himself very well. We were all of us occular witnesses of this miracle. The Captain then, with greater fervour than the rest of us, returned praise to God. He administered a restorative cordial to the fick man, and repeated the fame every day until he was perfectly recovered. He at the fame time fent him a mattress, blankets, a coverlid of yellow linen, and a pillow. On the fifth day the fick man was perfectly recovered and quitted his couch. His first care was was to caufe an idol which was held in great veneration, and which was fecreted with greatest care by fome old women in his houfe, to be burned in prefence of the King and all the people. He likewife caufed feveral temples to be demolished which were built on the margin of the fea, and where the people affembled to eat the meat offerings prefented to the idols. All the inhabitants approved of these doings, and determined on utterly deftroying every idol, thofe even which ornamented the King's houfe, crying at the fame time," Viva la Castilla," in honour of the King of Spain. The idols of these countries are of wood hollowed behind; their arms and legs are extended and their feet turned up; they have a difproportionately large face with four very large teeth in front fimilar to thofe of the wild boar*. Generally speaking they are painted. Now I am speaking of their idols, I fhall relate to your lordship † fome of their superftitious ceremonies, one of which is bleffing the hog. The ceremony begins with beating large gongs. Three large difhes are afterwards brought, two of which contain broiled fifh, and cakes of rice and millet folded in leaves; on the third are Cambayan cloths and two fillets of cloth made from the palm tree. Two old women then advance, each of which holds in her hand a large trumpet of bamboo. They place themselves upon the cloth, falute the fun, and clothe themselves in the other cloths which were in the difh. The first of these old women covers her head with a handkerchief tied round her forehead in fuch manner as to prefent two horns; and taking another handkerchief in her hand fhe dances, and at the fame time founds the trumpet, invoking the fun at intervals. The other old woman takes one of the fillets of palm tree cloth, and in a like manner dances and founds the trumpet, and turning towards the fun addreffes fome words to that luminary. The first then fnatches up the other fillet of palm tree cloth, throws away the handkerchief she held in her hand, and both together the two found their trumpets and dance round the hog, which is tied and lies on the ground. In the mean time the first old woman addreffes the fun in a low tone of voice, and is answered by the other. After this a cup of wine is prefented to the first which fhe takes, but without ftopping her dancing or her addreffes to the fun, and brings the cup to her mouth four or five times pretending to drink, but the liquor fhe pours over the heart of the hog. She then returns the cup and receives a lance which the brandishes, ftill continuing to dance and speak, and directs it repeatedly to the heart of the hog, which in the end the pierces with a fudden and forcible blow. As foon as the lance is withdrawn from the wound it is clofed and dreffed with falutary herbs. During the whole of this ceremony a flambeau is kept burning, which the old woman, who pierced the hog through the heart, feizes and extinguishes by thrufting it into the mouth of the animal. The other old woman dips the end of her trumpet in the blood of the hog, and with the blood on it ftains the forehead of all perfons prefent, beginning with her * Vishnou, in one of his incarnations, is reprefented with the vifage of a wild boar. Sonnerat, tom. i. Page 161. Pigafetta here addreffes himself to the grand mafter of Rhodes. ENG. TR. Among the mufical inftruments of the Indians, Sonnerat faw and has given the representation of a large trumpet fimilar to the one here defcribed. See plate xxvii. fig. 4. 8 husband, husband; but she did not come towards us. This being finished, the two old women undrefs themselves, eat what had been brought in the two firft plates, and then invite the women, but not the men, to partake with them. The hog is then feared. Never is this animal eaten before it has undergone a fimilar purification, and none but old women officiate on the occafion. At the death of one of their chiefs the ceremonies practifed are, likewise, very fingu lar, as I have myself witneffed. The most distinguished women in the country repaired to the house of the defunct, in the middle of which the corpfe was placed in a cafe, round which a barrier of cords was made. To thefe cords branches of trees were fastened; and between these branches hangings of cotton were fufpended fo as to form alcoves. Beneath thefe alcoves the women alluded to feated themfelves, covered with a white cloth. Each woman was attended by a fervant who cooled her with a fan of palm. The other