a_. According to the religion formerly observed by these
Moros, they worshiped a deity called among them Batala, which properly
means "God." They said that they adored this Batala because he was
the Lord of all, and had created human beings and villages. They said
that this Batala had many agents under him, whom he sent to this world
to produce, in behalf of men, what is yielded here. These beings were
called _anitos_, and each anito had a special office. Some of them were
for the fields, and some for those who journey by sea; some for those
who went to war, and some for diseases. Each anito was therefore named
for his office; there was, for instance, the anito of the fields, and
the anito of the rain. To these anitos the people offered sacrifices,
when they desired anything--to each one according to his office. The
mode of sacrifice was like that of the Pintados. They summoned a
_catalonan_, which is the same as the vaylan among the Pintados,
that is, a priest. He offered the sacrifice, requesting from the
anito whatever the people desired him to ask, and heaping up great
quantities of rice, meat, and fish. His invocations lasted until
the demon entered his body, when the catalonan fell into a swoon,
foaming at the mouth. The Indians sang, drank, and feasted until the
catalonan came to himself, and told them the answer that the anito
had given to him. If the sacrifice was in behalf of a sick person,
they offered many golden chains and ornaments, saying that they were
paying a ransom for the sick person's health. This invocation of the
anito continued as long as the sickness lasted.

When the natives were asked why the sacrifices were offered to the
anito, and not to the Batala, they answered that the Batala was a
great lord, and no one could speak to him. He lived in the sky;
but the anito, who was of such a nature that he came down here
to talk with men, was to the Batala as a minister, and interceded
for them. In some places and especially in the mountain districts,
when the father, mother, or other relative dies, the people unite in
making a small wooden idol, and preserve it. Accordingly there is a
house which contains one hundred or two hundred of these idols. These
images also are called _anitos_; for they say that when people die,
they go to serve the Batala. Therefore they make sacrifices to these
anitos, offering them food, wine, and gold ornaments; and request them
to be intercessors for them before the Batal