.1, Captain W i i t i A M D A m P t e 
107 
when fcratched, raifeth the Skin into fmall white Flakes; 
like the Scales of fmall Fifh, and, after it goes away, leaves 
broad white Spots on their Bodies. As it is not infectious, 
I did not perceive they made any great Account of it. They 
are alfo troubled with the Sinall-pox ; but their ordinary 
Diftempers are Fevers, Agues, Fluxes, violent Pains, and 
Gripings in the Guts. They have many Wives ; but I 
never could learn their Marriage Ceremonies, except that 
they feaft their Friends for the moft Part of the Night. 
They are under the Government of a Sultan, who is poor 
enough; but fo abfolute, that he even commands every 
private Subject’s Purfe at Pleafure. Fie was between fifty 
and fixty Years old, and had twenty-nine Concubines, be- 
fides his Queen. When he goes abroad, he is carried on a 
Couch upon four Mens Shoulders, attended by a Guard of 
eight or ten Men. He has a Brother called Raja Laut , 
who is both chief Minifter and General, a fhrewd Man, of 
good Converfation, who both fpeaks and writes Spanijh very 
well. In their Wars they make ufe of Swords, Lances, and 
Hand-creffets, a Weapon much like a Bayonet, which the 
greateft to the meaneft always wear about them. They ne- 
ver fight any pitched Battle in the Field, but make fmall 
wooden Forts, defended by Guns, wherein they encamp, 
and endeavour to furprife one another by fmall Parties ; and 
they neither give nor take Quarter. They are Mohamme- 
dans . , their Sabbath being on Friday , when the Sultan goes 
to his Mofque twice. In his Mofque they have a great 
Drum, with one Head only, called a Gong. This they 
ufe inftead of a Bell, and is beat by a Man at twelve, 
three, fix, and nine of the Clock, Day and Night. They 
never eircumcife their Males till they are eleven or twelve 
Wars old, which, as it is done with a great deal of Solem- 
nity, private People keep their Children, till fome Man of 
Quality circumcifes his, and fo make a general Circumci- 
fion. This Office is performed by a Mohammedan Prieft, 
who takes hold of the F'orefkin of the Penis with two Sticks, 
and fnips it off with a Pair of Sciffors. We were prefent at 
the Cireumcifion of Raja Lauds Son, which was performed 
with extraordinary Magnificence. Their only Faff I ever 
heard of is their Ramadan time, which was then in Auguji. 
They fpend a wholeMonth in faffing everyDay till Evening, 
when they employ an Hour in Prayers, and afterwards go 
to Supper. This Faff begins at one New-moon, and con- 
tinues till they fee the next. But it is time to return to our 
Voyage: We came to Anchor at the North-eaft Side of 
the Ifle ; but, underftanding by fome of the Natives, that 
the City of Mindanao was on the Weft Side, we fteered to 
the South-eaft with a South-weft Wind. Coming to the 
South-eaft End of the Ifle, we failed to the Eaft of two 
fmall Hies, three Leagues diftant from the Shore ; and, 
July 4. anchored on the South-weft Side of a deep Bog, 
four Leagues North-weft from the two before-mentioned 
fmall Lies, in fifteen Fathom Water. The Land within 
the Bay, on the Eaft Side, was high and woody, yet wa- 
tered withfeveral Rivers; but, on the Weft Side, border- 
ing on the Sea, we faw large Plains, abounding in long 
Grafs, and vaft Store of Deer, of which we killed as many 
as we thought fit. We ftaid here till the 12th, when, fleer- 
ing our Courfe to the Weft, we arrived July 1 8. at the En- 
trance of the River Mindanao , in 6° 22' North Latitude, 
and 2 3 0 12' Longitude Weft from the Lizard of England \ 
where we anchored in fifteen Fathom Water, clear hard 
Sand, two Miles from the Shore. Soon after, Raja Laut , 
and one of the Sultan’s Sons, came aboard us, and demanded 
in SpanijJo , who we were ; and, being told, that we were 
Englijhj they afked, whether we were come to fettle among 
them, of which they had had fome Promife before, and 
were now in hopes to fee it effected, and to ferve them for 
a Protection againft the Dutch , whom they very much 
dreaded. Truly, had we confidered the Matter, it would 
have been much for our Advantage to have done fo, con- 
fidering the commodious Situation of the Ifle of Mdndanao 
betwixt the Spice Elands (the three Ifles of Meangis abound- 
ing in Spice and Cloves, being fcarce twenty Leagues hence) 
and the P hilippines ; neither did we want any thing requi- 
fite for fuch a Settlement, being provided with all forts of 
Artifice! s, as Carpenters, Bricklayers, Shoemakers, Taylors, 
as alfo with convenient Tools, Arms, Guns great and 
fmall, and Ammunition fufftcient for fuch a Beginning ; 
And, ilotwithftanding the great Biftance of this Eland from. 
