The Rajahs of Zebut and Mazagua pay tribute--Magalhaens attacks the
Rajah of Matan--Sad death of the Admiral--Treachery of the Rajah of
Zebut--Massacre of Spanish officers--Don Juan Serrano cowardly
deserted--Ships sail away--Reach Bohol--The _Conception_ burnt--Touch at
Mindanao and Cagayan Sooloo--Hear of Borneo--Sufferings from hunger--
Friendly reception at Puluan--Provisions obtained--Arrak first met
with--Cross to Borneo, and anchor off a large city--The Rajah treats the
Spaniards handsomely--Wealth of the Rajah--Customs of the people--
Carvalho deposed, and Espinosa chosen Captain, with Sebastian del Cano
under him--Reach Cimbuhon--Ships careened--Curious birds and insects--
The Moluccas reached--Anchor at Tidor--Spices obtained--The _Trinidad_
abandoned--The _Vittoria_ alone leaves the Moluccas--Portuguese vessels
robbed--The Cape of Good Hope rounded--Dreadful sufferings from hunger--
Many die--Put into harbour of Santiago in the Cape de Verdes--Portuguese
discover where they have been--Attempt to capture the ship--Del Cano,
now Captain, escapes--The _Vittoria_ arrives in the harbour of Saint
Lucar, 6th of September, 1522--Del Cano rewarded with patent of
nobility--The _Vittoria_ afterwards lost--The name of Magalhaens or
Magellan justly given to the Straits he discovered.
So submissive had the Rajahs of Mazagua and Zebut become, that they now
willingly paid tribute to the Spaniards, supplying them abundantly with
provisions, and treating them with the greatest hospitality whenever
they came on shore. The satisfaction of the Admiral was still further
increased by hearing that the Moluccas, of which he had come in search,
were to be found at no great distance to the southward.
Not far from Zebut lies the island of Matan, the Rajah of which, though
willing to pay every courtesy to the strangers, declined to acknowledge
the sovereignty of the Emperor, or to pay him tribute.
This so incensed the Admiral, that he resolved forthwith to reduce the
refractory Rajah to obedience, notwithstanding that he was warned of the
power of his foe, who possessed an army of six or seven thousand men,
and although naked like the rest of the inhabitants, were furnished with
bows, arrows, darts, and javelins.
Juan Serrano and other officers implored him not to go, but he persisted
in his design, laughing at the notion that naked savages could contend
with Spaniards wearing coats of mail and helmets. The Admiral set out
with fifty of his men thus caparisoned, accompanied by his ally, the
Rajah of Zebut, whose services, however, he declined, bidding him wait
in his boats to witness the fight and the certain defeat of their foes.
On reaching the shore, the Admiral landed, on the 27th of April, 1521,
and at once, with his muskets and crossbows, attacked the enemy, who
were drawn up to receive him. The natives were brave fellows, and
though some fell, others came on, soon learning to despise the slight
effect produced by the bolts of the crossbows and the shots from the
ill-constructed firearms of their invaders.
Perceiving that the Spaniards' heads were cased in iron, but that the
lower part of their bodies were exposed, they took aim at their legs,
and many were thus severely wounded. The Admiral, seeing a village near
at hand, and fancying that by destroying it the enemy would be overawed,
sent a part of his men to burn it down. This they did, but being set
upon by an overwhelming force, two were killed, while the rest were
compelled to retreat.
In the meantime, another body of savages attacking the Admiral and his
remaining followers--now reduced to seven or eight men--he himself was
wounded in the leg by an arrow, and he was repeatedly struck on the head
by stones. Twice his helmet was knocked off, and his temple was wounded
by a lance thrust between the bars of his visor. At length his
sword-arm was disabled, and he could no longer defend himself. He
called on his men to retreat, and, fighting round him, they made their
way to the shore, hoping to get on board the boats, which were still at
some distance. In vain the boats rowed in to his rescue. He was
already in deep water, when, wounded in the leg, he fell on his face.
Recovering himself, he turned several times as if imploring the
assistance of his companions; but, terror-stricken, they were
endeavouring to reach the boats, and a crowd of savages rushing on,
quickly dispatched him, and dragged off his dead body. The Rajah of
Zebut coming up--for the fight had taken place some distance from the
boats--rescued the survivors. Of the whole party who had landed, eight
were killed with their leader, and twenty-two were wounded. The result
of the battle had an effect very disastrous to the Spaniards on the
minds of their converts, whom they at first were inclined to look upon
as superior beings, but now learned to despise.
