flavor; crayfish which are similar to those of the California coast; a great variety of fish, which are brilliant in color and delicious to the taste ; the pawpaw, or mummy apple, a fruit which resembles a melon, but grows on a small tree; and sour sop, a variety of custard-apple which has a soft, white, subacid pulp, tasting like a fruit salad with whipped cream. Would you like to cut loose from society, from civilization itself, and to sail and sail and finally to make a landfall on a coral isle where cocoanut palms wave their shining fans above the dazzling beaches and gentle brown savages gaze curiously at the visitors 1 It has been done many times ; the palms are there, the brown peo- ple are there, but they no longer look upon white THE MANDATE ISLANDS 59 men as gods descended by the rainbow bridge from heavens ; they have been disillusioned. Although these tiny islands are so remote, so lost in the sea, and society upon them so limited in numbers and so cut off from civili- zation, no one could flee to their lonely shores and live an idle, luxurious life with the past safely concealed. *^The Pacific is a wide ocean, but a narrow world.'' Intercourse is not frequent, but it is constant; everybody knows everybody else. Civil servants, missionaries, ship masters, trad- ers keep up a system of conununication that puts Marconi to shame, and just as in a small village gossip is more rife than in a large town, so it is in these small island communities. FUJIYAMA At four a. m. I was called on deck to see the burning mountain. The wind was still blow- ing hard, but we were among the islands, and in comparatively smooth water. The full moon still rode high in the heavens, her light being reflected in rainbow hues from the spray and foam that drifted along the surface of the water. On every side were islands and rocks, among which the sea boiled, and seethed, while the roaring breakers dashed against the higher cliffs, casting great columns of spray into the air, and falling back in heavy rollers and surf. 60 FUJIYAMA 61 Just before us rose the island of Vries, with its cone-shaped volcano, 2,600 feet high, emit- ting volumes of smoke and flame. It was over- hung by a cloud of white vapor, on the under side of which shone the lurid glare of the fires of the crater. Sometimes this cloud simply floated over the top of the mountain, from which it was quite detached; then w^hen there would be a fresh eruption, and after a few moments, quiet, great tongues of flame would shoot up and pierce through the overhanging cloud to the heavens above, while the molten lava rose like a fountain for a short distance, and then ran down the sides of the mountain. It was won- drously beautiful and, as a defence against the intense cold, we wrapped ourselves in furs, and stayed on deck watching the scene, until the sun rose glorious from the sea, and shone upon the snow-covered sides of Fujiyama, called by the Japanese, the ^'Matchless moun- tain.^' It is an extinct crater, of the most per- fect form, rising abruptly from a chain of very low mountains, so that it stands in unrivalled magnificence. This morning, covered with the fresh-fallen snow, there was not a spot nor a fleck to be seen upon it, from top to bottom. It is said to be the youngest mountain in the world, the enormous mass having been thrown up in the course of a few davs only 862 vears B. C. 62 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT We reached the entrance to the Gulf of Yeddo about nine o'clock, and passed between its shores through hundreds of junks and fishing boats. I never saw anything like it before. The water was simply covered with them; and at a distance it looked as though it would be impos- sible to force a passage. The shores of the gulf, on each side, consist of sharp cut little hills, covered with pines and cryptomerias, and dotted with temples and vil- lages. Every detail of the scene exactly re- sembled the Japanese pictures we are accus- tomed to see. We made but a brief stop at Yokohama and continued on our way to Hongkong. IN SOUTHERN JAPAN, THROUGH THE INLAND SEA, HONGKONG For a journey through the Inland Sea we start from Kobe, a city of about two hundred thousand souls, too foreign to be Japanese, and too Japanese to be foreign. Kobe is located in a narrow valley hemmed in by high hills and small mountains, upon the terraces of which are perched the better homes, some schools, and imposing university buildings. It has nar- row, crooked streets, lined with small shops, in which business is largely don^e by Chinese. It is the center of the tea trade of southern Japan, THE ISLAND SEA OF JAPAN 63 and its china-shops extend for miles, and are enticing to the traveler. The Bund, facing the sea is English in architecture, and makes one regret the time when Japan shall lose her na- tive ways and become Europeanized. When this day comes she will cease to be interesting to the tourist. The English are in Japan ''with both feet,'^ if the homely expresion is allowable. About all in which America leads in