LESSON 2.

1: FIRST VOYAGE AROUND THE WORLD BY MAGELLAN

Translated from the accounts of Antonio Pigafetta accompanied by original

documents, with notes and introduction by Lord Stanley of Alderley.

Saturday, the 16th of March, 1521, we arrived at daybreak in sight of a high

island, three hundred leagues distant from the before-mentioned Thieves' island. This isle
is named Zamal. The next day the captain-general wished to land at another
uninhabited island near the first, to be in greater security and to take water, also to
repose there a few days. He set up there two tents on shore for the sick, and had a sow
killed for them.

Monday, the 18th of March, after dinner, we saw a boat come towards us with
nine men in it: upon which the captain-general ordered that no one should move or
speak without his permission. When these people had come into this island towards us,
immediately the principal one amongst them went towards the captain-general with
demonstrations of being very joyous at our arrival. Five of the showiest of them
remained with us, the others who remained with the boat went to call some men who
were fishing, and afterwards all of them came together. The captain seeing that these
people were reasonable, ordered food and drink to be given them, and he gave them
some red caps, looking glasses, combs, bells, ivory, and other things. When these
people saw the politeness of the captain, they presented some fish, and a vessel of
palm wine, which they call in their language Uraca; figs more than a foot long, and
others smaller and of a better savour, and two cochos. At that time, they had nothing
to give him, and they made signs to us with their hands that in four days, they would
bring us Umai, which is rice, cocos, and many other victuals.

To explain the kind of fruits above-named it must be known that the one which
they call cochi, is the fruit which the palm trees bear. And as we have bread, wine, oil,
and vinegar, proceeding from different kinds, so these people have those things
proceeding from these palm trees only. It must be said that wine proceeds from the
said palm trees in the following manner. They make a hole at the summit of the tree as
far as its heart, which is named palmito, from which a liquor comes out in drops down
the tree, like white must, which is sweet, but with somewhat of bitter. They have canes
as thick as the leg, in which they draw off this liquor, and they fasten them to the tree
from the evening till next morning, and from the morning to the evening, because this
liquor comes little by little. This palm produces a fruit named cocho, which is as large as
the head, or thereabouts: its first husk is green, and two fingers in thickness, in it they find
certain threads, with which they make the cords for fastening their boats. Under this
husk, there is another very hard, and thicker than that of a walnut. They burn this
second rind, and make with it a powder which is useful to them. Under this rind, there is
a white marrow of a finger's thickness, which they eat fresh with meat and fish, as we do
bread, and it has the taste of an almond, and if anyone dried it, he might make bread
of it. From the middle of this marrow there comes out a clear sweet water, and very
cordial, which, when it has rested a little, and settled, congeals and becomes like an
apple.
 When they wish to make oil, they take this fruit, the coco, and let it rot, then they
corrupt this marrow in the water, then they boil it, and it becomes oil in the manner of
butter. When they want to make vinegar, they let the water in the cocoa-nut get bad,
and they put it in the sun, when it turns to vinegar like white wine. From this fruit milk also
can be made, as we experienced, for we scraped this marrow and then put it with its
water, and passed it through a cloth, and thus it was milk like that of goats. This kind of
palm tree is like the date-palm, but not so rugged. Two of these trees can maintain a
family of ten persons: but they do not draw wine as above-mentioned always from one
tree, but draw from one for eight days, and from the other as long. For if they did not,
otherwise the trees would dry up. In this manner they last a hundred years.

These people became very familiar and friendly with us, and explained many
things to us in their language, and told us the names of some islands, which we saw with
our eyes before us. The island where they dwelt is called Zuluam, and it is not large. As
they were sufficiently agreeable and conversable, we had great pleasure with them.
The captain seeing that they were of this good condition, to do them greater honor
conducted them to the ship, and showed them all his goods, that is to say, cloves,
cinnamon, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, mace, gold and all that was in the ship. He also
had some shots fired with his artillery, at which they were so much afraid that they
wished to jump from the ship into the sea. They made signs that the things, which the
captain had shown them, grew where we were going. When they wished to leave us,
they took leave of the captain and of us with very good manners and gracefulness,
promising us to come back to see us. The island we were at was named Humunu;
nevertheless because we found there two springs of very fresh water we named it the
Watering Place of good signs, and because we found here the first signs of gold. There
is much white coral to be found here, and large trees which bear fruit smaller than an
almond, and which are like pines. There were also many palm trees both good and
bad. In this place there were many circumjacent islands, on which account we named
them the archipelago of St. Lazarus, because we stayed there on the day and feast of
St. Lazarus. This region and archipelago is in ten degrees north latitude, and a hundred
and sixty-one degrees longitude from the line of demarcation.

