How Private Burns Climbed Mt. Pinatuho. 29 



falls. To this day I do not know whether the Negritos 

 wished to turn us back or not, but I suspect that they did ; 

 for after we got above the falls we found old camp-fires 

 and other signs which had been but recently made, and 

 our little black companions must have known of them. 



Still ascending the stream, we arrived, about i p.m., at 

 a point about ten miles from our camp, and here we ate 

 a light lunch of emergency rations. We now left the 

 main stream and turned to the left up a dry wash. I had 

 had all the canteens filled, but I did not then realize how 

 long we would be away from water. 



On, on, on over boulders, under the shade of over- 

 hanging foliage, in the close, hot atmosphere we traveled. 

 The perspiration poured from us and kept every stitch of 

 our clothing wet. The forests of giant ferns and great 

 vines and hardwood trees of many varieties were beauti- 

 ful. About 4 P.M. our guide pointed through an opening 

 in the trees at Pinatubo, rising almost sheer above us, and 

 told us how to proceed. He then stated that he and his 

 companions could go no farther. Whether they feared 

 the bands of Igorrote savages found in these mountains, 

 or whether they had some superstitious dread, I do not 

 know, but not another step would they go. Leaving them, 

 Schad, Burns, Martin, Cesario, and I pressed on. Several 

 times as we ascended we left the dry stream-bed, but 

 each time, on account of the heavy underbrush and vine 

 entanglements on either side, we returned to it. 



At length the stream-bed ran out, and we found our- 

 selves on the side of the great mountain, clinging to vines 

 and roots as we cut our way upward. It was slow work, 

 and by the time night began to close in we were pretty 

 well exhausted. To make matters worse, we found that 



