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The First Voyage

Round the
World/Pigafetta's
Account of
Magellan's Voyage
< The First Voyage Round t he World

Anthony Pigapheta, Patrician of Vicenza, and Knight of

Rhodes, to the very illustrious and very excellent

Lord Philip de Villiers Lisleaden, the famous

Grand Master of Rhodes, his most

 respected Lord.[1]

Since t here are several curious persons (very illust rious and very reverend lord) who not only are
pleased t o list en t o and learn t he great and wonderful t hings which God has permit t ed me t o see
and suffer in t he long and perilous navigat ion, which I have performed (and which is writ t en
hereaft er), but also t hey desire t o learn t he met hods and fashions of t he road which I have t aken
in order t o go t hit her, [and who do] not grant firm belief t o t he end unless t hey are first well
advised and assured of t he commencement . Therefore, my lord, it will please you t o hear t hat
finding myself in Spain in t he year of t he Nat ivit y of our Lord, one t housand five hundred and
ninet een, at t he court of t he most serene king[2] of t he Romans, wit h t he reverend lord, Mons.
Francis Cheregat o,[3] t hen apost olic prot o-not ary, and ambassador of t he Pope Leon t he Tent h,
who, t hrough his virt ue, aft erwards arrived at t he bishoprick of Aprut ino and t he principalit y of
Theramo, and knowing bot h by t he reading of many books and by t he report of many let t ered and
well-informed persons who conversed wit h t he said prot o-not ary, t he very great and awful t hings
of t he ocean, I deliberat ed, wit h t he favour ​of t he Emperor and t he above-named lord, t o
experiment and go and see wit h my eyes a part of t hose t hings. By which means I could sat isfy
t he desire of t he said lords, and mine own also. So t hat it might be said t hat I had performed t he
said voyage, and seen well wit h my eyes t he t hings hereaft er writ t en.

Now in order t o decypher t he commencement of my voyage (very illust rious lord); having heard
t hat t here was in t he cit y of Seville, a small armade t o t he number of five ships, ready t o perform
t his long voyage, t hat is t o say, t o find t he islands of Maluco, from whence t he spices come: of
which armade t he capt ain-general was Fernand de Magaglianes, a Port uguese gent leman,
commander of St. James of the Sword, who had performed several voyages in t he ocean sea (in
which he had behaved very honourably as a good man), I set out wit h many ot hers in my favour
from Barcelona, where at t he t ime t he Emperor was, and came by sea as far as Malaga, and
t hence I went away by land unt il I arrived at t he said cit y of Seville. There I remained for t he
space of t hree mont hs, wait ing t ill t he said armade was in order and readiness t o perform it s
voyage. And because (very illust rious lord) t hat on t he ret urn from t he said voyage, on going t o
Rome t owards t he holiness of our Holy Fat her,[4] I found your lordship at Mont erosa,[5] where of
your favour you gave me a good recept ion, and aft erwards gave me t o underst and t hat you
desired t o have in writ ing t he t hings which God of His grace had permit t ed me t o see in my said
voyage; t herefore t o sat isfy and accede t o your desire,[6] I have reduced int o t his small book t he
principal t hings, in t he best manner t hat I have been able.
Finally (very illust rious lord), aft er all provisions had been made, and t he vessels were in order, t he
capt ain-general, a ​discreet and virt uous man, careful of his honour, would not commence his
voyage wit hout first making some good and wholesome ordinances, such as it is t he good
cust om t o make for t hose who go t o sea. Nevert heless he did not ent irely declare t he voyage
which he was going t o make, so t hat his men should not from amazement and fear be unwilling t o
accompany him on so long a voyage, as he had undert aken in his int ent ion. Considering t he great
and impet uous st orms[7] which are on t he ocean sea, where I wished t o go; and for anot her
reason also, t hat is t o say t hat t he mast ers and capt ains of t he ot her ships of his company did
not love him: of t his I do not know t he reason, except by cause of his, t he capt ain-general, being
Port uguese, and t hey were Spaniards or Cast ilians, who for a long t ime have been in rivalry and ill
will wit h one anot her. Not wit hst anding t his all were obedient t o him. He made his ordinances such
as t hose which follow, so t hat during t he st orms at sea, which oft en come on by night and day,
his ships should not go away and separat e from one anot her. These ordinances he published and
made over in writ ing t o each mast er of t he ships, and commanded t hem t o be observed and
inviolably kept , unless t here were great and legit imat e excuses, and appearance of not having
been able t o do ot herwise.

First ly, t he said capt ain-general willed t hat t he vessel in which he himself was should go before
t he ot her vessels, and t hat t he ot hers should follow it ; t herefore he carried by night on t he poop
of his ship a t orch or faggot of burning wood, which t hey called farol, which burned all t he night ,
so t hat his ships should not lose sight of him. Somet imes he set a lant ern, somet imes a t hick
cord of reeds[8] was light ed, which was called t renche.[9] This is made of reeds well soaked in t he
wat er, and much beat en, t hen t hey are dried in t he sun or in t he smoke, and it is a t hing very
suit able for such a mat t er. When t he capt ain had made one of ​his signals t o his people, t hey
answered in t he same way. In t hat manner t hey knew whet her t he ships were following and
keeping t oget her or not . And when he wished t o t ake a t ack on account of t he change of
weat her, or if t he wind was cont rary, or if he wished t o make less way, he had t wo light s shown;
and if he wished t he ot hers t o lower t heir small sail,[10] which was a part of t he sail at t ached t o
t he great sail, he showed t hree light s. Also by t he t hree light s, not wit hst anding t hat t he wind was
fair for going fast er, he signalled t hat t he st udding sail should be lowered; so t hat t he great sail
might be quicker and more easily st ruck and furled when bad weat her should suddenly set in, on
account of some squall[11] or ot herwise. Likewise when t he capt ain wished t he ot her ships t o
lower t he sail he had four light s shown, which short ly aft er he had put out and t hen showed a
single one, which was a signal t hat he wished t o st op t here and t urn, so t hat t he ot her ships
might do as he did. Wit hal, when he discovered any land, or shoal, t hat is t o say, a rock at sea, he
made several light s be shown or had a bombard fired off. If he wished t o make sail, he signalled
t o t he ot her ships wit h four light s, so t hat t hey should do as he did, and follow him. He always
carried t his said lant ern suspended t o t he poop of his vessel. Also when he wished t he st udding
sail t o be replaced wit h t he great sail, he showed t hree light s. And t o know whet her all t he ships
followed him and were coming t oget her, he showed one light only besides t he fanol, and t hen
each of t he ships showed anot her light , which was an answering signal.

Besides t he above-ment ioned ordinances for carrying on seamanship as is fit t ing, and t o avoid
t he dangers which may come upon t hose who do not keep wat ch, t he said capt ain, who was
expert in t he t hings required for navigat ion, ordered t hat t hree wat ches should be kept at night .
The first was at t he beginning of t he night , t he second at midnight , and t he t hird t owards break
of day, which is commonly called La diane, ot herwise t he st ar of t he break of day. Every night
t hese wat ches were changed; t hat is t o say, he who had kept t he first wat ch, on t he following
day kept t he second, and he who had kept t he second kept t he t hird; and so on t hey changed
cont inually every night . The said capt ain commanded t hat his regulat ions bot h for t he signals and
t he wat ches should be well observed, so t hat t heir voyage should be made wit h great er securit y.
The crews of t his fleet were divided int o t hree companies; t he first belonged t o t he capt ain, t he
second t o t he pilot or nochier, and t he t hird t o t he mast er. These regulat ions having been made,
t he capt ain-general deliberat ed on sailing, as follows.

Monday, t he day of St . Laurence, t he 10t h of August , in t he year above ment ioned, t he fleet ,
provided wit h what was necessary for it , and carrying crews of different nat ions, t o t he number
of t wo hundred and t hirt y-seven men in all t he five ships, was ready t o set sail from t he mole of
Seville; and firing all t he art illery, we made sail only on t he foremast , and came t o t he end of a
river named Bet is, which is now called Guadalcavir. In going along t his river we passed by a place
named Gioan de Farax, where t here was[12] a large populat ion of Moors, and t here was a bridge
over t he river by which one went t o Seville. This bridge was ruined, however t here had remained
t wo columns which are at t he bot t om of t he wat er, on which account it is necessary t o have
people of t he count ry of experience and knowledge t o point out t he convenient spot for safely
passing bet ween t hese t wo columns, from fear of st riking against t hem. Besides t hat , it is
necessary in order t o pass safely by t his bridge and by ot her places on t his river, t hat t he wat er
should be rat her high. Aft er having passed t he t wo ​c olumns we came t o anot her place named
Coria, and passing by many lit t le villages lying along t he said river, at last we arrived at a cast le,
which belongs t o t he Duke of Medina Sidonia, named St . Lucar, where t here is a port from which
t o ent er t he ocean sea. It is ent ered by t he east wind and you go out by t he west wind. Near
t here is t he cape of St . Vincent , which, according t o cosmography, is in t hirt y-seven degrees of
lat it ude, at t went y miles dist ance from t he said port ; and from t he aforesaid t own t o t his port by
t he river t here are t hirt y-five or fort y miles. A few days aft erwards t he capt ain-general came
along t he said river wit h his boat , and t he mast ers of t he ot her ships wit h him, and we remained
some days in t his port t o supply t he fleet wit h some necessary t hings. We went every day t o
hear mass on shore, at a church named Our Lady of Barrameda, t owards St . Lucar. There t he
capt ain commanded t hat all t he men of t he fleet should confess before going on any furt her, in
which he himself showed t he way t o t he ot hers. Besides he did not choose t hat anyone should
bring any married woman, or ot hers t o t he ships, for several good considerat ions.

Tuesday, t he 20t h Sept ember of t he said year,[13] we set sail from St . Lucar, making t he course
of t he sout h-west ot herwise named Labeiche;[14] and on t he t went y-sixt h of t he said mont h we
arrived at an island of great Canaria, named Teneriphe, which is in t went y-eight degrees lat it ude;
t here we remained t hree days and a half t o t ake in provisions and ot her t hings which were
want ed. Aft er t hat we set sail t hence and came t o a port named Mont erose, where we sojourned
t wo days t o supply ourselves wit h pit ch, which is a t hing necessary for ships. It is t o be known
t hat among t he ot her isles which are at t he said great Canaria, t here is one, where not a drop of
wat er is t o be found proceeding from a fount ain or a river, only once a day at t he hour of ​midday,
t here descends a cloud from t he sky which envelops a large t ree which is in t his island, and it
falls upon t he leaves of t he t ree, and a great abundance of wat er dist ils from t hese leaves, so
t hat at t he foot of t he t ree t here is so large a quant it y of wat er t hat it seems as if t here was an
ever-running fount ain. The men who inhabit t his place are sat isfied wit h t his wat er; also t he
animals, bot h domest ic and wild, drink of it .

Monday, t he t hird of Oct ober of t he said year, at t he hour of midnight , we set sail, making t he
course aust er, which t he levant ine mariners call Siroc,[15] ent ering int o t he ocean sea. We passed
t he Cape Verd and t he neighbouring islands in fourt een-and-a-half degrees, and we navigat ed for
several days by t he coast of Guinea or Et hiopia; where t here is a mount ain called Sierra Leona,
which is in eight degrees lat it ude according t o t he art and science of cosmography and
ast rology. Somet imes we had t he wind cont rary and at ot her t imes sufficient ly good, and rains
wit hout wind. In t his manner we navigat ed wit h rain for t he space of sixt y days unt il t he
equinoct ial line, which was a t hing very st range and unaccust omed t o be seen, according t o t he
saying of some old men and t hose who had navigat ed here several t imes. Nevert heless, before
reaching t his equinoct ial line we had in fourt een degrees a variet y of weat her and bad winds, as
much on account of squalls as for t he head winds and current s which came in such a manner t hat
we could no longer advance. In order t hat our ships might not perish nor broach t o[16] (as it oft en
happens when t he squalls come t oget her), we st ruck our sails, and in t hat manner we went about
t he sea hit her and t hit her unt il t he fair weat her came. During t he calm t here came large fishes
near t he ships which t hey called Tiburoni (sharks), which have t eet h of a t errible kind, and eat
people when t hey find t hem in t he sea eit her alive or dead. These fishes are caught wit h a device
which t he mariners call hamc, which is a hook of iron. Of t hese, some were caught by our men.
However, t hey are wort h not hing t o eat when t hey are large; and even t he small ones are wort h
but lit t le. During t hese st orms t he body of St . Anselme appeared t o us several t imes; amongst
ot hers, one night t hat it was very dark on account of t he bad weat her, t he said saint appeared in
t he form of a fire light ed at t he summit of t he mainmast ,[17] and remained t here near t wo hours
and a half, which comfort ed us great ly, for we were in t ears, only expect ing t he hour of perishing;
and when t hat holy light was going away from us it gave out so great a brilliancy in t he eyes of
each, t hat we were near a quart er-of-an-hour like people blinded, and calling out for mercy. For
wit hout any doubt nobody hoped t o escape from t hat st orm. It is t o be not ed t hat all and as
many t imes as t hat light which represent s t he said St . Anselme shows it self and descends upon
a vessel which is in a st orm at sea, t hat vessel never is lost . Immediat ely t hat t his light had
depart ed t he sea grew calmer, and t hen we saw divers sort s of birds, amongst ot hers t here were
some which had no fundament .[18] There is also anot her kind of bird of such a nat ure t hat when
t he female wishes t o lay her eggs she goes and lays t hem on t he back of t he male, and t here it
is t hat t he eggs are hat ched. This last kind have no feet and are always in t he sea. There is
anot her kind of bird which only lives on t he droppings of t he ot her birds, t his is a t rue t hing, and
t hey are named Cagaselo, for I have seen t hem follow t he ot her birds unt il t hey had done what
nat ure ordered t hem t o do; and aft er it has eat t his dirt y diet it does not follow any ot her bird
unt il hunger ret urns t o it ; it always does t he same t hing.[19] There are also fish which fly, and we
saw a great quant it y of t hem t oget her, so many t hat it seemed t hat it was an island in t he sea.

Aft er t hat we had passed t he equinoct ial line, t owards t he sout h, we lost t he st ar of t he
t ramont ana, and we navigat ed bet ween t he sout h and Garbin, which is t he collat eral wind [or
point ] bet ween sout h and west ; and we crossed as far as a count ry named Verzin, which is in
t went y-four degrees and a half of t he ant arct ic sky. This count ry is from t he cape St . August ine,
which is in eight degrees in t he ant arct ic sky. At t his place we had refreshment s of vict uals, like
fowls and meat of calves,[20] also a variet y of fruit s, called bat t at e, pigne (pine-apples), sweet ,
of singular goodness, and many ot her t hings, which I have omit t ed ment ioning, not t o be t oo long.
The people of t he said place gave, in order t o have a knife, or a hook[21] for cat ching fish, five or
six fowls, and for a comb t hey gave t wo geese, and for a small mirror, or a pair of scissors, t hey
gave so much fish t hat t en men could have eat en of it . And for a bell (or hawk's-bell)[22] t hey
gave a full basket [23] of t he fruit named bat t at e; t his has t he t ast e of a chest nut , and is of t he
lengt h of a shut t le.[24] For a king of cards, of t hat kind which t hey used t o play wit h in It aly, t hey
gave me five fowls, and t hought t hey had cheat ed me. We ent ered int o t his port t he day of Saint
Lucy[25] [13t h December], before Christ mas, on which day we had t he sun on t he zenit h,[26] which
is a t erm of ast rology. This zenit h is a point in t he sky, according t o ast rologers, and only in
imaginat ion, and it answers t o over our head in a st raight line, as may be seen by t he t reat ise of
t he sphere,[27] and by Arist ot le, in t he first book, De Cœlo et Mondo. On t he day t hat we had t he
sun in t he zenit h ​we felt great er heat , as much as when we were on t he equinoct ial line.

The said count ry of Verzin is very abundant in all good t hings, and is larger t han France, Spain, and
It aly t oget her. It is one of t he count ries which t he King of Port ugal has conquered [acquired]. It s
inhabit ant s are not Christ ians, and adore not hing, but live according t o t he usage of nat ure, rat her
best ially t han ot herwise. Some of t hese people live a hundred, or a hundred and t went y, or a
hundred and fort y years, and more; t hey go naked, bot h men and women. Their dwellings are
houses t hat are rat her long, and which t hey call "boy"; t hey sleep upon cot t on net s, which t hey
call, in t heir language, "amache." These net s are fast ened t o large t imbers from one end of t heir
house t o t he ot her. They make t he fire t o warm t hemselves right under t heir bed. It is t o be
known t hat in each of t hese houses, which t hey call "boy," t here dwells a family of a hundred
persons, who make a great noise. In t his place t hey have boat s, which are made of a t ree, all in
one piece, which t hey call "canoo." These are not made wit h iron inst rument s, for t hey have not
got any, but wit h st ones, like pebbles, and wit h t hese t hey plane [28] and dig out t hese boat s. Int o
t hese t hirt y or fort y men ent er, and t heir oars are made like iron shovels: and t hose who row
t hese oars are black people, quit e naked and shaven, and look like enemies of hell. The men and
women of t his said place are well made in t heir bodies. They eat t he flesh of t heir enemies, not
as good meat , but because t hey have adopt ed t his cust om. Now t his cust om arose as follows:
an old woman of t his place of Verzin had an only son, who was killed by his enemies, and, some
days aft erwards, t he friends of t his woman capt ured one of t he said enemies who had put her
son t o deat h, and brought him t o where she was. Immediat ely t he said old woman, seeing t he ​
man who was capt ured, and recollect ing t he deat h of her child, rushed upon him like a mad dog,
and bit him on t he shoulder. However, t his man who had been t aken prisoner found means t o run
away, and t old how t hey had wished t o eat him, showing t he bit e which t he said old woman had
made in his shoulder. Aft er t hat t hose who were caught on one side or ot her were eat en. Through
t hat arose t his cust om in t his place of eat ing t he enemies of each ot her. But t hey do not eat up
t he whole body of t he man whom t hey t ake prisoner; t hey eat him bit by bit , and for fear t hat he
should be spoiled, t hey cut him up int o pieces, which t hey set t o dry in t he chimney, and every
day t hey cut a small piece, and eat it wit h t heir ordinary vict uals in memory of t heir enemies. I
was assured t hat t his cust om was t rue by a pilot , named John Carvagio, who was in our company,
and had remained four years in t his place; it is also t o be observed t hat t he inhabit ant s of t his
place, bot h men and women, are accust omed t o paint t hemselves wit h fire, all over t he body, and
also t he face. The men are shaven, and wear no beard, because t hey pluck it out t hemselves, and
for all clot hing t hey wear a circle surrounded wit h t he largest feat hers of parrot s,[29] and t hey
only cover t heir post erior part s, which is a cause of laught er and mockery. The people of t his
place, almost all, except ing[30] women and children, have t hree holes in t he lower lip, and carry,
hanging in t hem, small round st ones, about a finger in lengt h. These kind of people, bot h men and
women, are not very black, but rat her brown,[31] and t hey openly show t heir shame, and have no
hair on t he whole of t heir bodies. The king of t his count ry is called ​Cacich, and t here are here an
infinit e number of parrot s, of which t hey give eight or t en for a looking-glass; t here are also some
lit t le cat -monkeys[32] having almost t he appearance of a lion; t hey are yellow, and handsome, and
agreeable t o look at . The people of t his place make bread, which is of a round shape, and t hey
t ake t he marrow of cert ain t rees which are t here, bet ween t he bark and t he t ree, but it is not at
all good, and resembles fresh cheese. There are also some pigs which have t heir navel on t he
back,[33] and large birds which have t heir beak like a spoon, and t hey have no t ongue. For a
hat chet or for a knife t hey used t o give us one or t wo of t heir daught ers as slaves, but t heir
wives t hey would not give up for anyt hing in t he world. According t o what t hey say t he women of
t his place never render dut y t o t heir husbands by day, but only at night ; t hey at t end t o business
out of doors, and carry all t hat t hey require for t heir husband's vict uals inside small basket s on
t heir heads; or fast ened t o t heir heads. Their husbands go wit h t hem, and carry a bow of
vergin,[34] or of black palm, wit h a handful of arrows of cane. They do t his because t hey are very
jealous of t heir wives. These carry t heir children fast ened t o t heir neck, and t hey are inside a
t hing made of cot t on in t he manner of a net . I omit relat ing many ot her st range t hings, not t o be
t oo prolix; however, I will not forget t o say t hat mass was said t wice on shore, where t here were
many people of t he said count ry, who remained on t heir knees, and t heir hands joined in great
reverence, during t he mass, so t hat it was a pleasure and a subject of compassion t o see t hem.
In a short t ime t hey built a house for us, as t hey imagined t hat we should remain a long t ime wit h
t hem, and, at our depart ure t hence, t hey gave us a large quant it y of verzin. It is a colour which
proceeds from t he t rees which are in t his count ry, ​and t hey are in such quant it y t hat t he count ry
is called from it Verzin.

It is t o be known t hat it happened t hat it had not rained for t wo mont hs before we came t here,
and t he day t hat we arrived it began t o rain, on which account t he people of t he said place said
t hat we came from heaven, and had brought t he rain wit h us, which was great simplicit y, and
t hese people were easily convert ed t o t he Christ ian fait h. Besides t he above-ment ioned t hings
which were rat her simple, t he people of t his count ry showed us anot her, very simple; for t hey
imagined t hat t he small ships' boat s were t he children of t he ships, and t hat t he said ships
brought t hem fort h when t he boat s were hoist ed out t o send t he men hit her and t hit her; and
when t he boat s were alongside t he ship t hey t hought t hat t he ships were giving t hem suck.
A beaut iful young girl came one day inside t he ship of our capt ain, where I was, and did not come
except t o seek for her luck: however, she direct ed her looks t o t he cabin of t he mast er, and saw
a nail of a finger's lengt h, *and went and t ook it as somet hing valuable and new, and hid it in her
hair, for ot herwise she would not have been able t o conceal[35]it , because she was naked,* and,
bending forwards, she went away; and t he capt ain and I saw t his myst ery.[36]

Some Words of this People of Verzin.

Milan Edition.

Millet - Au mil - Maize.

Flour - Farine - Huy.
A hook - Ung haim - Pinda.
A knife - Ung coutteau - Taesse - Tarse.
A comb - Ung peigne - Chignap - Chipag.
A fork - Une forcette - Pirarne.
A bell - Une sonnette - Itemnaraca - Hanmaraca.
Good, more than good - Bon, plus que bon turn maraghatorn.

We remained t hirt een days in t his count ry of Verzin, and, depart ing from it and following our
course, we went as far as t hirt y-four degrees and a t hird t owards t he ant arct ic pole; t here we
found, near a river, men whom t hey call "cannibals,"[37] who eat human flesh, and one of t hese men,
great as a giant , came t o t he capt ain's ship t o ascert ain and ask if t he ot hers might come. This
man had a voice like a bull, and whilst t his man was at t he ship his companions carried off all t heir
goods which t hey had t o a cast le furt her off, from fear of us. Seeing t hat , we landed a hundred
men from t he ships, and went aft er t hem t o t ry and cat ch some ot hers; however t hey gained in
running away. This kind of people did more wit h one st ep t han we could do at a bound. In t his
same river t here were seven lit t le islands, and in t he largest of t hem precious st ones are found.
This place was formerly called t he Cape of St . Mary, and it was t hought t here t hat from t hence
t here was a passage t o t he Sea of Sur; t hat is t o say, t he Sout h Sea. And it is not found t hat any
ship has ever discovered anyt hing more, having passed beyond t he said ​c ape. And now it is no
longer a cape, but it is a river which has a mout h sevent een leagues in widt h, by which it ent ers
int o t he sea. In past t ime, in t his river, t hese great men named Canibali at e a Spanish capt ain,
named John de Sola,[38] and sixt y men who had gone t o discover land, as we were doing, and
t rust ed t oo much t o t hem.
Aft erwards following t he same course t owards t he Ant arct ic pole, going along t he land, we
found t wo islands full of geese and goslings, and sea wolves, of which geese t he large number
could not be reckoned; for we loaded all t he five ships wit h t hem in an hour. These geese are
black, and have t heir feat hers all over t he body of t he same size and shape, and t hey do not fly,
and live upon fish; and t hey were so fat t hat t hey did not pluck t hem, but skinned t hem. They
have beaks like t hat of a crow. The sea wolves of t hese t wo islands are of many colours, and of
t he size and t hickness of a calf, and have a head like t hat of a calf, and t he ears small and round.
They have large t eet h, and have no legs, but feet joining close on t o t he body, which resemble a
human hand; t hey have small nails t o t heir feet , and skin bet ween t he fingers like geese. If t hese
animals could run t hey would be very bad and cruel, but t hey do not st ir from t he wat er, and swim
and live upon fish. In t his place we endured a great st orm, and t hought we should have been lost ,
but t he t hree holy bodies, t hat is t o say, St . Anselmo, St . Nicolas, and St a. Clara, appeared t o us,
and immediat ely t he st orm ceased.

Depart ing t hence as far as fort y nine degrees and a half in t he Ant arct ic heavens (as we were in
t he wint er), we ent ered int o a port t o pass t he wint er, and remained t here t wo whole mont hs
wit hout ever seeing anybody. However, one day, wit hout anyone expect ing it , we saw a giant , who
was on t he shore of t he sea, quit e naked, and was dancing and leaping, and singing, and whilst
singing he put t he sand and dust on his head. Our capt ain sent one of his men t owards him, whom
he charged t o sing and leap like t he ot her t o reassure him, and show him friendship. This he did,
and immediat ely t he sailor led t his giant t o a lit t le island where t he capt ain was wait ing for him;
and when he was before us he began t o be ast onished, and t o be afraid, and he raised one. finger
on high,[39] t hinking t hat we came from heaven. He was so t all t hat t he t allest of us only came up
t o his waist ;[40] however[41] he was well built . He had a large face, paint ed red all round, and his
eyes also were paint ed yellow around t hem, and he had t wo heart s paint ed on his cheeks; he had
but lit t le hair on his head, and it was paint ed whit e. When he was brought before t he capt ain he
was clot hed wit h t he skin of a cert ain beast , which skin was very skilfully sewed. This beast [42]
has it s head and ears of t he size of a mule, and t he neck and body of t he fashion of a camel, t he
legs of a deer, and t he t ail like t hat of a horse, and it neighs like a horse. There is a great quant it y
of t hese animals in t his same place. This giant had his feet covered wit h t he skin of t his animal in
t he form of shoes, and he carried in his hand a short and t hick bow, wit h a t hick cord made of t he
gut of t he said beast , wit h a bundle of cane arrows, which were not very long, and were
feat hered like ours,[43] but t hey had no iron at t he end, t hough t hey had at t he end some small
whit e and black cut st ones, and t hese arrows were like t hose which t he Turks use. The capt ain
caused food and drink t o be given t o t his giant , t hen t hey showed him some t hings, amongst
ot hers, a st eel mirror. When t he giant saw his likeness in it , he was great ly t errified, leaping
backwards, and made t hree or four of our men fall down. ​Aft er t hat t he capt ain gave him t wo
bells, a mirror, a comb, and a chaplet of beads, and sent him back on shore, having him
accompanied by four armed men. One of t he companions of t his giant , who would never come t o
t he ship, on seeing t he ot her coming back wit h our people, came forward and ran t o where t he
ot her giant s dwelled. These came one aft er t he ot her all naked, and began t o leap and sing,
raising one finger t o heaven, and showing t o our people a cert ain whit e powder made of t he root s
of herbs, which t hey kept in eart hen pot s, and t hey made signs t hat t hey lived on t hat , and t hat
t hey had not hing else t o eat t han t his powder. Therefore our people made t hem signs t o come
t o t he ship and t hat t hey would help t hem t o carry t heir bundles.[44] Then t hese men came, who
carried only t heir bows in t heir hands; but t heir wives came aft er t hem laden like donkeys, and
carried t heir goods. These women are not as t all as t he men, but t hey are very sufficient ly large.
When we saw t hem we were all amazed and ast onished, for t hey had t he breast s half an ell[45]
long, and had t heir faces paint ed, and were dressed like t he men. But t hey wore a small skin
before t hem t o cover t hemselves. They brought wit h t hem four of t hose lit t le beast s of which
t hey make t heir clot hing, and t hey led t hem wit h a cord in t he manner of dogs coupled t oget her.
When t hese people wish t o cat ch t hese animals wit h which t hey clot he t hemselves, t hey fast en
one of t he young ones t o a bush, and aft erwards t he large ones come t o play wit h t he lit t le one,
and t he giant s are hid behind some hedge, and by shoot ing t heir arrows t hey kill t he large ones.
Our men brought eight een of t hese giant s, bot h men and women, whom t hey placed in t wo
divisions, half on one side of t he port , and t he ot her half at t he ot her, t o hunt t he said animals. Six
days aft er, our people on going t o cut wood, saw anot her giant , wit h his face paint ed and clot hed
like t he ​abovement ioned, he had in his hand a bow and arrows, and approaching our people he
made some t ouches on his head and t hen on his body, and aft erwards did t he same t o our people.
And t his being done he raised bot h his hands t o heaven. When t he capt ain-general knew all t his,
he sent t o fet ch him wit h his ship's boat , and brought him t o one of t he lit t le islands which are in
t he port , where t he ships were. In t his island t he capt ain had caused a house t o be made for
put t ing some of t he ships' t hings in whilst he remained t here. This giant was of a st ill bet t er
disposit ion t han t he ot hers, and was a gracious and amiable person, who liked t o dance and leap.
When he leapt he caused t he eart h t o sink in a palm dept h at t he place where his feet t ouched.
He was a long t ime wit h us, and at t he end we bapt ised him, and gave him t he name of John. This
giant pronounced t he name of Jesus, t he Pat er nost er, Ave Maria, and his name as clearly as we
did: but he had a t erribly st rong and loud voice. The capt ain gave him a shirt and a t unic [46] of
clot h, and seaman's breeches,[47] a cap, a comb, some bells, and ot her t hings, and sent him back
t o where he had come from. He went away very joyous and sat isfied. The next day t his giant
ret urned, and brought one of t hose large animals before ment ioned, for which t he capt ain gave
him some ot her t hings, so t hat he should bring more. But aft erwards he did not ret urn, and it is t o
be presumed t hat t he ot her giant s killed him because he had come t o us.

