Cortes, Not Yet Resolved On Submitting To The Authority Of Mendoca, Fitted
Out Two Ships, Under The Command Of Ferdinando De Grijalva And One
Alvarado, On Purpose To Discover The Route To The Moluccas By The Way Of
The Equinoctial Line, Because The Islands Of Cloves Are Under That
Parallel.
They went first to St Michael de Tangarara, in Peru, where they
landed succours for Pizarro, and thence, all along the line, to the
Moluccas, as they were ordered; and they are said to have sailed above
1000 leagues without sight of land on either side the whole way.
At length,
in lat. 2 deg. N. they discovered an island named _Asea_, which was believed
to be one of the islands of Cloves. Five hundred leagues farther, more or
less, they came to another, which they named _Isla de los Pescadores_, or
island of Fishers. Going still in the same course, they saw another island,
called _Hayme_, on the south side of the line, and another named _Apia_,
after which they came in sight of _Seri_. Turning one degree to the north,
they came to anchor at an island named _Coroa_, whence they came to
another under the line named _Memousum_, and thence to _Busu_, still
holding on the same course[81].
The people of all these islands are black, with frizzled hair, whom the
people of the Moluccas call Papuas. Most of them are witches, and eat
human flesh; and are so much given to wickedness, that the devils walk
among them as companions.
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