238 MAN : PAST AND PRESENT. [CHAP. 



early Portuguese writers, who described them as from time 

 immemorial engaged in fishing and plundering on the high 



seas 1 . 



In those days, and even in comparatively late times, the 



relations in the Eastern Archipelago greatly re- 



and Peiasgia sembled those prevailing in the ^Egean Sea at the 



a Historic dawn of Greek history, while the restless seafaring 



Parallel. J \ 



populations were still in a state of flux, passing 

 from island to island in quest of booty or barter before perma- 

 nently settling down in favourable sites 2 . With the Greek 

 historian's philosophic disquisition on these Pelasgian and proto- 

 Hellenic relations may be compared Mr Wallace's account of 

 the Batjan coastlands when visited by him in the late fifties. 

 " Opposite us, and all along this coast of Batchian, stretches a 

 row of fine islands completely uninhabited. Whenever I asked 

 the reason why no one goes to live in them, the answer always 

 was, 'For fear of the Magindano pirates 3 .' Every year these 

 scourges of the Archipelago wander in one direction or another, 

 making their rendezvous on some uninhabited island, and carrying 

 devastation to all the small settlements around ; robbing, destroy- 

 ing, killing, or taking captive all they meet with. Their long, 

 well-manned praus escape from the pursuit of any sailing vessel 

 by pulling away right in the wind's eye, and the warning smoke 

 of a steamer generally enables them to hide in some shallow bay, 

 or narrow river, or forest-covered inlet, till the danger is passed 4 ." 

 Thus, like geographical surroundings, with corresponding social 

 conditions, produce like results in all times amongst all peoples. 



1 Ciijo officio he rubar e pescar, "whose business it is to rob and fish" 

 (Barros). Many of the Bajaus lived entirely afloat, passing their lives in boats 

 from the cradle to the grave, and praying Allah that they might die at sea. 



Thucydides, Pel. War, 1. 1-16. 



These are the noted Jllamms, who occupy the south side of the large 

 Philippine island of Mindanao, but many of whom, like the Bajaus of 

 Celebes and the Sulu Islanders, have formed settlements on the north-east 

 coast of Borneo. "Long ago their warfare against the Spaniards degenerated 

 into general piracy. Their usual practice was not to take captives, but 

 to murder all on board any boat they took. Those with us [British North 

 Borneo] have all settled down to a more orderly way of life" (W. B. Pryer, 

 Jour. Anthrop. Inst. 1886, p. 231). 

 4 The Malay Archipelago, p. 341. 



