I return to Jala-Jala--An Excursion on the Lake--Relempago's
Narrative--Re-organisation of my Government--A Letter from
my Brother Henry--His Arrival--He joins me in the Management
of my Plantations--Cajoui, the Bandit: Anten-Anten--Indian
Superstition--A Combat with the Bandit--His Death--A Piratical
Descent--My Lieutenant is Wounded--I extract the Ball, and
cure him.
My prolonged absence from home caused great uneasiness. Very
fortunately my wife remained at Manilla, and was totally ignorant of
the journey I had recently undertaken.
My patient had not exactly followed the prescribed regimen, so that
his distemper had increased, and he was impatiently expecting to
return and die, he said, in his house: his wishes were complied
with. A few days after my arrival we set out and arrived the next
day at Manilla, where my poor friend rendered his last sigh in the
middle of his family. This event damped, of course, the pleasure I
should have enjoyed in beholding my wife once more.
A few days after the demise of our friend we embarked, and set sail
for Jala-Jala.
We glided most agreeably upon the lake until we left the strait
of Quinanbutasan, but, once there, we met with so violent an east
wind, and the water of the lake was so ruffled, that we were obliged
to re-enter the strait, and cast anchor near the cabin of the old
fisherman, Relempago, whom I have already noticed.
Our sailors landed to prepare their supper; as for ourselves, we
remained in our boat, where we stretched ourselves at our ease, the
old fisherman, as he sat doubled up in the Indian fashion, amusing
us in the best way he could by the narration of brigand stories.
I interrupted him all on a sudden, saying to him:
"Relempago, I should prefer hearing the history of your own personal
adventures; do, therefore, relate your misfortunes to us."
The old fisherman heaved a sigh, and then, unwilling to disoblige me,
began his story in the poetical terms so familiar to the Tagal tongue,
and which it is almost impossible to reproduce by a translation:
"Lagune is not my native place," said he; "I was born in the
island of Zébou, and was at the age of twenty what is called a
fine young man; but, pray believe me, I was by no means proud of my
physical advantages, and I preferred being the first fisherman of my
village. Nevertheless, my comrades were jealous of me, and all that
because the young girls would look at me with a certain complaisant
air, and seemed to find me to their liking."
I could not but smile at this frank avowal of the old man, which he
perceiving, continued:
"I tell you these things, sir," replied he, "because at my age
one can speak of them without fearing to appear ridiculous--it is
so long ago. And besides, allow me to inform you that I relate to
you such things, not from vanity--Oh, no! but merely to furnish you
with an exact recital. Besides, the sly and roguish looks that young
girls threw at me, as I passed through the village, flattered me in
no manner. I was in love with Theresa, sir; yes, I was passionately
in love with her, and my love was returned, for fondly did she love
me; a look from any other but from her was totally indifferent to
me. Ah! Theresa was the prettiest lass in the village! but, poor
soul! she has done like myself--she has greatly altered; for years
are an enormous weight, which bends and breaks you down in spite of
yourself, and against which there is no way of struggling.
"When, seated as I am at present, I bethink me of the fine by-gone days
of my youth--of the strength, the courage, that we used to find in our
mutual affection--Oh! I shed tears of regret and sensibility. Where
are now those fine--those happy days? Gone, gone, gone! they have
fled before the piercing and terrible winds that forerun the storms
and the hurricanes. Like the day, life has its dawn; like the day,
also, it has its decline!"
