le difficulties, involving the conquest of a
score of villages, he gained the control of a large number of Yacan
Moros and became a sort of chief. Some years afterwards the Moros
organized an attack on the Christians at Zamboanga and Isabela de
Basilan, and Cuevas offered to save the Spaniards on condition of
receiving a full pardon. Two Spaniards were accordingly sent as
hostages to Cuevas' camp, and after Isabela was freed of the enemy
he came to see the Spanish governor. There were several Spaniards
present at the interview, and it is related that one of them let
slip a phrase implying doubt as to Cuevas' worthiness for pardon,
whereupon the undaunted chief remarked, "Sir, I thought I had won my
liberty, seeing that, but for me, you would not be alive to accord
it." Thenceforth he was always a reliable ally of the Spaniards against
Moro incursions. In 1882 Cuevas was opposed by an arrogant Sulu chief,
Datto Calun, who challenged him to single combat, and Cuevas having
slain his adversary, the tribe of the vanquished warrior, admiring
the conqueror's valour, proclaimed him their _Datto_, which title was
acknowledged by Datto Aliudi, the claimant to the Sulu Sultanate. On
July 6, 1904, his graceful daughter Urang was married, with Mahometan
rites, to a twenty-one-year-old Spanish half-caste, Ramon Laracoechea,
who was introduced to me by his father, a very pleasant Vizcayan,
resident in the Island since 1876. Educated in Manila, the son speaks
English, Spanish, Yacano and Joloano. The festivities lasted for
several days, some Americans being among the invited guests. Shortly
after this event the _Datto_, at the age of fifty-nine years, ended
his adventurous career in this world, regretted by all. In expectation
of the demise of Datto Cuevas, which was anticipated months before,
there were three aspirants to the coming vacant dattoship in the
persons of the son-in-law, Ramon, Cuevas' nephew, and an American of
humble origin and scant education who had married a Zamboanguena woman.

In Sulu Island social conditions were most deplorable. Under the Bates
Agreement the Moros became turbulent, and even attempted to take Jolo
town by assault. In August, 1903, General Wood went there, and the
_Dattos_ having been invited to meet him, quite a crowd of them came,
accompanied by about 600 fighting-men in a splendid fleet of armed
_vintas_ (war-canoes). Precautions had to be taken against possible
treachery, and a company of troop