[CHAPTER IX.]
AN EXCURSION AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.—RETURN TO MANILLA.—AN EARTHQUAKE, AND WHAT CAME OF IT.
Our friends were back from the hot springs in good time in the afternoon, and the next day they proceeded with their own boat to make farther excursions in Luzon. We will let Frank and Fred tell the story, which they did in a letter that left Manilla by the next mail.
After describing the experiences already recorded, the letter ran as follows:
"When we left Jala-jala we went farther up the lake and over to the other side, so as to make a journey in the mountains, and among the native inhabitants. Mr. Segovia said that the farther we went into the interior the wilder and more primitive would we find the people, but that their manners and customs were generally much alike. The Spanish officials are scattered all over the country, and every town and village has its alcalde or mayor, who is elected by the people, but must be approved by the governor. The larger towns and villages have Spanish alcaldes, but in the smaller places the officials are native, and sometimes very ignorant. An alcalde, whether Spanish or native, considers himself a very important personage, and when dressed in his best clothes and out for a walk his appearance is quite comical.
AN ALCALDE AND HIS CONSTABLE.
"At the first village where we landed, on the other side of the lake, the alcalde and his constable came to meet us, as they had heard the day before that we were coming, through a message sent by our guide. The alcalde was a short, stout man, and carried a gold-headed cane, which was his staff of office; he wore his shirt outside his trousers, after the custom of the country, and he had a dress-coat over it, evidently made for him years ago when he was thinner. He wore a bell-crowned hat, tilted on one side, like some of the men you see on Broadway, and he had wooden shoes on his stockingless feet. Behind him came the constable, who was a great contrast to his master in shape and form; he was thin as a fishing-rod, and carried his hat in his hand, while his feet were quite bare. One of us made a rough sketch of the pair while they were talking with Mr. Segovia and the Doctor.
"We are told that the Spanish alcaldes generally get rich in a few years, if they happen to be in good districts; but there are some that go away as poor as they came. The governor rewards his friends by securing their election to good places where they may make money. This may seem very strange to you at home, but you must remember that we are in Luzon, on the other side of the world from America; of course nothing like it was ever heard of in the United States.