Here the poor old fisherman made a pause, and I was loth to interrupt
him in his meditation. There then ensued a profound silence, that
lasted several minutes. Suddenly Relempago seemed to start from a
dream, and passing his hand over his forehead, looked at us for some
time, as if to excuse himself for those few moments of mental absence,
and then he continued as follows:
"We had been brought up together," said he, "and had been affianced as
soon as we had grown up. Theresa would have died rather than belong to
any other, and, as I shall hereafter prove it, I would have accepted
any condition, even the most unfavourable one, rather than abandon the
friend of my heart. Alas! it is almost always with our tears that we
trace our painful way through life. Theresa's relations were opposed
to our union; they even put forward vain and frivolous pretexts;
and whatever efforts I made to bring them to decide upon bestowing
her affianced hand on me, I never could succeed. And yet they well
knew that, like the palm trees, we could not live without each other,
and were we to be separated, it would be condemning us to die. But our
tears, our prayers, our griefs, were only heard by senseless people,
and we were labouring under the most poignant grief, while no one would
understand or sympathise with our sorrow. I was beginning to lose all
courage, when one morning there came into my mind the pious thought
of offering to the Infant Jesus, in the church of Zébou, the first
pearl I should fish up. I therefore repaired earlier than usual to
the sea-shore, implored the Almighty to grant me his protection, and
to have me married to my beloved Theresa. The sun was just beginning
to dart his burning rays upon the earth, and was gilding the surface
of the waters. Nature was awaking from her transitory sleep, and
every living being or object was singing in its language a hymn to
the Creator.
"With a beating heart I began diving to the bottom of the sea, in
search of the pearl which I so ardently wished for, but my searches
and struggles were completely fruitless at first. Had anyone been
near me at that moment he would have easily read my disappointment
in my face. Nevertheless, my courage failed me not. I began again,
but with no better success. 'Oh, Lord!' cried I, 'thou hearest not
then my prayers, my supplications! Thou wilt not then accept for thy
beloved son the offering that I destine for him.' [14] For the sixth
time I plunged, and brought up from the bottom of the sea two enormous
oysters. Oh! how my heart leaped with joy! I opened one of them, and
found it contained a pearl so large that never in my life had I seen
one like it. My joy was so great that I set to dancing in my pirogue,
as if I had lost my reason. The Lord, then, did vouchsafe to protect
me, since He enabled me to accomplish my vow. With a joyful heart I
retraced my steps to my dwelling, and, not wishing to fail in my word,
I took my magnificent pearl to the curate of Zébou.
"The reverend father," continued the old fisherman, "was delighted with
my present. That pearl was worth 5,000 piasters (or 25,000 francs,
i.e., £1,000 English money), and you must have admired it--you, as
well as all other persons who attend the church--for the Infant Jesus
always holds it in his hand. The curate thanked and congratulated me
on my very good idea.
"'Go home in peace, brother,' said he to me; 'go home in peace. Heaven
will not forget thy meritorious action--yea, the disinterestedness of
thy good work, and sooner or later thy desires will he hearkened to.'"
"I left the holy man with my heart joyful indeed, and I hastened to
inform Theresa of the pastor's consoling words: we rejoiced like two
children together. Ah! true indeed it is to say that youth has been
endowed by the Almighty with every privilege, particularly with that
of hope. At the age of twenty if the heart think that it may live
in hope, away with all cares immediately; and, as the morning breeze
sips up the drops of moisture that have been left by the storm in the
chalice of flowers, so does hope dry up the tears that moisten the eyes
of the young, and drive away the sighs that inflate and oppress the
breast. So sure were we that our tribulations would ere long be over,
that we no longer thought of our by gone sorrow! In the spring-time
of life grief leaves do more trace after it than the nimble foot of
the wily Indian on the strand, when the sea-wind has blown over it.
"The inhabitants of the village, seeing us so joyful, so purely happy,
were envious of our lot, and Theresa's relations could no longer
find any pretext for opposing our being united. We were now in full
sight of connubial bliss; our boat of life was gently rocked by a
very mild wind; we were singing the return-home hymn, not supposing,
alas! that we were going to be dashed against a breaker! Our young
Indians foresee not in the morning the storm that is to assail them
in the evening. The buffalo cannot avoid the lasso, and most often,
in order to avoid it, he anticipates the danger. I roved about, I may
say heedlessly thoughtless of the precipice before my feet. Misfortune
marked me for her own when I least expected it.
"One evening, on my return from fishing, at the moment when I was
repairing to Theresa's, there to repose myself after my fatigues of
the day, I saw one of my neighbours advancing towards me. That man
had always shown me the greatest affection, so that on seeing him
thus advance, my limbs began to tremble, and the pulsations of my
heart gradually ceased. His face was pale, and entirely altered. His
haggard eyes threw forth flashes of terror, and his voice was trembling
and agitated.