women with mournful countenances were feated round the chamber. One among them had a knife with which the gradually cut off the hair of the dead. Another, who had been the principal wife of the decafed, (for though a man may have as many wives as he pleafes, there is but one mistress,) ftretched herself in fuch manner on the corpfe that her mouth, hands, and feet were oppofed to thofe of the dead. While the one was cutting off his hair, the other was crying; and fhe began to fing as foon as the work was completed. All round the chamber vafes of porcelaine were placed containing fire, into which at intervals myrrh, ftorax, and gum benjamin were cast, which diffused a moft pleafing fragrance. Thefe ceremonies continue five or fix days, during which the corpfe remains in the houfe; I believe the precaution is used of embalming it with camphor to prevent putrefaction. At length the body is fastened down with wooden pins and interred in the cemetery, which is an enclosure covered with canopies. We were affured that every night a black bird, the fize of a crow, came at midnight and perched on the houses, and by its fcreams frightened the dogs, who never cealed barking till break of day. We never were able to learn the cause of this fingular phenomenon of which we were all of us witneffes. I fhall mention another of their ftrange cuftoms. I have already said that these Indians go naked, or with only a piece of cloth of the palm to cover their privities. All the men, young as well as old, have a fort of fibula confifting of a bar of gold or tin of the fize of a goofe quill, which traverfes the prepuce from one fide to the other over the glans, leaving an opening in the middle for the paffage of the urine; this bar, at the two ends, is fastened by means of heads fimilar to thofe of our large nails; thefe even are oftentimes jagged with points fo as to represent a star. They informed me that this extraordinary ornament is never removed, not even in the act of coition; that it was their wives who invented and infifted on this ufage; and that it was they themselves who prepared their children for its affixture from their early infancy; what, however, is certain, notwithstanding this ftrange invention, all the women gave us a preference to their husbands t. Pro In the first tranflation into modern Italian of the Extrait de Pigafetta, is read: Grandi e piccoli hanno il membro bucato da una parte all' altra appreffo il capo, e in quel buco hanno meffo come una verghetta d'oro groffa come una penna d'oca; i altri mettono come una ftella acuta fopra la tefta del membro pur d'oro. +For decency's fake the text is much abridged: the original runs thus. Grandi et piccoli hanno paffato il fuo membro circa de la tefta de luna parte a laltra con uno fero de oro hovero de ftanio groffo como una penna de ocha, e in uno capo et laltro del medefimo fero alguni como una ftella con ponte foura li capi altri como una tefta di chiodo da curo affaiffime volte lo volfi vedere da molti cofi vequi como joveni perchè non lo poteva credere nel mezo del fero e un buto per il quale urinano il fero e le ftelle fempre stanno ferme Provifions abound in this island. Befides the animals I have already mentioned, there are dogs and cats which, like the others, are both of them eaten. There alfo grow rice, millet, panicle, and maize, oranges, lemons, fugar canes, cocoa nuts, pompions, garlic and ginger; honey alfo abounds, with various other productions; palm wine is made; and a great quantity of gold is collected. When any of us went on fhore, whether it happened by day or by night, the Indians conftantly invited us to eat and drink. They never thoroughly drefs their meat, and falt it very much, which excites them to drink, and at their meals they drink often, by means of hollow reeds, from the vases which contain their wine. They commonly remain five or fix hours at table. In this island are many villages, the chiefs of each of which are one or several in number, and perfons much respected. The following are the names of the villages and their refpective chiefs: Cingapola, its chiefs Cilaton, Cighibucan, Cimanenga, Cimaticat, and Cicanbul; Mandani, its chief Aponoaan; Lalan, its chief Teten; Lalutan, its chief Japaa; and Lubucin, the chief of which is Cilumai. All these villages were subject to us, and paid us a kind of tribute. Contiguous to the island Zubu is another called Matan, which has a port of the fame name, in which our veffels laid at anchor. The chief village of this island is likewise called Matan, over which Zula and Cilapulapu prefided as chiefs. In this island the village of Bulaia was fituate, which we burnt. On Friday 26th April, Zula, one of these chiefs, fent one of his fons with two goats to the captain-general, and obferved, that if he did not fend him the whole of what he had promifed, the blame was not to be imputed to himself, but to the other chief Cilapulapu, who would not acknowledge