Chapter 3

December 26, 1944

What a party! For 2 days!!! We had lots of exotic foods from the cooks' home areas. There were large pots of what they called "caldareta" where some had pieces of carabao (like beef) with large bones, manok (chicken) and some with kanding or kanbing (goat) meat mixed with wild vegetables and greens.

There were many words that have different meanings in the various languages and when someone would get a surprised look, the speaker would switch to English. They all spoke English around me but I was learning new words right along with them. I don't think I can ever get fluent with any of their languages though!

The natives of Cebu had roasted a "baboy" (pig) on a large stick above a fire pit that they had kept turning all night. The skin was crispy and lots of spices had been added.

Of course, lots of rice and desserts. There was dancing, talent shows and just plain pickin' and grinnin' with all of their native instruments. There was plenty of tuba wine but I passed on that. I was in training.

The Honey Kos and others gave me handmade gifts on my birthday which were very unique. Eda, Doc and my Master presented me with a "Kris" sword similar to the ones the Honey Kos and others carried in wooden sheaths and various knives. These were very old and also hand forged and decorated by someone long ago. They had silver and gold very tiny wires that been braided wrapped on the handles. My Master said that the old craftsman had melted down Dutch gold and silver coins to make the wires.

The Honey Kos and I were very restrained with my Master keeping a close eye on us. But maybe someday we could get serious with our courting? Who knows which way the wind blows as it snows, as they say back home in the Ozark Mountains. But no chance of ever seeing snow here!

Eda, Doc and my Master decided that we would take today to rest up and check all of the supplies we will take going on our gold hunt. That's also good with me and gives me time to play with some of the little children. I miss my young nieces and nephews a lot. All of my family really a lot during the Holidays!

December 27, 1944

Some of the young guerillas had left before dawn to scout out the path we were taking and make sure it was still safe. We had a long ways to go but it was good as it was mostly downhill. I stayed with my Master and his young apprentices practicing various moves with the fighting sticks and trying to learn how to use my Kris sword and the knives I received.

None of the Honey Kos or other women went with us. Eda and the other Leaders decided that since the hidden cave we were going to have no Japanese soldiers left in the area not to take any chances with the women's lives.

It was very beautiful country here. Except for the many monkeys swinging through the trees, the different sounding birds and a few snakes unlike our timber rattlers It could have been just like being back home to me.

On the evening of the 3rd day we had caught up with most of the guerillas campsite. They reported that there were no Japanese soldiers nearby the cave and that all of their old campsites were gone. Some of the guerillas had stayed at the cave and were clearing up the hidden opening of the large rocks. I reminded them that there could be some explosive or other traps even located outside of the cave and I would check this out in the morning. Two took off running towards the cave.

I took several of the guerillas with me and we circled around the hidden cave. I found 2 trip wires that were connected to the Japanese version of a hand grenade. They looked like baby pineapples. We carefully cut the trip wires and carried these down the trail going back towards the ocean and buried them.

We circled above the cave and found one more trip wire that was threaded into a hollow bamboo pole that was stuck into a pile of rocks. We decided to just cut the wire and leave the grenade(s) alone. We followed the wire down the hill making sure there were no other trip wires connected to it and tracked it where it went in at the top of the rocks piled in front of the cave, also threaded into a hollow piece of bamboo.

We got a hole cleared in the entrance big enough to get inside. We had torches and started looking around. The smell from the dead POWs was overwhelming! But there must have been a crack or an exit above the cave as the air coming in from where we had opened the entrance up carried the smell away rather quickly.

I told my Master "Have your trainees take paper and pens and go over all of the killed POWs. Make notes of their ethnicity, height and guess at their weight. If you can find any identification like American dog tags, write down this information on the paper. If you can tell, write down how they were executed like the kind of weapon that was probably used or anything that may tell. Leave the dog tags on the bodies and we will find a way later to get them and take them down the hill to an American Army Camp after they arrive here.