"'Los Moros [15] have made a descent upon the coast,' said he to me.
"'Good Heavens!' exclaimed I, covering my face with my hands.
"'They surprised some persons of the village, and carried them off
prisoners.'
"'And Theresa?' exclaimed I.
"'Carried off with the others,' he replied.
"I heard no more of this revelation, and for some minutes--like the
warrior pierced to the heart by a poisoned arrow--was completely
deprived of all consciousness.
"When I came back to myself tears flooded my face, and brought me some
relief: but suddenly I resumed my courage, and felt that no time was
to be lost. I ran to the shore where I had left my pirogue, which
I unfastened, and, as quickly as oars could pull me, I pursued the
Malays, not in the hope of wresting Theresa from them, but resolved
upon partaking of her captivity and misfortune. We better endure the
sufferings we have to undergo when we are two together than when we
are alone. He who had brought me the fatal tidings saw me start, and
thought I had lost my senses; the fact is, my countenance bore all the
traces of mental alienation. Methought I was inspired by the grand
master-spirit; my pirogue bounded along the troubled waters of the
ocean as if it possessed wings. One would have said that I had twenty
rowers at my disposal, and I cleft the waves with the same rapidity
as the halcyon's flight, when wafted away by the hurricane. After
a short time's laborious and painful rowing I at last came in view
of the corsairs who were carrying away my treasure. At the sight my
strength was renewed again, and I was soon up with them. When I was
side by side with them I informed them, in words the most feeling,
and which sprang from my poor lacerated heart, that Theresa was my
wife, and that I would prefer being a slave with her to abandoning
her. The pirates listened to my voice, stifled by my tears, and took
me on board, not from commiseration, but from cruelty. In fact, I was
a slave more added to their numbers: why should they have repulsed
me? A few days after that fatal evening we arrived at Jolo. There the
division of the slaves was made, and the master into whose hands we
fell took us away with him. Was it, then, to undergo a like destiny
that I had dived so early in the morning for a pearl for the Infant
Jesus of Zébou? Yes, was it for this that I had made a vow to bring
him the first pearl I should find? Notwithstanding my profound sorrow
I murmured not, neither did I regret my offering. The Lord was the
master! His will should be done."
Here Relempago paused, and looked towards Heaven with a smile of
angelic resignation, and we then remarked upon his face the furrows
traced by the deep sorrows of his life. The wind was still blowing
with violence, and our boat was dancing on the waves; our sailors had
finished their repast, and, in order to listen to the fisherman's
tale of woe, had taken up their place by his side. Their features
wore an expression of the most innocent attention; so, having made
a sign to the narrator, he resumed his story as follows:--
"Our captivity lasted two years, during which time we had to endure
very great sufferings. Very often would my master take me away with
him to a lake in the interior of the island, and these absences
lasted for whole months together, during which time I was perforce
separated from my Theresa, my dear wife; for, not having been able
to get united by a clergyman, we had joined ourselves, under the
all-benevolent and protecting eye of the Almighty! On my return,
I used to find my poor companion still the same good, faithful,
devoted, and affectionate friend, whose courage sustained my own.
"One circumstance decided me upon taking an audacious
resolution. Theresa was in an interesting situation! Oh! what would
not my joy have been had I been at Zébou, in the midst of our family
and of our friends! What happiness should I not have felt at the idea
of being a father! Alas! in slavery, that very same thought froze my
blood with terror, and I firmly resolved upon snatching both mother
and child from the tortures of captivity. In one of our excursions
I had been wounded in the leg, and this wound came greatly to my
aid. One day my master set out for the borders of the grand lake, and,
knowing I had a bad leg, left me at Jolo. I availed myself of this
opportunity to put into execution a project that I had formed for a
long time, that of flying with Theresa. The task was a daring one,
but the desire of freedom doubles one's strength and increases one's
courage, so I did not hesitate for a moment. When night had lowered,
my dear Theresa took a road I had pointed out to her; I went by another
one, and we both arrived at the sea-shore at a short distance from
each other. There we jumped into a pirogue, and threw ourselves upon
the protection of Divine mercy!
