According To Some Authors, The Number Of Men In These
Five Ships Amounted To 237, Though By Most They Are
Said to have been
250, among whom were thirty Portuguese, upon whom Magellan chiefly
depended for naval skill; as he
Likewise did greatly upon Serrano, who
had left the service of Portugal in like manner with himself, after
having served for many years in India, and some time in the Moluccas, of
which islands they were now going in search.
SECTION II.
Proceedings of the Voyage from Seville to Patagonia, and wintering
there.
Great hopes of success were entertained from this voyage, from the known
experience of the commanders, although its real object was carefully
concealed by Magellan, who merely gave out to the other adventurers that
it was intended for the discovery of new countries, by which they
believed themselves bound to the certain acquisition of gold. They set
sail from Seville, in high expectations of acquiring riches, on the 10th
of August, 1519. The 3d October, the fleet arrived between Cape Verd and
the islands of that name. After being detained by tedious calms on the
coast of Guinea for seventy days, they at last got to the south of the
line, and held on their course to the coast of Brazil, of which they
came in sight in about the latitude of 23 deg. S. They here procured
abundant refreshments of fruits, sugar-canes, and several kinds of
animals.
Proceeding about 2 1/2 degrees farther south, they came into a country
inhabited by a wild sort of people, of prodigious stature, fierce and
barbarous, and making a strange roaring noise, more like the bellowing
of bulls, than human speech. Notwithstanding their prodigious bulk,
these people were so nimble that none of the Spaniards or Portuguese
were swift enough to overtake them. At this place there was a fine river
of fresh water, the mouth of which was fully seventeen leagues wide, in
which there were seven islands, the largest of which they named the
island of St Mary, where they procured some jewels.[2] Proceeding
along this coast towards the south, they fell in with two islands so
abounding in seals and penguins, that they might have laden all their
five ships with them in a short time. The penguins are a black, heavy,
unwieldy fowl, extremely fat, covered with a sort of down instead of
feathers, and having a bill like that of a raven; drawing their entire
subsistence from the sea, as fish is their only food.
[Footnote 2: These jewels may possibly have been a few pearls. The
indications in the text are too vague to afford even a guess at the
situation of the river and its seven islands; only it may be mentioned,
that the most northern part of the coast of Patagonia is in lat. 38 deg. S.
and that no river answering the description in the test is to be found
on all that coast - E.]
They next advanced to about the latitude of 49 deg. 30' S. where they were
forced to remain for five months, owing to the severity of the weather,
it being now winter in these southern parts. They here passed their time
very unpleasantly, and for a long time believed the country to be
uninhabited, but at length a savage came to visit them. He was a brisk
jolly fellow, very merrily disposed, and came towards them singing and
dancing. On coming to the shore of the haven in which the ships had
taken refuge, he stood there for some time, throwing dust upon his head.
This being observed, some persons were sent ashore to him in a boat, and
making similar signs of peace; and he came along with them on board,
without any appearance of fear or hesitation. The size and stature of
this person was such as in some measure entitled him to be deemed a
giant, the head of one of the ordinary-sized Spaniards only reaching to
his waist, and he was proportionally large made. His body was painted
all over, having a stag's horn delineated on each cheek, and large
circles round the eyes. The natural colour of his skin was yellow, and
his hair was white. His apparel consisted of the skin of a beast,
clumsily sewed together, covering his whole body and limbs from head to
foot. The beast of which this was the skin, was as strange as the
wearer, being neither mule, horse, nor camel, but partaking of all
three, having the ears of a mule, the tail of a horse, and the body
shaped like a camel. The arms of this savage consisted of a stout bow,
having for a string the gut or sinew of that strange beast; and the
arrows were tipped with sharp stones, instead of iron heads.
The admiral made this man be presented with meat and drink, of which he
readily partook, and seemed to enjoy himself very comfortably, till
happening to see himself in a mirror which was given him among other
toys, he was so frightened that he started back and overturned two of
the men, and did not easily recover his composure. This giant fared so
well, that several others came to visit the ships, and one of them
behaved with so much familiarity and good humour, that the Europeans
were much pleased with him. This person shewed them one of the beasts in
the skins of which they were cloathed, from which the foregoing
description must have been taken.[3] Being desirous to make prisoners of
some of these giants, Magellan gave orders for this purpose to some of
his crew. Accordingly, while amusing them with toys, they put iron
shackles on their legs, which at first they conceived had been fine
ornaments like the rest, and seemed pleased with their jingling sound,
till they found themselves hampered and betrayed. They then fell a
bellowing like bulls, and imploring the aid of Setebos in this
extremity, whom they must therefore have conceived some good and
compassionate being, as it is not to be conceived they would crave
relief from an evil spirit.
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