1845.] DATOO TENTENG. 289 



their customary cheating tricks, in a severe manner, 

 placing the heads of the greatest princes in the stocks. 



In the letter which the chief Tenteng wrote to Espanol, 

 after his banishment, he complained of the Sultan having 

 been termed in his presence a lying, prating person, " a 

 sweet potatoe root ",* and added, " what would you have 

 done had you witnessed such treatment of the king of 

 Spain ? " This Datoo, Tenteng, was one of those who 

 exerted himself most to show the necessity of expelling 

 the English from that position, but could effect nothing, 

 as the Council was divided among themselves. Finally, 

 in consequence of having himself been placed in the 

 stocks, he joined another chief, who was his cousin, 

 named Dacula, in the island of Banguey, contiguous to 

 Balambangan, together with some Illanos and slaves of 

 his own, in all about 300. These, with merely the hope 

 of booty, decided on attacking the English. The diffi- 

 culty which Tenteng and his companions experienced 

 was the mode of transporting their party across to Balam- 

 bangan, in order to surprise the English. The latter, 

 when they first established themselves, possessed a force 

 amounting to 400 men, composed of Europeans and 

 Sepoys, but the bad climate had reduced them by degrees 

 to seventy-five infantry, and twenty-eight artillery, who 

 now accustomed to the country feared nothing, and cared 

 little for the Moros. 



" At that period, Balambangan was garrisoned by that 

 number of troops, without including the Governor, Com- 

 mander of the troops, and Officers, a Commissary, and 

 Commander of the Fort. They had a lofty and respect- 

 * Y raiz de camote. 



