How they sighted the second inhabited island, and what happened
there.
With the wind in the east, they continued on a western course until
the 1st of March. That night, the launch being ahead, she fired off a
small piece, and a man shouted, "Land ahead!" Presently we saw it, and
a fire burning, at the sight of which there was great content. When it
became broad daylight we saw an island, and steered towards it. When
we came near, two canoes came out to reconnoitre, but the people in
them, though we called, would not wait. The launch anchored very near
the land, and presently a fleet of ten small canoes, rowing fast
and as if racing, came out towards the Capitana. Having arrived,
we saw on board them some tall men, well made and handsome, and of
a good colour. They all came singing to the sound of their paddles,
one of them leading, to whom the rest replied; and by signs they told
us to call to the Almiranta, that by rounding a certain point he would
follow the way outside; showing that it gave them sorrow to see that,
and that they remained joyful now that they saw her return. They also
gave us to understand, pointing with their fingers, that we should go
to their port. What their object was they knew. Many stood upright,
and with arms and hands, legs and feet, and with their paddles, they
made sounds with great dexterity, dances, and gestures. Their chief
theme was music, and to show themselves joyful and merry before our
ships. But in spite of our importunities, they never would come on
board, nor eat of anything we gave them, which they received on the
points of their lances and showed to all the others; and what fell
into the sea they dexterously recovered, by diving for it.
Five natives came in a canoe, the middle one vigorously bailing the
water out of the vessel. His red hair came down to the waist. He was
white as regards colour, beautifully shaped, the face aquiline and
handsome, rather freckled and rosy, the eyes black and gracious,
the forehead and eyebrows good, the nose, mouth, and lips well
proportioned, with the teeth well ordered and white. In fine, he
was sweet in his laughter and smiles, and his whole appearance was
cheerful. Being rich in so many parts and graces, he would be judged
to be very beautiful for a girl; but he was actually a youth of about
thirteen years. This was he who at first sight stole away the hearts
of all on board the ship; he was most looked at and called to, and he
to whom all offered their gifts, and to whom the Captain, with great
persuasion, desired to present a dress of silk, which he accepted, and
put on with much grace. It was pain to the Captain that the youth could
not be kept, to take as a proof of the greatness of God in those parts.
Many natives came to the launch, and, having fastened a cord to the
bowsprit, they tried to drag her on to the beach. Others, diving
into the water, fastened ropes to the cable and dragged for the
anchor. Others took up positions to conceal their tricks. The Captain
of the launch, seeing their diligence and how quickly they went to
work, fired off arquebuses to frighten them. But they, ignorant of the
effects, showed no fear at all, even seizing hold of naked swords with
their hands, until some were hurt, when there was a disturbance and
talk among themselves, and they rowed away in their canoes at a great
rate. At this time a very audacious old man came in one of their canoes
to the Capitana, with a very long and thick lance of palm wood, well
balanced; and he had on a sort of cloak or hood made of a leaf dyed
crimson, and a hat they had given him from the launch. He was a tall,
robust man, and very supple, and showed himself to be arrogant. Wounded
in feet and legs, they trembled violently. He made fierce faces with
his eyes and mouth. In a very loud voice he seemed to order us to
surrender. With his lance, brandishing it menacingly, he made as
many thrusts as he could. With the intention of making him quiet,
two muskets were fired off. The others cried out and threw up their
arms, but he made light of it. With great pride he showed more signs
of his anger; and, finding he could do nothing, he quickly passed both
ships and went to where the launch was, following all the other canoes.
