isting within a few miles of Manilla,--the wilds and
forests of the Laguna being favourite haunts, as well as the shores of
the Bay of Manilla, from which they can come by night, without leaving
a trace of the direction they have taken, in bodies of ten and twenty
men at a time, in a large banca. They have apparently some friends
in Manilla, who plan out their enterprises, send them intelligence,
and direct their attacks; so that every now and then they are heard
of as having gutted some rich native or Mestizo's house in the suburbs
of Manilla, after which they generally manage to get away clear before
the alguacils come up.

The houses of Europeans are also occasionally attacked, although much
less boldly within the last year or two; yet it is the custom for
people to retire to bed, even in the heart of the town without the
walls, with pistols, a sword, or some other weapon within reach. That
these people do immense damage there is no doubt, as they not only
plunder the country people of buffaloes and horses, but rifle their
houses, if no better prey is to be had, to such an extent, that
the natives are afraid to live at any distance from each other in
many parts of the country, solely through fear of them. From this
cause, patches of fine paddy land in out-of-the-way districts are
left uncultivated, or are hurriedly ploughed and sown by adventurous
persons, who after doing so retire into the nearest village to live,
till the time comes to reap as much of the paddy as the deer and
numerous wild pigs have left untouched.

The punishments of these bad characters are severe enough when justice
chances to get hold of them; and, should their crimes be atrocious,
they occasionally suffer death. Sometimes they are _garroted_, which
is done in this way. After being seated at the place of execution,
with the back towards a high post of wood, the culprit's neck is
encircled by an iron collar attached to the post, and capable of
compression by a powerful screw passing through the post, which, on
the signal being made, the executioner turns, and the victim is choked
in a second. The practice is much less disgusting than hanging, as
no effects are visible to an on-looker beyond the convulsive movement
of a frame loaded with heavy irons to prevent a severe and disgusting
struggle with departing life.

A good many of the _tulisanes_ are soldiers who, after committing some
peccadillo, feared its discovery and punishment, and flying