The
American Had Left For A Long Holiday, So I Managed To Hire A Small
House Where I Could Sort My Collections Before Returning To Manila,
Where I Intended Catching A Steamer For The South Philippines.
One day the village priest (a Filipino) called on me, and in course
of conversation we spoke about these Buquils.
He was most emphatic
that it was true about the women having beards, and he also told me
that no Englishman, American or Spaniard had ever penetrated so far
back in the mountains as to reach their villages. When he had left I
thought it over, and decided to go and see them for myself, though
I was still suffering from fever. Vic, whose father had recovered
from his illness, declared his willingness to accompany me; in fact
I knew that he would never allow me to go without him. He was quite
miserable at the idea of our parting, which was close at hand. As
luck would have it, the day before we decided to start, Vic was down
with fever again, and the following day I was seized with it. Never
before or since have I been amongst so much fever as I was in this
district. In any case I had made up my mind to see these Buquils,
but we had now lost two days, and there was only just enough time
left to get there and back and to journey back to Manila and catch
my steamer. The day after my attack we started for the mountains once
more at about two p.m., my fever being still too bad for me to start
earlier.
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