Bouton Island

Bouton Island, And Its Chief Town And Harbour Callasusung

This harbour is in latitude 4 degrees 54 minutes south; lying on the east side of the island Bouton which lies near the south-east end of the island Celebes 3-4 leagues away.

It is a long island, stretching south-west and north-east above 25 leagues long and 10 broad. It is pretty high land, and appears pretty even and flat and very woody.

There is a large town within a league of the anchoring-place called Callasusung, being the chief, if there were more; which we knew not.

It is about 1 mile from the sea, on the top of a small hill, in a very fair plain, encompassed with coconut-trees.

Beyond the trees there is a strong stone wall clear around the town. The houses are built like the houses at Mindanao, but more neat. The whole town was very clean and delightful.

The People

The inhabitants are small and well shaped. They are much like the Mindanaoans in shape, colour, and habit, but more neat and tight.

They speak the Malayan language and are Muslims. They are very obedient to the sultan, who is a little man around 40-50 years old, and has many wives and children.

The Sultan

About an hour after we came to an anchor, the sultan sent a messenger aboard to know what we were and what our business.

He returned ashore and in a short time after he came aboard again and told us that the sultan was very well pleased when he heard that we were English.

He said that:

• we should have anything that the island afforded
• he would come aboard in the morning.

Therefore the ship was made clean, and everything put in the best order to receive him.

His Device In The Flag Of His Proa

On the 6th day in the morning, many boats and canoes came aboard with fowls, eggs, bananas, potatoes, etc. But they would dispose of none till they had orders for it from the sultan at his coming.

About 10 o’clock, the sultan came aboard in a very neat proa, built after the Mindanao fashion.

There was a large white silk flag at the head of the mast, edged round with a deep red for about 2-3 inches broad. In the middle, there was neatly drawn a green griffin trampling on a winged serpent that seemed to struggle to get up and threatened his adversary with open mouth and with a long sting that was ready to be darted into his legs.

Other East Indian princes have their devices also.

HIS GUARDS, HABIT AND CHILDREN.

The sultan with 4 of his nobles and 3 of his sons sat in the house of the proa.

His guards were 10 musketeers, 5 standing on one side of the proa and 5 on the other side.

Before the door of the proa-house stood one with a great broadsword and a target, and two more such at the after-part of the house; and in the head and stern of the proa stood four musketeers more, two at each end.

The sultan had a silk turban laced with narrow gold lace by the sides and broad lace at the end: which hung down on one side the head, after the Mindanayan fashion. He had a sky-coloured silk pair of breeches, and a piece of red silk thrown across his shoulders and hanging loose about him; the greatest part of his back and waist appearing naked. He had neither stocking nor shoe.

One of his sons was about 15 or 16 years old, the other two were young things; and they were always in the arms of one or other of his attendants.

Captain Read met him at the side and led him into his small cabin and fired five guns for his welcome. As soon as he came aboard he gave leave to his subjects to traffic with us; and then our people bought what they had a mind to.

The sultan seemed very pleased to be visited by the English. He said that he wanted to see Englishmen, having heard extraordinary characters of their just and honourable dealing.

But he exclaimed against the Dutch (as all the Mindanayans and all the Indians we met with do).

MARITIME INDIANS SELL OTHERS FOR SLAVES

Macassar, one of the chiefest towns that the Dutch have, is not very far from here.

From there, the Dutch come sometimes here to purchase slaves.

The slaves that these people get here and sell to the Dutch are some of the idolatrous natives of the island who, not being under the sultan, and having no head, live straggling in the country, flying from one place to another to preserve themselves from the prince and his subjects, who hunt after them to make them slaves.

For the civilised Indians of the maritime places, who trade with foreigners, if they cannot reduce the inland people to the obedience of their prince, they catch all they can of them and sell them for slaves; accounting them to be but as savages, just as the Spaniards do the poor Americans.

After 3 hours’ discourse, the sultan went ashore again. Five guns were fired at his departure.

The next day, he sent for Captain Read to come ashore. He with 7 men went to wait on the sultan.

I could not slip an opportunity of seeing the place and so accompanied them. We were met at the landing-place by two of the chief men, and guided to a pretty neat house where the sultan waited our coming.

The house stood at the further end of all the town before mentioned, which we passed through; and abundance of people were gazing on us as we passed by.

When we came near the house there were 40 poor naked soldiers with muskets made a lane for us to pass through. This house was not built on posts as the rest were, after the Mindanayan way. But the room in which we were entertained was on the ground, covered with mats to sit on.

Our entertainment was tobacco and betel-nut and young coconuts. The house was beset with men and women and children, who thronged to get near the windows to look on us.

We did not tarry above an hour before we took our leaves and departed. This town stands in a sandy soil; but what the rest of the island is I know not, for none of us were ashore but at this place.

A BOY WITH FOUR ROWS OF TEETH.

The next day the sultan came aboard again and presented Captain Read with a little boy, but he was too small to be serviceable on board; and so Captain Read returned thanks and told him he was too little for him. Then the sultan sent for a bigger boy, which the captain accepted.

This boy was a very pretty tractable boy; but what was wonderful in him, he had two rows of teeth, one within another on each jaw. None of the other people were so, nor did I ever see the like. The captain was presented also with two he-goats, and was promised some buffalo, but I do believe that they have but few of either on the island. We did not see any buffalo nor many goats, neither have they much rice, but their chiefest food is roots. We bought here about a thousand pound weight of potatoes.

PARAKEETS. COCKATOOS, A SORT OF WHITE PARROTS.

Here our men bought also abundance of cockatoos and fine large parakeets, curiously coloured and some of them the finest I ever saw. The cockatoo is as big as a parrot and shaped much like it with such a bill; but it is as white as milk, and has a bunch of feathers on his head like a crown.

At this place we bought a proa also of the Mindanayan make, for our own use, which our carpenters afterwards altered and made a delicate boat fit for any service. She was sharp at both ends, but we sawed off one and made that end flat, fastening a rudder to it and she rowed and sailed incomparably.