Friday, the 22nd of March, the above-mentioned people, who had promised us
to return, came about midday, with two boats laden with the said fruit cochi, sweet
oranges, a vessel of palm wine, and a cock, to give us to understand that they had
poultry in their country, so that we bought all that they brought. The lord of these
people was old, and had his face painted, and had gold rings suspended to his ears,
which they name Schione, and the others had many bracelets and rings of gold on
their arms, with a wrapper of linen round their head. We remained at this place eight
days: the captain went there every day to see his sick men, whom he had placed on
this island to refresh them: and he gave them himself every day the water of this said
fruit the cocho, which comforted them much. Near this isle is another where there are a
kind of people who wear holes in their ears so large that they can pass their arms
through them; these people are Caphre, that is to say, Gentiles, and they go naked,
except that round their middles they wear cloth made of the bark of trees. But there
are some of the more remarkable of them who wear cotton stuff, and at the end of it
there is some work of silk done with a needle. These people are tawny, fat, and
painted, and they anoint themselves with the oil of coconuts and sesame, to preserve
them from the sun and the wind. Their hair is very black and long, reaching to the waist,
and they carry small daggers and knives, ornamented with gold, and many other
things, such as darts, harpoons, and nets to fish, like........., and their boats are like ours

The Monday of Passion week, the 25th of March, and feast of our Lady, in the
afternoon, and being ready to depart from this place, I went to the side of our ship to
fish. And putting my feet on a spar to go down to the store room, my feet slipped
because it had rained, and I fell into the sea without any one seeing me. Being near
drowning by luck I found at my left hand the sheet of the large sail which was in the
sea. I caught hold of it and began to cry out till they came to help and pick me up with
the boat. I was assisted not by my merits, but by the mercy and grace of the fountain of
pity. That same day, we took the course between west and southwest, and passed
amidst four small islands, that is to say, Cenalo, Huinanghar, Ibusson, and Abarien.

Thursday, the 28th of March, having seen the night before fire upon an island, at
the morning we came to anchor at this island; where we saw a small boat which they
call Boloto, with eight men inside, which approached the ship of the captain-general.
Then a slave of the captain's, who was from Sumatra, otherwise named Traprobana,
spoke from afar to these people, who understood his talk, and came near to the side of
the ship, but they withdrew immediately, and would not enter the ship from fear of us.
So the captain seeing that they would not trust to us showed them a red cap, and
other things, which he had tied and placed on a little plank, and the people in the
boat took them immediately and joyously, and then returned to advise their king. Two
hours afterwards, or thereabouts, we saw come two long boats, which they call
Ballanghai, full of men. In the largest of them was their king sitting under an awning of
mats; when they were near the ship of the captain-general, the said slave spoke to the
king, who understood him well, because in these countries the kings know more
languages than the common people. Then the king ordered some of his people to go
to the captain's ship, whilst he would not move from his boat, which was near enough
to us. This was done, and when his people returned to the boat, he went away at once.
The captain gave good entertainment to the men who came to his ship, and gave
them all sorts of things, on which account the king wished to give the captain a rather
large bar of solid gold, and a chest full of ginger. However, the captain thanked him
very much but would not accept the present. After that, when it was late, we went with
the ships near to the houses and abode of the king.

The next day was Good Friday. The captain sent on shore the before-mentioned
slave, who was our interpreter, to the king to beg him to give him for money some
provisions for his ships, sending him word that he had not come to his country as an
enemy, but as a friend. The king on hearing this came with seven or eight men in a
boat, and entered the ship, and embraced the captain, and gave him three china
dishes covered with leaves full of rice, and two dorades, which are rather large fish, and
of the sort above-mentioned, and he gave him several other things. The captain gave
this king a robe of red and yellow cloth, made in the Turkish fashion, and a very fine red
cap, and to his people he gave to some of them knives, and to others mirrors. After that
refreshments were served up to them. The captain told the king, through the said
interpreter, that he wished to be with him, cassi cassi, that is to say, brothers. To which
the king answered that he desired to be the same towards him. After that the captain
showed him cloths of different colours, linen, coral, and much other merchandise, and
all the artillery, of which he had some pieces fired before him, at which the king was
much astonished; after that the captain had one of his soldiers armed with white
armour, and placed him in the midst of three comrades, who struck him with swords
and daggers. The king thought this very strange, and the captain told him, through the
interpreter, that a man thus in white armour was worth a hundred of his men; he
answered that it was true; he was further informed that there were in each ship two
hundred like that man. After that the captain showed him a great number of swords,
cuirasses, and helmets, and made two of the men play with their swords before the
king; he then showed him the sea chart and the ship compass, and informed him how
he had found the strait to come there, and of the time which he had spent in coming;
also of the time he had been without seeing any land, at which the king was
astonished. At the end the captain asked if he would be pleased that two of his people
should go with him to the places where they lived, to see some of the things of his
country. This the king granted, and I went with another.

When I had landed, the king raised his hands to the sky, and turned to us two,
and we did the same as he did; after that he took me by the hand, and one of his
principal people took my companion, and led us under a place covered with canes,
where there was a ballanghai, that is to say, a boat, eighty feet long or thereabouts,
resembling a fusta. We sat with the king upon its poop, always conversing with him by
signs, and his people stood up around us, with their swords, spears, and bucklers. Then
the king ordered to be brought a dish of pig's flesh and wine. Their fashion of drinking is
in this wise, they first raise their hands to heaven, then take the drinking vessel in their
right hand, and extend the left hand closed towards the people. This the king did, and
presented to me his fist, so that I thought that he wanted to strike me; I did the same
thing towards him; so with this ceremony, and other signs of friendship, we banqueted,
and afterwards supped with him.