is insur- ance, life and fire. Kobe has many beggars, who, in broad-brimmed or huge chopping-bowl hats and rag-tag, fantastic dress, accost one on the streets, tinkle the bunch of bells they carry in the hand, and in the professional whine ask for alms. IN SOUTHERN JAPAN On our way to Nagasaki, at the south end of the island, the journey can be made by rail down the coast line, crossing the Narrows in a ten minutes ' ride on a ferry. The bright, clear, early morning found us in this land-locked sea, the surface of the water as calm as a pond. For four hundred miles we sail in and out among evergreen islands, great and small; villages line the shores, and temples are perched on the sides of the mountains in groves, above which gardens and rice-fields rise in terraces to the very summits ; the water all about us is alive 64 NAGASAKI 65 with sampans, fishing junks and launches that ply between the numerous islands, and larger steamers on their way to the open sea. It is a veritable water Arcadia. Just before sunset our steamer picks its way through hundreds of water craft that huddle in a narrow water- way, and we pass slowly through the Narrows, so close to the bold promontories on either side that we seem to almost touch them. These points of land have evidently been joined at one time and parted by some great convulsion of nature. The green mountains tower above us, casting deep purple shadows as we sail out at the setting of the sun, that gilds the heavens with streaks of red and gold, mingled with the darker shades of approaching night. We leave behind the many islands that dot the sea as we sail out of this charming ocean-river on to Nagasaki, where we find our boat at anchor when we waken in the early morning. The Inland Sea is one of the most beautiful water- ways in the world, and a trip through it is a fitting finale to a tour through picturesque Japan. Numerous pointed barges range beside the ships which must take coal from the mines that lie just back in the mountains at this point. Over three hundred men and women are ready with their little flat baskets to do the work; they range themselves in double rows from the 66 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT barges, up the side of the steamers, and pass the baskets from hand to hand, from one plat- form to one above it, and thus dump the coal into the hold of the ship. This work lasts about six hours; the women dressed in blue cotton with white kerchiefs tied over their heads; after depositing their babies on the backs of small girls these mothers worked and chattered and acted as if coaling a steamer was a great holiday with them, as it is ; the farmers ' wives and daughters come from the country to earn a few sen and enjoy the sociability incident to the work. The women earn twelve and the men twenty cents a day for this arduous toil. HONGKONG At early morning we found ourselves close under the light on the eastern end of the island of Hongkong. We were surrounded by islands, and the morning was dark and thick; so we waited till 5:30, and then steamed on through the Kowloon passage up to the city of Victoria, as it is really named, though it is generally called Hongkong. The channel is long, and in some places so narrow that it is like going through a mountain pass, with barren hills and rocks on either hand; but the combined effect of the blue waters, and red, brown and yellow hills is very fine. HONGKONG 67 Off the town of Victoria the crowd of ship- ping is immense, and it became a difficult task to thread our way between the fleets of sam- pans and junks. The latter are the most extra- ordinary looking craft I ever saw, with high overhanging sterns and roll, or rather draw, up sails, sometimes actually made of silk, and puffed like a lady's net ball-dress. Then their decks are so crowded with lumber, live and dead, that you wonder how the boats can be navi- gated at all. But still they are much more pic- turesque than the Japanese junks, and better sea boats. The sampans are long boats, pointed at both ends, and provided mth a small awning. They have deep keels ; and underneath the floor there is one place for a cooking fire, another for an altar, and a third where the children are stowed to be out of the way. In these sam- pans whole families, sometimes five generations, live and move and have their being. I never shall forget my astonishment when, going ashore very early one morning in one of these strange craft, the proprietor hfted up what I had thought was the bottom of the boat and dis- closed three or four children, packed away as tight as herrings, while under the seats were half-a-dozen people of larger growth. The young mother of the small family generally rows with the smallest baby strapped on her back, and the next-sized one in her arms, whom 68 A TEIP TO THE OEIENT she is also teaching to row. The children be- gin to row by themselves when they are about two years old. The boys have a gourd, intended for a life-preserver, tied about their necks as soon as they are born. The