"We rowed vigorously the whole night, and never in my life shall
I forget that mysterious flight. The wind blew rather violently,
the night was dark, and the stars insensibly lost their vivid
brightness. Every moment we thought we heard behind us the noise of our
pursuers, and our hearts beat so loud and so violently that they could
be heard in the midst of the silence that reigned around all nature.
"Day at last appeared: we descried by degrees, in the mist of the
morning, the rocks that lined the shore, and we could see far enough
in the distance that no one was pursuing us. Then were our hearts
filled with cheering hope, and we continued rowing towards the north,
in order to land on some Christian isle.
"I had taken with me some cocoa-nuts, but they were a very small
resource, and we had been at sea three whole days without eating
anything, when, exhausted by fatigue and want, we fell upon our knees
and invoked the pity, compassion, and succour of the Infant Jesus of
Zébou. Our prayer over, we felt our strength completely exhausted;
the oars fell from our hands, and we lay down in the bottom of the
pirogue, decided upon dying in each other's arms.
"Our weakness gradually increased, and finally we swooned away,
the pirogue all the while dashing heedlessly on with the waves.
"When we recovered from our fainting fit--I know not how long it
lasted--we found ourselves surrounded by Christians, who, having
perceived us in our light skiff, had come to our aid, conveyed us
to their hospitable dwelling, and took the most pious care of us. We
had not long been disembarked when Theresa was taken with the pains
of labour, and was confined of a very diminutive, sickly child. I
went down on my knees before the innocent little creature that had
so miraculously escaped from slavery, and prayed for it--it was a boy!"
Here the poor old fisherman heaved a heavy sigh, while tears were
fast falling upon his shrunken hands.
We one and all respected this painful recollection of the poor old man.
"Our convalescence was very long indeed," said Relempago; "at last our
health was sufficiently restored to permit of us leaving the isle of
Negros, where the Infant Jesus had so miraculously caused us to land,
and we came to settle here, on the side of this large lake, which,
being situated in the interior of the isle of Luçon, afforded me the
means of pursuing my avocation of fisherman without in any way fearing
the Malays, who might very easily have captured us again at Zébou.
"My first care--yes, the dearest act of my life--on arriving, was to
have our marriage celebrated in the church of Moron. I had promised it
to God, and I would not fail in the promise I had made Him who reads
all hearts. After that I built the little cottage you see hard-by,
and my existence glided on most peacefully. The fishing trade went
on prosperously. I was still a young man, active and intelligent,
and sold my fish very easily to the vessels passing through the
strait. My son had by this time become a fine young man."
"Of course he resembled his father," said I, recollecting the beginning
of the old man's tale, but my remark could not excite a smile upon
his countenance.
"Oh! the lad was a good fisherman," continued he, "and happily did we
all three live together, till a dreadful misfortune befell us. The
Infant Jesus had no doubt forsaken us, or perhaps the Almighty was
displeased with us; but I am far from murmuring. He has visited us
most severely, since He has overwhelmed us with grief of such a strong
nature, that it must accompany us to our last resting-place!"
And here the poor old man's tears trickled down his weather-beaten
cheeks once more, in abundance, in bitterness, and in sorrow.
Ah! how right was the Italian poet, when he said:--
"Nought lasteth here below but tears!"
The voice of Relempago was stifled by his sobbing; however, he made
one more effort, and continued thus:
"One night--a fine moonlight night--we set our nets in a certain part
of the strait, and as we felt some difficulty in drawing them up,
the lad plunged into the water to ascertain what obstacle we had to
contend with, and to set all to rights. I was in my pirogue, leaning
over the side, waiting for his return, when all of a sudden I thought
I saw, through the silvery beams of the lamp of night, a large spot
of blood spreading itself over the surface of the water. Fear took
possession of me, and I quickly hauled up my nets. My hapless child
had seized upon and become entangled in them--but, alas! when he came
to the surface he was a corpse!"
"What! your son?" cried I.
