Unofficial letters of an official's wife [by] Edith Moses.

AN OFFICIAL'S WIFE

toward it, stumbling over several blanketed forms.
These arose with grunts, and, perceiving our plight,
piled wood on the fire and offered us logs, their
substitute for chairs. We soon perceived by the
light of the kindling flames a woman and several
small children crouching on a platform at the upper
end of the hut. There was no furniture; a few
earthen jars, an iron pot, and the ever-present kerosene-oil can served as their cooking utensils, and
old cotton blankets as their bedclothes. Having
built up the fire, our hosts reached the limits of all
possible hospitality, and retired again to the floor
and their blankets. Only the little beady eyes of
the babies gleamed out of the darkness; they alone
took any interest in the proceedings of the strangers.
For half an hour we steamed in front of the fire,
not drying our clothes in the least. I emptied the
water out of my shoes and dried my stockings, weeping smoky tears. The air in the meantime became
more and more stifling, but the hoped-for lull in the
storm did not come, so we decided the open air and
rain were preferable to smoky steam and Igorrotes.
By the time our little cavalcade was well started
the trail was a rushing river, and at the first steep
descent our hitherto patient and willing beasts revolted; mine stood stock still, refusing to move, and
halfway down the slope two more followed his bad
example. These three animals were, unfortunately,
those ridden by the women of the party, and an
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