At this time both the ships anchored, there being a land breeze,
and all the natives went on shore, and showed themselves ready for
war. In a short time the wind was abeam, and though light, it swung
the ships so as to bring them too near the shore, and they were in
great danger. The Captain ordered the cables to be slipped and sail
to be made in great haste, sending the boats to recover the anchors
and cables. The natives, it seemed, either for love or sorrow, on
seeing how quickly we departed without carrying out our good or evil
intentions, not understanding the reasons any more than we understood
theirs, many of them came swimming and taking hold of the oars of one
of the boats, trying with all their force to take them from those who
were rowing. Such was the courage and audacity of the old man with
the cloak that, only with a stick, he attacked an Ensign standing on
the forecastle, who received the blow on his shield. He did not like
to return it, because it was the Captain's order that no harm was to
be done to the natives either in person or property. But I suspect,
according to what happened afterwards, that there was less care about
this order than appeared.
The launch and boats collected where the ships had been. The Captain
sent for the Admiral, and told him that he had determined to send an
armed party on shore next day with the boats, and the launch as an
escort. The party, by good management, was to bring on board at least
four boys, one of them being the youth who has already been described,
and the others to be like him. It is to be noted that, the ships and
crews being placed in such manifest danger in so small an island, this
method or some other is necessary to get the wood and water of which we
are in want, and which should be sought for to the S. and S.W. These
instructions were repeated several times, and a strong desire was
expressed that the Admiral himself should be the leader of the party.
We stood off and on during the night, very desirous that it should come
to an end, and when the day dawned the Admiral started with the landing
party. At the first place the landing was opposed by the natives,
and he was obliged to go further on. Here all the men jumped into
the sea, the waves dashing against them and rolling them over, and
they reached the shore after much buffeting and in great danger. One
boat was capsized, leaving the four rowers underneath. Another wave
righted her again, and the men were saved. They were not sailors,
so that the loss caused by them was serious, in jars and other things
for getting water and fuel, and in a certain number of arquebuses.
On the beach there were a great number of natives, ranged in order
and armed; and all with one voice gave a pabori, which I understand
to be a kind of intoned shout or war cry, and they closed with a
noise very brief but terrible. They came against us, and it was
necessary to attack them with vigour owing to their being so close;
and the arquebuses, which are a terror to those who do not know them
but see their effects, terrified them, and they fled, carrying, as
they had brought, the king or chief in a litter on their shoulders,
holding palm leaves to shade him. Two or three were left behind, and
set fire to the dry grass at intervals. We understood that this was
either a signal of peace, or an imitation of the fire from our muskets.
The fugitives all fled to a village under a grove of palm trees,
near a lake which the island has in the middle. Most of them went in
canoes to the other side.
The Admiral formed his corps de garde, and a boy came to them,
as they said, so beautiful and with such golden hair, that to see
him was the same as to see a painted angel. With crossed hands he
offered them his person, either as a prisoner or to do what they
liked with him. The Admiral, seeing him so humble and so handsome,
embraced him and dressed him in breeches and shirt of silk, which
the Captain had given out of the store for barter, supplied with this
object by His Majesty. The boy, to show his pleasure, climbed up some
very tall palm trees with agility, and threw down cocoa-nuts for us,
asking if we wanted more. Many other natives, seeing that he was well
treated, came down and arrived where our people were. The Admiral,
without moving, called that, the better to secure them, the capture
would be much easier when they were close together. But Satan,
who does not sleep at such important junctures, contrived that an
ill-conditioned recruit should enter one of their houses. The owner
opposed his entrance. Another of our men came up; but the native used
his club so well that he would have killed one if others had not come,
for he was lying senseless on the ground, while his companion ran
away. The native faced our people, and an ensign named Gallardo,
who came up first, fired a shot at him. When he felt that he was
wounded and saw the blood, he rushed upon Gallardo with great courage,
who, to stop him, ran him through with his sword. He fell dead on
the ground who, as a valiant defender of his house, did not deserve
such a fate. Owing to this death, and to others which followed, the
Admiral lost the opportunity he had desired and planned. And now, to
follow the plan and what depended upon it, he set forward to wrestle
with fortune. When the natives saw what had happened, they fled like
the rest, and so our people remained with all their trouble in vain;
for so great a misfortune suffices and exceeds what is wanted. One
of our men said of the dead that it was of little importance that we
should have sent them to the Devil to-day, as they would have to go
to-morrow--a sentiment very far from all reason, and especially when
they had the Faith of Christ at the doors of their souls.