In High School our American History Teacher took us on field trips to old grave sites. We would lay white cloth on the old unreadable headstones and rub this with wax. The impression was readable then. We used cloth so it could be rolled up or folded and not get damaged. We made maps of the old burial sites with information on each grave.

For any dog tag like markers that some of the POWs may have on them that you can't read, do this with rice paper and charcoal. We will box these up and take them with us. Also send someone back out to the concrete marker the Japanese soldiers buried north of us and do the same with the strange writing on them. Maybe someone at Headquarters can get these translated after they land here."

We watched very carefully for more trip wires but we didn't find any inside the cave. This cave was not very large so not many rocks had to be removed from the inside by the POWs when they enlarged it. At the back there were wooden boxes stacked up that looked like they were the size of 2 foot lockers put together. About 16" x 24" x 24" in size. On top of this stack were large thin boxes.

We took one of the top boxes down and carefully opened it. Inside was a very old looking painting that was still in a frame that looked handmade. We closed it back up and stacked these thin boxes to the side.

Next we took down one of the larger boxes and opened it up. Inside of it was a lot of jewelry that looked like it was made of gold with diamonds, rubies and other stones set in it. We closed it back up and set these lighter boxes off to the side also.

The heaviest boxes were stacks of 6 boxes long and 4 boxes wide. This stack was 5 boxes high. It took 4 of us to move a box from off the top of the stack down to the cave floor. We opened a box sand just stared at the shiny gold bars laying inside of it! It was a very breathtaking moment! I took one out of the box and it felt like it would weigh about 25 to 35 pounds. These bars had stamps on them but no one could read the writing. So I had my Master's helpers do a rice paper rubbing on one of these to take with us. We kept out 2 of the bars and then closed up this box and decided that we would all go outside, eat and have a meeting.

I said "Are there any caves or places to dig caves near the barangay village? We need to move all of these boxes from here."

An older villager said "There are some small caves near our barangay that are well hidden from view. They are close enough that we could watch them and guard them."

The Master said "The largest 2-Wheel cart we brought with us may be strong enough to handle 1 box of the gold ingots. We can load one and test it going back to our barangay. We will take a long, circuitous way back so that it will be hard to track us. And if the Japanese soldiers come back and try to track us, they will just give us trying! If the cart breaks down, we can build a litter that will carry the box while the carabao is dragging it. If this works out we will bring back many carts to haul the treasure back to our barangay caves."

We agreed to leave some guerilla fighters here to stand guard and report back to us any movement they saw. We would stay tonight and leave early the next morning.

The next morning we split up into 3 Groups. Group A would stay at the cave. Group B would take the short way back to our barangay to start cleaning and enlarging some of the caves. Group C would go with the cart and the wooden box of gold treasure. The Master sent his 2 apprentices with Group C to learn the ways of the guerilla fighters and said that I would go with him in Group B to find a cave or caves large enough for the treasure.

Group C said that it would take them 2 to 4 weeks to get back depending on how big a trail the cart wheel tracks were leaving. I suggested that maybe they could wrap the wheels with cloths or some big leaves to help make the tracks no so noticeable. They said they would experiment with different methods so we would know how to send back the next carts for hauling the treasure back to the barangay caves.

On our 2nd day we had marched until about noon when the Master tapped his 2 fighting sticks together 3 times. We all knew this danger signal and hid under the many coconut trees in the tall grass. I heard the sound of an airplane having engine problems and finally saw it flying in from the ocean direction.

I saw it was one of our Air Force's Mustangs and then I saw that the pilot had bailed out and opened his parachute. The Master tapped his fighting sticks together twice and we gathered back up into a group.

He said "We will carefully go to the area that pilot will land but watch out for any Japanese soldiers that will also try to get to him!" In the far distance we saw the smoke from the Mustang's crash. We were getting close enough to the pilot to see him trying to maneuver to a clear spot to land but there was none here. He came down in the trees and his parachute caught on the coconut tree's palm fronds. He kept trying to shake his parachute cords to get free but he was hung up tight. I motioned for the others in my Group to stop and I went on ahead towards the pilot. When he saw me he drew out his .45 pistol.