Page:A Wild-Goose Chase - Balmer - 1915.djvu/46

32 born and later in the interior of China. Eric's mother died there. After the American occupation of the Philippines his father was sent as deputy administrator of a difficult, dangerous portion of a province in the mountains of Mindanao. There were seldom any white people in the district but Eric and his father who was held responsible for the good health and conduct of twenty-five thousand Moros. Eric's father had the knack of making friends with all sorts of people and he and Eric travelled safely through the mountains, stopping at the villages as the guests of the native chiefs. Eric alone happened to be visiting one of the most powerful chiefs when a scientific party of importance, under the escort of soldiers, came into the district. The natives surrounded the expedition and began an attack; Eric had the confidence of the chief sufficiently so that he was able to halt the attack; and after the truce, the soldiers returned unharmed to the coast and the scientists remained in the mountains for a month under the protection of the chief and as his guests until they had completed their work.