26 THE SULU ISLANDS. [chap. 



ordinaiy umiiangled condition. In Sulu every prospect pleases 

 with the single exception of being mistaken for a Spaniard. 



It was not long before we found ourselves at the Istana, — the 

 Sultan's residence, — an unmterestmg building enough from the 

 outside. It is placed close to the river, and opposite, across a 

 short stretch of turf, is a long, low building with latticed windows 

 devoted to the ladies of his harem. The door of the Istana was 

 guarded by two Sikhs, bushy-whiskered and moustached. In the 

 Malay Archipelago one gets accustomed to rubbing against men of 

 almost every race and language under the sun, always excepting 

 Europeans, who are rarities. Chinese, Goa Portuguese — the curious 

 nondescripts that are classed under the name of burghers in Ceylon, 

 the orang sirani or Xazarenes of the Malays — Sikhs, Bombay 

 tamhis, nay, even Swahilis, all these I have met with. One would 

 not be astonished at the appearance of a Hottentot or a Xorth 

 American Indian, but if the Sultan had any in his suite he did not 

 show them. Two curiosities, howev^er, there w^ere at the palace 

 doors which seemed more incongruous still, — a couple of carriages 

 which had been presented to the late sultan. There are no roads 

 in the island, and they were rotting slowly away imder the action 

 of the weather, just as the Sulu power is rotting before that of 

 Spain. 



AVe were told that the Sultan would see us, and entered to find 

 ourselves in a large room. It was floored in the rudest manner, 

 but the walls and ceiluig were hung wdth coloiu-ed cloth. In the 

 centre was a large Turkish lamp, such as one sees in the bazaars at 

 Constantinople, but it was ahnost the only ornamental article 

 ^dsible. An old "four-poster" bedstead occupied one corner, 

 e\'idently a production of the country, and with the footboard 

 rather well carved ; but the greater part of the room was taken up 

 by a gigantic divan about fourteen feet square, covered with carpet, 

 and with seats round the tlu'ee sides. 



We waited a good half hour in company with about thirty 

 natives, who probably belonged m some way to the Sultan's 



