Much of the way it was a mere V in the earth, with deep mud at the bottom.
We left Naguilian early in the morning and stopped for lunch at a little place properly called Sablan, but unofficially known as "The Bells." Aguinaldo had thought at one time of establishing his headquarters in Benguet and had planned to have a gun foundry at Sablan.

His troops accordingly stole most of the church bells in the neighbouring lowland towns, meaning to use them for gun metal, and compelled the unfortunate Benguet Igorots to carry them up the steep trail.

Boiler pipes, which had been used in lieu of carrying poles, had in several instances been badly bent out of shape.

There was even an old vertical boiler which had been lugged up entire for some unknown reason.
The labour involved must have been enormous, and we were assured that when the Igorot bearers, prostrated with fatigue, had refused to continue their titanic task without rest, they had been driven to it at the muzzles of Insurgent rifles, and that some of them had been shot as a lesson to the others.

At all events, the boiler and the bells were there, and there the boiler and the larger bells have remained ever since! It was still steaming hot at Sablan, and the whole countryside was buried in the densest tropical vegetation.