girls are left to their fate, a Chinaman thinking it rather an advantage to lose a daughter or two occa- sionally. Many of these sampan people have never set foot on shore in their lives, and this water-life of China is one of the most extraordinary fea- tures of the country. It is what strikes all travellers, and so has tempted me to a di- gression. After breakfast we landed on the Praya, a fine quay, extending the whole length of the town. On it are situated many of the large stores, offices, and markets of the city. The streets are wide and handsome, and the build- ings in European style, with deep verandas and arcades, all built of stone. The town is built on the side of a hill, with ferny, moss- covered banks, overhung by tropical trees, close to some of the principal offices. At the back are the mountains, the peak overhead, with the signal station on the top, always busily at work, making and answering signals with flags as ships and junks enter or leave the harbor. Soldiers and sailors abound in the streets ; and if it were not for the sedan-chairs THE RACE COURSE 69 and pelaiiquins, in which everybody is carried about by Chinese coolies with enormous hats, one might easily fancy oneself at Gibr alter, so much do these dependencies of Great Britain in foreign lands resemble one another. Today, for the first time, we have heard *' pidgin English" seriously spoken. It is very trying to one^s composure to hear grave mer- chants in their counting-houses, giving impor- tant orders to clerks and compradors in what sounds, until one gets accustomed to it, like the silliest of baby-talk. The term really means *^ business English'^; and certain it is that most Chinamen you meet understand it perfectly, though 3^ou might as well talk Greek as or- dinary English to them. * ' Take piecey missisy one piecey bag topside,'' seems quite difficult to understand as ^'Take the lady's bag up- stairs" would be; but it is easier to a China- man's intellect. There is a beautiful road all the way, run- ning between lovely gardens and beneath shady trees to Government House, a fine building, sit- uated on a high point of land, commanding ex- tensive views in every direction. After a pleasant chat we descended the hill again, and proceeded to the Hongkong hotel for tiffin. It does not seem a very desirable abode, being large, dirty, and ill kept. At one o'clock a bell rang, and the visitors all rushed in and 70 A TKIP TO THE OEIENT took their places at various little tables, and were served with a "scrambly" sort of meal by Chinese boys. After this, a carriage was sent for ns, and we drove to the race-course. This was the fourth and last day of the races, and there is to be a ball tonight to wind up with, to which everybody seems to be going. The drive was a very pleasant one, the road presenting a most animated appearance, with crowds of soldiers, sailors. Chinamen, Parsees, Jews, all hurrying along by the side of the numerous sedan-chairs and carriages. We were puzzled to imagine where, on this rocky, hilly island, there could possibly be found a piece of ground flat enough for a race-course. But the mystery was solved when we reached a lovely little valley, about two miles from the town, where we found a very fair course, indeed. The grand stand is a picturesque object, with its thatched roof, veranda, and sun-blinds. The interior, too, looks comfortably arranged, and certainly con- tains the most luxurious basket-chairs one could possibly desire. There are a lawn and a pad- dock attached, and very good temporary stables, over many of which are private stands and tiffin-rooms. Hongkong races are a great event, and people come down from Canton, Shanghai, Macao, and all sorts of places for them. Everybody knows .1' . ^ ^ ^p' iBI^^^^^^^HHk^'^'^ \ llMlaMMy^ ».^^^^^w^ WtcWI «|B*^ JSp^'fcr ^" ^ ^f^'-^gi^^wW^- ^'^^ft^'" p^p^^^^^jtg^^fw-^-s^^j^^^MjjH M|:Sitl| ^"^S^.M -'3| ^^fe^^s>f ^?£ ^I^^^Bm \^ — ^■^^^^|'':*» ;:):,*«» \^ \ S'^^ft* r^jii^^^Ks ^£lMii - R^K^ K^^^s '"°""""*'*""'t°^7"^ f^ ^ '~"~~^^^^^P ^J^HM m^h^r) r. 'j^ ^i|s»| Kc^ ■;,:,, LSPH^ ft:il?l Mi^i&sip^i II to $ -^ liif j^MJMjMBlBa^K ^^W^m -a |ii^^ -^ Si- J^F' «^9 a 3 ^K ^'^ ^^^^nj 8" ^ ^■?-^^^^H &il^EMp^'^^^a\ Sj£. < mffi^H I5S « 4> Sf .S^'^jifiifci £ E^*^^^W^^Mh ^■<*R^^^BF\/jf ,' ^^Hi 71 72 A TEIP TO THE OEIENT everybody, and it seems to be altogether a most pleasant social meeting. Many ladies were present. Some of the races were capital, the little Chinese ponies scuttling along at a great pace under their big riders, whose feet seemed almost to touch the ground. There was also a race for Australian horses. But the most amusing event of all was the last scramble for Chinese ponies ridden by Chinese boys, in which horses and riders seemed to be exactly suited to one another. A CHINESE DINNER Some of the dishes were excellent, but many of them were rather trying to a European di- gestion, especially the fungus and lichen. One sort had been grown on ice in the Antarctic Sea, the whale's sinews came from the Artie Ocean, the shark's fins