Chapter IX.
The first inhabited island is sighted; what happened there with the natives.
Next day, which was the 10th of February, having a look-out man at each mast-head, constantly watching all parts of the horizon, the Almiranta fired a piece, and land ahead was reported in all three ships. As all the other islands were desert, it was expected that this one would be the same, so the report was received with very moderate rejoicing. We presently steered towards it, and soon a high and thick smoke was seen to rise between two palms. Those in the launch presently shouted: “People, people on the beach!” The news was as joyful as incredible to many, from having been so long desired, fearing lest it should prove a mistake, until, coming nearer, we clearly saw men, and the sight was hailed as if they had been angels.[1]
Of this glory the Captain got a large share, for until now he had been saying: “God shows us in this sea millions and millions of natives.” The people were restless from sheer satisfaction, so that they had not attended to the sails. The launch anchored near the slope of the beach, and the two ships presently stood out to sea, as there was no port for them. They got the boats out to search, but could not find one, sounding until they came opposite to the place where the natives stood in a row, with clubs and lances in their hands. Our people who saw them thought it was war, but looked at them and spoke by signs. They said our men should land, also by signs.
The place was dangerous, and little satisfaction could be got from the natives; so our people in the boats determined to return to the ships to avoid any collision. The waves did their office, and the natives, when they saw the high ones, told the boats to keep away, owing to the danger they ran. As it appeared to our people that these demonstrations were all made out of kindness, two undressed and jumped into the water. As soon as they landed the natives, putting down their lances, all together at one time bowed their heads and arms, and saluted three times. Apparently, the welcome and smiles were to receive our men, and when one was knocked over by a wave, they picked him up, embraced him, and kissed him on his cheeks, which is a way of showing friendship used also in France. When the people in the boats saw the loyalty with which the natives received complete strangers, not knowing their intentions, two others went on shore. One of them was very white, and the natives, when they saw him, came and felt his back, breast, and arms, showing much astonishment, and they did the same with the other three. All four gave them what they had, which the natives received with signs of love. The one who appeared to be chief over the others gave to one of our people a palm branch as a sign of friendship, and also did more. He crossed his arms, making very friendly signs to our people that they should come to the village, to which they pointed with their fingers, to give them to eat.
With this they took their leave, and our men embarked, to the sorrow of the natives. Eight of them followed the boats, and to see them the men laid on their oars and invited them to get in, but they were afraid. The launch and the boats returned to where the ships were at sunset. Presently, the Chief Pilot asked the Captain what was to be done, who replied that they would beat to windward that night, and on the following day return to the same point, or to another, and search again for a port or anchorage, or for water, which was much needed. The Chief Pilot went aloft, and said from the mast-head that he saw a bay to leeward, much better than the bay of Cadiz.
All night we stood off and on, rather joyful at the thought of finding this port, and at dawn we found ourselves 3 leagues to leeward of the place where the natives had been seen; and looking out a first and a second time, there was no sign of that bay, but only a narrow and long reef almost covered by the water. There was one place where there were some palm trees, for which reason the Captain sent both the boats, well manned and armed with jars, to seek for water. They found the beach very difficult, most of it rocks, on which the waves broke with great fury. But undaunted by this, our people jumped into the water up to their waists, loaded with arquebuses, spades, and crowbars, and the last, whose name was Belmonte,[2] had such difficulty that, if Ensign Rozo[3] had not helped him with his spear, which enabled him to get out, there would have been an end of his career. Marching in good order, they entered a palm grove, where they found, at the foot of a tree, a number of brown stones, and one in the form of an altar, covered with branches. It was supposed that this was a burial-place, or a place where the Devil spoke to and deceived these miserable natives, without there being any one to obstruct him. Our people, to sanctify the place, set up a cross,[4] and gave God thanks on their knees for being the first to hoist His royal standard in an unknown place inhabited by heathens. In sorrow for their evil condition, they spoke thus: “How long, O pious Lord, is the darkness in which they live to last for these people?” They said this with all due reverence; and, leaving the cross, they began to dig for water, which they did not find, but were able to quench their actual thirst with cocoa-nuts.
When they went down to embark they saw a shape, which appeared to be that of a man, coming towards them at a short distance. They went to see what it was, and found that it was an old woman, who appeared to be a hundred years of age: a tall and large woman, with fine and long black hairs and only four or five grey ones, her colour brown, face and body wrinkled, teeth few and decayed, and with other faults caused by a long life. She came along, waving with soft palm leaves. She carried some cuttle-fish dried in the sun, in a basket, and a knife made from a mother-of-pearl shell, also a skein of thread. A little speckled dog accompanied her, which ran away.