Fift een days lat er we saw four ot her giant s, who carried no arrows, for t hey had hid t hem in t he
bushes, as t wo of t hem showed us, for we t ook t hem all four, and each of t hem was paint ed in a
different way. The capt ain ret ained t he t wo younger ones t o t ake t hem t o Spain on his ret urn;
but it was done by gent le and cunning means, for ot herwise t hey would have done a hurt t o some
of our men. The manner in which he ret ained t hem was t hat he gave t hem ​many knives, forks,
mirrors, bells, and glass, and t hey held all t hese t hings in t heir hands. Then t he capt ain had some
irons brought , such as are put on t he feet of malefact ors: t hese giant s t ook pleasure in seeing
t he irons, but t hey did not know where t o put t hem, and it grieved t hem t hat t hey could not t ake
t hem wit h t heir hands, because t hey were hindered by t he ot her t hings which t hey held in t hem.
The ot her t wo giant s were t here, and were desirous of helping t he ot her t wo, but t he capt ain
would not let t hem, and made a sign t o t he t wo whom he wished t o det ain t hat t hey would put
t hose irons on t heir feet , and t hen t hey would go away: at t his t hey made a sign wit h t heir heads
t hat t hey were cont ent . Immediat ely t he capt ain had t he irons put on t he feet of bot h of t hem,
and when t hey saw t hat t hey were st riking wit h a hammer on t he bolt which crosses t he said
irons t o rivet t hem, and prevent t hem from being opened, t hese giant s were afraid, but t he
capt ain made t hem a sign not t o doubt of anyt hing. Nevert heless when t hey saw t he t rick which
had been played t hem, t hey began t o be enraged,[48] and t o foam like bulls, crying out very loud
Set ebos,[49] t hat is t o say, t he great devil, t hat he should help t hem. The hands of t he ot her t wo
giant s were bound, but it was wit h great difficult y; t hen t he capt ain sent t hem back on shore,
wit h nine of his men t o conduct t hem, and t o bring t he wife of one of t hose who had remained in
irons, because he regret t ed her great ly, as we saw by signs. But in going away one of t hose t wo
who were sent away, unt ied his hands and escaped, running wit h such light ness t hat our men lost
sight of him, and he went away where his companions were st aying; but he found nobody of
t hose t hat he had left wit h t he women because t hey had gone t o hunt . However he went t o look
for t hem, and found t hem, and relat ed t o t hem all t hat had been done t o t hem. The ot her giant
whose hands were t ied st ruggled as much as he could t o unfast en himself, and t o prevent his
doing so, one of our men st ruck him, and hurt him on t he head, at which he got very angry;
however he led our people t here where t heir wives were. Then John Cavagio,[50] t he pilot who
was t he chief conduct or of t hese t wo giant s, would not bring away t he wife of one of t he giant s
who had remained in irons on t hat evening, but was of opinion t hat t hey should sleep t here,
because it was almost night . During t his t ime t he one of t he giant s who had unt ied his hands
came back from where he had been, wit h anot her giant , and t hey seeing t heir companion
wounded on t he head, said not hing at t hat moment , but next morning t hey spoke in t heir
language t o t he women, and immediat ely all ran away t oget her, and t he smallest ran fast er t han
t he biggest , and t hey left all t heir chat t els. Two of t hese giant s being rat her a long way off shot
arrows at our men, and fight ing t hus, one of t he giant s pierced wit h an arrow t he t high of one of
our men, of which he died immediat ely. Then seeing t hat he was dead, all ran away. Our men had
cross-bows and guns,[51] but t hey never could hit one of t hese giant s, because t hey did not
st and st ill in one place, but leaped hit her and t hit her. Aft er t hat , our men buried t he man who had
been killed, and set fire t o t he place where t hose giant s had left t heir chat t els. Cert ainly t hese
giant s run fast er t han a horse, and t hey are very jealous of t heir wives.

When t hese giant s have a st omach-ache, inst ead of t aking medicine t hey put down t heir t hroat s
an arrow about t wo feet long; t hen t hey vomit a green bile [52] mixed wit h blood: and t he reason
why t hey t hrow up t his green mat t er is because t hey somet imes eat t hist les. When t hey have ​
headaches t hey make a cut across t he forehead, and also on t he arms and legs, t o draw blood
from several part s of t heir bodies. One of t he t wo we had t aken, and who was in our ship, said
t hat t he blood did not choose t o remain in t he place and spot of t he body where pain was felt .
These people have t heir hair cut short and clipped in t he manner of monks wit h a t onsure: t hey
wear a cord of cot t on round t heir head, t o t his t hey hang t heir arrows when t hey go a-
hunt ing....[53]

When one of t hem dies, t en or t welve devils appear and dance all round t he dead man. It seems
t hat t hese are paint ed, and one of t hese enemies is t aller t han t he ot hers, and makes a great er
noise, and more mirt h t han t he ot hers: t hat is whence t hese people have t aken t he cust om of
paint ing t heir faces and bodies, as has been said. The great est of t hese devils is called in t heir
language Set ebos, and t he ot hers Cheleule. Besides t he above-ment ioned t hings, t his one who
was in t he ship wit h us, t old us by signs t hat he had seen devils wit h t wo horns on t heir heads, and
long hair down t o t heir feet , and who t hrew out fire from t heir mout hs and rumps. The capt ain
named t his kind of people Pat aghom,[54] who have no houses, but have hut s made of t he skins of
t he animals wit h which t hey clot he t hemselves, and go hit her and t hit her wit h t hese hut s of
t heirs, as t he gypsies[55] do; t hey live on raw meat , and eat a cert ain sweet root , which t hey call
Capac. These t wo giant s t hat we had in t he ship at e a large basket ful[56] of biscuit , and rat s
wit hout skinning t hem, and t hey drank half a bucket of wat er at each t ime.

We remained in t his port , which was called t he port of St . Julian, about five mont hs, during which
t here happened t o us many st range t hings, of which I will t ell a part . One was, t hat immediat ely
t hat we ent ered int o t his port , t he ​mast ers of t he ot her four ships plot t ed t reason against t he
capt ain-general, in order t o put him t o deat h. These were t hus named: John of Cart hagine,
conduct or[57] of t he fleet ; t he t reasurer, Loys de Mendoza; t he conduct or,[58] Ant hony Cocha; and
Gaspar de Casada.[59] However, t he t reason was discovered, for which t he t reasurer was killed
wit h st abs of a dagger, and t hen quart ered. This Gaspar de Casada had his head cut off, and
aft erwards was cut int o quart ers; and t he conduct or having a few days lat er at t empt ed anot her
t reason, was banished wit h a priest , and was put in t hat count ry called Pat t agonia.[60] The
capt ain-general would not put t his conduct or t o deat h, because t he Emperor Charles had made
him capt ain of one of t he ships. One of our ships, named St . James, was lost in going t o discover
t he coast ; all t he men, however, were saved by a miracle, for t hey were hardly wet at all. Two
men of t hese, who were saved, came t o us and t old us all t hat had passed and happened, on
which t he capt ain at once sent some men wit h sacks full of biscuit for t wo mont hs. So, each day
we found somet hing of t he ship of t he ot her men who had escaped from t he ship which was lost ;
and t he place where t hese men were was t went y-five leagues from us, and t he road bad and full
of t horns, and it required four days t o go t here, and no wat er t o drink was t o be found on t he
road, but only ice, and of t hat lit t le. In t his port of St . Julian t here were a great quant it y of long
capres,[61] called Missiglione; t hese had pearls in t he midst . In t his place t hey found incense, and
ost riches, foxes, sparrows, and rabbit s[62] ​a good deal smaller t han ours.[63] We set up at t he t op
of t he highest mount ain which was t here a very large cross, as a sign t hat t his count ry belonged
t o t he King of Spain; and we gave t o t his mount ain t he name of Mount of Christ .

Depart ing t hence, we found in fift y-one degrees less one-t hird (50°40' S.), in t he Ant arct ic, a river
of fresh wat er, which was near causing us t o be lost , from t he great winds which it sent out ; but
God, of his favour, aided us. We were about t wo mont hs in t his river, as it supplied fresh wat er and
a kind of fish an ell long, and very scaly,[64] which is good t o eat . Before going away, t he capt ain
chose t hat all should confess and receive t he body of our Lord like good Christ ians.

CHAPTER.[65]
Aft er going and t aking t he course t o t he fift y-second degree of t he said Ant arct ic sky, on t he
day of t he Eleven Thousand Virgins [Oct ober 21], we found, by a miracle, a st rait which we called
t he Cape of t he Eleven Thousand Virgins, t his st rait is a hundred and t en leagues long, which are
four hundred and fort y miles, and almost as wide as less t han half a league,[66] and it issues in
anot her sea, which is called t he peaceful sea;[67] it is surrounded by very great and high mount ains
covered wit h snow. In t his place it was not possible t o anchor[68] wit h t he anchors, because no
bot t om was found, on which account t hey were forced t o put t he moorings[69] of t went y-five or
t hirt y fat homs ​lengt h on shore. This st rait was a round place surrounded by mount ains, as I have
said, and t he great er number of t he sailors t hought t hat t here was no place by which t o go out
t hence t o ent er int o t he peaceful sea. But t he capt ain-general said t hat t here was anot her st rait
for going out , and said t hat he knew it well, because he had seen it by a marine chart of t he King
of Port ugal, which map had been made by a great pilot and mariner named Mart in of Bohemia.[70]
The capt ain sent on before t wo of his ships, one named St. Anthony and t he ot her t he
Conception, t o seek for and discover t he out let of t his st rait , which was called t he Cape de la
Baya. And we, wit h t he ot her t wo ships, t hat is t o say, t he flagship named Trinitate, and t he ot her
t he Victory, remained wait ing for t hem wit hin t he Bay, where in t he night we had a great st orm,
which last ed t ill t he next day at midday, and during which we were forced t o weigh t he anchors
and let t he ships go hit her and t hit her about t he bay. The ot her t wo ships met wit h such a head
wind[71] t hat t hey could not weat her[72] a cape which t he bay made almost at it s ext remit y;
wishing t o come t o us, t hey were near being driven t o beach t he ships.[73] But , on approaching t he
ext remit y of t he bay, and whilst expect ing t o be lost , t hey saw a small mout h, which did not
resemble a mout h but a corner,[74] and (like people giving up hope [75]) t hey t hrew t hemselves int o
it , so t hat by force t hey discovered t he st rait . Seeing t hat it was not a corner, but a st rait of land,
t hey went furt her on and found a bay, t hen going st ill furt her t hey found anot her st rait and
anot her bay larger ​t han t he first t wo, at which, being very joyous, t hey suddenly ret urned
backwards t o t ell it t o t he capt ain-general. Amongst us we t hought t hat t hey had perished: first ,
because of t he great st orm; next , because t wo days had passed t hat we had not seen t hem. And
being t hus in doubt [76] we saw t he t wo ships under all sail, wit h ensigns spread, come t owards us:
t hese, when near us, suddenly discharged much art illery, at which we, very joyous, salut ed t hem
wit h art illery and shout s. Aft erwards, all t oget her, t hanking God and t he Virgin Mary, we went t o
seek furt her on.

Aft er having ent ered inside t his st rait we found t hat t here were t wo mout hs, of which one
t rended t o t he Sirocco (S.E.), and t he ot her t o t he Garbin (S.W.). On t hat account t he capt ain
again sent t he t wo ships, St. Anthony and Conception, t o see if t he mout h which was t owards
Sirocco had an out let beyond int o t he said peaceful sea. One of t hese t wo ships, named St.
Anthony, would not wait for t he ot her ship, because t hose who were inside wished t o ret urn t o
Spain: t his t hey did, and t he principal reason was on account of t he pilot [77] of t he said ship being
previously discont ent ed wit h t he said capt ain-general, because t hat before t his armament was
made, t his pilot had gone t o t he Emperor t o t alk about having some ships t o discover count ries.
But , on account of t he arrival of t he capt ain-general, t he Emperor did not give t hem t o t his pilot ,
on account of which he agreed wit h some Spaniards, and t he following night t hey t ook prisoner
t he capt ain of t heir ship, who was a brot her[78] of t he capt ain-general, and who was named Alvar
de Meschit e; t hey wounded him, and put him in irons. So t hey carried him off t o Spain. And in t his
ship, which went away and ret urned, was one of t he t wo above-ment ioned giant s whom we had
t aken, and when he felt t he heat he ​died. The ot her ship, named t he Conception, not being able
t o follow t hat one, was always wait ing for it , and flut t ered hit her and t hit her. But it lost it s t ime,
for t he ot her t ook t he road by night for ret urning. When t his happened, at night t he ship of t he
capt ain and t he ot her ship went t oget her t o discover t he ot her mout h t o Garbin (S.W.), where, on
always holding on our course, we found t he same st rait . But at t he end[79] we arrived at a river
which we named t he River of Sardines, because we found a great quant it y of t hem. So we
remained t here four days t o wait for t he ot her t wo ships. A short t ime aft er we sent a boat well
supplied wit h men and provisions t o discover t he cape of t he ot her sea: t hese remained t hree
days in going and coming. They t old us t hat t hey had found t he cape, and t he sea great and wide.
At t he joy which t he capt ain-general had at t his he began t o cry, and he gave t he name of Cape
of Desire t o t his cape, as a t hing which had been much desired for a long t ime. Having done t hat
we t urned back t o find t he t wo ships which were at t he ot her side, but we only found t he
Conception, of which ship we asked what had become of her companion. To t his t he capt ain of
t he said ship, named John Serrano (who was pilot of t he first ship which was lost as has been
relat ed), replied t hat he knew not hing of her, and t hat he had never seen her since she ent ered
t he mout h. However, we sought for her t hrough all t he st rait , as far as t he said mout h, by which
she had t aken her course t o ret urn. Besides t hat , t he capt ain-general sent back t he ship named
t he Victory as far as t he ent rance of t he st rait t o see if t he ship was t here, and he t old t he
people of t his ship t hat if t hey did not find t he ship t hey were looking for, t hey were t o place an
ensign on t he summit of a small hill, wit h a let t er inside a pot placed in t he ground near t he
ensign, so t hat if t he ship should by chance ret urn, it might see t hat ensign, and also find t he ​
let t er which would give informat ion of t he course which t he capt ain was holding. This manner of
act ing had been ordained by t he capt ain from t he commencement , in order t o effect t he
junct ion of any ship which might be separat ed from t he ot hers. So t he people of t he said ship did
what t he capt ain had commanded t hem, and more, for t hey set t wo ensigns wit h let t ers; one of
t he ensigns was placed on a small hill at t he first bay, t he ot her on an islet in t he t hird bay, where
t here were many sea wolves and large birds. The capt ain-general wait ed for t hem wit h t he ot her
ship near t he river named Isles: and he caused a cross t o be set upon a small island in front of
t hat river, which was bet ween high mount ains covered wit h snow. This river comes and falls int o
t he sea near t he ot her river of t he Sardines.

If we had not found t his st rait t he capt ain-general had made up his mind t o go as far as sevent y-
five degrees t owards t he ant arct ic pole; where at t hat height in t he summer t ime t here is no
night , or very lit t le: in a similar manner in t he wint er t here is no day-light , or very lit t le, and so t hat
every one may believe t his, when we were in t his st rait t he night last ed only t hree hours, and t his
was in t he mont h of Oct ober.
The land of t his st rait on t he left hand side looked t owards t he Sirocco wind, which is t he wind
collat eral t o t he Levant and Sout h; we called t his st rait Pat hagonico. In it we found at every half
league a good port and place for anchoring, good wat ers, wood all of cedar, and fish like sardines,
missiglioni, and a very sweet herb named appio (celery).[80] There is also some of t he same kind
which is bit t er. This herb grows near t he springs, and from not finding anyt hing else we at e of it
for several days. I t hink t hat t here is not in t he world a more beaut iful count ry, or bet t er st rait
t han t his one. In t his ocean sea one sees a very amusing chase of fish, which are of t hree sort s,
of an ell or more in lengt h, and t hey call t hese fish Dorades, Albacores, and Bonit os; t hese follow
and pursue anot her sort of fish which flies, which t hey call Colondriny,[81] which are a foot long or
more, and are very good t o eat . When t hese t hree sort s of fish find in t he wat er any of t hese
flying fish, immediat ely t hey make t hem come out of t he wat er, and t hey fly more t han a cross
bow-shot , as long as t heir wings are wet ; and whilst t hese fishes fly t he ot her t hree run aft er
t hem under t he wat er, seeing t he shadow of t hose t hat fly: and t he moment t hey fall int o t he
wat er t hey are seized upon and eat en by t he ot hers which pursue t hem, which is a t hing
marvellous and agreeable t o see.

Vocables des Geants Pathagonians.

 Milan Edition. Milan Edition.
Le chef - Her . . idem. Les oreilles - Sane . . id.
Yeulx - Ather . . oter. Les esselles - Salischin . . id.
Le nez - Or . . id. La mamelle - Othen . . oton.
Les silz - Occhechl . . id. La poitrine - Ochy . . ochii.
Paupieres des yeulx Sechechiel . . id. Le corps - Gechel.
Aux deux narines Orescho . . id. Le vit - Scachet . . sachet.
La bouche - Xiam . . chian. Le couillons - Scancos . . sachancos.
Les leures - Schiane . . schiaine.Le con - Isse . . id.
Les dentz - Phor . . for. Le foutre - Johoi.
La langue - Schial . . id. Les cuisses - Chiaue . . id.
Le menton - Sechen . . secheri. Le genouil - Tepin . . id.
Les cheueulx[82] - Ajchir . . archiz. Le cul - Schiachen . . schiaguen.
Le visaige - Cogechel. Les fesses - Hoy . . hoii.
La gorge - Ohumer . . ohumez.Le braz - Mar . . riaz.
La copa* (le cou) Schialeschin. Le poulse - Ohoy . . holion.
Les epaulles - Peles. Les jambes - Choss . . id.
Le coude - Cotel. Les piedz - Teche . . ti.
La main - Chene. Alcalcagno* - There . . tire.
La paulme de la main Canneghin. La chenille du pied Perchi . . id.
 Milan Edition. Milan Edition.
Le doit - Cori . . id. La plante ou sole du pied Cartschem . . caotschoni.
Les ongles - Colim . . colmi. Nous - - Chen.
Le cueur - Chol . . tol. Si ou ouy - Rei.
Le grater - Ghecare . . id. L'or - - Pelpeli . . id.
Homo sguerzo* - Calischen . . id. Petre lazure[83] - Secheghi . . sechey.
Au jeune - Calemi . . id. Le soleil - Calexchem . . id.
L'eau - Oli . . holi. Les estoilles - Settere . . id.
Le feu - Ghialeme . . gialeme. La mer - Aro . . id.
La fumée - Jaiche . . giache. Le vent - Om . . oni.
La fortune (storm) Ohone . . id. A la pignate* - Aschame . . id.
Le poisson - Hoi . . id. A demander - Ghelhe . . gheglie.
Le manger - Mecchiere . . id. Vien icy - Haisi . . hai.
Une escuelle - Elo . . etlo. Au regarder - Conne . . id.
A combatre - Oamaghei . . ohomagse.A aller - Rhei . . id.
Alle frezze* - Sethe . . seche. A la nef [84] - Theu . . id.
Ung chien - Holl . . id. A courir[85] - Hiam . . tiam.
Ung loup - Ani . . id. Al struzzo veelo* [86] Hoihoi.
A aller loing - Schien. A ses œufs [87] - Jan.
A la guide - Anti. La pouldre d'herbe[87] Qui.
Aladorer[88] - Os . . id. Mangent [89] - Capac . . id.
Ung papegault [90] - Cheche. Le bonnet - Aichel . . id.
La caige doyseau Cleo . . id. Coulernoire - Amet . . oinel.
Al missiglion* - Siameni . . id. (oyster) Rouge - Theiche . . faiche.
Drap rouge - Terechai . . id. Jaulne - Peperi . . id.
Al cocinare* - Ixecoles . . irocoles. Le diable grand Setebos . . id.
La ceincture - Cathechin . . id. Les petitz diables Cheleule . . id.
Une oye - Chache . . cache. †

*The It alian words mixed up in t he French MS. show t hat t his MS. was writ t en by Pigafet t a, and
not t ranslat ed from his It alian.
†None of t hese words resemble t hose given by t he Jesuit ,
Falkner, from t he language of t he Moluche t ribe. ​All t hese words are pronounced in t he t hroat ,
because t hey pronounce t hem t hus.

These words were given me by t hat giant whom we had in t he ship, because he asked me for
capac, t hat is t o say bread, since t hey t hus name t hat root which t hey use for bread, and oli t hat
is t o say wat er. When he saw me writ e t hese names aft er him, and ask for ot hers he underst ood
(what I was doing) wit h my pen in my hand.[91] Anot her t ime I made a cross and kissed it in
showing it t o him; but suddenly he exclaimed Set ebos! and made signs t o me t hat if I again made
t he cross it would ent er int o my st omach and make me die. When t his giant was unwell[92] he
asked for t he cross, and embraced and kissed it much, and he wished t o become a Christ ian
before his deat h, and we named him Paul. When t hese people wish t o light a fire t hey t ake a
point ed st ick and rub it wit h anot her unt il t hey make a fire in t he pit h of a t ree which is placed
bet ween t hese st icks.

(In the Milan Edition here begins Book II.)

Wednesday, t he t went y-eight h of November, 1520, we came fort h out of t he said st rait , and
ent ered int o t he Pacific sea, where we remained t hree mont hs and t went y days wit hout t aking in
provisions or ot her refreshment s, and we only at e old biscuit reduced t o powder, and full of
grubs, and st inking from t he dirt which t he rat s had made on it when eat ing t he good biscuit , and
we drank wat er t hat was yellow and st inking. We also at e t he ox hides which were under t he
main-yard,[93] so t hat t he yard should not break t he rigging:[94] t hey were very hard on account of ​
 Pigafetta's Map of Magellan's Straits.

t he sun, rain, and wind, and we left t hem for four or five days in t he sea, and t hen we put t hem a
lit t le on t he embers, and so at e t hem; also t he sawdust of wood,[95] and rat s which cost half-a-
crown[96] each, moreover enough of t hem were not t o be got . Besides t he above-named evils,
t his misfort une which I will ment ion was t he worst , it was t hat t he upper and lower gums of most
of our men grew so much[97] t hat t hey could not eat , and in t his way so many suffered, t hat
ninet een died, and t he ot her giant , and an Indian from t he count y of Verzin. Besides t hose who
died, t went y-five or t hirt y fell ill of diverse sicknesses, bot h in t he arms and legs, and ot her
places, in such manner t hat very few remained healt hy. However, t hanks be t o t he Lord, I had no
sickness. During t hose t hree mont hs and t went y days we went in an open sea,[98] while we ran
fully four t housand leagues in t he Pacific sea. This was well named Pacific, for during t his same
t ime we met wit h no st orm, and saw no land except t wo small uninhabit ed islands, in which we
found only birds and t rees. We named t hem t he Unfort unat e Islands; t hey are t wo hundred
leagues apart from one anot her, and t here is no place t o anchor, as t here is no bot t om. There we
saw many sharks, which are a kind of large fish which t hey call Tiburoni. The first isle is in fift een
degrees of aust ral lat it ude,[99] and t he ot her island is in nine degrees. Wit h t he said wind we ran
each day fift y or sixt y leagues,[100] or more; now wit h t he wind ast ern, somet imes on a wind[101] or
ot herwise. And if our Lord and his Mot her had ​not aided us in giving us good weat her t o refresh
ourselves wit h provisions and ot her t hings, we should all have died of hunger in t his very vast sea,
and I t hink t hat never man will undert ake t o perform such a voyage.

When we had gone out of t his st rait , if we had always navigat ed t o t he west we should have
gone [102] wit hout finding any land except t he Cape of t he Eleven Thousand Virgins, which is t he
east ern head of t he st rait in t he ocean sea, wit h t he Cape of Desire at t he west in t he Pacific
sea. These t wo capes are exact ly in fift y-t wo degrees of lat it ude of t he ant arct ic pole.

The ant arct ic pole is not so covered wit h st ars as t he arct ic, for t here are t o be seen t here many
small st ars congregat ed t oget her, which are like t o t wo clouds a lit t le separat ed from one
anot her, and a lit t le dimmed,[103] in t he midst of which are t wo st ars, not very large, nor very
brilliant , and t hey move but lit t le:[104] t hese t wo st ars are t he ant arct ic pole. Our compass needle
st ill point ed a lit t le t o it s arct ic pole; nevert heless it had not as much power as on it s own side
and region.[105] Yet when we were in t he open sea,[106] t he capt ain-general[107] asked of all t he
pilot s, whilst st ill going under sail, in what direct ion t hey were navigat ing and point ing t he chart s.
They all replied, by t he course he had given, punct ually [pricked in]; t hen he answered, t hat t hey
were point ing falsely (which was so), and t hat it was fit t ing t o arrange t he needle of navigat ion,
because it did not receive so much force as in it s own quart er. When we were in t he middle of
t his open sea we saw a cross of five st ars, very bright , st raight , in t he west , and t hey are st raight
one wit h anot her.[108]

During t his t ime of t wo mont hs and t welve days we navigat ed bet ween west and nort h-west
(maest ral), and a quart er west of nort h-west , and also nort h-west , unt il we came t o t he
equinoct ial line, which was at [a point ] one hundred and t went y-t wo degrees dist ant from t he line
of repart it ion. This line of delimit at ion is t hirt y degrees dist ant from t he meridian,[109] and t he
meridian[110] is t hree degrees dist ant from t he Cape Verd t owards t he east .[111] In going by t his
course we passed near t wo very rich islands; one is in t went y degrees lat it ude in t he ant arct ic
pole, and is called Cipanghu; t he ot her, in fift een degrees of t he same pole, is named Sumbdit
Pradit . Aft er we had passed t he equinoct ial line we navigat ed bet ween west , and nort h-west and
a quart er west , by nort h-west . Aft erwards we made t wo ​hundred leagues t o west wards, t hen
changed t he course t o a quart er of sout h-west , unt il in t hirt een degrees nort h lat it ude, in order
t o approach t he land of Cape Gat icara,[112] which cape (under correct ion of t hose who have made
cosmography), (for t hey have never seen it ), is not placed where t hey t hink, but is t owards t he
nort h, in t welve degrees or t hereabout s.

Aft er having navigat ed sixt y leagues[113] by t he said course, in t welve degrees lat it ude, and a
hundred and fort y-six of longit ude, on Wednesday, t he 6t h of March, we discovered a small island
in t he nort h-west direct ion,[114]and t wo ot hers lying t o t he sout h-west . One of t hese islands was
larger and higher t han t he ot her t wo. The capt ain-general wished t o t ouch at t he largest of
t hese t hree islands t o get refreshment s of provisions; but it was not possible because t he
people of t hese islands ent ered int o t he ships and robbed us, in such a way t hat it was
impossible t o preserve oneself from t hem. Whilst we were st riking and lowering t he sails t o go
ashore, t hey st ole away wit h much address and diligence t he small boat called t he skiff, which
was made fast t o t he poop of t he capt ain's ship, at which he was much irrit at ed, and went on
shore wit h fort y armed men, burned fort y or fift y houses, wit h several small boat s, and killed
seven men of t he island; t hey recovered t heir skiff. Aft er t his we set sail suddenly, following t he
same course. Before we went ashore some of our sick men begged us t hat if we killed man or
woman, t hat we should bring t hem t heir ent rails, as t hey would see t hemselves suddenly cured. ​

CHAPTER
It must be known t hat when we wounded any of t his kind of people wit h our arrows, which
ent ered inside t heir bodies, t hey looked at t he arrow, and t hen drew it fort h wit h much
ast onishment , and immediat ely aft erwards t hey died.[115] Immediat ely aft er we sailed from t hat
island, following our course, and t hose people seeing t hat we were going away followed us for n
league, wit h a hundred small boat s, or more, and t hey approached our ships, showing t o us fish,
and feigning t o give it t o us. But t hey t hrew st ones at us, and t hen ran away, and in t heir flight
t hey passed wit h t heir lit t le boat s bet ween t he boat which is t owed at t he poop and t he ship
going under full sail; but t hey did t his so quickly, and wit h such skill t hat it was a wonder. And we
saw some of t hese women, who cried out and t ore t heir hair, and I believe [116] t hat it was for t he
love of t hose whom we had killed.

CHAPTER
These people live in libert y and according t o t heir will, for t hey have no lord or superior; t hey go
quit e naked, and some of t hem wear beards, and have t heir hair down t o t he waist . They wear
small hat s, aft er t he fashion of t he Albanians; t hese hat s are made of palm leaves. The people
are as t all as us, and well made: t hey adore not hing, and when t hey are born t hey are whit e, lat er
t hey become brown, and have t heir t eet h black and red. The women also go naked, except t hat
t hey cover t heir nat ure wit h a t hin bark, pliable like paper, which grows bet ween t he t ree and t he ​
bark of t he palm. They are beaut iful and delicat e, and whit er t han t he men, and have t heir hair
loose and flowing, very black and long, down t o t he eart h. They do not go t o work in t he fields,
nor st ir from t heir houses, making clot h and basket s of palm leaves. Their provisions are cert ain
fruit s named Cochi, Bat t at e; t here are birds, figs a palm long,[117] sweet canes, and flying fish. The
women anoint t heir bodies and t heir hair wit h oil of cocho and giongioli (sesame). Their houses are
const ruct ed of wood, covered wit h planks, wit h fig leaves, which are t wo ells in lengt h: t hey have
only one floor: t heir rooms and beds are furnished wit h mat s,[118] which we call mat t ing,[119] which
are made of palm leaves, and are very beaut iful, and t hey lie down on palm st raw, which is soft
and fine. These people have no arms, but use st icks,[120] which have a fish bone at t he end. They
are poor, but ingenious, and great t hieves, and for t he sake of t hat we called t hese t hree islands
t he Ladrone Islands. The past ime of t he men and t he women of t his place, and t heir diversion, is
t o go wit h t heir lit t le boat s t o cat ch t hose fish which fly, wit h hooks made of fish bones. The
pat t ern of t heir small boat s is paint ed here-aft er, t hey are like t he fuseleres,[121]but narrower.
Some of t hem black and whit e, and ot hers red. On t he opposit e side t o t he sail, t hey have a large
piece of wood, point ed above, wit h poles across, which are in t he wat er, in order t o go more
securely under sail: t heir sails are of palm leaves, sewed t oget her, and of t he shape of a lat een
sail, fore and aft . They have cert ain shovels like heart h shovels,[122] and t here is no difference
bet ween t he poop and t he prow in t hese boat s, and t hey are like dolphins bounding from wave t o
wave. These t hieves t hought , according t o t he signs t hey made, ​t hat t here were no ot her men in
t he world besides t hem.