from the South Sea Islands, and the birds' nests were of a quality to be found only in one particularly cave in one par- ticular island. To drink, they had champagne in English glasses, and arrack in Chinese glasses. The whole dinner was eaten with chop- sticks, though spoons were allowed for the soup. After dinner there were some good speeches, the chief host expressing his deep regret that their manners and customs did not permit them to ask ladies to speak. I append the bill of fare: A CHINESE DINNER 73 BILL OF FARE 4 courses of small bowls, one to each guest. Bird's nest soup Pigeon's Eggs Ice Fungus (said to grow in ice) Shark's Fins (chopped) 8 large bowls Stewed shark's fins Fine Shell Fish Mandarin Bird's Nest Canton Fish Maw Fish Brain Meat balls with rock Fungus Piegeons stewed with Wai Shan (a strengthening herb) Stewed Mushroom 4 dishes. Sliced Ham Fowls Roast Mutton Roast sucking Pig 1 large dish. Boiled Rock Fish 8 small bowls. Stewed pig's Palate Minced quails Stewed Fungus (Another description) Sinews of the Whale Fish Rolled Roast Fowl Sliced Teals Stewed Duck's Paw Peas Stewed 74 A TKIP TO THE ORIENT MORE ABOUT HONGKONG Who can describe Hongkong? It is nnlike any other spot on the globe, the only one that bears the least resemblance being parts of Genoa, Italy. It is shut in by rugged mountain peaks upon the sides of which the city rises abruptly on terrace above terrace to the peak, nineteen hundred feet above the sea. White stuccoed buildings surrounded by open-arched verandas, hang on the sides of the mountains. The architecture is Moorish, adapted to cli- matic conditions. The bungalows are ap- proached by narrow, winding, concrete paths, on which no horse or wheeled vehicles of any kind can be used. Sedan chairs and walking are the modes of locomotion through her stair- case streets, around her terraces, and through her arcades. The ascent of the Peak can be made on the funicular railway that lies on the side of the mountain at an angle of forty de- grees. When seated in the car and ascending begins we are puzzled to know whether we shall lie down or sit up until the top is reached. In- stinctively we hold on to the back of the seat in front to prevent falling backward and alight- ing on our head. The views of the bay and islands, jagged with volcanic mountains, as seen from the Peak, are most beautiful. Her mountain slopes are cov- HONGKONG 75 ered with pine trees interspersed with bare, rocky, precipices, besprinkled with granite boulders. During the rainy season ribbon-like cascades falling from the heights above add much to the beauty and grandeur of the land- scape. Many miles of concrete paths furnish ample entertainment for pedestrians for a month's r.tay; they wind around the mountains, and at every turn some new and enchanting picture of land and sea is presented. The elevated places are occupied by the homes of the better classes, clubs, hotels, and observatory, and the British fort commanding the harbor. Great Britain has spent millions of dollars on improving this, her smallest col- ony. Hongkong is a hub of the commercial world, and one of the great distributing cen- ters of trade and commerce, which, like spokes in a wheel, radiate in all directions on the globe. She is a free port of entry. There are no tariif searchings for tourists or tradesmen, and no questions asked, not even ''Have you ever been in prison, and have you thirty dollars in your pocket!" Victoria enjoys marvelous growth and prosperity, and these facts are well worthy of American consideration. In her harbor are anchored ships flying the flags of every country. Men-of-war of many nations make her moun- tains reverberate with their salutes. At night 76 A TKIP TO THE OEIENT electric lights reaching from the harbor to the Peak describe a perfect amphitheatre and min- gle with the stars above, making an enchant- ing picture. ^^ Happy Hollow/' her cemetery, is located in a valley shut in on three sides by overtower- ing peaks that magnify the silence, peace, and appropriations of the place by their dark shadows. This little colony is located on an island eleven miles long by two to five miles wide. Her population of three hundred thousand are Chinese, except about five thousand foreigners, mostly English. There are fair hotels that charge exorbitant prices for such entertain- ment as they offer. Her banking buildings are among the largest in the world, as banking in this import and export center is a paying busi- ness. The climate is semi-tropical, and at times she is much afflicted with bubonic plague, chol- era, and other epidemics. The British have secured from China a tract of land across the bay which formerly gave shelter to lawless hordes and made headquarters for pirates. Kowloon, as the place is known, is now reduced to an orderly and law-abiding community, though Chinese still. Sampans and junks ply in the bay between the two cities, but a record is kept by the vigilant police at the docks of all persons who take passage on either side HONGKONG 77 after dark and