16 CAGAYAN SULU. [chap. 



1863, but these pests, who established tlieir stronghold among the 

 labyrinth of shoals on the south of Tawi-tawi Island, have of late 

 been held in check by the Spanish, and before long will, no doubt, 

 have entirely disappeared. The only trade is in coconut oil, but 

 the yam, banana, sweet-potato, cotton-tree, and tobacco are 

 cultivated. Liberian coffee, cacao, and sugar ought all to do well, 

 and the soil appears to be particularly adapted for gTowing the two 

 former, but we saw none upon the island. The greater part of the 

 agricultural work is done by the women, while the men employ 

 themselves in fishing, managing their crank dug-out canoes with 

 great dexterity. They also make use of rafts made of large 

 bamboos lashed together — a species of craft that I do not remember 

 to have seen anywhere else in tliis part of the world. 



There are apparently no horses, in spite of their being so abun- 

 dant in Sulu, but cattle of a small breed are much used for riding 

 purposes. They are never milked, but the Pangerang informed 

 us that this was merely because no one knew^ how to perform the 

 operation. The island is said to be very healthy, but in 1873 

 smallpox appeared, and almost exterminated the people. During 

 this terrible scourge, in many villages of thirty or forty souls but 

 one or two were left alive, and as many as 1000 are said to have 

 perished. At the present time the population is probably under 3000. 



Eare as the visit of a ship of any kind must be, our appearance 

 seemed to ■ excite but little curiosity among the natives, and we 

 wandered about the island almost unnoticed. Our men were 

 allowed a run ashore, and were full of yarns on their return. One, 

 a new hand in the tropics, to whom the lex non scri2)ta which 

 declares coconuts to be invariably private property was unknown, 

 ascended a palm and proceeded to possess himself of the spoil. 

 The result we afterwards overheard in a fo'c'sle conversation, " Well, 

 mates, ye see I was just a reachin' out of my hand for to grab 'em, 

 when. Lord save me, if there wer'n't a fox came and poked his 

 nose out just agen mine ! I reckon I fetched down again pretty 

 quick. Blessed if ever I see such a rummy country afore, where 



