The first inhabited island is sighted; what happened there with
the natives.
Next day, which was the 10th of February, having a look-out man at each
mast-head, constantly watching all parts of the horizon, the Almiranta
fired a piece, and land ahead was reported in all three ships. As all
the other islands were desert, it was expected that this one would be
the same, so the report was received with very moderate rejoicing. We
presently steered towards it, and soon a high and thick smoke was seen
to rise between two palms. Those in the launch presently shouted:
"People, people on the beach!" The news was as joyful as incredible
to many, from having been so long desired, fearing lest it should
prove a mistake, until, coming nearer, we clearly saw men, and the
sight was hailed as if they had been angels. [82]
Of this glory the Captain got a large share, for until now he had
been saying: "God shows us in this sea millions and millions of
natives." The people were restless from sheer satisfaction, so that
they had not attended to the sails. The launch anchored near the slope
of the beach, and the two ships presently stood out to sea, as there
was no port for them. They got the boats out to search, but could
not find one, sounding until they came opposite to the place where
the natives stood in a row, with clubs and lances in their hands. Our
people who saw them thought it was war, but looked at them and spoke
by signs. They said our men should land, also by signs.
The place was dangerous, and little satisfaction could be got from
the natives; so our people in the boats determined to return to the
ships to avoid any collision. The waves did their office, and the
natives, when they saw the high ones, told the boats to keep away,
owing to the danger they ran. As it appeared to our people that
these demonstrations were all made out of kindness, two undressed and
jumped into the water. As soon as they landed the natives, putting
down their lances, all together at one time bowed their heads and
arms, and saluted three times. Apparently, the welcome and smiles
were to receive our men, and when one was knocked over by a wave,
they picked him up, embraced him, and kissed him on his cheeks,
which is a way of showing friendship used also in France. When the
people in the boats saw the loyalty with which the natives received
complete strangers, not knowing their intentions, two others went on
shore. One of them was very white, and the natives, when they saw him,
came and felt his back, breast, and arms, showing much astonishment,
and they did the same with the other three. All four gave them what
they had, which the natives received with signs of love. The one who
appeared to be chief over the others gave to one of our people a palm
branch as a sign of friendship, and also did more. He crossed his arms,
making very friendly signs to our people that they should come to the
village, to which they pointed with their fingers, to give them to eat.
With this they took their leave, and our men embarked, to the sorrow
of the natives. Eight of them followed the boats, and to see them
the men laid on their oars and invited them to get in, but they were
afraid. The launch and the boats returned to where the ships were
at sunset. Presently, the Chief Pilot asked the Captain what was to
be done, who replied that they would beat to windward that night,
and on the following day return to the same point, or to another,
and search again for a port or anchorage, or for water, which was
much needed. The Chief Pilot went aloft, and said from the mast-head
that he saw a bay to leeward, much better than the bay of Cadiz.
All night we stood off and on, rather joyful at the thought of finding
this port, and at dawn we found ourselves 3 leagues to leeward of the
place where the natives had been seen; and looking out a first and a
second time, there was no sign of that bay, but only a narrow and long
reef almost covered by the water. There was one place where there were
some palm trees, for which reason the Captain sent both the boats,
well manned and armed with jars, to seek for water. They found the
beach very difficult, most of it rocks, on which the waves broke with
great fury. But undaunted by this, our people jumped into the water
up to their waists, loaded with arquebuses, spades, and crowbars,
and the last, whose name was Belmonte, [83] had such difficulty that,
if Ensign Rozo [84] had not helped him with his spear, which enabled
him to get out, there would have been an end of his career. Marching in
good order, they entered a palm grove, where they found, at the foot
of a tree, a number of brown stones, and one in the form of an altar,
covered with branches. It was supposed that this was a burial-place, or
a place where the Devil spoke to and deceived these miserable natives,
without there being any one to obstruct him. Our people, to sanctify
the place, set up a cross, [85] and gave God thanks on their knees
for being the first to hoist His royal standard in an unknown place
inhabited by heathens. In sorrow for their evil condition, they spoke
thus: "How long, O pious Lord, is the darkness in which they live to
last for these people?" They said this with all due reverence; and,
leaving the cross, they began to dig for water, which they did not
find, but were able to quench their actual thirst with cocoa-nuts.
When they went down to embark they saw a shape, which appeared to
be that of a man, coming towards them at a short distance. They
went to see what it was, and found that it was an old woman, who
appeared to be a hundred years of age: a tall and large woman,
with fine and long black hairs and only four or five grey ones,
her colour brown, face and body wrinkled, teeth few and decayed,
and with other faults caused by a long life. She came along, waving
with soft palm leaves. She carried some cuttle-fish dried in the sun,
in a basket, and a knife made from a mother-of-pearl shell, also a
skein of thread. A little speckled dog accompanied her, which ran away.
