Terry A Tale of the Hill People   By: Charles Goff Thomson

TERRY

A TALE OF THE HILL PEOPLE

BY CHARLES GOFF THOMSON

Late Lieut. Colonel, U. S. Army. Formerly Assistant Director of Prisons for Philippine Government

New York

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

1921

All rights reserved

COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

Set up and electrotyped. Published April, 1921

DEDICATED TO

MR. E. J. B.

WHO HAS GIVEN OF HIS COUNSEL, SPIRIT AND SUBSTANCE TO NEEDY YOUNG MEN

AUTHOR'S NOTE

The poem "Casey" used in Chapter IX was written by the late Arthur W. Ferguson, formerly Executive Secretary for the Philippine Government. It has been edited and amplified but is substantially as written by him. A man of unusual facility, Mr. Ferguson composed the verses under circumstances somewhat similar to those set down herein, and with like spontaneity.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I THE FOX 1 II TERRY DECIDES 18 III MINDANAO 33 IV THE FANATIC 52 V NEW FRIENDS, AND AN ENEMY 66 VI THE LAND OF HEMP 80 VII THE PYTHON 98 VIII THE STRICKEN VILLAGE 111 IX MALABANAN STRIKES 126 X MALABANAN 141 XI INTO THE FORBIDDEN HILLS 157 XII THE MAJOR FOLLOWS 175 XIII THE HILL PEOPLE 198 XIV AHMA 211 XV THE SIGN 220 XVI CIVILIZATION DAWNS IN THE HILLS 239 XVII "SUS MARIE HOSEP!" 250 XVIII THE FOX SKIN 262

TERRY

CHAPTER I

THE FOX

The frosty silence of the snow mantled hills was rent by the vicious crack of a high powered, small calibered rifle. The hunter sprang from the thicket in which he had lain concealed and crossed the gully to a knoll where a black furry bundle had dropped to the snow after one convulsive leap.

Exultant, Terry bent down to examine the silky black coat.

"Right through the ear. Well, Mister Fox, you're mine though you did lead me a merry chase for twelve days! You laughed at me till the snow came knew I wouldn't bring you out of your hole with formalin, that it was a square game we played. But to day everything broke against you, boy, sun and wind and snow. And perhaps hunger."

The twinge of pain that stabs every true sportsman as he realizes that he has extinguished a spark of life shadowed Terry's thin, sensitive face. It was a face of singular appeal, dominated by a queer twist of upper lip that stamped his mouth with a permanent wistfulness. Even in the bracing cold of the winter morning his skin was white, but the clear pallor was belied by the swift energy with which he moved and the eager sparkle of his dark gray eyes. He picked up the fluffy bundle and stroked the sleek fur.