Thus ignominiously perished, on the very eve of success, the justly
celebrated mariner, Fernando de Magalhaens, ever to be remembered as the
discoverer of the passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and
who, had he lived, would have been the first circumnavigator of the
globe. He must not be judged by the present standard. His religion was
bigotry and gross idolatry, and his last act, for which he paid the
penalty of his life, was utterly unjustifiable.
Don Juan Serrano, having become leader of the expedition, in vain
endeavoured to recover the body of the Admiral by making the most
tempting offers to the Rajah of Matan, who was, however, too highly
pleased with the trophy of victory he had obtained to restore it. It
was no wonder, also, that the new religion at once fell into contempt
among the recent converts, while the Rajah of Zebut was anxious to make
friends with his rival of Matan.
Instigated by the interpreter Enrique, the Rajah of Zebut formed a plan
for treacherously destroying the Spaniards, hoping thus to get
possession of their ships and the rich cargoes they contained.
Concealing his designs under the guise of friendship, he invited all the
officers, and as many of the people as could come, to a banquet which he
had prepared for them.
Fancying that they should receive a valuable present of jewels, which he
had expressed an intention of sending to the Emperor, they accepted the
invitation. A party of thirty-four accordingly landed, but as they were
proceeding to the Rajah's palace, two of their number, Juan Carvalho and
Sebastian del Cano, pilots, suspecting from certain signs that something
was amiss, returned to the boats and pulled back to the ships.
Scarcely had they got on board when fearful shrieks and shouts and
clashing of arms were heard, as if men were engaged in desperate fight,
and they saw several of their companions come rushing down towards the
shore.
They immediately brought the broadsides of the ships to bear on the
town, and began firing their guns in the hopes of driving back the
savages. The fugitives were quickly overtaken. Some were struck down;
others were seized, among whom was Don Juan Serrano. He was dragged,
bound hand and foot, to the water's edge. He shouted to his countrymen
to desist from firing and to rescue him. The natives told him that he
should be delivered up if the Spaniards would supply them with artillery
and ammunition. This they would have done, but the cunning savages
first wished to get the guns into their hands, hoping afterwards to
obtain possession of the ships.
Carvalho and the remainder of the crews suspecting this, weighed their
anchors ready to put to sea. Serrano, on observing what they were
about, threw himself on his knees, entreating them not to leave him in
the hands of the treacherous savages. Finding, on mustering their
forces, that only eighty men now remained, and fearing that should they
continue longer they themselves would lose their lives, they refused to
listen to his entreaties, and loosing the sails, they stood away from
the shore, thus leaving to a cruel fate their talented captain, the best
seaman among them, who, had he been saved, would undoubtedly have proved
of the greatest advantage to the expedition. What ultimately became of
him was never known. Many years afterwards, it was reported that eight
Spaniards had been sold as slaves by the Rajah of Zebut to the Chinese.
The two ships, now commanded by Carvalho, proceeded on their way to the
Moluccas. On reaching the island of Bohol, as their numbers had been
greatly reduced by sickness and the loss of men at Matan and Zebut, they
shifted the guns and stores of the _Conception_ into the two other
ships, and then burned her.
Touching at the island of Mindanao, they met with a friendly reception
from the Rajah. It was found to abound in rice, sugar, ginger, hogs,
hens, and other animals. They next touched at Cagayan Sooloo, where
from some of the natives they heard of the large island of Borneo
existing to the west. The inhabitants appeared to possess much gold,
and they used poisoned arrows, which they darted by the force of their
breath through hollow reeds. At their sides they wore daggers
ornamented with precious stones. Magnificent trees were seen on shore,
but no provisions, so greatly required, could be obtained. In
consequence of this, they were so nearly starved that many of the men
proposed landing on one of the islands and establishing themselves there
for life.
On reaching Puluan, however, and finding provisions abundant, they
resolved to continue their voyage. Besides the articles they found at
Mindanao, it produced large figs, sweet potatoes, cocoa-nuts, and
sugar-canes.
The Rajah, as a token of peace, drew some blood out of his left arm, and
marked his body, face, and the top of his tongue with it. The
Spaniards, to win his regard, imitated his example. The people went
perfectly naked, and occupied themselves chiefly in cock-fighting.
The voyagers here first met with arrak, which the natives distil from
rice. Having obtained a pilot, the Spaniards crossed over to the large
island of Borneo, and on the 8th of July they came to an anchor off a
city which was said to contain twenty-five thousand houses. They were
built within high water mark, and raised on posts. When the tide was
full, the people communicated by boats going about from house to house.
Soon after they dropped anchor, the Rajah, who was a Moor, of
considerable power, sent handsome presents on board, and invited the
Captains to visit him.