the authority of the King of Spain: he further ftated, that if the captain-general would only fend to his affiftance the following night a boat with some armed men, he would engage to beat and entirely subjugate his rival. On receiving this meffage the captain general determined on going himself with these boats. We entreated him not to hazard his perfon on this adventure, but he answered, that as a good paftor he ought not to be away from his flock. At midnight we left the ship fixty in number, armed with helmets and cuiraffes. The Chriftian King, the Prince his nephew, and feveral Chiefs of Zubu, with a number of armed men, followed us in twenty or thirty balanghays. We reached Matan three hours before day. The captain would not then begin the attack; but he fent the Moor on fhore to inform Cilapulapu and his people, that if he would acknowledge the fovereignty of the King of Spain, obey the Chriftian King of Zubu, and pay the tribute he demanded, they fhould be looked upon as friends, otherwise they should experience the strength of our lances. The islanders, nothing intimidated, replied, they ferme Loro dicono che le fue moglie voleno cuffi et fe foffero de altra forte non ufariano con elli. Quando quefti vogliono uzare loro medifime lo pigliano non in ordine Quefti popoli uzanno quefto perchè fono di debille natura.... A tuete da fey anni infu apoco apoco li aprono la natura per cagione, etc. It will be no matter of furprise to those who have read in the relations of travellers of the manners and the industry of the women of these islands in matters of this kind. that their lubricity fhould have given rife to this invention. See the letter of Amerigo Vespucci in Ramufio. tom. i. p. 131; and Paw Recherches fur les Americains, part i. Noort and Cavendish, who failed through the fame feas in 1600, found this practice till continued; and to them it was related to be an invention of the women to prevent the practice of unnatural propenfities in the men. Hift. Gen. des Voyages, tom. x. p. 357. The two authors above noticed do not however mention that it was not occafionally removed. This cuftom must have ceased, as modern navigators make no allufion to it. had lances as well as we, although they were only sticks of bamboo pointed at the end, and staves hardened in the fire. They merely requefted that they might not be attacked in the night, as they expected reinforcements, and fhould then be better able to cope with us this they faid defignedly to induce us to attack them immediately, in hope that thus we fhould fall in the dykes they had dug between the fea and their houses. We accordingly waited day-light, when we jumped into the water up to our thighs, the boats not being able to approach near enough to land, on account of the rocks and fhallows. The number which landed was forty-nine only, as eleven were left in charge of the boats. We were obliged to wade fome distance through the water before we reached the fhore. We found the islanders, fifteen hundred in number, formed into three battalions, who immediately on our landing fell upon us, making horrible fhouts; two of these battalions attacked us in flank, and the third in front. Our captain divided his company into two platoons. The mufqueteers and cross-bowmen fired from a distance the space of half an hour without making the leaft impreffion on the enemy; for though the balls and arrows penetrated their bucklers made of thin wood, and even wounded them at times in their arms, this did not make them halt, as the wounds failed of occafioning them inftant death as they expected, on the contrary, it only made them more bold and furious. Moreover, trufting to the fuperiority of their numbers, they showered on us fuch clouds of bamboo lances, staves hardened in the fire, stones, and even dirt, that it was with difficulty we defended ourselves. Some even threw spears headed with iron at our captain-general, who, to intimidate and cause them to difperfe, ordered away a party of our men to fet fire to their houfes, which they immediately ef fected. The fight of the flames ferved only to increase their exafperation: fome of them even ran to the village which was fet on fire, and in which twenty or thirty houses were confumed, and killed two of our men on the fpot. They feemed momently to increase in number and impetuofity. A poisoned arrow ftruck the captain in the leg, who on this ordered a retreat in flow and regular order; but the majority of our men took to flight precipitately, so that only seven or eight remained about the captain. The Indians perceiving their blows were ineffectual when aimed at our body or head, on account of our armour, and noticing at the fame time that our legs were uncovered, directed against these their arrows, javelins, and ftones, and thefe in fuch abundance, that we could not guard against them. The bombards we had in our boats were of no utility, as the levelness of the ftrand would