The village of Menggatal contained about a hundred houses scattered among the trees, and in the centre was the residence of Pañgeran Madoud, tolerably well built of thick posts and plank walls. We found chairs and tables had already penetrated to this secluded spot, and the Pañgeran was not a little proud of being able to receive us in European fashion. He was at the period of our first visit about forty, tall, and with rather a pleasant, quiet countenance; but having little strength of character, was willing to enter into intercourse with the pirates, if by so doing he could gain anything. He had, in fact, just purchased from them a trading prahu, which they had captured north of Labuan, after having killed two of the Bornean crew, who were his own countrymen. Like all the other chiefs, he attempts to monopolize the trade of his district, and thus reduces it to a minimum.
While we were conversing, there came in a party of the Ida’an, whose young chief had a very intelligent countenance, broad-shouldered, with his waist drawn in as tightly as he could; over his breast he wore strings of cowrie shells, and round his loins neatly-worked rattan rings, and on his neck a brass collar open at the side, enabling him to take it off with ease. Their baskets were filled with hill tobacco for the Pañgeran, who is said subsequently to have so oppressed the neighbouring villages of Ida’an, that they threatened to attack him, and being rather timid, he retired before the storm. Building their houses at Gantisan on freshly cleared jungle, the Malays suffered severely from fever; the whole population is said to have been attacked, of whom many died.
We found anchored at Lokporin, in the north-west part of the bay, a Spanish brig, belonging to Monsieur Cuarteron, the Prefect Apostolic of the newly-arrived Roman Catholic mission. He had built a hut and a chapel of palm stems and leaves, as a commencement of what he hoped would be a prosperous mission; but he had his attention too much directed to temporal, to take proper care of spiritual affairs.[16]
We paid a visit to the Chief Pañgeran Madoud and settled to leave our pinnace under his care, and start next morning, as the cholera had already invaded this place, and eight deaths were reported.
Having distributed our luggage among our followers, we landed and walked over to the waters of the Mengkabong, a low ridge only separating them; from it we had a good view of this extensive salt lake, filled with islands, and on the inland side bordered by hills. At the landing-place we met the nominal ruler of Mengkabong, Pañgeran Duroup, who had kindly provided canoes to take us to the point where our walking journey would commence. We stopped to breakfast at his house, and Monsieur Cuarteron, who was with us, pointed out an intelligent lad, the son of Duroup, whom he intended to raise to power over the surrounding countries, and be himself the boy’s Prime Minister.
A Spaniard has many temptations to intrigue in these districts, as there are here numerous inhabitants of the Philippines, originally captured by the Lanun and Balignini pirates, and sold into slavery. They have married and intermarried with the inhabitants, and forming a part of the regular population, are most unwilling to leave the country. Some have risen to respectable positions, and nearly all have turned Mahomedans. Still they have a respect and a fear of the Spanish priests, and are much open to their secular influence, though very few will re-enter the Roman Church. As might be expected, the priest’s political intrigues did no good, but, instead, diffused suspicion and dislike among the natives.
We started again after breakfast, and passed the entrance from the sea, through the chief town, and by the numerous villages scattered about. Nearly all the houses are built on the water. We estimated the population at above 6,000. A glance at the accompanying map will explain the kind of place Mengkabong is, but I may observe that this salt-water creek or lake is very shallow, in many places dry, or but a few inches deep at dead low-water, so that it must be rapidly filling up, and all the plains skirting the sea had probably a similar origin. To the south and south-east it is surrounded by hills, none of which exceeds eight hundred feet in height.
Mengkabong is the head-quarters of the Bajus on the north-western coast of Borneo; and being the only population to be found in the villages scattered over the lake, they are more tempted to pursue their old habits than those of the northern rivers, who have the Lanuns between them and the sea. They are bold seamen, and will venture anywhere in search of wealth. When the Fiery Cross was wrecked on a shoal far out in the China Seas, the captain and crew made for Labuan. The news soon spread along the coast that a ship with a valuable cargo was on shore, and a small squadron of native prahus was immediately fitted out at Mengkabong to look for her. They boldly put forth to sea, visiting all the reefs with which they were acquainted, and even pushing their researches so far as to sight the coast of Cochin China, known to the Malays under the name of Annam. Their exertions were for them unfortunately unavailing; but they often pick up a prize, as when a Bombay cotton ship was wrecked at Meñgalong; and during the last China war, they found a large French vessel deserted on a reef to the north of Borneo, but which, to their infinite disgust, proved to have only a cargo of coals. The Baju prahus may generally be known by their tripod masts, which consist of three tall bamboos, the two foremost fitted on a cross beam, the last loose; so that when a heavy squall threatens, they can immediately strike their masts. Their sails are not handsome; for being stuck out on one side, they look ungainly.
I have mentioned, in my account of our first expedition to Kina Balu, the Baju attack on a village in Banguey; they themselves often suffer from the fleets of Balignini pirates, who return home from their cruises in Dutch waters along the north-west coast of Borneo, and pick up the fishermen they find at sea. During the last few years they have seldom appeared off the coast more than once during a season, and then only touching at Sirik Point, and afterwards giving our colony of Labuan a wide berth, to fetch the coast again about Pulo Tiga.
The Balignini used to be the terror of the Indian isles, but their pursuits have been interfered with and their gains much curtailed since the introduction of steamers into the Archipelago. The Spaniards, with heavy loss to themselves, drove them from their haunts on the islands of Tongkil and Balignini in the Sulu Archipelago, since which time they have never again assembled in positions so strong. These two small islands are low, surrounded with mangrove swamps, and appear very similar to the eighteen others we could count at the same time from the deck of a ship. But behind the swamps were erected formidable stockades, and the garrison made a stubborn defence, although most of their fighting men were away.