X, A, 3 Smith: Reconnaissance of Mountain Province 183 



After having tv/ice crossed the river, Bontoc, the capital of the military 

 district bearing the same name, is reached. It is situated on the left bank 

 of the river, and on the opposite bank lies the important rancheria of 

 Samuqui. 



The direction of Bontoc River on Penarubia's map is shown erroneously 

 as east-west, whereas in reality it is north-northeast. The present governor 

 of Bontoc, Don Hernandez-Permeasolo, has followed the river for three 

 days, always in a northerly direction; warlike Igorots interfere with ex- 

 ploration, so that the farther course of the river is entirely unknown. In 

 my mind there is no question that it flows into one of the western tributaries 

 of the Rio Grande de Cagayan. Peharubia also indicates this, although 

 the course east of the Cordillera is incorrectly shown. 



The extremely amiable governor of Bontoc made it possible for me to 

 make an excursion to the most northerly rancherias accessible, Meynit and 

 Sadanga; he even accompanied us personally with military escort. A short 

 distance from Bontoc we again encountered coralline limestone and breccias 

 of coralline limestone and trachyte, which persist to Guinaan. From here, 

 in the direction toward Meynit from Guinaan, there are beautiful green 

 trachytes, which are very splintery, and show here and there isolated, 

 decomposed crystals of feldspar. Bubbling forth from a flat area covered 

 with mud and precipitated salts at Meynit are numerous boiling hot springs, 

 flowing from the fissured ground and escaping as sizzling hot vapors. The 

 vapors spread a faint odor of hydrogen sulphide ; the water tastes brackish. 

 The Igorots obtain salt from the hot vapors in a very peculiar manner. 

 They build low straw huts over the fissured locality and cover the floor 

 of the same with stones. Very soon there is formed over these stones 

 thick white crusts of salt, the greater part of which consists of sodium 

 chloride, which the Igorots sell. 



The rancherias Meynit and Guinaan lie on a creek which flows into 

 Bontoc River. In order to go from Meynit to Sacasaca, the cuartel of 

 Sadanga, it is necessary to cross over a large mountain densely overgrown 

 with pine trees. A raging thunderstorm and approaching darkness pre- 

 vented all observations from this mountain. 



The rancheria Sadanga is situated on a tributary of Bontoc River, and 

 the cuartel is built upon a cliff some 500 feet high, made up of a decomposed 

 rock rich in feldspar. A very clear, voluminous spring, having a tem- 

 perature of 34° R. [42°. 5 C], gushes forth from a flssure in this rock. The 

 taste is extraordinarily brackish, and the water precipitates much iron on 

 the rim of the pool ; a weak odor of hydrogen sulphide gas is noticeable. The 

 Igorots believe that this spring possesses great healing pov/er and utilize 

 it in the treatment of various diseases. 



On our return from Bontoc toward Cayan we followed the road as far 

 as Sagada and then turned westward to the cuartel of Besao and southward 

 toward Cayan. From Sagada to Cayan are doleritic rocks, with green 

 slaglike augite, red olivine rich in iron, and decomposed feldspars, contained 

 in a brown groundmass. The naked, yellow hills, up and down which one 

 toils before reaching Cayan, consist of an entirely decomposed eruptive rock. 



The advanced season of the year compelled me to break off my journey 

 in the mountains here, if I were to visit the south of Luzon, and to return 

 to Vigan via Angaqui, there to await the ship that was to take me to 

 Manila. 



Cervantes, situated on the left bank of Abra River, is reached by going 



