The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 2]

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THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 2

they are always on the alert, and are mistrustful of
one another.
While we were in this bay, Indians and chiefs came
in several boats, displaying prominently a white flag
at the bow of one of them. Another flag was raised
on the stern of the flagship as a sign that they could
approach. These people wear clothes, but they go
barefooted. Their dress is made of cotton or of a
kind of grass resembling raw silk. We spoke to them
and asked them for food. They are a crafty and
treacherous race, and understand everything. The
best present which they gave me was a sucking pig,
and a cheese of which, unless a miracle accompanied
it, it was impossible for all in the fleet to partake. On the occasion of the death of the gentleman
whom they killed, the natives scattered themselves
through the island. They are naturally of a cowardly
disposition, and distrustful, and if one has treated
them ill, they will never come back. They possess, in
common with all these islands, swine, goats, hens of
Castile, rice, millet, and in addition a great variety of
excellent fruit. The people wear gold earrings, bracelets, and necklets. Wherever we went we found a
great display of these articles. Although people say
that there are many mines and much pure gold, yet the
natives do not extract it until the very day they need
it; and, even then, they take only the amount necessary for their use, thus making the earth their purse.
Leaving this bay, we sailed south until we reached
the end of the island, where the land turns west. Just
south of this island are other islands between which
and this island there is a straight channel running
west. The fleet passed through this channel, and on
the second day from our departure from Cibabao,