"My poor dear José-Maria," said he, "had his head bitten off by a
cayman that had got entangled in our nets. Ever since that night--that
fatal night!--Theresa and I offer up our prayers to the Omnipotent,
imploring Him to take us to himself; for, alas! nothing now has
any charms for us here below. The first of us that will depart for
that bourn from whence no traveller returns will be interred by the
survivor beside our beloved child--there, under that little hillock
yonder, which is surmounted by a wooden cross, in front of my humble
cottage; and the last of us two to leave this valley of tears will no
doubt meet with some charitable Christian hand, to place our mortal
remains beside the bodies of those we loved so tenderly during our
hapless pilgrimage here below."
Here Relempago ceased his painful history, and, that he might give a
free course to his grief and tears, he rose up, and bowed us his adieu,
which we returned to him with hearts oppressed with sympathetic sorrow.
The wind had ceased blowing, and the attentive sailors were awaiting
our orders, so that in a few moments afterwards we were sailing
towards Jala-Jala, where we landed before sunset.
On the morrow of my arrival I entered on the business of my little
government, to which my absence had been far from useful or favourable,
so that I was obliged to suppress many abuses that had crept into it
while I had been away. Some slight corrections, joined to an active
and incessant surveillance, or inspection, soon established once more
the most perfect order and discipline; so that, from that moment, I
was at liberty to devote all my time and attention to the cultivation
of my lands.
We were now at the beginning of the winter--the rainy and windy
season. No stranger had dared crossing the lake, to come and visit us,
so that, alone with my dear wife, our days glided most happily and
tranquilly away, for we knew not what ennui was or meant: our mutual
affection was so great that our own presence was sufficient company
for each other.
This delightful solitude was soon interrupted by a fortunate and
unforeseen event. A letter from Manilla--a very rare circumstance at
Jala-Jala--reached me, informing me that my eldest brother, Henry,
had just arrived there; that he had put up at my brother-in-law's;
and that he was expecting me with all imaginable impatience. I was
not aware that he had left France to come and see me, so that such
news, and his sudden, as well as unexpected, arrival, surprised and
overjoyed me.
I was once more to see one of my dearest relations--a brother whom I
had always tenderly loved. Ah! he who has never quitted his home, his
family, and his early attachments, will with difficulty understand the
emotions I experienced on receiving this agreeable letter. When the
first transports of my joy were somewhat allayed, I resolved to set
out at once for Manilla. Preparations for my departure were speedily
made. I chose my lightest canoe, and my two strongest Indians, and a
few minutes after, having embraced my beloved Anna, I was scudding
over the waters of the lake, slowly--too slowly for my impatience,
as I wished to be able to give wings to my fragile skiff, and to
traverse the distance that separated me from my brother as rapidly as
my thoughts: no journey ever appeared to me so long, and nevertheless
my two robust rowers exerted all their strength to favour my wishes. At
length I arrived, and immediately hastened to my brother-in-law's,
and there I threw myself into Henry's arms. Our emotions were such
that for some time we could not speak; the abundant tears we shed
alone showed the joy of our hearts. When the first transport was
over, I asked him questions beyond number. Not one member of my
family was forgotten; the smallest details concerning these beloved
beings were to me of the greatest interest. We passed the remainder
of the day and the following night in incessant and interesting
conversation. The next day we started for Jala-Jala. Henry was eager
to become acquainted with his sister-in-law, and I to make the dear
companion of my life a sharer in my happiness. Excellent Anna! my joy
was joy for you--my happiness was your delight! You received Henry
as a brother, and this sisterly attachment was always, on your part,
as sincere as your affection for me had ever been.
After a few days spent in the most agreeable conversation about
France, and about all those beloved friends who remained there,
feelings of sadness that I could with difficulty repress became
intermingled with my joy. I thought of our numerous family, so far
distant, and so scattered over the globe. My youngest brother was,
to my great regret, dead at Madagascar. My second brother, Robert,
resided at Porto-Rico; and my two brothers-in-law, both captains of
vessels, engaged in long voyages, were gone to the Indies. My poor
mother and my poor sisters were alone, without protectors, without
support: what sad moments of fear and anxiety you must have spent in
your solitude! Ah! how I should have rejoiced to have you near me; but,
alas! a whole world separated us, and the hope of seeing you again
one day could alone scatter the clouds that darkened occasionally
the happy days adorned by the presence of my brother.
