nd Caragan, and it has places where
gold is washed. When he was asked how much gold each person could
wash daily, he said that he had not seen it, but he had heard that
they got sometimes one-half a tae, and from that down to six, four,
or two maes. This river contains six thousand men, and near by is
another branch of the river called Dumanen with about seven hundred
Indians. From the said river of Esirey is another branch called Sula
with about one thousand Indians living at its confluence with the large
river which flows into the lake. There is a settlement called Megatan,
under a chief Cacopi, with two thousand men. It is near the junction
of the three branches, which form a cross. This lake is about one-half
league wide. In summer it dries up and is then full of sedges. In the
rainy season it is quite full of water. From this river of Mindanao
to the tingues [mountains], whence flows the said river of Tirurey,
it is a twenty days' journey up the lake.

He was asked how many people the coast of this said river of Mindanao
contained. He said that a day's journey along the shore of this river
by which we came is a province called Tabungao. It has about three
thousand Indians, who harvest a great quantity of rice. They live
inland a distance of four leagues. Farther on and adjacent to this
province is another settlement, called the province of Picon. It has
one thousand five hundred Indians, who are well supplied with food.

Along the coast two days' journey eastward, is a settlement called
Bilan. It is a river with gold mines. He says that along the entire
river dwell ten thousand Ytingues [mountaineers] Indians who are not
settled, and that they are at peace with a village at the mouth of the
river, called Canipaan. With all others they are at war. The people
are very rich. All the rest of the coast is settled by Lutaos. [40]

The chief food of the river of Mindanao is landan, which is made from
certain palm-trees very abundant in that land, called buri. After
soaking this substance they make from it a sort of flour which is their
food. For this reason they do not sow much rice although they have
rice-fields. The rice harvest is in October and November. They have
exceedingly large palm-groves and abundance of cocoanuts both green
and dry; also many swine, which are as large as those in Castilla. The
bar is covered with three to four brazas of water, or four at full
tide. Upon entering there is a good depth of water