roughly are omens, which are almost general in
all the islands. There are many of them: of birds, like the limocon;
[59] of insects, like the lizard; of accidental occurrences, like
sneezing; of happenings, like deaths or earthquakes; of observances
at time of sowing, and of reaping, and of the hunt--all of these have
their observances, which they fulfil in order to have luck in the
work; for they believe that without these it will be unlucky, and
without any profit. Therefore, they do not undertake those things,
since in many districts it is considered an omen when anyone asks
for a portion of what may be caught (as for instance, of the hunter
or fisher), if we say to him when he goes to try his luck: "Divide
with me what you shall catch." They consider that as a bad omen, and
return to their house, for they believe that they will catch nothing.

Those who are atheists knowingly are the dwellers in mountains;
for they have no mosques, or shrines, or any method of praying to
God. Those upon whom they call in their illnesses are their ancestors,
saying "Alas, my mother!" or "my grandfather." That is rather the
natural expression of pain than a prayer in which they experience any
efficacy. Where there are some to whom the devil talks (which was more
usual in their antiquity), such people offer him their sacrifices,
[60] and the Indians have recourse to them in their illnesses, so
that they could make the same efforts for them. Today the Christian
truth has obscured the falsity of hell. At most, the descendants of
those ministers of the devil, who were generally women, do what they
saw them do without the devil taking any notice of them or talking
to them. Others, who lay but small stress on all that, do what they
heard said was the custom in the days of their antiquity, let happen
what would. But they do it with so little earnestness that it appears
to be levity rather than religion. With the same fervor they follow
any other rule, so that they always remain without any law, unless it
be where the energy and incessant constancy of the missionaries has
made them forget their ancient customs, and with continual instruction
has made it easy for them to accept the new things of our holy faith.

In Caraga there was a barbarous custom to make their ships lucky,
namely, to vow to them the first time upon some name, which was
generally the name of one of their captives.

That which has great value in all parts is sorcery; and t