This is a continuation of William Dampier's "A New Voyage Around the World," continuing to excerpt from Chapter 12.
"A Sort of Leprosy There, and other Distempers"
The Mindanao people are much troubled with a sort of leprosy, the same as we observed at Guam. This distemper runs with a dry scurf all over their bodies and causes great itching in those that have it, making them frequently scratch and scrub themselves, which raises the outer skin in small whitish flakes like the scales of a fish when they are raised on end with a knife. This makes their skin extraordinarily rough, and in some you shall see broad white spots in several parts of the body. I judge such have had it but were cured, for their skins were smooth and I did not perceive them to scrub themselves. Yet I have learnt from their mouths that these spots were from this distemper. Whether they use any means to cure themselves or whether it goes away of itself, I know not: but I did not perceive that they made any great matter of it, for they did never refrain any company for it; none of our people caught it of them for we were afraid of it and kept off. They are sometimes troubled with the Smallpox but their ordinary distempers are fevers, agues, fluxes with great pains and gripings in their guts. The country affords a great many drugs and medicines and herbs whose virtues are not unknown to some of them that pretend to cure the sick.
"Their Marriages"
The Minadanao men have many wives: but what ceremonies are used when they marry I know not. There is commonly a great feast made by the bridegroom to entertain his friends and the most part of the night is spent in mirth.
"The Sultan of Mindanao, His Poverty, Power, Family, etc."
The Sultan is absolute in his power over all of his subjects. He is but a poor prince; for, as I mentioned before they have but little trade and therefore cannot be rich. If the Sultan understands that any man has money, if it be but 20 Dollars, which is a great matter among them, he will send to borrow so much money, pretending urgent occasions for it; and they dare not deny him. Sometimes he will send to sell one thing or answer that he has to dispose of to whom he knows to give him his price; and if afterwards he has occasion for the same thing he must have it, he sends for it. He is but a little man, between 50 and 60 years old, and by relation very good natured but overruled by those about him. He has a queen and keeps about 29 women, or wives, more in whose company he spends most of his time. He has one daughter by his Sultaness, or queen, and a great many sons and daughters by the rest. They walk about the streets and would always be begging things of us, but it is reported that the young princess is kept in a room and never stirs out; and that she never did see any man but her father and Raja Laut her uncle, being then about 14 years old.
When the Sultan visits his friends he is carried in a small couch on four men's shoulders with eight to ten armed men to guard him; but he never goes far this way for the country is very woody and they have but little paths, which renders it the less commodius.
"The Proas or Boats Here"
When he takes his pleasure by water he carries some of his wives along with him. The proas that are built for this purpose are large enough to entertain fifty or sixty persons or more. The hull is neatly built, with a round head and stern and over the hull is a small slight house built with bamboos; the sides are made up with split bamboos about four feet high, with little windows in them of the same to open and shut at their pleasure. The roof is almost flat, neatly thatched with palmetto leaves. This house is divided into two or three small partitions or chambers, one particularly for himself. This is neatly matted underneath and round the sides and there is a carpet and pillows for him to sleep on. The second room is for his women; much like the former. The third is for the servants, who tend them with tobacco and betel nut; for they are always chewing or smoking. The fore and after parts of the vessel are for the mariners to sit and row. Besides this they have outlayers, such as those I described at Guam; only the boats are more round like a half moon almost; and the bamboos or outlayers that reach from the boat are also crooked. Besides, the boat is not flat on one side here, as at Guam; but has a belly and outlayers on each side: and whereas at Guam there is a little boat fastened to the outlayers that lies in the water like boats, but one, three, or four feet above the water and serve for the bargemen to sit and row and paddle on; the inside of the vessel and except only just afore and abaft, being taken up by the apartments for the passengers. There run across the outlayers two tier beams for the paddlers to sit on, on each side of the vessel. The lower tier of these beams is not above a foot from the water: so that upon any the least reeling of the vessel, the beams are dipped in the water, and the men that sit are wet up to their waist, their feet seldom escaping the water. And thus, as all our vessels are rowed from within, these are paddled from without.
"Raja Laut the General, Brother to the Sultan, His Family"
The Sultan has a brother called Raja Laut, a brave man. He is second in the kingdom. All the strangers that come hither to trade must make their address to him, for all sea-affairs belong to him. He liscences strangers to import or export any commodity and it is by his permission that the natives themselves are suffered to trade: nay, the very fisherman must take a permit from him, so that there is no man can come in the river or go out but by his leave. He is two or three years younger than the Sultan and a little man like him. He has eight women by some of whom he has issue. He has only one son, about 12 to 14 years old, who was circumcised while we were there. His eldest son died a little before we came hither, for whom he was still in great heaviness. If he had lived a little longer he should have married the young princess; but whether this second son must have her I know not, for I never did hear any discourse about it. Raja Laut is a very dharp man; he speaks and writes Spanish, which he learned in his youth. He has by conversing with strangers got a great sight into the customs of other nations, and by Spanish books has some knowledge of Europe. He is General of the Mindanayans, and is accounted an expert soldier, and a very stout man; and the women in their dances sing many songs in his praise.
"Their Way of Fighting"
The Sultan of Mindanao sometimes makes war with his neighbours, the Mountaineers or Alfoores. Their weapons are swords, lances, and some hand cressets. The cresset is a small thing like a baggonet, which they always wear in war or peace, at work or play, from the greatest of them to the poorest, or the meanest persons. They do never meet each other so as to have a pitched battle but they build small works or forts of timber where they plant little guns and lie in sight of each other for two or three months, skirmishing every day in small parties and sometimes suprising a breastwork; and what ever side is to be worsted, if they have no probability to escape by flight, they sell their lives as dear as they can; for there is seldom any quarter given, but the conqueror cuts and hacks his enemies to pieces.
"Their Religion"
The religion of these people is Mohammedanism; Friday is their sabbath; but I did never see any difference that they make between this day and any other day; only the Sultan himself goes then to the mosque twice.
"Raja Laut's Devotion"
Raja Laut never goes to the mosque but prays at certain hours, eight or ten times in a day wherever he is, he is very punctual to his canonical hours, and if he be aboard will go ashore on purpose to pray. For no business nor company hinders him from this duty. Whether he is home or abroad, in a house or in a field, he leaves all his companny and goes about 100 yards off, there kneels down to his devotion. He first kisses the ground and does the same when he leaves off. His servants and wives and children talk and sing, or play how they please all the time, but himself is very serious. The meaner sort of people have little devotion; I did never see any of them at their prayers or go into a mosque.
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