An Englishwoman in the Philippines . wasnothing to be seen, and when we sent in to askthe old Tagalo dressmaker about it, they all sworethey had heard nothing. So we hoped it was onlya rat; but we waited in vain for our poor littlepet to come back, and she never appeared again. I could not bear the sight of the empty cage,and made the boys take it away after a day ortwo, and now I find it stands on the Azotea,with Soteros rooster sitting solemnly on a perchthat has been fixed across the middle. This isthe same cock, by-the-bye, that travelled back with us from Nagaba, and when C asks the boy a
An Englishwoman in the Philippines . wasnothing to be seen, and when we sent in to askthe old Tagalo dressmaker about it, they all sworethey had heard nothing. So we hoped it was onlya rat; but we waited in vain for our poor littlepet to come back, and she never appeared again. I could not bear the sight of the empty cage,and made the boys take it away after a day ortwo, and now I find it stands on the Azotea,with Soteros rooster sitting solemnly on a perchthat has been fixed across the middle. This isthe same cock, by-the-bye, that travelled back with us from Nagaba, and when C asks the boy about it, he always says it is going to fight forfifteen pesos on some Sunday—which never cock is as tame with Sotero as a dog, andallows itself to be combed and stroked the wayone sees all the Filipinos do to their fighting-cocks. In the native huts the fighting-cock is a veryprecious and sacred person, enthroned on a specialperch at one end of the living-room. The nightbefore he fights, this warrior is watched with the. oo THE FIGHTING-COCK 287 greatest care to see which point of the compasshe faces, as on that omen hang many events, forif the creature faces the east he is bound to win,but if he is turned towards the west you mayas well not take him to the battle at all. A littlehope is left, however, for when the cocks all crowbefore the dawn, he who makes the first scrawkis bound to win, and you can put your last pesetaon him. The poor beasts are taken to the ring, wherespurs of curved steel are fastened to the back oftheir heels, which makes the fight pretty short anddecisive, and may be indirectly merciful if it helpstowards a swift death. The making of the bladesis a fine art, and they are carefully carried about ina small box with a little stone on which to sharpenthem. When one sees a Filipino on the way to acock-fight, with his bird sitting on his arm, there isgenerally another native walking beside him,carrying this little black box containing the spursand
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1906