England , we needed not have been without Hopes of fea- 
fonable Supplies thence, provided the Ships fet out the lat- 
ter End of Auguji , and, palling round Terra del Fuego y 
ftretch over towards Mindanao \ or elfe they might coafi 
down the American Shore as far as it was found requifite, 
and theh direct their Courfe for this Ifle, to avoid the 'Dutch 
Settlements, and to have the Advantage of the Eaft Trade- 
wind after they were paft Terra del Fuego ; by which means 
this Voyage might be performed in fix or feven Months, 
which, palling by the Cape of Good Hope , would at leaft 
require eight or nine Months. But to return to Raja Laut 
and his Nephew: They invited Captain Swan afliore, and 
promifed to furnilli him with what Provifions he wanted, 
defiring, that, in the mean time, we fhoiild fecure our Ship 
in the River, for fear of the approaching Weft Winds ; 
which Captain Swan , after fome Deliberation^ agreed to. 
The River, on which Mindanao ftands, being but narrow, 
and having not above eleven Feet Water on the Bar at 
Spring-tide, we had much-ado to get our Ship a quarter 
of a Mile above the Mouth, where we moored the Head and 
Stern in an Hole ; fo that fhe always lay afloat. The City 
of Mindanao is a Mile in Length, but not very broad, 
ftretching along the Right Bank of the River as you enter 
it, tho* it has alfo fome Houles on the oppofite Side, The 
Inhabitants frequently came aboard us, and invited our Men 
to their Ploufes, where they were kindly entertained after 
their Manner with Tobacco and Betel ; and fuch of them 
as had Money and Cloaths, did not want their Pagallies or 
Platonic Companions. Captain Swan was daily entertained 
at Raja Lauds Hcufe ; and fuch of his Men as had no 
Money, had boiled Rice, Scraps of Fowl, and of Buffaloes 
Flelh given them. After their Fall was over, we were di- 
verted with the Women-dancers, and fuch-like Sports, as 
are ufual in this Country. But, notwithftanding all thefe 
outward Appearances of Friendfhip, we foon after began 
to difcover Raja Lauds finifter Intentions ; for, our Ship’s 
Bottom being much eaten with the Worms, and we begin- 
ning in November to remove the fheathing Plank, to fee 
whether the W orm had penetrated to the main Plank, in Pre- 
fence of the faid Raja , he could not forbear to difcover his 
Thoughts, by fhaking his Head, and telling us, thathe never 
faw a Ship with two Bottoms before ; befides, thathe did not 
perforrn his Promife in providing us with Beef, pretending 
he could get none ; and borrowed a confiderable Sum of 
Gold of Captain Swan , which he never paid, notwithftand- 
ing he received confiderable Prefents of him before. Thefe 
Dilappointments began to induce the greateft Part of our 
Men to think of leaving this Place (fuch efpecially as had. 
not much Money) : Therefore, our Ship being provided 
with new Planks, inftead of the worm-eaten, and the Bot- 
tom fheathed and tallowed by December 1 o. they began to 
urge Captain Swan to prepare for the Continuation of their 
Voyage. Captain Swan appointed them January 13. 1687. 
to be all aboard ready to fail ; but, many of them being un- 
willing to part fo foon as others, having diiperfed them- 
felves in the Country, (by the Encouragement of Raja 
Laut ) and the Captain himfelf not being very ready to 
come on board, by reafon of fome Diforders amongft our 
Men, they depofed him from his Command ; and, having 
chofen Captain Teat in his room, weighed the 13 th in the 
Morning, and failed January 13. from the River Minda- 
nao y leaving Captain Swan , with about forty-four of his 
Men, (befides ftxteen buried there) behind, in the Town 
or City of Mindanao. We coafted to the Weft, along 
the South Side of the Ifle of Mindanao , and the next Day 
we paired in Sight of Chambungo , a Town of this Ifle, 
thirty Leagues from the River of Mindanao , faid to be a 
good Harbour. Six Leagues on this Side of the Weft; of 
the Ifle of Mindanao , we faw a great many fmall low Ifles, 
and, three Leagues to the South of them, another Ifland, 
ftretching twelve Leagues in Length, and South-weft. Be- 
twixt thefe Ifles, and alfo between them and the great Ifle, 
are good Chanels ; but a, ftrong Tide. The 1 7th, we an- 
chored on the Eaft Side of thefe Ifles, in eight Fathom, and 
to the Weft, upon the Shore of Mindanao , faw the Ruins 
of an old Stone Fort, formerly belonging to the Spaniards . 
The 27th, we got about the Weft Point of Mindanao , ly- 
ing under the Shore to the North, with a frefti North - 
North- 