After some time of rest, Henry asked to join me in my labours. I then
made him acquainted with my mode of cultivation, and he took upon
himself the management of the plantations and of their products. I
reserved to myself the regulation of my Indians, the charge of the
flocks, and that of putting down the bandits.
I had frequent quarrels, and even incessant conflicts, with these
turbulent Indians; but I never boasted of these petty engagements, in
which I was often obliged to take a most active part. On the contrary,
I recommended strict silence to my attendants, for I did not wish to
cause anxiety to my excellent Anna, nor to give my brother the desire
of accompanying me. I did not like to expose him to the dangers I
ran myself, as I had not equal hopes of safety for him. I relied
upon my star, and really, to a certain degree, all modesty aside,
I think that the bandits' balls respected me. When I was engaged in
contests in the plain, or in some of the skirmishes, the danger was
not great; but it was quite a different thing when it was necessary
to fight hand to hand, which happened more than once; and I cannot
forbear the pleasure of relating one of those circumstances that made
me say just now the bandits' balls respected me.
One day I was alone with my lieutenant, having both of us only our
daggers, and we were coming back to our habitation, and passing through
a thick forest, situated at the end of the lake. Alila said to me:
"Master, this neighbourhood is much frequented by Cajoui." Cajoui
was known as the chief of a most daring gang of brigands. Among
his numerous atrocities he had amused himself, on that very day, by
drowning twenty of his fellow-countrymen. I then determined to free
the country of the odious assassin, and the advice of my lieutenant
induced me to take a narrow path, that led us to a hut concealed in
the midst of the woods. I told Alila to remain below, and to watch,
while I went to endeavour to reconnoitre the persons who inhabited
it. I went up by the small ladder that leads to the interior of the
Tagalese huts; a young Indian woman was there, quite alone, and very
busy plaiting a mat. I asked her for some fire to light my cigar, and
returned to my lieutenant. Having accidentally cast my eyes upon the
exterior of the hut, it appeared much larger than it did inside. I
ran up again quickly, and looked all round the place in which the
young girl was, and observed at the extremity of it a small door,
covered over by a mat. I gave it a strong push, and at the moment,
Cajoui, who, with his carbine on cock, was waiting for me behind the
door, fired straight at me. The fire and the smoke blinded me, and
by a most inconceivable chance the ball slightly grazed my clothes
without wounding me. Alila, knowing I had no fire-arms, hearing the
report, thought I was killed. He ran up to the top of the steps, and
found me enveloped in a cloud of smoke, with my dagger in my hand,
trying to find my enemy, who seeing me still standing erect, after he
had shot at me, thought, no doubt, I had about me some anten-anten--a
certain diabolic incantation that, according to the Indian belief,
makes a man invulnerable to all sorts of fire-arms. The bandit was
frightened, jumped out of a window, and ran away as fast as he could
across the forest.
Alila could not believe what had happened to me; he felt all over
my body, in order to convince himself that the ball had not passed
through me. When he was quite sure that I had not received a wound,
he said to me:
"Master, if you had not had the anten-anten about you you would have
been killed."
My Indians always believed I was possessed of this secret, as well
as of many others. For instance, when they often saw me go for
twenty-four, even for thirty-six hours, without eating or drinking,
they became persuaded that I could live in that manner for an
indefinite period; and one day, a good Tagalese padre, in whose
house I chanced to be, almost went upon his knees while begging me
to communicate to him the power I possessed, as he said, to live
without food.
The Tagals have retained all their old superstitions. However, thanks
to the Spaniards, they are all Christians; but they understand that
religion nearly in the way that children do. They believe that to
attend on Sundays and festival days at the Divine offices, and to go
to confession and to communion once a year, is sufficient for the
remission of all their sins. A little anecdote that occurred to me
will show how far they understand evangelical charity.
One day two young Indians stole some poultry from one of their
neighbours, and they came to sell them to my major-domo for about
sixpence. I had them called before me, to administer a lecture, and
to punish them. With the utmost simplicity they made me this answer:
"It is true, master, we have done wrong, but we could not do otherwise;
we are to go to communion to-morrow, and we had not money enough to
get a cup of chocolate."