Sat urday, t he 16t h of March, 1521, we arrived at daybreak in sight of a high island, t hree hundred
leagues dist ant from t he before-ment ioned Thieves' island. This isle is named Zamal.[123] The
next day t he capt ain-general wished t o land at anot her uninhabit ed island near t he first ,[124] t o be
in great er securit y and t o t ake wat er, also t o repose t here a few days. He set up t here t wo t ent s
on shore for t he sick, and had a sow[125] killed for t hem.

Monday, t he 18t h of March, aft er dinner, we saw a boat come t owards us wit h nine men in it : upon
which t he capt ain-general ordered t hat no one should move or speak wit hout his permission.[126]
When t hese people had come int o t his island t owards us, immediat ely t he principal[127] one
amongst t hem went t owards t he capt ain-general wit h demonst rat ions of being very joyous at
our arrival. Five of t he most showy[128] of t hem remained wit h us, t he ot hers who remained wit h
t he boat went t o call some men who were fishing, and aft erwards all of t hem came t oget her.[129]
The capt ain seeing t hat t hese people were reasonable,[130] ordered food and drink t o be given
t hem, and he gave t hem some red caps, looking glasses, combs, bells, ivory, and ot her t hings.
When t hese people saw t he polit eness of t he capt ain, t hey present ed some fish, and a vessel of
palm wine, which t hey call in t heir language Uraca;[131] figs more t han a foot [132] long, and ot hers
smaller and of a bet t er savour, and t wo cochos.[133] At t hat t ime t hey had not hing t o give him,
and t hey made signs t o us wit h t heir hands t hat in four days t hey would bring us Umai, which is
rice, cocos, and many ot her vict uals.

To explain t he kind of fruit s above-named it must be known t hat t he one which t hey call cochi, is
t he fruit which t he palm t rees bear. And as we have bread, wine, oil, and vinegar, proceeding from
different kinds, so t hese people have t hose t hings proceeding from t hese palm t rees only. It
must be said t hat wine proceeds from t he said palm t rees in t he following manner. They make a
hole at t he summit of t he t ree as far as it s heart , which is named palmit o, from which a liquor
comes out in drops down t he t ree, like whit e must , which is sweet , but wit h somewhat of
bit t er.[134] They have canes as t hick as t he leg, in which t hey draw off t his liquor, and t hey fast en
t hem t o t he t ree from t he evening t ill next morning, and from t he morning t o t he evening,
because t his liquor comes lit t le by lit t le. This palm produces a fruit named cocho, which is as
large as t he head, or t hereabout s: it s first husk is green, and t wo fingers in t hickness, in it t hey
find cert ain t hreads, wit h which t hey make t he cords for fast ening t heir boat s. Under t his husk
t here is anot her very hard, and t hicker t han t hat of a walnut . They burn t his second rind, and make
wit h it a powder which is useful t o t hem. Under t his rind t here is a whit e marrow of a finger's
t hickness, which t hey eat fresh wit h meat and fish, as we do bread, and it has t he t ast e of an
almond, and if anyone dried it [135] he might make bread of it . From t he middle of t his marrow
t here comes out a clear sweet wat er, ​and very cordial, which, when it has rest ed a lit t le, and
set t led, congeals and becomes like an apple.[136] When t hey wish t o make oil t hey t ake t his fruit ,
t he coco, and let it get rot t en, and t hey corrupt t his marrow in t he wat er, t hen t hey boil it , and it
becomes oil in t he manner[137] of but t er. When t hey want t o make vinegar, t hey let t he wat er in
t he cocoa-nut get bad, and t hey put it in t he sun, when it t urns t o vinegar like whit e wine. From
t his fruit milk also can be made, as we experienced, for we scraped t his marrow and t hen put it
wit h it s wat er, and passed it t hrough a clot h, and t hus it was milk like t hat of goat s. This kind of
palm t ree is like t he dat e-palm,[138] but not so rugged. Two of t hese t rees can maint ain a family
of t en persons: but t hey do not draw wine as above-ment ioned always from one t ree, but draw
from one for eight days, and from t he ot her as long. For if t hey did not , ot herwise t he t rees
would dry up. In t his manner t hey last a hundred years.[139]
These people became very familiar and friendly wit h us, and explained many t hings t o us in t heir
language, and t old us t he names of some islands which we saw wit h our eyes before us. *The
island where t hey dwelt is called Zuluam, and it is not large.*[140] As t hey were sufficient ly
agreeable and conversible we had great pleasure wit h t hem. The capt ain seeing t hat t hey were
of t his good condit ion, t o do t hem great er honour conduct ed t hem t o t he ship, and showed t hem
all his goods, t hat is t o say, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, ginger, nut meg, mace,[141]gold and all t hat
was in t he ship. He also had some shot s fired wit h his art illery, at which t hey were so much afraid
t hat t hey wished t o jump ​f rom t he ship int o t he sea. They made signs t hat t he t hings which t he
capt ain had shown t hem grew t here where we were going. When t hey wished t o leave us t hey
t ook leave of t he capt ain and of us wit h very good manners and gracefulness, promising us t o
come back t o see us. The island we were at was named Humunu; nevert heless because we
found t here t wo springs of very fresh
wat er we named it t he Wat ering Place of good signs,[142]
and because we found here t he first signs of gold. There is much whit e coral t o be found here,
and large t rees which bear fruit smaller t han an almond, and which are like pines. There were also
many palm t rees bot h good and bad. In t his place t here were many circumjacent islands, on which
account we named t hem t he archipelago of St . Lazarus, because we st ayed t here on t he day and
feast of St . Lazarus. This region and archipelago is in t en degrees nort h lat it ude, and a hundred
and sixt y-one degrees longit ude from t he line of demarcat ion.

Friday, t he 22nd of March, t he above-ment ioned people, who had promised us t o ret urn, came
about midday, wit h t wo boat s laden wit h t he said fruit cochi, sweet oranges, a vessel of palm
wine, and a cock, t o give us t o underst and t hat t hey had poult ry in t heir count ry, so t hat we
bought all t hat t hey brought . The lord of t hese people was old, and had his face paint ed, and had
gold rings suspended t o his ears, which t hey name Schione,[143] and t he ot hers had many
bracelet s and rings of gold on t heir arms, wit h a wrapper of linen round t heir head. We remained at
t his place eight days: t he capt ain went t here every day t o see his sick men, whom he had placed
on t his island t o refresh t hem: and he gave t hem himself every day t he wat er of t his said fruit t he
cocho, which comfort ed t hem much. Near t his isle is anot her where t here are a kind of people
who wear holes[144] in t heir ears so large t hat t hey can pass t heir arms t hrough t hem; t hese
people are Caphre, t hat is t o say, Gent iles, and t hey go naked, except t hat round t heir middles
t hey wear clot h made of t he bark of t rees. But t here are some of t he more remarkable of t hem
who wear cot t on st uff, and at t he end of it t here is some work of silk done wit h a needle. These
people are t awny,[145] fat , and paint ed, and t hey anoint t hemselves wit h t he oil of coco nut s and
sesame,[146] t o preserve t hem from t he sun and t he wind. Their hair is very black and long,
reaching t o t he waist , and t hey carry small daggers and knives, ornament ed wit h gold, and many
ot her t hings, such as dart s,[147] harpoons, and net s t o fish, like.........,[148] and t heir boat s are like
ours.

The Monday of Passion week, t he 25t h of March, and feast of our Lady, in t he aft ernoon, and
being ready t o depart from t his place, I went t o t he side of our ship t o fish, and put t ing my feet
on a spar t o go down t o t he st ore room,[149] my feet slipped, because it had rained, and I fell int o
t he sea wit hout any one seeing me, and being near drowning by luck I found at my left hand t he
sheet of t he large sail which was in t he sea, I caught hold of it and began t o cry out t ill t hey
came t o help and pick me up wit h t he boat . I was assist ed not by my merit s, but by t he mercy
and grace of t he fount ain of pit y. That same day we t ook t he course bet ween west and
sout hwest ,[150] and passed amidst four small islands, t hat is t o say, Cenalo, Huinanghar, Ibusson,
and Abarien.

Thursday, t he 28t h of March, having seen t he night before fire upon an island, at t he morning we
came t o ​anchor at t his island; where we saw a small boat which t hey call Bolot o, wit h eight men
inside, which approached t he ship of t he capt ain-general. Then a slave of t he capt ain's, who was
from Sumat ra, ot herwise named Traprobana, spoke from afar t o t hese people, who underst ood
his t alk,[151] and came near t o t he side of t he ship, but t hey wit hdrew immediat ely, and would not
ent er t he ship from fear of us. So t he capt ain seeing t hat t hey would not t rust t o us showed
t hem a red cap, and ot her t hings, which he had t ied and placed on a lit t le plank,[152] and t he
people in t he boat t ook t hem immediat ely and joyously, and t hen ret urned t o advise t heir king.
Two hours aft erwards, or t hereabout s, we saw come t wo long boat s, which t hey call Ballanghai,
full of men. In t he largest of t hem was t heir king sit t ing under an awning of mat s; when t hey were
near t he ship of t he capt ain-general, t he said slave spoke t o t he king, who underst ood him well,
because in t hese count ries t he kings know more languages t han t he common people. Then t he
king ordered some of his people t o go t o t he capt ain's ship, whilst he would not move from his
boat , which was near enough t o us. This was done, and when his people ret urned t o t he boat , he
went away at once. The capt ain gave good ent ert ainment t o t he men who came t o his ship, and
gave t hem all sort s of t hings, on which account t he king wished t o give t he capt ain a rat her large
bar of solid gold, and a chest [153] full of ginger. However, t he capt ain t hanked him very much but
would not accept t he present . Aft er t hat , when it was lat e, we went wit h t he ships near t o t he
houses and abode of t he king.

The next day which was Good Friday, t he capt ain sent on shore t he before-ment ioned slave, who
was our int erpret er, t o t he king t o beg him t o give him for money some provisions for his ships,
sending him word t hat he had not ​c ome t o his count ry as an enemy, but as a friend. The king on
hearing t his came wit h seven or eight men in a boat , and ent ered t he ship, and embraced t he
capt ain, and gave him t hree china dishes covered wit h leaves full of rice, and t wo dorades, which
are rat her large fish, and of t he sort above-ment ioned, and he gave him several ot her t hings. The
capt ain gave t his king a robe of red and yellow clot h, made in t he Turkish fashion, and a very fine
red cap, and t o his people he gave t o some of t hem knives, and t o ot hers mirrors. Aft er t hat
refreshment s were served up t o t hem. The capt ain t old t he king, t hrough t he said int erpret er,
t hat he wished t o be wit h him, cassi[154] cassi, t hat is t o say, brot hers. To which t he king
answered t hat he desired t o be t he same t owards him. Aft er t hat t he capt ain showed him clot hs
of different colours, linen, coral, and much ot her merchandise, and all t he art illery, of which he had
some pieces fired before him, at which t he king was much ast onished; aft er t hat t he capt ain had
one of his soldiers armed wit h whit e armour, and placed him in t he midst of t hree comrades, who
st ruck him wit h swords and daggers. The king t hought t his very st range, and t he capt ain t old him,
t hrough t he int erpret er, t hat a man t hus in whit e armour was wort h a hundred of his men; he
answered t hat it was t rue; he was furt her informed t hat t here were in each ship t wo hundred like
t hat man. Aft er t hat t he capt ain showed him a great number of swords, cuirasses, and helmet s,
and made t wo of t he men play wit h t heir swords before t he king; he t hen showed him t he sea
chart and t he ship compass, and informed him how he had found t he st rait t o come t here, and of
t he t ime which he had spent in coming; also of t he t ime he had been wit hout seeing any land, at
which t he king was ast onished. At t he end t he capt ain asked[155] if he would be pleased t hat t wo
of his people should go wit h him t o t he places where t hey lived, t o see some of t he t hings of his
count ry. This t he king grant ed, and I went wit h anot her.

When I had landed, t he king raised his hands t o t he sky, and t urned t o us t wo, and we did t he
same as he did; aft er t hat he t ook me by t he hand, and one of his principal people t ook my
companion, and led us under a place covered wit h canes, where t here was a ballanghai, t hat is t o
say, a boat , eight y feet long or t hereabout s, resembling a fust a. We sat wit h t he king upon it s
poop, always conversing wit h him by signs, and his people st ood up around us, wit h t heir swords,
spears, and bucklers. Then t he king ordered t o be brought a dish of pig's flesh and wine.[156] Their
fashion of drinking is in t his wise, t hey first raise t heir hands t o heaven, t hen t ake t he drinking
vessel in t heir right hand, and ext end t he left hand closed t owards t he people. This t he king did,
and present ed t o me his fist , so t hat I t hought t hat he want ed t o st rike me; I did t he same t hing
t owards him; so wit h t his ceremony, and ot her signs of friendship, we banquet ed, and aft erwards
supped wit h him.

I at e flesh on Good Friday, not being able t o do ot herwise, and before t he hour of supper, I gave
several t hings t o t he king, which I had brought . There I wrot e down several t hings as t hey name
t hem in t heir language, and when t he king and t he ot hers saw me writ e, and I t old t hem t heir
manner of speech, t hey were all ast onished. When t he hour for supper had come, t hey brought
t wo large china dishes, of which one was full of rice, and t he ot her of pig's flesh, wit h it s
brot h[157] and sauce. We supped wit h t he same signs and ceremonies, and t hen went t o t he king's
palace, which was made and built like a hay grange, covered wit h ​fig and palm leaves. It was built
on great t imbers high above t he ground, and it was necessary t o go up st eps and ladders t o it .
Then t he king made us sit on a cane mat , wit h our legs doubled as was t he cust om; aft er half an
hour t here was brought a dish of fish roast in pieces, and ginger fresh gat hered t hat moment , and
some wine. The eldest son of t he king, who was t he prince, came where we were, and t he king
t old him t o sit down near us, which he did; t hen t wo dishes were brought , one of fish, wit h it s
sauce, and t he ot her of rice, and t his was done for us t o eat wit h t he prince. My companion
enjoyed t he food and drink so much t hat he got drunk. They use for candles or t orches t he gum
of a t ree which is named Animé, wrapped up in leaves of palms or fig t rees. The king made a sign
t hat he wished t o go t o rest , and left wit h us t he prince, wit h whom we slept on a cane mat , wit h
some cushions and pillows of leaves. Next morning t he king came and t ook me by t he hand, and
so we went t o t he place where we had supped, t o breakfast , but t he boat came t o fet ch us. The
king, before we went away, was very gay, and kissed our hands, and we kissed his. There came
wit h us a brot her of his, t he king of anot her island,[158] accompanied by t hree men. The capt ain-
general det ained him t o dine wit h us, and we gave him several t hings.

In t he island belonging t o t he king who came t o t he ship t here are mines of gold, which t hey find
in pieces as big as a walnut or an egg, by seeking in t he ground. All t he vessels which he makes
use of are made of it , and also some part s of his house, which was well fit t ed up according t o
t he cust om of t he count ry, and he was t he handsomest man t hat we saw among t hese nat ions.
He had very black hair ​c oming down t o his shoulders, wit h a silk clot h on his head, and t wo large
gold rings hanging from his ears, he had a clot h of cot t on worked wit h silk, which covered him
from t he waist t o t he knees, at his side he wore a dagger, wit h a long handle which was all of
gold, it s sheat h was of carved wood.[159] Besides he carried upon him scent s of st orax and
benzoin. He was t awny and paint ed all over. The island of t his king is named Zuluan and Calagan,
and when t hese t wo kings wish t o visit one anot her t hey come t o hunt in t his island where we
were.[160] Of t hese kings t he paint ed king is called Raia Calambu, and t he ot her Raia Siani.[161]

On Sunday, t he last day of March, and feast of East er, t he capt ain sent t he chaplain ashore early
t o say mass, and t he int erpret er went wit h him t o t ell t he king t hat t hey were not coming on
shore t o dine wit h him, but only t o hear t he mass. The king hearing t hat sent t wo dead pigs. When
it was t ime for saying mass t he capt ain went ashore wit h fift y men, not wit h t heir arms, but only
wit h t heir swords, and dressed as well as each one was able t o dress, and before t he boat s
reached t he shore our ships fired six cannon shot s as a sign of peace. At our landing t he t wo
kings were t here, and received our capt ain in a friendly manner, and placed him bet ween t hem,
and t hen we went t o t he place prepared for saying mass, which was not far from t he shore.
Before t he mass began t he capt ain t hrew a quant it y of musk rose wat er on t hose t wo kings, and
when t he offert ory of t he mass came, t he t wo kings went t o kiss t he cross like us, but t hey
offered not hing, and at t he elevat ion of t he body of our Lord t hey were kneeling like us, and
adored our Lord wit h joined hands. The ships fired all t heir art illery at t he elevat ion of t he body of
our Lord. Aft er mass had been said each one did t he dut y of a ​Christ ian, receiving our Lord. Aft er
t hat t he capt ain had some sword-play by his people, which gave great pleasure t o t he kings.
Then he had a cross brought , wit h t he nails and crown, t o which t he kings made reverence, and
t he capt ain had t hem t old t hat t hese t hings which he showed t hem were t he sign of t he emperor
his lord and mast er, from whom he had charge and commandment t o place it in all places where
he might go or pass by. He t old t hem t hat he wished t o place it in t heir count ry for t heir profit ,
because if t here came aft erwards any ships from Spain t o t hose islands, on seeing t his cross,
t hey would know t hat we had been t here, and t herefore t hey would not cause t hem any
displeasure t o t heir persons nor t heir goods; and if t hey t ook any of t heir people, on showing
t hem t his sign, t hey would at once let t hem go. Besides t his, t he capt ain t old t hem t hat it was
necessary t hat t his cross should be placed on t he summit of t he highest mount ain in t heir
count ry, so t hat seeing it every day t hey might adore it , and t hat if t hey did t hus, neit her t hunder,
light ning, nor t he t empest could do t hem hurt . The kings t hanked t he capt ain, and said t hey
would do it willingly. Then he asked whet her t hey were Moors or Gent iles, and in what t hey
believed. They answered t hat t hey did not perform any ot her adorat ion, but only joined t heir
hands, looking up t o heaven, and t hat t hey called t heir God, Aba. Hearing t his, t he capt ain was
very joyful, on seeing t hat , t he first king raised his hands t o t he sky and said t hat he wished it
were possible for him t o be able t o show t he affect ion which he felt t owards him. The
int erpret er asked him for what reason t here was so lit t le t o eat in t hat place, t o which t he king
replied t hat he did not reside in t hat place except when he came t o hunt and t o see his brot her,
but t hat he lived in anot her island where he had all his family. Then t he capt ain asked him if he had
any enemies who made war upon him, and t hat if he had any he would go and defeat t hem wit h
his men and ships, t o ​put t hem under his obedience. The king t hanked him, and answered t hat
t here were t wo islands t he inhabit ant s of which were his enemies; however, t hat for t he present
it was not t he t ime t o at t ack t hem. The capt ain t herefore said t o him t hat if God permit t ed him
t o ret urn anot her t ime t o t his count ry, he would bring so many men t hat he would put t hem by
force under his obedience. Then he bade t he int erpret er t ell t hem t hat he was going away t o
dine, and aft er t hat he would ret urn t o place t he cross on t he summit of t he mount ain. The t wo
kings said t hey were cont ent , and on t hat t hey embraced t he capt ain, and he separat ed from
t hem.
Aft er dinner we all ret urned in our dress coat s[162], and we went t oget her wit h t he t wo kings t o
t he middle of t he highest mount ain we could find, and t here t he cross was plant ed. Aft er t hat
t he t wo kings and t he capt ain rest ed t hemselves; and, while conversing, I asked where was t he
best port for obt aining vict uals. They replied t hat t here were t hree, t hat is t o say, Ceylon,
Zzubu,[163] and Calaghan, but t hat Zzubu was t he largest and of t he most t raffic. Then t he kings
offered t o give him pilot s t o go t o t hose port s, for which he t hanked t hem, and deliberat ed t o go
t here, for his ill-fort une [164] would have it so. Aft er t he cross had been plant ed on t hat mount ain,
each one said t he Pat ernost er and Ave Maria, and adored it , and t he kings did t he like. Then we
went down below t o where t heir boat s were. There t he kings had brought some of t he fruit
called cocos and ot her t hings t o make a collat ion and t o refresh us. The capt ain, being desirous
t o depart t he next day in t he morning, asked t he king for t he pilot s t o conduct us t o t he above-
ment ioned port s, promising him t o t reat t hem like t hemselves, and t hat he would leave one of his
own men as a host age. The first king said t hat he would go himself and conduct him t o t his port ,
and be his pilot s but t hat he should wait t wo days, unt il he had had his rice gat hered in and done
ot her t hings which he had t o do, begging him t o lend him some of his men so as t o get done
sooner. This t he capt ain agreed t o.

This kind of people are gent le, and go naked, and are paint ed. They wear a piece of clot h made
from a t ree, like a linen clot h, round t heir body t o cover t heir nat ural part s: t hey are great drinkers.
The women are dressed in t ree clot h from t heir waist s downwards; t heir hair is black, and reaches
down t o t he ground; t hey wear cert ain gold rings in t heir ears. These people chew most of t heir
t ime a fruit which t hey call areca, which is somet hing of t he shape of a pear; t hey cut it in four
quart ers, and aft er t hey have chewed it for a long t ime t hey spit it out , from which aft erwards
t hey have t heir mout hs very red. They find t hemselves t he bet t er from t he use of t his fruit
because it refreshes t hem much, for t his count ry is very hot , so t hat t hey could not live wit hout
it . In t his island t here is a great quant it y of dogs, cat s, pigs, fowls, and goat s, rice, ginger, cocos,
figs, oranges, lemons, millet , wax, and gold mines. This island is in nine degrees and t wo-t hirds
nort h lat it ude, and one hundred and sixt y-t wo
longit ude [165] from t he line of demarcat ion: it is
t went y-five leagues dist ant from t he ot her island where we found t he t wo fount ains of fresh
wat er. This island is named Mazzava.

We remained seven days in t his place; t hen we t ook t he t ack of Maest ral, passing t hrough t he
midst of five isles, t hat is t o say, Ceylon, Bohol, Canighan, Baibai, and Sat ighan.[166] In t his island of
Sat ighan is a kind of bird [167] called Barbast igly, which are as large as eagles. Of t hese we ​killed
only one, because it was lat e. We at e it , and it had t he t ast e of a fowl. There are also in t his
island doves, t ort oises, parrot s, and cert ain black birds as large as a fowl, wit h a long t ail. They
lay eggs as large as t hose of a goose. These t hey put a good arm's lengt h[168] under t he sand in
t he sun, where t hey are hat ched by t he great heat which t he heat ed sand gives out ; and when
t hese birds are hat ched t hey push up[169] t he sand and come out . These eggs are good t o eat .
From t his island of Mazzabua[170] t o t hat of Sat ighan t here are t went y leagues, and on leaving
Sat ighan we went by t he west ; but t he King of Mazzabua could not follow us; t herefore we
wait ed for him near t hree islands, t hat is t o say. Polo, Ticobon, and Pozzon. When t he king arrived
he was much ast onished at our navigat ion, t he capt ain-general bade him come on board his ship
wit h some of his principal people, at which t hey were much pleased. Thus we went t o Zzubu,
which is fift een leagues off from Sat ighan.

Sunday, t he 7t h of April, about midday, we ent ered t he port of Zzubu, having passed by many
villages. There [171] we saw many houses which were built on t rees. On approaching t he principal
t own t he capt ain-general commanded all his ships t o hang out t heir flags. Then we lowered t he
sails in t he fashion in which t hey are st ruck when going t o fight , and he had all t he art illery fired, at
which t he people of t his place were great ly fright ened. The capt ain sent a young man whom he
had brought up,[172] wit h t he int erpret er t o t he king of t his island Zzubu. These having come t o
t he t own, found a great number of people and t heir king wit h t hem, all alarmed by t he art illery
which had been fired. But t he int erpret er reassured t hem, saying t hat it was t he fashion and
cust om t o fire art illery when t hey arrived at port s, t o show signs of peace and friendship; and
also, t o do more honour t o t he king of t he count ry, t hey had fired all t he ​art illery. The king and all
his people were reassured. He t hen bade one of his principal men ask what we were seeking. The
int erpret er answered him t hat his mast er was capt ain of t he great est king in t he world, and t hat
he was going by t he command of t he said sovereign t o discover t he Molucca islands. However,
on account of what he had heard where he had passed, and especially from t he King of Mazzava,
of his court esy and good fame, he had wished t o pass by his count ry t o visit him, and also t o
obt ain some refreshment of vict uals for his merchandise. The king answered him t hat he was
welcome, but t hat t he cust om was t hat all ships which arrived at his count ry or port paid t ribut e,
and it was only four days since t hat a ship called t he Junk of Ciama,[173] laden wit h gold and
slaves, had paid him his t ribut e, and, t o verify what he said, he showed t hem a merchant of t he
said Ciama, who had remained t here t o t rade wit h t he gold and slaves. The int erpret er said t o him
t hat t his capt ain, on account of being capt ain of so great a king as his was, would not pay t ribut e
t o any sovereign in t he world; and t hat if he wished for peace he would have peace, and if he
wished for war he would have war. Then t he merchant above-ment ioned replied t o t he king in his
own language, "Look well, oh king,[174] what you will do, for t hese people are of t hose who have
conquered Calicut , Malacca, and all great er India; if you ent ert ain t hem well and t reat t hem well
you will find yourself t he bet t er for it , and if ill, it will be so much t he worse for you, as t hey have
done at Calicut and Malacca." The int erpret er, who underst ood all t his discourse, said t o t hem
t hat t he king, his mast er, was a good deal more powerful in ships and by land t han t he King of
Port ugal, and declared t o him t hat he was t he King of Spain and Emperor of all Christ endom,
wherefore, if he would not be his friend and t reat his subject s well, he would anot her t ime send
against him so many men as t o dest roy him. Then t he king answered t hat he would speak t o his
council, and give an answer t he next day. Aft erwards t he king ordered a collat ion t o be brought
of several viands, all of meat , in porcelain dishes, wit h a great many vessels of wine. When t he
repast was over, our people ret urned, and relat ed all t o t he capt ain; and t he King of Mazzabua,
who was on board t he capt ain's ship, and who was t he first king aft er him of Zzubu, and t he lord
of several isles, wished t o go on shore t o relat e t o t he king t he polit eness and court esy of our
capt ain.

Monday morning our clerk went wit h t he int erpret er t o t he t own of Zzubu, and t he king,
accompanied by t he principal men of his kingdom, came t o t he open space, where we made our
people sit down near him, and he asked whet her t here was more t han one capt ain in all t hose
ships, and whet her he wished t hat t he king should pay t ribut e t o t he emperor, his mast er, t o
which our people answered, no, but t hat t he capt ain only wished t o t rade wit h t he t hings which
he had brought wit h t he people of his count ry, and not wit h ot hers. Then t he king said t hat he
was cont ent , and as a great er sign of affect ion he sent him a lit t le of his blood from his right arm,
and wished he should do t he like. Our people answered t hat he would do it . Besides t hat , he said
t hat all t he capt ains who came t o his count ry had been accust omed t o make a present t o him,
and he t o t hem, and t herefore t hey should ask t heir capt ain if he would observe t he cust om. Our
people answered t hat he would; but as t he king wished t o keep up t he cust om, let him begin and
make a present , and t hen t he capt ain would do his dut y.

Tuesday morning following t he King of Mazzava, wit h t he Moor, came t o t he ship, and salut ed t he
capt ain on behalf of t he King of Zzubu, and said t hat t he king was preparing a quant it y of
provisions, as much as he could, t o make a present of t o him, and t hat aft er dinner he would send
t wo of his nephews, wit h ot hers of his principal people, t o make ​peace wit h him. Then t he
capt ain had one of his men armed wit h his own armour, and t old him t hat all of us would fight
armed in t hat manner, at which t he Moorish merchant was rat her ast onished; but t he capt ain t old
him not t o be afraid, and t hat our arms were soft t o our
friends and rough t o our enemies; and
t hat as a clot h wipes away t he sweat from a man, so our arms dest roy t he enemies of our fait h.
The capt ain said t his t o t he Moor, because he was more int elligent t han t he ot hers, and for him
t o relat e it all t o t he King of Zzubu.

