232 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



BONTOC IGOROT SLAPPING GAME; 



Fourth position : note the knots of muscle that spring out on the striker's arm, back, and 



legs as he strikes 



ascertain its cause. We are well repaid 

 for our trouble. The men from Bangad, 

 in the far north, have the floor. They 

 have brought only one woman with them 

 to uphold the reputation of their town, 

 but she is abundantly capable of doing 

 this. There is nothing slow about her 

 dancing, nor does she bob up and down 

 in one place like the Bontoc girls. She 

 wears only a bright-colored and hand- 

 somely embroidered skirt, reaching from 

 the waist to the knee and open up the 

 right side, so that her movements are 

 absolutely unimpeded. Her arms are 

 stretched upward and outward, and her 

 open hands are extended, palms up. 

 Her chest is thrown out and her shoul- 

 ders are held well back. Her arms and 

 hands convey the impression of soaring 



wings, and she seems hardly to touch the 

 ground. While the dance lasts she has 

 no thought for anything else. W r hen it 

 ends and the crowd shrieks its approval, 

 she becomes self-conscious, covers her 

 face with her hands, and bounds away 

 like a deer. 



A WRESTLING MATCH 



Now, with much pushing and jabber- 

 ing, a larger ring is cleared. The towns 

 of Tinglayan and Tucucan have had a 

 difference of opinion over a stolen hog. 

 They are to settle the matter by a wrest- 

 ling match, instead of by fighting it out, 

 as they would have done a few years 

 ago. The two champions come forward 

 and look each other over. Each reaches 

 his arms behind the other and takes a 



