It was now April 2nd, and Marie had ahead of her about ninety milesoverland to be made on foot or else on horse-back; and it was necessaryfor her to hurry along, as the rescuing party was scheduled to reachthe mouth of Baler river April 10th, or 12th.
Her course led past the little shack on the bank of the San Mateoriver, where she had robbed the elderly couple who had been so kindto her and near where she later had shot the old man when he waspursuing her to regain possession of his stolen property.
She found it deserted; but in a little bamboo corral nearby she foundthree Chinese ponies. Evidently they had made their escape from thescene of battle and had drifted into this yard for refuge. There wasa small stack of rice straw just outside the corral. From this Mariesoon made a stoutly-twisted rope which she hastily arranged in theform of a bridle. Placing it over the head of the largest pony shemounted him and rode off.
She got ten miles beyond this last stopping place before sunset. Thatnight she stopped at a small inland village. As she lay down to sleepon the bamboo floor in the hut of a Tagalo family whose acquaintanceshe had readily formed, recollections of the place which she hadpassed during the afternoon where she had previously robbed the oldcouple immediately after she was released upon oath by the Americans,suggested to her the thought that she was violating her oath; that shewas now out in a country where she might be betrayed at any moment byher own people, or else be captured by a squad of American infantryor cavalry; therefore, she decided that on the following day shewould destroy her identity.
Upon retiring the previous night Marie coiled up for a pillow her headof long black hair. "I hate to give it up," thought she, "but whatwill the Americans do to me if they capture me another time? Oh! well,after the war is over it will soon grow out again."
The next morning, after a scanty breakfast of bananas and rice, anda pineapple which Marie salted heavily before she ate it, she went toa native barber and had her long hair cut close to the scalp, exceptfor a little tuft on top which she had him brush up for a pompadour.
Before cutting off her hair the barber tied a piece of hemp verytightly around it, just back of her neck. After he had detached it,he held it in front of Marie and asked her what she wished done withit. She took it in her own hands.
The barber kept on trimming her shortened hair. Marie stopped talkingand seemed to be in deep meditation.
Presently the barber said. "That's all."
Marie arose from the rough mahogany slab on which she had been sitting,handed him a puesta (twenty cents, Mexican), looked out of the windowand said, "I'll tell you what I'll do: I'll trade you my hair forthat quilas (two-wheeled cart) standing there."
"All right"; said the barber, "My pony is dead, and the war has sodevasted the country, and money has become so scarce, that I can'tafford to buy another one."
"The harness hanging on it goes with the cart," said Marie.
"Oh no!" exclaimed the barber, "my wife borrowed that, and I mustreturn it."
"It doesn't make any difference to whom it belongs," said Marie,emphatically, "you traded me the cart, and everything that was in itgoes with the trade. How do you suppose I could hitch my pony intothe cart without a harness?"
Just then she pulled a bolo out from under her apron. The barber saidno more.
Marie hitched her pony into the cart and started on toward Baler.
That day she followed a good road leading toward the mountains nearthe eastern coast of Luzon. By night her pony had made twenty miles.
She had already reached the foot-hills. It was impossible for herto make head-way any longer with the cart. She would soon be acrossthe mountains and be in the region to be approached by the Americanrelief party. What was to be done?
A happy thought came to Marie. She clasped her hands and muttered toherself, "I'll trade the cart for a suit of men's clothes and tradethe harness for a sombrero," (bamboo hat.)
Since the middle of the afternoon she had been driving parallel to astream that wound its way, nearby, from the mountains across the plainsto the sea. Villages along the banks were numerous. At night fall shewas still in Tagalo territory. It was her own tribe. She soon found aplace to stay over night. Her pony was turned loose in a vacant yard,with an old bamboo fence around it, and given some young rice.
That evening while smoking cigarettes, and while inflaming the mindsof the villagers with startling stories about the atrocities, of theAmerican soldiers, Marie finally succeeded in making the trade whichshe had planned during the afternoon.
Next morning, April 5, she rode on. Before her lay sixty miles ofunknown territory to be covered during the next four days, if shewere to reach Baler in time to warn the besieging Filipinos of thecontemplated attack by the Americans.
A half mile out from the village, Marie came to an abrupt turn in theroad. Near by was a dense cluster of banana trees. She dismounted,and while her pony was nibbling young rice she went into the thicketand changed her attire. Then she tied a good-sized stone up in herold clothes and threw them into the river. As she stood on the bankwatching them sink, she saw her shadow in the water. How changed shelooked! The sombrero was such a relief in keeping the hot sun offher head.
"Now, I'll not be recognized," thought she. "How nice it is to bedressed like a man. From now on I mean to play a man's part and bea full-fledged soldier."