Aft er dinner, t he nephew of t his king, who was a prince,[175] wit h t he King of Mazzava, t he Moor,
t he governor, and t he chief of police,[176]and eight of t he principal men, came t o t he ship t o make
peace wit h us. The capt ain-general was sit t ing in a chair of red velvet , and near him were t he
principal men of t he ships sit t ing in leat her chairs, and t he ot hers on t he ground on mat s. Then
t he capt ain bade t he int erpret er ask t he above-ment ioned persons if it was t heir cust om t o
speak in secret or in public, and whet her t he prince who was come wit h t hem had power t o
conclude peace. They answered yes, t hat t hey would speak in public, and t hat t hey had t he
power t o conclude peace. The capt ain spoke at lengt h on t he subject of peace, and prayed God
t o confirm it in heaven. These people replied t hat t hey had never heard such words as t hese
which t he capt ain had spoken t o t hem, and t hey t ook great pleasure in hearing t hem. The capt ain,
seeing t hen t hat t hose people list ened willingly t o what was said t o t hem, and t hat t hey gave
good answers, began t o say a great many more good t hings t o induce t hem t o become
Christ ians. Aft er many ot her subject s, t he capt ain asked t hem who would succeed t he king in
t heir count ry aft er his deat h. They answered t hat t he king had no son, but several daught ers, and
t hat t his prince was his nephew, and had for a wife t he king's eldest daught er, and for t he sake of
t hat t hey called him prince. They also said t hat when t he fat her and mot her were old t hey t ook
no furt her account of t hem, but t heir children commanded t hem. Upon which t he capt ain t old
t hem how God had made heaven and eart h and all ot her t hings in t he world, and t hat He had
commanded t hat everyone should render honour and obedience t o his fat her and mot her, and
t hat whoever did ot herwise was condemned t o et ernal fire. He t hen point ed out t o t hem many
ot her t hings concerning our fait h. The people heard t hese t hings willingly, and besought t he
capt ain t o leave t hem t wo men t o t each and show t hem t he Christ ian fait h, and t hey would
ent ert ain t hem well wit h great honour. To t his t he capt ain answered t hat for t he moment he
could not leave t hem any of his people, but t hat if t hey wished t o be Christ ians t hat his priest
would bapt ise t hem, and t hat anot her t ime he would bring priest s and preachers t o t each t hem
t he fait h. They t hen answered t hat t hey wished first t o speak t o t heir king, and t hen would
become Christ ians. Each of us wept for t he joy which we felt at t he goodwill of t hese people,
and t he capt ain t old t hem not t o become Christ ians from fear of us, or t o please us, but t hat if
t hey wished t o become Christ ian t hey must do it willingly, and for t he love of God, for even
t hough t hey should not become Christ ian, no displeasure would be done t hem, but t hose who
became Christ ian would be more loved and bet t er t reat ed t han t he ot hers. Then t hey all cried
out wit h one voice, t hat t hey did not wish t o become Christ ians from fear, nor from
complaisance, but of t heir free will. The capt ain t hen said t hat if t hey became Christ ians he
would leave t hem t he arms which t he Christ ians use, and t hat his king had commanded him so t o
do. At last t hey said t hey did not know what more t o answer t o so many good and beaut iful
words which he spoke t o t hem, but t hat t hey placed t hemselves in his ​hands, and t hat he should
do wit h t hem as wit h his own servant s. Then t he capt ain, wit h t ears in his eyes, embraced t hem,
and, t aking t he hand of t he prince and t hat of t he king, said t o him t hat by t he fait h he had in God,
and t o his mast er t he emperor, and by t he habit of St . James which he wore, he promised t hem
t o cause t hem t o have perpet ual peace wit h t he King of Spain, at which t he prince and t he
ot hers promised him t he same. Aft er peace had been concluded, t he capt ain had refreshment s
served t o t hem. The prince and t he King of Mazzava, who was wit h him, present ed t o t he capt ain
on behalf of his king large basket s full of rice, pigs, goat s, and fowls, and desired t he capt ain t o
be t old he should pardon t hem t hat t heir present was not as fine as was fit t ing for him. The
capt ain gave t o t he prince some very fine clot h and a red cap, and a quant it y of glass and a cup
of gilt glass. Glasses are much prized in t his count ry. To t he ot her people belonging t o t he Prince
he gave various t hings. Then he sent by me and anot her person t o t he King of Zzubu a robe of
yellow and violet silk in t he fashion of a Turkish jubbeh, a red cap, very fine, and cert ain pieces of
glass, and had all of t hem put in a silver dish, and t wo gilt glasses.

When we came t o t he t own we found t he King of Zzubu at his palace, sit t ing on t he ground on a
mat made of palm, wit h many people about him. He was quit e naked, except t hat he had a clot h
round his middle, and a loose wrapper round his head, worked wit h silk by t he needle. He had a
very heavy chain round his neck, and t wo gold rings hung in his ears wit h precious st ones. He was
a small and fat man, and his face was paint ed wit h fire in different ways. He was eat ing on t he
ground on anot her palm mat , and was t hen eat ing t ort oise eggs in t wo china dishes, and he had
four vessels full of palm wine, which he drank wit h a cane pipe.[177] We made our obeisance, and
present ed t o him ​what t he capt ain had sent him, and t old him t hrough t he int erpret er t hat it was
not as a ret urn for his present which he had sent t o t he capt ain, but for t he affect ion which he
bore him. That done, his people t old him all t he good words and explanat ions of peace and
religion which he had spoken t o t hem. The king wished t o det ain us t o supper, but we made our
excuses and t ook leave of him. The prince, nephew of t he king, conduct ed us t o his house, and
showed us four girls who played on four inst rument s, which were st range and very soft , and t heir
manner of playing is rat her musical. Aft erwards he made us dance wit h t hem. These girls were
naked except from t he waist t o t he knees, where t hey wore a wrap made of t he palm t ree clot h,
which covered t heir middles, and some were quit e naked. There we made a repast , and t hen
ret urned t o t he ships.

Wednesday morning, because t he night before one of our men had died, t he int erpret er and I, by
order of t he capt ain, went t o ask t he king for a place where we might bury t he deceased. We
found t he king accompanied by a good many people, and, aft er paying him due honour, we t old
him of t he deat h of our man, and t hat t he capt ain prayed him t hat he might be put int o t he
ground. He replied t hat if he and his people were ready t o obey our mast er, st ill more reason was
t here for his land and count ry being subject t o him. Aft er t hat we said we wished t o consecrat e
t he grave in our fashion and place a cross on it . The sovereign said t hat he was cont ent , and t hat
he would worship t hat cross as we did. The deceased was buried in t he middle of t he open space
of t he t own, as decent ly as possible, and performing t he above-ment ioned ceremonies t o set
t hem a good example, and in t he evening we buried anot her. This done, we brought a good
quant it y of merchandise int o t he t own of t his king, and placed it in a house, and he t ook it under
his charge and promised t hat no one would do harm or injury t o t he king. Four of our men were
chosen t o ​despat ch and sell t his merchandise. These people live wit h just ice, and good weight
and measure, loving peace, and are people who love ease and pleasure.[178] They have wooden
scales, aft er t he fashion of t hose of nort h of t he Loire,[179] for weighing t heir merchandise. Their
houses are made of wood and beams and canes, founded on piles, and are very high, and must be
ent ered by means of ladders; t heir rooms are like ours, and underneat h t hey keep t heir cat t le,
such as pigs, goat s, and fowls. The young people sound bag-pipes,[180] made like ours, and call
t hem Subin.[181]

In t his island of t he king's t here is a kind of animal carrying a shell called carniolle, fine t o look at ,
which cause t he whale t o die. For t he whale swallows t hem alive; t hen, when t hey are inside it s
body, t hey come out of t heir shell and go and eat t he whale's heart : and t he people of t his
count ry find t his animal alive inside t he whale. These animals, t he carniolles, have t he t eet h and
skin black, and t heir shell is whit e. Their flesh is good t o eat , and t hey call t hem Laghan.[182]

The following Friday we showed t hem a shop full of our merchandise, which was of various
st range sort s, at which t hey were surprised. For met al, iron, and ot her big goods t hey gave us
gold, and for t he ot her small and sundry goods t hey gave us rice, pigs, goat s, and ot her
provisions. They gave us t en weight s of gold for fourt een pounds of iron: each weight is a ducat
and a half. The capt ain-general would not allow a large quant it y of gold t o be t aken, so t hat t he
sailors should not sell what belonged t o t hem t oo ​c heap from t hirst for gold, and lest by t hat
means he might be const rained t o do likewise wit h his merchandise, for he wished t o sell it
bet t er.

Sat urday following a scaffolding was made in t he open space, fit t ed wit h t apest ry and palm
branches, because t he king had promised our capt ain t o become Christ ian on Sunday. He t old him
not t o be afraid when our art illery fired on t hat day, for it was t he cust om t o load it on t hose
feast s wit hout firing st ones or ot her balls.

Sunday morning, t he fourt eent h day of April, we went on shore, fort y men, of whom t wo were
armed, who marched before us, following t he st andard of our king emperor. When we landed t he
ships discharged all t heir art illery, and from fear of it t he people ran away in all direct ions. The
capt ain and t he king embraced one anot her, and t hen joyously we went near t he scaffolding,
where t he capt ain and t he king sat on t wo chairs, one covered wit h red, t he ot her wit h violet
velvet . The principal men sat on cushions, and t he ot hers on mat s, aft er t he fashion of t he
count ry. Then t he capt ain began t o speak t o t he king t hrough t he int erpret er t o incit e him t o t he
fait h of Jesus Christ , and t old him t hat if he wished t o be a good Christ ian, as he had said t he day
before, t hat he must burn all t he idols of his count ry, and, inst ead of t hem, place a cross, and t hat
everyone should worship it every day on t heir knees, and t heir hands joined t o heaven: and he
showed him how he ought every day t o make t he sign of t he cross. To t hat t he king and all his
people answered t hat t hey would obey t he commands of t he capt ain and do all t hat he t old
t hem. The capt ain t ook t he king by t he hand, and t hey walked about on t he scaffolding, and
when he was bapt ised he said t hat he would name him [183] Don Charles, as t he emperor his
sovereign was named; and he named t he prince Don Fernand, aft er t he brot her of t he emperor,
and t he King of Mazzava ​Jehan: t o t he Moor he gave t he name of Christ opher, and t o t he ot hers
each a name of his fancy. Thus, before mass, t here were fift y men bapt ised. Aft er mass had
been heard t he capt ain invit ed t he king and his ot her principal men t o dine wit h him, but he would
not . He accompanied t he capt ain, however, t o t he beach, and on his arrival t here t he ships fired all
t heir art illery. Then, embracing one anot her, t hey t ook leave.

Aft er dinner our chaplain and some of us went on shore t o bapt ise t he queen. She came wit h
fort y ladies, and we conduct ed t hem on t o t he scaffolding; t hen made her sit down on a cushion,
and her women around her, unt il t he priest was ready. During t hat t ime t hey showed her an image
of our Lady, of wood, holding her lit t le child, which was very well made, and a cross. When she
saw it , she had a great er desire t o be a Christ ian, and, asking for bapt ism, she was bapt ised and
named Jehanne, like t he mot her of t he emperor. The wife of t he prince, daught er of t his queen,
had t he name of Cat herine, t he Queen of Mazzava Isabella, and t he ot hers each t heir name. That
day we bapt ised eight hundred persons of men, women, and children. The Queen was young and
handsome, covered wit h a black and whit e sheet ; she had t he mout h and nails very red, and wore
on her head a large hat made of leaves of palm, wit h a crown over it made of t he same leaves,
like t hat of t he Pope. Aft er t hat she begged us t o give her t he lit t le wooden boy t o put in t he
place of t he idols.[184] This we did, and she went away. In t he evening t he king and queen, wit h
several of t heir people, came t o t he sea beach, where t he capt ain had some of t he large art illery
fired, in which t hey ​t ook great pleasure.[185] The capt ain and t he king called one anot her brot her.

At last , in eight days, all t he inhabit ant s of t his island were bapt ised, and some belonging t o t he
neighbouring islands. In one of t hese we burned a village because t he inhabit ant s would not obey
eit her t he king or us. There we plant ed a cross because t he people were Gent iles: if t hey had
been Moors, we should have erect ed a column, as a sign of t heir hardness of heart , because t he
Moors are more difficult t o convert t han t he Gent iles. The capt ain-general went ashore every
day t o hear mass, t o which t here came many of t he new Christ ians, t o whom he explained various
point s of our religion. One day t he queen came wit h all her st at e. She was preceded by t hree
damsels, who carried in t heir hands t hree of her hat s: she was dressed in black and whit e, wit h a
large silk veil wit h gold st ripes, which covered her head and shoulders. Very
many women
followed her, wit h t heir heads covered wit h a small veil, and a hat above t hat : t he rest of t heir
bodies and feet were naked, except a small wrapper of palm clot h which covered t heir nat ural
part s. Their hair fell flowing over t heir shoulders. The queen, aft er making a bow t o t he alt ar, sat
upon a cushion of embroidered silk, and t he capt ain sprinkled over her and over some of her
ladies rose wat er and musk, a perfume which pleases t he ladies of t his count ry very much. The
capt ain on t hat occasion approved of t he gift which I had made t o t he queen of t he image of t he
Infant Jesus, and recommended her t o put it in t he place of her
idols, because it was a
remembrancer of t he Son of God. She promised t o do all t his, and t o keep it wit h much care.

In order t hat t he king might be more respect ed and obeyed, t he capt ain-general got him t o come
one day at t he hour of mass wit h his silk robe, and summoned his t wo brot hers, one named
Bondara, who was t he fat her of t he ​prince, and t he ot her named Cadaro, and some of his chief
men, whose names were Simiut ,
Sibuaia, Sisacai,[186] Magalibe, and ot hers whom it is unnecessary
t o name separat ely; and he made t hem all swear t o be obedient t o t heir king, whose hand t hey all
of t hem kissed. He t hen asked t he king t o swear t hat he would always be obedient and fait hful
t o t he King of Spain, and he t ook t he oat h. Then t he capt ain drew a sword before t he image of
t he Virgin Mary, and said t o t he king t hat when such an oat h had been t aken by anyone, he should
rat her die t han be want ing t o his oat h. Aft er t hat he himself
promised t o be always fait hful t o
him, swearing by t he image of our Lady, by t he life of t he emperor his sovereign, and by t he habit
which he wore. He t hen made a present t o t he king of a velvet chair, and t old him t hat wherever
he went he should always have it carried before him by some of his at t endant s, and showed him
t he way in which it should be carried. The king t old t he capt ain t hat he would do all t his on
account of t he affect ion which he bore him, of which he wished t o give him a t oken, preparing for
t hat purpose some jewels t o present t o him; t hese were t wo rat her large gold rings for t he ears,
t wo ot hers for t he arms, and t wo for t he ancles, all of t hem adorned wit h precious st ones. The
finest ornament s of t he kings of t hese count ries consist in t hese rings, for ot herwise t hey go
naked and barefoot ed, wit h only a piece of clot h from t he waist t o t he knees.

The capt ain-general, who had informed t he king and all t hose who had been bapt ised of t he
obligat ion t hey were under of burning t heir idols, which t hey had promised t o do, seeing t hat t hey
ret ained t hem and made t hem offerings of meat , reproved t hem severely for it . They t hought t o
excuse t hemselves sufficient ly by saying t hat t hey did not do t hat now on t heir own account , but
for a sick person, for t he idols t o rest ore him his healt h. This sick man was a brot her of t he
prince, and was reput ed t o be t he most valiant and ​wise man in t he island, and his illness was so
severe t hat for four days he had not spoken. Having heard t his, t he capt ain, seized wit h zeal for
religion, said t hat if t hey had a t rue fait h in Jesus Christ , t hey should burn all t he idols, and t he
sick man should be bapt ised, and he would be immediat ely cured, of which he was so cert ain t hat
he consent ed t o lose his head if t he miracle did not t ake place. The king promised t hat all t his
should be done, because he t ruly believed in Jesus Christ . Then we arranged, wit h all t he pomp
t hat was possible, a procession from t he place t o t he house of t he sick man. We went t here, and
indeed found him unable t o speak or t o move. We bapt ised him, wit h t wo of his wives and t en
girls. The capt ain t hen asked him how he felt , and he at once spoke, and said t hat by t he grace of
Our Lord he was well enough. This great miracle was done under our eyes. The capt ain, on hearing
him speak, gave great t hanks t o God. He gave him a refreshing drink t o t ake, and aft erwards sent
t o his house a mat t ress, t wo sheet s, a covering of yellow wool, and a cushion, and he cont inued
t o send him, unt il he was quit e well, refreshing drinks of almonds, rosewat er, rosoglio, and some
sweet preserves.

On t he fift h day t he convalescent rose from his bed, and as soon as he could walk, he had burned,
in t he presence of t he king and of all t he people, an idol which some old women had concealed in
his house. He also caused t o be dest royed several t emples const ruct ed on t he sea shore, in
which people were accust omed t o eat t he meat offered t o t he idols. The inhabit ant s applauded
t his, and, shout ing "Cast ile, Cast ile," helped t o t hrow t hem down, and declared t hat if God gave
t hem life t hey would burn all t he idols t hey could find, even if t hey were in t he king's own house.

These idols are made of wood, t hey are concave or hollowed out behind, t hey have t he arms and
legs spread out , and t he feet t urned upwards; t hey have a large face, wit h ​f our very large t eet h
like t hose of a wild boar, and t hey are all paint ed.

Since I have spoken of t he idols, it may please your illust rious Highness t o have an account of
t he ceremony wit h which, in t his island, t hey bless t he pig. They begin by sounding some great
drums (t amburi), t hey t hen bring t hree large dishes, t wo are filled wit h cakes of rice and cooked
millet rolled up in leaves, and roast fish, in t he t hird are Cambay clot hes, and t wo st rips of palm
clot h. A clot h of Cambay is spread out on t he ground: t hen t wo old women come, each of whom
has in her hand a reed t rumpet . They st ep upon t he clot h and make an obeisance t o t he Sun: t hey
t hen clot he t hemselves wit h t he above ment ioned clot hs. The first of t hese put s on her head a
handkerchief which she t ies on her forehead so as t o make t wo horns, and t aking anot her
handkerchief in her hand, dances and sounds her t rumpet , and invokes t he Sun. The second old
woman t akes one of t he st rips of palm clot h, and dances, and also sounds her t rumpet ; t hus t hey
dance and sound t heir t rumpet s for a short space of t ime, saying several t hings t o t he sun. The
first old woman t hen drops t he handkerchief she has in her hand, and t akes t he ot her st rip of
clot h, and bot h t oget her sounding t heir t rumpet s, dance for a long t ime round t he pig which is
bound on t he ground. The first one always speaks in a low t one t o t he sun, and t he second
answers her. The second old woman t hen present s a cup of wine t o t he first , who, whilst t hey
bot h cont inue t heir address t o t he sun, brings t he cup four or five t imes near her mout h as t hough
going t o drink, and meanwhile sprinkles t he wine on t he heart of t he pig. She t hen gives up t he
cup, and receives a lance which she brandishes, whilst st ill dancing and recit ing, and four or five
t imes direct s t he lance at t he pig's heart , at last wit h a sudden and well aimed blow she pierces
it t hrough and t hrough. She wit hdraws t he lance from t he wound, which is t hen ​c losed and
dressed wit h herbs. During t he ceremony a t orch is always burning, and t he old woman who
pierced t he pig t akes and put s it out wit h her mout h, t he ot her old woman dips t he end of her
t rumpet in t he pig’s blood, and wit h it marks wit h blood t he forehead of her husband, and of her
companion, and t hen of t he rest of t he people. But t hey did not come and do t his t o us. That
done t he old women t ook off t heir robes, and at e what was in t he t wo dishes, invit ing only
women t o join t hem. Aft er t hat t hey get t he hair off t he pig wit h fire. Only old women are able t o
consecrat e t he boar in t his manner, and t his animal is never eat en unless it is killed in t his manner.

(Here follows an account of a custom, for a description of which see De Morga’s Philippine Islands,
p. 304.)

When our people went on shore by day or by night , t hey always met wit h some one who invit ed
t hem t o eat and drink. They only half cook t heir vict uals, and salt t hem very much, which makes
t hem drink a great deal; and t hey drink much wit h reeds, sucking t he wine from t he vessels. Their
repast s always last from five t o six hours.

When one of t heir chiefs dies t hey always use t he following funeral ceremonies, of which I was
wit ness. The most respect ed women of t he count ry came t o t he house of t he deceased, in t he
midst of which lay t he corpse in a chest ; round which were st ret ched cords aft er t he manner of
an enclosure, and many branches of t rees were t ied t o t hese cords: a st rip of cot t on was
fast ened t o each of t hese branches like a pennant . Under t hese t he women I have ment ioned
sat down covered wit h whit e cot t on clot h. Each of t hem had a damsel who fanned her wit h a
palm fan. The ot her women sat sadly round t he room. Meanwhile a woman cut off by degrees
t he hair of t he dead man wit h a knife: anot her who had been his principal wife, lay ext ended on
him, wit h her mout h hands and feet on t he mout h hands ​and feet of t he dead man. When t he first
woman cut off t he hair, she wept , and when she st opped cut t ing, she sung. Round t he room t here
were many vases of porcelain, wit h embers in t hem, on which, from t ime t o t ime, t hey t hrew
myrrh, st orax, and benzoin, which gave out a good and st rong smell in t he room. These
ceremonies last for five or six days, during which t he corpse is kept in t he house, and I believe
t hat t hey anoint it wit h oil of camphor t o preserve it . They aft erwards put it in a chest , closed
wit h wooden bolt s, and place it in an enclosed place covered wit h logs of wood. The islanders
t old us t hat every evening t owards midnight , t here used t o come t o t he cit y, a black bird of t he
size of a crow, which perching on t he houses whist led, and caused all t he dogs t o howl, and t hese
double cries last ed four or five hours. They would never t ell us t he cause of t hat phenomenon, of
which we also were wit nesses.

Friday, t he 26t h of April, Zula, who was one of t he principal men or chiefs of t he island of Mat an,
sent t o t he capt ain a son of his wit h t wo goat s t o make a present of t hem, and t o say t hat if he
did not do all t hat he had promised, t he cause of t hat was anot her chief named Silapulapu, who
would not in any way obey t he King of Spain, and had prevent ed him from doing so: but t hat if t he
capt ain would send him t he following night one boat full of men t o give him assist ance, he would
fight and subdue his rival. On t he receipt of t his message, t he capt ain decided t o go himself wit h
t hree boat s. We ent reat ed him much not t o go t o t his ent erprise in person, but he as a good
shepherd would not abandon his flock.

We set out from Zubu at midnight , we were sixt y men armed wit h corslet s and helmet s; t here
were wit h us t he Christ ian king, t he prince, and some of t he chief men, and many ot hers divided
among t went y or t hirt y balangai. We arrived at Mat an t hree hours before daylight . The capt ain
before at t acking wished t o at t empt gent le means, and sent ​on shore t he Moorish merchant t o
t ell t hose islanders who were of t he part y of Cilapulapu, t hat if t hey would recognise t he
Christ ian king as t heir sovereign, and obey t he King of Spain, and pay us t he t ribut e which had
been asked, t he capt ain would become t heir friend, ot herwise we should prove how our lances
wounded. The islanders were not t errified, t hey replied t hat if we had lances, so also had t hey,
alt hough only of reeds, and wood hardened wit h fire. They asked however t hat we should not
at t ack t hem by night , but wait for daylight , because t hey were expect ing reinforcement s, and
would be in great er number. This t hey said wit h cunning, t o excit e us t o at t ack t hem by night ,
supposing t hat we were ready; but t hey wished t his because t hey had dug dit ches bet ween t heir
houses and t he beach, and t hey hoped t hat we should fall int o t hem.

We however wait ed for daylight ; we t hen leaped int o t he wat er up t o our t highs, for on account
of t he shallow wat er and t he rocks t he boat s could not come close t o t he beach, and we had t o
cross t wo good crossbow shot s t hrough t he wat er before reaching it . We were fort y-nine in
number, t he ot her eleven remained in charge of t he boat s. When we reached land we found t he
islanders fift een hundred in number, drawn up in t hree squadrons; t hey came down upon us wit h
t errible shout s, t wo squadrons at t acking us on t he flanks, and t he t hird in front . The capt ain t hen
divided his men in t wo bands. Our musket eers and crossbow-men fired for half an hour from a
dist ance, but did not hing, since t he bullet s and arrows, t hough t hey passed t hrough t heir shields
made of t hin wood, and perhaps wounded t heir arms, yet did not st op t hem. The capt ain shout ed
not t o fire, but he was not list ened t o. The islanders seeing t hat t he shot s of our guns did t hem
lit t le or no harm would not ret ire, but shout ed more loudly, and springing from one side t o t he
ot her t o avoid our shot s, t hey at t he same t ime drew nearer t o us, t hrowing arrows, javelins,
spears hardened in fire, st ones, and ​even mud, so t hat we could hardly defend ourselves. Some of
t hem cast lances point ed wit h iron at t he capt ain-general.

He t hen, in order t o disperse t his mult it ude and t o t errify t hem, sent some of our men t o set fire
t o t heir houses, but t his rendered t hem more ferocious. Some of t hem ran t o t he fire, which
consumed t went y or t hirt y houses, and t here killed t wo of our men. The rest came down upon us
wit h great er fury; t hey perceived t hat our bodies were defended, but t hat t he legs were
exposed, and t hey aimed at t hem principally. The capt ain had his right leg pierced by a poisoned
arrow, on which account he gave orders t o ret reat by degrees; but almost all our men t ook t o
precipit at e flight , so t hat t here remained hardly six or eight of us wit h him. We were oppressed by
t he lances and st ones which t he enemy hurled at us, and we could make no more resist ance. The
bombards which we had in t he boat s were of no assist ance t o us, for t he shoal wat er kept t hem
t oo far from t he beach. We went t hit her, ret reat ing lit t le by lit t le, and st ill fight ing, and we had
already got t o t he dist ance of a crossbow shot from t he shore, having t he wat er up t o our knees,
t he islanders following and picking up again t he spears which t hey had already cast , and t hey
t hrew t he same spear five or six t imes; as t hey knew t he capt ain t hey aimed specially at him, and
t wice t hey knocked t he helmet off his head. He, wit h a few of us, like a good knight , remained at
his post wit hout choosing t o ret reat furt her. Thus we fought for more t han an hour, unt il an Indian
succeeded in t hrust ing a cane lance int o t he capt ain's face. He t hen, being irrit at ed, pierced t he
Indian's breast wit h his lance, and left it in his body, and t rying t o draw his sword he was unable t o
draw it more t han half way, on account of a javelin wound which he had received in t he right arm.
The enemies seeing t his all rushed against him, and one of t hem wit h a great sword, like a great
scimet ar[187] gave him a ​great blow on t he left leg, which brought t he capt ain down on his face,
t hen t he Indians t hrew t hemselves upon him, and ran him t hrough wit h lances and scimet ars, and
all t he ot her arms which t hey had, so t hat t hey deprived of life our mirror, light , comfort , and t rue
guide. Whilst t he Indians were t hus overpowering him, several t imes he t urned round t owards us
t o see if we were all in safet y, as t hough his obst inat e fight had no ot her object t han t o give an
opport unit y for t he ret reat of his men. We who fought t o ext remit y, and who were covered wit h
wounds, seeing t hat he was dead, proceeded t o t he boat s which were on t he point of going
away. This fat al bat t le was fought on t he 27t h of April of 1521, on a Sat urday; a day which t he
capt ain had chosen himself, because he had a special devot ion t o it . There perished wit h him
eight of our men, and four of t he Indians, who had become Christ ians; we had also many wounded,
amongst whom I must reckon myself. The enemy lost only fift een men.

He died; but I hope t hat your illust rious highness will not allow his memory t o be lost , so much
t he more since I see revived in you t he virt ue of so great a capt ain, since one of his principal
virt ues was const ance in t he most adverse fort une. In t he midst of t he sea he was able t o
endure hunger bet t er t han we. Most versed in naut ical chart s, he knew bet t er t han any ot her t he
t rue art of navigat ion, of which it is a cert ain proof t hat he knew by his genius, and his int repidit y,
wit hout any one having given him t he example, how t o at t empt t he circuit of t he globe, which he
had almost complet ed.[188]

The Christ ian king could indeed have given us aid, and would have done so; but our capt ain far
from forseeing t hat which happened, when he landed wit h his men, had charged him not t o come
out of his balangai, wishing t hat he should st ay t here t o see how we fought . When he knew how
t he capt ain had died he wept bit t erly for him.

In t he aft ernoon t he king himself wit h our consent , sent t o t ell t he inhabit ant s of Mat an, t hat if
t hey would give up t o us t he body of our capt ain, and of our ot her companions who were killed in
t his bat t le, we would give t hem as much merchandise as t hey might wish for; but t hey answered
t hat on no account would t hey ever give up t hat man, but t hey wished t o preserve him as a
monument of t heir t riumph. When t he deat h of t he capt ain was known, t hose who were in t he
cit y t o t rade, had all t he merchandise at once t ransport ed t o t he ships. We t hen elect ed in t he
place of t he capt ain, Duart e Barbosa, a Port uguese, and a relat ion of t he capt ain's, and Juan
Serrano a Spaniard.

Our int erpret er, who was a slave of t he capt ain-general, and was named Henry, having been
slight ly wounded in t he bat t le, would not go ashore any more for t he t hings which we required,
but remained all day idle, and wrapped up in his mat (Schiavina). Duart e Barbosa, t he commander
of t he flag ship, found fault wit h him, and t old him t hat t hough his mast er was dead, he had not
become free on t hat account , but t hat when we ret urned t o Spain he would ret urn him t o Doña
Beat rice, t he widow of t he capt ain-general; at t he same t ime he t hreat ened t o have him flogged,
if he did not go on shore quickly, and do what was want ed for t he service of t he ships. The slave
rose up, and did as t hough he did not care much for t hese affront s and t hreat s; and having gone
on shore, he informed t he Christ ian king t hat we were t hinking of going away soon, but t hat if he
would follow his advice, he might become mast er of all our goods and of t he ships t hemselves.
The King of Zubu list ened favourably t o him, and t hey arranged t o bet ray us. Aft er t hat t he slave
ret urned on board, and showed more int elligence and at t ent ion t han he had done before.

Wednesday morning, t he 1st of May, t he Christ ian king ​sent t o t ell t he t wo commanders t hat t he
jewels prepared as present s for t he King of Spain were ready, and he invit ed t hem t o come t hat
same day t o dine wit h him, wit h some of his most honoured companions, and he would give t hem
over t o t hem. The commanders went wit h t went y-four ot hers, and amongst t hem was our
ast rologer named San Mart in of Seville. I could not go because I was swelled wit h a wound from
a poisoned arrow in t he forehead. Juan Carvalho, wit h t he chief of police, who also were invit ed,
t urned back, and said t hat t hey had suspect ed some bad business, because t hey had seen t he
man who had recovered from illness by a miracle, leading away t he priest t o his own house. They
had hardly spoken t hese words when we heard great lament at ions and cries. We quickly got up
t he anchors and, coming closer t o t he beach, we fired several shot s wit h t he cannon at t he
houses. There t hen appeared on t he beach Juan Serrano, in his shirt , wounded and bound, who
ent reat ed us, as loudly as he could, not t o fire any more, or else he would be massacred. We
asked him what had become of his companions and t he int erpret er, and he said t hat all had been
slain except t he int erpret er. He t hen ent reat ed us t o ransom him wit h some merchandise; but
Juan Carvalho, alt hough he was his gossip, joined wit h some ot hers, refused t o do it , and t hey
would not allow any boat t o go ashore, so t hat t hey might remain mast ers of t he ships. Serrano
cont inued his ent reat ies and lament at ions, saying, t hat if we depart ed and abandoned him t here,
he would soon be killed; and aft er t hat he saw his lament at ions were useless, he added t hat be
prayed God t o ask for an account of his life at t he day of Judgment from Juan Carvalho, his
gossip.[189] Not wit hst anding, we sailed immediat ely; and I never heard any more news of him.