On landing, the Spaniards found two elephants, covered with silk
trappings, ready to conduct them to his palace. In front of it a feast
had been prepared, consisting of meat, fowl, and fish, placed on the
floor, round which they sat on mats. The natives, after each mouthful,
sipped arrak from porcelain cups, and used golden spoons to eat their
rice. The feast being over, it was announced to the Captains that the
Rajah was ready for them. On their way they passed through a large
saloon, in which were a number of courtiers, and from thence into an
anteroom, where three hundred guards, armed with poniards, were drawn
up. At the farther end of the apartment was a curtain of brocaded silk,
and on this being pulled aside, the Rajah, a stout man of about forty,
was seen seated at a table, with a little child by his side, and chewing
betel, while behind him stood his female attendants, who were supposed
to be the daughters of the chief men and to govern his household.
As the courtiers--who were naked, with the exception of a piece of
ornamented cloth round their waists--approached, they raised their
hands, clasped, three times over their heads; then, lifting up their
feet one after the other, they kissed their hands before speaking. They
wore numerous rings on their fingers, and daggers with gold hilts set
with gems. The Rajah, as the gifts of the Spaniards were presented to
him, bowed slightly, and returned others of brocade and cloth of gold
and silver. While in his presence the explorers observed the way in
which suitors made their petitions, none being allowed to address him
personally.
The suitor, having arrived at an outer chamber, presented his petition
to a courtier, who repeated it to one of higher rank, and he again
passed it on to a person of still greater importance, who then whispered
it through a hollow cane fixed in the wall, reaching the inner chamber,
into the ear of the chief officer of state, by whom it was conveyed to
the Rajah himself.
The Captain heard that the Rajah possessed two pearls the size of hens'
eggs, and that when placed on a polished table they kept continually
moving.
The ceremony of introduction being over, and permission to trade being
granted, the curtain was again drawn aside to allow of their exit, and
the Captains retired. So great was the confidence established that they
remained in the palace during the night. Their sleeping-apartment was
lighted by two wax candles in silver candlesticks, and two large lamps,
with four lights to each, were kept burning all night, being attended by
two men to trim them.
The people were skilful in the manufacture of porcelain, of which they
exported large quantities. Their vessels were also ingeniously formed;
those belonging to the Rajah had their prows carved and richly gilt.
The country produced camphor, cinnamon, sugar-cane, ginger, oranges,
lemons, melons, and many other fruits, with abundance of beasts and
birds.
Having regained their ships, notwithstanding the polite treatment they
had received, under the pretence that they were about to be attacked by
some junks, the Spaniards seized several in the harbour, which they knew
were richly-laden, and kidnapped a number of wealthy persons on board
them.
Leaving Borneo, the two ships proceeded to the island of Cimbuhon. On
their way the crews insisted on deposing the pilot, Cavalho, who had
never been liked, and in his stead they chose Espinosa as
Captain-General, with Sebastian del Cano under him.
Finding a commodious port, with abundance of fresh water and fuel, they
hove down their ships and caulked them. This occupied them forty days.
To obtain suitable wood for repairs, they had to search for it in the
forests, and drag it with infinite labour from among the prickly bushes,
their feet suffering greatly, as their shoes had worn out.
It was here that the priest Pigafelta found what he fancied was an
animated leaf. He was watching a tree resembling that of a mulberry,
when several leaves fell off. The moment they were touched they sprang
away. He kept, he says, one of these animated leaves in a dish for
eight days. They were, in reality, not leaves, but insects, which, from
their resembling leaves, are enabled to escape the attacks of other
creatures; indeed, they were the well-known leaf-insect of the mantis
species.
The island abounded with cassowaries, the East Indian ostrich, and wild
hogs. They also captured a fish with a head resembling that of a hog,
having two horns and something like a saddle on its back. After leaving
this place, they encountered a tremendous storm, when, in their alarm,
they vowed to set free a slave, in honour of their three saints, Saint
Elmo, Saint Nicolas, and Saint Clare.
Anxiously they looked for the sign of the assistance they sought, when
at length, to their joy, they observed the desired lights flickering at
their mast-heads, which continued shining for two hours, when the storm
abated. They were thus convinced that Saint Elmo, the friend to
mariners, had come to their assistance, accompanied by the other two
saints.
At the next island, Sarraugan, where they touched, they seized two
natives, whom they compelled to go as their pilots to the
long-sought-for Moluccas. The Portuguese had reported that the sea was
too shallow to be navigated, but on sounding they found it upwards of
fifty fathoms. They well knew, indeed, that their rivals had an object
in describing it as dangerous.