With this good capture the boat returned to the Captain, to show her to him, who was highly delighted at seeing a human creature. He seated her on a box, and gave her meat and soup from a pot, which she ate without scruple; but she could not manage the hard biscuit. She showed that she knew well how to drink wine. A mirror was put into her hand, and she looked at the back, then at the front, and when she saw her face she was much pleased. All noticed her good manners, and concluded that, when young, she was not bad-looking. She looked at all the men with attention, but she displayed the greatest pleasure in looking at the boys. She looked at the goats as if she had seen them before. There was a gold ring with an emerald on one of her fingers. She was asked for it, but replied by signs that she could not give it without cutting off her finger, and she seemed sorry for this. She was offered one of brass, which she did not care for. Having given her things to dress herself with and take away, we saw four canoes coming from the village under sail, out of a lake which the island has in its centre, and they anchored near the palm grove. The Captain presently ordered the old woman to be landed, in order to reassure the natives. They no sooner recognised her than they came to see her, and looked at her as if she had been long absent. They came to our people with the confidence of friends. There were seventy-two natives, and by signs they said that they were going, as they presently did go, to see the cross. As well as they could our people tried to make them understand its value, and that they should place themselves before it on their knees. Finally, they did all that they were told.
When it was asked which of them was the chief, they pointed out a robust, tall, and well-proportioned native, with a good well-complexioned face, who appeared to be fifty years of age. He wore on his head a tuft of black feathers, and towards the front some skeins of golden hairs whose ends reached half way down his back. According to their custom, it should be the hair of his wife. He also wore round his neck a large plate of mother-of-pearl. He had a serious manner, and all the others paid him great respect. He was asked whether he would like to go on board the ship, and, having given us to understand that he would, he was taken to the boats with some followers. One of the boats having been swamped, they helped to raise her. The chief got into one boat, and several natives into another, but when they had gone a short distance they jumped overboard, apparently from fear, and began to swim. The chief wanting to do the same, we detained him. He tried to do so by main strength, which was great, and to take a knife from a soldier, but failed. He made other attempts, but nothing availed him. The boat arrived alongside, and four men took hold of him and tried to make him go up; but it was labour in vain, for he would not stir. The chief was stretched out at his whole length, fencing with his nervous arms, and in this way he strove to get clear and escape by swimming. Seeing he could not do this, he put one foot against the ship’s side and sent the boat some distance. When we saw how much trouble he was giving, he was fastened to a whip, to hoist him into the ship; and when he found himself secured he got into such a fury that it shocked our eyes.
The Captain went down into the boat, and the first thing he did was to take in his hand the palm branch the other had given him, and to remove the cord which had caused the chief such anger. He showed that he felt this release very much, both by his face and his hands; but not for this did he consider himself in safety. With melancholy looks he gazed at those who were in the boat, then at the ships, the sails and masts, and at the land, pointing with his finger that he wanted to return there. The Captain was sorry to find him so discontented. He dressed him in a pair of breeches and shirt of yellow silk, put a hat upon his head, a tin medal round his neck, gave him a case of knives, embraced him, and ordered the boat to go on shore. This quieted him.
A sergeant and some men had remained on shore, collecting cocoa-nuts. Three, who were together, saw the natives collected in order with their lances, and appearing to be determined to force them into their canoes, as their chief had been forced to go to the ship. Eight of our people got together, and pointed out to the natives that they had remained as sureties, and that their chief was now coming on shore in the boat. With this, and owing to two of us showing off by fencing with their swords, the natives remained peaceable until their chief landed, when they were astonished at his being clothed. He gave them to understand what had happened, and they ran to receive him. One of these was a well-made youth, and very handsome. He was supposed to be the chief’s son, for he was the only one he embraced, and the two together showed an expression of sentiment at which the others helped.
These and other strange doings having been finished, in the order of drilled soldiers, all carrying the chief in their midst, they marched slowly to their canoes, and some of our men, who were looking on and noting all this, went with them. The natives, who were now contented, gave them water to drink, and some fish they had brought to eat. The chief, who had left his garland of plumes and tresses on shore, gave it into the hands of the sergeant, to be given to the Captain who had released and clothed him. This was the final act of a man who knew and was grateful, though himself unknown, causing confusion to some of the company who received much greater benefits, and gave a bad return. The natives then departed, and our people, to give them joy, fired their arquebuses into the air, and returned on board.