In t his island of Zubu t here are dogs and cat s, and ot her animals, whose flesh is eat en; t here is
also rice, millet , panicum, and maize; t here are also figs, oranges, lemons, ​sugar-canes, cocos,
gourds, ginger, honey, and ot her such t hings; t hey also make palm-wine of many qualit ies. Gold is
abundant . The island is large, and has a good port wit h t wo ent rances: one t o t he west , and t he
ot her t o t he east -nort h-east . It is in t en degrees nort h lat it ude and 154 east longit ude from t he
line of demarcat ion.

In t his island t here are several t owns, each of which has it s principal men or chiefs. Here are t he
names of t he t owns and t heir chiefs:—

Cingapola: it s chiefs are Cilat on, Ciguibucan, Cimaninga, Cimat icat , Cicanbul.[190]

Mandani: it s chief is Aponoaan.

Lalan: it s chief is Tet en.

Lalut an: it s chief is Japau.

Lubucin: it s chief is Cilumai.

All t hese count ries were in obedience t o us, and paid a kind of t ribut e.

Near t o Zubu t here is, as we said, t he island of Mat an, t he most considerable t own of which is
called Mat an, and it s chiefs are Zula and Cilapulapu. The village, which we burned on t he occasion
of t he fat al bat t le, is named Bulaia.

In t his island, before we lost our capt ain-general, we had news of Maluco.

(Book III of the Milan Edition.)

Departure from Zubu.

When we were at a dist ance of eight een leagues from t he island of Zubu, near t he head of
anot her island called Bohol,[191] in t he midst of t hat archipelago, seeing t hat our crews were t oo
much reduced in number, so t hat t hey were not sufficient for managing all t he t hree ships, we
burned t he Conception aft er t ransport ing int o t he ot her t wo all t hat it ​c ont ained t hat was
servicable. We t hen t ook t he S.S.W. course, coast ing along an island called Panilongon,[192] where
t he people were black as in Et hiopia.

We t hen arrived at a large island,[193] t he king of which having come on board our ship, in order t o
show t hat he made alliance wit h us and would be friendly, drew blood from his left hand, and
st ained wit h it his breast , his face, and t he t ip of his t ongue. We t hen did likewise, and when t he
king went away, I alone accompanied him on shore t o see t he island.

We ent ered a river[194] where we met many fishermen, who present ed some of t heir fish t o t he
king. He t hen t ook off t he clot h which covered his middle, and some of his chief men who were
wit h him did t he same, t hey t hen all began t o row and t o sing. Passing near many houses, which
were on t he brink of t he river, we arrived at t wo hours of t he night [195] at t he house of t he king,
which was t wo leagues from t he mout h of t he river where t he ships were.
When we reached t he house, people came t o meet us wit h many t orches, made of canes and
palm leaves, full of t he before-ment ioned gum, called anime. Whilst supper was being got ready,
t he king, wit h t wo of his chiefs, and t wo rat her handsome ladies, drank a large vase full of palm
wine, wit hout eat ing anyt hing. I, excusing myself saying t hat I had already supped, only drank
once. In drinking t hey use t he ceremony which I have already described in speaking of t he King of
Massava.[196] Then t he supper was brought , which consist ed of rice and fish, very much salt ed, in
porcelain dishes. Rice wit h t hem t akes t he place of bread. They cook it in t he following manner,
which is common t o all t hese count ries. They place inside an eart hen ​pot like ours, a large leaf
which lines it all round int ernally, t hen t hey put in t he wat er and t he rice, and cover up t he pot .
They let it boil unt il t he rice has t aken t he consist ency of bread, and t hen t hey t ake it out in
pieces.

When t he supper was over t he king had brought a cane mat , and a mat of palm leaf, wit h a
cushion of leaves, and t his was t o be my bed. I slept t here wit h one of his chiefs. The king wit h
t he t wo ladies went t o sleep in anot her place.

When it was day, whilst breakfast was being prepared, I went t o t ake a t urn in t he island, and
ent ered several houses, const ruct ed like t hose of t he neighbouring islands; I saw t here a good
many ut ensils of gold, but very lit t le vict uals. I ret urned t o t he king's house, and we breakfast ed
wit h rice and fish. I succeeded in making t he king underst and by signs, t hat I should like t o see
t he queen; and he made a sign t o me t hat he was cont ent , and we set out t oget her t o t he t op of
a hill, under which her house was placed. I ent ered t he house and made her an obeisance, she did
likewise t o me. I sat down by t he side of her; she was weaving a palm mat t o sleep upon.
Throughout her house were seen porcelain vases suspended t o t he walls, and four met al t imbals,
of which one was very large, anot her of middle size, and t wo small ones, and she amused herself
by playing on t hem. There were many male and female slaves for her service. We asked leave and
ret urned t o t he king's house, who immediat ely ordered a refreshment of sugar canes.

Aft er midday, as I wished t o ret urn t o t he ships, t he king, wit h t he ot her chief men of t he island,
desired t o accompany me in t he same balangai, going by t he same river; on it s right bank I saw on
an eminence t hree men hanging t o a t ree, t he branches of which had been cut off. I asked of t he
king what t hose unhappy people were, he answered me t hat t hey were malefact ors and t hieves.
These people go naked like t heir neighbours. In t his island are found ​pigs, goat s, fowls, rice,
ginger, and ot her t hings which were common t o t he islands named before. That which is most
abundant is gold. They showed me cert ain valleys, making signs t hat t here was more gold t here
t han hairs on t he head, but t hat as t hey had not iron t o dig it out , it required great labour t o
acquire it , and which t hey did not choose t o undergo. The king is named Raja Calanao.
This part of t he island called Chipit is t he same land as But uan and Calagan, it passes above
Bohol, and borders on Massava. It s port is good enough; it is in 8° N. lat it ude, and 167° of
longit ude from t he line of demarcat ion; it is fift y leagues dist ance from Zubu. Towards t he
Nort h-west is t he island of Lozon,[197] which is at t wo days' dist ance; a large island, t o which
come t o t rade every year six or eight junks of t he people called Lequii.[198]

On leaving t his place, and t aking our course bet ween west and sout h-west , we t ouched at an
almost uninhabit ed island, which aft erwards we learned was named Cagayan. The few people
t here are Moors, who have been banished from an island called Burné.[199] They go naked like t he
ot hers, and carry blow-pipes wit h small quivers at t heir sides full of arrows, and a herb wit h which
t hey poison t hem. They have daggers, wit h hilt s adorned wit h gold and precious st ones, lances,
bucklers, and small cuirasses of buffaloes' hide. These people t ook us for somet hing Divine or
holy. There are some very large t rees in t his island, but lit t le vict uals. It is in 7° 30' Nort h lat it ude,
and fort y-t hree leagues from Chipit .

Cont inuing our voyage we changed our course t o bet ween West and Nort h-west , and aft er
running t went y-five leagues, we arrived at a large island, which we found well provided wit h
vict uals, and it was great good fort une for us ​since we were so reduced by hunger and so badly
supplied, t hat we were several t imes on t he point of abandoning t he ships, and est ablishing
ourselves on some land, in order t o live. In t his island, which we learned was named Palaoan, we
found pigs, goat s, fowls, yams, bananas of various kinds, some of which are half a cubit long, and
as t hick as t he arm, ot hers are only a span long, and ot hers are st ill smaller, and t hese are t he
best ; t hey have cocoa nut s, sugar canes, and cert ain root s like t urnips. They cook rice under t he
fire in bamboo canes, or wooden vessels, and it keeps longer t han t hat cooked in eart hen pot s.
They draw from t he rice wit h a kind of alembic a wine t hat is bet t er and st ronger t han t he palm
wine. In short we found t his island t o be a promised land.

We present ed ourselves t o t he king, who cont ract ed alliance and friendship wit h us, and t o
assure us of it , he asked for one of our knives, wit h which he drew blood from his breast , wit h
which he t ouched his forehead and t ongue. We repeat ed t he same ceremony.[200]

The people of Palaoan go naked like t he ot her islanders, t hey almost all t ill t heir own fields. They
have blow-pipes, wit h t hick arrows more t han a span in lengt h, wit h a point like t hat of a harpoon;
some have a point made wit h a fish bone, and ot hers are of reed, poisoned wit h a cert ain herb;
t he arrows are not t rimmed wit h feat hers, but wit h a soft light wood. At t he foot of t he blow-
pipe t hey bind a piece of iron, by means of which, when t hey have no more arrows, t hey wield t he
blow-pipe like a lance. They like t o adorn t hemselves wit h rings and chains of gimp and wit h lit t le
bells, but above all t hey are fond of brass wire, wit h which t hey bind t heir fish hooks. They have
some rat her large domest ic cocks, which, from some superst it ion, t hey do not eat , but t hey keep
t hem for fight ing; on such occasions t hey ​make bet s and offer prizes, which are acquired by t he
owner of t he conquering cock.

Going from Palaoan t owards t he Sout h-west , aft er a run of t en leagues, we reached anot her
island.[201] Whilst coast ing it , it seemed in a cert ain manner t o go forward;[202]we coast ed it for a
dist ance of fully fift y[203] leagues, unt il we found a port . We had hardly reached t he port when
t he heavens were darkened, and t he light s of St . Elmo appeared on our mast s.

The next day t he king of t hat island sent a prahu t o t he ships; it was very handsome, wit h it s
prow and st ern ornament ed wit h gold; on t he bow flut t ered a whit e and blue flag, wit h a t uft of
peacock's feat hers at t he t op of t he st aff; t here were in t he prahu some people playing on pipes
and drums, and many ot her persons. Two almadias followed t he prahu; t hese are fishermen's
boat s, and a prahu is a kind of fust a. Eight old men of t he chiefs of t he island came int o t he ships,
and sat down upon a carpet on t he poop, and present ed a paint ed wooden vase full of bet el and
areca (fruit s which t hey const ant ly chew), wit h orange and jessamine flowers, and covered over
wit h a clot h of yellow silk. They also gave t wo cages full of fowls, t wo goat s, t hree vessels full
of wine, dist illed from rice, and some bundles of sugar cane. They did t he same t o t he ot her ship;
and embracing us t hey depart ed. Their rice wine is clear like wat er, but so st rong t hat many of
our men were int oxicat ed. They call it arak.

Six days lat er t he king again sent t hree very ornament ed prahus, which came playing pipes and
drums and cymbals, and going round t he ships, t heir crews salut ed us wit h t heir ​c lot h caps, which
hardly cover t he t ops of t heir heads. We salut ed t hem, firing t he bombards wit hout st ones. Then
t hey made us a present of various vict uals, but all made wit h rice, eit her wrapped in leaves in t he
form of a long cylinder, or in t he shape of a sugar loaf, or in t he shape of a cake, wit h eggs and
honey. They t hen said t hat t heir king was well pleased t hat we should make provisions here of
wood and wat er, and t hat we might t raffic at our pleasure wit h t he islanders. Having heard t his,
seven of us ent ered one of t he prahus, t aking wit h us present s for t he king, and for some of his
court . The present int ended for t he king consist ed in a Turkish coat of green velvet , a chair of
violet coloured velvet , five ells of red clot h, a cap, a gilt goblet , and a vase of glass, wit h it s
cover, t hree packet s of paper, and a gilt pen and ink case. We t ook for t he queen t hree ells of
yellow clot h, a pair of slippers, ornament ed wit h silver, and a silver case full of pins. For t he king's
governor or minist er t hree ells of red clot h, a cap, and a gilt goblet ; and for t he herald who had
come in t he prahu, a coat of t he Turkish fashion, of red and green colours, a cap and a packet of
paper, for t he ot her seven chief men who had come wit h him, we prepared present s; for one
clot h, for anot her a cap, and for each a packet of paper. Having made t hese preparat ions, we
ent ered t he prahu, and depart ed.

When we arrived at t he cit y, we were obliged t o wait about t wo hours in t he prahu, unt il t here
came t hit her t wo elephant s covered wit h silk, and t welve men, each of whom carried a porcelain
vase covered wit h silk, for conveying and wrapping up our present s. We mount ed t he elephant s,
and t hose t welve men preceded us, carrying t he vases wit h our present s. We went as far as t he
house of t he governor, who gave us supper wit h many sort s of viands. There we slept t hrough
t he night , on mat t resses filled wit h cot t on, and covered wit h silk, wit h sheet s of Cambay st uff. ​
On t he following day we remained doing not hing in t he house t ill midday, and aft er t hat we set
out for t he king's palace. We were again mount ed upon t he elephant s, and t he men wit h t he
present s preceded us as before. From t he governor's house t o t hat of t he king, all t he st reet s
were full of men armed wit h swords, spears, and bucklers, t he king having so commanded. We
ent ered t he palace st ill mount ed upon t he elephant s; we t hen dismount ed, and ascended a
st aircase, accompanied by t he governor and some of t he chief men, and ent ered a large room
full of court iers, whom we should call t he barons of t he kingdom; t here we sat upon a carpet , and
t he vases wit h t he present s were placed near us.

At t he end of t his hall t here was anot her a lit t le higher, but not so large, all hung wit h silk st uffs,
among which were t wo curt ains of brocade hung up, and leaving open t wo windows which gave
light t o t he room.

There were placed t hree hundred men of t he king's guard wit h naked daggers in t heir hands,
which t hey held on t heir t highs. At t he end of t his second hall was a great opening, covered wit h
a curt ain of brocade, and on t his being raised we saw t he king sit t ing at a t able, wit h a lit t le child
of his, chewing bet el. Behind him t here were only women.

Then one of t he chief men informed us t hat we could not speak t o t he king, but t hat if we
wished t o convey anyt hing t o him, we were t o say it t o him, and he would say it t o a chief or
court ier of higher rank, who would lay it before a brot her of t he governor, who was in t he smaller
room, and t hey by means of a blow pipe placed in a fissure in t he wall would communicat e our
t hought s t o a man who was near t he king, and from him t he king would underst and t hem. He
t aught us meanwhile t o make t hree obeisances t o t he king, wit h t he hands joined above t he head,
raising first one t hen t he ot her foot , and t hen t o kiss t he hands t o him. This is t he royal
obeisance. Then by t he mode which had been indicat ed t o us, we gave him t o underst and t hat
we belonged t o t he King of Spain, who wished t o be in peace wit h him, and wished for not hing
else t han t o be able t o t rade wit h his island. The king caused an answer t o be given t hat he was
most pleased t hat t he king of Spain was his friend, and t hat we could t ake wood and wat er in his
st at es, and t raffic according t o our pleasure. That done we offered t he present s, and at each
t hing which t hey gave t o him, he made a slight inclinat ion wit h his head. To each of us was t hen
given some brocade, wit h clot h of gold, and some silk, which t hey placed upon one of our
shoulders, and t hen t ook away t o t ake care of t hem. A collat ion of cloves and cinnamon was
t hen served t o us, and aft er t hat t he curt ains were drawn and t he windows closed. All t he men
who were in t he palace had t heir middles covered wit h clot h of gold and silk, t hey carried in t heir
hands daggers wit h gold hilt s, adorned wit h pearls and precious st ones, and t hey had many rings
on t heir fingers.

We again mount ed t he elephant s, and ret urned t o t he house of t he governor. Seven men
preceded us t here, carrying t he present s made t o us, and when we reached t he house t hey gave
t o each one of us what was for him, put t ing it on our left shoulder, as had been done in t he king's
palace. To each of t hese seven men we gave a pair of knives in recompense for t heir t rouble.

Aft erwards t here came nine men t o t he governor's house, sent by t he king, wit h as many large
wooden t rays, in each of which were t en or t welve china dishes, wit h t he flesh of various animals,
such as veal, capons, fowls, peacocks, and ot hers, wit h various sort s of fish, so t hat only of flesh
t here were t hirt y or t hirt y-t wo different viands. We supped on t he ground on a palm mat ; at each
mout hful we drank a lit t le china cup of t he size of an egg full of t he dist illed liquor of rice: we
t hen at e some rice and some t hings made of sugar, using gold spoons made like ours. In t he
place in which we passed t he t wo night s t here were t wo candles of whit e wax always burning,
placed on high chandeliers of silver, and t wo oil lamps wit h four wicks each. Two men kept wat ch
t here t o t ake care of t hem. The next morning we came upon t he same elephant s t o t he sea
shore, where t here were t wo prahus ready, in which we were t aken back t o t he ships.

This cit y is ent irely built on foundat ions in t he salt wat er, except t he houses of t he king and
some of t he princes: it cont ains t went y-five t housand fires or families.[204] The houses are all of
wood, placed on great piles t o raise t hem high up. When t he t ide rises t he women go in boat s
t hrough t he cit y selling provisions and necessaries.[205] In front of t he king's house t here is a wall
made of great bricks, wit h barbicans like fort s, upon which were fift y-six bombards of met al, and
six of iron. They fired many shot s from t hem during t he t wo days t hat we passed in t he cit y.

The king t o whom we present ed ourselves is a Moor, and is named Raja Siripada: he is about fort y
years of age, and is rat her corpulent . No one serves him except ladies who are t he daught ers of
t he chiefs. No one speaks t o him except by means of t he blow-pipe as has been described
above. He has t en scribes, who writ e down his affairs on t hin bark of t rees, and are called
chiritoles.[206] He never goes out of his house except t o go hunt ing.

On Monday, t he 29t h of July, we saw coming t owards us more t han a hundred prahus, divided int o
t hree squadrons, and as many tungulis, which are t heir smaller kind of boat s. At t his sight , and
fearing t reachery, we hurriedly set sail, ​and left behind an anchor in t he sea. Our suspicions
increased when we observed t hat behind us were cert ain junks which had come t he day before.
Our first operat ion was t o free ourselves from t he junks, against which we fired, capt uring four
and killing many people: t hree or four ot her junks went aground in escaping. In one of t hose which
we capt ured was a son of t he king of t he isle of Luzon, who was capt ain-general of t he King of
Burné, and who was coming wit h t he junks from t he conquest of a great cit y named Laoe,
sit uat ed on a headland of t his island opposit e Java Major. He had made t his expedit ion and
sacked t hat cit y because it s inhabit ant s wished rat her t o obey t he King of Java t han t he Moorish
King of Burné. The Moorish king having heard of t he ill-t reat ment by us of his junks, hast ened t o
send t o say, by means of one of our men who was on shore t o t raffic, t hat t hose vessels had not
come t o do any harm t o us, but were going t o make war against t he Gent iles, in proof of which
t hey showed us some of t he heads of t hose t hey had slain.

Hearing t his, we sent t o t ell t he king t hat if it was so, t hat he should allow t wo of our men who
were st ill on shore, wit h a son of our pilot , Juan Carvalho, t o come t o t he ships: t his son of
Carvalho's had been born during his first residence in t he count ry of Brazil: but t he king would not
consent . Juan Carvalho was t hus specially punished, for wit hout communicat ing t he mat t er t o us,
in order t o obt ain a large sum of gold, as we learned lat er, he had given his libert y t o t he capt ain
of t he junks. If he had det ained him, t he King Siripada would have given anyt hing t o get him back,
t hat capt ain being exceedingly dreaded by t he Gent iles who are most host ile t o t he Moorish
king.

And, wit h respect t o t hat , it is well t o know and underst and t hat in t hat same port where we
were, beyond t he cit y of t he Moors of which I have spoken, t here is anot her inhabit ed by
Gent iles, larger t han t his one, and also built in t he ​salt wat er. So great is t he enmit y bet ween t he
t wo nat ions t hat every day t here occurs st rife. The king of t he Gent iles is as powerful as t he
king of t he Moors, but he is not so proud; and it seems t hat it would not be so difficult t o
int roduce t he Christ ian religion int o his count ry.[207]

As we could not get back our men, we ret ained on board sixt een of t he chiefs, and t hree ladies
whom we had t aken on board t he junks, t o t ake t hem t o Spain, We had dest ined t he ladies for t he
Queen; but Juan Carvalho kept t hem for himself.
The Moors of Burné go naked like t he ot her islanders. They est eem quicksilver very much, and
swallow it . They pret end t hat it preserves t he healt h of t hose who are well, and t hat it cures t he
sick. They venerat e Mahomed and follow his law. They do not eat pig's flesh.....[208] Wit h t heir right
hand t hey wash t heir face, but do not wash t heir t eet h wit h t heir fingers. They are circumcised
like t he Jews. They never kill goat s or fowls wit hout first speaking t o t he sun.[209] They cut off
t he ends of t he wings of fowls and t he skin under t heir feet , and t hen split t hem in t wo. They do
not eat any animal which has not been killed by t hemselves.

In t his island is produced camphor, a kind of balsam which exudes from bet ween t he bark and t he
wood of t he t ree. These drops are small as grains of bran. If it is left exposed by degrees it is
consumed: here it is called capor. Here is found also cinnamon, ginger, mirabolans, oranges,
lemons, sugarcanes, melons, gourds, cucumbers, cabbage, ​onions. There are also many animals,
such as elephant s, horses, buffaloes, pigs, goat s, fowls, geese, crows, and ot hers.

They say t hat t he King of Burné has t wo pearls as large as a hen's eggs, and so perfect ly round
t hat if placed on a smoot h t able t hey cannot be made t o st and st ill. When we t ook him t he
present s I made signs t o him t hat I desired t o see t hem, and he said t hat he would show t hem t o
me, but he did not do so. On t he following day some of t he chief men t old me t hat t hey had
indeed seen t hem.

The money which t he Moors use in t his count ry is of met al,[210] and pierced for st ringing
t oget her. On one side only it has four signs, which are four let t ers of t he great King of China: t hey
call it Picis.[211] For one cat hil (a weight equal t o t wo of our pounds) of quicksilver t hey gave us
six porcelain dishes, for a cat hil of met al t hey gave one small porcelain vase, and a large vase for
t hree knives. For a hand of paper t hey gave one hundred picis. A bahar of wax (which is t wo
hundred and t hree cat hils) for one hundred and sixt y cat hils of bronze: for eight y cat hils a bahar
of salt : for fort y cat hils a bahar of anime, a gum which t hey use t o caulk ships, for in t hese
count ries t hey have no pit ch. Twent y t abil make a cat hil. The merchandise which is most
est eemed here is bronze, quicksilver, cinnabar, glass, woollen st uffs, linens; but above all t hey
est eem iron and spect acles.

Since I saw such use made of porcelain, I got some informat ion respect ing it , and I learned t hat it
is made wit h a kind of very whit e eart h, which is left underground for fully fift y years t o refine it ,
so t hat t hey are in t he habit of saying t hat t he fat her buries it for his son. It is said t hat if poison
is put int o a vessel of fine porcelain it breaks immediat ely.

The junks ment ioned several t imes above are t heir largest vessels, and t hey are const ruct ed in
t his manner. The lower part of t he ships and t he sides t o a height of t wo spans above ​wat er-line
are built of planks joined t oget her wit h wooden bolt s, and t hey are well enough put t oget her. The
upper works are made of very large canes for a count erpoise.[212] One of t hese junks carries as
much cargo as our ships. The mast s are of bamboo, and t he sails of bark of t rees. This island is
so large t hat t o sail round it wit h a prahu would require t hree mont hs. It is in 5° 15' nort h lat it ude
and 176° 40' of longit ude from t he line of demarcat ion.[213]

On leaving t his island we ret urned backwards t o look for a convenient place for caulking our
ships, which were leaking, and one of t hem, t hrough t he negligence of t he pilot , st ruck on a shoal
near an island named Bibalon;[214] but , by t he help of God, we got her off. We also ran anot her
great danger, for a sailor, in snuffing a candle, t hrew t he light ed wick int o a chest of gunpowder;
but he was so quick in picking it out t hat t he powder did not cat ch fire.

On our way we saw four prahus. We t ook one laden wit h cocoanut s on it s way t o Burné; but t he
crew escaped t o a small island, and t he ot her t hree prahus escaped behind some ot her small
islands.

Bet ween t he nort hern cape of Burné; and t he island named Cimbonbon, sit uat ed in 8° 7' N.
lat it ude t here is a very convenient port for refit t ing ships, and we ent ered it ; but as we were
want ing many t hings necessary for our work, we had t o spend t here fort y-t wo days. Each one
worked at one t hing or anot her according t o t he best of his knowledge or abilit y; but our
great est labour was going t o get wood in ​t he t hicket s, as t he ground was covered wit h briars and
t horny shrubs, and we had no shoes.

In t his island t here are some very large wild boars. Whilst we were in a boat we killed one which
was crossing from one island t o anot her. It s head was t wo and a half spans long, and it s t usks
were exceedingly long.[215] Here also are crocodiles; t hose of t he land are larger t han t hose of
t he sea-coast . There are oyst ers and very large t urt les; of t hese we caught t wo. The flesh alone
of one of t hem weighed t went y pounds, and of t he ot her fort y-four pounds. We caught a kind of
fish wit h a head like t hat of a pig, and which had t wo horns; it s body was all covered wit h bone,
and on it s back it had a kind of saddle: t his was a small one. In t his island are also found cert ain
t rees, t he leaves of which, when t hey fall, are animat ed, and walk. They are like t he leaves of t he
mulberry t ree, but not so long; t hey have t he leaf st alk[216] short and point ed, and near t he leaf
st alk t hey have on each side t wo feet . If t hey are t ouched t hey escape, but if crushed t hey do
not give out blood.[217] I kept one for nine days in a box. When I opened it t he leaf went round t he
box. I believe t hey live upon air. The island in which we were is called Pulaoan.

On leaving t his island—t hat is t o say, t he port which is at t he ext remit y of it —we met a junk which
was coming from Borneo. We made signals t o it t o st rike it s sails; but as it would not obey we
overt ook it , capt ured and pillaged it . It had on board t he Governor of Pulaoan, wit h a son and a
brot her of his. We made t hem all prisoners, and put t hem t o ransom t o give wit hin seven days
four hundred measures of rice, t went y pigs, as many goat s, and four ​hundred and fift y fowls.
They caused all t his t o be given us, and besides added spont aneously cocoanut s, figs,
sugarcanes, and vessels full of palm wine. We, in consequence of his generosit y, rest ored t o him
some of his daggers and arquebuses; we also gave him a flag, a garment of yellow damask, and
fift een ells of linen. We gave t o his son a cloak of blue clot h, and t o his brot her a garment of
green clot h, and t o t he ot hers ot her t hings, and we part ed good friends.

We t urned backwards, passing bet ween t he island of Cagayan and t he port of Cipit ,[218] t aking a
course east and a quart er sout h-east , t o seek t he islands of Maluco. We passed bet ween
cert ain lit t le mount ains,[219] around which we found many weeds, alt hough t here was t here a
great dept h. Passing bet ween t hese islet s it seemed t hat we were in anot her sea.

Having left Cipit t o t he east , we saw t o t he west t wo islands called Zolo[220] and Taghima,[221]
near which islands pearls are found. The t wo pearls of t he King of Burné, of which I have spoken,
were found t here, and t his is t he manner in which he obt ained t hem, according t o t he account
which was given me of it . The King of Burné married a daught er of t he King of Zolo, who t old him
t hat her fat her had t hese t wo big pearls. He desired t o have t hem, and decided on get t ing t hem
by any means, and one night he set out wit h five hundred prahus full of armed men, and went t o
Zolo, and t ook t he king wit h his t wo sons, and brought t hem t o Burné, and did not rest ore t hem t o
libert y unt il t hey gave him t he t wo pearls.

Cont inuing our course east and a quart er nort h-east we passed near t wo inhabit ed places called
Cavit and Subanin, and passed near an island called Monoripa, t en leagues dist ant from t he
before-ment ioned islet s. The inhabit ant s of t his island always live in t heir vessels, and have no
houses on shore. In t hese t wo dist rict s of Cavit and Subanin, which are sit uat ed in t he same
island[222] as t hat in which are But uan and Calagan, t he best cinnamon of any grows. If we could
have remained here only t wo days, we could have laden t he ships wit h it ; but we did not wish t o
lose t ime, but t o profit by t he favourable wind, for we had t o double a cape and some islet s
which were around it . Wherefore, remaining under sail, we made a lit t le bart er, and obt ained
sevent een pounds of cinnamon for t wo big knives, which we had t aken from t he Governor of
Pulaoan.

Having seen t he cinnamon t ree, I can give some descript ion of it . It is a small t ree, not more t han
t hree or four cubit s high, and of t he t hickness of a man's finger, and it has not got more t han
t hree or four lit t le branches. It s leaf is like t hat of t he laurel. The cinnamon for use which comes
t o us, is it s bark, which is gat hered t wice in t he year. It s wood and leaves when t hey are green
have t he t ast e and force of t he bark it self. Here it is called Cainmana, since cain means wood
and mana sweet .[223]

Having set t he head of t he ship t o nort h-east , we made for a large cit y called Maingdanao,
sit uat ed in t he same island in which are But uan and Calagan, in order t o get precise informat ion of
t he posit ion of Maluco. Following t his course we t ook possession of a bignaday, a vessel similar
t o a prahu, and being obliged t o have recourse t o force and violence, we killed seven out of
eight een men who formed t he crew. These men were bet t er made and more robust t han all
t hose we had seen hit hert o, and t hey were all chief men of Mindanao. There was among t hem a
brot her of t he king who said t hat he well knew where Maluco was. Aft erwards, following his
indicat ions, we left t he nort h-east course which we held, and t ook a sout h-east course. We ​were
t hen in 6° 7' N. lat it ude and t hirt y leagues dist ant fom Cavit .

We were t old t hat at a cape of t his island near t o a river t here are men who are rat her hairy, great
warriors, and good archers, armed wit h swords a span broad. When t hey make an enemy prisoner
t hey eat his heart only, and t hey eat it raw wit h t he juice of oranges or lemons.[224] This cape is
called Benaian.[225]

Making for t he sout h-east we found four islands, named Ciboco, Birabam Bat olac, Sarangani, and
Candigar. Sat urday, t he 26t h of Oct ober, about night fall, whilst coast ing t he island of Birabam
Bat olac, we met wit h a very great st orm, before which we lowered all our sails, and bet ook
ourselves t o prayer. Then our t hree saint s appeared upon t he mast s and dispersed t he darkness.
St . Elmo st ood for more t han t wo hours at t he mainmast head like a flame. St . Nicholas at t he
head of t he foremast , and St . Clara on t he mizenmast . In grat it ude for t heir assist ance we
promised a share t o each of t he saint s, and we gave t o each an offering.

