The first voyage round the world, by Magellan : $b translated from the accounts of Pigafetta, and other contemporary writersPigafetta, Antonio
History
The first voyage round the world, by Magellan : $b translated from the accounts of Pigafetta, and other contemporary writers
Pigafetta, Antonio
Magalhães, Fernão de, -1521; Voyages around the world -- Early works to 1800
Near to Zubu there is, as we said, the island of Matan, the most
considerable town of which is called Matan, and its chiefs are Zula and
Cilapulapu. The village, which we burned on the occasion of the fatal
battle, is named Bulaia.
In this island, before we lost our captain-general, we had news of
Maluco.
(_Book III of the Milan Edition._)
+Departure from Zubu.+
When we were at a distance of eighteen leagues from the island of
Zubu, near the head of another island called Bohol,[327] in the midst
of that archipelago, seeing that our crews were too much reduced in
number, so that they were not sufficient for managing all the three
ships, we burned the _Conception_ after transporting into the other two
all that it contained that was serviceable. We then took the S.S.W.
course, coasting along an island called Panilongon,[328] where the
people were black as in Ethiopia.
We then arrived at a large island,[329] the king of which having come
on board our ship, in order to show that he made alliance with us and
would be friendly, drew blood from his left hand, and stained with it
his breast, his face, and the tip of his tongue. We then did likewise,
and when the king went away, I alone accompanied him on shore to see
the island.
We entered a river[330] where we met many fishermen, who presented some
of their fish to the king. He then took off the cloth which covered his
middle, and some of his chief men who were with him did the same, they
then all began to row and to sing. Passing near many houses, which were
on the brink of the river, we arrived at two hours of the night[331]
at the house of the king, which was two leagues from the mouth of the
river where the ships were.
When we reached the house, people came to meet us with many torches,
made of canes and palm leaves, full of the before-mentioned gum, called
_anime_. Whilst supper was being got ready, the king, with two of his
chiefs, and two rather handsome ladies, drank a large vase full of
palm wine, without eating anything. I, excusing myself saying that I
had already supped, only drank once. In drinking they use the ceremony
which I have already described in speaking of the King of Massava.[332]
Then the supper was brought, which consisted of rice and fish, very
much salted, in porcelain dishes. Rice with them takes the place of
bread. They cook it in the following manner, which is common to all
these countries. They place inside an earthen pot like ours, a large
leaf which lines it all round internally, then they put in the water
and the rice, and cover up the pot. They let it boil until the rice has
taken the consistency of bread, and then they take it out in pieces.
When the supper was over the king had brought a cane mat, and a mat of
palm leaf, with a cushion of leaves, and this was to be my bed. I slept
there with one of his chiefs. The king with the two ladies went to
sleep in another place.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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