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]

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THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 40

brated in their lamentations and in their funeral
rites, and much time was spent in offering sacrifices
to or for them, accompanied with many banquets
and drunken revels. If the death had happened
through violence - in war or peace, by treason, or
any other manner - the mourning was not laid aside
nor the interdict raised until the children, brothers,
or relatives, killed an equal number not only of their
enemies and the murderers, but also of any strange
persons who were not their friends. Like highwaymen and robbers they prowled on land and sea, and
went on the hunt for men, killing as many as they
could until their fury was appeased. That barbarous
kind of vengeance is called balata and in token of it
the neck was girt with a strap which was worn until
the number of persons prescribed had been killed.
Then a great feast and banquet was made, the interdict was raised, and at its proper time the mourning
was removed. In all the above are clearly seen the
traces of heathendom and of those ancient rites and
customs so celebrated and noised about by good
authors, by which many other nations, more civilized,
were considered as famous and worthy of history.
CHAPTER XVI
Of the government and political customs
of these peoples
II4. There were no kings or rulers worthy of
mention, throughout this archipelago; but there were
many chiefs who dominated others less powerful.
As there were many without much power, there was
no security from the continual wars that were waged
between them. Manila had two chiefs, uncle and