INDIANS OF THE INTERIOR.
"We should have been some time among the mountains, as there is a chain of them running the whole length of Luzon; many of these mountains are volcanic, and some of them do a good deal of smoking. Perhaps we should have felt the earth trembling under us suddenly, and continuing to tremble for several seconds, as it is said to do here very often; we have experienced two or three little earthquakes, and are in no hurry to make the acquaintance of a large one, though we are liable to do so at any moment.
"Perhaps we could have gone to the gold mines; but it is doubtful, as the government is not willing to let strangers see them, and they even put a good many difficulties in the way of Spaniards who want to go there. It is certain there is a considerable area of country in Luzon containing gold, and lumps have been found worth two or three hundred dollars. Several mines have been opened, but they have not paid the men who own the stock, though it is hinted that the managers on the ground have done well. Our Spanish friend asked if this was not the case sometimes in America; but we told him we had never owned any gold mines, and consequently could not give him any precise information. He laughed, and then talked about something else, without again mentioning gold-mines.
TRAVELLING THROUGH THE FOREST IN LUZON.
"Then we might have seen mines of lead, copper, and other metals; and we should have travelled through dense forests, where not even a horse can go. If we had undertaken such a journey, we should have been escorted by natives with spears and shields, as they have very little knowledge of fire-arms. The Spaniards are unwilling to let them have any weapons with which they could fight; and, as they have no noxious animals to contend with, there is no occasion for them to be armed. There are no tigers, lions, or similar beasts of prey in the Philippines; the wild animals have already been mentioned, and include the boar and buffalo, which are not dangerous as long as you let them alone.