the boat man and woman is obliged to account for his or her patrons, lest the piratical spirit which still lingers in the breast of this water-clan robs and casts the victim overboard under cover of night. A large population lives on the water in junks, cascoes, and sampans. These people are so liable to become a disturbing element to the peace and good order of Victoria that they are required to quit the docks at night and skurry out on the water and remain there until day- light. Typhoons and storms make sad havoc at times, drowning hundreds before they can reach shore for protection. Women with babies strapped low on the small of their backs scull the boats and clamor for patronage quite as much as men, and perform the most menial service and live in the most degraded condi- tions imaginable. Nearly all the business of the city is done by Chinese in the narrow, crowded, fetid streets. These unspeakable filthy people huddle like rats into close quarters, and seem to abhor space. Their buildings are of solid brick, well constructed, and their streets are paved with granite or concrete; many of their busiest streets are merely staircases leading through arcades. The Chinese are much better builders than the Japanese. One of the pretty sights of Victoria is the flower market, which occupies the sides of one of these staircase 78 A TKIP TO THE OKIENT streets. The discipline and presence of Eng- lish soldiers make it possible for the small col- ony of foreigners to live in the city with its large Chinese population, every one of whom hates ' 'foreign devils,'^ the pet name they hurl at us, when we appear in their streets. It is a mercy that so few understand the Chinese language, for they would hear so many things said they would not endure Chinese insults without some practical protests. ^%>'C''-^ . r-"- -'.-''^?T";M-;^ Homelike Comfort Pervades Dining Room of Steamer Ecuador, One of Four Pacific Mail Liners THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS These Islands appear but as dots on our gen- eral maps, but they cover over a hundred thou- sand square miles of land with a population of over eight million people. The Philippine Islands were discovered in the Summer of 1521 by Magellan, a Portugese Mariner in the employ of Spain, whose fleet made the first voyage around the world. Ma- gellan himself was killed in the Islands. The Spaniards dishonored their Country by acts of cruelty and treachery. At first the islanders treated them with great kindness, but when they undertook to be robbers as well as masters, deadly hatred sprang up between the Natives and the Spaniards. Forty years after Magellan's discovery, Philip II, King of Spain, sent Legaspi to take possession and to convert the natives to Christianity. A number of the islands were reduced to subjection at several coast points and Legaspi named the group after King Philip. Various efforts were made by other nations to take the Islands away from the Spaniards. Portugal claimed that she owned them. China and Japan both claimed the Islands and the Chinese sent several expeditions. One Chinese 79 80 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT general had sixty-two armed vessels, four thou- sand men and fifteen hundred women, as he ex- pected to establish a colony, but he was de- feated, many were slain, many were driven into the mountains who settled on the island and married native women. They came down into the valleys and cultivated the soil and are now the leading gardeners. But the Spaniards hated and despised the Chinese and treated them badly. Card Room of S. S. Ecuador MANILA The Ecuador slowly passed up to Manila, so we had a good view of the Harbor, its dimeu sions and beauty. The Custom Officers came on board outside, so generally people are passed on and given permission to land soon after docking. Your first impression of Manila is a good one and one is not disappointed on get- ting further acquainted with it. There are several hotels, but only one modern American Hotel; needless to say, it is always full. This hotel does not have glass in the windows. The windows are made of fish scales prepared by some process. These do not grow hot as glass does, so it makes the rooms cooler. All hotels and houses are built to be thrown wide open so as to let in the air and cool off the place. Manila has two seasons, the dry and wet season. The best time for travelers is from December to May. Manila is the Capital of the Philippine Islands and lies at the mouth of the Pasig Elver. It is built on a low tract of land. There is not a hill of any kind within the town. Manila is called ^'The Pearl of the Orient. '' In the 16th Century it came under the control of the Mohammedan invaders. The City was finally occupied by the Spaniards and 81 82 MANILA 83 made their capital in 1571. About 1590 they erected fortifications around the Spanish set- tlement and that is the present Walled City. The first part of the 17th Century Manila had a University, hospitals, printing presses and other signs of civilized