II.] THE SULTAN OF SULU. 27 



retinue. They were armed, as indeed is almost every Sulu, with 

 spear and ^jorrni//, and looked as if they might be unpleasant 

 enough if called upon to use them. One or two who spoke Malay 

 came forward and chatted, and we were amused by the intense 

 astonishment that they expressed at our walking-stick guns, which 

 we had brought instead of our usual 12-bores for fear of creating 

 an alarm. Presently a stir was heard and the Sultan entered. He 

 was dressed in a purple velvet jacket trimmed with gold lace, a 

 gold-embroidered flat Malay fez with a turban round it, a coloui'ed 

 silk sarong, and European trousers. His age appeared to be not 

 more than nineteen or twenty, and his expression, though somewhat 

 nervous, was not unpleasing. Behind him came an unprepossessing 

 individual with a revolver in his hand, loaded and cocked, the 

 muzzle of which he happily kept directed towards the ceiling, and 

 a numerous retinue of hangers-on, among whom was an attendant 

 bearing a silver betel-box, and a small case which contained Chinese 

 tobacco and the thin Xipa leaves which, in these countries, are the 

 substitutes for cigarette papers. 



The Sultan's title is Paduka Baginda yang di per Tuan Maulana 

 Sultan Mohammed Budderooddin, but he advanced and shook 

 hands. Doubtless he is a Lord of Elephants, Emperor of Pearls, 

 and the like, Ijut the above is the correct designation of His Ptoyal 

 Highness, accordmg to his \-isiting-card, — a packet of these not 

 very necessary articles havmg been sent to him by the Spaniards 

 as a present. He was a little suspicious of us at first, but gradually 

 became more at ease. AVe asked him to pay a visit to the yacht, 

 Ijvit he said that he was afraid he could not do so unless she were 

 iDrought alongside the small jamhatan or pier at the mouth of the 

 river. With our large draught of water this was impossible, and we 

 told him so. AVe afterwards found out that he was mistrustful of 

 us, fearing that we were m league with the Spaniards, and that our 

 design was to carry him off to Manila. It was ultimately settled 

 that two Turks who formed his bodyguard should return with us 

 to the ship to inspect, — he having, apparently, much confidence 



