t bridges, settlements without approaches except a
trail, tropical climates to which only the Moros themselves were
accustomed spread over a land of almost impenetrable jungle. The Moros
themselves understood such a situation and could easily move from one
spot to another, one island to another, one settlement to another;
while the army had to fight its way in and then fight its way out
again.

{177}

While the problem of administration was not unlike that in Cuba in so
far as the organizing of courts, law, education, native officials and
so on went, there were here in Moroland the infinitely more difficult
and delicate tasks of dealing with many different religious laws and
customs and the hereditary rank and rights of tribal rulers, none of
which existed in Cuba.

The quality of statesmanship in Wood which dealt with these problems
and settled them so that from a slave-holding, polygamous, headhunting
land there arose a self-governing community is of the highest order.

It was put into force in the commander's usual, commonplace, thorough
way without haste or excitement, but where necessary by force of arms
which required more than a hundred engagements and many hard-fought
battles. Wood first spent some time in Manila going over the situation
with Mr. Taft. There he learned Taft's wishes and views and prepared
his military forces. He was both military commander and civil governor
of the Moroland and as such was again an absolute autocrat. When he
was ready he started directly {178} into the jungle from Zamboanga.
The journey took him and his staff through forests, over unfordable
rivers, across mountain ranges on foot, across the straits that
separated one island from another in dugouts, into forts, into towns,
into villages and hamlets in a nerve-racking journey of over a month
without a pause except for necessary sleep.

He wanted to see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears at first
hand what was the condition of affairs, what was going on, what were
the different and varying situations in order that he might the more
correctly and certainly draw up plans for the reorganization of the
colony. In one village he was a military commander issuing orders; in
another he was a criminal or civil judge sitting in session; in
another he was a listener to the advancement of the plans and the
religious ceremonials of the sultans or datus of the place.

Naturally all came to see him. He was the embodiment of the