Mohammed Polalu, the sultan's son. 

 Bowie-knife pistol stolen. 



SOOLOO. 



Pistol restored. Character of the 

 people of Sooloo. 



333 



the sultan, but this was declared to be impossible. 

 The son, however, has all the characteristics of the 

 Sooloos, and the likeness was thought an excellent 

 one. Mohammed Polalu is about twenty-three 

 years of age, of a tall slender figure, with a long 

 face, heavy and dull eyes, as though he was con- 

 stantly under the influence of opium. So much, 

 indeed, was he addicted to the use of this drug, 

 even according to the datu mulu's accounts, that 

 his strength and constitution were very much im- 

 paired. As he is kept particularly under the guar- 

 dianship of the datu, the latter has a strong 

 interest in preserving this influence over him, 

 and seems on this account to afford him every 

 opportunity of indulging in this deplorable habit. 



During our visit, the effects of a pipe of this drug 

 was seen upon him ; for but a short time after he 

 had reclined himself on the datu's couch and 

 cushion, and taken a few whiffs, he was entirely 

 overcome, stupid, and listless. . I had never seen 

 any one so young, bearing such evident marks of 

 the effects of this deleterious drug. When but 

 partially recovered from its effects he called for his 

 betel-nut, to revive him by its exciting effects. 

 This was carefully chewed by his attendant to a 

 proper consistency, moulded in a ball about the 

 size of a walnut, and then slipped into the mouth 

 of the heir-apparent. 



One of the requests I had ruaue of the sultan 

 was, that the officers might have guides to pass 

 over the island. This was at once said to be too 

 dangerous to be attempted, as the datus of the in- 

 terior and southern towns would in all probability 

 attack the parties. I understood what this meant, 

 and replied that I was quite willing to take the 

 responsibility, and that the party should be well 

 armed. To this the sultan replied, that he would 

 not risk his own men. This I saw was a mere 

 evasion, but it was difficult and would be dangerous 

 for our gentlemen to proceed alone, and I there- 

 fore said no more. On our return to the datu's, 

 I gave them permission to get as far from the 

 beach as they could, but I was afterwards informed 

 by them that in endeavouring to penetrate into the 

 woods, they were always stopped by armed men. 

 This was also the case when they approached par- 

 ticular parts of the town, but they were not mo- 

 lested as long as their rambles were confined to 

 the beach. At the datu's we were treated to 

 chocolate and negus in gilt-edged tumblers, with 

 small stale cakes, which had been brought from 

 Manilla. 



After we had set some time I was informed that 

 Mr. Dana missed his bowie-knife pistol, which he 

 had for a moment laid down on a chest. I at once 

 came to the conclusion that it had been stolen, and 

 as the theft had occurred in the datu's house, I 

 determined to hold him responsible for it, and 

 gave him at once to understand that I should do 

 so, informing him that the pistol must be returned 

 before the next morning, or he must take the 

 consequences. This threw him into some con- 

 sternation, and by my manner he felt that I was 

 serious. * 



The theft was so barefaced an affair, that I made 

 up my mind to insist on its restoration. At the 

 setting of the watch in the evening, it had been our 

 practice on board the Vincennes to fire a small 

 brass howitzer. This frequently, in the calm 

 evenings, produced a great reverberation, and 



rolled along the water to the surrounding islands 

 with considerable noise. Instead of it, on this 

 evening, I ordered one of the long guns to be fired, 

 believing that the sound and reverberation alone 

 would suffice to intimidate such robbers. One was 

 accordingly fired in the direction of the town, 

 which fairly shook the island, as they said, and 

 it was not long before we saw that the rogues 

 were fully aroused, for the clatter of gongs and 

 voices that came over the water, and the motion of 

 lights, convinced me that the pistol would be forth- 

 coming in the moi'ning. In this I was not mis- 

 taken, for at early daylight I was awakened by a 

 special messenger from the datu to tell me that 

 the pistol was found, and would be brought off 

 without delay ; that he had been searching for it 

 all night, and had at last succeeded in finding it, 

 as well as the thief, on whom he intended to inflict 

 the bastinado. Accordingly, in a short time the 

 pistol was delivered on board, and every expres- 

 sion of friendship and good-will given, with the 

 strongest assurances that nothing of the kind 

 should happen again. 



Few if any of the Sooloos can write or read, though 

 many talk Spanish. Their accounts are all kept 

 by the slaves. Those who can read and write are, 

 in consequence, highly prized. All the accounts of 

 the datu of Soung are kept in Dutch, by a young 

 Malay from Ternate, who writes a good hand, and 

 speaks English, and whom we found exceedingly 

 useful to us. He is the slave of the datu, who 

 employs him for this purpose only. He told us he 

 was captured in a brig by the pirates of Basillan, 

 and sold here as a slave, where he is likely to re- 

 main for life, although he says the datu has pro- 

 mised to give him his freedom after ten years. 



Horses, cows, and buffaloes are the beasts of 

 burden, and a Sooloo may usually be seen riding 

 either one or the other, armed cap-a-pie, with 

 kris, spear, and target, or shield. 



They use saddles cut out of solid wood, and 

 many ride with their stirrups so short that they 

 bring the knees very high, and the riders look 

 more like well-grown monkeys than mounted men. 

 The cows and buffaloes are guided by a piece of 

 thong, through the cartilage of the nose. By law, 

 no swine are allowed to be kept on the island, and 

 if they are bought, they are immediately killed. 

 The Chinese are obliged to raise and kill their pigs 

 very secretly, when they desire that species of food; 

 for, notwithstanding the law and the prejudices of 

 the inhabitants, the former continue to keep 

 swine. 



The inhabitants of Sooloo are a tall, thin, and 

 effeminate-looking race : I do not recollect to have 

 seen one corpulent person among them. Their 

 faces are peculiar for length, particularly in the 

 lower jaw and chin, with high cheek-bones, sunken, 

 lack-lustre eyes, and narrow foreheads. Their 

 heads are thinly covered with hair, which appears 

 to be kept closely cropped. I was told that they 

 pluck out their beards, and dye their teeth black 

 with antimony, and some file them. 



Their eyebrows appear to be shaven, forming a 

 very regular and high arch, which they esteem a 

 great beauty. 



The dress of the common people is very like that 

 of the Chinese, with loose and full sleeves, without 

 buttons. The materials of which it is made are 

 grass-cloths, silks, satins, or white cotton, from 



