A Womans Journey through the Philippines | Page 7

over as the bloody contestants were removed
from the scene of action, that such a death was no more painful and

certainly far less ignominious than when chicken stewed or à la
Maryland was to be the ultimate result of the fowl's demise.
There was one little game-cock, however, who enthused even the most
dispassionate among us. He was small and wiry, and his well kept
white feathers testified to a devoted master. How impatient that absurd
little rooster was for the fight to begin, and how he struggled to get off
his gaff and go into the fray unarmed, the weight on his legs seeming
an impediment to action, and how insolently he strutted and crowed
before his antagonist, an equally well groomed gentleman of
exceptional manners, attired in a gorgeous suit of green and gold. But
handsome as the darker rooster was, the white one seemed to be the
universal choice, and heavy were the stakes in his favour, so heavy that
when, after a few minutes' fighting, his wing was broken, a general
groan went up throughout the cockpit, a groan which merged into
sullen silence when the poor little chicken fell before the furious
onslaught of his enemy.
Again and again the victorious green and gold rooster jumped upon his
prostrate foe, pecking now at his crop, now at his eyes, in a perfect
frenzy of triumphant rage, the little white fellow lying so still
meanwhile that everyone thought him dead. But suddenly he struggled
to his feet, and, despite the grievously broken wing, whipped the big
bully in a way to raise a cheer even from the hitherto indifferent
Americans.
As for the natives, they simply shouted themselves hoarse, and,
contrary to all precedent, jumped down into the pit, throwing their
sombreros on high and yelling vigorously, "Muy valiente gallo--muy
valiente!" The little rascal had simply been sparring for wind, and he
seemed to wink an eye at us after having chased his vanquished enemy
to a corner, for, like the coward he was, the green and gold rooster
turned tail and ran at the first opportunity.
It is to be hoped that the muy valiente gallo had his wing patched up
and lived to tell his tale of bravery to many a barn-yard chick--a
war-scarred veteran whose honourable wound entitled him to the
respect of all domestic fowl. But knowing Filipino nature, I am rather

inclined to think that the white rooster made a very acceptable broth for
his master on the following day, the flesh of fighting-cocks being quite
too tough for consumption in any other form.
On our return to the ship's boat we were accompanied to the water's
edge by a juvenile contingent of natives, some of them being our
friends of the forenoon, who returned any notice of themselves on our
part by a rapturous gleam of teeth and eyes. One of them, a youngster
of perhaps ten or eleven, who gloried in the euphonious name of Gogo,
was particularly assidious in his attentions, and would come close up to
us and say, "I-ese--i-ese--dam'me--i-ese!" going into paroxysms of
mirth the while, and wrinkling up his handsome little face at the mere
remembrance of the water so cold it was hard.
That night the shore officers took their Christmas dinner with us on the
Burnside, and a very jolly evening we made of it. The saloon was
entirely covered, ceiling and all, by American and ship's flags,
interspersed with palms, while over the sideboard were suspended the
American flag and Union Jack intertwined, this last in honour of our
two cable experts, both of them being Britishers. We women donned
our smartest frocks, the electric piano, slightly out of tune, did rag-time
to perfection, the menu included every conventional Christmas dish,
and yet--and yet it was not Christmas, and all the roast turkey and plum
pudding in the world could not make it so. It was a very jolly dinner, to
be sure, well served and with charming company, but it was not a
Christmas dinner. Only Half-a-Woman's presence saved it and the day
from utter failure.
The next morning the presidente of the town, other officials, and some
of the leading men and women of Dumaguete made a visit to the ship,
and were voluble in their surprise at what was shown them,--the
electric lights and fans, the steam galley and ice-machine; the
cold-storage room, where one could freeze to death in a few moments;
the little buttons on the wall which one had only to touch and a servant
appeared to take one's orders; the wonderful piano that "played
itself,"--all were duly admired and exclaimed over.
But what seemed to please and astonish them most of all were the

bath-rooms with their white porcelain tubs, tiled floors, and shining
silver knobs, which