We found anchored at Lokporin, in the north-west part of the bay, a Spanish brig, belonging to Monsieur Cuarteron, the Prefect Apostolic of the newly-arrived Roman Catholic mission. He had built a hut and a chapel of palm stems and leaves, as a commencement of what he hoped would be a prosperous mission; but he had his attention too much directed to temporal, to take proper care of spiritual affairs.[16] We paid a visit to the Chief Pañgeran Madoud and settled to leave our pinnace under his care, and start next morning, as the cholera had already invaded this place, and eight deaths were reported. Having distributed our luggage among our followers, we landed and walked over to the waters of the Mengkabong, a low ridge only separating them; from it we had a good view of this extensive salt lake, filled with islands, and on the inland side bordered by hills. At the landing-place we met the nominal ruler of Mengkabong, Pañgeran Duroup, who had kindly provided canoes to take us to the point where our walking journey would commence. We stopped to breakfast at his house, and Monsieur Cuarteron, who was with us, pointed out an intelligent lad, the son of Duroup, whom he intended to raise to power over the surrounding countries, and be himself the boy’s Prime Minister. A Spaniard has many temptations to intrigue in these districts, as there are here numerous inhabitants of the Philippines, originally captured by the Lanun and Balignini pirates, and sold into slavery. They have married and intermarried with the inhabitants, and forming a part of the regular population, are most unwilling to leave the country. Some have risen to respectable positions, and nearly all have turned Mahomedans. Still they have a respect and a fear of the Spanish priests, and are much open to their secular influence, though very few will re-enter the Roman Church. As might be expected, the priest’s political intrigues did no good, but, instead, diffused suspicion and dislike among the natives. We started again after breakfast, and passed the entrance from the sea, through the chief town, and by the numerous villages scattered about. Nearly all the houses are built on the water. We estimated the population at above 6,000. A glance at the accompanying map will explain the kind of place Mengkabong is, but I may observe that this salt-water creek or lake is very shallow, in many places dry, or but a few inches deep at dead low-water, so that it must be rapidly filling up, and all the plains skirting the sea had probably a similar origin. To the south and south-east it is surrounded by hills, none of which exceeds eight hundred feet in height.