IV.] VISIT TO PAXGASINAN. 69 



day by day, constantly attempt to escape, although they well know 

 that such attempts are almost invariably fatal. Unless he can 

 manage to secure a prau, and put to sea on the hazardous chance of 

 reaching some one of the Philippine Islands where he may be safe, 

 the refugee is certain to be krissed by one of the Sulus who are for 

 ever on the watch for such chances around the walls of Jolo. A 

 reward is offered for the recovery of these men, but the Sulus 

 apparently do not often claim it. We ourselves, while at Lukut 

 Lapas, were witnesses of a little drama in which three actors 

 played a part unconscious of our presence. It may perhaps be 

 best described as a rapid procession in Indian file, with an escaped 

 convict leading. Behind him came a Chinaman, anxious to secure 

 his man and the reward, and behind him again a Sulu, parang in 

 hand, and probably indifferent which of the two he brought to bag. 

 It was a serio-comic drama in real life, but what was its last act 

 we never discovered. The company vanished in the bushes and 

 we pursued our way. 



Don Julian Parrado was very anxious for us to visit the island 

 of Pangasinan, four or five miles to the north of Jolo, where, he 

 told us, there were three curious circular lakes connected by canals 

 — a sort of second edition of the crater-lakes of Cagayan Sulu, as 

 far as we could gather. A picnic was accordingly arranged, the 

 Spaniards being delighted at the prospect of a day's outing without 

 danger ; and we started one morning shortly after sunrise with our 

 guests and about five and thirty of the band, whose instrimients 

 were, I am afraid, somewhat stronger than our Spanish. The three 

 lakes proved to be a complete disappointment. They were merely 

 mangrove inlets, and though perhaps a novelty to some of our 

 guests, were by no means so to us. Their size, however, was very 

 unusual, and the complete concealment of the passages from one 

 to the other showed us what a perfectly impregnable pirate haunt 

 it would have made. We learnt that it had actually served this 

 purpose until quite lately, but that the settlement of the Spanish 

 at Jolo had proved too much for the occupants. After poling our 



