49

DAMPIER’s ACCOUNT OF THE PHILIPPINES.

of a fide. They are built much like the fmall ones, and they row doubled banked; thatis, two men fitting on one bench, but one rowing on one fide, the. other on theother fide of the boat. They underftand the ufe of iron, and work it themfelves.Their bellows are like thofe at Mindanao .

The common employment for the men is filhing ; but I did never fee them catchmuch : whether it is more plenty at other times of the year I know not. ihe womendo manage their plantations.

I did never fee them kill any of their goats or hogs for themfelves, yet they wouldbeg the paunches of the goats that they themfelves did fell to us : and if any of ourfurly feamen did heave them into the fea. they would take them up again and thefkins of the goats alfo. They would not meddle with hogs-guts, if our men threwaway any befide what they made chitterlings and faufages of. The goat-fkins thefepeople would carry afhore, and making a fire they would finge off all the hair, andafterwards let the fkin lie and parch on the coals, till they thought it eatable :and then they would gnaw it and tear it in pieces with their teeth, and at lafl fwallow it.The paunches of the goats would make them an excellent difh ; they dreffed it in thismanner : they would turn out all the chopt grafs and crudities found in the maw intotheir pots, and fet it over the fire, and ftir it about often : this would fmoke and puff,and heave up as it was boiling, wind breaking out of the ferment and making a veryfavoury ftink. While this was doing, if they had any fifh, as commonly they had twoor three fmall fifh, thefe they would make very clean (as hating naftinefs belike) and cutthe flefh from the bone, and then mince the flefh as fmall as poffibly they could, andwhen that in the pot was well boiled they would take it up, and ftrewing a little fait intoit they would eat it, mixed with their raw minced flefh. The dung in the maw wouldlook like fo much boiled herbs minced very fmall; and they took up their mefs withtheir fingers as the Moors do their pillaw, ufing no fpoons.

They had another difh made of a fort of locufts, whofe bodies are about an inchand an half long, and as thick as the top of one’s little finger ; with large thin wings,and long and fmall legs. At this time of the year thefe creatures came in greatfwarms to devour their potatoe-leaves, and other herbs ; and the natives would go outwith fmall nets, and take a quart at one fweep. When they had enough, they wouldcarry them home, and parch them over the fire in an earthen pan ; and then theirwings and legs would fall off, and their heads and backs would turn red like boiledfhrimps, being before brownifh. Their bodies being full would eat very moift, theirheads would crackle in one’s teeth. I did once eat of this difh, and like it well enough,but their other difh my flomach would not take.

Their common drink is water, as it is of all other Indians : befides which they makea fort of drink with the juice of the fugar-cane, which they boil, and put fome fmallblack fort of berries among it. When' it is well boiled they put it into great jars, andlet it {land three or four days and work; then it fettles and becomes clear, and is pre-lently fit to drink. 1 his is an excellent liquor, and very much like Englifh beer both"colour an< ^ h is very flrong, and I do believe very wholefome : for our men,

who drank brifkly of it all day for feveral weeks, were frequently drunk with it, anda ^ er it. The natives brought a vaft deal of it every day to thofe aboard andafhore: for fome of our men were afhore at work on Bafliee Ifland ; which ifland theygave that name to from their drinking this liquor there; that being the name which thenatives call this liquor by: and as they fold it to our men very cheap, fo they did notpare to drink it as freely. And indeed from the plenty of this liquor, and their plenti-u ufe of it, our men called all thefe iflands the Bafhee iflands.

VOL. XI.

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