life. Manila as a Span- ish City came to an end in 1898. The Walled City is one mile long and one- half mile wide. It is surrounded by a battle- ment wall about two and one half miles in circuit. This is pierced with ^ve gates besides several gaps have been made for streets to run through. Within the Walled City are many beautiful churches, one built by the Jesuit Priests. The carvings are hand work, heavy and beautiful. It is said, most all the carv- ings were done by one brother. This was built in the 17th Century. The Filipinos are very picturesque in appearance. The men are, as a rule, small and slight. The younger genera- tion go to school and college and are developing \Yzl\. The w^omen dress in a most attractive way. Thin cloth (pineapple) waists, with large sleeves. The skirts are long, sometimes a "three-yard train. This they wrap around them when they walk in the streets. You never see it drag on the ground. Little girls wear the same style of dress as their mothers, which makes them look like little 84 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT old women; Filipino women are more modest in dress than other Malays ; their feet are san- daled or set on low clogs, usually without hose ; they are cleanly, and we wonder, when we see the humble huts in which they live, how they can appear so tidy and well dressed. They wash their linens by hand, in the smallest pos- sible quantity of water, use no soap and never boil them, yet the clothes they hang out look white and clean. Like most Orientals, they sub- sist largely on rice, fish, and native fruits. I had the opportunity to see thou?^ands of natives assembled on two occasions; they were well dressed and well mannered. Filipinos are by far the superior race of the Malays. An un- prejudiced person must recognize much that is interesting and attractive in the Filipinos as they are seen in Manila. The use of the cigar- ette is universal; men, w^omen, and children smoke. Large quantities of hemp are exported. The chief industry of Manila is cigarette and cigar making. It is claimed that they turn out fifty million cigarettes per day in Manila alone, and a large share of this production is con- sumed at home or on the island. Women carry their babies astride of the right hip, holding them in place by passing the arm around their little naked bodies. There are many Roman Catholic Churches MANILA 85 in Manila ; some have been imposing structures, in their best days, but many are now in a state of neglect and decay. The Protestant Churches are few and inferior. There are some fine schools, largety attended under the direc- tion of the Catholic Church. The American free Schools are the bright particular spots in Manila, and do American occupation much credit and honor. Here and there are large open structures with thatched roofs held up by long poles ; these are the cock- pits — cock-fighting being the leading amuse- ment of the natives. The better class of Fili- pinos patronize the theater. 1 saw a play writ- ten by a Filipino and presented by Filipinos. The large auditorium of the National Theater, which is much like the great rink buildings at home, was packed on Sunday night, fully one thousand being present. The women were in evening dress; the kamisa being red, set off a white dress or bits of red, or a flower taste- fully disposed gave a touch of color. Men came with wives and children, and all conducted them- selves with much decorum. Smoking was not allowed, even between acts. A full string band furnished excellent music. The Filipinos are natural musicians, and interpret with much taste and feeling. The stage scenery was ap- propriate and artistic and as well managed as 86 A TEIP TO THE OKIENT any like play in our own country. The acting was most excellent, women taking an equal part with men ; there was no lack of energy or rapid movement, enunciation was clear and distinct; while I could not understand a word that was spoken, I followed the play throughout with complete understanding with the aid of a trans- lation: the dress of the actresses was modest, and the scenery artistic and appropriate. Many Filipinos are finely educated, have handsome, well furnished homes, are patrons of music, art and literature. The women are agreeable, cultured and well treated by their husbands. Many of their homes have suffered loss of works of art and furnishings from loot- ing. Many able men are holding positions of honor and trust under the government which they serve with credit and ability. These things prove the worthiness of the people to be eventually given self-government under American protection from outside interference. Manila is an old Spanish city that has a gen- erally dilapidated appearance, though it has improved materially since American occupa- tion. The streets are crooked, the buildings mostly two low stories which paint and cleanli- ness would improve. Chinese shops and smells abound, for there is a large Chinese population. Most of the city lies lower than the river and MANILA 87 underground