Along With The King And His
Nobles, Magellan Sent Two Persons On Shore, One Of Whom Was Antonio
Pigafetta, The Historian Of The Voyage.
On landing, the king and his
attendants all raised their hands to heaven, and then the two
Christians, who imitated this ceremony, which was afterwards observed in
drinking.
The king's palace was like a great hay-loft, mounted so high
upon great posts of timber, that they had to go up by means of ladders,
and was thatched with palm-leaves. Though not Christians, these
islanders always made the sign of the cross at their meals, at which
they sat cross-legged like tailors. At night, instead of candles, they
burnt a certain gum of a tree, wrapped up in palm-leaves. After
entertaining them in their respective palaces, the king and prince of
Buthuan dismissed Pigafetta and his companion with noble presents,
filled with admiration of their guests, whom they believed to be men
above the rank of common mortals, being especially astonished at
Pigafetta's writing, and reading what he had written, which was too
mysterious for their comprehension.
[Footnote 9: Not one of these islands is known to modern geography; and
the whole of this voyage is related so loosely and unsatisfactorily,
that it is impossible to trace its course, except at well-known
places. - E.]
In this island, by sifting the earth of a certain mine, they procured
great lumps of gold, some as large as walnuts, and some even as big as
eggs; all the vessels used by the king at table being made of this
precious metal.[10] The king of this island was a very comely personage,
of an olive complexion, with long black hair, his body being perfumed
with the odoriferous oils of storax and benzoin, and painted with
various colours.
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