At length, on the 8th of November, at sunrise, they entered the harbour
of Tidore, one of the Moluccas. The Mohammedan ruler of the island,
Almanzor, at once came on board to welcome them, assuring them of his
affection for his brother the King of Spain, and inviting them to
establish a factory on shore.
Here the spices they sought for were given in exchange for red cloth,
drinking-glasses, knives, and axes. The houses, like those of Borneo,
were built on piles, and fenced round with cane hedges. Provisions of
all sorts were brought off to the ships, and water, which, though it
rushed out of the mountains very hot, became perfectly cool when exposed
to the air.
The Rajah of the neighbouring island of Bachian sent a present to the
King of Spain,--a couple of birds about the size of turtle-doves, with
small heads, long bills, and two long feathers at their sides, their
bodies being of a tawny colour. The Moors told them that the birds
never fly, but are blown by the wind from heaven. They were, indeed,
the first specimens they had seen of the now well-known birds of
Paradise, of which there are numerous species. The population generally
were heathens, the Moors having gained an ascendancy in the islands only
forty years before.
When about to sail, the _Trinidad_ was found so leaky that she was left
behind, and the _Vittoria_ proceeded alone on her voyage, with a crew of
forty-seven Europeans, thirteen Indians, and some pilots from the
Moluccas.
In her progress her captain did not scruple to rob any Portuguese or
native traders he met with, taking whatever he wanted. They touched at
various islands, where they obtained sandal-wood, ginger, and different
sorts of fruit.
Passing to the north of Java, they ran through the channel between that
island and Sumatra, taking care to avoid the Straits of Malacca, on the
north shore of which the Portuguese had a settlement. They now steered
directly for the Cape of Good Hope. As they approached Madagascar, in
consequence of the want of provisions, a mutiny broke out, some of the
men wishing to put into Mozambique to repair the ship and obtain food;
but as it was known that the Portuguese were there also, who would
perhaps make them prisoners and take possession of their ship, the
captain, supported by most of the officers, refused to listen to their
complaints, and steered a course so as to round the Cape. By this time
twenty-one men of those who had left Tidore had died. They passed the
Cape of Good Hope on the 6th of May, 1522. They were now suffering
greatly both from sickness and starvation, and, after two months, at
length sighting the Cape de Verde Islands, when nature being unable
longer to hold out, rather than risk death from famine, they put into
the harbour of Santiago, and threw themselves on the mercy of their
rivals. To their surprise, they found that although, according to their
reckoning, it was Wednesday, the 9th of July, it was in reality
Thursday, the 10th, showing that they had lost a day. This was in
consequence of their having sailed west with the sun. Had they gone
round in the opposite direction, they would, in the same way, have
gained a day. The Spaniards had no difficulty in obtaining provisions,
and a supply of food was got on board.
The men had been strictly enjoined not to say where they came from, but
one of them, who with twelve more had gone ashore, offered some spices
in exchange for food and drink, when it was suspected that they had
visited the Moluccas. On this the Portuguese immediately seized them;
but, by some means, Sebastian del Cano, who was now captain, observing
the preparations for attacking his vessel, ordered the cable to be cut,
and, all sail being made, he carried the _Vittoria_ out of the harbour
in safety.
He now, with his diminished crew, continued his progress to the
northward. After a farther voyage of nearly two months, the successful
commander, who was to reap the chief benefits of the voyage, brought the
_Vittoria_ safe into the harbour of Saint Lucar on the 6th of September,
1522; the whole circumnavigation having occupied nearly three years,
during which fourteen thousand six hundred leagues of sea had been
traversed. On the 8th he took the vessel up the river to Seville. The
eighteen survivors of the crew of sixty who sailed from the Moluccas,
landing, walked barefooted in their shirts, carrying tapers in their
hands, to offer thanks for their safe return.
Sebastian del Cano, escaping the fate which befell so many Spanish
navigators, was handsomely received and rewarded, letters patent of
nobility being bestowed upon him, with a globe for a crest, having the
motto, "Primus me circum dedisti"--"You first encompassed me."
The vessel herself, after becoming the theme of poets and historians,
who declared that she deserved a shrine of gold, was ignominiously lost
on her passage from Saint Domingo.
Putting aside the conduct on many occasions of the explorers, we must
give due praise to the leader of the expedition who conducted it so
nearly to a successful termination. By it was demonstrated without
doubt the spherical form of the earth. The passage from the Atlantic to
the Pacific was discovered, with numerous hitherto unknown islands, and
the way thus opened to the several voyagers who subsequently sailed
forth to explore the wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean.