Excursion to the mountains. 



MANILLA. 



Excursion to the mountains. 



325 



Alter dark, the bancas separated. Mr. Sturges, 

 with Dr. Pickering and Mr. Eld, proceeded to 

 visit the mountain of Maijaijai, while Messrs. Rich, 

 Dana, and Brackenridge, went towards the Volcano 

 de Taal. The latter party took the passport, while 

 the former relied upon certain letters of introduc- 

 tion for protection, in case of difficulty. 



Mr. Sturges, with his party, directed his course 

 to the east side of the lake, towards a point called 

 Jalujalu, which they reached about three o'clock 

 in the morning, and stopped for the crew to cook 

 some rice, &c. At 8 A. M., they reached Santa 

 Cruz, situated about half a mile up a small stream- 

 let, called Paxanau. At this place they found Don 

 Escudero, to whom they had a letter of introduction, 

 and who holds a civil appointment. They were 

 very kindly received by this gentleman and his 

 brown lady, with their interesting family. He at 

 once ordered horses for them to proceed to the 

 mission of Maijaijai, and entertained them with a 

 sumptuous breakfast. 



They were not prepared to set out before noon, 

 until which time they strolled about the town of 

 Santa Cruz, the inhabitants of which are Tagalas. 

 There are only two old Spaniards in the place. 

 The province in which Santa Cruz is situated, con- 

 tains about five thousand inhabitants, of whom 

 eighteen hundred pay tribute. 



The people have the character of being orderly, 

 and govern themselves without the aid of the 

 military. The principal article of culture is the 

 cocoa-nut tree, which is seen in large groves. The 

 trunks of these were notched, as was supposed, for 

 the purpose of climbing them. From the spatlie a 

 kind of spirit is manufactured, which is fully as 

 strong as our whiskey. 



About noon they left Don Escudero's, and took 

 a road loading to the southward and eastward, 

 through a luxuriant and beautiful country, well cul- 

 tivated, and ornamented with lofty cocoa-nut trees, 

 betel palms, and banana groves. Several beautiful 

 valleys were passed, with streamlets rushing 

 through them. 



Maijaijai is situated about one thousand feet 

 above the Laguna de Bay, but the rise is so gradual 

 that it was almost imperceptible. The country 

 has every where the appearance of being densely 

 peopled ; but no more than one village was passed 

 between Santa Cruz and the mission. They had 

 letters to F. Antonio Romana y Aranda, padre of 

 the mission, who received them kindly, and enter- 

 tained them most hospitably. When he was told 

 of their intention to visit the mountain, he said it 

 was impossible with such weather, pointing to the 

 black clouds that then enveloped its summit ; and 

 he endeavoured to persuade the gentlemen to 

 desist from what appeared to him a mad at- 

 tempt ; but finding them resolved to make the 

 trial, he aided in making all the necessary pre- 

 parations, though he hud no belief in their suc- 

 cess. 



On the morning of the 27th, after mass, Mr. 

 Eld and Dr. Pickering set out, but Mr. Sturges 

 preferred to keep the good padre company until 

 their return. The padre had provided them with 

 guides, horses, twenty natives, and provisions for 

 three days. He had been himself on the same 

 laborious journey, some six months before, and 

 knew its fatigues ; although it turned out after- 

 wards that his expedition was performed in fine 

 i 

 j 



weather, and that he had been borne on a litter by 

 natives the whole way. 



The first part of the road was wet and miry, and 

 discouraging enough. The soil was exceedingly 

 rich, producing tropical plants in great profusion, 

 in the midst of which were seen the neat bamboo 

 cottages, with their industrious and cleanly-looking 

 inhabitants. When they reached the foot of the 

 mountain, they found it was impossible to ride 

 farther, and were obliged to take to walking, which 

 was, however, less of a hardship than riding the 

 little rats of horses, covered with mud and dirt, 

 which were at first deemed useless; but the manner 

 in which they ascended and maintained themselves 

 on the slippery banks, surpassed any thing they 

 had before witnessed in horseflesh. The first part 

 of the ascent of the mountain was gradual, but 

 over a miry path, which was extremely slippery; 

 and had it not been for the sticks stuck down by 

 the party of the padre in their former ascent, they 

 would have found it extremely difficult to over- 

 come : to make it more disagreeable, it rained all 

 the time. 



It took about two hours to reach the steep ascent. 

 The last portion of their route had been through 

 an uninhabited region, with some openings in the 

 woods, affording pasture grounds to a few small 

 herds of buffalo. In three hours they reached the 

 half-way house, by a very steep and regular ascent. 

 Here the natives insisted upon stopping to cook 

 their breakfast, as they had not yet partaken of 

 any thing through the day. The natives now en- 

 deavoured to persuade them it was impracticable 

 to go any farther, or at least to reach the top of 

 the mountain and return before night. Our gen- 

 tlemen lost their patience at the delay, and after 

 an hour's endurance of it, resolved to set out 

 alone. Six of the natives followed them, and by 

 half-past three they reached the summit, where 

 they found it cold and uncomfortable. The ascent 

 had been difficult, and was principally accomplished 

 by catching hold of shrubs and the roots of trees. 

 The summit is comparatively bare, and not more 

 than fifty feet in width. The side opposite to that 

 by which they mounted was perpendicular, but 

 owing to the thick fog they could not see the depth 

 to which the precipice descended. 



The observations with the barometers were 

 speedily taken, which gave the height of Banajoa 

 as six thousand five hundred feet. The trees on 

 the summit were twenty or thirty feet high, and a 

 species of fir was very common. Gaultheria, 

 attached to the trunks of trees, rhododendrons, and 

 polygonums, also abounded. The rocks were so 

 covered with soil that it was difficult to ascertain 

 their character ; Dr. Pickering is of opinion, how- 

 ever, that they are not volcanic. The house on 

 the summit afforded them little or no shelter; being 

 a mere shed, open on all sides, they found it un- 

 tenantable, and determined to return as soon as 

 their observations were finished, to the half-way 

 house, which they reached before dark. 



The night was passed uncomfortably, and in the 

 morning they made an early start down the moun- 

 tain to reach the native village at its foot, where 

 they were refreshed with a cup of chocolate, cakes, 

 and some dulces, according to the custom of the 

 country. At ten o'clock they reached the mission, 

 where they were received by the padre and Mr. 

 Sturges. The former was greatly astonished to 



