The proposition was at once accepted, and the gentleman departed to make the necessary arrangements. "You need get nothing," he said, "beyond what you wish to wear, and may take your roughest clothes for that purpose; I will see to all the provisions and everything else we want, and will come with a carriage to take you to the boat that will be ready for you."
As soon as he had gone, Frank suggested a visit to a book-store he had seen not far from the hotel, in the hope that they might find some books about the islands to carry with them on their journey. Fred agreed to the proposal, and away they went. They soon returned with two books in the English language and one in French, and they passed the evening in the study of these works, in which they found much that was interesting.
The volumes in English were "Travels in the Philippines," by F. Jagor, and "Twenty Years in the Philippine Islands," by Paul de la Gironiere. The latter book was originally published in French, and was written by Alexander Dumas, from the notes of Gironiere, who had led the life of an adventurer and planter in the Philippines. It contains a good deal of truth mixed up with a variety of interesting incidents from the imagination of the famous French novelist. The work of Jagor is more recent than the other, and also more authentic.
Their kind entertainer was true to his promise, and came with the carriage at an early hour; but he was not too early for the Doctor and his young charges, and it did not require many minutes for them to be ready to start on their expedition. "We want to get off as quickly as possible," said Mr. Segovia, "in order to make a good distance before the heat of the mid-day sun compels us to halt. You have been long enough in the tropics to know that the middle of the day should be devoted to rest."
The boat was waiting for them at a landing-place just above the bridge; it was of native construction, and had a rude appearance; but as soon as our friends entered it they found it very comfortable. It reminded them of a Chinese house-boat, and their guide said it was built after the Chinese model, with slight changes to suit the wants of the Philippines. There was a space on the forward deck, where they could sit under an awning or roof of bamboo and pandanus leaves; it was not sufficiently high to enable them to stand beneath it, but this was no great inconvenience, as there were plenty of little loop-holes where they could look out and study the scenery.
The baggage was stowed in a sort of hold beneath the cabin, or in a space at the stern; in the latter instance, it was under the eyes of Mr. Segovia's two servants, who sat there, and occasionally gave some needed assistance to the crew. The latter consisted of six men and a padrone, or captain; the captain was a Chinese Meti, while his crew were Tagals, or natives of the islands. They were obedient, but not very energetic, and it was very soon apparent that the voyage would not be a rapid one.
VIEW ON THE RIVER PASIG.
The route of the excursion was up the Pasig to a large lake known as the Lake of Bay. The Pasig forms a natural canal, about twenty miles long, between the lake and the sea, and there are no falls in any part of the way to obstruct navigation. There are numerous villages and farmhouses on the banks of the river, and the boatmen made all sorts of pretences for stopping, in order to make the journey as long as possible. They had been hired by the day, and were anxious not to get through a good contract in a hurry.