m, except the lumber,
up the Naguilian trail.

However, we were in no frame of mind to be critical. We had put in
three years of killing hard work, labouring seven days in the week,
and keeping hours such as to arouse a feeling little short of horror
among old British and other foreign residents. We were all completely
exhausted, and Mr. Taft was ill. For my part, I would gladly have paid
almost any sum for a tent under the pine trees and the privilege of
occupying it for a few weeks.

On the trip up Mr. Taft had ridden a magnificent saddle horse which
had been given to him by General Chaffee. At the time he left, Manila
had been burning hot. When he was at last seated on the porch of the
little house which was to be his home for weeks, with a cool breeze
sighing through the needles of a spreading pine tree close at hand,
his satisfaction knew no bounds. Already his magnificent constitution
had begun to respond to the stimulation of the wonderful mountain air,
and filled with enthusiasm he summoned a stenographer and dictated
the following cablegram to the secretary of war:--

"April 15, 1903.

"_Secwar_,

"_Washington_.

"Stood trip well, rode horseback 25 miles to 5000 feet altitude. Hope
amoebic dysentery cured. Great province this, only 150 miles from
Manila with air as bracing as Adirondacks or Murray Bay. Only pines
and grass lands. Temperature this hottest month in the Philippines
in my cottage porch at three in the afternoon 68. Fires are necessary
night and morning.

"_Taft_."

As quick as the wires could bring it, he received the following reply:

"_Washington_, D.C., April 16, 1903.

"_Taft_,

"_Manila_.

"Referring to telegram from your office of 15th inst., how is horse?

"_Root_."

When he read it his shouts of laughter, rolling over the hills of
Baguio, must have been audible half a mile away!

Mr. Taft's sojourn in the hills put him again in fine condition and
made it possible for him to return to Manila and resume the heavy
burden of work which there awaited him. The other members of the
commission also greatly benefited by their stay in the hills.

While there we heard disquieting rumours as to the practicability
of completing the road. There was a difference of opinion between
the engineer in charge and one of his immediate subordinates as to
the route which should be followed. The consulting engineer of the
commission was accordingly requested to make a survey to determine a
p