To this island the name of the “Conversion of St. Paul” was given. It is in latitude 18°, distant from Lima 1,180 leagues.[5] Its circumference is 40 leagues, and in the centre there is a large shallow lake. The people are corpulent, and of very good shape and colour. Their hair is fine and loose, and they have their parts covered. Their arms are thick and heavy lances of palm-wood, about 30 palmos long, and clubs of the same wood. The anchorage, where the launch found bottom, is on the east side near the palm grove above referred to, near which is the village on the shores of the lake.
As soon as the people had come on board, it seemed desirable to the Captain that the ships should lie-to that night, in order to go next day to where the natives were. The Chief Pilot said that as it was well to windward, and not to waste the water, it would be better to stand on, as we did, with the wind E. to N.E. Next day another island was sighted to the N.E., and named “Decena.”[6] We could not go either to it or to other islands that were sighted later. The first was named “Sagitaria,”[7] the second “Fugitiva.”[8] Afterwards, in latitude 14°, the pilots were asked for their positions, who gave them, some much more, others much less.
[1] This island is Anaa, or Chain Island, about 200 miles east of Tahiti, in the same latitude. It was named “Conversion de San Pablo” by Quiros. No name is given by Torres or in Torquemada. Burney confused “Sagittaria” a small atoll seen after leaving “Conversion de San Pablo” with that island. Whenever he mentions “Sagittaria” it should be “Conversion de San Pablo.” Burney says that the “Sagittaria” of Quiros is generally believed to be Tahiti (vol. ii, p. 277 n.). It was Captain Wallis, the discoverer of Tahiti in 1767, who first thought that he had identified that beautiful island with the “Sagittaria” of Quiros: because the latitude is about the same, and because a low isthmus is described. But Tahiti has several good anchorages; the island of Quiros has none. Tahiti is very lofty; the island of Quiros is flat. Tahiti has abundant supplies of water; the island described by Quiros has none. Moreover, Quiros says that his first inhabited island has a large shallow lake in its centre. The Pilot Leza describes it as a ring of land encircling part of the sea. Sir William Wharton, who identifies the island with Anaa, or Chain Island, has pointed out that the passages describing the landing, especially the one in Torquemada, are excellent accounts of the difficulty of landing on the foreshore of a low reef island; but Tahiti, though there is a barrier reef round it, has a smooth lagoon within, with easy landing, and there are numerous openings in the reef. The description of the march across what has been supposed to be an isthmus, answers to the low land of an atoll, the water on the other side being the lagoon.
The only low island near Tahiti is Tetaroa, which is 20 miles from it. But another low island was not seen by Quiros, after leaving “Conversion de San Pablo,” until the second day. Starting from Tahiti, there is no such island; but, sailing from Anaa and steering W.N.W. before the trade wind, there are such low islands as are mentioned.
These considerations make it quite certain that Quiros never sighted Tahiti, as Burney supposes.
[2] Luis de Belmonte Bermudez, the Secretary to Quiros and probable author of the narrative.
[3] It should be Sojo.
[4] Dr. Bolton G. Corney found at Seville the journal of the frigate Aquila, which was sent by the Viceroy of Peru on a voyage to Tahiti, under the command of Don Tomas Gayangos in 1774. In reconnoitring the island of Anaa, on November 2nd, 1774, a well-proportioned cross was seen, set up on a sandy beach, on the skirts of a wood. The Spaniards of 1774 named the island “Todos Santos.”
[5] The S.E. end, 18° 30′ S. (Torres); N.W. point, 17° 40′ S. (Torquemada). Burney calculates the longitude 147° 7′ W.
[6] Niau, or Greig Island, of the chart. Torres calls it “Santa Polonia.”
[7] Makatea, or Aurora Island, of the chart.
[8] Matahiva, or Lazareff Island, of the chart. The present editor may be excused for referring to Lazareff as the first coral island he ever saw. He was a naval cadet on board H.M.S. Collingwood when, at seven bells in the forenoon of Friday, August 8th, 1845, she sighted the island. There was a border of white sand between the blue sea and the dense cocoa-nut grove. He went to the main-topmast head for a view of the interior lagoon over the cocoa-nut trees. At that very time he was reading Burney’s account of the voyage of Quiros.