drainage is impossible. The Jami- etta, a drive along the sea walls outside of the walled town, is a very attractive feature. It leads to a park where a band plays fuie music during afternoons and evenings, when the peo- ple gather in great numbers with a brilliant display of dress and turnouts. Native thatched huts, set up on poles about five feet high, and bunched together in banana and palm tree groves, make up a large part of the city. Amer- icans live in the suburbs, in houses formerly occupied by the better class of Spaniards, who are now drawing large rents from Uncle Sam's servants of imperialism. STREET SCENES American men dress in white duck, white caps and shoes, and ride about in caromattis drawn by small, shaggy-maned native ponies. With their Filipino drivers and footmen the Amer- ican sitting back smoking his cigarette, taking his ease, is a striking figure. Many of these men were in positions little better than their Fili- pino mustacheoes when at home, and the man- ner in which they adjust themselves to these new conditions shows the wonderful adaj^ta- bility of Americans to circumstances, even im- p(jrial manners. The American women are charming, in their light, airy garments, as they 88 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT go forth bare-headed, as is customary in this climate. Filipino men dress in European stylo as a rule, and in their white garments their slight and tidy forms arej not unattractive. They are as cleanly and gentlemanly in appear- ance on the streets and in public gatherings as are the Americans. Filipino women have a dress peculiar to the country, one not seen else- where. It consists of a gored skirt that reaches to the ground; over this they draw a sarong, usually of black material, and wear a waist called the kamisa, made of stiff housi, woven from the tiber of the banana leaf ; it is cut low in the neck, with straight flowing sleeves gath- ered full and high on the shoulders; a square handkerchief folded over the shoulders, and made of the same material, gives a pretty and artistic effect. Their ample coal-black hair is neatly combed back from the forehead and fastened in a coil on the back of the head, without distasteful attempts at on-ameiitation by bright pins or cheap jewelry, so much af- fected by other women of the Orient. Manila has fine water works. McKinley Camp is an attractive place. The city has mod- ern hospitals and schools. The prison is a very fine building and kept in a very clean and sanitary manner. The prisoners make furni- ture and other articles for sale. THE NORTHWEST COAST OF LUZON The Northwest Coast of Luzon is so far but httle known by the average traveler, and yet it offers a series of tours, short and long, which are very interesting. It is now possible to travel by automobile from Baguio to Bangui, the northernmost town on the northwest coast of Luzon, a distance of 208 miles. The road follows the sea coast practically the whole way and, except for a stretch of ten miles before the town of Tagudin, good traveling will be experi- enced throughout. Several sections of the road are wonderfully like the Petite Corniche on the French Riviera, and the road over the moun- tain from Bacarra to Bangui is as fascinating as the Benguet and Naguilian Roads. Consid- erable interest is added to the journey by the numerous ruins of huge Spanish churches and convents, and the old Spanish forts scattered along the coast. For those who wish for something strange, something new and something different from the usual tourist routes, a trip over the trails into the innermost heart of the mountains can be well recommended. It is true it is necessary to forego the luxuries and some of the con- veniences and comforts of our nicely ordered 89 90 MANILA 91 modern life, but the experience and pleasure gained amply justify these sacrifices. The main trail is fairly wide and of good grade. It follows along the upper heights of the main central mountain range of Luzon, in places reaching an elevation of 8,000 feet and passing from side to side of the mountain ridge. The trails are maintained by the Government and at present are the only means of communi- cation available to the officials, missionaries and teachers who are engaged in the administra- tion and development of the Mountain Province and the education and conversion to Christi- anity of the so-called wild tribes. The American Government has brought about a most wonderful change in the development of the country and the respect of life and property by the inhabitants. Formerly the natives recog- nized no laws or government save only the word of the old men of their villages; they wor- shipped the elements, life was of no conse- quence, while murder was a pastime, and super- stition held full sway. With some of the tribes, before the young men could obtain a wife, they had to present the bride-to-be with a human head. Now, however, they have been weaned from their bloodthirsty habits, and it can be said without any exaggeration that they are as law- abiding