S. They Loaded Cloves,
Nutmegs, And Mace, In A Junk Or Barque, Which Serrano Bought.
It is said,
that in an island not far from Banda, there are immense quantities of
snakes, especially in a cave in the centre of the island.
The same is
said of Formentera, in the Mediterranean, anciently Ophiusa, between
Majorca and Minorca. On their return from Banda towards Malacca, in 1512,
Francis Serrano perished with his junk on the flats called Baxos de
Lucapinho, nine or ten of the Portuguese crew escaping to the island of
Mindanao, who were sent for by the kings of the Moluccas. These were the
first of the Portuguese who came to the Islands of Cloves, which are in
lat. 1 deg. N. and they remained there seven or eight years. Some Portuguese
and princes of the Moors once endeavoured to go near that part of the
isle of Ternate which throws out fire, but could not accomplish it. But
Antonio Galvano accomplished this enterprise, and found a spring so cold
that he could not bear his hand in the water, nor suffer any of it in his
mouth, though almost directly under the line.
In these Molucca islands, there are certain men who have spurs on their
ancles like cocks; and I was told by the king of Tidore, that in the
islands of Batochina, there are people with tails, who have a lactiferous
nipple on the scrotum. There are small hens also in these parts, many of
which are black in the flesh, and lay their eggs, larger than those of
ducks, in holes above nine feet under ground. They have likewise hogs
with horns, and excellent talking parrots, which they call _Noris_. There
is also a river so very hot that it takes off the skin of any living
creature that bathes in its waters, and yet contains living fish. Their
crabs are very sweet to eat, yet their claws are so strong that they will
break the iron of a pickax; and there are small hairy crabs in the sea
which are rank poison, as whoever eats of them immediately dies. In these
seas are certain oysters, called _Bras_, having shells of so great size,
that they might serve as fonts for baptizing children. In these seas
there are certain living stones, which grow and increase like plants, of
which excellent lime may be made by burning in the usual manner, when
taken fresh from the sea; but, if allowed to remain long in the air, it
loses all its strength, and will not afterwards burn into line. There is
a tree which bears flowers only at sunset, which fell off immediately
when blown. There is likewise a certain fruit, whereof if a woman who has
conceived shall eat, the child by and by moves. There is, farther, a
certain herb which followeth the sun, and removes after it, which is a
strange and marvellous thing.
In 1512, while on the voyage from Malacca to Goa, the ship in which
Albuquerque embarked was lost.
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