It is a custom with them to take a cup of chocolate after communion,
and it was considered by them a greater sin to miss taking that than
to commit the trifling theft of which they were guilty.
Two evil-doing demons play an important part among them, and in which
all believed before the conquest of the Philippine islands. One
of those malevolent demons is the Tic-balan which I have already
mentioned, who dwells in the forests, in the interior of the large
fig-trees. This demon can do every possible harm to anyone who dares
not to respect him, or who does not carry certain herbs about his
person; every time an Indian passes under one of these fig-trees
he makes a movement towards it with his hand, saying: "Tavit-po,"
Tagal words, signifying: "Lord! with your permission!" The lord of
the place is the Tic-balan.
The other demon is called Azuan. She presides especially over
parturitions in an evil manner, and an Indian is often seen, when his
wife is in labour, perched upon the roof of his hut, with a sabre in
his hand, thrusting the point into the air, and striking on all sides
with the edge, to drive away, as he says, the Azuan. Sometimes he
continues this manoeuvring for hours, until the labour is over. One
of their beliefs--and one that Europeans might envy--is, that when
a child that has not reached the age of reason dies, it is happy for
all the family, since it is an angel that has gone to heaven, to be
the protector of all its relations. The day of the interment is a
grand fête-day; relations and friends are invited; they drink, they
dance, and they sing all night in the hut where the child died. But I
perceive that the superstitions of the Indians are drawing me from my
subject. I shall have occasion, further on, to describe the manners
and customs of these singular people.
I now resume my statement, at the moment when my lieutenant tried to
assure me that I had some anten-anten, and that consequently I could
not be wounded by a shot fired at me.
He then addressed the young girl, who had remained in the corner,
more dead than alive.
"Ah! cursed creature!" said he to her; "you are Cajoui's mistress:
now your turn is come!"
At this moment he advanced towards her with his dagger in his hand. I
ran between him and the poor girl, for I knew he was capable of
killing anyone, particularly after I had been attacked in a manner
that had placed me in danger.
"Wretch!" said I to him, "what are you going to do?"
"No great things, master; only to cut off the hair and ears of this
vile woman, and then send her to tell Cajoui that we shall soon
catch him!"
It cost me much trouble to prevent him from executing his plan. I was
obliged to use all my authority, and to allow him to burn the cabin,
after the terrified young girl, thanks to my protection, had fled
into the forest.
My lieutenant was right in sending word to Cajoui that we should catch
him. Some months after, and several leagues from the place where we had
set fire to his cabin, one day, when three men of my guard accompanied
me, we discovered, in the thickest part of the wood, a small hut. My
Indians rushed forward in quick time to surround it; but almost all
round it there was found a morass, covered over with sedges and bushes,
when all three sunk in the mud, up to their middle. As I did not run
as fast as they did I perceived the danger, and went round the marsh,
so as to reach the cabin by the only accessible way. Suddenly I found
myself face to face with Cajoui, and near enough almost to touch him. I
had my dagger in my hand; he also had his--the struggle began. For
a few seconds we aimed many strokes at each other, which each of us
tried to avoid as well as he could. I think, however, that fortune was
turning against me; the point of Cajoui's poignard had already entered
rather deeply into my right arm, when with my left hand I took from
my belt a large-sized pistol. I discharged it full at his breast:
the ball and the wadding went through his body. For a few seconds
Cajoui endeavoured still to defend himself; I struck him with all my
force, and he fell at my feet; I then wrested from him his dagger,
which I still retain. My people came out of the mud-hole and joined
me. Compassion soon replaced the animosity we bore against Cajoui. We
made a sort of litter; I bandaged his wound, and we carried him more
than six leagues in this manner to my habitation, where he received
all the care his state required. Every moment I expected him to die;
every quarter of an hour my people came to tell me how he was; and
they kept saying to me:
"Master, he cannot die, because he has the anten-anten upon him; and
it is very lucky that you have some of it too, and that you fired at
him, for our arms would have been of no avail against him."
