Three or four girls were in the shallow water near the edge of the stream, and they amused themselves by splashing a Chinese boatman who was urging his craft among them. Evidently he did not like the sport, as he was threatening to strike them with his oar, of which they did not seem to have much fear. A boy who had never in all probability seen a circus was balancing himself on the back of a wide-horned ox, and urging the beast to join the bathing-party; the ox was not at all disinclined to the bath, and the Doctor told the boys that the oxen, or buffaloes, of the Philippines cannot exist without frequent bathing. They like to lie all day in the water, and, if it is not attainable, they will readily accept mud as a substitute. Consequently, they are not particularly clean in their general appearance, as they are veneered with mud for the greater part of the time, and the more mud they can accumulate the better they are satisfied.
HORNS OF THE BUFFALO.
The Doctor called the attention of the boys to the wide horns of the buffalo, and said they were often six feet in length, while specimens had been known that measured seven feet from tip to tip. He further remarked that the animal knows how to use them, as any hunter in the interior of the islands can testify; and some are unable to give their personal evidence, for the reason that they have been killed by them. The buffalo is a dangerous beast to encounter when he is enraged; he will shun the white man as long as he can, but, when pressed and pursued, he turns and shows fight. "We shall hear more of him by-and-by," the Doctor remarked, "and what you hear will be likely to increase your respect for him."
On their way back to the hotel, Doctor Bronson pointed to a series of large buildings, which he said were the Government tobacco-factories. "Every smoker," said he, "is familiar with Manilla cigars—at least all through the ports of Asia—and this is where they are made. Many people prefer them to Havana cigars, and you will often see a gentleman decline a Havana and accept a Manilla. The best of the Manilla cigars rarely get to the United States; and when they do, the price is so high that they cannot compete with cigars from other countries. Besides, they seem to lose their flavor in the long voyage over the sea, and perhaps this is the reason why Havana cigars seem to be lacking in the proper taste when brought to Japan or China.
"The tobacco-crop of the Philippines pays a tribute of a million dollars every year to the Spanish Government, which is the principal revenue they derive from their possessions in the East. It gives employment, in the factories that you see, to more than 20,000 men and women, besides a great number in the cities of Spain, where the raw tobacco is also worked up. The cigars are of three qualities—firsts, seconds, and thirds; and the prices are graded accordingly. Every box contains a certificate as to the character of the cigars inside, and there is a label on the outside to show the date when the cigars were put up. The clever Chinese in Hong-Kong are in the habit of counterfeiting not only the cigars, but the certificate and date label: some of them were prosecuted for the fraud a few years ago, and they have latterly been somewhat cautious. They have also a trick of selling first-quality cigars without the box, which they then fill with seconds, so as to pass them off as firsts. A novice will not discover the cheat till he has bought and carried away his cigars, and then it is usually too late to make a change. The old residents of Hong-Kong are not to be caught by the trick, and carefully examine a box before purchasing."
