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. 40]

I690-1691] NATIVES OF SOUTHERN ISLANDS

I7I

natives who are in other things so simple and unceremonious; and to see a sacrament so hazardous
treated with so much devotion, in the respect shown
to the ministers of it. That chief spent at that feast
more than four hundred arrobas of wine, and more
than one thousand birds. Although they are poor,
in order to meet the obligations of that day satisfactorily they strip themselves, showing an equally
generous spirit in such action with the living as is
displayed in the fatherland with the dead; for the
greatest displays of their grandeur are the funerals
and weddings.
CHAPTER XVIII
Boats and weapons of these natives
The craft used by the Lutaos for war are, like
those of terrible pirates, built with particular attention to speed - both for pursuit, and to seek shelter
whenever affairs go wrong with them, or when their
undertaking is dangerous to them. For since their
wars are always waged for greed, and reputation
never induces them, they try to advantage themselves
quite at their safety; and they readily abandon any
undertaking if they see that it will be costly to them.
That care and attention, which govern their boatbuilding, cause their ships to sail like birds, while
ours are like lead in this regard. The planking that
they use is very thin, and has no other nails, crotches,
or knees than a little rattan. Rattan is the substance
which here takes the place of hemp, in tying things
together, some planks [in the craft] being tied together with it. For that purpose projecting parts
are left at intervals on the inside [of the planks] in
which holes are made; and through these the liga