1846.] VILLAGE OF BUM ALON. 103 



and as to my private convenience, I found him truly a 

 friend. 



On our former visit to this place we had made a 

 shooting excursion into the interior from Calderas until 

 we reached a collection of huts situated upon the banks 

 of a stream. This was termed the village of Dumalon ; 

 but the river having forced a new and more direct channel 

 seaward, and the interior position having been found 

 unhealthy, a new stockaded village, under the same name, 

 presented itself at the new embouchure, on the coast-line, 

 a little to the southward of our favourite watering posi- 

 tion. The stockading, look-out houses, perched on tall 

 spars about fifty feet above the earth, and other war-like 

 defences, showed that they were not disposed to trust too 

 implicitly to the friendly alliance existing between their 

 neighbours of Mindanao, or Illana. 



The population of Samboanga and its vicinity is com- 

 posed of the families of the military forming the garrison ; 

 of the Gun-boat flotilla ; and probably of those whose 

 term of durance having expired, and having contracted 

 ties with the residents, prefer remaining under steady 

 military employ, to return to Manila, where their means 

 of livelihood might be more precarious. To this cause 

 we may probably assign the prevalence of a fairer and 

 better looking race of females than are generally observed 

 in such small societies, being the progeny of those per- 

 mitted to accompany individuals with sufficient means to 

 support them independent of labour. Some few instances 

 are related of a peculiar heroism amongst some of these 

 characters, which shows that they are, in cases of danger, 

 less effeminate and vigorous in resources than their male 



