which require no other preparation
than boiling. He who is so well served that he obtains a little
fish, venison, or pork, with water and salt alone makes his stew,
without the knowledge of other kinds of pottages. In order to give
their food a sharp flavor, they are wont to cook it with some herbs
of a sour taste. Consequently, in the seasoning of their food they
consume nothing, so that they save the cost of butter, oil, vinegar,
and all spices. They are accustomed to make their puches [i.e.,
a sort of pap] and poleadas [i.e., a sort of fritter] from cocoanut
milk and the honey made from sugarcane, which are their preserves and
royal cakes. But such is at a great wedding or at a feast, where their
desire for ostentation arouses their endeavors. Such were presented to
me by the king of Jolo, Panguian Bachal, while I was visiting at his
court. They consisted of a half-dozen small cakes made of rice flour
and kneaded with cocoanut-milk, and baked until they turned dark,
so that they appeared to be cinnamon to the sight. In fact the color
was due to the toasting and to a preserve, like turpentine, made from
the fruit of the durion with honey made from sugarcane. This is enough
to turn the strongest stomachs--as it were, the chief dainty for the
stomach of a bull--oppressive, as it was all night to the Queen mother;
[61] and we satisfied ourselves with looking at it.

Their clothing is very simple, without stiffening or linings. All
are dressed after the same style, and innovations due to curiosity
are not allowed. As the country is so hot, they dress very loosely,
a fact which makes the cutting out very easy. Each one is the tailor
of his own garments. This is the reason why the Indians are so lacking
in the communal idea, and are so hostile to assembling and uniting
in villages; for since their misery and laziness make them content
with the easiest and most natural, which all obtain, they do not need
one another. For in each house are found all the trades, and no one
makes use of them unless his own necessity compels him. If one goes
to fish, he is content with what will satisfy either his appetite or
his necessity; and the desire of acquiring does not make him break
with his laziness in order to work.

Returning to their clothes, the stuffs worn are generally common to
nobles, and plebeians, kings and slaves, and there is no difference
between them--except it be in something extraordinary, in which the
obligation and