ow several who have paid bribes to the officials to rid them of it,
under the pretext of ill-health, legal incapacity, and so on. The
_Gobernadorcillo_ was supported by what was pompously termed a
"ministry," composed of two lieutenants of the town, lieutenants of
the wards, the chiefs of police, of plantations, and of live-stock.

The _Gobernadorcillo_ was nominally the delegate and practically the
servant of his immediate chief, the Provincial Governor. He was the
arbiter of local petty questions, and endeavoured to adjust them,
but when they assumed a legal aspect, they were remitted to the local
Justice of the Peace, who was directly subordinate to the Provincial
Chief Judge. He was also responsible to the Administrator for the
collection of taxes--to the Chief of the Civil Guard for the capture
of criminals, and to the priest of his parish for the interests of
the Church. His responsibility for the taxes to be collected sometimes
brought him imprisonment, unless he succeeded in throwing the burden
on the actual collectors--the _Cabezas de Barangay_.

The _Gobernadorcillo_ was often put to considerable expense in the
course of his two years, in entertaining and supplying the wants of
officials passing through. To cover this outlay, the loss of his own
time, the salaries of writers in the Town Hall, presents to his Spanish
chiefs to secure their goodwill, and other calls upon his private
income, he naturally had to exact funds from the townspeople. Legally,
he could receive, if he chose (but few did), the munificent salary of
P2 per month, and an allowance for clerks equal to about one-fifth
of what he had to pay them. Some of these _Gobernadorcillos_ were
well-to-do planters, and were anxious for the office, even if it
cost them money, on account of the local prestige which the title of
"Capitan" gave them, but others were often so poor that if they had
not pilfered, this compulsory service would have ruined them. However,
a smart _Gobernadorcillo_ was rarely out of pocket by his service. One
of the greatest hardships of his office was that he often had to
abandon his plantation or other livelihood to go to the provincial
capital at his own expense whenever he was cited there. Many of them
who did not speak or understand Spanish had to pay and be at the
mercy of a Secretary (_Directorcillo_), who was also a native.

When any question arose of general interest to the townspeople (such
as a serious innovation in the