as any of their more civilized white 92 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT brothers. They are being educated on practical lines : the boys are taught trades and farming, the girls, household industries, weaving, etc. ; and English is becoming the common language. The maintenance of peace and order is en- entrusted to the police and the Constabulary, the rank and file of whom are recruited from the people, who have a high respect for these services, and consider it an honor to belong to them. The scenery is of continual grandeur, con- stantly changing ; rugged and stern, resplendent with waterfalls, natural grottoes, giant pines, sylvan glades; and wild orchids, flowers, won- derful tree ferns, vines and creepers abound. The trail, which ascends to a height of 8,000 feet, creeps up and down the sides of the moun- tains, following the ridges, giving views into the valleys on both sides and of the mountain tops into the distance, through pine and oak forests ; and down into the gorges with the huge mountain sides towering to the skies above. A stranger could travel alone over the trails and not experience any difficulty, although for the sake of companionship it is advisable to travel in parties of two or more. BAGUIO About 160 miles to the north of Manila, nestling high up among the Benguet Mountains, is Baguio, the mountain capital of the Phil- ippine Islands, a garden city that has, in less than ten years, progressed from a native village of rude huts to a highly developed mountain station and health resort. Baguio ranges in elevation from 4,500 to over 5,500 feet and is surrounded practically on all sides by high mountains and connecting ridges towering into the skies to almost 8,000 feet. It requires but a short glance at the history of Baguio to be convinced of its progress. The rapidity with which it has grown is truly amazing. The Gity of Baguio, as we see it today, may be said to owe its origin to a chance meeting of Mr. Dean C. Worcester and a Spaniard, Sehor Sanchez, in the year 1892. This was six years prior to the American occupation of tho Philippines, and during a visit of Mr. Wor- cester's, in the interest of science. In the course of conversation, Senor Sanchez stated that in the highlands of Northern Luzon, at an elevation of about 5,000 feet, there was a '■region of pines and oaks, blessed mth a per- petual temperate climate and even with occa- 93 94 A TRIP TO THE ORIENT sional frosts/' Seven years later, or shortly after the American occupation of thoi Phil- ippines, Bagnio was suggested as a possible mountain health resort where one could re- cuperate; and as a result there was unearthed, in the Spanish archives, a detailed report on Bagnio and district made by a committee of three distinguished and competent Spanish officers. In 1910, a real boom began; the old sana- torium was leased for hotel purposes, a second hotel was built and a regular automobile serv- ice was established for the conveyance of the public between Camp One and Bagnio. From that time Bagnio has continued to develop. There is a modern, up-to-date hos- pital, an automobile fire brigade, electric light plant, a water and sewer system, telegraphic communication with the world and a telephone system connecting all parts of Bagnio. This telephone system also connects with the low- lands, and with all the mountain resthouses 200 km. north. Many fine buildings have been erected, including a city hall, a market, an auto- mobile station and a garage, library, theatre, an observatory and a weather bureau. Two good schools provide educational facilities for Amer- ican boys and girls. The athletic fields, tennis courts and baseball diamonds, and a race course offer every facility for sport and exercise. BAGUIO 95 Words really fail to convey an accurate con- ception of what Baguio is like. Thirty miles of broad, well-surfaced roads vniid along its pine-covered hills and afford beautiful glimpses of the luxuriant vegetation. The scenery is, everywhere, beautiful and in many sections truly magnificent. Smoothly rolling hills en- close valleys mth sides sometimes steep and precipitous and sometimes gently sloping. The country is watered by numerous small streams bordered by magnificent tree ferns, while the hillsides of Baguio and the surrounding moun- tains abound in noble pines, the delightful fra- grance of which is ever present. During the rainy season the hills are covered with ferns and orchids, and exquisite white lilies dot the whole countryside. The refreshingly cool climate of Baguio makes active outdoor exercise enjoyable and ensures the speedy restoration to health and vigor of persons suffering the ill-eifects of tropical heat. Open fires are comfortable morn- ing and evening throughout the year. Roses, violets, azaleas, etc., grow wild, and in the many beautiful cultivated gardens will be found all of the flowers known to temperate climates. In Trinidad Valley, close by, cab- bages and coffee, bananas and potatoes will be seen flourishing in one field. 0mj20 932