I laughed at their simplicity, and expected from one minute to
another to hear that the wounded man had breathed his last, when my
lieutenant brought me, quite joyously, a small manuscript, about two
inches square, saying to me:
"Here, master, is the anten-anten I found upon Cajoui's body."
At the same time one of my men announced his death.
"Ah!" said Alila, "if I had not taken the anten-anten from him he
would be still alive."
I searched the small book through and through; prayers and
invocations that had not much sense were therein written in the
Tagalese language. A good friar who was present took it out of my
hands. I imagined that he had the same curiosity as I had, but by
no means; he rose up and went into the kitchen, and in a short time
after came out and told me that he had made an auto-da-fé of it. My
poor lieutenant almost cried with vexation, for he considered the
little book to be his property, and thought that in possession of it
he would be invulnerable. I should also have wished to have kept it,
as a curious specimen of Indian superstition. The next day I had much
trouble to persuade my stout friend, Father Miguel, to bury Cajoui in
the cemetery. He maintained that a man who died with the anten-anten
upon him ought not to receive Christian burial. To make him accede to
my wishes it was necessary to tell him that the anten-anten had been
taken from Cajoui before his death, and that he had time to repent.
A few days after Cajoui's death it was my faithful Alila's turn to
encounter danger, not less imminent than that to which I had been
exposed, at the time of my combat with the bandit chief. But Alila
was brave, and, although he had no anten-anten, fire-arms did not
frighten him.
Large vessels--real Noah's arks--freighted by various merchants,
sailed every week from the town of Pasig for that of Santa-Cruz, where
every Thursday a large market was held. Eight daring and determined
brigands went on board one of these vessels: they hid their arms among
the bales of goods. The ship was scarcely out at sea when they seized
them, and a horrible scene of slaughter ensued. All who endeavoured
to resist them were butchered, even the pilot was thrown overboard;
at length, finding no more resistance, they plundered the passengers
of the money they had upon them, took every article of value they
could find, and, loaded with their booty, they steered the vessel to
a deserted spot on the shore, where they landed.
I had been informed of this nefarious enterprise, and went with haste
to the spot where they landed. Unfortunately I arrived too late, for
they had already escaped to the mountains, after they had divided the
spoil. Notwithstanding the slight hope I entertained of overtaking
them, I set off in pursuit, and after a long march I met an Indian,
who informed me that one of the bandits, not so good a walker as the
others, was not far off, and that if I and my guards ran quickly we
might overtake him. Alila was the best runner--he was as fleet as
a deer; so I told him: "Set out, Alila, and bring me that runaway,
either dead or alive."
My brave lieutenant, to be less encumbered in the race, left his
gun with us, took a long spear, and went off. Shortly after we had
lost sight of him we heard the report of firearms; we knew it must
be the brigand firing upon Alila, and we all thought that he was
killed or wounded. We hastened forward, in the hopes of arriving in
time to render him assistance; but we soon saw him coming leisurely
towards us; his face and clothes were covered with blood, the spear
in his right hand, and in his left the hideous head of the bandit,
which he carried by the hair--as Judith had formerly done with that
of Holophernes. But my poor Alila was wounded, and my first care was
to examine if the wound was serious. When I was satisfied it was not
dangerous, I asked him for the details of his combat.
"Master," said he to me, "shortly after I left you I perceived the
bandit; he saw me also, and ran off as quickly as he could, but I ran
faster than he, and was soon close to him. When he lost all hopes
of escaping he turned upon me and presented his pistol; I was not
alarmed, and advanced towards him at all risk. The pistol was fired,
and I felt myself wounded in the face; this wound did not stop me. I
darted at him and pierced his body with my spear; but, as he was too
heavy for me to bring to you, I cut off his head, and here it is."
When I had congratulated Alila upon his success, I examined his wound,
and found that a fragment of a ball, cut into four pieces, had hit
him upon the cheek, and was flattened on the bone. I extracted it,
and a speedy cure followed.
Now, as I have almost terminated, and shall not return to, my numerous
adventures with the bandits, I resume the continuation of my ordinary
life at Jala-Jala.