Cont inuing our voyage we ent ered a port bet ween t he t wo islands Sarangani and Candigar, and
cast anchor t o t he east , near a village of Sarangani, where pearls and gold are found. This port is
in 5° 9' N. lat it ude, and fift y leagues from Cavit . The inhabit ant s are Gent iles and go naked like t he
ot hers.

Having remained here a day we compelled by force t wo pilot s t o come wit h us t o show us t he
way t o Maluco. We were direct ed t o t ake a sout h-sout h-west course, and passed bet ween eight
islands part ly inhabit ed, part ly uninhabit ed, which formed a kind of st reet . These were named
Cheava, ​Caviao, Cabiao Camanuca, Cabaluzao, Cheai, Lipan, and Nuza. At t he end of t hese we
reached an island which was very beaut iful, named Sanghir.[226] But having a cont rary wind, which
did not allow us t o double t he cape, we t acked about backwards and forwards near it .
On t his occasion, profit ing by t he darkness of t he night , one of t he pilot s whom we had caught at
Sarangani, and wit h him t he brot her of t he king of Mindanao wit h his lit t le son, escaped by
swimming and reached t hat island; but we learned lat er t hat t he son not being able t o hold on
well t o his fat her's shoulders, was drowned.

Seeing t hat it was impossible t o double t he head of t his island we passed below it , where we
saw many small islands. This large island has four kings whose names are Raja Mat andat u, Raja
Laga, Raja Bapt i, and Raja Parabu. These are Gent iles. It is in 3° 30' N. lat it ude and t went y-seven
leagues from Sarangani.

Cont inuing our course in t he same direct ion we passed near five islands named Cheoma,
Carachit a, Para, Zangalura, and Cian.[227] This last is t en leagues dist ant from Sanghir. In t his island
t here is a rat her high mount ain, but not one of great ext ent . It s king is named Raja Pont o. We
came next t o t he island Paghinzara,[228] which has t hree high mount ains, and in it t he king is Raja
Babint an. We saw at t welve leagues t o t he east of Paghinzara anot her island, ​T alant , and also
t wo islands, not large but inhabit ed, called Zoar and Mean.

Wednesday, t he 6t h of November, having passed beyond t hese t wo islands, we discovered four

ot her rat her high islands at a dist ance of fourt een leagues t owards t he east . The pilot who had
remained wit h us t old us t hose were t he Maluco islands, for which we gave t hanks t o God, and t o
comfort ourselves we discharged all our art illery. It need not cause wonder t hat we were so
much rejoiced, since we had passed t went y-seven mont hs less t wo days always in search of
Maluco, wandering for t hat object among t he immense number of islands. But I must say t hat
near all t hese islands t he least dept h t hat we found was one hundred fat homs, for which reason
at t ent ion is not t o be given t o all t hat t he Port uguese have spread, according t o whom t he
islands of Maluco are sit uat ed in seas which cannot be navigat ed on account of t he shoals, and
t he dark and foggy at mosphere.

Friday, t he 8t h November of 1521, t hree hours before sunset , we ent ered a port of t he island
called Tadore,[229] and having gone near t he shore, we cast anchor in t went y fat homs, and
discharged all our art illery. Next day t he king came t o t he ships in a prahu, and went round t hem.
We went t o meet him wit h a boat t o show him honour, and he made us ent er his prahu, and sit
near him. He was sit t ing under a silk umbrella, which shelt ered him. In front of him was his son
wit h t he royal scept re, t here were also t wo men wit h gold vases t o give him wat er for his hands,
and t wo ot hers wit h gilt casket s full of bet el.

The king gave us a welcome, and said t hat a long t ime back he had dreamed t hat some ships
were coming t o Maluco from dist ant count ries, and t hat t o assure himself wit h respect t o t his,
he had examined t he moon, and he had seen t hat t hey were really coming, and t hat indeed t hey ​
were our ships. Aft er t hat he came on board our ships, and we all kissed his hand: we t hen
conduct ed him t o t he poop, but he, in order t o avoid st ooping, would not ent er t he cabin except
by t he upper opening. We made him sit down on a chair of red velvet , and placed on him a Turkish
robe of yellow velvet . In order t o do him more honour we sat down before him on t he ground.
When he had heard who we were, and what was t he object of our voyage, he said t hat he and all
his people were well cont ent t o be t he most fait hful friends and vassals of t he King of Spain;
t hat he received us in t his island as his own sons; t hat we might go on shore and remain t here as
in our own houses; and t hat his island for t he fut ure should not be named Tadore, but Cast ile, in
proof of t he great love he bore t o t he king our mast er. Then we present ed t o him t he chair on
which he sat , and t he robe which we had put on him, a piece of fine linen, four ells of scarlet
clot h, a robe of brocade, a clot h of yellow damask, a piece of t he whit est Cambay linen, t wo
caps, six st rings of glass beads, t welve knives, t hree large mirrors, six scissors, six combs, some
gilt goblet s, and ot her t hings. We gave t o his son an Indian clot h of gold and silk, a large mirror, a
cap and t wo knives. To each of t he nine chief men of his suit e we made a present of a piece of
silk, a cap and t wo knives; and t o many ot hers of his suit e we made a present , t o one of a cap, t o
anot her of a knife, unt il t he king t old us not t o give any more present s. He t hen said t hat he had
got not hing wort hy t o be sent as a present t o our king, unless he sent himself, now t hat he
considered him as his lord. He invit ed us t o come closer t o t he cit y, and if any one at t empt ed t o
come on board t he ships at night , he t old us t o fire upon him wit h our guns. He came out of t he
st ern cabin by t he same way by which he had ent ered it , wit hout ever bending his head. At his
depart ure we fired all t he cannon.

This king is a Moor, of about fort y-five years of age. ​rat her well made and of a handsome
presence. He is a very great ast rologer. His dress consist ed of a shirt of very fine whit e st uff,
wit h t he ends of t he sleeves embroidered wit h gold, and a wrapper which came down from his
waist almost t o t he ground. He was barefoot ed; round his head he had a silk veil, and over t hat a
garland of flowers. He is named Raja Sult an Manzor.

On t he 10t h of November—a Sunday—we had anot her conversat ion wit h t he king, who wished t o
know how long a t ime we had been absent from Spain, and what pay and what rat ions t he king
gave t o each of us; and we t old him all t his. He asked us for a signat ure of t he king and a royal
st andard, since be desired t hat bot h his island of Tadore, and also t hat of Tarenat e (where he
int ended t o have his nephew named Calanogapi, crowned king) should become subject t o t he
King of Spain, for whose honour he would fight t o t he deat h; and if it should happen t hat he
should be compelled t o give way, he would t ake refuge in Spain wit h all his family, in a new junk
which he was having const ruct ed, and would t ake wit h him t he royal signat ure and st andard.
He begged us t o leave wit h him some of our men, who would always keep alive his recollect ion
of us and of our king, as he would more est eem having some of us wit h him t han our merchandise,
which would not last him a long t ime. Seeing our eagerness t o t ake cloves on board, he said t hat
for t hat purpose he would go t o an island called Bachian, where he hoped t o find as much of
t hem as were want ed, since in his island t here was not a quant it y sufficient of dry cloves t o load
t he t wo ships. On t hat day t here was no t raffic because it was Sunday. The holiday of t hese
people is on Friday.

It may please your illust rious lordship t o have some descript ion of t he islands where t he cloves
grow. They are five—Tarenat e, Tador, Mut ir, Machian, and Bachian. ​T arenat e is t he principal island.
It s king, whilst he lived, had almost ent ire dominion over t he ot her four. Tadore, t he island in which
we were, has it s own king. Mut ir and Machian have no king, but are governed by t he people; and
when t he kings of Tarenat e and Tidore are at war, t hey furnish t hem wit h combat ant s. The last is
Bachian, and it has a king. All t his province in which t he cloves grow is called Maluco.

When we arrived here, eight mont hs had not elapsed since a cert ain Port uguese, Francisco
Serrano, had died in Tarenat e. He was capt ain-general of t he King of Tarenat e when he was
making war on t he King of Tadore; and he act ed so st renuously t hat t his king was compelled t o
give his daught er in marriage t o t he King of Tarenat e, who also received as host ages almost all
t he sons of t he chief men of Tadore. Peace was t hen made, and from t hat daught er was born
t he nephew Calanopagi, of whom I have spoken. But t he King of Tadore never forgave Serrano in
his heart ; and he having come several years lat er t o Tadore t o t raffic in cloves, t he king had him
poisoned wit h some bet el leaves, so t hat he survived hardly four days. The King of Tarenat e
wished t o have him buried according t o t heir own usage, but t hree Christ ian servant s t hat Serrano
had wit h him did not consent t o it . In dying he left a lit t le son and a lit t le girl t hat he had of a lady
he had t aken in Java major, and t wo hundred bahars of cloves.

Francisco Serrano was a great friend and a relat ion of our unfort unat e capt ain-general, and he it
was who induced him t o undert ake t hat voyage, for when Magellan was at Malacca, he had
several t imes learned by let t ers from Serrano t hat he was here. Therefore, when D. Manuel, King
of Port ugal, refused t o increase his pension by a single t est oon[230] per mont h, an increase which
he t hought he had well deserved, he came t o Spain and made t he proposal t o his Sacred ​Majest y
t o come here by way of t he west , and he obt ained all t hat he asked for.

Ten days aft er t he deat h of Serrano, t he King of Tarenat e, named Raja Abuleis,[231] drove out
from his kingdom his son-in-law t he King of Bachian, whose wife, t he daught er of t he King of
Tarenat e, came t o Tarenat e under t he pret ext of concluding peace, and gave him (her fat her)
such a poison t hat he only survived t wo days, and dying left nine sons, whose names were t old t o
me as follows: Chochili[232]-Momuli, Jadore Vunghi, Chechilideroix, Cilimanzur, Cilipagi,
Chialinchechilin, Cat aravajecu, Serich, and Calanopagi.

Monday, t he 11t h of November, Chechilideroix, one of t he above-ment ioned sons of t he King of

Tarenat e, came wit h t wo prahus t o t he ships sounding drums: he was dressed in red velvet . We
learned t hat he had near him t he widow and sons of Francisco Serrano. When we knew him, being
aware t hat he was an enemy of t he King of Tadore, we sent t o ask him whet her we might receive
him in t he ships, which, as we were in his port , we would not do wit hout his consent . The king sent
us word t o do what ever we pleased. But meant ime Chechilideroix, seeing our hesit at ion, had
some suspicion, and moved furt her off from t he ships. We t hen went t o him in a boat , and made
him a present of an Indian clot h of gold and silk, wit h some looking-glasses, knives, scissors, et c.:
t hese t hings he accept ed but disdainfully, and soon aft er depart ed. He had wit h him an Indian
who had become a Christ ian, named Manuel, t he servant of a cert ain Pedro Alfonzo de Lorosa, a
Port uguese, who, aft er t he deat h of Serrano, had come from Bandan t o Tarenat e. Manuel being
able t o speak Port uguese, came on board t he ships, and t old us t hat alt hough t he sons of t he
King of Tarenat e were enemies t o t he King of Tadore, yet t hey were ​disposed t owards t he
service of Spain, Then, by means of him, we wrot e t o De Lorosa t o come t o our ships wit hout any
suspicion or fear.

These kings have as many ladies as t hey please, but one only is t he principal wife, and all t he
ot hers are subject t o her. The King of Tadore had a large house out side t he cit y, where t here
were t wo hundred of t he ladies he was most fond of, and as many more t o serve t hem. The king
eat s alone, or wit h his principal wife, on a kind of raised dais, from which he can see all t he ot hers
sit t ing round, and he decides upon t he one who most pleases him t o come t o him. When t he
king's dinner is finished, t he ladies all eat t oget her if he permit s it , or else each one goes t o eat in
her own room. No one wit hout special permission from t he king can see t hose ladies, and if
anybody by day or by night were found near t heir house he would be killed immediat ely. Each
family is bound t o give one or t wo daught ers t o t he king. Rajah Sult an Manzour had t went y-six
children, of whom eight were boys and eight een girls. In t he island of Tadore t here is a kind of
bishop, and t he one t hat was t here in our t ime had fort y ladies and very many children.

On Tuesday t he 12t h of November, t he king had a house built in t he cit y for our merchandise, and
it was built in one day. Thit her we carried all t hat we had t o bart er, and placed it in t he cust ody of
t hree of our men, and t he t rade began at once. It was carried out in t his manner. For t en ells of
red clot h of pret t y good qualit y t hey gave a bahar of cloves. A bahar is four quint als[233] and six
pounds. For fift een ells of middling qualit y a bahar, for fift een hat chet s a bahar, for t hirt y-five
glass cups a bahar; and t he king in t his manner had from us almost all our goblet s: for sevent een
cat hils of cinnabar a bahar; t he same for as much quicksilver. For t went y-six ells of common linen
a bahar, and t he same for t went y-five ells of finer linen; for a hundred and fift y knives ​a bahar; for
fift y scissors a bahar; for fort y caps a bahar; for t en Guzerat clot hs a bahar; for t hree of t heir
cymbals t wo bahars: for a quint al of bronze a bahar. Almost all our mirrors were broken, and t he
few t hat remained ent ire t he king wished t o have. Many of t he above-ment ioned goods had been
obt ained by us by t he capt ure of t he junks, which I have relat ed; and t he hast e we were in t o
ret urn t o Spain caused us t o sell our goods at a lower price t han we should have done had we not
been in a hurry.

Every day t here came t o t he ships many boat s laden wit h goat s, fowls, plant ains, cocoanut s, and
ot her vict uals, t hat it was a wonder t o see. We supplied t he ships wit h good wat er t aken from a
spring whence it issued hot , but if it remains only one hour in t he open air it becomes very cold.
They say t hat it comes out like t hat because it issues from t he mount ain of t he cloves. It may
be seen from t his how t hose lied who said t hat fresh wat er had t o be brought t o Maluco from
dist ant count ries.

The next day t he king sent his son named Mossahap t o t he island of t he Mut ir for cloves wit h
which t o freight our ships. We had spoken t o t he king t hat day of some Indians whom we had
capt ured, and he ent reat ed us t o make a present of t hem t o him, as he had t he int ent ion of
sending t hem back t o t heir nat ive count ry, accompanied by five men of Tadore, who, on rest oring
t hem t o t heir count ry, would praise and commend t he King of Spain and make a good name for
t he Spaniards. We gave him t he t hree ladies whom we had dest ined for t he queen, as has been
said above, and all t he men except t hose of Burné: he very much appreciat ed t his gift .

The king t hen asked anot her favour—t hat was, t hat we should kill all t he pigs we had on board,
for which he would give an ample compensat ion in fowls and goat s. We gave him sat isfact ion in
t his, cut t ing t heir t hroat s and hanging t hem up under t he deck, so t hat t he Moors should not have
occasion t o see t hem, since if by accident t hey see any pig t hey covered t heir faces not t o see
it or perceive it s smell.

In t he evening of t he same day Pedro Alfonso,[234] t he Port uguese, came in a prahu, but before
he came on board t he ships t he king sent t o call him, and said t o him, t hat alt hough he belonged
t o Tarenat e he should t ake good care not t o answer falsely t o t he quest ions we were going t o
ask him. He indeed, aft er coming on board, t old us t hat he had come t o India sixt een years ago,
and of t hese years he had passed t en in Maluco; and it was just t en years since t hose islands had
been discovered by t he Port uguese, who kept t he discovery secret from us. He t hen relat ed t o
us t hat a year, less fift een days, had elapsed since a large ship had come hit her proceeding from
Malacca, and had gone away laden wit h cloves; but t hat on account of t he bad weat her, she had
been obliged t o remain some mont hs at Bandam. He added t hat her capt ain was Trist an de
Meneses, a Port uguese, from whom, on asking what news t here was in Europe, he had heard t hat
a squadron of live ships had sailed from Seville t o discover Maluco in t he name of t he King of
Spain, and t hat t he capt ain of t his squadron was Ferdinand Magellan, a Port uguese, for which
reason t he King of Port ugal, being angry t hat a subject of his should at t empt t o do a t hing so
opposed t o him, had sent some ships t o t he cape of Good Hope, and ot hers t o t he Cape St a.
Maria,[235] where t he cannibals are, t o impede t heir passage, but t hey had not fallen in wit h t hem.
Having learned lat er t hat Magellan had passed by anot her sea, and was making for Maluco by
way of t he west , he had writ t en t o his Capt ain-Major of t he Indies, named Diogo Lopez de
Sequeira, t o send six ships t o Maluco against t he Spanish squadron. But t he capt ain-major, having
at t hat t ime received informat ion t hat t he Grand Turk was planning an expedit ion against
Malacca, was obliged t o send against ​him sixt y sail t o t he St rait s of Mekkah, in t he count ry of
Jiddah, where, however, t hey only found a few galleys which had grounded near t he beaut iful and
st rong cit y of Aden, and t hey set fire t o t hem.

This ent erprise, added De Lorosa, had prevent ed t he capt ain-major from immediat ely sending an
expedit ion against Magellan; but a lit t le lat er he had sent t o Maluco a great galleon wit h t wo
rows of cannon, commanded by Francisco Faria, a Port uguese: but neit her did t his one come, for
on account of t he shoals and current s which are near Malacca, and t he cont rary winds, it was
unable t o pass t hat promont ory, and was compelled t o t urn back.

He also relat ed t hat a few days before a caravel wit h t wo junks had come t o t hese part s t o get
news of us. The junks had sailed t o Bachian t o load cloves, wit h seven Port uguese on board.
These men, who did not respect t he wives of t he inhabit ant s, nor even t hose of t he king,
not wit hst anding t he warning t hey had received from t he king himself, were all killed. The men of
t he caravel, on hearing of t his, ret urned in hast e t o Malacca, abandoning t he junks wit h four
hundred bahars of cloves and as much merchandise as would have purchased anot her hundred
bahars. He also relat ed t hat every year many junks go from Malacca t o Bandan t o buy mace and
nut meg, and go t hence t o Maluco t o purchase cloves. They make t he voyage from Bandan t o
Maluco in t hree days, and employ fift een in t he voyage from Bandan t o Malacca. He said, last ly,
t hat since t en years back t he King of Port ugal had derived great profit from t hese islands, and he
t ook especial care t o keep t hese count ries concealed from and unknown t o t he Spaniards. He
relat ed many ot her similar t hings, passing several hours in conversat ion wit h us: and we said and
did so much, offering him a large salary, t hat we made him det ermine on coming wit h us t o Spain.
Friday, t he 15t h of November, t he king t old us t hat he t hought of going himself t o Bachian t o get
t he cloves ​which t he Port uguese had left t here, and asked us for present s t o give t o t he t wo
governors of Mut ir in t he name of t he King of Spain. Meanwhile, having come close t o our ships,
he wished t o see how we shot wit h t he cross-bow, wit h guns, and wit h a swivel gun, which is a
weapon larger t han an arquebuse. He himself fired t hree t imes wit h a cross-bow, but he did not
care t o fire wit h a gun.

Opposit e Tadore t here is anot her very large island, called Giailolo,[236] and it is so large t hat a
prahu can wit h difficult y go round it in four mont hs. It is inhabit ed by Moors and Gent iles. The
Moors have t wo kings, one of whom, according t o what t he King of Tadore relat ed t o us, has had
six hundred children, and t he ot her has had five hundred and t went y-five. The Gent iles have not
got so many women as t he Moors, and are less superst it ious. The first t hing t hey meet in t he
morning when t hey go out of t heir houses is t he object which t hey worship t hroughout t hat day.
The king of t hese Gent iles is named Rajah Papua. He is very rich in gold, and inhabit s t he int erior
of t he island. There grow here among t he rocks bamboos as t hick as a man's leg, full of wat er,
which is very good t o drink. We purchased many of t hem.

On Sat urday t he Moorish King of Giailolo came t o t he ships wit h many prahus, and we made him a
present of a green damask robe, t wo ells of red clot h, some looking-glasses, scissors, knives,
combs, and t wo gilt goblet s, which t hings pleased him very much, and he said t o us t hat , as we
were friends of t he King of Tadore, we were also his friends, since he loved t hat king like one of
his own sons. He invit ed us t o come t o his count ry, promising t o do us great honour. This king is
powerful, and held in sufficient respect t hroughout all t hese islands. He is very old, and his name
is Raja Jussu.

Sunday morning t his same king came on board t he ships ​and wished t o see how we fought , and
how we discharged t he bombards, at which he was great ly pleased, for in his yout h he had been a
great warrior.

The same day I went on shore t o see how t he cloves grow, and t his is what I observed. The t ree
from which t hey are gat hered is high, and it s t runk is as t hick as a man's body, more or less,
according t o t he age of t he plant . It s branches spread out somewhat in t he middle of t he t ree,
but near t he t op t hey form a pyramid. The bark is of an olive colour, and t he leaves very like t hose
of t he laurel. The cloves grow at t he end of lit t le branches in bunches of t en or t went y. These
t rees always bear more fruit on one side t han on t he ot her, according t o t he seasons. The cloves
are whit e when t hey first sprout , t hey get red as t hey ripen, and blacken when dry. They are
gat hered t wice in t he year, once about Christ mas and t he ot her t ime about St . John's day, when
t he air in t hese count ries is milder, and it is st ill more so in December. When t he year is rat her hot ,
and t here is lit t le rain, t hey gat her in each of t hese islands from t hree t o four hundred bahars of
cloves. The clove t ree does not live except in t he mount ains, and if it is t ransferred t o t he plain it
dies t here.[237] The leaf, t he bark, and t he wood, as long as t hey are green, have t he st rengt h and
fragrance of t he fruit it self. If t hese are not gat hered when just ripe t hey get so large and hard
t hat not hing of t hem remains good except t he rind. It is said t hat t he mist renders t hem perfect ,
and indeed we saw almost every day a mist descend and surround one or ot her of t he above-
ment ioned mount ains. Among t hese people everyone possesses some of t hese t rees, and each
man wat ches over his own t rees and gat hers t heir fruit , but does not do any work round t hem t o
cult ivat e t hem. This t ree does not grow except in t he five mount ains of t he five Maluco islands.
There are, however, a ​f ew t rees in Giailolo and in a small island bet ween Tadore and Mut ir named
Mare, but t hey are not good.

There are in t his island of Giailolo some t rees of nut megs. These are like our walnut s, and t he
leaves also are similar. The nut meg, when gat hered, is like t he quince in form and colour, and t he
down which covers it , but it is smaller. The out side rind is as t hick as t he green rind of our
walnut s, beneat h which is a t hin web, or rat her cart ilage, under which is t he mace, of a very bright
red, which covers and surrounds t he rind of t he nut s, inside which is t he nut meg properly so
called.

There also grows in Tadore t he ginger, which we need t o eat green, inst ead of bread. Ginger is
not a t ree, but a shrub, which sends out of t he eart h shoot s a span long like t he shoot s of canes,
which t hey also resemble in t he shape of t he leaves, only t hose of t he ginger are narrower. The
shoot s are good for not hing; t hat which makes ginger is t he root . When green, it is not so st rong
as when it is dry, and t o dry it t hey use lime, or else it would not keep.

The houses of t hese people are built like t hose already described, but are not so high above t he
ground, and are surrounded wit h canes aft er t he fashion of a hedge. The women here are ugly,
and go naked like t he ot hers, having only t heir middles covered wit h clot h made of bark. The men
also are naked, and not wit hst anding t hat t heir women are ugly, t hey are exceedingly jealous; and
amongst ot her t hings which displeased t hem, was t hat we came ashore wit hout cloaks,[238]
because t hey imagined t hat might cause t empt at ion t o t heir wives. Bot h men and women always
go barefoot .

Since I have spoken of clot h, I will relat e how t hey make it . They t ake a piece of bark and leave it
in wat er unt il it has grown soft ; t hey t hen beat it wit h wooden clubs t o ext end it in lengt h and
breadt h, as much as t hey please; ​t hus it becomes like a veil of raw silk wit h filament s enlaced
wit hin it , so t hat it appears as if it was woven.

Their bread is made wit h t he wood of a t ree like a palm t ree, and t hey make it in t his way. They
t ake a piece of t his wood, and ext ract from it cert ain long black t horns[239] which are sit uat ed
t here; t hen t hey pound it , and make bread of it which t hey call sagu. They make provisions of t his
bread for t heir sea voyages.

Every day t here came from Tarenat e many boat s laden wit h cloves, but we, because we were
wait ing for t he king, would not t raffic for t hose goods, but only for vict uals: and t he men of
Tarenat e complained much of t his.

On Sunday night , t he 24t h of November, t he king arrived, and on ent ering t he port had his drums
sounded, and passed bet ween our ships. We fired many bombards t o do him honour. He t old us
t hat for four days we should be cont inually supplied wit h cloves.

In effect , on Monday he sent seven hundred and ninet y one cat ils, wit hout t aking t are. To t ake
t are means t o t ake spice for less t han what it weighs, and t he reason of t his is because when
t hey are fresh, every day t hey diminish in weight . As t hese were t he first cloves which we t ook on
board, and t he principal object of our voyage, we fired our bombards for joy. Cloves are called
Gomode in t his place; in Sarangani where we t ook t he t wo pilot s t hey are called Bonglavan, and in
Malacca Chianche.[240]

Tuesday t he 26t h November t he King came t o t ell us t hat for us he had done what a King never
does here, t hat was t o leave his own island; but he had gone t o show t he affect ion he had for t he
King of Cast ile, and because when we had got our cargo, we could sooner ret urn t o Spain, and
aft erwards ret urn wit h great er forces t o avenge t he deat h ​of his fat her, who had been killed in an
island called Buru, and his body had been t hrown int o t he sea.

He aft erwards added t hat it was t he cust om in Tadore, when t he first cloves were embarked in a
vessel, or in junks, t hat t he king gave a feast t o t heir crews and merchant s, and t hey made
prayers t o God t o bring t hem in safet y t o t heir port . He wished t o do t he same for us, and at t he
same t ime t he feast would serve for t he King of Bachian, who was coming wit h a brot her of his
t o pay him a visit , and on t hat account he had t he st reet s cleaned. Hearing t his, some of us
began t o suspect some t reachery; all t he more because we learned t hat , not long before, t hree
Port uguese of t he companions of Francisco Serrano had been assassinat ed at t he place where
we got wat er, by some of t he islanders concealed in t he t hicket s; also we oft en saw t hem
whispering wit h t he Indians whom we had made prisoners. Therefore, alt hough some of us were
inclined t o accept t he invit at ion, we concluded not t o bet ake ourselves t hit her, recollect ing t he
unfort unat e feast given t o our men in t he island of Zubu, and we decided on a speedy depart ure.

Meant ime a message was sent t o t he king t o t hank him, and t o ask him t o come soon t o t he
ships, where we would deliver t o him t he four men we had promised him, wit h t he goods which we
had dest ined for him. The King came soon, and on ent ering t he ship, as t hough he had observed
t hat we had doubt s, said t hat he ent ered wit h as much confidence and securit y as int o his own
house. He made us feel how much he was displeased by our unexpect ed hast e t o depart , since
ships used t o employ t hirt y days in t aking in t heir cargo; and t hat if he had made a journey out of
t he island, he cert ainly had not done it t o injure us but t o assist us, so t hat we might more
speedily obt ain t he cloves which we required, and a part of which we were st ill expect ing. He
added t hat it was not t hen a fit season for navigat ing in t hose seas, on account of t he many
shoals near Bandan, and besides it would be a likely t hing t hat we should fall in wit h some
Port uguese ships. When, in spit e of what he had said, he saw we were st ill det ermined on going
away, he said t hat we must t ake back all t hat we had given him, since t he Kings, his neighbours,
would consider him as a man wit hout reput at ion for receiving so many present s in t he name of so
great a king as t he King of Spain, and he had given not hing in ret urn, and perhaps t hey would
suspect t hat t he Spaniards had gone away in such hast e for fear of some t reachery, so t hat t hey
would fix upon him t he name of t rait or. Then, in order t hat no suspicion might remain in our minds
of his honest y and good fait h, he ordered his Koran t o be brought , and kissing it devout ly he
placed it four or five t imes on his head whilst whispering cert ain words t o himself, wit h a rit e
which t hey call Zambehan,[241] and he said in t he presence of us all, t hat he swore by Allah and by
t he Koran, which he held in his hand, t hat he would ever be fait hful and a friend t o t he King of
Spain. He said all t his almost weeping and wit h so great an appearance of sincerit y and cordialit y,
t hat we promised t o prolong our sojourn at Tadore for anot her fort night . We t hen gave him t he
Royal signat ure and st andard. We learned lat er, by a sure and cert ain channel, t hat some of t he
chiefs of t hose islands had indeed counselled him t o kill all of us, by which t hing he would have
acquired for himself great merit wit h t he Port uguese, who would have given him good assist ance
t o avenge himself on t he King of Bachian, but he, loyal and const ant t o t he King of Spain, wit h
whom he had sworn a peace, had answered t hat he would never do such an act on any account
what ever.

Wednesday, t he 27t h November, t he king issued a ​proclamat ion t hat whoever had cloves might
freely sell t hem t o us. For which reason all t hat and t he following day, we bought cloves like
mad.[242]
Friday, in t he aft ernoon, t he governor of Machian came wit h many prahus, but he would not come
on shore, because his fat her and his brot her, who had been banished from Machian, had t aken
refuge here.

The following day t he King of Tadore, wit h his nephew, t he governor, named Humai, a man of
t went y-five years of age, came on board t he ships, and t he king, on hearing t hat we had no more
clot h, sent t o fet ch from his house six ells of red clot h, and gave t hem t o us in order t hat we
might , by adding ot her object s, make a fit t ing present t o t he governor. We made him t he present ,
and he t hanked us much, and said t hat soon he would send us plent y of cloves. At his depart ure
from t he ship we fired several bombards.

