north western coasts of the Bay of Manila are accused of having frequently attacked the boats of ships, when these were not sufficiently guarded in their intercourse with them. The natives of the town in the Bay of Mariveles, at the entrance of that of Manila, assured the writer of these pages, that it would be madness to attempt accompanying them into the woods, even in disguise; and in this they persisted, though money was offered them to allow him to proceed with them.
The Indians are the descendants of the various Malay tribes which appear to have emigrated to this country at different times, and from different parts of Borneo and Celebes. Their languages, though all derived from one stock (the Malay), has a number of dialects differing very materially; so much so, that those from different provinces frequently do not" understand each other.
They differ too in their character, and slightly in their manners and customs. The most numerous class of them are the Bisayas,[1] (a Spanish name, from their
- ↑ Our author here confuses the Spanish name "Pintados" (literally, "painted," referring to their tattooed bodies) with the native name, "Bisayas," both being indifferently applied to the islands south of Luzon.—Eds.
