28 



Sierra Club Bulletin. 



every pound of extra weight would lessen our chances of 

 success. 



Ascending the Bamban River on the west side two 

 miles, we arrived at the rendezvous where we were to 

 find the Negrito guides. Here we lost two valuable 

 hours waiting for them. At last Lawayan arrived with 

 four other Negritos. Of these Debilano was the chief 

 guide, and his companions were called Segundo, Subero, 

 and Fernando. Segundo was a very little old man, 

 Subero' was a fine-looking boy of perhaps eighteen, while 

 Fernando was a lithe, middle-aged man, with no cloth- 

 ing whatever except a very brief breech-clout. All the 

 others wore more or less clothing, from Subero, who had 

 on a calico shirt, to Debilano, who was the proud posses- 

 sor of a policeman's old coat. For several miles we as- 

 cended the Bamban River, leaping from boulder to 

 boulder or wading through pools and rapids. At last 

 we came to a point where the main river is formed by two 

 large forks, each issuing from a deep gorge. We fol- 

 lowed the left-hand stream, and were soon in the shades 

 of the canon. The scenery was grand, one might almost 

 say oppressive. The great towering cHffs on either side 

 caused everything to appear dark and gloomy. 



We had gone but a short distance when Debilano, 

 who was in the lead, turned back and announced to us 

 that we could go no farther as a large boulder that had 

 formerly been used as a pathway had become dislodged. 

 I did not like to give up so easily so I asked him, through 

 Martin, our interpreter, if there was not some way to 

 go around. He said no, but in about half an hour Bums 

 and Schad, who had gone back, returned to us and stated 

 that they had found another pathway to the top of the 



