Our bargaining prospered, as fine cattle were secured at thirty shillings a piece, ducks for two wine bottles, fine cocks and hens for one; as well as a couple of pretty ponies, cocoa-nut oil and nuts, plantains, limes, ginger, onions, and fruits. This island, though formerly a dependency of Sulu, is now independent, and is governed by some of those half-bred Arabs who corrupt and weigh heavily on these countries. It is finely situated in the Sulu seas, and it is both healthy and fertile. The inhabitants appear much the same as those I had seen about Maludu Bay, and, with the exception of some strangers, were civil. The latter were traders who had visited Samboañgan, Manilla, and other Spanish ports, and were there corrupted, by intercourse with the low Europeans and dissipated classes who usually frequent such places; and at one time these men were so insolent that I thought their conduct would become unbearable, till they were quieted by my shooting down a cocoa-nut, as mentioned in my Limbang journal. The most singular spot in this island is near the old crater-looking harbour, mentioned by Sir Edward Belcher, which we entered over a reef. It is almost circular, and is surrounded by lofty rocks clothed with trees, bushes, and hanging creepers, presenting a magnificent wall of evergreen. Rowing to the west side of the bay, and climbing to the top of a lofty bank, we had a splendid view of a remarkable almost circular, lake. The place where we stood was a gap between the lofty cliffs that rose on either hand, and appeared to have been formed by the inner waters bursting their boundary, and overthrowing the upper defences of this natural dam. The wooded cliff’s continue all round, forming a perfect barrier, now rising to a great height, then sinking to some fifty or sixty feet. The waters, elevated more than forty feet above the sea, lay in undisturbed repose, and presented for upwards of half a mile a clear mirror, reflecting back the rays of the sun and the deep shadow of the tall trees. I mounted with some difficulty the top of the left-hand cliff, and had an extensive view through the tangled bushes. On one side were the waters of the crater, on the other the serene lake with the sea appearing beyond. We heard from the natives that alligators swarm in this secluded water, so that fish must be plentiful also, as few pigs could descend here. In the interior they say there is another more extensive lake of the same formation; this one was found to be eight fathoms deep at the edges, and forty in the centre. Started from Cagayan Sulu, and after encountering rougher weather than we expected to find in this usually calm sea, lay to, as we thought we were not far from the island we were intending to visit.