After I had written the above to your lordship, Yñigo Lopez arrived on
the eighteenth from Malaca with the news that the Castilians were in
Maluco; that three vessels had left Castilla under command of Fernando
Magallaes. They had been sighted off the cape of San Agustin, from
which point they had run about two hundred or three hundred leagues
along the coast of Brasil. There they anchored in a river [218] which
flows across the whole of Brasil, and was of fresh water. They sailed
for six or seven days on this river until they came to the other part
of the south, whence they started in quest of Maluco, sailing for
five months in a wide expanse of waters without ever seeing land or
finding islands, and with a steady stern wind. In this region one of
the ships fled from Magallanes and started to return, but nothing more
has been heard of it At this time a great uneasiness became manifest
among the Castilians, and it was rumored that Magallanes was going to
deliver them over to the Portuguese; and they resolved to mutiny and
seize the ships. Magallanes upon obtaining information of this was
sorely grieved. He summoned the guilty ones before him one by one,
but they flatly refused to come. [219] He killed those of whom he
stood in fear, and gave their captaincies and duties to those whom he
thought proper. He continued his forward course although he had but
little food and water, and finally came in sight of an island which
was the island of Burneo. They tried to land there against the will
of the inhabitants. A great fight ensued, in which Magallanes and
many of his fighting men were killed, and when the fleet, deprived
of many men, was in such straits that it could easily have fallen
into the hands of the inhabitants of that land, a Portuguese pilot,
who had come with Magallanes, came to the rescue, took the tiller,
and turned the course of the vessel toward Maluco. He reached that
place and found there one of the followers of Don Tristan de Meneses
(may he rest in peace). They took him prisoner and obtained from him
all the information that they desired. Then they made their bargains
in detail and at the wish of those on land disposed of their red
caps and clothes which they had carried with them, in return for
which those on shore loaded their vessels; these left Maluco laden
with cloves, but in very poor condition as to their rigging and
hulls. They left two or three men with small boats and defenses,
and some shot to use for signals. It was their intention to go with
their ships through the islands of Maldiva because they considered
the course that they were taking dangerous. The weather, however,
compelled them to land at Burneo from which place one of the vessels
which was in the better condition started for those kingdoms, and may
God grant her safe arrival. The other vessel returned with sixty hands
to Maluco for it was leaking badly and not in a condition to undertake
the voyage. They resolved to make a stay at Maluco with the artillery
and wait there for news of the vessel which had left for Castilla which
may it please Our Lord not to bring to that place unless it be for his
service. All this news was had from two deck-hands of the same vessels,
who had remained at Burneo for fear of embarking in them while in so
poor condition. From this place Don Juan brought them to Timor where
Pedro Merino was in command of the soldiers, [220] and from there he
departed with these two deck-hands and brought them to Malaca where
he found Yñigo Lopez, who was about to leave. Joining with him they
both arrived in safety at Cochin with the Castilian deck-hands from
whom they obtained all the above information.
[_Addressed:_ "Sacred Caesarean and Catholic Majesty."]
[_Endorsed:_ "To his majesty, xxjx of August from Cochin, December
23, 1522.
Advices of the voyage of Magallanes and of his death, and news from
Portuguese India."]