This work is a memoir chronicling three decades of the author's life and adventures in the mountains of Northern Luzon, Philippines. It begins with his service as a private soldier in the Thirty-Third Infantry during the American pursuit of General Emilio Aguinaldo. His career evolved significantly, leading him to become a gold prospector, a trail-building engineer for the Insular Government, and eventually the Governor of Bontoc Province. The book provides a firsthand account of the cultural practices, social life, and transformation of the non-Christian tribes of the Cordillera Central, particularly the Igorot, Kalinga, and Ifugao people. It documents the customs of head-hunting, which the author actively helped to suppress , as well as indigenous institutions like the Bontoc olag or house of trial marriage. The narrative details the American administration's efforts to establish trails, schools, and local governance, effectively transitioning the region from a collection of warring tribes to a unified Mountain Province. It serves as a historical document of the early American colonial period and the efforts to assimilate the mountain highlanders into a modern society.
Life or death in Luzon : thirty years of adventure with the Philippine highlanders