Page 431
An.1687
The Bashee Liquor : their Language.
Their common drink is Water ; as it is of all other Indians : beside which they make a fort of drink with the juice of the Sugar-cane, which they boyl, and put some small black fort of Berries among it. When it is well boyled, they put it into great Jars, and let it stand 3 or 4 days, and work. Then it settles, and becomes clear, and is present- ly fit to drink. This is an excellent Liquor, and very much like English Beer, both in colour and taste. It is very strong, and I do believe very wholesome : for our men, who drank briskly of it all day for several weeks, were frequently drunk with it, and never sick after it. The Natives brought a vast deal of it every day to those aboard and ashore : for some of our men were ashore at work on Bashee Island ; which Island they gave that name to from their drinking this Liquor there ; that be- ing the name which the Natives call'd this Liquor by : and as they fold it to our men very cheap, fo they did not spare to drink it as freely. And in- deed from the plenty of this Liquor, and their plentiful use of it, our Men call'd all these Islands, the Bashee Islands.
What Language these people do speak I know not: for it had no affinity in sound to the Chinese, which is spoke much through the teeth ; nor yet to the Malayan Language. They called the Metal that their Ear-rings were made of Bullawan, which is the Mindanao word for Gold ; therefore probably they may be related to the Philippine Indians: for that is the general Name for Gold among all those Indians. I could not learn from whence they have their Iron : but it is most likely they go in their great Boats to the North end of Luconia, and trade with the Indians of that Island for it. Neither did I see any thing beside Iron, and pieces of Buffaloes Hides, which I could judge that they bought of Strangers : Their Cloaths were of their own growth and manufacture.
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