not admit of the boats being brought fufficiently close in shore. We retreated gradually, ftill continuing to fight, and were now at a bow's-fhot from the islanders, and in the water up to our knees, when they renewed their attack with fury, throwing at us the fame lance five or fix times over as they picked it up on advancing. As they knew our captain, they chiefly aimed at him, fo that his helmet was twice ftruck from his head; ftill he did not give himself up to defpair, and we continued in a very small number fighting by his fide. This combat, fo unequal, lafted more than an hour. An iflander at length fucceeded in thrusting the end of his lance through the bars of his helmet, and wounding the captain in the forehead, who irritated on the occafion, immediately ran the affailant through the body with his lance, the lance remaining in the wound. He now attempted to draw his fword, but was unable, owing to his right arm being grievously wounded. The Indians, who perceived this, preffed in crowds upon him; and one of them having given him a violent cut with a fword on the left leg, he fell on his face: on this they imme diately diately fell upon him. Thus perished our guide, our light, and our fupport. On fall ing, and feeing himself surrounded by the enemy, he turned towards us feveral times, as if to know whether we had been able to fave ourfelves. As there was not one of those who remained with him but was wounded, and as we were confequently in no condition either to afford him fuccour or revenge his death, we inftantly made for our boats, which were on the point of putting off. To our captain indeed did we owe our deliverance, as the inftant he fell, all the islanders rushed towards the fpot where he laid. The Christian King had it in his power to render us affiftance, and this he would no doubt have done; but the captain general, far from foreseeing what was about to hap pen when he landed with his people, had ordered him not to leave his balanghay, but merely to remain a fpectator of our manner of fighting. His Majefty bitterly bewailed his fate on feeing him fall. But the glory of Magellan will furvive him. He was adorned with every virtue; in midst of the greatest adverfity he constantly poffeffed an immoveable firmness. At fea he fubjected himself to the fame privations as his men. Better skilled than any one in the knowledge of nautical charts, he was a perfect master of navigation, as he proved in making the tour of the world, an attempt on which none before him had ventured *. This unfortunate battle took place on the 27th April 1521, which fell on a Satur day, a day chofen by the captain himself, being that which he held moft propitious to his enterprize. Eight of our men, and four of the Indians, who had received baptifm, perished with him; and few of those who remained regained the fhips without being wounded. The men who were in the boats attempted, when they faw us pufhed, to aflift us by firing the bombards, but the diftance was fo great from which they fired, that they did us more harm than to the enemy, who nevertheless loft fifteen men. In the afternoon the Chriftian king, with our confent, caused to be intimated to the people of Matan, that if they would reftore the bodies of our dead foldiers, and efpecially of our captain-general, we would give them whatever merchandize they required; but they answered, that they could not be induced by any consideration, to part with the body of a man like our chief, which they would preferve as a monument of their victory over us. On learning the death of our captain, those who were left in the town to carry on trade, caused all their merchandize immediately to be tranfported on board. We then elected in his stead two governors, that is to say, Odoard Barbosa †, a Portuguese, and Juan Serano, a Spaniard. Our interpreter, called Henry, the flave of Magellan, having been flightly wounded in the battle, made this a pretence for going no more on fhore, where his prefence was neceffary for our fervice, and paffed the whole day in idlenefs extended on his mat. Odoard Barbofa, commander of Magellan's fhip, reprimanded him feverely on the occafion, and told him, that though his mafter was dead he was ftill a flave, and that on our return to Spain, he would deliver him up to Donna Beatrix, the wife of * Magellan only made the circuit of half the globe on this occafion; but Pigafetta fays with some rea fon, though not quite correctly, that he made the tour of the world, for the Portuguefe were well acquainted with the remainder of the route from the Molucca iflands to Europe by the Cape of Good Hope, and Magellan had already been at Malacca. + Odoard Barbofa had already been to the Moluccas by the way of the Cape: he has given a very interefting account of the Indies. Ramufio, tom. i. p. 288. One of his companions alfo wrote a fhort account of this voyage. See the Introduction to this Work, par. xxiv. Magellan |