The people themselves are well worthy of notice. They are a mixture of Spaniards and natives; a few of pure blood, in the Government offices; the rest half-castes, mestiches, and natives. The men exhibit no remarkable features, except the Governor, Colonel Cayelano de Feguaroa, who was an agreeable man, and spoke French. We were much pleased with his liberal ideas and gentlemanly manners, and the other officers were equally polite and attentive. The generality of the native men are kind and civil, but with fat, unmeaning faces. The women are much better. The Lieutenant-Governor’s wife, the only pure Castilian in the place, was a very pretty woman, with fine eyes and regular features. The mestiches have in general good eyes and dark hair; but, with the exception of a few, their faces are too broad.
There was a famous corner shop opposite the church, which contained good specimens of the race:—Gabriella, likewise called Romantica, one of the handsomest women in the town, with pleasing features, and her sister, with the usual flat face. Every one visiting Samboañgan made that shop their place of call, as the staid old mother and the girls were very civil and hospitable.
In the country one could always obtain cocoa-nuts, and many of us were invited in to eat fruit and drink chocolate and gin by the obliging residents, whose pretty houses, embowered in fruit-trees, were an ornament to the road side.
The officers of the Meander gave a ball. The quarter-deck was cleared of guns and surrounded with flags on all sides, and ornamented with green boughs. All the Spanish officers came, and about fifty of the townswomen, some young, others old. We danced quadrilles, waltzes, and polkas: the first caused much confusion, the second was well danced, while the third was quite new to most of them. The commandant gave one in return, which was kept up with greater spirit. Many of the girls were fairer and better-looking than those we saw on board, and a few were in European costumes, with shoes and stockings, while the rest had Malay petticoats, and little jackets with scarfs. Dancing the polka with them was found to be very difficult, as, few having chemises on, the hand constantly coming in contact with the skin, it was impossible to obtain a hold; and their little slippers were flying in every direction.
Their own band played waltzes very well by ear; but nothing else. Indeed, it is almost the only dance they care for, as the girls find it difficult to try any other, on account of their wearing slippers without heels, some of which are very prettily ornamented with gold and silver embroidery.
Supplies were scarce, though I saw a great many oxen and cows, some goats, fowls, and ducks; but its being a penal settlement, trade is obstructed and carefully watched to prevent the escape of convicts, and none could come to the ship without a pass. The ponies are very good, except the hacks; the water buffaloes are large, and employed to draw a peculiar sledge along the smooth roads. The chief amusement of the men on Sundays is cock-fighting: crowds assemble to witness this cruel sport; and then they show some money, which at other times appears so scarce that few shops could give change for a dollar. We observed that the rice was trodden out by the buffaloes, on hard beaten ground. Washing was dear, being eleven dollars a hundred.
16th.—Started on our return voyage. Lay-to off a sand-bank not marked in the chart. A grave was found there with four bamboos stuck round, one at each corner, in the midst of thousands of birds, with immense numbers of eggs, some of which were brought off, and proved good eating. I will omit the ground we went over on our return, and give an account of a second visit we paid this archipelago.
CHAPTER IX.
THE SULU ISLANDS.
SECOND VISIT.
Reach Sugh—Mr. Wyndham comes on board—His News—Commercial Rivalry—The Stockades—Visit the Audience Hall—Appearance of the Sultan—Visit Datu Daniel’s Stockaded House—Guns—Datu Daniel—Appearance of the principal Chamber—The Bed—Boxes—Property—General look of Discomfort—Spittoons—Dismounted Iron Guns—Taken from the English—Excitement in the Town—Hereditary Hatred of the Sulus to the Spaniards—Their Treaty with Spain—Sandakan Bay—Supplies—Variegated Wood—Salute—English popular—An Exception—Death of a Sulu Lady from Grief—The Rumah Bechara—A Ship taken—Interview with the Sultan—Hope—Character of Datus—The Balignini—Capture an English Ship—Captives brought to Sulu—Result of the Action of the Nemesis—The Lanuns—At Magindanau and Cape Unsang—A narrow Escape—Mate to Lord Cochrane—Capture of the Maria Frederica—Cold-blooded Murder of the Captain—Jilolo Prahus—Their Rencontre with Sir Edward Belcher—Pirates off the Arru Group—Sulu Justice—Appearance of the People—Attack on the Spanish Gunboats—Public Audience with the Sultan—Private Visit to the House of his Bride—The Women—Opium-smoking—Invitation to revisit Sulu—The Spanish Gunboats—Samboañgan—The Corner Shop—Sunday’s Amusements—Appearance of the Neighbourhood—A Breakfast in the Country—Long Walks—People comfortable—Story of the Loss and Re-capture of the Dolphin—The Dolphin sails for Maludu Bay—Quarrels—Surprised—Death of Mr. Burns and the Captain—Murder of a Woman—Injury to Trade—Datu Badrudin’s Monopolies—The Tungku Pirates—Visit the chief Town of Maludu—Sherif Husin’s Account of the Surprise of the Dolphin—The Re-capture of the Vessel by Sherif Yasin—Arrival at Benggaya—Dolphin delivered up—Visit the Village of Sherif Yasin—His Appearance—His Account of the Re-capture—His Position—Smoking over Powder—Delivery of the Cargo—Return to the Ship—Argus Pheasants—Meet with Baju Boats—Pearl Fishers—Retaliation—Fishing for Pearls—Mr. Edwardes’s Pearl—Story of the Datu, and his great good Fortune—The Mermaid Pearl—Present State of Piracy on the North-West Coast—Cruise of the Balignini in 1861—Ransom of Inchi Ngah—Names of present Haunts of the Balignini—A Mangrove Swamp—Present System of Balignini—Escape of a Native—The Lanuns—A Dayak’s Experience—A Slave Mart—Spanish Attack on Sugh—Severe Fight—Bravery of the Sulus—Capture of the Town—The Sulu Government retire to the Hills, and refuse to submit—A Teak Forest burnt—No Teak in Borneo—Elephants extinct in Sulu.
Started from Labuan in the steamer Nemesis; and passing over our old ground soon found ourselves in the Sulu seas. It is difficult navigation, but we passed safely among the shoals, steering south of Cagayan Sulu, and between the islands of Ubian and Peñgaturan, where there is a deep channel. The latter is a long and low island, of great extent, with a few small villages, palm groves, and near it we observed many fishermen’s canoes. The sea is studded with shoals and little islands, and I counted eleven at one time from the deck. It was misty weather when the island first appeared; but as we approached Sugh the weather cleared, and by the time we had anchored it was tolerably fine. Since our last visit many houses have been built, and the town is gradually assuming its ancient appearance.