ailed once again for
Iligan, leaving there the following day for Cagayan, taking soundings
every half hour in preparation for the laying of the cable between
those two places. The morning was so rainy and disagreeable that
no bearings could be had, but just as we were nearing the harbour
of Cagayan, at about four in the afternoon, the mist cleared away,
the sun came out wetly from behind a mass of clouds, and over the
harbour to the southeast stretched a bow of promise, with the town
of Cagayan standing at one end of the arc like the proverbial pot of
gold for which we hunted in childhood.

Chapter V

CAGAYAN

After Dumaguete, Misamis, and Iligan, the harbour of Cagayan
presented a truly metropolitan appearance, what with a transport, a
coasting vessel, and a navy gunboat, all in at the same time. From the
_Burnside_ we could see nothing of the town save a very dingy wharf,
a few white tents pitched near the water's edge for the convenience
of soldiers guarding the unloading of vessels, and a settlement of
nipa shacks, in front of which were gaily coloured washings hung
out to dry in the hot sun. For miles in every direction hills, with
but little vegetation on their volcanic sides, rose tier above tier
as far as the eye could reach, and the bay reflected on its placid
surface every cloud in the heavens, every tree on the shore.

The long two and a half mile drive from the wharf of Cagayan to the
town proper is lined on either side with well-built nipa dwellings,
a schoolhouse, and some native shops, at that time all empty. The
windows stared back at one like wide-open sightless eyes; the doors
swung to and fro in the warm breeze, and occasionally gave a passing
glimpse of a shrine to the Virgin or some saint, the faded flowers
still in the vases, the candles burned out, and the placid face
looking straight into one's own, pathetic in its neglect.

Deserted Village was writ large on this entrance to Cagayan, but the
town itself looked prosperous; the little shops were flourishing;
and the natives, with ill-concealed interest, peered out furtively
from under their jalousie blinds as the great swinging Dougherty
wagon, with its four strapping mules, tore down the broad streets,
taking us to or from the ship.

This Dougherty wagon was at our disposal all the time we were there,
thanks to the courtesy of the colonel commanding, though sometimes,
when there was an unusually large party from the ship, we wom