he jurisdiction, and obliging those who lived in the villages
to retire into the mountains. Those nations maintained themselves by
their own valor, without protection of the pagan kings; they were
bold against all, and no one dared to do anything to them. They
are a brave nation on sea and land, and on land they are the first
nation of the islands; and by their aid great exploits have been
accomplished, as was seen in the conquest of the lake of Malanao,
and in all others that have occurred since they were subdued by the
gospel and the Catholic arms.

The second nation in estimation is the Mindanao, which includes the
kingdoms of Buhayen; for in olden times they were all one nation,
and today, although various petty rulers govern them, they are one in
customs and language. They are a nation of some valor, and with their
policy of being subject to kings they have acquired esteem among the
other nations, whom they have united under one political government
for achievements that are too great for their own courage. They are
treacherous and of little faith, as they are now swayed by the impious
worship of Mahomet.

The third nation is the Lutaya. It is a nation common to these islands
of Mindanao, Jolo, and Basilan. In all these islands it preserves
the name of Lutao, for since that is their vocation it well explains
their nature. For Lutao means, in those languages, "he who swims and
goes floating over the water." Such is the nature of these people that
they know no other house than the ship. In the villages which they have
formed they well show the inclination with which they were born; for
they are so fond of living on the sea that their houses are built in
it, in places which the low tide leaves exposed. In that way they can
set upright the trunks of the trees with which they must form their
houses, driving them down according to the load which they have to
sustain. When it is high tide the houses are very far from the shore,
and the water in between is so deep that brigs and craft of heavier
tonnage can sail there. These people hate the land so thoroughly
that they do not trouble themselves at all about its cultivation,
nor get any benefit from it. All their labor lies in fishing, and
they get from that the means of barter for whatever they need, even
for the wood that they burn and the logs from which they build their
houses and craft. Since they are so slightly attached to the land,
they easily move to other parts,