Sunday t he 1st day of December, t he above-ment ioned governor depart ed from Tadore; and we
were t old t hat t he king had made him a present of some silk clot hs and drums, for him t o send us
t he cloves sooner. On Monday, t he king himself went again out of t he island for t he same object .
Wednesday morning, as it was t he day of St . Barbara,[243] and on account of t he King's arrival all
t he art illery was discharged. The king came t o t he beach t o see how we fired rocket s and fire
balls, and t ook great pleasure in t hem.

Thursday and Friday we purchased a good many cloves bot h in t he cit y and at t he ships at a
much lower price, as t he t ime of our depart ure grew nearer. For four ells of riband[244] t hey gave a
bahar of cloves, for t wo lit t le chains of ​brass which were wort h a marcello,[245] t hey gave us a
hundred pounds; and at last each man being desirous of having his port ion of t he cargo, and as
t here were no more goods t o give in exchange for cloves, one gave his cloak, anot her his coat ,
and anot her a shirt or ot her clot hes t o obt ain t hem.

On Sat urday t hree sons of t he King of Tarenat e, wit h t heir wives, who were daught ers of our King
of Tadore, and aft erwards Pedro Alfonso, t he Port uguese, came t o t he ships. We gave a gilt
glass goblet t o each of t he brot hers, and t o t he t hree wives scissors and ot her t hings; and when
t hey went away we fired several bombards in t heir honour. We aft erwards sent on shore a
present of several t hings t o t he widow of t he King of Tarenat e, daught er of t he King Tadore,
who had not vent ured t o come on board t he ships.

Sunday t he 8t h December, we fired many bombards, rocket s, and fireballs t o celebrat e t he

Concept ion of our Lady. Monday in t he aft ernoon, t he King came t o t he ships wit h t hree women
who carried his bet el. It is t o be observed t hat no one can t ake women about wit h him except
t he king. Aft erwards t he King of Giailolo came t o see again our gun exercise.
Some days lat er, as t he day of our depart ure grew near, t he king showed us a sincere affect ion,
and among ot her obliging t hings, said t o us t hat it seemed t o him t hat he was a sucking child
whom it s mot her was about t o leave, and t hat he remained disconsolat e all t he more now t hat he
had become acquaint ed wit h us and liked several t hings of Spain, for which reason he ent reat ed
us not t o delay our ret urn t hence t o Tadore. Meant ime, he begged us t o leave ​him some of our
swivel guns[246] for his own defence. He warned us at t he same t ime not t o navigat e except by
daylight , on account of t he shoals and reefs which exist in t hese seas; but we answered him t hat
because of our need t o arrive in Spain as soon as possible, we were obliged t o navigat e night and
day: he t hen added t hat , being unable t o do anyt hing else, he would pray God every day t o bring
us home in safet y.

During t his t ime Pedro Alfonso de Lorosa had come t o t he ships wit h his wife and propert y t o
ret urn wit h us. Two days aft er, Kechilideroix, son of t he King of Tarenat e, came wit h a prahu well
filled wit h men, and approaching t he ships request ed Lorosa t o come int o his prahu; but Lorosa,
who suspect ed him, refused t o do so, and t old him he had det ermined on going away wit h t hose
ships t o Spain. For t he same suspicion he advised us not t o receive him in t he ships; and we did
not choose t hat he should come on board when he asked t o do so. It was known lat er t hat
Kechili was a great friend of t he Port uguese capt ain of Malacca, and had t he int ent ion of seizing
Lorosa and of conduct ing him t hit her; and on t hat account he severely reprimanded t hose
persons wit h whom t his Port uguese lived, for having let him depart wit hout his permission.

The king had informed us t hat t he King of Bachian would soon arrive, wit h a brot her of his who
was going t o marry one of his daught ers, and had asked us t o do him honour by firing bombards on
his arrival. He arrived on Sunday t he 15t h of December, in t he aft ernoon, and we did him honour as
t he king had desired; we did not , however, discharge t he heavier cannon, as we were heavily laden.
The king and his brot her came in a prahu wit h t hree banks of rowers on each side, a hundred and
t went y in number. The prahu was adorned wit h many st reamers made of whit e, yellow and red
parrot 's feat hers. They were ​sounding many cymbals, and t hat sound served t o give t he measure
t o t he rowers t o keep t ime. In t wo ot her prahus were t he damsels who were t o be present ed t o
t he bride. They ret urned us t he salut e by going round t he ships and round t he port .

As it is t he cust om t hat no king disembarks on t he land of anot her king, t he King of Tadore came
t o visit him of Bachian in his own prahu: t his one, seeing t he ot her coming, rose from t he carpet
on which he was sit t ing, and placed himself on one side t o make way for t he king of t he count ry;
but he, out of ceremony, would not sit on t he carpet , but sat on t he ot her side of it , leaving t he
carpet bet ween t hem. Then t he King of Bachian gave t o him of Tadore five hundred patol, as if in
payment of t he daught er he was giving as a wife t o his brot her. Patols are clot hs of gold and silk
worked in China, and are very much prized in t hese islands. Each of t hese clot hs is paid for wit h
t hree bahars of cloves more or less, according as t hey are more or less rich in gold and
embroidery. Whenever one of t he chief men die, his relat ions put on t hese clot hs t o do him
honour.

Monday, t he King of Tadore sent a dinner t o t he king of Bachian, carried by fift y women clot hed
wit h silk from t heir waist s t o t heir knees. They went t wo and t wo wit h a man bet ween in t he
midst of t hem. Each one carried a large dish upon which were small dishes wit h various viands; t en
of t he oldest of t hese women were t he mace-bearers. They proceeded in t his way t o t he prahu,
and present ed everyt hing t o t he king who was sit t ing on a carpet under a red and yellow canopy.
As t hey were ret urning, t hey caught some of our men who had come out of curiosit y and who
were obliged t o make t hem present s of some t rifle t o get free. Aft er t hat t he king sent also t o
us a present of goat s, cocoanut s, wine, and ot her t hings.

This day we bent on t he ships new sails, upon which was ​t he cross of St . James, of Gallicia, wit h
let t ers which said: "This is t he figure of our good fort une."

Tuesday, we present ed t o t he king some pieces of art illery; t hat is some arquebuses which we
had t aken as prizes in t he Indies, and some of our swivel-guns wit h four barrels of powder. We
t ook on board each ship eight y barrels of wat er. Wood we were t o find at t he island of Mare,
where t he king had already five days ago sent a hundred men t o prepare it , and near which we
were t o pass.

This day, t he King of Bachian, wit h t he consent of t he King of Tadore, came on shore, preceded
by four men holding up daggers in t heir hands, t o make alliance wit h us: he said, in t he presence of
t he King of Tadore and of all his suit e, t hat he would always be ready for t he service of t he King
of Spain, t hat he would keep in his name t he cloves left in his island by t he Port uguese, unt il
anot her Spanish squadron arrived t here, and he would not give t hem up wit hout his consent . He
sent t hrough us t o t he King of Spain a present of a slave and t wo bahars of cloves. He would
have wished t o have sent t en bahars, but our ships were so heavily laden, t hat we could not
receive any more.

He also gave us for t he King of Spain t wo most beaut iful dead birds. These birds are as large as
t hrushes; t hey have small heads, long beaks, legs slender like a writ ing pen, and a span in lengt h;
t hey have no wings, but inst ead of t hem long feat hers of different colours, like plumes: t heir t ail
is like t hat of t he t hrush. All t he feat hers, except t hose of t he wings, are of a dark colour; t hey
never fly, except when t he wind blows. They t old us t hat t hese birds come from t he t errest rial
Paradise, and t hey call t hem "bolon dinat a" t hat is divine birds.
The King of Bachian was a man of about sevent y years of age Not only did t he King of Bachian
recognise t he King of Spain as his Sovereign; but every king of ​Maluco wrot e t o him t hat he
desired always t o be his fait hful subject .

One day t he King of Tadore sent t o t ell our men, who dwelt in t he magazine for t he merchandise,
t hat t hey should t ake care not t o go out of t he house by night , since t here were cert ain men,
nat ives of t he count ry, who by anoint ing t hemselves, walk by night in t he shape of men wit hout
heads: and if t hey meet anyone t o whom t hey wish ill, t hey t ouch his hand and anoint his palm,
and t hat oint ment causes him soon t o grow ill, and die at t he end of t hree or four days. But if
t hey meet t hree or four persons t oget her t hey do not t ouch t hem, but make t hem giddy. He
added t hat he had a wat ch kept t o discover t hem, and he had already had several execut ed.

When t hey build a new house, before going t o inhabit it , t hey make a fire round it , and give many
feast s t here. Then t hey fast en t o t he roof of t he house a pat t ern or sample of everyt hing t hat is
t o be found in t he island, persuaded t hat by t hat means none of t hose t hings will be ever want ing
t o whoever inhabit s t he house.

Wednesday morning everyt hing was prepared for our depart ure from Maluco. The Kings of
Tadore, of Giailolo, and of Bachian, and a son of t he King of Tarenat e had come t o accompany us
as far as t he island of Mare. The ship "Vict oria" made sail and st ood out a lit t le, wait ing for t he
ship "Trinit y"; but she had much difficult y in get t ing up t he anchor, and meanwhile t he sailors
perceived t hat she was leaking very much in t he hold. Then t he "Vict oria" ret urned t o anchor in
her former posit ion. They began t o discharge t he cargo of t he "Trinit y" t o see if t he leak could be
st opped, for it was perceived t hat t he wat er came in wit h force as t hrough a pipe, but we were
never able t o find out at what part it came in. All t hat day and t he next we did not hing else but
work at t he pumps, but wit hout any advant age. ​Hearing t his, t he King of Tadore came at once t o
t he ships, and occupied himself wit h us in searching for t he leak. For t his purpose he sent int o t he
sea five of his men, who were accust omed t o remain a long t ime under t he wat er, and alt hough
t hey remained more t han half-an-hour t hey could not find t he fissure. As t he wat er inside t he ship
cont inually increased, t he king, who was as much affect ed by it as we were, and lament ing t his
misfort une, sent t o t he end of t he island for t hree ot her men, more skilful t han t he first at
remaining under wat er.

He came wit h t hem early t he next morning. These men dived under wat er wit h t heir hair loose,
t hinking t hat t heir hair, at t ract ed by t he wat er which penet rat ed int o t he ship, would indicat e t o
t hem t he leak, but t hough t hey remained more t han an hour in t he wat er, t hey did not find it . The
king, seeing t hat t here was no remedy for it , said wit h lament at ion, "Who will go t o Spain t o t ake
news of me t o t he king our lord?" We answered him t hat t he "Vict oria" would go t here, and would
sail at once t o t ake advant age of t he east winds, which had already commenced. The "Trinit y,"
meanwhile, would be refit t ed and would wait for t he west winds and go t o Darien, which is on t he
ot her side of t he sea, in t he count ry of Diucat an.[247] The king approved our t hought s, and said
t hat he had in his service t wo hundred and t went y-five carpent ers who would do all t he work
under t he direct ion of our men, and t hat t hose who should remain t here would be t reat ed as his
own children, and he said t his wit h so much emot ion t hat he moved us all t o t ears.

We, who were on board t he "Vict oria," fearing t hat she might open, on account of t he heavy cargo
and t he long voyage, light ened her by discharging sixt y hundred weight of cloves, which we had
carried t o t he house where t he crew of t he "Trinit y" were lodged. Some of our own ​c rew
preferred t o remain at Maluco rat her t han go wit h us t o Spain, because t hey feared t hat t he ship
could not endure so long a voyage, and because, mindful of how much t hey had suffered, t hey
feared t o die of hunger in mid-ocean.

Sat urday, t he 2lst December, day of St . Thomas t he Apost le, t he King of Tadore came t o t he
ships and brought us t he t wo pilot s, whom we had already paid, t o conduct us out of t hese
islands. They said t hat t he weat her was t hen good for sailing at once, but , having t o wait for t he
let t ers of our companions who remained behind, and who wished t o writ e t o Spain, we could not
sail t ill midday. Then t he ships t ook leave of one anot her by a mut ual discharge of bombards. Our
men accompanied us for some dist ance wit h t heir boat , and t hen wit h t ears and embraces we
separat ed. Juan Carvalho remained at Tadore wit h fift y-t hree of our men; we were fort y-seven
Europeans and t hirt een Indians.

The king's governor[248] came wit h us as far as t he island of Mare: we had hardly arrived t here
when four prahus laden wit h wood came up, which in less t han an hour we got on board. We t hen
t ook t he sout h-west course.

In all t he above-ment ioned islands of Maluco are t o be found cloves, ginger, sagu, which is t heir
bread made of wood, rice, cocoa-nut s, plant ains, almonds larger t han ours, sweet and bit t er
pomegranat es, sugar-canes, oil of cocoa and of sesame, melons, cucumbers, pumpkins,
comilicai,[249]
which is a refreshing fruit t he size of a wat er-melon, anot her fruit like a peach
called guave, and ot her eat able veget ables. They also have goat s and fowls, honey produced by
bees not larger t han ant s, which make t heir hives in t runks of t rees. There are also parrot s of
many kinds, and amongst t hem t here are whit e ones called Cat ara, and red ones called ​Nori,
which are t he most sought aft er, not so much for t he beaut y of t heir plumage, as because t hey
t alk more clearly. One of t hese is sold for a bahar of cloves.
It is hardly fift y years since t he Moors conquered Maluco and dwelt t here. Before t hat , t hese
islands were inhabit ed only by Gent iles, who did not care for t he cloves. There are st ill some
families of t hem who have t aken refuge in t he mount ains, where t he cloves grow.

The island of Tadore is in 0 deg. 27 min. Nort h lat it ude, and 161 deg. west of t he line of
demarcat ion;[250] it is 9 deg. 30 min. dist ant from t he first island of t his archipelago, named Zamal,
t o t he sout h-east and a quart er sout h. The island of Tarenat e is in 0 deg. 40 min. of N. lat it ude.
Mut ir is exact ly under t he equinoct ial line. Machian is in 0 deg. 15 min. S. lat it ude, and Bachian in 1
deg. of t he same lat it ude. Tarenat e, Tadore, Mut ir, and Machian, are like four high and point ed
mount ains,[251] upon which t he clove t rees grow. Bachian is not visible from t hese four islands,
but it is a larger island t han any of t hose. It s clove mount ain is not so high nor so point ed as
t hose of t he ot her islands, but it has a larger base.

(Book IV of the Milan Edition.)

Return from the Moluccas to Spain

Pursuing our voyage, aft er having t aken in wood at t he islet of Mare, we passed bet ween t he
following islands:—Caioan, Laigoma, Sico, Giogi, Cafi, Laboan [252]Toliman, ​T it amet i, Bachian,
Lat alat a, Jabobi, Mat a, and Bat ut iga. They t old us t hat in t he island of Cafi t he people were small
and dwarfed like t he Pigmies; t hey have been subject ed by force by t he King of Tadore. We
passed out side of Bat ut iga t o t he west , and we st eered bet ween west and sout h-west , and we
discovered some islet s t o t he sout h, on which account t he pilot s of Maluco said it would be
bet t er t o cast anchor so as not t o drift at night among many islet s and shoals. We, t herefore,
alt ered our course t o sout h-east , and went t o an island sit uat ed in 2 deg. S. lat it ude, and fift y-
t hree leagues from Maluco.

This island is named Sulach;[253] it s inhabit ant s are Gent iles, and have not got a king. They eat
human flesh; bot h men and women go naked, except a piece of t he bark of a t ree of t wo fingers'
breat h before t heir nat ural part s. There are many ot her islands around here inhabit ed by
ant hropophagi. These are t he names of some of t hem:—Silan, Noselao, Biga, At ulabaon, Leit imor,
Tenet um, Gonda, Kailaruru, Mandan and Benaia.[254] We left t o t he east t he islands named
Lamat ola and Tenet um.
Having run t en leagues from Sulach in t he same direct ion, we went t o a rat her large island named
Buru, in which we found plent y of vict uals, such as pigs, goat s, fowls, sugar-canes, cocoa-nut s,
sagu, a cert ain food of t heirs made of bananas called kanali,and chiacare, which here t hey call
Nanga.[255]The chiacare are fruit like wat er-melons, but knot t y on ​t he out side; inside t hey have
some small red fruit like plums, t hey have not got a st one in t he middle, but inst ead of t hat have
a cert ain pit h like a whit e bean, but larger, t hey are t ender t o eat like chest nut s. We found here
anot her fruit which ext ernally is like a pine cone, and it is yellow, but whit e inside; on cut t ing, it is
somet hing like a pear, but much soft er and bet t er t ast ed. Here it is called comilicai. The
inhabit ant s of t his island are Gent iles, and have no king: t hey go naked like t hose of Sulach. The
island of Buru is in 3 deg. 30 min. S. lat it ude, and sevent y-five leagues from Maluco.

To t he east of t his island, at a dist ance of t en leagues, t here is anot her one larger, and which
borders on Giailolo, and it is named Ambon.[256] It is inhabit ed by Moors and Gent iles, but t he
former are on t he sea shore, and t he ot hers in t he int erior; t hese are also ant hropophagi. The
product s of t his island are t he same as t hose of Buru. Bet ween Buru and Ambon, t here are t hree
islands surrounded by reefs named Vudia, Kailaruru and Benaia. To t he sout h of Buru, at a dist ance
of four leagues, is anot her small island named Ambalao.

At t hirt y-five leagues from Buru, sout h and a quart er sout h-west , is Bandan, wit h t hirt een ot her
islands. In six of t hem grow mace and nut meg. Zoroboa is t he largest of t hem, Chelicel,
Saniananpi, Pulai, Puluru, and Rasoghin, t he ot her six are Unuveru, Pulanbaracan, Lailaca, Mamica,
Man, and Meut . In t hese islands nut megs are not found, but only sagu, rice, cocoanut s, bananas,
and ot her fruit s, and t hey are near one anot her. The inhabit ant s of t hese are Moors, and have no
king. Bandan is in 6 deg. of S. lat it ude, and 163 deg. 30 min. longit ude from t he line of
demarcat ion. As t his island was a lit t le out of our course, we did not go t o it .

Leaving t he island of Buru in t he direct ion sout h-west and a quart er west , about eight degrees of
lat it ude,[257]we arrived at t hree ot her islands near each ot her named Zolot ,[258]
Nocemamor, and
Galian. Whilst we sailed amidst t hese islands, a great st orm fell upon us, for which we made a
vow of a pilgrimage t o our Lady della Guida. We put t he ship before t he st orm and made for a
rat her high island, which aft erwards we learned was named Mallua, but before we could reach it ,
we had t o st ruggle much wit h t he squalls of wind which descended from t he mount ains and wit h
t he current s. The inhabit ant s of t his island are savages, and more beast s t han men; t hey eat
human flesh; t hey go naked, except t he usual piece of bark t o cover t heir nat ural part s. But when
t hey go t o fight t hey wear on t he back, t he breast , and t he flanks, pieces of buffalo hide,
ornament ed wit h shells,[259] and boars' t usks, and t ails of goat skins, hanging before and behind.
They wear t he hair raised high up by means of cane combs wit h long t eet h, which go t hrough it .
They wrap up t heir beards wit h leaves, and enclose t hem in cases or t ubes of reed, a t hing which
seemed t o us very ridiculous. In one word t hese were t he ugliest men we had seen in t hese
Indies. Bot h t heir bows and arrows are made of reeds, and t hey carry t heir food in bags made of
leaves. When t heir women saw us t hey came t owards us wit h t heir bows drawn, but when we had
given t hem some present s we soon became friends.

We passed fift een days in t his island in caulking t he ship whose sides had suffered. We found
here goat s, fowls, wax, cocoanut s, and pepper. For a pound of old iron t hey gave fift een pounds
of wax or of pepper.

There are t wo kinds of pepper here, t he long and t he round. The long pepper is like t he flower of
t he hazel t ree ​in wint er; it s plant is like ivy, and like it clings t o t rees; it s leaves are like t hose of
t he mulberry t ree; it is called luli. The round pepper grows like t he ot her, but it s fruit is in ears like
Indian corn, and t he grains are pulled off in t he same manner; it is called lada. The fields here are
full of pepper plant s.

Here we t ook a man t o conduct us t o some island where we could find plent y of vict uals.

The island of Mallua is in 8 deg. 30 min. S. lat it ude, and 169 deg. 40 min. longit ude from t he line of
demarcat ion.

The old pilot from Maluco relat ed t o us, whilst sailing, t hat in t his neighbourhood t here was an
island named Aruchet e, t he inhabit ant s of which, men and women, are not more t han one cubit
high, and t hey have ears as large and as long as t hemselves, so t hat when t hey lie down one
serves t hem for a mat t ress, and wit h t he ot her t hey cover t hemselves.[260] They are shorn and
naked, t heir voices are shrill, and t hey run very swift ly. They dwell under ground, live on fish and a
cert ain subst ance which grows bet ween t he bark and t he wood of a t ree, which is whit e and
round like coriander comfit s, and which is named ambulon. We would have gone t here willingly, but
t he shoals and current s did not allow of it .

Sat urday t he 25t h of January, (1522), at 22 o'clock,[261] we left t he island of Mallua; and t he
following day, having run five leagues t o t he sout h-sout h-east , we arrived at a large island called
Timor. I went ashore alone t o speak t o t he head man of a village named Amaban, about his
providing us wit h vict uals. He offered me buffaloes, pigs, and goat s, but when it was a quest ion
of t he goods which he want ed in exchange, we could not come t o an agreement , because he
asked a great deal, and we had got very lit t le t o give. Then as we were const rained by hunger, we
t ook t he ​measure of det aining on board t he ship t he chief of anot her village named Balibo, who
had come t here in good fait h wit h a son of his; and we imposed upon him as a ransom for
recovering his libert y, t o give six buffaloes, t en pigs, and t en goat s. He, being much afraid t hat we
should kill him, quickly gave orders t o have all t his brought t o us; and as t here were only five
goat s and t wo pigs t hey gave us inst ead an addit ional buffalo. We t hen sent him ashore wit h his
son, and he was well pleased when we not only left him free, but also gave him some linen, some
Indian clot hs of silk and cot t on, some hat chet s, some Indian knives, scissors, looking-glasses,
and some of our knives.

The chief man, whom I went t o speak t o first , has only women in his service; all were naked like
t hose of t he neighbouring islands, and wear in t heir ears small gold rings wit h t uft s of silk hanging
from t hem; on t heir arms t hey wear many rings of gold and copper, which oft en cover t hem up t o
t he elbow. The men are naked like t he women, and wear at t ached t o t heir necks round plat es of
gold, and on t heir heads reed combs ornament ed wit h gold rings. Some of t hem, inst ead of gold
rings, wore in t heir ears dried necks of gourds.

In t his island t here are buffaloes, pigs, and goat s, as has been said; t here are also fowls and
parrot s of various colours. There is also rice, bananas, ginger, sugar canes, oranges, lemons, beans
and almonds.

We had approached t hat part of t he island where t here were some villages wit h t heir chiefs or
head men. On t he ot her side of t he island are t he dwellings of four kings, and t heir dist rict s are
named Oibich, Lichsana, Suai, and Cabanaza. Oibich is t he largest place. We were t old t hat in a
mount ain near Cabanaza, very much gold is found, and it s inhabit ant s buy what ever t hey want
wit h small pieces of gold. All t he t rade in sandal wood and wax, carried on by t he people of
Malacca and Java, is done here; and ​indeed, we found here a junk which had come from Lozon[262]
t o t rade in sandal wood; for whit e sandal wood only grows in t his count ry.

These people are Gent iles; we were t old t hat when t hey go t o cut sandal wood, t he devil
appears t o t hem in various forms, and t ells t hem t hat if t hey want anyt hing t hey should ask him
for it ; but t his apparit ion fright ens t hem so much, t hat t hey are ill of it for some days.[263] The
sandal wood is cut at a cert ain phase of t he moon, and it is assert ed t hat if cut at anot her t ime it
would not be good. The merchandise most fit t ing for bart ering here for sandal wood is red clot h,
linen, hat chet s, iron, and nails.

This island is ent irely inhabit ed. It ext ends a long way from east t o west , and lit t le from nort h t o
sout h. It s sout h lat it ude is in 10 deg., and t he longit ude 174 deg. 30 min. from t he line of
demarcat ion.
In all t hese islands t hat we visit ed in t his archipelago, t he evil of Saint Job prevailed, and more
here t han in any ot her place, where t hey call it "for franki", t hat is t o say, Port uguese illness.[264]

We were t old t hat at a day's voyage, west -nort h-west from Timor, t here was an island in which
much cinnamon grows, called Ende;[265] it s inhabit ant s are Gent iles, and have no king. Near t his are
many ot hers forming a series of islands as far as Java Major, and t he Cape of Malacca. The
names of t hese islands are Ende, Tanabut on, Crenochile, Bimacore, Azanaran, Main, Zubava,
Lombok, Chorum, and Java Major, which by t he inhabit ant s is not called Java but Jaoa.

In t his island of Java are t he largest t owns; t he principal of t hem is Magepaher

[266] t he king of
which, when he lived, was t he great est of all t he kings of t he neighbouring islands, and he was
named Raja Pat iunus Sunda. Much pepper grows t here. The ot her t owns are—Dahadama,
Gagiamada, Minut arangam, Ciparafidain, Tuban, Cressi,[267] and Cirubaya.[268] At half a league from
Java Major are t he islands of Bali, called Java Minor, and Madura, t hese are of equal size.

They t old us t hat in Java Major, it was t he cust om when one of t he chief men died, t o burn his
body; and t hen his principal wife, adorned wit h garlands of flowers, has herself carried in a chair by
four men t hroughout t he t own, wit h a t ranquil and smiling count enance, whilst comfort ing her
relat ions, who are afflict ed because she is going t o burn herself wit h t he corpse of her husband,
and encouraging t hem not t o lament , saying t o t hem, "I am going t his evening t o sup wit h my dear
husband, and t o sleep wit h him t his night ." Aft erwards, when close t o t he place of t he pyre, she
again t urns t owards t he relat ions, and aft er again consoling t hem, cast s herself int o t he fire and
is burned. If she did not do t his she would not be looked upon as an honourable woman, nor as a
fait hful wife.

Our old pilot relat ed t o us ot her ext ravagant t hings. He t old us t hat t he young men of Java .... and
t hat in an island called Ocoloro, below Java Major, t here are only women who become pregnant
wit h t he wind, and when t hey bring it fort h, if t he child is a male, t hey kill it , and if a female, t hey
bring it up; and if any man visit s t heir island, whenever t hey are able t o kill him, t hey do so.

They also relat ed t o us t hat beyond Java Major, t owards t he nort h in t he Gulf of China, which t he
ancient s named Sinus Magnus, t here is an enormous t ree named ​Campanganghi,[269] in which
dwell cert ain birds named Garuda,[270] so large t hat t hey t ake wit h t heir claws, and carry away
flying, a buffalo, and even an elephant , t o t he place of t he t ree, which place is named Puzat haer.
The fruit of t his t ree is called Buapanganghi, and is larger t han a wat er melon. The Moors of
Burné, whom we had wit h us in t he ships, t old as t hey had seen t wo of t hese birds, which had
been sent t o t heir king from t he kingdom of Siam. No junk, or ot her vessel, can approach t his t ree
wit hin t hree or four leagues, on account of t he great whirlpools which t he wat er makes t here.
They relat ed t o us, moreover, how in a wonderful manner what is relat ed of t his t ree became
known, for a junk, having been carried t here by t he whirlpools, was broken up, and all t he seamen
perished, except a child who at t ached himself t o a plank and was miraculously borne near t he
t ree, upon which he mount ed. There he placed himself under t he wing of one of t hese birds,
which was asleep, wit hout it s perceiving him, and next day t he bird having t aken flight carried him
wit h it , and having seen a buffalo on t he land, descended t o t ake it ; t he child t ook advant age of
t he opport unit y t o come out from under it s wing, and remained on t he ground. In t his manner t he
st ory of t hese birds and of t he t ree became known, and it was underst ood t hat t hose fruit s
which are frequent ly found in t he sea came from t hat place.

We were t old t hat t here were in t hat kingdom, on t he banks of t he rivers, cert ain birds which
feed on carrion, but which will not t ouch it unless anot her bird has first eat en it s heart .

The Cape of Malacca is in 1 deg. 30 min. of S. lat it ude. To t he east of t hat Cape are many cit ies
and t owns, of a few of which I will not e t he names—Singapola, which is at t he Cape, Pahan,
Kalant an, Pat ani, Bradlini, Benan, ​Lagon, Cheregigharan, Trombon, Joran, Ciu, Brabri, Banga, Iudia,
Jandibum, Laun, Langonpifa. All t hese cit ies are const ruct ed like ours, and are subject t o t he King
of Siam who is named Siri Zacabedera, and who inhabit s Iudia.

Beyond Siam is sit uat ed Camogia; it s king is named Saret Zacabedera; next Chiempa, t he king of
which is named Raja Brahami Mart u. There grows t he rhubarb, and it is found in t his manner: men
go t oget her in companies of t went y or t went y-five, t o t he woods, and at night ascend t he t rees,
bot h t o get out of t he way of t he lions, t he elephant s, and ot her wild beast s, and also t o be able
bet t er t o smell t he odour of t he rhubarb borne t o t hem by t he wind. In t he morning t hey go t o
t hat quart er whence t hey have perceived t hat t he odour comes, and seek for t he rhubarb t ill
t hey find it . This is t he rot t en wood of a large t ree, which acquires it s odour by put refact ion.[271]
The best part of t he t ree is t he root , but t he t runk is also good, which is called Calama.

The kingdom of Cocchi[272] lies next , it s sovereign is named Raja Seri Bummipala. Aft er t hat
follows Great China, t he king of which is t he great est sovereign of t he world, and is called Sant oa
raja. He has sevent y crowned kings under his dependence; and some of t hese kings have t en or
fift een lesser kings dependent on t hem. The port of t his kingdom is named Guant an,[273] and
among t he many cit ies of t his empire, t wo are t he most import ant , namely Nankin and Comlaha,
where t he king usually resides.