The soldiers, divided into squadrons, marched into the interior. On
the path taken by Gallardo and some friends a noise was heard,
and the branches were seen to move. They all got ready their arms,
and Gallardo cocked his piece and pointed it, moving to see what it
was. Coming near, there rose up some children in haste and fear--two
boys and three girls, all pretty creatures, the oldest about ten
years--and with them a lady, graceful and sprightly, with neck,
bosom, and waist well formed, hair very red, long and loose. She
was extremely beautiful and pleasant to look upon, in colour very
white; and, being so pretty, it was a great surprise to our people,
more than to her; for, with quick steps and smiling face, she came
forward to receive Gallardo, who gave her his new cloak, which he
carried doubled under his left arm; and presently, with great love,
both arms extended, she embraced him, and gave, according to their
custom, the kiss of peace on the cheek. The finding of this nest did
not fail to be useful to our people, as they told me afterwards, for
the lady did not prove to be prudish in going with them; so that--and
I say this--they left behind them a rich capture, which I shall always
feel to be the great loss of six souls.
Passing onwards, they saw behind some bushes an old man concealed,
who could scarcely open his eyes. Gallardo, seeing that he was so
afflicted, gave him a hand, and was surprised that he could grasp
with such strength, and that there should be such vigour in one who
seemed so weak.
Having seen what he could of the island, the Admiral went back to
the boats with his party, where he found the surf as furious as
when he landed. To such an extreme did they come on the sight of it,
that many wanted to remain on the island, where the sea urchins on
the beach hurt their feet. They embarked with difficulty and danger,
and returned to the ships. The Admiral excused himself from having
an interview with the Captain, whose regret need not be mentioned,
owing to his annoyance at the mismanagement.
In the houses of the natives a great quantity of soft and very fine
mats were found, and others larger and coarser; also tresses of
very golden hair, and delicate and finely woven bands, some black,
others red and grey; fine cords, strong and soft, which seemed of
better flax than ours, and many mother-o'-pearl shells, one as large
as an ordinary plate. Of these and other smaller shells they make, as
was seen and collected here, knives, saws, chisels, punches, gouges,
gimlets, and fish-hooks. Needles to sew their clothes and sails are
made of the bones of some animal, also the adzes with which they dress
timber. They found many dried oysters strung together, and in some
for eating there were small pearls. Certain white hairs were seen,
which appeared to be those of an animal.
This island is very flat, and about 6 leagues long. In one part,
which is nearly submerged, is the water which the natives drink, which
seems to me to be only rain-water detained in the sand on its passage
to the sea. In this same part there are some collections of huts. The
land is divided among many owners, and is planted with certain roots,
which must form their bread. All the rest is a large and thick palm
grove, which is the chief sustenance of the natives. Of the wood and
leaves they build and roof their houses, which are of four vertientes,
[90] curiously and cleanly worked, each with a roof, open behind,
and all the floors covered and lined with mats, also made of palms;
and of the more tender shoots they weave fine cloths, with which the
men cover their loins, and the women their whole bodies.
Of these palms the natives also make their canoes, and some very large
vessels, twenty yards in length and two wide, more or less, in which
they navigate for great distances. They hold about fifty persons. Their
build is strange, there being two concave boats about a fathom apart,
with many battens and cords firmly securing them together. Of these
palms they make masts, and all their rigging, sails, rudders, oars,
paddles, utensils for baling, their lances and clubs. On these palms
grow the cocoa-nuts, which serve them for food and drink, grease for
their wounds, and cups to hold their water. It may almost be said that
these trees sustain the good people who are here, and will remain in
the wilderness until God takes pity on them.
This island was calculated to be 1,600 leagues from Lima, in latitude
10° 20'. The port where the vessels were anchored is on the north side,
very near the land, and in front of the village. It appeared well to
the Captain that it should receive the name of "Peregrina." [91]