With this good capture the boat returned to the Captain, to show her to
him, who was highly delighted at seeing a human creature. He seated her
on a box, and gave her meat and soup from a pot, which she ate without
scruple; but she could not manage the hard biscuit. She showed that she
knew well how to drink wine. A mirror was put into her hand, and she
looked at the back, then at the front, and when she saw her face she
was much pleased. All noticed her good manners, and concluded that,
when young, she was not bad-looking. She looked at all the men with
attention, but she displayed the greatest pleasure in looking at the
boys. She looked at the goats as if she had seen them before. There was
a gold ring with an emerald on one of her fingers. She was asked for
it, but replied by signs that she could not give it without cutting
off her finger, and she seemed sorry for this. She was offered one
of brass, which she did not care for. Having given her things to
dress herself with and take away, we saw four canoes coming from the
village under sail, out of a lake which the island has in its centre,
and they anchored near the palm grove. The Captain presently ordered
the old woman to be landed, in order to reassure the natives. They
no sooner recognised her than they came to see her, and looked at
her as if she had been long absent. They came to our people with the
confidence of friends. There were seventy-two natives, and by signs
they said that they were going, as they presently did go, to see the
cross. As well as they could our people tried to make them understand
its value, and that they should place themselves before it on their
knees. Finally, they did all that they were told.
When it was asked which of them was the chief, they pointed
out a robust, tall, and well-proportioned native, with a good
well-complexioned face, who appeared to be fifty years of age. He wore
on his head a tuft of black feathers, and towards the front some skeins
of golden hairs whose ends reached half way down his back. According
to their custom, it should be the hair of his wife. He also wore round
his neck a large plate of mother-of-pearl. He had a serious manner,
and all the others paid him great respect. He was asked whether he
would like to go on board the ship, and, having given us to understand
that he would, he was taken to the boats with some followers. One of
the boats having been swamped, they helped to raise her. The chief got
into one boat, and several natives into another, but when they had
gone a short distance they jumped overboard, apparently from fear,
and began to swim. The chief wanting to do the same, we detained
him. He tried to do so by main strength, which was great, and to
take a knife from a soldier, but failed. He made other attempts, but
nothing availed him. The boat arrived alongside, and four men took
hold of him and tried to make him go up; but it was labour in vain,
for he would not stir. The chief was stretched out at his whole length,
fencing with his nervous arms, and in this way he strove to get clear
and escape by swimming. Seeing he could not do this, he put one foot
against the ship's side and sent the boat some distance. When we saw
how much trouble he was giving, he was fastened to a whip, to hoist
him into the ship; and when he found himself secured he got into such
a fury that it shocked our eyes.
The Captain went down into the boat, and the first thing he did was
to take in his hand the palm branch the other had given him, and to
remove the cord which had caused the chief such anger. He showed that
he felt this release very much, both by his face and his hands; but
not for this did he consider himself in safety. With melancholy looks
he gazed at those who were in the boat, then at the ships, the sails
and masts, and at the land, pointing with his finger that he wanted
to return there. The Captain was sorry to find him so discontented. He
dressed him in a pair of breeches and shirt of yellow silk, put a hat
upon his head, a tin medal round his neck, gave him a case of knives,
embraced him, and ordered the boat to go on shore. This quieted him.
A sergeant and some men had remained on shore, collecting
cocoa-nuts. Three, who were together, saw the natives collected in
order with their lances, and appearing to be determined to force
them into their canoes, as their chief had been forced to go to the
ship. Eight of our people got together, and pointed out to the natives
that they had remained as sureties, and that their chief was now coming
on shore in the boat. With this, and owing to two of us showing off by
fencing with their swords, the natives remained peaceable until their
chief landed, when they were astonished at his being clothed. He gave
them to understand what had happened, and they ran to receive him. One
of these was a well-made youth, and very handsome. He was supposed to
be the chief's son, for he was the only one he embraced, and the two
together showed an expression of sentiment at which the others helped.
These and other strange doings having been finished, in the order of
drilled soldiers, all carrying the chief in their midst, they marched
slowly to their canoes, and some of our men, who were looking on and
noting all this, went with them. The natives, who were now contented,
gave them water to drink, and some fish they had brought to eat. The
chief, who had left his garland of plumes and tresses on shore, gave
it into the hands of the sergeant, to be given to the Captain who had
released and clothed him. This was the final act of a man who knew
and was grateful, though himself unknown, causing confusion to some
of the company who received much greater benefits, and gave a bad
return. The natives then departed, and our people, to give them joy,
fired their arquebuses into the air, and returned on board.
To this island the name of the "Conversion of St. Paul" was
given. It is in latitude 18°, distant from Lima 1,180 leagues. [86]
Its circumference is 40 leagues, and in the centre there is a large
shallow lake. The people are corpulent, and of very good shape and
colour. Their hair is fine and loose, and they have their parts
covered. Their arms are thick and heavy lances of palm-wood, about
30 palmos long, and clubs of the same wood. The anchorage, where the
launch found bottom, is on the east side near the palm grove above
referred to, near which is the village on the shores of the lake.
As soon as the people had come on board, it seemed desirable to the
Captain that the ships should lie-to that night, in order to go next
day to where the natives were. The Chief Pilot said that as it was
well to windward, and not to waste the water, it would be better to
stand on, as we did, with the wind E. to N.E. Next day another island
was sighted to the N.E., and named "Decena." [87] We could not go
either to it or to other islands that were sighted later. The first
was named "Sagitaria," [88] the second "Fugitiva." [89] Afterwards,
in latitude 14°, the pilots were asked for their positions, who gave
them, some much more, others much less.