He has four of his principal minist ers close t o his palace, at t he four sides looking t o t he four
cardinal winds, t hat is, one t o t he west , one t o t he east , t o t he sout h, and ​t o t he nort h. Each of
t hese gives audience t o t hose t hat come from his quart er. All t he kings and lords of India major
and superior obey t his king, and in t oken of t heir vassalage, each is obliged t o have in t he middle
of t he principal place of his cit y t he marble figure of a cert ain animal named Chinga, an animal
more valiant t han t he lion; t he figure of t his animal is also engraved on t he king's seal, and all who
wish t o ent er his port must carry t he same emblem in wax or ivory.

If any lord is disobedient t o him, he is flayed, and his skin, dried in t he sun, salt ed, and st uffed, is
placed in an eminent part of t he public place, wit h t he head inclined and t he hands on t he head in
t he at t it ude of doing zongu, t hat is obeisance t o t he king.

He is never visible t o anybody; and if he wishes t o see his people, he is carried about t he palace
on a peacock most skilfully manufact ured, and very richly adorned, wit h six ladies dressed
exact ly like himself, so t hat he cannot be dist inguished from t hem. He aft erwards passes int o a
richly-adorned figure of a serpent called Naga, which has a large glass in t he breast , t hrough
which he and t he ladies are seen, but it is not possible t o dist inguish which is t he king. He marries
his sist ers in order t hat his blood should not mix wit h t hat of ot hers.

His palace has seven walls round it , and in each circle t here are daily t en t housand men on guard,
who are changed every t welve hours at t he sound of a bell. Each wall has it s gat e, wit h a guard at
each gat e. At t he first st ands a man wit h a great scourge in his hand, named Sat uhoran[274] wit h
Sat ubagan; at t he second a dog called Sat uhain;[275] at t he t hird, a man wit h an iron mace, called
Sat uhoran wit h pocumbecin;[276] at t he fourt h, a man wit h a bow in his hand, called Sat uhoran wit h
anat panan;[277] at t he fift h, a man wit h a lance, called Sat uhoran, wit h t umach;[278] at t he sixt h, a
lion called Sat uhorimau;[279] at t he sevent h, t wo whit e elephant s called Gagiaput e.

The palace cont ains sevent y-nine halls, in which dwell only t he ladies dest ined t o serve t he king;
t here are always t orches burning t here. It is not possible t o go round t he palace in less t han a
day. In t he upper part of it are four halls where t he minist ers go t o speak t o t he king: one is
ornament ed wit h met al, bot h t he pavement and t he walls; anot her is all of silver, anot her all of
gold, and t he ot her is set wit h pearls and precious st ones. The gold and ot her valuable t hings
which are brought as t ribut e t o t he king are placed in t hese rooms; and when t hey are t here
deposit ed, t hey say, Let t his be for t he honour and glory of our Sant oa Raja. All t hese t hings and
many ot hers relat ing t o t his king, were narrat ed t o us by a Moor, who said t hat he had seen t hem.

The Chinese are whit e, and are clot hed; t hey eat on t ables like us. They have crosses, but it is
not known why t hey have t hem.

It is from China t hat musk comes; t he animal which produces it is a kind of cat , like t he civet cat ;
it eat s not hing but a cert ain soft wood, slender as a finger, named chamaru. To ext ract t he musk
from t his animal t hey at t ach a leech t o it , and leave it t ill it is full of blood, and when t hey see
t hat it is well filled, t hey crush it , and collect t he blood in a plat e, and put it in t he sun for four or
five days, moist ening it every day wit h urine. In t his way it becomes perfect musk. Whoever
keeps one of t hese cat s pays a t ribut e t o t he king. The grains of musk which come t o Europe as
musk, are only small pieces of kid's flesh soaked in real ​musk, and not t he blood, since t hough it
can be made int o grains, it easily evaporat es. The cat which produces musk is called cast or, and
t he leech is called Lint a.

Cont inuing along t he coast of China, many nat ions are met wit h, and t hey are t hese: t he Chienchi,
who inhabit t he islands in which t hey fish for pearls, and where t he cinnamon grows. The Lecchii
inhabit t he mainland: t he ent rance t o t heir port is t raversed by a large rock, for which reason all
t he junks and vessels which wish t o ent er must t ake down t heir mast s. The king of t his count ry is
called Moni. He has on t he mainland t went y kings under him, and he is subject t o t he King of
China: his capit al is Baranaci, and here is sit uat ed Orient al Cat hay. Han is a high and cold island,
where t here is copper, silver, pearls, and silk; it s king is named Raja Zot ra. There is also Miliaula,
t he king of which is named Raja Quet ischeniga, and Guio, t he king of which is Raja Sudacali. These
places are cold and on t he mainland. Friagonba and Trianga are t wo islands which also produce
copper, silver, pearls, and silk; t heir king is Raja Ruzon. Bassi is a low land on t he cont inent . There
come aft erwards Sumbdit and Pradit , t wo islands very rich in gold, where t he men wear a large
ring of gold round t he ancle. In t he neighbouring mount ains dwell people who kill t heir parent s
when t hey are old, so t hat t hey may cease from t ravail. All t he people of t hese count ries are
Gent iles.

Tuesday night (bet ween it and Wednesday,) on t he 11t h of February of 1522, we left t he island
of Timor, and ent ered upon t he great sea named Laut Chidol [280] and t aking a west -sout h-west
course, we left t o t he right and t o t he Nort h, from fear of t he Port uguese, t he island of Zumat ra,
ancient ly named Taprobana; also Pegu, Bengala, Urizza, Chelim, where are t he Malabars, subject s
of t he King of Narsinga: Calicut which is under t he same king; Cambaya ​in which are t he Guzerat is;
Cananor, Goa, Armus, and all t he ot her coast of India major.

In t his kingdom dwell six classes of persons, t hat is t o say: Nairs, Panicals, Franas, Pangelins,
Macuas, and Poleas. The Nairs are t he chiefs; t he Panicals are t he t ownspeople; t hese t wo
classes live and converse t oget her. The Franas collect t he wine from t he palm t rees and t he
bananas. The Macuas are fishermen; and t he Poleas sow and harvest t he rice; t hese last always
dwell in t he fields, and never ent er t he cit y, and when it is desired t o give t hem anyt hing, it is
placed on t he ground and t hey t ake it . When t hey go along t he roads t hey always cry out , po, po,
po, t hat is t ake care of yourself; and we were t old t hat a Nair who had been accident ally t ouched
by a Polea, not t o survive such a disgrace, had himself killed.

In order t o double t he Cape of Good Hope, we went as far as 42° Sout h lat it ude, and we
remained off t hat cape for nine weeks, wit h t he sails st ruck on account of t he West ern and
Nort h-west ern gales which beat against our bows wit h fierce squalls. The Cape of Good Hope is
in 34° 30' Sout h lat it ude, 1600 leagues dist ant from t he Cape of Malacca, and it is t he largest
and most dangerous cape in t he world.

Some of our men, and among t hem t he sick, would have liked t o land at a place belonging t o t he
Port uguese called Mozambique, bot h because t he ship made much wat er, and because of t he
great cold which we suffered; and much more because we had not hing but rice and wat er for
food and drink, all t he meat of which we had made provision having put rified, for t he want of salt
had not permit t ed us t o salt it . But t he great er number of us, prizing honour more t han life it self,
decided on at t empt ing at any risk t o ret urn t o Spain.

At lengt h, by t he aid of God, on t he 6t h of May, we passed t hat t errible cape, but we were
obliged t o approach it wit hin only five leagues dist ance, or else we should never have passed it .
We t hen sailed t owards t he nort h-west ​f or t wo whole mont hs wit hout ever t aking rest ; and in
t his short t ime we lost t went y-one men bet ween Christ ians and Indians. We made t hen a curious
observat ion on t hrowing t hem int o t he sea, t hat was t hat t he Christ ians remained wit h t he face
t urned t o t he sky, and t he Indians wit h t he face t urned t o t he sea. If God had not grant ed us
favourable weat her, we should all have perished of hunger.

Const rained by ext reme necessit y, we decided on t ouching at t he Cape Verde Islands, and on
Wednesday t he 9t h of July, we t ouched at one of t hose islands named St . James's. Knowing t hat
we were in an enemy's count ry, and amongst suspicious persons, on sending t he boat ashore t o
get provision of vict uals, we charged t he seamen t o say t o t he Port uguese t hat we had sprung
our foremast under t he equinoct ial line (alt hough t his misfort une had happened at t he Cape of
Good Hope), and t hat our ship was alone, because whilst we t ried t o repair it , our capt ain-general
had gone wit h t he ot her t wo ships t o Spain. Wit h t hese good words, and giving some of our
merchandise in exchange, we obt ained t wo boat -loads of rice.

In order t o see whet her we had kept an exact account of t he days, we charged t hose who went
ashore t o ask what day of t he week it was, and t hey were t old by t he Port uguese inhabit ant s of
t he island t hat it was Thursday, which was a great cause of wondering t o us, since wit h us it was
only Wednesday. We could not persuade ourselves t hat we were mist aken; and I was more
surprised t han t he ot hers, since having always been in good healt h, I had every day, wit hout
int ermission, writ t en down t he day t hat was current . But we were aft erwards advised t hat t here
was no error on our part , since as we had always sailed t owards t he west , following t he course of
t he sun, and had ret urned t o t he same place, we must have gained t went y-four hours, as is clear
t o any one who reflect s upon it . ​T he boat , having ret urned for rice a second t ime t o t he shore,
was det ained, wit h t hirt een men[281]who were in it . As we saw t hat , and, from t he movement in
cert ain caravels, suspect ed t hat t hey might wish t o capt ure us and our ship, we at once set sail.
We aft erwards learned, some t ime aft er our ret urn, t hat our boat and men had been arrest ed,
because one of our men had discovered t he decept ion, and said t hat t he capt ain-general was
dead, and t hat our ship was t he only one remaining of Magellan's fleet .

At last , when it pleased Heaven, on Sat urday t he 6t h of Sept ember of t he year 1522, we ent ered
t he bay of San Lucar; and of sixt y men who composed our crew when we left Maluco, we were
reduced t o only eight een,[282]and t hese for t he most part sick. Of t he ot hers, some died of
hunger, some had run away at t he island of Timor, and some had been condemned t o deat h for
t heir crimes.

From t he day when we left t his bay of San Lucar unt il our ret urn t hit her, we reckoned t hat we had
run more t han fourt een t housand four hundred and sixt y leagues, and we had complet ed going
round t he eart h from East t o West .

Monday t he 8t h of Sept ember, we cast anchor near t he mole of Seville, and discharged all t he
art illery.

Tuesday, we all went in shirt s and barefoot , wit h a t aper in our hands t o visit t he shrine of St .
Maria of Vict ory, and of St . Maria de Ant igua.

Then, leaving Seville, I went t o Valladolid, where I present ed t o his Sacred Majest y Don Carlos,
neit her gold nor silver, but t hings much more precious in t he eyes of so great a Sovereign. I
present ed t o him among ot her t hings, a book writ t en by my hand of all t he t hings t hat had
occurred day by day in our voyage. I depart ed t hence as I was best able, and went t o Port ugal,
and relat ed t o King John t he t hings which I had seen. Ret urning t hrough Spain, I came t o France,
where I present ed a few t hings ​f rom t he ot her hemisphere t o Madam t he Regent , mot her of t he
most Christ ian King Don Francis.[283] Aft erwards, I t urned t owards It aly, where I est ablished for
ever my abode, and devot ed my leisure and vigils t o t he very illust rious and noble lord, Philip de
Villiers Lisleadam, t he very wort hy grand mast er of Rhodes.

The Chevalier,
 Anthoyne Pigaphete.

1. Son Seigneur osservatissirne.

2. Charles V was elected Emperor the 28th June, 1519.

3. Chiericato. Milan edition.

4. Clement VII (Medici) was elected Pontiff in 1523, and died in 1534.

5. Monterosi. Milan edition.

6. The Milan edition attributes this desire to the Pope.

7. Fortunes.
8. Jonq.

9. Estrenque, made of esparta.

10. Bonnette=stun sail, formerly added below the square sail.

11. Groupade.

12. Milan edition adds here, formerly.

13. 1519

14. Garbin and Libeccio.

15. South-east.

16. Donnassent à travers.

17. La grande gabbe.

18. N'avoyent point de fondement.

19. In reality this bird swallows the fish which it forces the fishing bird to disgorge.
20. The Milan edition has "flesh of the Anta, like that of a cow"; and a note says the anta is the tapir.

21. Haim.

22. Aigucillette, same as esquillette.

23. Coffin.

24. Naveau, for navette.

25. Le jour de Saincte Lucie aux auantz de Noel.

26. Par zenit.

27. Or of Lespere.

28. Rabotent.

29. Papegaulx.
30. Fabre's French printed edition, and the Italian edition of 1536, both include the women and children:—"Quasi tons tant
homes que femmes que enfants ont trois pertuis en la levre dembas," etc. "Tutti gli huomini donne et fanciulli hanno
tre buchi," etc.

31. Tané.
32. De petites chattes maymounes.

33. Leur lombric sin leschine.

34. Milan edition calls it wood of Brasile.

35. Musser

*-* This passage is from MS. No. 68, the Regent Louisa's copy, for whom it appears to have been adapted; that in No.
5650, and in Amoretti and Fabre's editions, is less fit for publication: the words from * to ² are omitted in No. 68.
36. The 1536 edition omits the story of the girl, and instead says:—

"Nella prima costa di terra che ariuammo, ad alcune femine schiavo che haueuamo leuate ne le naui d'altri paesi, &
erano grauide vennero le doglie del parto, per il che loro sole si uscirono di naue,& smontorono in terra, & partorito
che hebbero con li figluoli in braccio se ne ritornarono subito in nave."

Fabre says:—

"En la premiere coste que passerent aulcunes esclaves enfanterent et quant estoient en traveil se mirent hors du
basteau et après retournerent au basteau et nourrirent leurs enfans."
This story is improbable, as women were not allowed to come on board ship. Fabre then relates the story of the
young girl.

37. Canibali.

38. Solis

39. "Contremont."
40. Falkner (1774, Hereford) in his account of Patagonia, says he saw men among the Puelches seven feet six inches
high.
41. "Combien."

42. The guanaco, a kind of Lama.

43. "Empanées."

44. "Besongnes."

45. "Brasse."
46. "Sayon."

47. "Bragues marinieres."

48. "Bouffer", to be angry, also to blow, to puff.

49. Setebos, though represented by the Spaniards as a demon, would, no doubt, be the Patagonian name of the Deity.
Shakespeare has twice brought in Setebos in the Tempest, as invoked by Caliban. There can be no doubt of his
having got the name of Setebos from the account of Magellan's voyage.

50. "Carvalho."
51. "Escouppetes."

52. "Collère."
53. "Et lient leur membre dedans le corps pour le très grand froid."

54. On account of their large feet.

55. "Egiptiens."
56. Coffin.

57. Milan edition calls him "vehadore", overseer or purveyor.

58. "Contador." Milan edition.

59. "Quesada."
60. Maximilian, the Transylvanian, relates that when Gomez abandoned Magellan in the Straits, he returned by this spot
and picked up these two men.
61. "Capres," mussels or oysters; the Milan edition adds, that they were not eatable.

62. "Connins.
63. "Plus petites assez que les notres:" "assai piu piccoli". Milan edition.

64. "Scameux."
65. The MS. is thus divided, but without numbers to the chapters.

66. "Et quasi autant de largeur moms de demye lieue."

67. "La mer paisible."

68. "Surgir."

69. "De mettre les proysses en terre."

70. Martin Behaim, who lived at Fayal and Nuremberg. A globe was constructed at Nuremberg under the instructions of
Martin Behaim in 1492, and given by him to the town of Nuremberg. This globe disproves the idea that Martin Behaim
or his maps had indicated to Magellan any straits, for the whole continent of America is absent from it.

71. "Trauerse."

72. "Chevaucher."
73. "Entrer à sec."

74. "Canton."
75. ("Comme abandonnans.")

76. "Souspecon."
77. His name was Estevan Gomez.

78. Cousin.

79. "A la fin."

80. "Apium dulce."

81. Golondrina in Spanish, a swallow

82. In the Milan edition "Barba", the beard.

83. "Lapis lazuli", in the Milan edition "Gemma"

84. In the Milan edition "nieve", snow.

85. In the Milan edition "coprire, couvrir".

86. An ostrich, not in the Milan edition.

87. Not in the Milan edition

88. "Flairer, odorat," to smell.

89. Food, the root used as bread.

90. A parrot, not in the Milan edition.

91. This passage is not quite clear:—"Quand il me veyt escripre ces noms après luy demandant des aultres il mentendoit
auecq la plume en main."

92. The printed edition of Milan has: "ammalato dell' infermita di cui mori."
93. "Antena magiore."

94. "Sartia."
 95. "Segature de asse." "Segature di tavole." Milan.

96. "Escu, mezzo-ducato." Milan edition.

97. Effects of scurvy. Gama’s seamen suffered in the same way, after passing the Cape of Good Hope.

98. "Nous allasmes en ung goulfe."

99. "En tirant au vent haustral." For these islands, see the log book of Francisco Albo.

100. The Milan edition has here: "According to the reckoning we made with the chain astern."
101. "Aulcunesfoys a lorce ou autrement."

102. The Milan edition has here the words: "All round the earth," which makes the meaning clearer.

103. "Car on y veoit plusieurs estoilles petites congregées ensemble qui sont en guise de deux nuées ung peu separées
l'une de l'autre, et ung peu obfusquées." The Magellanic clouds.

104. "Au milieu desquelles sont deux estelles non trop grandes ne moult reluysantes, et petitement se mouvent." The
Milan edition has: "Due stelle molto grande e rilucenti, che hanno poco moto."

105. "Nostre calamite ung peu tiroit toujours a son pol arctique. Neantmoins navoit point tant de force comme de son
coste et sa bande." Milan edition has: "La nostra calamita volgeasi sempre al polo artico, deviando però alcun poco
dal punto del settentrione."

106. "Goulfe, in mezzo al mare."

107. "Le captaine-general demanda a tous les pillotz aflant tousiours a la voyle par quel chemyn nauigant on puntuast es
cartes. Lesquelz tous respondirent par sa voye punctuellement donnée. Et il respondit quilz punctuoyent faulsement
(chose qui estoit ainsi), et quil conuenoit auister laigueille du nauiguer porce que ne recepuoit tant de force comme
de sa part." The Milan edition has: "Cïo ben sapeva il nostro capitano generale, e perciò, quando ci trovanno
veleggiando in mezzo al mare, egli domando a tutti i piloti, ai quali già indicato aveva il punto a cui doveano tendere,
per qual cammino puntassero nelle loro carte; risposer tutti, che puntavano al luogo da lui ordinato: ed egli disse che
puntavano falso; e che conveniva ajutare l'ago calamitato, il quale in tal posizione non era attrato con tanta forza,
quanto lo è dalla sua parte, cioè nell' emisfero boreale."

108. "Et sont tres justes l'une avecques laultre." Milan: "Ed esattamente disposte in forma di croce." Dante may have heard
of the S. Cross through Marco Polo.

109. "Du vent de midy."

110. "Le mydy."

111. "Vers le leuant"; it should be "ponant."

112. Cattigara. Cape Comorin, in 8 deg. 27 min. N. latitude.

113. The Milan edition has seventy.

114. "La volte du vent de maestral."

115. The Milan edition has here: "Which did not fail to cause compassion."
116. The Milan edition has for "I believe", "certainly".

117. Bananas or plaintains.

118. Stores

119. "Nattes."
120. "Baston."

121. Milan edition, "fusiniere": boats named after Fusine, from which people are ferried to Venice.

122. For paddles.

123. Now called Samar, in the Philippine group.

124. Instead of these words the Milan edition has: "Which later we learned was named Humunù." Amoretti says this
island is situated near Cape Guigan of the Island of Samar.

125. Amoretti presumes this sow was brought from the Ladrones. Desbrosses, t. ii, p. 55.
126. "Congé."

127. "Apparant." Milan edition, "principale".

128. "Apparant." Milan edition, "ornati".

129. The Milan edition adds here: "We learned that the island which they came from was named Zuluan, and it is a small
island."
130. Milan: "Sociable."

131. Arrak.
132. Bananas. The Milan edition has: "More than a palm in length."

133. Cocoa-nuts.

134. "Verdeur."
135. Here the Milan edition adds: "And reduced it to flour."

136. Milan edition has: "Takes the consistency of honey."

137. Milan edition has: "Thick as butter."

138. Here the Milan edition adds: "But its trunk, without being smooth, is less knotty."
139. Milan edition has: "We were told that one of these trees lasts," etc.

140. Here omitted in Milan edition.

141. "Matia.
142. "Aquade des bons signes."

143. This word is not in the Milan edition, nor in the Tagal Dictionary.
144. "Picquetez", not in Ste. Palaye's Glossary.

145. "Tanez."
146. " Giongioli.

147. "Fascines," "faxina." "Foscine," Milan edition.

148. Milan edition: "Like our rizali."

149. "Chambre des munitions." "Mezza de guarnigione," Milan edition.

150. "Ponnant et le garbin."

151. Malay.

152. "Aez=ais." Milan edition: "Tavola."

153. "Sporta", Milan edition: "basket."

154. Intimate friends," Tagal Dictionary.

155. The Milan edition represents the King as making the request, and the captain-general consenting to it.
156. The Milan edition adds here: "At each mouthful we drank a cup of wine, and whatever remained in the cup, though
that rarely happened, was put into another vase."
157. "Brouet." "Brodo," Milan edition.

158. It will be seen further on that these brothers were kings or lords of two cities on the coast of Mindanao, of which one
was named Butuan, the other Calagan. The first place retains its name, the other is named Caragua. The King of
Butuan was also King of the Island of Massaua, between Mindanao and Samar. Note, Milan edition.
159. The Milan edition adds here: "On each of his teeth he had three spots of gold, so that his teeth appeared to be bound
with gold."
160. Massaua.

161. Milan edition: "Siagu."

162. "Pourpoints."
163. Ceylon is the island of Leyte, and Zzubu is Sebu. Milan edition

164. "Malle adventure."

165. If Massaua is the island Limassava of Bellin's map, it is in 9 deg. 40 min. N. latitude, but in 190 deg. W. longitude from
the line of demarcation. Note, Milan edition.

166. "Gatighan." Milan edition.

167. "Pipistrelli." Milan edition.

168. "Bien une brassée."

169. "Haulsent."

170. "Massava."
171. "Illecques."

172. "Nourry." Milan edition: "Un suo allievo."

173. Siam.
174. "Cata Raja chita." Milan edition.

175. That is the hereditary prince.

176. "Bariselle." Milan edition: "Bargello maggiore."

177. The usage of drinking through a tube was also observed by Van Noort among these peoples. Note, Milan edition.
178. "Gens de bon temps."

179. "Pardeça;" that is to say, "Par de ça la Loire," or "Langue d'oil." Languedoc was called "Par de la." The Milan edition
describes the scales as a wooden pole suspended in the middle, with a basin suspended by three cords at one end,
and a cord at the other end with a weight equal to the basin to which weights are attached.

180. "Sonnent de zampogne."

181. Perhaps this should be Sulin. Vide Marsden, Malay Dictionary.

182. Lagan, a large sea snail. Tagal Dictionary.

183. The Milan edition says he was before named Raja Humabon.
184. After the death of Magellan the image of the Infant Jesus was preserved as an idol until the year 1598, in which the
Spaniards returned to that place with missionaries, who, having found it, not only placed it in veneration, but gave to
the city which they founded there the name of City of Jesus, which it still preserves. Note of Milan edition.

185. Here ends the translation made from the French MS.; what follows is from the Milan edition.
186. "Si" is a prefix of honour to a proper name.

187. Spear, like a partisan, but larger. French MS. of Nancy.

188. The text of this appeal has been given by M. Denis in the Univers Pittoresque, from the MS. of Nancy, now of Sir
Thomas Phillipps' library.
189. "Compadre."

190. See Note, p. 25.

191. This island is still named Bohol.

192. Panilongon, now called Paulao.

193. Mindanao. The French edition of the year IX calls it "Butuan".

194. A river which comes into the Bay of Kipit.

195. Probably two hours after nightfall.

196. See p.78.

197. Luçon
198. The author speaks of this nation further on.

199. Borneo.

200. This paragraph is not in Amoretti's edition, and is taken from the French edition of 1802.
201. Borneo.

202. That is to say, "To move against the stream on account of the contrary currents." Note to Amoretti's edition.
203. Ramusio has five leagues, but the Milan MS has fifty, which is the real distance.

204. This number seems exaggerated. Now it has only two or three thousand houses. Hist. Générale des Voyages tom.
xv, p. 138. Note, Milan edition.

205. They do likewise now at high tide. Note, Milan edition.

206. "Cherita-tulis," writers of narratives.

207. The Portuguese introduced Christianity into this country, which lasted till 1590. Now the Gentiles have been obliged
to abandon the sea-coast, and have retired to the mountains. Sonneral, Note of Milan edition.
208. Here some details are omitted, which, with the whole of this paragraph, have been rewritten by Pigafetta, because he
was an Italian, and not a Spaniard or Portuguese, in which case he would have been better informed.
209. An error natural enough in an Italian.

210. Brass or bronze. Note, Milan edition.

211. "Pitis", small coin, 600 to a dollar at Achin.

212. The Milan edition has added to the text,"which project outside for a counterpoise", and supposes this refers to an
outrigger. Junks have no outriggers; prahus have projecting gunwales, which widen the deck.
213. This latitude is that of the northern point of Borneo; the longitude is much diminished, as usual. Pigafetta has taken
care to mark in his map of the island of Borneo, his voyage of fifty leagues from the point to the port, and has placed
Laöe at the southern point of the island. Note, Milan edition.
214. Now named Balaba. Note, Milan edition.

215. The Babi-ruan or hog deer.

216. "Picciulo."

217. Other travellers have seen similar leaves, and being more versed in natural history than our Pigafetta, soon knew that
the motion of these leaves came from the insect which lived inside. (Hist. Gén des Voy.. tom. xv, p.58.) Note, Milan
edition.
218. In the isle of Mindanao.

219. Islets.
220. Sulu

221. Now named Basilan.

222. Mindanao.

223. From this probably comes the word "Cinnamomum".

224. This receipt was recently attributed, in some newspaper paragraph, to the Battas of Sumatra, 1874.

225. Cape Banaian is the most northern cape of the island and has still the same name. Note, Milan edition.

226. The islands here mentioned belong to that group in which modern geographers reckon Kararotan, Linop, and
Cabrocana; after which is found Sanghir, the beautiful island of the author: others name it Sanguil. This island has
many islets to the S.W., which Pigafetta mentions later. Cabiu, Cabalumu, Limpang, and Numa, are mentioned in the
list of islands which in 1682 belonged to the King of Ternate. Note, Milan edition.

227. In the list of islands belonging to the King of Ternate are found Karkitung, Para, Sangaluhan, Siau.

228. Pangazara, Talaut, and Mahouo, are in the above quoted list.
229. Tidore.

230. A testoon was worth half a ducat. Note, Milan edition.

231. When the Portuguese, Brito, was sent to govern the Moluccas in 1511, this Raja Abuleis lived, and he names him
Raja Beglif. Note, Milan edition.
232. "Chechil" or "Cachil", a title.

233. A hundredweight.

234. Pedro Alfonso de Lorosa.

235. The northern cape at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata.

236. Gilolo.
237. The Dutch observed later that this does not happen. Note, Milan edition.

238. This refers to the dress of men at arms of the period, which was not decent.
239. Perhaps these are what the Malays use for pens.

240. Chingké, Chinese for "odorous nails".

241. "Subhan" or giving praise.

242. "A furia".

243. S. Barbara is the patroness of powder magazines, which on board French ships are called Sainte Barbe.
244. "Frixeto,""nastro," or "settuccia," "ribbon" is so called now in Genoese. Note, Milan edition.

245. Marcello, a coin struck at Venice by the Doge Nicolờ Marcello in 1473, of silver, weighing as much as a sequin, and
worth about sixpence. Note, Milan edition.
246. "Verzi."

247. Yucatan.
248. Or minister.

249. A kind of Ananas. Note Milan edition.

250. The longitude is wrong, as usual. Note, Milan edition.
251. The volcanoes of Ternate and Machian, which caused such havoc in the last century by their explosions, did not
then emit flames or smoke, since Pigafetta would not have omitted to mention them.
252. Laboan, an islet considered now as part of Bachian. Note, Milan edition.

253. "Xulla" of Robert's Atlas, and "Xoula" of the Dutch. Note, Milan edition.
254. Comparing this with what the author writes a little further on, there is another proof that he took down the names of
the islands, and laid down their positions, as he thought he understood the pilots who spoke a language which he
little understood. He here notes ten islands, and he has drawn six without names to the North of Sulach, where other
geographers also lay down a few islets; but of these ten, Tenetum Kalairuru, Mandan, and Benaia, are again named
and drawn further on; and Leytimor is a peninsula attached to Amboina. Note, Milan edition.
255. The jack fruit, called Nangka throughout the Malay seas.

256. Amboina. Pigafetta appears to refer to the large island of Ceram. Note, Milan edition.
257. The Milan MS. says "longitude", which must be an error of the scribe. Note, Milan edition.

258. Solor.

259. "Cornioli".
260. Strabo (Geogr., lib. xv).

261. The Italian method of reckoning time.

262. Luzon.

263. Bomare says that those who cut sandal wood fall ill from the miasma exhaled by the wood. Note, Milan edition.
264. A note to the Milan edition suggests that it was too early in the century for this to be the Frank disease, and that it
must have been leprosy. This is more probable.

265. Ende, or Flores.

266. Majapahit.

267. Gresik
268. Surabaya.

269. "Campong anghin," the place of wind.

270. Sanscrit and Malay, a griffin.

271. Pigafetta has confounded rhubarb with the decayed wood of a tree found in Siam, which, when burnt, gives a very
sweet perfume, and which sells at a high price.
272. Cochin.

273. Kwantung or Canton.

274. "Satu orang," one man.

275. "Anjing," a dog.

276. "Pokoh bisi," club of iron.

277. "Panah", a bow.

278. "Tombak," a lance.

279. "Harimau," a tiger; not a lion. All these words are Malay, the language in which the whole of this information must
have been conveyed to Pigafetta.
280. "Laut Kidol," Javanese, the Southern Ocean.

281. See statement of Herrers, p.175.

282. See statement of Herrers, p.175.

283. Francis I.

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