ts and sought tribute from the Tagalogs, and at times
took some heads for this purpose. Thus did it happen in Siniloan,
which refused tribute at the approach of the Spaniards. The mountain
Indians, having revolted, attacked the village; and they took three
heads, and badly wounded a Spaniard who was defending them." Thus far
the religious. At other times those people did not allow the Indians
to make use of the wood and game of the mountains, and the fish of
the rivers. For being very skilful in the use of the bow and arrow,
and very swift and experienced in the fastnesses of the mountains and
thickets, they inhumanly shot with arrows as many as approached their
territories, without anyone catching sight or sound of them. For that
reason, the inhabitants of the villages consider it wise to make an
agreement with the Negrillos to pay them a certain tribute, provided
that the latter leave the rivers and fields free. And although this
pact is not so apparent at present, I believe that it is practiced
secretly because of the fear that the Indians have of them, and
because of their dependence on them; since the Negrillos are the
lords of the mountains which contain the most virgin forests, with
woods of the greatest value. It is a fact, too, that those of the
present day are as barbarous as their ancestors.

393. All of these people are black negroes, most of whom have kinky
hair, and very few have lank. They are flat-nosed, and almost all of
them have thick, projecting lips. They go totally naked, and only
have their privies covered with some coverings resembling linen
cloths, which they draw on from the back forward, and which are
called bahaques. They make those bahaques from the bark of trees,
pounded with heavy blows, so that there are some that look like fine
linen. Wrapping a rattan around the waist, they fasten the bahaque
to it by the two ends. As ornaments they wear certain bracelets of
rattan of various colors, curiously wrought; and garlands on their
heads and on the fleshy parts of their arms, composed of various
flowers and branches; and as a means of greater distinction for some
one person, a cock's feather or the feather of some other bird, as
a plume. Their food consists of fruits, and roots of the mountain;
and if they find, perchance, some deer, they eat it in that place
where they kill it. That night they make their abode there, and after
they grow tired of dancing, they sleep there--all helter-skelter,